So we went to the allergist again yesterday for Ryan's food allergy testing and the good news is he is not allergic to any foods. I think they tested the most common foods: egg, wheat, soy, dairy, tree nuts, peanuts, and I also had them check for pear too but they were all negative so just the dog and dust mites. We have been trying our best to keep Dylan out of Ryan's room and will have to think about tearing up the carpet in his room. Ryan will sometimes fall asleep on the floor for naps and occasionally at bedtime and I notice the rash is worse on his face when this happens the rug must be pretty dusty. But it is nice to know he does not have any food allergies so I can stop giving him soy nut butter and jelly and bring on the real peanut butter.
So yesterday at drop off for preschool it was so sad. I dropped Ryan off and little Liam was sitting in his mommy's lap crying mommy mommy and there were 3 other children crying hysterically calling for their mommies. I guess the second day is sometimes harder than the first for some because they know what to expect more or less. Ryan sort of took off for the toys and gave me sort of a worried look through all the commotion. He took my hand and wanted me to come to the play area with him so I went and stayed for a moment and then sort of scooted away so he would not start crying too. Honestly I would not blame him if he did cry I even felt like crying after seeing all the kids so upset. Poor little pumpkins. I am sure it is always like this in the beginning. I showed up a little early for pick up and observed all the children happily playing outside on the climbers. It was so great to see them all interacting and playing nicely. They did not notice the parents standing outside looking on. But as soon as they did some started crying calling for their mommies. Of course Ryan ran away from me and refused to leave the outdoor play grill, then he ran back towards the seesaw and I had to pry him off and tell him all the children had left and it was time to go home. I also got my first piece of artwork from Ryan. I proudly displayed it on the fridge for everyone to see. I asked Miss Karen and she said that Ryan had tasted the markers. I thought it was amazing that he actually even participated in the art project so this was huge. He usually loses interest in anything that requires sitting after 5 sec or less unless it involves food of course.
I also had my 26 week check up and all is well. This pregnancy is flying by at lightning speed now I wish I could slow things down a bit and catch my breath. Basically I am pretty sure I have decided on a repeat c/s this time around. It was so weird to sit in the office with the Dr. look at the calender and actually pick my child's birth date. He took out the calender and asked me which day was good for me... if I had a preference. I mean so different from the first time around when you are waiting and guessing in anticipation and anxiety about when it will happen and when it did it was shear chaos! Poor Dylan... I will never forget! I was taking a rest on the couch with Dylan lying on my chest and my water broke. I freaked out and threw Dylan and unfortunately he got smashed on the coffee table then we threw him in his crate and left him there without food or water or a bathroom brake for nearly 14 hrs. Poor puppy not this time though I promise to make better arrangements this time for Dylan. Now we know for sure. I have already made arrangements with Polina for Ryan. She will take him that morning and keep him overnight and someone will pick him up the following day at some point. I still need to speak with my dog walker regarding Dylan but I am sure he will be fine. Less than 90 days and our little bundle of joy will be here. And we have lots to do before he comes!
Hopefully the weather will hold out this weekend we rescheduled our date night and booked a sitter. We also plan on organizing a bit this weekend to make room for baby items.
With all this cool weather I had to organize Ryan's dresser and assess his fall clothing situation and I realized this poor child is not going to fit into any warm weather clothing from last season. Thanks to Meme she bought him 2 winter coats and 2 pairs of snow pants and some snow boots so he is ready for winter! I have slowly started buying him a few warm weather items. I had a coupon at Kohl's and got a few items there. A few pairs of pants, a few sweatshirts, and some warm feece Pjs. Then I hit Old Navy and got a few more items there so I will be ready when the cool weather hits. Old Navy is having a huge baby sale everything is 40% off if you happened to need anything. I also picked up the cutest Halloween costume for Ryan too it was also 40% off. Could not see spending $40 plus shipping for the cookie monster or Elmo costume we had decided on. I only payed $16 for this costume and it is absolutely adorable I promise preview pics soon. Ryan and I played dress up last night and tried his new fall wardrobe on including the Halloween costume and they all fit really well so yay no returns necessary.
We miss you Daddy and can't wait until you come home tonight hope your meetings went well! Have a safe trip home!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
First Day of School!
First day of school for Ryan today went great! I dropped him off no problem when I got there there Ryan's little friend Liam was standing at the door calling our for his mommy....so sad. In we went Ryan took off for the toys and did not look back. I said hello to Miss Karen and said he should be fine and off I went. What did I do with my free time you ask?? Well prior to drop off we went for a power stroller walk so I did not need to run to the gym after all. It did feel weird walking back home with a stroller and no child. I had actually contemplated leaving it there but it looked like rain and good thing b/c it down poured here! Anyways I headed to destination maternity in Westport to add to my maternity fall collection. I realized that I really don't have much for fall in terms of maternity items so I picked up a few items and headed home for a quick shower then before I knew it it was time for pick up.
The same little boy who was standing at the door at drop off was indeed in Miss Karen's arms at pick up crying for his mommy. Poor little thing in fact all the children seemed to be crying for their mommies except Ryan who practically ran away when he saw me come in the door. No surprise I knew he would not want to come home with me! Honestly I think he would have been happy to stay with Miss Karen all day no separation anxiety here. So I looked at Miss Karen on my way out with Ryan in my arms and she said he did great no problems. She also commented on how he was such a climber and very adventurous....Not sure if that was a compliment on Ryan's behalf or a gee this little one is handful sort of comment...so I just sort of smiled and said oh yeah he's a climber thanks see you Thurs... Anyways off we went home to have lunch and a nap and my little chatterbox had a lot to say.
I asked him all about his first day at school on the way home and he replied
"Ry Ry go to cool"
With a big smile.
I pulled in the drive way and he replied
"Aya go to coo"
for our neighbor Sophia I had told him many times that she goes to school too.
Then while I was making a yummy lunch of mac and cheese with broccoli he repeated over a thousand times
"don't cry baby"
I asked if a lot of babies were crying at school today and he replied
"yeah"
Then I asked did Ry Ry cry at school today? and he replied
"NO"
According to our conversation Ryan's first day of school was a complete success!
The same little boy who was standing at the door at drop off was indeed in Miss Karen's arms at pick up crying for his mommy. Poor little thing in fact all the children seemed to be crying for their mommies except Ryan who practically ran away when he saw me come in the door. No surprise I knew he would not want to come home with me! Honestly I think he would have been happy to stay with Miss Karen all day no separation anxiety here. So I looked at Miss Karen on my way out with Ryan in my arms and she said he did great no problems. She also commented on how he was such a climber and very adventurous....Not sure if that was a compliment on Ryan's behalf or a gee this little one is handful sort of comment...so I just sort of smiled and said oh yeah he's a climber thanks see you Thurs... Anyways off we went home to have lunch and a nap and my little chatterbox had a lot to say.
I asked him all about his first day at school on the way home and he replied
"Ry Ry go to cool"
With a big smile.
I pulled in the drive way and he replied
"Aya go to coo"
for our neighbor Sophia I had told him many times that she goes to school too.
Then while I was making a yummy lunch of mac and cheese with broccoli he repeated over a thousand times
"don't cry baby"
I asked if a lot of babies were crying at school today and he replied
"yeah"
Then I asked did Ry Ry cry at school today? and he replied
"NO"
According to our conversation Ryan's first day of school was a complete success!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Happy Birthday Meme!
Yesterday we surprised Meme with a visit for the day for Meme's birthday. It was such a beautiful day and we were so happy to spend it with her. We stopped by a yummy Italian bakery on the way for some yummy birthday cake and went out to lunch with everyone. Ryan sat at the head of the table and kepted everyone entertained. Ryan enjoyed spending time with Meme and Papa and Uncle Freddie. Mom hope you had a great birthday glad we could spend the day with you.
Saturday we had a birthday party over at Maple View Farms in Orange. What a great place for the kids. They had pony rides, and and ice cream truck and some other farm animals. There was also an inflatable jumper and lots of playground equipment for the kids. Thankfully the weather did hold off but it was so sticky out that day I felt like we were in an outdoor sauna but the kids sure had fun. And I got to catch up with Sarah Caroline's mom who has gone back to work full time. We also go to see some other moms/kids from our music class.
Saturday sadly due to Hanna we had to cancel our date night. Our college sitters are back in town for the school year and we were looking forward to a romantic dinner just the two of us but with all the hype about Hanna we decided it was best to reschedule. Good thing we did b/c it was pretty fierce out there on Sat night certainly not safe to be out and about.
I think we have decided not to have a kiddie party for Ryan this year. I think he will be too young to remember much but after Saturday's party I feel like should still have one. I actually feel bad because we have been to so many birthday parties for other kids turing 2 and I feel obligated to have a party for Ryan. We are still contemplating a trip to Sesame place in lue of a kiddie party. Not sure yet. It just seems like so much work and kiddie parties can get pricey too.
Not looking forward to Greg's upcoming travel plans later in the week but luckily there are only short trips planned. But one this week and another next week. Just difficult to get out of the house in the AM for work.
Ryan has his first official day of pre-shool tomorrow. I need to pack his little Ryan bag from Auntie E with an extra outfit and some wipes and diapers. I took a look at this months calender and this week is "get to know you week" and next week they start into structured activities like arts and crafts. I can't wait for that first art project from Ryan it is going to be so special. I hope he enjoys his time away and I hope he makes lots of new friends and learns to share and interact with those his own age. Still not sure what to do with the free time tomorrow morning...maybe hit the gym, run to Trader Joes who knows. I am so excited for Ryan though I hope he enjoys "school" Our little boy is growing up so fast!
Saturday we had a birthday party over at Maple View Farms in Orange. What a great place for the kids. They had pony rides, and and ice cream truck and some other farm animals. There was also an inflatable jumper and lots of playground equipment for the kids. Thankfully the weather did hold off but it was so sticky out that day I felt like we were in an outdoor sauna but the kids sure had fun. And I got to catch up with Sarah Caroline's mom who has gone back to work full time. We also go to see some other moms/kids from our music class.
Saturday sadly due to Hanna we had to cancel our date night. Our college sitters are back in town for the school year and we were looking forward to a romantic dinner just the two of us but with all the hype about Hanna we decided it was best to reschedule. Good thing we did b/c it was pretty fierce out there on Sat night certainly not safe to be out and about.
I think we have decided not to have a kiddie party for Ryan this year. I think he will be too young to remember much but after Saturday's party I feel like should still have one. I actually feel bad because we have been to so many birthday parties for other kids turing 2 and I feel obligated to have a party for Ryan. We are still contemplating a trip to Sesame place in lue of a kiddie party. Not sure yet. It just seems like so much work and kiddie parties can get pricey too.
Not looking forward to Greg's upcoming travel plans later in the week but luckily there are only short trips planned. But one this week and another next week. Just difficult to get out of the house in the AM for work.
Ryan has his first official day of pre-shool tomorrow. I need to pack his little Ryan bag from Auntie E with an extra outfit and some wipes and diapers. I took a look at this months calender and this week is "get to know you week" and next week they start into structured activities like arts and crafts. I can't wait for that first art project from Ryan it is going to be so special. I hope he enjoys his time away and I hope he makes lots of new friends and learns to share and interact with those his own age. Still not sure what to do with the free time tomorrow morning...maybe hit the gym, run to Trader Joes who knows. I am so excited for Ryan though I hope he enjoys "school" Our little boy is growing up so fast!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Where to Begin....
Sorry for the lack of updates we have been enjoying our vacation and I usually only have time for updates at work in between patients and I just realized last night it has been 11 days since I have been to work. Wow there is alot to catch up on I am not sure where to begin.
Last week we packed the car and headed to Boston for my conference and Greg's "work" golf tournament which I hear he and his dad spend in the VIP sky box....what a tough day at the office. Anyways my conference was good mostly a review of protocols and such. Am I the only one who finds sitting in a class room all day listening to people ask stupid questions already reviewed by the lecturer (just to make themselves look smart when in fact it makes them look dumb b/c the content was already gone over 2 min ago) utterly annoying and a total waste of my time. There I said it I am impatient at times and I felt annoyed at times from others who were not paying careful attention. Anyways it did take me back to my grad school days of sitting in a lecture hall all day and reminded me how I really would much rather be at work than sitting in a classroom all day staring out the window wondering what Ryan was up to....
Anyways when the co-investigators started going over the results from stage 1 of the trial that really sparked my interest and I am ecstatic to say that all our hard work is paying off and there have been very positive results in stage 1 and we will continue on with stage 2 this fall this stage will run a total of 12 months compared to 6 months for stage 1. But this clinical research brings about positive new exciting options to treat type 2 diabetes and I am honored to be a part of this exciting clinical research.
Okay enough about work let's talk about Ryan....He spend the first leg of the trip with the Flynn's and they had such a great time. I was told Ryan was very talkative and had a lot to say. He got to spend time with his Great Grandparents too. He actually slept very well in the pack and play we were a bit concerned with the whole big boy bed transition. Not sure how much longer this will last but for now it works. I was told by Ryan that Granddad actually spilled a bit of "moo moo" and that is pretty much all Ryan has been talking about every morning this week as I pour his milk in the morning. "Granddad spill moo moo" Hope you all enjoyed having Ryan for a visit and thanks again for watching Ryan and Dylan for us! I know it must have been exhausting!
My parents took him for the second half of the trip I think 6 days of Ryan and Dylan would have been too much for one family. Ryan also got to spend some more family time with his Great Gramma, and Great Aunties and second cousins. By the end of the trip he was becoming a little "Dennis the Menace" but I think it was a combination of being away from home for 6 days, being over tired, and missing his parents.
