Happy Halloween

Ryan had a ball in the center of town trick or treating with his friends. There were so many children out and about. The town really did a great job making it a great day for the kids. In the center of town all of the local business opened their doors from 2-5 PM for trick or treaters. Ryan met some of his friends in town and had so much fun. His lion costume got alot of use YAY! Then we went trick or treating in our neighborhood with Sofia. Sofia and Ryan had so much fun riding in the wagon. What a great night for the kids. Halloween is such a magical holiday and Ryan was just so cute in his lion costume. Hope everyone had a great Halloween.

XOXO RYAN

2007-10-31 Ryan and Friends Halloween

Time for an upgrade!

Okay guys I just had to tell you all it is time for an upgrade(in diapers that is) We had a huge poopy blowout this morning in our size 4 cruisers (must have been the oatmeal and blueberries for breakfast)I have to say this has not happened since Ryan was a teeny tiny baby....but yes it is time for an upgrade I was trying to use all of these size 4's but I ended up changing bed sheets yesterday morning...upon awakening Ryan had soaked through his pj's, his sleep vest, and his sheets and now the blowout today. So it is definitely time for the bigger size which I must say he has worn these by far the longest! I did give his little tush a quick little bath in our upstairs bathroom sink which was disastrous (I do not recommend doing this) He sat down started splashing and the sink over flowed on to the floor but in the end I had a very clean happy baby! Happy Halloween everyone.

XOXO RYAN

Weekend Re-Cap

2007-10-30 Ryan Halloween Preview

So Saturday Greg got to come to our make up class for our sing and sign class. It was so special to to have him there so he could learn some of the signs. Not sure if Ryan will catch on to any of the other signs besides more but we will keep trying. We went to Soup Thyme (my favorite lunch spot) for lunch in Monroe with our friends and got Ryan down for a power nap to rest up for the Halloween Spooktacular.

We had so much fun at the party. All the babes looked really cute in their costumes. It was great to see everyone we had not seen a while. Kerri- your whoopie pies were so delicious! Ryan really enjoyed them too! There were certainly a lot of people there. All I kept thinking to myself was that the host of the party has some MAJOR baby proofing to do (her twins are still non-mobile). They had a lot of candles and lit pumpkins and I kept picturing our little lion up in flames. No but seriously he did do pretty well although he did almost pull some of food off the table along with the table cloth a few times. Poor Ryan he was so good he kept his costume on the entire time and by the end of the night we took the hood off and his head was all sweaty!

Sunday we headed North to Agawam for a baby shower for our friends Lori and Bernie. They are expecting their first Jan 1st 2008. Greg and I got to do a little shopping while Grammy and Grampy got to spend some quality time with Ryan. It was really nice out and they got to take Ryan for a stroller ride.

It is official today Ryan looked straight at Dylan pointed at him and said "DIYYA" He now says Mama, Dada, Dog, and Diyya. He sort of signs for more with food and if I hold up cereal versus fruit he will point to his preference. His new annoying thing he does is he sits in his high chair and bangs his head on the back with all his might and thinks this is so hilarious! I am just worried he will tip the highchair backwards.

There is hope for us yet with the cow's milk he is now taking to it a bit more but not great. Taking small sips from his sippy cup only with a straw and it has to be room temperature or warmed not stone cold. But a week now of just nursing in the morning and at night and in the moring. But I still worry that this is not enough fluid he takes only sips of milk or water during the day. I know he does eat fruti and yogurt but I am not convinced this is enough. Still not pumping at work. I feel like I have so much free time now (not really).

So I am taking part in a research study through the Joslin Diabetes Center and NIH (National Institute of Health)for work and we have worked really hard trying to get up to speed with the logistics and I am expecting my first potential participant on Friday and I am so anxious/excited (just hope I don't mess anything up). We are trialing a new drug for treatment of type 2 diabetes it is so exciting and I am so lucky to be a part of it. I will let you know how it works out.

So Happy Halloween! No major plans just plan on saying hello to the neighbors with the little Lion in tow. Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

XOXO RYAN

Halloween Preview Ryan the Lion!

2007-10-27 Ryan the Lion!

Yay MORE!

