Lots and Lots of Steps!

Sorry for the lack up updates but with all the walking Ryan is doing and Daddy returning home the time has slipped away. We are so thrilled to have Greg home we have all missed him so so much! So just a quick update on Ryan.....many many more steps practically walking all over. His longest walk today was from his leapfrog learning table to the center of the living room. The trick is (as Uncle Brian and Auntie Erin witnessed) is that you have to bribe him while he is standing with a toy to walk farther. His preferred method remains to be the fast little crawl but he will occasionally get up on his own and walk around. Last night while I was putting clothes away in the nursery he got up and started walking about I had to take a double take and part of me was so so happy that he is walking all about and part of me was so sad because this great milestone officially marks the start of toddler hood.

This past week at a glance....Ryan and i did a little shopping at the outlet mall in Clinton on Tuesday. We got some Fall like clothes for Ryan he was outgrown all of his warm attire. We got some great deals at the baby Carter's outlet and got some warm fuzzy sleeper jammies 50% off. On Wednesday we went to another first birthday party. Liam one of the neighborhood friends was turning one. It was so great to meet some other moms of little one's in the neighborhood. I felt kind of mean but I did not let Ryan have a cupcake I though it would be too sugary and soooo not healthy for him. I know I am probably the only mother on the planet that does not want their child to eat cake...I might make him a separate zucchini or carrot cupcake without frosting for his birthday...not sure yet. The party was really fun sort of like a giant backyard play date. Ryan really enjoyed playing with all of Liam's fun toys and even showed off his walking abilities. He pushed a Tonka dump truck back and forth along the lawn using the back end as a walker...and darn it my camera is still broken so I don't have any pictures to share (we are on a mission tomorrow to buy a new one). Thursday we had a play date with Lorraine (you know the baby with the giant birthday party) She came over to play with Ryan. She taught Ryan how to say dog. We went to the zoo and he called all the animals a dog..so cute. Oh also if you ask Ryan "where is your tongue" he sticks it out on command it is sooo cute! 3 words Ryan loves to repeat Dada (his favorite), Mama, and now Dog...sometimes sounds more like (Duh or dut)Today Ryan spent some one on one time with Daddy while I hit the gym. After a 2 hour afternoon nap(must be all the walking)the three of us ventured to babies r us and target to get some stuff for Ryan's party and then out to dinner with Michelle at the Thai House....pretty much our week in a nutshell.

As the days dwindle towards Ryan's first birthday I ponder the big question of do I still continue to nurse or not? Whole cow's milk is typically introduced around 1 year of age and replaces either breast milk or formula. For now there is no danger of my milk supply of decreasing (gotta love that oversupply) but with our upcoming trip to NC my milk will probably decrease a bit(yes we are leaving Ryan in the care of my parents for 4 long days)I don't plan on pumping much only what I need to express and I am probably not going to transport milk home it is too much of a bother. The big question remains should I take this as my golden ticket to wean him off breastfeeding? Not sure how I feel about this. In the last few weeks I have managed to pump off over 125 extra ounces for the trip which is more than enough for Ryan while I am away alittle extra for when I come back too. I am guessing he will take about 25 ounces per day while I am gone but likely less he is not a big fan of the bottle....my other issue with weaning him off the breast not a big fan of the bottle/cup. He definitely takes more from me than from any bottle or sippy cup. Many of my friends with older babies are still nursing beyond 1 year for this very reason. But then there is the whole issue of having a walking/talking toddler still wanting to nurse and worst of all...actually asking for the boob! Certainly not for me! Ryan already pulls at my shirt when he wants to nurse..yes even in public quite embarrassing. But the upside of things is that he loves to nurse before nap time and bedtime. I just love this snugly time with him and I am not so sure I am ready to give that up just yet.

Looking forward to our trip to North Carolina for Neil and Kristen's wedding but I am getting anxious about leaving Ryan. I know he will be in the best hands though...but I miss him already. I remember when we left Dylan our puppy with my parents for the first time when we went to Florida and I cried because I missed the little guy so badly I can only imagine what it will be like to leave little Ryan behind...much worse I am guessing. It would really be too hard to bring him with all the late night wedding festivities with Greg being the best man and everything he woudl get so so over tired and crabby. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Miss you all.

Love,
Ryan

11 Months Old Today!

Can't believe Ryan is 11 moths old today. It does not seem possible that he is almost a year old! Ryan is growing so quickly I know I say this all the time but I can't believe how quickly time flies by. So he took many more steps today for Polina! She said he took 4-5 steps at a time. How exciting must be the new shoes we bought yesterday! Pretty soon he will be running all over and I will have to chase him everywhere and I can barely keep up with him now!