What a amazes me the most is as my parents packed up the car and headed south to Fairfield Ryan clapped his hands and said "Mommy Daddy Yay!" and when my parens pulled up to the house Ryan exclaimed "YAY HOME" which we thought was very advanced for a 22 month old to actually realize he was in the car on the way home to see mommy and daddy! It just warms my heart that he actually wanted to go back home and that he missed us. Thanks Mom and Dad for taking the boys I know Dylan can be a handful too. (Each time I called The Flynn's and Mom and Dad for an update Dylan was either howling, barking or crying) Poor puppy I think he missed us too.
The Cape was so wonderful it was so great to see all of our friends. It was so weird to sleep in until 9 and go out to dinner and not have to worry about rushing home. We ate lobster and drank fine wine (not me of course) and went to the beach. The boys played golf- what vacation is not complete with at least a few rounds thrown in there. Jonathan and the ladies enjoyed a leisurely bike ride on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Can pregnant people ride bikes? Yes they can and it was so much fun too! What a spectacular end to summer, beautiful location, great friends and conversation, great food, and lots of relaxation! I did not want the vacation to end but I desperately missed Ryan and Dylan too! It was really nice to get away but we could not have done it without the help of our families!
So more updates (it has been 11 days after all):
Tuesday we went to the allergist. Ryan has had this questionable rash all summer long we were told it was a heat rash but I know it is more than that. So I wanted to find out what was going on. Well they did the first round of skin testing which is only environmental no foods allergens until next week. OF course with all the sneezing, runny noses, itchy eyes I thought for sure it had to be ragweed or pollen but of course NO! None of that the only positive environmental allergen is to the Dog. I explained that we had a hypoallergenic non shedding indoor Maltese. But the Dr. said no dog is truly allergy free that the allergens are in the dog's dander and saliva. So obviously the best solution would be to get rid of the dog. The allergist claims that this would get rid of all the symptoms including the running nose, itchy eyes, sneezing and the rash. The second best solution would be to keep Dylan out of Ryan's room and get rid of the wall to wall carpeting in the house. I think for now we will go with option 2. Otherwise we thought of maybe Dylan taking a little vacation for a month or so to my parents(perhaps when the new baby arrives)and see if the symptoms improve greatly or not. I mean Dylan is a huge part of our family and we could not just get rid of him. There is a slight chance Ryan may out grow the allergy too...we will have to wait and see. Ryan has never truly been free from the dog because whoever watches Ryan when we go away also takes the dog too. Polina does not have a dog yet he still has allergy symptoms at her house too. Who really knows we will know more at the next visit.
Wednesday of this week we had out first day of preschool a "get to know you day" for all the new kids and their moms and some siblings too. It was so great to see all the other little 2 y.o running about and get to meet their mom's. The teachers are both really great with the kids too. Karen Ryan's teacher actually pulled me aside and asked if I felt their would be any issues with separation with Ryan next week on the first day of drop off. I laughed and told her the only issue would be at pick up that he would not want to come home with me! As it was that day when it was time to leave I had to pick Ryan up and bribe him with a munchkin to leave with me. I think it will be great to see how he does interacting with others his age without me there. I also give this woman a lot of credit she plans a craft everyday with the kids. I can't wait to hear if Ryan actually sits and participates in the craft or tries to run around and eat the stuff.... might be different if he sees all the other kids are participating. Also it will be his first experience with having juice as opposed to water or milk. They provide a mid-morning snack and juice at school. Hopefully he will not refuse his milk or water..but hey it is only 2 days a week. I ordered some cute name labels to label his things for school each day we have to pack a bag with a change of clothes and a couple extra diapers. (Thanks Kerri for the suggestion I went with the Mabel combo pack for school) Karen also tole me that some of the children will be starting potty training and if your child takes an interest they highly encourage use of he potty. I thought Great! Maybe if he sees the others using the potty he will take more interest too instead of only telling us immediately after the fact requesting to be changed.
Yesterday and today Ryan has been on a fast. Refusing most of his food. Not sure why exactly? Last night Greg had to bribe Ryan to eat his filet mignon with ice cream....What can I say Daddy is a softie. I would not have given him the ice cream b/c he did not eat his dinner. But he took a few more bites in between the ice cream bites. I wondered if he was sick but he appears to be feeling okay and sleeping well acting appropriately. Perhaps he is working on his two year molars again... I did make his favorite chicken tortellini soup for lunch today so hopefully he will eat that. This morning he even asked for oatmeal with apples Auntie E introduced us to a new oatmeal called simply harvest. We got spoiled b/c Ryan and I usually eat the regular Quaker oatmeal from the canister the plain one and this one has a little sugar in it so we like it a bit better. Anutie had the maple pecan but I bought the apple cinnamon one b/c we are holding off on all nuts for right now until the allergy testing is complete. I still mix it half and half with plain and we have both been eating it everyday for breakfast and for some reason today he did not eat it. Maybe 4 days was too much and he was ready for a change. Any how I am sure he won't starve. Just more questions for our 2 year check up next month.
Hope everyone is all caught up with the past weeks happenings. Have a great weekend!
Last week we packed the car and headed to Boston for my conference and Greg's "work" golf tournament which I hear he and his dad spend in the VIP sky box....what a tough day at the office. Anyways my conference was good mostly a review of protocols and such. Am I the only one who finds sitting in a class room all day listening to people ask stupid questions already reviewed by the lecturer (just to make themselves look smart when in fact it makes them look dumb b/c the content was already gone over 2 min ago) utterly annoying and a total waste of my time. There I said it I am impatient at times and I felt annoyed at times from others who were not paying careful attention. Anyways it did take me back to my grad school days of sitting in a lecture hall all day and reminded me how I really would much rather be at work than sitting in a classroom all day staring out the window wondering what Ryan was up to....
Anyways when the co-investigators started going over the results from stage 1 of the trial that really sparked my interest and I am ecstatic to say that all our hard work is paying off and there have been very positive results in stage 1 and we will continue on with stage 2 this fall this stage will run a total of 12 months compared to 6 months for stage 1. But this clinical research brings about positive new exciting options to treat type 2 diabetes and I am honored to be a part of this exciting clinical research.
Okay enough about work let's talk about Ryan....He spend the first leg of the trip with the Flynn's and they had such a great time. I was told Ryan was very talkative and had a lot to say. He got to spend time with his Great Grandparents too. He actually slept very well in the pack and play we were a bit concerned with the whole big boy bed transition. Not sure how much longer this will last but for now it works. I was told by Ryan that Granddad actually spilled a bit of "moo moo" and that is pretty much all Ryan has been talking about every morning this week as I pour his milk in the morning. "Granddad spill moo moo" Hope you all enjoyed having Ryan for a visit and thanks again for watching Ryan and Dylan for us! I know it must have been exhausting!
My parents took him for the second half of the trip I think 6 days of Ryan and Dylan would have been too much for one family. Ryan also got to spend some more family time with his Great Gramma, and Great Aunties and second cousins. By the end of the trip he was becoming a little "Dennis the Menace" but I think it was a combination of being away from home for 6 days, being over tired, and missing his parents.
What a amazes me the most is as my parents packed up the car and headed south to Fairfield Ryan clapped his hands and said "Mommy Daddy Yay!" and when my parens pulled up to the house Ryan exclaimed "YAY HOME" which we thought was very advanced for a 22 month old to actually realize he was in the car on the way home to see mommy and daddy! It just warms my heart that he actually wanted to go back home and that he missed us. Thanks Mom and Dad for taking the boys I know Dylan can be a handful too. (Each time I called The Flynn's and Mom and Dad for an update Dylan was either howling, barking or crying) Poor puppy I think he missed us too.
The Cape was so wonderful it was so great to see all of our friends. It was so weird to sleep in until 9 and go out to dinner and not have to worry about rushing home. We ate lobster and drank fine wine (not me of course) and went to the beach. The boys played golf- what vacation is not complete with at least a few rounds thrown in there. Jonathan and the ladies enjoyed a leisurely bike ride on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Can pregnant people ride bikes? Yes they can and it was so much fun too! What a spectacular end to summer, beautiful location, great friends and conversation, great food, and lots of relaxation! I did not want the vacation to end but I desperately missed Ryan and Dylan too! It was really nice to get away but we could not have done it without the help of our families!
So more updates (it has been 11 days after all):
Tuesday we went to the allergist. Ryan has had this questionable rash all summer long we were told it was a heat rash but I know it is more than that. So I wanted to find out what was going on. Well they did the first round of skin testing which is only environmental no foods allergens until next week. OF course with all the sneezing, runny noses, itchy eyes I thought for sure it had to be ragweed or pollen but of course NO! None of that the only positive environmental allergen is to the Dog. I explained that we had a hypoallergenic non shedding indoor Maltese. But the Dr. said no dog is truly allergy free that the allergens are in the dog's dander and saliva. So obviously the best solution would be to get rid of the dog. The allergist claims that this would get rid of all the symptoms including the running nose, itchy eyes, sneezing and the rash. The second best solution would be to keep Dylan out of Ryan's room and get rid of the wall to wall carpeting in the house. I think for now we will go with option 2. Otherwise we thought of maybe Dylan taking a little vacation for a month or so to my parents(perhaps when the new baby arrives)and see if the symptoms improve greatly or not. I mean Dylan is a huge part of our family and we could not just get rid of him. There is a slight chance Ryan may out grow the allergy too...we will have to wait and see. Ryan has never truly been free from the dog because whoever watches Ryan when we go away also takes the dog too. Polina does not have a dog yet he still has allergy symptoms at her house too. Who really knows we will know more at the next visit.
Wednesday of this week we had out first day of preschool a "get to know you day" for all the new kids and their moms and some siblings too. It was so great to see all the other little 2 y.o running about and get to meet their mom's. The teachers are both really great with the kids too. Karen Ryan's teacher actually pulled me aside and asked if I felt their would be any issues with separation with Ryan next week on the first day of drop off. I laughed and told her the only issue would be at pick up that he would not want to come home with me! As it was that day when it was time to leave I had to pick Ryan up and bribe him with a munchkin to leave with me. I think it will be great to see how he does interacting with others his age without me there. I also give this woman a lot of credit she plans a craft everyday with the kids. I can't wait to hear if Ryan actually sits and participates in the craft or tries to run around and eat the stuff.... might be different if he sees all the other kids are participating. Also it will be his first experience with having juice as opposed to water or milk. They provide a mid-morning snack and juice at school. Hopefully he will not refuse his milk or water..but hey it is only 2 days a week. I ordered some cute name labels to label his things for school each day we have to pack a bag with a change of clothes and a couple extra diapers. (Thanks Kerri for the suggestion I went with the Mabel combo pack for school) Karen also tole me that some of the children will be starting potty training and if your child takes an interest they highly encourage use of he potty. I thought Great! Maybe if he sees the others using the potty he will take more interest too instead of only telling us immediately after the fact requesting to be changed.
Yesterday and today Ryan has been on a fast. Refusing most of his food. Not sure why exactly? Last night Greg had to bribe Ryan to eat his filet mignon with ice cream....What can I say Daddy is a softie. I would not have given him the ice cream b/c he did not eat his dinner. But he took a few more bites in between the ice cream bites. I wondered if he was sick but he appears to be feeling okay and sleeping well acting appropriately. Perhaps he is working on his two year molars again... I did make his favorite chicken tortellini soup for lunch today so hopefully he will eat that. This morning he even asked for oatmeal with apples Auntie E introduced us to a new oatmeal called simply harvest. We got spoiled b/c Ryan and I usually eat the regular Quaker oatmeal from the canister the plain one and this one has a little sugar in it so we like it a bit better. Anutie had the maple pecan but I bought the apple cinnamon one b/c we are holding off on all nuts for right now until the allergy testing is complete. I still mix it half and half with plain and we have both been eating it everyday for breakfast and for some reason today he did not eat it. Maybe 4 days was too much and he was ready for a change. Any how I am sure he won't starve. Just more questions for our 2 year check up next month.
Hope everyone is all caught up with the past weeks happenings. Have a great weekend!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Our Last Hoorah....before baby #2
So Greg and I are very excited and gearing up for out last hoorah before baby #2. We are starting off in Boston for 2 nights I have a work conference and Greg has a Deuche Bank Golf Tourney (for work...what a cushy job...I am way jealous) Anyways then we head off to the cape for a long weekend sans baby to spend with 2 other couples both newlyweds...(ahh such bliss). SO that is a total for 6 days away from our little boy! Are we terrible parents? We have split up Ryan's mini vacation too 6 days with a highly energetic almost 2 y.o would be too much for just one party to handle so we have divided his trip among his loving Grandparents/Auntie and Uncle who are looking forward to their visits! He will be spending his first overnight with Grammy and Granddad, Auntie Erin, and Uncle Brian for the first half of the trip then will be headed to Mimi and Papa's for the second half. Hopefully he will be a good boy for everyone. We will miss our little boy terribly but we desperately need some adult time to ourselves! Thanks to everyone for offering to spend time with Ryan! Could not have done it without our families. Erin sorry for sounding like an overprotective mother!
Weekend Re-cap
Greg played in the labor day classic over at the Ranch Golf club all day Saturday so we spent the weekend at Mimi and Papa's. Ryan and I had such a fun day we took a nap went shoe shopping and then to church. With the cool weather this past week I tried to put his sneakers from last April on his chubby little feet and could barely velcro them so I knew it was time for some shoe shopping. Turns out he grew another half shoe size still an extra wide so it makes shoe shopping difficult not a huge selection but we did find a cute pair of sneakers in his size. Thanks Mimi and Papa for treating us! Then we headed off to church. This was my first experience bringing him to church (Mimi and Papa have brought him several times) He actually was quite good. Of course did not want to sit still but that is totally expected at this age. We went armed with snacks, water, and some keys to distract him. We was such a good boy!