Okay we had to make up our sing and sign class that we missed on Wed and I can finally say that all this sign language is paying off YAY! Ryan can now sign for more! He loves to do it during meal time especially. Not sure if he will catch onto the other... signs we have been trying to teach him but only time will tell. They say that hearing children who learn sign language will speak earlier, use complete sentances, and comprehend more. Still Ryan appears distracted during the class at times his friend Caroline is really into the class and she can sign a lot! Hopefully we will be able to communicate with Ryan more through sign language. It is a rainy lazy day today! Gotta rest up for the Halloween Spooktacular!

XOXOX Ryan

Teething Woes...Again ughhh

So it is official Ryan is getting his first year molars. I wondered why he kept sticking his entire hand in his mouth while pointing his finger down his throat and finally today realized that yes he is indeed getting his first year molars. To my surprise he actually let me feel them poking through all the way back there! It was funny I did think something major was wrong last night when Ryan woke from his 2+ hour nap (that he so desperately needed) he was so groggy and clingy so we decided to go for a stroller walk with Dylan of course. And little Ryan was slumped over to one side of the stroller sort of dozing off even though he just woke from his nap. On walks he usually babbles holding on the the sides of the stroller kicking his chubby little legs in delight but not yesterday. I kept peering through the window to see what was going on. Even when Dylan barked at a nearby dog Ryan did not make a peep...totally unlike him he is usually so nosey leaning out of the stroller to see what the racket is all about.

Then when we got home from our walk it was dinner time and Ryan practically refused his dinner come to think of it he barely ate his breakfast refused his afternoon snack and only had a few bites of his lunch...again totally unlike Ryan to refuse any type of food! While Greg gave him his bedtime bath he just sat there....bath time is his favorite time and he usually tries to climb out of the tub always stands up several times and he always splashes and giggles in the tub. But last night no smiles or splashes or attempts to stand. Greg noticed he felt a little warm and was not feeling like himself so we took his temp and it was 100.7. I nursed him and put him down in his crib and he went to sleep right away. I was going to give him some baby Tylenol but he fell asleep so peacefully.

Before I went to bed I just had to pick him up to feel if he was still warm (I am so paranoid he will have a febrile seizure) so I told myself if his fever was the same or higher I would give Tylenol but it had come down to 100.3 and he slept peacefully all night..... thankfully. This morning he woke without a fever and seemed a bit whiny and clingy again gave Greg a hard time getting dressed fell asleep the whole way to Polina's and whined as I was leaving dropping him off. I had called her last night to give her a heads up he may be a bit grumpy in the AM. I packed extra food for lunch and snacks not knowing what he would feel like and to my pleasant surprise it was as if he was never sick at all. Polina said he laughed and played and walked all around first time all day he did not crawl...only walked! And ate everything and I mean I packed him with alot of food...a pumpkin pancake, cantaloupe, grapes, kiwi, strawberries, 1/2 apple, 1/3 of a banana, oatmeal, yogurt, spinach, pirate booty, goldfish, and cows milk. And he took his cereal with cow's milk and drank only from is sippy cup today...HOORAY! Such a relief he is feeling better I was afraid we might have to miss out on the Halloween Spooktacular Kerri!

So yesterday while we were upstairs little Ryan took Dylan the puppy's toy looked right at Greg and said "DIYYA" as if to say Dylan in baby talk. It was so precious! And I think he has actually done this before but I was not paying that much attention. Usually when he takes Dylan's toys he brings them to his mouth and we say that's Dylan's toy and take it away from him. This morning as I was eating breakfast he took Dylan's toy again and walked over to Dylan who was laying on the ottoman and tried to hand the toy to Dylan who was asleep disinterested in it all. Greg and I were so amazed!

Yesterday we also had a weaning consult with Dr. Smilie and she was so great as always. She answered all my questions and we left the office feeling really good and reassured that we were doing the right thing. Our plan for now includes nursing only in the morning and at night and giving cow's milk and water as needed for fluids during the day. Eating yogurt and fruit is fluid enough similar to drinking a cup of milk or juice. And I totally agree with Kerri that we will stay away from juice for as long as possible lord knows Ryan does not need the calories and he would rather eat his calories in the form of fruit than drink them :) Dr. Smillie also said to ditch the bottle and only offer the cup at this point. Also she recommended restarting the vitamin D supplement now that the days are getting shorter and the vitamin D from sunlight is lessening. She also told us not to deny Ryan if he wants to nurse during the day for naps etc but to try and distract him or limit his nursing time to shorter periods. He seems happy with this and I can finally ditch my breast pump for good YAY! I did not have to pump today at work and it is so nice not to have to wash everything and store the milk and then cart it back and forth. This seems to be working for us for now and I will let him decide when he is ready to move on.