The house is quiet tonight now that all the visitors are gone and since Greg is traveling. Dylan is napping on the ottoman and Ryan is fast asleep exhausted from all the walking today! I am very tired too so i am going to sing off and head to bed just wanted to give everyone a quick update! Enjoy the fall like weather!

XOXOXO Ryan

Weekend full of Visitors!

Well Ryan had a fun filled weekend full of out of town visitors! It was so special to have Grammie and Grampy and Uncle Freddie here for the weekend while Daddy is away and Uncle Brian and Auntie Erin came by for a visit today too. Ryan also bought his first pair of shoes today YAY! Lots more steps for everyone to see over the weekend.

Daddy was home yesterday and spent some great quality time with Ryan before heading out for his week of traveling. He even got to see ryan take a few steps! That was so special for both of us to see we are so so proud of Ryan!

I wanted to thank Grammie and Grampy for the very special visit. It gave me a much needed brake from my everyday duties as a mother. It was so great to be able to tun a few errnads and not have to worry about Ryan. Grammie and Grampy successfully fed Ryan his dinner and put him to bed, got him up in the morning, fed him breakfest, played, went for stroller walks, got him down for a nap, bottle fed him, changed his diaper and gave him a bath. It was so refreshing I even got to the gym this morning! Thanks so much for all the help. They are practicing for their weekend with Ryan in a few weeks while Greg and I are away for a wedding.

Ryan's godparents Auntie Erin and Uncle Brian also stopped by for a vist today too. It was so great to have all this company while Greg is away. The weekend absolutley flew by and we got alot accomplished! Erin and Brian got to see Ryan take a few steps too I think he took the most for them! Must have been the new shoes! Ryan showed them his tunnel and played "peek a boo" and he showed them how he pushes his little ride on toy and he enjoyed a few rides too.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Miss you all and have a great week!

XOXO Ryan Alexander

Greatest Baby Milestone Conquered YEAH Ryan!!!

So it is official Ryan is walking!! This is the most exciting news all day for me!!! I can hardly believe it and I am so so happy for Ryan...YAY!! He took 3 steps for Polina today with his arms up in the air and a huge smile on his face! I am a little sad I was not there to witness his first steps...but I am so glad Polina was there to see it she just loves Ryan so much! I was so excited to share the news with all of you. I hope he does it tomorrow so I can see too.

Another exciting moment today Greg stopped by the office on his way home from the cape. It was only for a few minutes but I was so happy to see him before he left for Costa Rica! He even stopped by Polina's to say hello to Ryan and he was the first to hear the big news about Ryan walking! Little Dylan was so happy to see daddy too when he stopped by the house briefly to unpack only to re-pack again.

Day 3 without Greg went smoothly the morning was a little tough getting out the door trying to manage a little monkey (Ryan) and a little gerbil (Dylan) nicknamed by Greg because Dylan scurries around like a little gerbil...hehe. By the way the little monkey climbed up the stove and pulled on the handle to the oven door and surprisingly opened it!! I am not sure who was more surprised that he opened the oven door him or I! Thank goodness that it was not on! My mission this weekend will be to find some sort of latch to prevent him from doing this again!

So Yay for Ryan I cannot believe he is no longer a baby but officially a toddler! I have a lot of mixed emotions part of me is so happy for Ryan that he is walking he is more mobile to explore the world with his curious little feet and part of me is so so sad because he is no longer that little baby boy. It seems like this past year had gone by so fast!!! What a whirlwind I can barley take a second to catch my breath. It seems like just yesterday I was pregnant waiting for his arrival and here he is walking now and turning one next month. Time truly flies by when you are having fun. A baby truly changes your life for the better there is no better feeling in the world than being a mommy! How exciting to be so happy for your child you want to cry to share in his life's accomplishments and to think this this is only the begining of a whole bunch of FIRSTS!

Have a great week. I will keep you updated on the new development!!

XOXO Ryan

I like Beets yum yum!

So I picked up some beets at the farmer's market last week and I roasted them in the oven last night gave them to Ryan for lunch with some yogurt. It looked like he had hot pink lipstick on it was so funny...again I really wish I had my camera! We had lunch with Michelle and Amanda and they really got a kick out of the hot pink lipstick! We went for a walk around downtown Milford after lunch and Ryan fell asleep so Michelle and I carried him in the jogger up an entire flight of stairs to her apartment and parked him in her bedroom don't you know as soon as I started to walk away he opened his little eyes and wanted to play! Oh well not afternoon nap today but no problem still happily played and took a quick cat nap when we got home.