Sunday we decided to try out Six Flags New England with Ryan. Papa had won 2 tickets from a golf tourney and he wanted Ryan to have them. Boy was it hot out but Ryan did not seem to mind he is such a little dare devil. Of course his favorite ride was the kiddie coaster. Greg took him on all the kiddie rides while I snapped photos. Ryan loved all the rides and of course wanted more. They do have a lot for toddlers but probably not work the money right now (our tickets were valued at $99). They have wiggles world and looney toon town with a lot for toddlers. Luckily Ryan is tall for his age and could ride all the rides with an adult. But after 2 hours he was pooped and looking like he had had enough so we headed back home for a much needed nap. Since he enjoyed six flags so much we are still thinking about taking him to Sesame Place in PA for his birthday. I hear it is only 2.5 hrs away and has much more for this age.
New Happenings
Ryan now uses many full sentence phrases more than 3 words in a row and will often ask for help when needed.
He will often call out "mommy more moo moo pease tanka".
When he starts whining for something we tell him to use his words and he will often tell us what is needed. It is like a new revelation in the Flynn house to actually be able to communicate with Ryan
Upon waking in the morning he almost always ask for oatmeal and blueberries his favorite. "mommy oatmeal booberries pease"
Trying to work on distinguishing between colors. Can now recognize blue and red and of course yellow (his favorite color)
Almost always tells us when he has pooed immediately requesting to be changed now if only he can tell us before so we can put him on the potty....
Will be starting school next week. We have a social a get to know everyone parents too on Wed. Scary to think Ryan is starting preschool already but I think he will get a lot out of it. It will be 2.5 hrs per day twice a week and the best part is it is right up the street from our house. I have mixed feelings about starting school. Our playgroup that was started when Ryan was only 4 months old is slowly coming to an end. We all met about a year and half ago and the 4 of us have been getting together weekly ever since. Two of our kids are starting preschool this fall. One is sadly moving away and the other my closest friend of the group started her first day back to work full time today and her daughter is in daycare. Most of all I will miss seeing the kids and all the new things that they do each week and of course I will miss our mommy conversations too. But Ryan has really enjoyed his weekly play dates with the "girls" and often asks for them throughout the week! I am so grateful to have met this wonderful group of moms and babies I don't know what I would have done without them! I am so sad that we will not have our weekly play dates anymore but I am happy to see our kids growing up. We have promised to at least meet for girls nights out at least monthly but it won't be the same. We do still have our Tuesday afternoon playgroup. And I know a lot will be different in a few months with baby #2. But I am a little sad and I hope we will all keep in touch!
Big boy bed update so far so good. Will occasionally wake in the night and Greg will go in to check but he rarely gets up from his bed. Naps are sort of so so sometimes he falls asleep on the floor but at least he is still napping.
Having some skin issues with Ryan... lately more than heat rash we think. Has patches of what looks like eczema on his face, back of his legs and his neck area. Still rubbing/itching is face a lot. We have eliminated nuts with little to no improvement. I have been using aquaphor with some relief. But we have an appointment with a pediatric allergist a week from Tues so hopefully we will get some answers. I have a feeling Ryan has inherited my terrible allergies.
Likely I won't have time to update until later next week...I will be busy packing and doing laundry. So hope everyone enjoys the last weekend of Summer! We are very much looking forward to our last Hoorah!
Weekend Re-cap
Greg played in the labor day classic over at the Ranch Golf club all day Saturday so we spent the weekend at Mimi and Papa's. Ryan and I had such a fun day we took a nap went shoe shopping and then to church. With the cool weather this past week I tried to put his sneakers from last April on his chubby little feet and could barely velcro them so I knew it was time for some shoe shopping. Turns out he grew another half shoe size still an extra wide so it makes shoe shopping difficult not a huge selection but we did find a cute pair of sneakers in his size. Thanks Mimi and Papa for treating us! Then we headed off to church. This was my first experience bringing him to church (Mimi and Papa have brought him several times) He actually was quite good. Of course did not want to sit still but that is totally expected at this age. We went armed with snacks, water, and some keys to distract him. We was such a good boy!
Sunday we decided to try out Six Flags New England with Ryan. Papa had won 2 tickets from a golf tourney and he wanted Ryan to have them. Boy was it hot out but Ryan did not seem to mind he is such a little dare devil. Of course his favorite ride was the kiddie coaster. Greg took him on all the kiddie rides while I snapped photos. Ryan loved all the rides and of course wanted more. They do have a lot for toddlers but probably not work the money right now (our tickets were valued at $99). They have wiggles world and looney toon town with a lot for toddlers. Luckily Ryan is tall for his age and could ride all the rides with an adult. But after 2 hours he was pooped and looking like he had had enough so we headed back home for a much needed nap. Since he enjoyed six flags so much we are still thinking about taking him to Sesame Place in PA for his birthday. I hear it is only 2.5 hrs away and has much more for this age.
New Happenings
Ryan now uses many full sentence phrases more than 3 words in a row and will often ask for help when needed.
He will often call out "mommy more moo moo pease tanka".
When he starts whining for something we tell him to use his words and he will often tell us what is needed. It is like a new revelation in the Flynn house to actually be able to communicate with Ryan
Upon waking in the morning he almost always ask for oatmeal and blueberries his favorite. "mommy oatmeal booberries pease"
Trying to work on distinguishing between colors. Can now recognize blue and red and of course yellow (his favorite color)
Almost always tells us when he has pooed immediately requesting to be changed now if only he can tell us before so we can put him on the potty....
Will be starting school next week. We have a social a get to know everyone parents too on Wed. Scary to think Ryan is starting preschool already but I think he will get a lot out of it. It will be 2.5 hrs per day twice a week and the best part is it is right up the street from our house. I have mixed feelings about starting school. Our playgroup that was started when Ryan was only 4 months old is slowly coming to an end. We all met about a year and half ago and the 4 of us have been getting together weekly ever since. Two of our kids are starting preschool this fall. One is sadly moving away and the other my closest friend of the group started her first day back to work full time today and her daughter is in daycare. Most of all I will miss seeing the kids and all the new things that they do each week and of course I will miss our mommy conversations too. But Ryan has really enjoyed his weekly play dates with the "girls" and often asks for them throughout the week! I am so grateful to have met this wonderful group of moms and babies I don't know what I would have done without them! I am so sad that we will not have our weekly play dates anymore but I am happy to see our kids growing up. We have promised to at least meet for girls nights out at least monthly but it won't be the same. We do still have our Tuesday afternoon playgroup. And I know a lot will be different in a few months with baby #2. But I am a little sad and I hope we will all keep in touch!
Big boy bed update so far so good. Will occasionally wake in the night and Greg will go in to check but he rarely gets up from his bed. Naps are sort of so so sometimes he falls asleep on the floor but at least he is still napping.
Having some skin issues with Ryan... lately more than heat rash we think. Has patches of what looks like eczema on his face, back of his legs and his neck area. Still rubbing/itching is face a lot. We have eliminated nuts with little to no improvement. I have been using aquaphor with some relief. But we have an appointment with a pediatric allergist a week from Tues so hopefully we will get some answers. I have a feeling Ryan has inherited my terrible allergies.
Likely I won't have time to update until later next week...I will be busy packing and doing laundry. So hope everyone enjoys the last weekend of Summer! We are very much looking forward to our last Hoorah!
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Exhibitionist!!
Ryan is an exhibitionist! Lately he has been running around the house after his bath naked! He escapes just as we are drying him off...it is a funny site to see him running about squealing in delight! It becomes a challenge to get him to sit still long enough to get his diaper on and get him dressed! We end up bribing himwith baby powder....for some reason this child loves baby powder!
Ryan is slowly learning his numbers and colors too. Now he can recognize the difference between yellow and blue in the past his response was "yellow" to everything. He was holding two rocks in his hand today and when asked how many he had he replied "two" We are trying to work on colors and numbers everyday at bedtime. Still enjoying his big boy bed. Loves to go to sleep in it at night and miraculously has consistently slept all night for the past week in the big boy bed!
What a great weekend spent with family. Saturday we had a few friends and their little ones over for dinner. Greg put together a special "kiddie" dinner table for the kids to eat their dinner at and of course they all sat there for 0.5 seconds! But that's okay they did eat a little and they certainly had fun.
By Sunday we were all pooped! We enjoyed some family time at the park with Ryan and then we all took an extra long family nap. Then we headed to Silverman's farm in Easton for some peach picking. We ended up going to the petting zoo there instead and decided it was a bit too warm for peach picking. So we skipped it and headed to Westport for a little shopping but stupidly forgot our stroller. We decided to do a little shopping anyways and Ryan did listen to us and surprisingly held our hands as we walked down the streets. He ran around Vineyard Vines and started to lose it a bit so we decided it was time to leave....(did not really need to be spending money in there anyways)!
We ended up going out to dinner to our favorite Chinese restaurant in town Lilac House. Ryan is a huge fan of the steamed vege dumplings, miso soup, and chicken and broccoli...yum yum. I know the food is a bit salty for him but once in a while it is a special treat for us all. He was such a good boy at dinner. He kept repeating "Lilac House" while at dinner. We think it may be his favorite restaurant in town too.
Currently I hear lots of movement upstairs it is 7:50 PM and Ryan is supposed to be in bed.... I wonder if he is jumping in he is big boy bed?? Greg went up to investigate I will get a full report when he comes back down stairs..... We think Ryan is enjoying his new found freedom related to the whole big boy bed thing...... Scary to think our little boy is growing up so fast!
Ryan is slowly learning his numbers and colors too. Now he can recognize the difference between yellow and blue in the past his response was "yellow" to everything. He was holding two rocks in his hand today and when asked how many he had he replied "two" We are trying to work on colors and numbers everyday at bedtime. Still enjoying his big boy bed. Loves to go to sleep in it at night and miraculously has consistently slept all night for the past week in the big boy bed!
What a great weekend spent with family. Saturday we had a few friends and their little ones over for dinner. Greg put together a special "kiddie" dinner table for the kids to eat their dinner at and of course they all sat there for 0.5 seconds! But that's okay they did eat a little and they certainly had fun.
By Sunday we were all pooped! We enjoyed some family time at the park with Ryan and then we all took an extra long family nap. Then we headed to Silverman's farm in Easton for some peach picking. We ended up going to the petting zoo there instead and decided it was a bit too warm for peach picking. So we skipped it and headed to Westport for a little shopping but stupidly forgot our stroller. We decided to do a little shopping anyways and Ryan did listen to us and surprisingly held our hands as we walked down the streets. He ran around Vineyard Vines and started to lose it a bit so we decided it was time to leave....(did not really need to be spending money in there anyways)!
We ended up going out to dinner to our favorite Chinese restaurant in town Lilac House. Ryan is a huge fan of the steamed vege dumplings, miso soup, and chicken and broccoli...yum yum. I know the food is a bit salty for him but once in a while it is a special treat for us all. He was such a good boy at dinner. He kept repeating "Lilac House" while at dinner. We think it may be his favorite restaurant in town too.
Currently I hear lots of movement upstairs it is 7:50 PM and Ryan is supposed to be in bed.... I wonder if he is jumping in he is big boy bed?? Greg went up to investigate I will get a full report when he comes back down stairs..... We think Ryan is enjoying his new found freedom related to the whole big boy bed thing...... Scary to think our little boy is growing up so fast!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Pregnancy Cravings!
So I am almost 23 weeks now and I had a great check-up earlier in the week. The baby has a big strong healthy heartbeat and is measuring right one target. I have gained 8 lbs so far but it feels like a lot more! Of course I had to discuss my pregnancy cravings with the midwife (who was with me during labor with Ryan- my favorite in the practice) she is awesome. I talked with her about my weird craving for fish tuna sandwiches, all kinds of other fish salmon, cod, sole, and especially sushi (which I definitely cannot have) So weird even when I was pregnant with Ryan I craved tuna and all sorts of fish! In the first trimester the thought of fish actually gagged me but now I can't get enough of it. I am really trying to stay to the twice a week fish thing but it is so hard for me. I really wanted a tuna sandwich while at Panera with a friend on Wed but I knew that I had already had a tuna sandwich earlier in the week and that we were having fish tonight for dinner. Bummer! I settled on the sierra turkey instead but just not the same! I did have a california roll last week while out to dinner sans fish eggs...it was so yummy! I am hesitant to eat event he cooked sushi rolls and vege rolls just b/c I know they are prepared on the same surface as all the raw stuff. I also crave a glass of good wine with dinner which again I know is totally off limits! I know some women who will drink a glass or two in the third trimester but not me. I will wait until after the baby is born.
I also talked to the midwife again about a possible VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean section) I mean I had talked with my OB Dr. about this at a previous visit and he had strongly discouraged that. The midwife who is very holistic of course disagreed! She told me I had CPD (cephalopelvic disproportion) due to Ryan's posterior positioning in the birth canal that is why I had the c/s. She assured me that it was based on the position only that the widest part of his head was the presenting part which made a success vaginal birth almost impossible. And no pitocin this time around if I do decide on a VBAC this medication produces artificial stronger uterine contractions increasing the likelihood of uterine rupture which can be fatal....yikes! I just hate to go through labor again only to end up in surgery anyways. If I decided on a scheduled c/s I can make arrangements for Dylan and yran and there will be no surprises! But then again a repeat c/s has its risks too...it is major surgery and each time an incision is made scar tissue forms and the uterine wall is thinner at the incision site. This puts you ar higher risk of having complications with a subsequent pregnancy. I know again my medical background mostly works against me! It is scary when you know too much. I am leaning more towards a repeat c/s but still considering a VBAC have a few more weeks yet to decide.