It is getting chilly out there. Ryan wore his mittens and hat today. He gets so mad when we put his mittens on! I think he feels like we cut his hands off! He was so grumpy this morning and putting his hat and mittens only exacerbated his mood. He fell asleep in the car with his hands straight up in the "I surrender to the mittens pose" Also Ryan went to bed with is "straight jacket on" as Greg calls it. It is really a sleep vest blanket which is basically a blanket with a head and arms cut out. I put him in it as he was standing up and he ran away before I could put his legs in and zip him up. Picture this a little boy running around his bedroom in a blanket. Literally looked like he was wearing an extra long super man cape only white and fleece, LOL. Looked like a cathedral length train on a wedding gown hanging in the back. You would think it would slow him down...NOT! ha ha! Okay seriously though it keeps him warm and he can't suffocate himself or kick the blanket off. They are great.

So hope everyone has a great weekend. We will hopefully get some cute pics at the Halloween party tomorrow night. Miss you all. Turning oi now it has been a very busy week.

XOXOX Ryan A.

Ryan and Friends

2007-10-24 Ryan and friends

So today we missed our sign and sign class (oh I wonder if Jona was asking for Ryan?) to have a little party for Ryan to celebrate turning one with all his little friends. I managed to take a couple pictures before my camera battery died and I am embarrassed to say I could not get the TV to work so I was unable to show the slide show for the party today:( I am so technologically challenged it is a wonder I can manage the blog!) LOL. So Ryan protested his afternoon nap today but decided after lunch he was ready to go down and I had to wake him at 3 PM for his party I wanted to get him dressed in time for his guests.

The party was so much fun Ryan really enjoyed spending time with all his friends some we have not seen in so long. The babes had so much fun with all the new toys. The ball popper was a big hit with everyone. Also the sports center and the little tykes walker. Thanks to both grandparents for these toys. Ryan got so many new toys from all his little friends. I am thinking of putting a few away for later he seems to have so many new toys to play with now. I think Ryan's toys are taking over the living room not sure what to do with all of them. Poor Dylan had to be kept upstairs for the party. He was like a little gerbil clawing at the gate the entire time.

Tomorrow we have a weaning appointment with Dr. Smilie over at breastfeeding resources. I woke at 3 AM in wrenching pain due to a plugged milk duct. I had to apply a warm moist face cloth and wake sleeping giant to unclog it at 3:45 AM. Lucky for me he was more than happy to help me out and peacefully drifted back to sleep after. That baby has rescued me every time. If you get a plugged milk duct and are unable to resolve it on your own it will likely turn into a nasty infection called mastitis necessitating a high unpleasant 10 day course of antibiotics that wreak havoc on your tummy! Lucky fo me I have been able to avoid this at all costs thus far thanks to Ryan my hero! So I have alot of issues to discuss during our appointment tomorrow! Just a few of the topics include how to go about this weaning process and avoiding more plugged ducts (extremely common with oversupply). How to go about discontinuing to pump at work, how to get Ryan to drink straight up cows milk, sippy cup vs bottle, how to introduce him to like cold milk (yes I am still heating up his milk but a lot has to do with the fact that he likes it fresh out of the tap at body temp)how to get him down for nap without nursing him before, and what on earth to do in the future with the second one to prevent this huge oversupply issue that I constantly battle even after 12+ months. So hopefully for us Dr. Smilie will have some answers for us.