Day 2 without Greg still doing well. Keeping busy. Able to get stuff done in the kitchen keeping Ryan occupied with pots and pans measuring spoons and cups. What great entertainment for Ryan they clang and are shiny and make a lot of noise. Too bad Dylan runs away horrified from all the noise. It is offical for the past 3 days Ryan has been eating table food it is becoming more easy now that I do not have to puree everything.

Have a great week!

XOXO Ryan

Ryan Likes to Party!

I have to apologize for the lack of new photos since our trip to the Cape but Ryan was fiddling with my camera and now it is not working:( I really wish I had the camera today at this wild birthday party!!! Ha Ha. Anyways we went to Ryan's third first birthday party for one of his little friends and I have to say this party was fantastic... fully catered complete with a tent, pony, 2 jump and slide bouncers one for the bigger kids and one for the babies, a popcorn machine, cotton candy machine, a snow cone machine, a tunnel/tent play area, party hats, favors, noise makers, cake and much more! Yes this party was bigger than our wedding (just kidding) but seriously Ryan's eyes were popping out of his little head! He and his little friend Caroline had a blast at the party they rode on the pony, crawled thought he tunnel maze and played in the bouncer. Ryan just loved the bouncer Caroline on the other hand was not too fond of the bouncer. My master plan for the day worked...I wanted to get Ryan so tired out in the AM so he would take a long nap before the party because I was worried how I would manage an over tired baby sans Greg but thankfully I managed to totally wear him out this morning and he took a 2 1/2 hour nap prior to the party and was such a happy baby and ready to party hardy.

So Day 1 without Greg has not been too bad so far but I do miss his company especially after Ryan goes to bed at night. The house is very quiet now. Dylan is napping on the ottoman while I type and Ryan is in bed and there is no good TV on. Greg did call and him and the boys are having fun golfing. Too bad I will miss seeing him before he leaves for Costa Rica...He leaves on Mon and I will be at work. I do seem to be more productive since Greg is not here. I can't wait until he comes home on Wed...but only for 3 days before leaving again.

So I was thinking for a brief moment about throwing a wild and crazy party for Ryan's first birthday but it just seems like too much for a little person who is not even old enough to realize what a birthday really is.... so I will wait until he is a little older...so no big party just a family party and I am planning a mommy and me Halloween party during the week to celebrate his birthday with a few close friends. I thought it would be cute to see his little friends all decked out in their Halloween costumes. Ryan is going to be a Lion his costume is soooo cute too! Dylan will be Toto...only white. Halloween is now becoming a fun and exciting holiday with Ryan. Have not really celebrated Halloween since college... back in the day we used to dress up and go to wild parties at Umass...My my how times have changed that seems like so long ago. Now our lives are consumed with changing little diapers- albeit quite a challenge lately, sippy cups- BPA free of course...my what controversy, kid friendly snacks, and playdates! I am loving being a mom and I feel so lucky everyday to have Ryan in our lives!

Well enjoy the rest of the weekend....can't wait till Greg returns but until then I have the boys to keep me company! Miss you all.

XOXO Ryan Alexander

So full of energy...HELP!!

Ryan Alexander is sooo full of energy and is constantly on the move... more so now than ever before. He absolutely refuses his exersaucer now which he once loved and would at least allow me to put him in there for 10- 20 minute intervals at least while I fixed his meals.....well now he protests with that lovely Aaaahhhh Aaahhhhh(get me out of here now! unattractive little squeal!) What on earth am I going to do. I am starting to panic in anticipation of Greg's upcoming travel plans so I am thinking of resorting back to the Fairfield University student for a little help just so I can get some stuff done around the house. What is a mother to do?

I am grateful that for the most part Ryan is a good napper it is the only thing that keeps me sane. I can actually sit for a minute to catch my breath, perhaps use the bathroom or get a drinkof water. Running after a toddler all day long really really wears you out. I am hoping my parents can handle him for 4 days when we go to NC at the end of the month. He is literally like the energizer bunny tenfold. I mean for example just a few of the ridiculous things he did today: Crawled under is leap frog learning table (that I strategically placed between the couch and the loveseat in front of an end table) and wedged himself under the end table in between a wooden rocking chair to try and grab lord only knows what, dumped his toys out of his little basket turned the basket upside down using the basket as a stool and tried to climb up the baby gate from the living room to the kitchen (which by the way little Dylan our 8 lb maltese has learned to jump over...yeah I know ridiculous I should enter the two of them into the circus!), wiggled and squeezed himself behind the big TV to touch the electrical wires, trid to jump off the changing table during a diaper change (now my biggest challenge of all he will not stay still not even for a second so I can change his diaper)... wants to be on the move, even while nursing I have to give him something in his hands to keep him occupied and as soon as he is done nursing he shimmies away from me out of my arms and squirms down the couch or chair to get away. Ha ha this child is incredible I think he has super powers. I have caught him doing these mischievous little baby haunts before but today was an extreme in terms of getting into mischief and tiring me out. How do parents do it with other little ones? Thank god the little menace is asleep.... well he should be tired after all that he has gotten into today I know I am tired.