On another note. I am feeling lots and lots of movement. This baby is very active just like Ryan. And in fact he woke me up last night with his little hiccups just in time to see the medal ceremony for the gymnastics around 12:30- 1 AM. Suddenly I think the hiccups annoyed him and he became very active either that or he really wanted me to see who won the gold medal last night! Glad I could see it even though I was half asleep and did not have my glasses on...
In other news Greg and I have a wedding tonight so Mimi and Papa are coming down to take care of Ryan... should be interesting how the bedtime routine goes in the big boy bed for them. All I have to say is thanks so much Mom and Dad be firm I know it is hard and most of all GOOD LUCK! I am sure Ryan will play all his tricks to try and prolong bedtime! Last night he fell asleep on the floor bunny blanket in hands by the gate and I transferred him to the bed without a problem. But again he slept well all night and I ended up waking him around 7 AM. He was a tired little boy. I told him you were coming today and he is so excited! Thanks a bunch! Looking forward to the weekend hubby will actually be around the entire weeekend no golf...What a shock this will be our first full weekend as a family in like 5 months! Looking forward to a relaxing weekend with friends and family!
I also talked to the midwife again about a possible VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean section) I mean I had talked with my OB Dr. about this at a previous visit and he had strongly discouraged that. The midwife who is very holistic of course disagreed! She told me I had CPD (cephalopelvic disproportion) due to Ryan's posterior positioning in the birth canal that is why I had the c/s. She assured me that it was based on the position only that the widest part of his head was the presenting part which made a success vaginal birth almost impossible. And no pitocin this time around if I do decide on a VBAC this medication produces artificial stronger uterine contractions increasing the likelihood of uterine rupture which can be fatal....yikes! I just hate to go through labor again only to end up in surgery anyways. If I decided on a scheduled c/s I can make arrangements for Dylan and yran and there will be no surprises! But then again a repeat c/s has its risks too...it is major surgery and each time an incision is made scar tissue forms and the uterine wall is thinner at the incision site. This puts you ar higher risk of having complications with a subsequent pregnancy. I know again my medical background mostly works against me! It is scary when you know too much. I am leaning more towards a repeat c/s but still considering a VBAC have a few more weeks yet to decide.
On another note. I am feeling lots and lots of movement. This baby is very active just like Ryan. And in fact he woke me up last night with his little hiccups just in time to see the medal ceremony for the gymnastics around 12:30- 1 AM. Suddenly I think the hiccups annoyed him and he became very active either that or he really wanted me to see who won the gold medal last night! Glad I could see it even though I was half asleep and did not have my glasses on...
In other news Greg and I have a wedding tonight so Mimi and Papa are coming down to take care of Ryan... should be interesting how the bedtime routine goes in the big boy bed for them. All I have to say is thanks so much Mom and Dad be firm I know it is hard and most of all GOOD LUCK! I am sure Ryan will play all his tricks to try and prolong bedtime! Last night he fell asleep on the floor bunny blanket in hands by the gate and I transferred him to the bed without a problem. But again he slept well all night and I ended up waking him around 7 AM. He was a tired little boy. I told him you were coming today and he is so excited! Thanks a bunch! Looking forward to the weekend hubby will actually be around the entire weeekend no golf...What a shock this will be our first full weekend as a family in like 5 months! Looking forward to a relaxing weekend with friends and family!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Second night in the Big Boy Bed....
Second night in the big boy bed went pretty well. He went down without a fuss in and out of the bed a while then I heard him run and jump in bed and he stayed there all night until Daddy came home around 12:30. He took a shower and made a little noise and Ryan woke up calling for Daddy so Greg slept in the room with him last night but Ryan slept in his bed until this morning. I think they got up around 6:30.
This afternoon for his nap he jumped in the bed and I told him I was going downstairs for some lunch but he had to take a nap in his big boy bed. He stood at the gate for a while crying about 10 minutes. Then I heard him run and jump in bed and I just checked the monitor he is in the bed fast asleep. I think he is tired though we were over Christian's for a playdate this morning and the boys played and played and tired themselves out! Thanks for a fun playdate Christina! It was great seeing you and Christian!
I hope Ryan continues to sleep in his big boy bed. I am just glad he is still napping. Thanks for all the encouraging comments! Okay I will stop with the annoying updates and talk about something else tomorrow!
This afternoon for his nap he jumped in the bed and I told him I was going downstairs for some lunch but he had to take a nap in his big boy bed. He stood at the gate for a while crying about 10 minutes. Then I heard him run and jump in bed and I just checked the monitor he is in the bed fast asleep. I think he is tired though we were over Christian's for a playdate this morning and the boys played and played and tired themselves out! Thanks for a fun playdate Christina! It was great seeing you and Christian!
I hope Ryan continues to sleep in his big boy bed. I am just glad he is still napping. Thanks for all the encouraging comments! Okay I will stop with the annoying updates and talk about something else tomorrow!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
First Night in the Big Boy Bed a Success....
So Yeah our first night (sans Greg) in the big boy bed was a complete success! Greg is away for work but coming home tonight Yay! Anyways Ryan went down without much fuss last night. He was extrememly tired though. There was a lot of in and out of the big boy bed and finally I told him he had to get in his big boy bed and go to sleep I had to go downstairs now. He stood at the gate and cried only a few minutes then I heard him run and jump in bed and sure enough I looked in the monitor and he was asleep in his bed....Hooray! And the best part was he slept all night and then I heard him at the gate this morning....."Mommy out" So I went and got him and told him how proud I was of him that he slept in his big boy bed! He was very proud of himself too. Hopefully he will continue to sleep in the bed! Yay Ryan such a big boy!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Ryan and his Big Boy Bed!!!
Ryan likes his new big boy bed! (age 21 months)
Ryan are you getting sleepy yet??
Ryan likes his new bed but will he sleep in it???
Hmmm....I can actually get out?!?!?!....Who needs sleep really??
Okay Day #1 in the big boy bed...He is upstairs in his room NOT napping...playing??? Certainly NOT in his big boy bed sleeping. Has been up there for 20 minutes. Cried a little at first then played..then stood at the gate calling..."mommy please....mommy please out" Now crying again. Not sure if maybe this was a mistake I was hoping for at least "quiet time" Sadly the video monitor only shows his bed not the entire room so I have no idea what he is actually up to in his room. Not a whole lot for him to get into thankfully. I am going to try and attempt to ignore him a bit more and see if he gets tired enough to go to sleep (hopefully that is the plan anyways) I will give it a try and see...... Wish me luck!
Monday, August 11, 2008
First ER Vist...certainly not the last I am sure!
It was a crazy week last week sorry for the lack of updates. Last week Ryan tripped and fell tearing his face up and we had our first ER experience. Yes he tripped and fell and cut his face and I knew from the looks of the laceration he would definitely need a stitch or two. If I had taken the suturing workshop I would have done it myself (yeah right just kidding taking them out was pure torture enough for all of us especially me!) But anyways the people over at Bridgeport were very kind and gentle they kept us waiting and were slower than molasses...I mean we were there 2 1/2 hrs for a few teeny weeny stitches that took all of 5 minutes but anyways they did a good job and they were friendly and courteous. But trying to keep a rambunctious toddler occupied in a tiny room for 2.5 hrs was sheer torture and we were in a hurry to get there I grabbed the essentials only and did not put much thought into toddler entertainment. Greg and I were looking at each other wondering what the heck was taking so long! I mean the child was climbing everything in site and we thought to ourselves gee if we sit here in this tiny not so childproofed room any longer our child will need more that just a couple of stitches! Luckily the cheerios and snacks kept him occupied for short time but finally I went to the nurses desk to speak up. Sounding as polite as possible went something like this....
"Um hello excuse me our son is losing his patience a bit and getting a little impatient is there anyway we can move things along a bit....sorry I hate to sound pushy...Thanks so much!"
The nurse gave me a sort of confused look and said yeah he is getting his supplies together now...The kind of look that says geeze don't be so impatient lady! Obviously these people don't deal with toddlers regularly. I mean it is not like the place was all that busy I think we were the only ones there!
Anyways they literally mummy wrapped him and taped him to the table for the procedure and he screamed bloody murder it was really hard to watch! But it was finally over and Ryan, Greg and I were thoroughly exhausted from the mornings events! They told us to come back to get them removed but I did not want to put him through that again and who knows how long they would have kept us waiting! So I took a bunch of sterile supplies home from work and took them out myself...it was not pretty but it was better than bringing him back there.
Otherwise things have been fine with Ryan he did not seem bothered by the stitches at all. I just hope he does not get a big scar on his face. We all survived and he hopefully won't remember!
I think we have decided after this recent injury we will put him in a toddler bed this weekend. He is still climbing although it has improved I just feel like it is another accident waiting to happen. I bought a headboard to match his bedroom furniture and I am thinking of transitioning him to a toddler bed first then putting him int he twin bed. It just seems so big and high up for him now I think the toddler bed would be a better transition for him. His little friend has the fire engine bed and he climbed right in and got under the covers and would not get out of the bed so I am hoping he will like the race car bed.
Greg won his golf tourney yesterday so he is now the best player at his club. It was called the club championship and has been going on for two weeks. He played 18 holes on Sat and 36 holes yesterday to win the match! We are so proud of him but I am glad it is over. He promised to lay off the golf a bit for the rest of the season b/c he has not been around a whole lot this summer and we really need to spend more time together as a family! I am happy to have him around more often now!
Excited to be watching the olympics every night! In fact I have been staying up so late I am tired today! I just love it. Any other big fans out there?
"Um hello excuse me our son is losing his patience a bit and getting a little impatient is there anyway we can move things along a bit....sorry I hate to sound pushy...Thanks so much!"
The nurse gave me a sort of confused look and said yeah he is getting his supplies together now...The kind of look that says geeze don't be so impatient lady! Obviously these people don't deal with toddlers regularly. I mean it is not like the place was all that busy I think we were the only ones there!
Anyways they literally mummy wrapped him and taped him to the table for the procedure and he screamed bloody murder it was really hard to watch! But it was finally over and Ryan, Greg and I were thoroughly exhausted from the mornings events! They told us to come back to get them removed but I did not want to put him through that again and who knows how long they would have kept us waiting! So I took a bunch of sterile supplies home from work and took them out myself...it was not pretty but it was better than bringing him back there.
Otherwise things have been fine with Ryan he did not seem bothered by the stitches at all. I just hope he does not get a big scar on his face. We all survived and he hopefully won't remember!
I think we have decided after this recent injury we will put him in a toddler bed this weekend. He is still climbing although it has improved I just feel like it is another accident waiting to happen. I bought a headboard to match his bedroom furniture and I am thinking of transitioning him to a toddler bed first then putting him int he twin bed. It just seems so big and high up for him now I think the toddler bed would be a better transition for him. His little friend has the fire engine bed and he climbed right in and got under the covers and would not get out of the bed so I am hoping he will like the race car bed.
Greg won his golf tourney yesterday so he is now the best player at his club. It was called the club championship and has been going on for two weeks. He played 18 holes on Sat and 36 holes yesterday to win the match! We are so proud of him but I am glad it is over. He promised to lay off the golf a bit for the rest of the season b/c he has not been around a whole lot this summer and we really need to spend more time together as a family! I am happy to have him around more often now!
Excited to be watching the olympics every night! In fact I have been staying up so late I am tired today! I just love it. Any other big fans out there?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Finally a few new pics!!
Ryan and his friend Lila at a play date last week
Ryan out to dinner using chopsticks
July 4th weekend
Ryan out to dinner using chopsticks
July 4th weekend
Monday, August 4, 2008
Beach Fun and random stuff too...
Since Daddy was golfing all weekend in a golf tournament Ryan and I decided to have a little fun of our own and ventured to the beach yesterday. It was a lot of fun and the perfect beach day. We got settled and Ryan ran off to chase some seagulls abandoning his beach pail and shovel. He ran all the way to the Marina and as I un-packed I kept my distance to see if Ryan would look for me. No he didn't this child has no fear of anyone and could have cared less if I was even at the beach with him or not. But finally I called out to him and he came running over only to get distracted again my the seagulls. It was really cute. Finally I talked him into walking back to the blanket with me and we made it back eventually. We decided to go swimming the water was really warm I noticed there were jelly fish in the water and I had read about it in the town paper that they were out early this year. I figured they were harmless there were a ton of people in the water. Funny just my luck as I was belly high in water splashing around with Ryan I felt a funny sting did not think much of it then it started to tingle and burn....and it was in a place where no jelly fish has gone before. The worst place you could possibly get stung. Oh well at least he did not get Ryan. I contemplated calling the OB but I figured what will they do anyways and it seems a bit better today. But anyways it was a lot of fun playing with Ryan at the beach :)
Ryan now refers to himself as Ry-Ry in the third person. Everything is Ry-Ry do. Ry-Ry this Ry-Ry that. It is really funny. He will actually now point to baby pictures of himself and say Ry-Ry. Before he would point to himself and say baby. For example he absolutely would not let ME give him some raisins out of the container this morning! He immediately protested Ry-Ry! So I gave in and he reached his little hand in to grab a handful for himself. I have also noticed he makes less of a mess (on some days) eating his morning oatmeal. Usually ends up eating most of it rather than missing his mouth and his bib (if I can get one on) was surprisingly left untouched this morning. Did I also mention for the past week Ryan has been insistent on sitting in his high chair again not his booster seat for meals. Funny we were just about to bring it down stairs and set it aside.
