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