Oh yeah I failed to mention this child is a vacuum when it comes to eating no sooner can I get enough food on his tray and he is doing that unattractive little squeal for more.....how much can one 10 month old eat? For breakfast he nursed and nursed then had a huge bowl of oatmeal followed by some plums and nectarines and of course cheerios. For lunch he had kale, butternut squash, yogurt, grapes (which I could not cut up fast enough, so I gave up and shoved some in a self feeder twice, and pirate booty, and for dinner he had green beans, butternut squash, garlic ciabatta, zucinni, and summer squash and kept eyeing my salmon wanting more. He even squealed because I refused to give him some salmon. He would eat and eat if he could but there has to be a limit. I fear he wil be that chubby little boy eating everyone else's lunch at school.

Well off to bed hope things are a bit calmer tomorrow we are going to hit the farmer's market for some fresh veggies yum yum. Talk to you all soon.

Happy 60th Birthday Grammy!

Happy 60th Birthday Grammy (Fri)! We had such a wonderful weekend at Grammy and Grampy's. What a way to end the summer with a wonderful family barbeque celebrating Grammy's 60th Birthday. She did not want a big fancy party so we just celebrated quietly with family. We also treated mom to dinner on Sunday. The boys enjoyed a close glimpse of Tiger Woods at the Deutsche Bank Gold Tournament while Ryan and the ladies enjoyed some shopping an afernoon nap and a relaxing walk. We had such a wonderful visit and we appreciate all that my parents do for us. Greg and I even got to slip away to the movies.....the first time since Ryan has been born. Mom hope you had a fantastic birthday! We loved spending the weekend home with you, Dad, and Uncle Freddie!!

Each time I leave Agawam it makes me want to move back home. I cherish every second spent with my family and..... especially since is here Ryan..... we do someday hope to move back to MA so he can be closer to both sets of Grandaprents and his family there. I am getting a little down about Greg's upcoming travel plans...He is leaving for the cape on Friday for a bachelor party, then to Costa Rica, then the following weekend to Colorado and from there to Mexico so the boys and I will be holding down the fort alone for quite some time. It is times like these that make me ever so grateful that I only have to work 2 days a week because it is a tremendous challenge getting out of the house without Greg and it is so lonely coming home after a hard days work to an empty house! Okay enough boo-hooing!

Ryan is growing and changing everyday. He is becoming a bit "spoiled" in some ways and will screech out with a sort of disagreeable face with a wrinkled nose and furrowed brow if he A)wants more food B) touches something he is not suppossed to, and/or C) if we take something away from him such as keys, phone, remote or sunglasses. He is also becoming somewhat of a climber too...he climed on top of a 12 pack of snapple (with supervison of course) to touch the knob onthe cabinets, he climbed 6 stairs at Polina's last week and tries to climb up the couch and ottoman. Yikes I just hope he does not start climbing out of the crib at night. Yesterday he almost took his first step.....he now stands alone for long periods of time and contemplates how he will get from point A to point B.... Should I crawl, scoot, or cruise? Well Yesterday he stood for what seemed like a minute and reached out his foot only to drop down to one knee and crawl....hmmmm my mom was there it was very close to taking his first step. We will see.... a lot of his little friends are already walking and I feel it is only a matter of time before he figures it out. We are totally not pushing this at all...I am enjoying the moment we are in now and I feel as though he is growing and changing so quickly almost too fast for me. I wish I could slow things down just a bit to catch my breath and take it all in. Life really does change with a baby...for the better of course! I can't imagine my life with out Ryan! We just love him more and more everyday!

I hope everyone enjoyed the long holiday weekend. We are sad to say goodbye to summer but are looking forward to Fall. Our favorite season of course because it is when Greg and I met and of course when Ryan was born. We look forward to the cooler crisp weather and seeing the leaves change. Hope everyone has a great week. Love to all. Hugs and Kisses