We were really surprised at dinner last night because Ryan inhaled all of his dinner at lightning speed. I made grilled salmon, carrots, zucchini and herb roasted potatoes and he loved every bite of the salmon and and veggies and even asked for more. Greg and I were so surprised. See last week it was a totally different story at meal times he would poke and push the food around and maybe take a few bites here and there. But for the past few nights he has been inhaling large quantities of food at mealtimes. I guess we better enjoy it while we can maybe he is going through a growth spurt because his appetite comes and goes.
So funny story about the zucchini....Polina gave me this enormous garden fresh zucchini it was the biggest zucchini I have seen. So I decided to make zucchini bread and I found a yummy recipe online and it called for 2 c of grated zucchini I was thinking oh wow perfect it will use alot of zucchini. Well 2 loaves later and even after grilled zucchini for 3 last night I still have half of this enormous zucchini left. What ever shall I do with it? Maybe make more zucchini bread and freeze it? More grilled zucchini? It was super yummy.
Oh I also wanted to thank mom for the green bags! They are so awesome and I highly recommend them. I was looking all over for them. I hear you can get them at CVS but I did not find them there in Fairfield. Well I happened to mention the fact I was looking of these bags and of course mom had some....she has everything! So she gave me some and I love them. I buy a whole bunch of produce and it stays fresh all week. The secret is these spectacular green bags. I put green bananas in them and they stay fresh all week. I take them out a day or two before I need one and it usually ripens well on the counter. I had used them for apples and nectarines too. You really have to dry the nectarines off first or they will get moldy. Don't wash the produce first just dry it off and place in these magical bags and it will stay ultra fresh. Apparently produce releases a gas which causes it to ripen quickly especially in warmer weather and these green bags apparently catch the gas or something and absorb it. This week I tried strawberries and grapes. Seems to be doing well so far. Thanks mom these bags are great! And I find we are wasting a lot less food!(Something we are notorious for) Oh I also wanted to mention I found this great fruit and veggie wash at Trader Joes that has grape seed extract or is it grapefruit seed extract? Anyways it is supposed to remove all the pesticides and chemicals and waxes from your produce. So while we do try to buy organic if we don't I don't feel so bad about giving it to Ryan if it is washed in this veggie soap. Just wanted to share.
Oh Thanks Auntie Erin and Grammy and Granddad for offerring to watch Ryn for us so I can attend my conference in Boston later in the month to kick off phase 2 of my diabetes trial. We are all meeting in Boston for 2 days to discuss the logistics of phase 2 and talk about the results of phase 1. Should be a lot of fun and Greg will be staying with me too to keep me company and to attend the Deuche Bank golf tournament.....(For work???) NO seriously I guess one of Genpacts's clints is hosting it and they invited Greg and some others to attend. What a cushy job! Anyways Ryan will enjoy some quality time with his Auntie Erin and Uncle Brian and His granparents too. Then my parents will take him for the long weekend and Greg and I will get to enjoy our "last hoorah" as we call it before the new baby. Our last true vacation that we will take alone for a long time to come. We are spending time with 2 other couples for the long holiday weekend for some rest and relaxation and lots of golf I am sure! Thanks family for taking care of of Ryan! What would we do without you?
Ryan now refers to himself as Ry-Ry in the third person. Everything is Ry-Ry do. Ry-Ry this Ry-Ry that. It is really funny. He will actually now point to baby pictures of himself and say Ry-Ry. Before he would point to himself and say baby. For example he absolutely would not let ME give him some raisins out of the container this morning! He immediately protested Ry-Ry! So I gave in and he reached his little hand in to grab a handful for himself. I have also noticed he makes less of a mess (on some days) eating his morning oatmeal. Usually ends up eating most of it rather than missing his mouth and his bib (if I can get one on) was surprisingly left untouched this morning. Did I also mention for the past week Ryan has been insistent on sitting in his high chair again not his booster seat for meals. Funny we were just about to bring it down stairs and set it aside.
We were really surprised at dinner last night because Ryan inhaled all of his dinner at lightning speed. I made grilled salmon, carrots, zucchini and herb roasted potatoes and he loved every bite of the salmon and and veggies and even asked for more. Greg and I were so surprised. See last week it was a totally different story at meal times he would poke and push the food around and maybe take a few bites here and there. But for the past few nights he has been inhaling large quantities of food at mealtimes. I guess we better enjoy it while we can maybe he is going through a growth spurt because his appetite comes and goes.
So funny story about the zucchini....Polina gave me this enormous garden fresh zucchini it was the biggest zucchini I have seen. So I decided to make zucchini bread and I found a yummy recipe online and it called for 2 c of grated zucchini I was thinking oh wow perfect it will use alot of zucchini. Well 2 loaves later and even after grilled zucchini for 3 last night I still have half of this enormous zucchini left. What ever shall I do with it? Maybe make more zucchini bread and freeze it? More grilled zucchini? It was super yummy.
Oh I also wanted to thank mom for the green bags! They are so awesome and I highly recommend them. I was looking all over for them. I hear you can get them at CVS but I did not find them there in Fairfield. Well I happened to mention the fact I was looking of these bags and of course mom had some....she has everything! So she gave me some and I love them. I buy a whole bunch of produce and it stays fresh all week. The secret is these spectacular green bags. I put green bananas in them and they stay fresh all week. I take them out a day or two before I need one and it usually ripens well on the counter. I had used them for apples and nectarines too. You really have to dry the nectarines off first or they will get moldy. Don't wash the produce first just dry it off and place in these magical bags and it will stay ultra fresh. Apparently produce releases a gas which causes it to ripen quickly especially in warmer weather and these green bags apparently catch the gas or something and absorb it. This week I tried strawberries and grapes. Seems to be doing well so far. Thanks mom these bags are great! And I find we are wasting a lot less food!(Something we are notorious for) Oh I also wanted to mention I found this great fruit and veggie wash at Trader Joes that has grape seed extract or is it grapefruit seed extract? Anyways it is supposed to remove all the pesticides and chemicals and waxes from your produce. So while we do try to buy organic if we don't I don't feel so bad about giving it to Ryan if it is washed in this veggie soap. Just wanted to share.
Oh Thanks Auntie Erin and Grammy and Granddad for offerring to watch Ryn for us so I can attend my conference in Boston later in the month to kick off phase 2 of my diabetes trial. We are all meeting in Boston for 2 days to discuss the logistics of phase 2 and talk about the results of phase 1. Should be a lot of fun and Greg will be staying with me too to keep me company and to attend the Deuche Bank golf tournament.....(For work???) NO seriously I guess one of Genpacts's clints is hosting it and they invited Greg and some others to attend. What a cushy job! Anyways Ryan will enjoy some quality time with his Auntie Erin and Uncle Brian and His granparents too. Then my parents will take him for the long weekend and Greg and I will get to enjoy our "last hoorah" as we call it before the new baby. Our last true vacation that we will take alone for a long time to come. We are spending time with 2 other couples for the long holiday weekend for some rest and relaxation and lots of golf I am sure! Thanks family for taking care of of Ryan! What would we do without you?
Friday, August 1, 2008
Sleeping better now....
So this week Ryan has still been climbing out of his crib but much improved from last week. He is not actually getting out this time. We try and bribe him to put his legs back over and not jump out. I know it sounds silly but we pretty much do ANYTHING to keep him in the crib at this point. Greg was putting him to bed last night and I walked by and Ryan had a pillow, a golf book, and Greg's blackberry in his crib along with his usually "night night" stuff his 2 bunny blankets, his doll, and his blue blankie so there was a whole lot of stuff in his crib last night but hey it works for now. And he is napping better again I have to bribe him to stay in the crib at first even for naps too and he is napping between 1 1/2-2 hrs for us not as long as previously but it is better than no napping. And yes he is napping in the pack and play for Polina and apparently not climbing out.
How did this improved sleep pattern evolve? Well we pushed bedtime up an hour earlier. I guess we got a little layed back with daylight savings and summer and the days getting longer and gradually over a period of months we were slowly pushing Ryan's bedtime further and further back his summer bedtime routine started around 7:30 8'ish and by the time he was upstairs actually asleep it was more like 8:30 9 ish and I guess at this age they are super sensitive to that and gradually Ryan got more and more overtired. Then Greg and I were left eating dinner at 9:00 and having no time to ourselves to unwind because after dinner and cleanup it was nearly 10 PM and we were both exhausted ready for bed. Now this week our new routine is Ryan has his bath at 6:30 and he is upstairs in his crib at 7:00 and asleep by 7:45 and it is no nice. He is napping better. Behaving better and seems much more well rested. Alleluia. But we are still thinking of switching him to a big boy bed soon just to avoid a potential injury from crib climbing!
Yesterday Ryan went for his second haircut. I get a little sad each time we go because I feel like they are cutting of his little baby hair the hair he was born with. After each haircut so far he totally changes. He looks more and more like a little man and not a baby our little boy is growing up so fast!
We got our infant seat back this week. I had lent it out to one of the Dr's in the practice for one of his twins. It is still in perfect condtion. You know who jumped right in it and tried to buckle up when he saw it. It has been a real source of entertainment for him for the past few days. He really got a kick out of climbing in and climbing out and buckling the straps and trying to un-buckle them. I just had Greg bring it downstairs last night. Boy I never knew all this baby equipment could amuse a toddler for so long. It was like buying a new toy for him!
Just wanted to share the highlight of my morning today and pretty much for the past few weeks has been Ryan climbing in bed with me and waking me up with a cry out for "Mommy" and a great big hug and kiss. So sweet I cherish these moments! Have a great weekend!
How did this improved sleep pattern evolve? Well we pushed bedtime up an hour earlier. I guess we got a little layed back with daylight savings and summer and the days getting longer and gradually over a period of months we were slowly pushing Ryan's bedtime further and further back his summer bedtime routine started around 7:30 8'ish and by the time he was upstairs actually asleep it was more like 8:30 9 ish and I guess at this age they are super sensitive to that and gradually Ryan got more and more overtired. Then Greg and I were left eating dinner at 9:00 and having no time to ourselves to unwind because after dinner and cleanup it was nearly 10 PM and we were both exhausted ready for bed. Now this week our new routine is Ryan has his bath at 6:30 and he is upstairs in his crib at 7:00 and asleep by 7:45 and it is no nice. He is napping better. Behaving better and seems much more well rested. Alleluia. But we are still thinking of switching him to a big boy bed soon just to avoid a potential injury from crib climbing!
Yesterday Ryan went for his second haircut. I get a little sad each time we go because I feel like they are cutting of his little baby hair the hair he was born with. After each haircut so far he totally changes. He looks more and more like a little man and not a baby our little boy is growing up so fast!
We got our infant seat back this week. I had lent it out to one of the Dr's in the practice for one of his twins. It is still in perfect condtion. You know who jumped right in it and tried to buckle up when he saw it. It has been a real source of entertainment for him for the past few days. He really got a kick out of climbing in and climbing out and buckling the straps and trying to un-buckle them. I just had Greg bring it downstairs last night. Boy I never knew all this baby equipment could amuse a toddler for so long. It was like buying a new toy for him!
Just wanted to share the highlight of my morning today and pretty much for the past few weeks has been Ryan climbing in bed with me and waking me up with a cry out for "Mommy" and a great big hug and kiss. So sweet I cherish these moments! Have a great weekend!
Monday, July 28, 2008
HELP!!!! No Naps and Lots of Crib Climbing!!!!!
So yeah it is official a week with literally no naps and a week full of crib climbing and I don't know what to do! Ryan effortlessly in a foul swoop will now climb out of his crib at home over 100 times in 5 minutes and each time has a lovely smirk on his face squealing in delight at his proud accomplishment. He now no longer naps for our babysitter Polina climbs out of the pack and play opens the door to his room and aimlessly roams about her immaculate home until she discovers he is up to no good. He has been climbing out of the pack and play at Nancy and Jack's house and even started climbing out of the crib at my parents house over the weekend. It has now been a week with no naps and bedtime is now a 1.5-2 hr minimum process. So now we are faced with an extremely over tired 20 month old who adores his new found freedom of climbing out of his crib at will and becomes even more mischievous especially given the lack of sleep! Just a few weeks ago he was sleeping 11 hrs at night and taking 2-3 hour naps now he sleeps only 9 hours per night with no naps! HELP!
So here is my dilemma after discussing this situation on multiple occasions with numerous fellow mommy friends (of course their little ones are sleeping so nicely in their cribs NOT climbing)And my big question is this....Option A: Do I put him in a big boy bed and end the climbing thereby forfeiting his nap and deal with months of nigh time awakenings and wandering? or Option B: continue with the current situation and hope it is a phase he will get over but somehow I doubt it..... For example a friend of mine with 2 children ages almost 1 and 3 chose option A in anticipation of her second son to ensure the older one would be in a big boy bed and she could use the crib for the newborn she did this months in advance to prevent jealousy of her older son finding a new baby in his bed she did this not for the same reasons I am faced with.... her older son was NOT climbing. I would seriously keep Ryan in his crib until age 5 if he was sleeping well in it not climbing. Anyways so her older son slept GREAT for the first week then started wandering getting in bed with them. She even tried putting a gate up and her son would stand there all night and scream bloody murder until they let him come to bed with them. I don't know. I already have major insomnia from the pregnancy I am not sure about this wandering issue. Oh and another thing I hear is once they go into a big boy bed naps are forever OVER! It becomes independant quiet time...Ha yeah right not in our house! So the best part of my friend's story is as soon as her older son started sleeping in his bed nearly 4 months later her new baby was born and she was once again faced with sleepless nights for another 4 months that is almost a year of not sleeping at night.