Oh I have to tell you guys that for the second time Ryan has got himself stuck in his crib! It happened two nights ago he was twisting and turning trying to get comfy and decided to stick his foot out of the crib then flip over. Well then all of a sudden we heard this wail of a screech and I glanced in the monitor and it was difficult to see but it looked as though he was stuck. Knock on wood once sleeping giant is down for the night he is out like a light without a peep. So for this it was highly usual and I bolted up the stairs and sure enough he was stuck so after some hugs and kisses and a little nursing he was happy again and drifted off to sleep. Ryan likes to comfort nurse alot not sure how this will go over when we stop nursing completely. Oh and today after I got Ryan Alexander up after his nap before the party I went to the Bathroom to wash my hands after changing his diaper and I heard that unforgettable screech again I went running back in his room only to find his arm stuck in the crib. he was reaching for his bunny blanket (his lovey) and in the process he managed to get the crook of his elbow stuck and twisted in the crib. Yikes after talking with some of the other parents today apparently this happens a alot and it is quite scary! With the arm I had a very difficult time getting him lose and he was very upset it must have hurt his arm alot to be stuck like that! Kerri- i am keeping the bumper on just so he won't get stuck. He has not tried to use it to propel himself out of the crib just yet:)

Anyways I have to go puree some spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots for Ryan. I will catch up with everyone soon. Miss you all!

XOXOXO RYAN

Oh yeah not to mention I could not get the slide show working, my camera battery dying, but did I tell you I forgot to hand out the goody bags at the party to Ryan's friends? Yeah this baby brain thing only seems to be getting worse the older Ryan gets! Sometimes I wonder how I manage to keep everything straight! LOL

Everybody Loves Ryan

Okay I have to share this really funny story with all of you.... for some reason regardless of age all children are gravitated towards Ryan and everyone always wants to be his friend. For example Sophia our next door neighbor is constantly obsessed with Ryan. Every time I see her "where's Ryan" she asks over and over again everyday. She just adores Ryan and refuses to go in her house to ear her dinner if we are outside playing. Her Nana has to pull her away from Ryan kicking and screaming almost every night. The other day we were all outside playing with Ryan's new car and she absolutely refused to get in the car to go home even after Greg took Ryan inside for dinner and his bath. Her mother finally pulled her away kicking and screaming while securing her in her car seat. Sofia will be 3 in Jan.

On Wednesdays we have a sing and sign music class in Monroe and there is a little boy who is 4 named Jona and he just adores Ryan too. He comes to the music class with his babysitter and his little sister Anna Gret who is 2 1/2. I guess Jona talks about Ryan all the time at home and in the car on the way to class. It is so cute he wants to sit next to Ryan during circle time and even asks Ryan to guard his books/toys while he goes to the bathroom. Jona asked Ryan "where do you live, do you want to come over to my house and play" then after Ryan gives him a blank stare and no response Jona turns to me and says "does Ryan like Thomas the train I have lots of Thomas trains and videos, does he like tv? Can Ryan come over to play? It is just so so cute that this little boy is so into Ryan.

His little girlfriend Caroline flashes a big smile when she sees Ryan and the other day greeted him with a kiss. So cute. Ryan has such a great personality all the children just seem to love him. He has lots and lots of friends. I hope he grows up to be well liked by others. How can you not fall in love with Ryan he is just so lovable.

Looking forward to Ryan's play date party on Wed. Hope everyone has a great week.

XOXO Ryan

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2007-10-20 Ryan birthday pictures

Today we had a little family birthday party for Ryan and it was so much fun! It was so great to see everyone. Special thanks to everyone who traveled all the way from Ma and NYC. It was such a very special day for Ryan and he was so excited to see everyone. Ryan got so many new books, toys and clothes. Our home is literally being taken over with baby toys! We had enough food for an army! We had ordered an Italian Combo 5 foot hoagie for the party and it was literally 5 feet long and took up the entire counter. I think we barely made a dent in the sandwich. I thought I had a picture but I am sure someone does I can post later! We also had tons of other yummy sides and a carrot cake and cupcakes. Ryan had his usual kale and yogurt for lunch but he did dig into some cheese and fruit and of course he had a yummy cupcake and ice cream too! He had strawberries for the first time today and he LOVED them! So yummy I think this may be his new favorite fruit!

I also wanted to thank Greg for putting together a very special slide show honoring Ryan and his first year of life. He really captured the memories of Ryan as a little tiny baby in the hospital to the big boy he is today. He even got all of his milestones in the slide show. I know it was a lot of work and it turned out to be the hit of the party. I think this was the first time I made it through without crying. Kerri it was great to see you, Steve and Caroline I can't believe how big she is! I wish we had more time for the kids to play!

The little blond girl Sofia in the pictures with Ryan is our neighbor's granddaughter. She just adores Ryan and he really loves her too. She is 2 1/2 and they play so great together. Sofia pretends to "babysit" Ryan when he goes over her house. It is so cute! She was such a great helper today assisting Ryan in opening all his presents. And Sofia just had a ball with all his new toys. Her and Ryan will have enough to keep them busy for a while!

So glad everyone could come to help celebrate Ryan's first birthday. It was so special to have everyone here. I know Ryan will look back at these photos someday and smile! What a great party! It is 9:30 and everyone in the house has been fast asleep for hours. Greg was the first one out he is passed out in the big chair snoring away. Ryan was the second one to fall sound asleep upstairs poor little dumpling so much excitement for a little baby boy. Even Dyan is asleep next to me on the couch too much excitmemt he missed his afternoon nap too! So much excitement for everyone for one day. I am feeling a bit tired myself so I think I will join the rest of the family and turn in for the night.

Thanks again to everyone for making Ryan's birthday a very special one he will never forget. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends to share these special celebrations with! Hope you enjoy the pictures. Love you all. Goodnight.

Love,
Birthday Boy Ryan!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!!!!

Happy Birthday Ryan! We are so excited because it is Ryan's Birthday today YAY!! Ryan slept in this morning until about 7:30 (he usually gets up around 7:000 and he was so happy talking to himself in his crib. I actually woke up before him and Greg and I lay in bed so happy I sooo wanted to wake him up to wish him a happy birthday but it was best to just let him wake up on his own. Anyways when he finally did wake up I got the video camera and we sang happy birthday to him in his crib. He was soooo happy and he danced in his crib while we sang happy birthday to him over and over again. It was like he knew it was his birthday! Then his favorite thing to do when we come in after we wakes in the morning and from his naps is to throw himself face first in his crib and kick his arms and legs laughing.....Polina says he does this for her too when he wakes from his nap. Then we helped him open his gift from us his push around buggy. We have not had time to try it out yet but I know he will LOVE IT!

Yes we have had a busy morning so far and it is only 2PM. Then Ryan had breakfast his oatmeal mixed with avocado and pumpkin and some mango and avocado for finger food and cheerios then I jumped in the shower and we were off to the pedi for his one year physical. YAY clean bill of health! 26 pounds three ounces and 31 1/2 inches long. Tippity top for both height and weight like 97th for weight and 99th for height and I can finally say he is taller than he is wide. He actually only gained a pound in three months and grew almost 2 full inches! He can eat anything now (b/c we have no history of food allergies) and YES he can have whole milk YAY! What will I do with the 130 ounces of breast milk in the freezer? Probably just mix a little for a while with the cows milk then use it for cereal. I have thrown so much of it away in the past I hate to waste more :( Oh well I really want to ditch my breastpump in a huge way! Ryan really has little interests in nursing anyways these days he'd rather be on ON THE MOVE! BTW he is walking so so well now I even let him (gasp) walk in the driveway and on the lawn. Yes we are religious about picking up the doggy do do now! Unfortunately for Ryan he also got 4 shots today too I felt like a really mean mommy making him get them on his actual birthday but his party is not until Sat. He took them all like a champ and barely cried. I opted not to get a flu shot for him he is not around sick children in daycare and most of his friends are at home. Greg and I plan on getting ours in the next few weeks. His pedi said unless he was in day care or around sick children there was really no need for yet another shot...the mercury and therosols- preservatives in the vaccines really freak me out!

So after a quick stop at Trader Joe's for some organic whole milk we came home to have lunch. Lentil soup and some cheese sticks he ate almost 2 whole cheese sticks! I swear he eats more than me! Ryan had a sippy cup of breast milk and cow's milk and he didn't even bat an eyelash! Oh yeah that's the other thing the pedi said no more bottle! The lactose from the milk can rot his teeth. We have to brush his teeth twice a day now and only sippy cups and no milk at bedtime after we brush his teeth only water. He has been napping for and hour and a half and I will have to wake him soon for his music class.