So I have already looked into buying a bed rail and I am thinking of maybe even converting Ryan's crib to a toddler bed first then having him sleep in a big boy bed with rail freeing up crib for the newborn. My only reservation is the no nap issue. Just being pregnant and tired all the time I do like to at least put my feet up and rest a little in the afternoon. But I guess there will be very little rest when the new little one arrives. I was just trying to enjoy my rest time while it lasts. Let's just say I can't wait for school in Sept!
But please offer me any suggestions you may have I am totally desperate in need of some good advice!
Other weekend news Greg and I enjoyed a wonderful Saturday together. Our original plan had been to visit Granddad and Grammy but I still had a lingering cough and Ryan still has a bit of a drippy nose so we opted not to infect any of the Flynn's. It was too long of a drive for Greg to make alone in one day. So we opted to spend some quality time just the two of us. We dropped Ryan off early on Saturday morning and my parents watched him for us. Greg and I decided to go out to lunch (where we had our first date nearly 9 yrs ago) and to a farmer's market and them we went to see Sex and the City. What a cute movie! It was so great to spend the day together and catch up something we have not done it what seems like forever! Thanks mom and dad! You are the best!
Yesterday we went over to Sarah and Jamie's house along with Grazi her husband and Katy and had dinner with them and their kids. I was very hesitant to bring Ryan b/c he had no nap and seemed kind of irritable but he fell asleep on the way but once we got to Sarah's Greg happily volunteered to stay in the car with Ryan a few minutes so he could rest. Well after a half hour I went outside to find both boys sound asleep in the car together...no surprise there. So I gently knocked on Greg's window and told him to come inside. It all turned out fine both boys were refueled and Ryan played so well with the other children. It was a wonderful evening spend with great friends!
So please give us some suggestions on our current dilemma! Thanks in advance!
So here is my dilemma after discussing this situation on multiple occasions with numerous fellow mommy friends (of course their little ones are sleeping so nicely in their cribs NOT climbing)And my big question is this....Option A: Do I put him in a big boy bed and end the climbing thereby forfeiting his nap and deal with months of nigh time awakenings and wandering? or Option B: continue with the current situation and hope it is a phase he will get over but somehow I doubt it..... For example a friend of mine with 2 children ages almost 1 and 3 chose option A in anticipation of her second son to ensure the older one would be in a big boy bed and she could use the crib for the newborn she did this months in advance to prevent jealousy of her older son finding a new baby in his bed she did this not for the same reasons I am faced with.... her older son was NOT climbing. I would seriously keep Ryan in his crib until age 5 if he was sleeping well in it not climbing. Anyways so her older son slept GREAT for the first week then started wandering getting in bed with them. She even tried putting a gate up and her son would stand there all night and scream bloody murder until they let him come to bed with them. I don't know. I already have major insomnia from the pregnancy I am not sure about this wandering issue. Oh and another thing I hear is once they go into a big boy bed naps are forever OVER! It becomes independant quiet time...Ha yeah right not in our house! So the best part of my friend's story is as soon as her older son started sleeping in his bed nearly 4 months later her new baby was born and she was once again faced with sleepless nights for another 4 months that is almost a year of not sleeping at night.
So I have already looked into buying a bed rail and I am thinking of maybe even converting Ryan's crib to a toddler bed first then having him sleep in a big boy bed with rail freeing up crib for the newborn. My only reservation is the no nap issue. Just being pregnant and tired all the time I do like to at least put my feet up and rest a little in the afternoon. But I guess there will be very little rest when the new little one arrives. I was just trying to enjoy my rest time while it lasts. Let's just say I can't wait for school in Sept!
But please offer me any suggestions you may have I am totally desperate in need of some good advice!
Other weekend news Greg and I enjoyed a wonderful Saturday together. Our original plan had been to visit Granddad and Grammy but I still had a lingering cough and Ryan still has a bit of a drippy nose so we opted not to infect any of the Flynn's. It was too long of a drive for Greg to make alone in one day. So we opted to spend some quality time just the two of us. We dropped Ryan off early on Saturday morning and my parents watched him for us. Greg and I decided to go out to lunch (where we had our first date nearly 9 yrs ago) and to a farmer's market and them we went to see Sex and the City. What a cute movie! It was so great to spend the day together and catch up something we have not done it what seems like forever! Thanks mom and dad! You are the best!
Yesterday we went over to Sarah and Jamie's house along with Grazi her husband and Katy and had dinner with them and their kids. I was very hesitant to bring Ryan b/c he had no nap and seemed kind of irritable but he fell asleep on the way but once we got to Sarah's Greg happily volunteered to stay in the car with Ryan a few minutes so he could rest. Well after a half hour I went outside to find both boys sound asleep in the car together...no surprise there. So I gently knocked on Greg's window and told him to come inside. It all turned out fine both boys were refueled and Ryan played so well with the other children. It was a wonderful evening spend with great friends!
So please give us some suggestions on our current dilemma! Thanks in advance!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Compund Phrases!
It all started with "Diyya pobby" for Dylan go potty...part of our morning routine. Greg and Dylan along with Ryan stand outside and say Dylan potty and keep repeating it until he goes both. Now lately we have been noticing Ryan will say two words in a row like "mommy moo moo" or "Dada upee" he will also say things like "iii pease" for ice please. Lately I am not sure where this ice obsession has evolved from. I am guessing it is from teething...we think Ryan is getting his bottom second year molars. I am hoping it is not pica (urge to eat non-nutritive foods such as ice and dirt-both of which Ryan will gladly eat) from an iron deficiency anemia.
Time out!
So Ryan found himself in time out for the second time in his life. The first time was about a month ago for deliberately running towards the street after I clearly said NO and he clearly understood with a smirk as he went charging for the street. This time we were at a play date and first time I let it go he bit Sophia they were in the tunnel I could not see what was happening so I just said very sternly "Ryan NO BITE!" The second time occurred after lunch and he clearly bit her he was provoked they were fighting over a stuffed bear but still biting is a severe offense and not tolerated at all. So I said again "NO BITE" time out. I removed him from the situation and sat with him on the stairs I did have to keep placing him gently back on the stairs b/c he kept getting up to leave. This occurred about 5 times and finally I figured he got the picture. By this time it was nap time all the kids were starting to lose it and we headed home for a nap. But on our way out Ryan spotted his "time out" area on the stairs and ran over there to sit. Funny though I was reading sometimes children do that. I do recommend this book I am reading I think it will actually work out well for us. It was recommended by a bunch of Friends with older children. If you are at all interested in the the "time out" approach to discipline get this book. Not sure of the author I can double check but the title is "123 Magic" So far the book is really helping. We will see.
In other news I have lately been whipping out our vita mix. It is basically a very overpriced blender Greg and I got suckered into buying about 5 years ago at the Big E. You know those areas int eh Better Living Center where they do all the demos and offer free food samples and you feel like you have to have their product even if you don't really need it. Yes and it gathered dust for a number of years until recently. It has a super powerful motor and we used to make all kinds of things in it like homemade peanut butter, almond butter, salsa, soups, smoothies, ice cream...stuff like that. Well lately I have been making a vegetable pureed soup it is really yummy sort of a more nutritious twist on tomato soup. Here are the ingredients: (Not sure if you can actually make this in a regular blender or not but it is really tasty).
2 medium tomatoes
1/3 cup peas
1/2 carrot
1/4 celery
1/4 c red or green pepper
chicken bouillon cube
onion powder
dash of black pepper
tiny bit of chicken broth to thin (it is a really thick soup)
I actually felt adventurous and I made my own tomato sauce for chicken parm yesterday using (really simple and very tasty too)
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 c olive oil saute a few minutes
2 cans of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp of sugar (cuts the acid a trick from Meme)
dash of salt
fresh black pepper
lots of fresh parsley 1/2 c approx
lots of fresh basil 1/2 c
some onion powder to taste
let it simmer for an hour or two uncovered (you can cover but the sauce will not thicken)
Oh and I almost forgot I put 1.5 c of the vegetable soup above for a nutritional boost
I could not believe Ryan was not that into the chicken parm maybe took a few bites but he loved the spaghetti and sauce. Devoured it. Good thing I was able to sneak those veggies in somehow. Right now we are off our veggie kick. Ryan pushed the broccoli around on his plate. Oh well.
Okay one more recipe not as nutritious but somewhat healthy with hidden veggies:
My mac and cheese (this is actually a half portion)
Barilla whole wheat Plus elbows cook until just before aldente about 6 min 1/2 box
1/4 c whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp of earth balance (trans fat free spread I think canola oil based) Can use butter
brown stirring frequently for 5 min
add 3 cup milk I used 1 c whole milk 2 c 1%
stir for 7 minutes
add 2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese
and 1.5 cup cauliflower puree and thicken a few minutes
Add the elbows and cheese mixture to a 9x9 casserole
mix plain bread crumbs with olive oil to moisten and sprinkle on top of mac and cheese
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
This is another of Ryan's favorites
I know I did a lot of baking/cooking this week too but I was just so excited to finally have a new working oven. I wanted to try it out. Oh and Ryan and I made M+M cookies too (Meme's recipe)
How did I do all this with a curious toddler? I let him help well sort of. He got his stool and he had his own pan and spoon and he helped too. Yesterday was one of those days with a limited nap requiring lots of one on one time. Ryan also picked some fresh basil and parsley for me from the deck. It only lasted for a short time but he was also my sauce taste tester too and he approved. I will admit the cookies I made after he went to bed for fear that he would eat them all. But the sauce he did help with.
Sadly I don't think I will be making the visit up north to visit Grandadad Jack who is still recovering from his surgery b/c I am getting over a cold and still have a lingering cough. Ryan is pretty much over his cold but still has a bit of a runny nose. Pretty sure he will be well enough for the visit but not sure about me. Will have to play it by ear and see how we all are in the morning. Doubt we are contagious at this point but would hate to give our colds to "Dad dad" impeding his recovery. Glad to hear you are doing so well!
Over comitted!
I know you are all dying to know how my work meeting went on Mon. I have not been asked to attend in almost a year so I knew something was up. The meeting agenda consisted of the following: Plans to open a new office in Orange- Hooray! Closer to me and 5 minutes from Polina! Plans for one of our partners to retire. Plans to add on a third day upon my return from maternity leave. Most likely a M-W-F work week due to preschool arrangements. Not the best scenario I won't have 2 days off in a row but I do have to drop/pick Ryan up from school. Also this I am sorry to say I should have said no to but you know me I can't really say NO under extreme pressure....I foolishly agreed not only to pick up another day okay that is not unreasonable but to actually agree to ALL the data entry for my diabetes study while on maternity leave recovering from a c/s. nursing a newborn, sleep deprived, and chasing after a busy 2 y.o. HELP. I really think I have lost my mind. My plan of action is this I will do it but I will do it at the office. I could do it from home but it would be difficult. Ryan still pulls the keys off my computer so I think it would be best to eliminate distractions and go suck it up and head into the office. I plan on dropping Ryan off at Polina's and taking the newborn in the carrier into the office. It will probably only take me 1/2 day a week 3-4 hrs to complete. I know it is crazy but I feel obligated to help. Hopefully it won't be too bad. What do you all think??? Did I totally over commit??? Will I survive? HELP!
I know I am lacking in the photo department I will post some new photos soon!
Time out!
So Ryan found himself in time out for the second time in his life. The first time was about a month ago for deliberately running towards the street after I clearly said NO and he clearly understood with a smirk as he went charging for the street. This time we were at a play date and first time I let it go he bit Sophia they were in the tunnel I could not see what was happening so I just said very sternly "Ryan NO BITE!" The second time occurred after lunch and he clearly bit her he was provoked they were fighting over a stuffed bear but still biting is a severe offense and not tolerated at all. So I said again "NO BITE" time out. I removed him from the situation and sat with him on the stairs I did have to keep placing him gently back on the stairs b/c he kept getting up to leave. This occurred about 5 times and finally I figured he got the picture. By this time it was nap time all the kids were starting to lose it and we headed home for a nap. But on our way out Ryan spotted his "time out" area on the stairs and ran over there to sit. Funny though I was reading sometimes children do that. I do recommend this book I am reading I think it will actually work out well for us. It was recommended by a bunch of Friends with older children. If you are at all interested in the the "time out" approach to discipline get this book. Not sure of the author I can double check but the title is "123 Magic" So far the book is really helping. We will see.
In other news I have lately been whipping out our vita mix. It is basically a very overpriced blender Greg and I got suckered into buying about 5 years ago at the Big E. You know those areas int eh Better Living Center where they do all the demos and offer free food samples and you feel like you have to have their product even if you don't really need it. Yes and it gathered dust for a number of years until recently. It has a super powerful motor and we used to make all kinds of things in it like homemade peanut butter, almond butter, salsa, soups, smoothies, ice cream...stuff like that. Well lately I have been making a vegetable pureed soup it is really yummy sort of a more nutritious twist on tomato soup. Here are the ingredients: (Not sure if you can actually make this in a regular blender or not but it is really tasty).