I told Greg yesterday I think I am ready for baby number too! I got so teary eyed thinking where we were one year ago, where we are today and how we agreed this past year has been the best year of our lives! Where has the time gone. It really is true when people say that children grow up so fast! We are enjoying every precious moment with Ryan. He is our dumpling our joy and we can't ever imagine life without him! See you all soon. I promise we will get a picture of the birthday boy up later on! I gotta wake sleeping giant soon for his music class

Love XOXOXO Ryan the birthday boy!

Ryan the Great Pumpkin!

2007-10-14

Weekend recap....yesterday I worked for a few hours and Ryan spent the morning with Polina while Daddy went to the driving range. Boy it got really cold all of a sudden here. I am not complaining though I LOVE Fall. It is our favorite time of year. When Greg and I first started dating and of course when Ryan was born! So after work we all ate lunch then took a family nap. I felt so lazy yesterday it was great! Then we decided to head out to grab an early dinner at one of our favorite dinner spots in Fairfield called Quatro Pazzi. They have the best Italian food in town and they are super family friendly! Sorry I have to brag a bit... the hostess comented on how well behavied Ryan was throughout the entire dinner and she even added that she knew he was a good sleeper and a good baby just by watching him interact at dinner. We took our dessert to go and headed to boarders so I could get the new children's cookbook everyone's been raving about called Decepitvely Delicous by Jessica Seinfeld. http://www2.oprah.com/foodhome/food/jseinfeld/recipes/jseinfeld_recipes_main.jhtml
Check out some of the recipes. My mom saw her on Oprah and she was on the Today show promoting her new cookbook. She hides spinach in brownies and veggie purees in alsmost all her recipes! Oprah said the recipes tasted fabulous! Then of course it was home to tuck Ryan into bed.

Today we all slept in and had pumkin pancakes for breakfast yum yum! Ryan just loves pumpkin pancakes and they are pretty healthy too. We make them with whole flour and canned pumpkin. He ate almost 2 whole pancakes for breakfast and even took a bottle from Daddy and he ate almost an entire kiwi too. This babe loves to eat. Then we cleaned up and headed over to Silvermine's for some pumpkin picking. Ryan really enjoyed the pumpkin patch and even got to ride in the wagon....he seemed a bit overhelmed (it was pretty crowded even though we got there early) but we think he had fun. He picked out some pumpkins and Greg even guessed the weight of one of the pumpkins and we got to take it home for free! Yay Daddy! It was so much fun. Not much else planned for the rest of the day maybe a quick Target run for some party supplies.

Hope you enjoy the pictures of Ryan in the pumpkin patch. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Talk to you soon. Miss you!

XOXO Ryan

Yay for Yappy Hour!

So today Dylan and I got to spend dome quality time at Yappy Hour and Dylan even won a raffle at yappy hour- a small bag of pumpkin spice treats. Yappy hour is at a pet boutique in Milford where you can bring your under 30 lb well behaved dog to play with other small dogs and they serve the adults wine and cheese. A co-worker of mine told us about it but we can only go if Greg is available to put Ryan to bed and it just so happened to be that he was home tonight. Poor Dylan this is only our second time going but I must say it went a little better than the first time. The first time we went he was shivering behind me and constantly wanted me to pick him up... today he actually socialized with some of the dogs a little and only wanted me to pick him up a few times. But it was a lot of fun.

Today Ryan and I had our first playgroup with some other mom's in town it was really nice to get to know some of the mom's in our neighborhood. There was even a mom there with 8 month old twins. Our little curious George was into everything and I could just see the mom of the twins looking over like "this is what I get to look forward to very soon" Yeah it is times like these when I tell myself "gee and I thought one was hard" as I looked over at this mom with her twins. They were really cute. There were 2 other little boys there too about Ryan's age. The seemed to play really well together except Ryan tried to steal one of the twins self feeder and protested as I dragged him away desperately trying to distracted him with cheerios and his sippy cup.

I successfully gave Ryan a bottle today and only managed to nurse him 3 times yay. A step in the right direction towards weaning him but we still have a ways to go but this is a huge accomplishment for us because he does not like to take a bottle from anyone (except Daddy0 let alone me because he ALWAYS wants to nurse around me regardless of when or what he ate last!

Tomorrow we have a busy day I have to go into work for a few hours I agreed to be a research assistant to one of the Dr's. We are doing a study through the National Institute of Health and the Joslin Diabetes Center on Type 2 Diabetes so it should be really interesting I just hope it does not entail too much outside commitment. So Ryan is spending a few hours with Polina then we are off to our sign and sing class then from there we have a neighbor's birthday party. I'll give you all an update later in the week. Till then take care.

XOXOX Ryan Alexander

Can't believe only one week till our little baby boy turns one!

Relaxing weekend!

From 2007-10-08

Friday I left work early because Polina had an appointment and Ryan and I came home and played with Sophia our neighbor's 2 1/2 yo granddaughter.
It was so cute to see her interact with Ryan. She just loves him to death. They played on the swing, Ryan loves to push her shopping cart around and they laughed and played in the yard. It was so cute Sophia told everyone she was "babysitting" Ryan. She tried to pick him up several times but we had to keep telling her he as too heavy for her..not sure if she really understood. It was adorable. She even gave us some apples she had picked with her mom that day. Ryan just loves apples!

Greg, Ryan and I were able to enjoy a very nice relaxing weekend at home just doing nothing and it was so great. Seems like Greg has been traveling and this was the first really weekend in a long time where we could just stay home and relax. Greg watched Ryan while I worked a few hours on Sat. and he was so excited to spend some quality time with Ryan. Then we headed out to dinner as a family to our favorite fairfield dinner spot Osianna's in the center of town. It was a beautiful evening to eat outside on the patio. Ryan was so funny he once again kept flirting with the waitresses and catching every one's attention. Greg and I enjoyed a wonderful meal and Ryan was very well behaved only fussed when he dropped his self feeder and we had to wash it off.

Yesterday we spend the day relaxing and lounging around after our morning errands and then headed off to the beach for some fun. After OCt. 1 you can bring dogs so Dylan got to come yay! He really had a blast running around and chasing the seagulls his favorite thing of course! Ryan, Greg and I got some cute photos by the water. If felt funny to be at the beach in the middle of October. There were quite a few children and families playing in the water and the sand..

Oh so cute today when I picked Ryan up he was pushing his stroller in the driveway. His new favorite thing to do. Like I said he is happiest on the move!

By the way did I mention this child is a human vacuum? Wanna know what he ate for breakfast today??? 5 oz bottle of milk, a large bunch of grapes literally inhaled them faster than Polina could put them on his tray ?? we wonder if he is swallowing them whole or actually chewing them (quartered of course to prevent choking)then he had an entire kiwi, oatmeal and his midmorning snack and entire apple! For lunch he ate yogurt, and finger foods of roasted turnip, sweet potatoes, carrots and butter nut squash. The least favorite being the turnip but Polina still said he gobbled it up. He later enjoyed an afternoon snack 5 oz bottle of milk and some goldfish and a few cheerios. Is there anything this child won't eat? Yes tonight he decided to throw his steak dinner around and thankfully Dylan happily cleaned up for us. Must have been the chewy coarse texture Ryan disliked he is not a big protein eater. For dinner he had super porridge (a mix of ground brown rice, and split peas a highly nutritious complete protein)carrots and cauliflower...yum yum. Then it was off to bed.

Just an update on the weaning...taking small strides only nursing 3-4 times a day over the weekend and trying to get away with pumping less at work down to once a day today from 2-3 times a day. The sage tea is sort of helping decrease my milk supply I guess but nothing too exciting. Will keep trying though. I want this to be a natural process for both of us.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Can't believe Ryan will be turning one in just 9 short days! Miss you all.

XOXOXO Ryan Alexander

A couple new pictures

Hi everyone. Here are jsut a couple new pictures form our new camera. There is even a shot of Ryan walking and a few from Caroline's birthday party and a few with his new lion toy Grammie and Grampy got him. Enjoy. Click on Dylan's picture below.

2007-10-04

Weekend Getaway (sans baby)!!

Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates but it was been a whirlwind of a week so far. I have been spending all my free time at night the past few weeks taking part in a diabetes study they are paying me $225 to answer some online questions every night about diabetes so I thought why not it actually was not that bad.....hence the lack of new news though. Okay so here it goes....