2 medium tomatoes
1/3 cup peas
1/2 carrot
1/4 celery
1/4 c red or green pepper
chicken bouillon cube
onion powder
dash of black pepper
tiny bit of chicken broth to thin (it is a really thick soup)
I actually felt adventurous and I made my own tomato sauce for chicken parm yesterday using (really simple and very tasty too)
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 c olive oil saute a few minutes
2 cans of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp of sugar (cuts the acid a trick from Meme)
dash of salt
fresh black pepper
lots of fresh parsley 1/2 c approx
lots of fresh basil 1/2 c
some onion powder to taste
let it simmer for an hour or two uncovered (you can cover but the sauce will not thicken)
Oh and I almost forgot I put 1.5 c of the vegetable soup above for a nutritional boost
I could not believe Ryan was not that into the chicken parm maybe took a few bites but he loved the spaghetti and sauce. Devoured it. Good thing I was able to sneak those veggies in somehow. Right now we are off our veggie kick. Ryan pushed the broccoli around on his plate. Oh well.
Okay one more recipe not as nutritious but somewhat healthy with hidden veggies:
My mac and cheese (this is actually a half portion)
Barilla whole wheat Plus elbows cook until just before aldente about 6 min 1/2 box
1/4 c whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp of earth balance (trans fat free spread I think canola oil based) Can use butter
brown stirring frequently for 5 min
add 3 cup milk I used 1 c whole milk 2 c 1%
stir for 7 minutes
add 2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese
and 1.5 cup cauliflower puree and thicken a few minutes
Add the elbows and cheese mixture to a 9x9 casserole
mix plain bread crumbs with olive oil to moisten and sprinkle on top of mac and cheese
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
This is another of Ryan's favorites
I know I did a lot of baking/cooking this week too but I was just so excited to finally have a new working oven. I wanted to try it out. Oh and Ryan and I made M+M cookies too (Meme's recipe)
How did I do all this with a curious toddler? I let him help well sort of. He got his stool and he had his own pan and spoon and he helped too. Yesterday was one of those days with a limited nap requiring lots of one on one time. Ryan also picked some fresh basil and parsley for me from the deck. It only lasted for a short time but he was also my sauce taste tester too and he approved. I will admit the cookies I made after he went to bed for fear that he would eat them all. But the sauce he did help with.
Sadly I don't think I will be making the visit up north to visit Grandadad Jack who is still recovering from his surgery b/c I am getting over a cold and still have a lingering cough. Ryan is pretty much over his cold but still has a bit of a runny nose. Pretty sure he will be well enough for the visit but not sure about me. Will have to play it by ear and see how we all are in the morning. Doubt we are contagious at this point but would hate to give our colds to "Dad dad" impeding his recovery. Glad to hear you are doing so well!
Over comitted!
I know you are all dying to know how my work meeting went on Mon. I have not been asked to attend in almost a year so I knew something was up. The meeting agenda consisted of the following: Plans to open a new office in Orange- Hooray! Closer to me and 5 minutes from Polina! Plans for one of our partners to retire. Plans to add on a third day upon my return from maternity leave. Most likely a M-W-F work week due to preschool arrangements. Not the best scenario I won't have 2 days off in a row but I do have to drop/pick Ryan up from school. Also this I am sorry to say I should have said no to but you know me I can't really say NO under extreme pressure....I foolishly agreed not only to pick up another day okay that is not unreasonable but to actually agree to ALL the data entry for my diabetes study while on maternity leave recovering from a c/s. nursing a newborn, sleep deprived, and chasing after a busy 2 y.o. HELP. I really think I have lost my mind. My plan of action is this I will do it but I will do it at the office. I could do it from home but it would be difficult. Ryan still pulls the keys off my computer so I think it would be best to eliminate distractions and go suck it up and head into the office. I plan on dropping Ryan off at Polina's and taking the newborn in the carrier into the office. It will probably only take me 1/2 day a week 3-4 hrs to complete. I know it is crazy but I feel obligated to help. Hopefully it won't be too bad. What do you all think??? Did I totally over commit??? Will I survive? HELP!
I know I am lacking in the photo department I will post some new photos soon!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Mommy!
Ryan now calls me Mommy! It is so adorable. He always used to call me Mama but lately last week he started using Mommy instead. When he wakes in the morning I now hear "mommy!" Instead of "Mama!" Still refers to Greg as Dada. But he has various nicknames for everyone.
Me: now Mommy occasionally still mama but rarely
Greg: Dada
Grammy: Mimi
Grampy: Papa
Uncle Freddie: Eddie
Granddad: Dad Dad
Polina: Pia
Caroline: Ine
Dylan: Diyya or Dow Dow
His Bunny Blanket: Bubby
Ryan (himself): Ry-Ry
Milk: moo moo
Ryan has recently become more vocal in pronouncing his words and will usually try to repeat what we are saying most of the time. Past few weeks has started using compound phrases like "How are you?" "Mommy up" "Dada hat or Dada shoe" I read that they start with the compound phrases around age 2.
Weekend Re-cap
Saturday we had a fun play date with our neighbor Sophia Daddy pulled the kiddos around in the driveway in the wagon at lightning speed and they just had a ball in the kiddie pool. We put the slide to the climber right in front of the pool so when they go down the slide they go crashing into the pool. They just love this and it tires them out so much! Then after lunch and an afternoon nap we headed over to Elephant Steps in Norwark for a Birthday party. What a great place for this age. They have a padded gym area with soft climbers and slides and a great water room. Then the kids had a little bubble show and before we knew it it was time for cake and pizza and the party was over. What a fun time. Ryan was so pooped after. But they do parties there and they have classes and open play too. A bit pricier than playtime village in Monroe $12 vs $8 or $9 but more options so we may have to make another visit for some free play.
Sunday and today Greg is playing in the New England something or other golf tourney over at Laurel View Country Club in Hamden so Ryan and I decided to tag along for the ride and continue on to Agawam for a surprise visit at Mimi and Papa's. They were so happy to see us for the day and Ryan got to go to the park and play in the pool. Then we both took a little afternoon nap and went to meet Greg. I am glad we decided to go to my parents b/c being cooped up inside just the two of us would not have been as much fun! Thanks Mimi and Papa for such a fun visit! It was great spending the day with you! It was so hot yesterday and I hear today is even worse. Not sure how Greg can play in this heat! He is really hard core!
Oh I almost forgot. Friday I enjoyed a girls night with a few moms over at Barcelona. We don't get out much you know. We enjoyed a evening of fun conversation great food and drinks too (well not for me) but the others sure had fun. Barcelona is such a fun atmosphere and it is a great place to go in a small group b/c you can order a bunch of tapas and share. The wine/drinks I hear are also fabulous. It is such a great group of moms. All our kiddos are roughly the same age and 2 moms have new babies and two of us are expecting or second.
Friday I also stopped off at a consignment store for a swing for the new baby (thanks for the tip Kerri! I wish I had had more time to check out the clothes though). I have twice been on Craigs list trying to get this very same swing but so hard to coordinate schedules with people and pick a time and place so I decided to call over and they had just what I needed for less too. I had been wanting a cradle swing for the new baby a newer model one that reclines and swings both back and forth and side to side. But I had refused to pay $130 for a new one. I am so pleased with the one we bought and you know who was also so excited to play in it too. I think he entertained himself in that infant swing for over an hour and he even refused to get out of the swing to eat his dinner so he ate in the swing too. I knew Ryan would want to try it out a few times and that is why I really wanted to buy a second hand one and not borrow from a friend b/c I worry Ryan will break it I think he may be over the weight limit I will have to check. But anyways I think Ryan approved of the swing and he was well aware that the swing was not for him we told him he could try it but that it was for the new baby and he hopped in saying "baby, baby" so we think he got the picture. He was just trying it out to make sure it was in working order for his little brother.
Tonight I have a work meeting to discuss potentially picking up more hours when I return from my maternity leave next spring. One of the Dr's will be retiring...So we will see how this goes over. I think I am ready to pick up maybe another day next spring but I know it will be difficult trying to get out of the door on time. The one thing I know for sure is I won't be returning full time anytime soon b/c Ryan starts preschool in Sept. on Tues and Thurs and I won't be able to work these two days b/c I need to be able to drop him off and pick him up. It is only for 2.5 hrs twice a week but I think it will be good for Ryan to interact with the other kids. I am mildly concerned about the germ factor though especially with a newborn but I will have to get over it!
Tomorrow we are supposed to be getting our new oven delivered HOORAY! I know it is way too hot to be baking but I really do miss having an oven!
Stay cool! I hear it is a hot one out there!
Me: now Mommy occasionally still mama but rarely
Greg: Dada
Grammy: Mimi
Grampy: Papa
Uncle Freddie: Eddie
Granddad: Dad Dad
Polina: Pia
Caroline: Ine
Dylan: Diyya or Dow Dow
His Bunny Blanket: Bubby
Ryan (himself): Ry-Ry
Milk: moo moo
Ryan has recently become more vocal in pronouncing his words and will usually try to repeat what we are saying most of the time. Past few weeks has started using compound phrases like "How are you?" "Mommy up" "Dada hat or Dada shoe" I read that they start with the compound phrases around age 2.
Weekend Re-cap
Saturday we had a fun play date with our neighbor Sophia Daddy pulled the kiddos around in the driveway in the wagon at lightning speed and they just had a ball in the kiddie pool. We put the slide to the climber right in front of the pool so when they go down the slide they go crashing into the pool. They just love this and it tires them out so much! Then after lunch and an afternoon nap we headed over to Elephant Steps in Norwark for a Birthday party. What a great place for this age. They have a padded gym area with soft climbers and slides and a great water room. Then the kids had a little bubble show and before we knew it it was time for cake and pizza and the party was over. What a fun time. Ryan was so pooped after. But they do parties there and they have classes and open play too. A bit pricier than playtime village in Monroe $12 vs $8 or $9 but more options so we may have to make another visit for some free play.
Sunday and today Greg is playing in the New England something or other golf tourney over at Laurel View Country Club in Hamden so Ryan and I decided to tag along for the ride and continue on to Agawam for a surprise visit at Mimi and Papa's. They were so happy to see us for the day and Ryan got to go to the park and play in the pool. Then we both took a little afternoon nap and went to meet Greg. I am glad we decided to go to my parents b/c being cooped up inside just the two of us would not have been as much fun! Thanks Mimi and Papa for such a fun visit! It was great spending the day with you! It was so hot yesterday and I hear today is even worse. Not sure how Greg can play in this heat! He is really hard core!
Oh I almost forgot. Friday I enjoyed a girls night with a few moms over at Barcelona. We don't get out much you know. We enjoyed a evening of fun conversation great food and drinks too (well not for me) but the others sure had fun. Barcelona is such a fun atmosphere and it is a great place to go in a small group b/c you can order a bunch of tapas and share. The wine/drinks I hear are also fabulous. It is such a great group of moms. All our kiddos are roughly the same age and 2 moms have new babies and two of us are expecting or second.
Friday I also stopped off at a consignment store for a swing for the new baby (thanks for the tip Kerri! I wish I had had more time to check out the clothes though). I have twice been on Craigs list trying to get this very same swing but so hard to coordinate schedules with people and pick a time and place so I decided to call over and they had just what I needed for less too. I had been wanting a cradle swing for the new baby a newer model one that reclines and swings both back and forth and side to side. But I had refused to pay $130 for a new one. I am so pleased with the one we bought and you know who was also so excited to play in it too. I think he entertained himself in that infant swing for over an hour and he even refused to get out of the swing to eat his dinner so he ate in the swing too. I knew Ryan would want to try it out a few times and that is why I really wanted to buy a second hand one and not borrow from a friend b/c I worry Ryan will break it I think he may be over the weight limit I will have to check. But anyways I think Ryan approved of the swing and he was well aware that the swing was not for him we told him he could try it but that it was for the new baby and he hopped in saying "baby, baby" so we think he got the picture. He was just trying it out to make sure it was in working order for his little brother.
Tonight I have a work meeting to discuss potentially picking up more hours when I return from my maternity leave next spring. One of the Dr's will be retiring...So we will see how this goes over. I think I am ready to pick up maybe another day next spring but I know it will be difficult trying to get out of the door on time. The one thing I know for sure is I won't be returning full time anytime soon b/c Ryan starts preschool in Sept. on Tues and Thurs and I won't be able to work these two days b/c I need to be able to drop him off and pick him up. It is only for 2.5 hrs twice a week but I think it will be good for Ryan to interact with the other kids. I am mildly concerned about the germ factor though especially with a newborn but I will have to get over it!
Tomorrow we are supposed to be getting our new oven delivered HOORAY! I know it is way too hot to be baking but I really do miss having an oven!
Stay cool! I hear it is a hot one out there!
Friday, July 18, 2008
It's a Boy!
So happy to let everyone know it's a boy! We are very excited! Had our ultrasound yesterday. Everything looks great and he appears to be very healthy. We had a slight scare they thought they saw a heart and stomach defect but the second ultrasound by the perinatologist at Yale showed normal organ development! Still very stressful. I will not truly be able to relax until he is born! But we are truly blessed to have our little Ryan who is healthy as can be and our new little baby boy on the way too! I just know that Ryan will really enjoy being a big brother!
In other news Granddad Jack is doing very well after his triple bypass surgery. He is expected to make a full recovery and may even be coming home today. So miraculous how far advances and technology in medicine have come. Again we are so happy to hear he is doing well! We love him very much and We hope his recovery goes smoothly! Thinking of you always!
In other news our oven died last week and I had an estimate to fix the darn thing and it was over $400 so we opted to buy a new oven even though our oven is only 5 years old. But it actually would have cost more to fix our current oven than to just buy a new one. So it should be coming next Tuesday. Not that we use our oven a whole lot in the heat of summer but I do miss it and I am looking forward to making Ryan some homemade mac and cheese and chicken fingers! We have been grilling alot and using the cook top!