Thursday we left for Greensboro early in the morning and left the boys with Grammy grampy and uncle Freddie. I was so so sad to leave our little dumpling but I knew he would be great hands. I gave my mom a itinerary (at her request) to follow in terms of our "routine" eating, sleeping, and wake cycles and I must say she did a fantastic job in sticking to it......no disruption at all. Ryan ate well, napped well and slept through the night like a champ! Did not give the grandparents any hard times at all except one protest to an afternoon nap on Friday. They even took Ryan on morning walks everyday, to the park everyday, to the children's library on Friday to play, and to the grocery store. What a big help to come home to a nice home cooked meal and fresh laundry. Mom and Dad you ROCK!!! Could not have asked for anything more.

On our end Greg and I had such a FABULOUS time! I kept looking over my shoulder the entire time asking did I leave Ryan behind somewhere? It did feel like something BIG was missing! But I must admit it was nice to have a little freedom and not have to worry. We had so much fun to bring Ryan would have been difficult we had a family barbecue(in a mansion the most beautiful house I have ever been in complete with 5 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms!)on Thursday night, a rehearsal dinner on Friday night (in a bar totally not baby friendly!), and an outdoor wedding on Sat. and with Greg as the best man it would have been difficult with Ryan. Neil and Kristen's wedding was absolutely beautiful. Very unique very southern very non-traditional. She wore a stunning pink Lilly Pulitzer dress and he wore khakis a blue blazer and a pink Vineyard Vines tie with Cape Cods on it. The ceremony took place in her parent's backyard and it was short and sweet. The reception was held in a tent in her parent's backyard. The tables were decorated with pink and green flowers each center piece different and unique very elegant. Each place setting had a different piece of china all keeping with the color scheme pink and green. And of course I have to comment on the porta potty....which by far was the nicest porta potty I have ever seen. It was air conditioned (or heated) with gleaming hard wood floors, marble counter tops, lights, a mirror, fresh flowers, running water, air fresheners, and yes even mints! This whole weekend was like nothing I have ever seen before. We really enjoyed our weekend away. By Friday Ryan was calling out "Mama, Mama" and to hear that just broke my heart a little. I really missed him alot. I only cried once. The pumping was not all that terrible I have to say the worst was trying to find places to pump but we managed. I thought the time away and pumping might slow things down a bit in preparation for weaning but no such luck. All in all it was a great weekend. Greg and I got to spend some quality time together. Grammy and Granddad have already said they want to watch Ryan for Meeta and Jonathan's wedding next May when we go to Kansas City for a long weekend!

So yes after being engorged again this morning and pumping 9 oz (probably could have pumped more) only 4 hours after Ryan ate I freaked and called breastfeeding resources. At this rate I figured if I can't slow things down a bit I will be nursing Ryan until he goes to college. So yes I did set up a weaning consultation but int he mean time Dr. Smilie had suggested lots and lots of sage tea! Hopefully this will do the trick. I plan to stop nursing when Ryan turns one.....but sadly him and I really really enjoy it a lot it is part of our bedtime routine! The only snuggle time I get. Well maybe we will just try at night only. We will see. My mom claims that breastfeeding resources will make me feel guilty for wanting to stop but I can;t have him pulling an tugging down my shirt in public which he has recently started doing to me and almost anyone else!

Our new camera arrived today YEAH! Just in time for Caroline's birthday party tomorrow so look for new pictures some time soon. I can't believe I have been without a camera for over a month! We have missed so many precious moments! Good thing our video camera is still up and running..Ryan has not broken that one YET!

We also had our sing and sign class today. Trying to teach Ryan sign language and I think he may be catching on. He appears to understand so much. I really love this class the teacher is awesome and the babies are all about the same age as Ryan maybe a little older. He absolutely loves the class so much and has a big smile on his face and lots of laughs and giggles throughout the entire class. The instructor is GREAT at getting the kids attention and keeping it for short periods of time. All of her toys are interactive and and great learning tools. Ryan's friend Caroline is also in the class too.

YEAH Daddy is home and cancelled his trip to MN tomorrow so we have him home for a wile yipee! We are so lucky to have him here he is such a wonderful Daddy and loves spending time with Ryan. He even watched him for me tonight so I could make Tacos for dinner. What a nice treat to get that done without worrying about Ryan.

So hope everyone is having a great week. Look for some new pictures in the next few days. Miss you all. Can't believe Ryan will be ONE in only 2 short weeks! Take Care.