Also last week my car died and I had Ryan in the car and groceries from Trader Joes and fresh fish from the fish market. I got back into the car leaving Swanson's and... hmmm funny my car would not start. Ok no big deal I will try again....still nothing. Then I start to panic slightly it was really hot out and I had Ryan and all these groceries in the car. So I reach for the instruction manual....not really helpful. I call Greg he is just leaving work thank goodness and is about 1/2 hour away. Okay that's not so bad but it was 85 degrees out with all this food in the car. So I just happened to glace across the street and to my surprise there was a service station there. So I figured why not just call...I have AAA but by the time they come Greg would be here. The guy over at the service station was so incredibly nice I explained my situation.....sounding desperate and he came running over with a jump start. Sure enough it was something so minor... my car battery. But he did advise me not to drive anywhere far or it may die again. I am thinking gee I have to go to work tomorrow.... So I just happened to ask if he had another battery to install for me and just my luck he sure did and he was happy to put it in. Gee how lucky and I. By this time Greg came and picked Ryan up along with the groceries and all was fine! I am so thankful I was in the right place at the right time! I mean the car could have died anywhere like New Haven or the Merrit. You can only image how horrible that would have been!
So after recent events from the past week we have a lot to be thankful for. Sometimes with the hustle and bustle of everyday life we tend to forget about what really matters in life. I wanted to actually start keeping an appreciation journal of all the things in life that I am grateful for and to look back at this journal when I am feeling down or stressed.
Today I am greatly appreciative for:
Ryan Alexander-the bringer of much joy to our lives, also extremely grateful that he is as healthy as a young boy can be!
That our new baby is developing normally and appears healthy
For having a supportive and loving husband who is always there for us!
Our constant loving companion Dylan
The heatlh of my parents and brother and all their love and support
The health of Greg's parents and siblings and all their love and support
And our extended family members too.
That we have a loving home to come home to everyday
That I have a child care provider that loves our son as much as we do
That I have the most wonderful job and I work with caring compassionate individuals
That I have such wonderful friends and family who support us in everything we do.
That Greg and I are in good health.
And the list can go on and I know I am forgetting some stuff. But just to keep in mind when the stresses of everyday life really seem to get to you try and look back upon what really matters in life and appreciate all the things you can be grateful for it just might make you forget about what upset you in the first place! I really want to become a more positive person and focus on the good rather that the bad things in life! That life is too short to dwell on negativity!
Quote from Greg yesterday
"Everyday that Ryan walks this earth is the happiest day of my life!"
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
In other news Granddad Jack is doing very well after his triple bypass surgery. He is expected to make a full recovery and may even be coming home today. So miraculous how far advances and technology in medicine have come. Again we are so happy to hear he is doing well! We love him very much and We hope his recovery goes smoothly! Thinking of you always!
In other news our oven died last week and I had an estimate to fix the darn thing and it was over $400 so we opted to buy a new oven even though our oven is only 5 years old. But it actually would have cost more to fix our current oven than to just buy a new one. So it should be coming next Tuesday. Not that we use our oven a whole lot in the heat of summer but I do miss it and I am looking forward to making Ryan some homemade mac and cheese and chicken fingers! We have been grilling alot and using the cook top!
Also last week my car died and I had Ryan in the car and groceries from Trader Joes and fresh fish from the fish market. I got back into the car leaving Swanson's and... hmmm funny my car would not start. Ok no big deal I will try again....still nothing. Then I start to panic slightly it was really hot out and I had Ryan and all these groceries in the car. So I reach for the instruction manual....not really helpful. I call Greg he is just leaving work thank goodness and is about 1/2 hour away. Okay that's not so bad but it was 85 degrees out with all this food in the car. So I just happened to glace across the street and to my surprise there was a service station there. So I figured why not just call...I have AAA but by the time they come Greg would be here. The guy over at the service station was so incredibly nice I explained my situation.....sounding desperate and he came running over with a jump start. Sure enough it was something so minor... my car battery. But he did advise me not to drive anywhere far or it may die again. I am thinking gee I have to go to work tomorrow.... So I just happened to ask if he had another battery to install for me and just my luck he sure did and he was happy to put it in. Gee how lucky and I. By this time Greg came and picked Ryan up along with the groceries and all was fine! I am so thankful I was in the right place at the right time! I mean the car could have died anywhere like New Haven or the Merrit. You can only image how horrible that would have been!
So after recent events from the past week we have a lot to be thankful for. Sometimes with the hustle and bustle of everyday life we tend to forget about what really matters in life. I wanted to actually start keeping an appreciation journal of all the things in life that I am grateful for and to look back at this journal when I am feeling down or stressed.
Today I am greatly appreciative for:
Ryan Alexander-the bringer of much joy to our lives, also extremely grateful that he is as healthy as a young boy can be!
That our new baby is developing normally and appears healthy
For having a supportive and loving husband who is always there for us!
Our constant loving companion Dylan
The heatlh of my parents and brother and all their love and support
The health of Greg's parents and siblings and all their love and support
And our extended family members too.
That we have a loving home to come home to everyday
That I have a child care provider that loves our son as much as we do
That I have the most wonderful job and I work with caring compassionate individuals
That I have such wonderful friends and family who support us in everything we do.
That Greg and I are in good health.
And the list can go on and I know I am forgetting some stuff. But just to keep in mind when the stresses of everyday life really seem to get to you try and look back upon what really matters in life and appreciate all the things you can be grateful for it just might make you forget about what upset you in the first place! I really want to become a more positive person and focus on the good rather that the bad things in life! That life is too short to dwell on negativity!
Quote from Greg yesterday
"Everyday that Ryan walks this earth is the happiest day of my life!"
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Please Say a Prayer for Granddad Jack!
So just a quick update....we are headed to Boston to see Granddad Jack today. Was experiencing some chest pain yesterday and Nancy had to call 911 (she probably saved his life) Turns out after a cardiac catheterization (procedure where they look for blockages in your main vessels of the heart) that he has 4 blockages includeing a main artery blockage. So he is on a ballon pump to hold his arteries open and will need emergent quadruple bypass surgery this weekend(open heart surgery or CABG). So we are packing up the car and headed to Boston. The good news is that Jack did not have a heart attack just the blockages (also known as CAD- coronary artery disease or atherosclerosis-fatty plaque build up) and looks like they prevented one with the cardiac cath! Please say a prayer for us! Will update more when we know more! Thanks for thinking of us!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Baby Girl or Baby Boy??
So I guess the big question these days is Baby Girl or Baby Boy? Ryan will now point to my belly and say "bebe" It is so cute he actually knows something is up. Take the poll and let me know what you think!! I am curious to know what others think...
When we ask him "Ryan are we having a baby boy or a baby girl?"
He replies "yeah" "Okay but do you think it is a boy or girl?" Responds still with "Yeah" So no help from him. Funny though random people and friends have voiced their opinion we will have to wait a little longer to see who is right.
At first I really did not want to know I wanted it to be a surprise but Greg really wants to find out and now I am pretty eager too. We will have to wait a few more days though until our level 2 ultrasound next week. Of course most importantly we hope to find out the baby is healthy and if cooperative we hope to find out the gender. It was funny with Ryan we found out right away before she even started he was showing us his rear end with his legs wide apart...there was no mistaking it he was clearly a boy! Hopefully this one won't be too shy to let us take a peak too.
Other baby news I am starting to feel a little movement. Tiny arms and legs moving about. A little sooner than with Ryan. This pregnancy is just totally different all around. Still with some occasional nausea and fatigue but my appetite is much better now Greg and I even got Reese's sundaes the other night after little Ryan was in bed b/c we did not want to share for fear he might eat them all.
Speaking of that what is the verdict on peanut butter? I forgot to ask the pedi in my numerous visits the past 2 weeks. I recall earlier that he had mentioned wait until age 2 for peanut butter/peanut products or age 5 if you have a family history of a peanut allergy. I know Ryan has had walnuts, almonds, cashews and other nuts. Has also had numerous baked goods with nuts and I know Polina gives him slices of almonds almost everyday. I packed a soy nut butter and jelly sandwich today which he seems to like so I think he will really enjoy peanut butter someday just wondering what everyone else was doing on the peanut butter thing? And also what about shellfish like shrimp? Is that age 2 or 5? I do have an allergy to soft shell crab but not any other shellfish. Funny I had this strange aversion to all fish in the first trimester and now I am craving fish and light tuna...weird. I haven't tried tuna yet with Ryan but he does like salmon and mild white fish cod, tilapia.
Looking forward to our visit with Grammie and Gradddad this weekend. Ryan can't wait to see you guys! Have a great weekend.
When we ask him "Ryan are we having a baby boy or a baby girl?"
He replies "yeah" "Okay but do you think it is a boy or girl?" Responds still with "Yeah" So no help from him. Funny though random people and friends have voiced their opinion we will have to wait a little longer to see who is right.
At first I really did not want to know I wanted it to be a surprise but Greg really wants to find out and now I am pretty eager too. We will have to wait a few more days though until our level 2 ultrasound next week. Of course most importantly we hope to find out the baby is healthy and if cooperative we hope to find out the gender. It was funny with Ryan we found out right away before she even started he was showing us his rear end with his legs wide apart...there was no mistaking it he was clearly a boy! Hopefully this one won't be too shy to let us take a peak too.
Other baby news I am starting to feel a little movement. Tiny arms and legs moving about. A little sooner than with Ryan. This pregnancy is just totally different all around. Still with some occasional nausea and fatigue but my appetite is much better now Greg and I even got Reese's sundaes the other night after little Ryan was in bed b/c we did not want to share for fear he might eat them all.
Speaking of that what is the verdict on peanut butter? I forgot to ask the pedi in my numerous visits the past 2 weeks. I recall earlier that he had mentioned wait until age 2 for peanut butter/peanut products or age 5 if you have a family history of a peanut allergy. I know Ryan has had walnuts, almonds, cashews and other nuts. Has also had numerous baked goods with nuts and I know Polina gives him slices of almonds almost everyday. I packed a soy nut butter and jelly sandwich today which he seems to like so I think he will really enjoy peanut butter someday just wondering what everyone else was doing on the peanut butter thing? And also what about shellfish like shrimp? Is that age 2 or 5? I do have an allergy to soft shell crab but not any other shellfish. Funny I had this strange aversion to all fish in the first trimester and now I am craving fish and light tuna...weird. I haven't tried tuna yet with Ryan but he does like salmon and mild white fish cod, tilapia.
Looking forward to our visit with Grammie and Gradddad this weekend. Ryan can't wait to see you guys! Have a great weekend.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Kiddie Concert on the Green
Today we went to our first PBJ kiddie concert on the Sherman Green. It is every Wed on the green. I thought oh I will get there early at noon and get a good spot...Ha all the good parking was already taken but I got lucky and found a sweet spot on the street. The place was packed! It was really fun but very hot. We met some of our friends there today. Two are sick so it was Ryan and Sophia today. They were both jamming and dancing away. Ryan's favorite spot was sitting in Sophia's stroller. My master plan worked we all know Ryan would rather snack then eat lunch while visiting with his friends. Since the concert was not until 12:30 I fed him lunch here first and packed my lunch and brought lots of snacks. He ate an entire half of grilled cheese and barely touched his cheddar bunny snack trap at the concert....while I sat and enjoyed my lunch. Oh and of course I forgot my camera but Ryan also got to meet cookie monster. It was so cute Ryan did not want to give cookie monster a hug but he did pet him nicely. Poor cookie monster must have been ready to pass out in that get up on a hot humid day like today.
Other news over the weekend Ryan had his first time out! He actually started for the road (terrifying) I said NO! we do not go near the road and he looked at me with a grin and took off. I chased after him and told him he was going in time out. I had to hold him on the deck stairs as he cried for an entire minute but I think he learned his lesson he did not go back towards the road again. Auntie Erin told us he was old enough for time out and it worked. I am thinking of getting the book 123 Magic for discipline guidance as we approach the terrible two's...I think we are there already.
Trip #3 to the pedi in just 10 days... hypocondriach mom maybe? Anyways Ryan had been itching and rubbing his eyes and his rash on his face hands arms and neck was getting worse too so I thought it was time for another visit not to mention yesterday morning he had rubbed his eye so vigorously the pink membrane under his lid has swelled into the white of his eye it was scary looking. His whole eye was red and swollen. Of course and hour later when we got to our app the eye looked totally fine....but he still had the rash. Call me crazy but better to be safe than sorry. So the diagnosis was bilateral allergic conjunctivitis or allergy eyes. And the rash... Mimi was right as always prickly heat...the treatment....allergy eye drops for the eyes and witch hazel and cornstarch baby powder for the rash. The rash is worse today from the heat but it is nice to know it is pretty benign.
Pregnancy update...17 weeks now and feeling so much better. My appetite has returned and I am so much less nauseous now a bit tired but I can deal with that! This pregnancy is finally starting to be pleasant and feel not like I can start and get some things ready for the new baby. We still have a lot of work to do and we need to clean our basement and make room for baby/toddler stuff. I am getting anxious to get the room ready for the baby and clean out one of my dressers for newborn clothes. Maybe we can get some stuff done when Granddad and Grammie come for a visit this weekend. Looking forward to seeing you guys.
Stay cool!
Other news over the weekend Ryan had his first time out! He actually started for the road (terrifying) I said NO! we do not go near the road and he looked at me with a grin and took off. I chased after him and told him he was going in time out. I had to hold him on the deck stairs as he cried for an entire minute but I think he learned his lesson he did not go back towards the road again. Auntie Erin told us he was old enough for time out and it worked. I am thinking of getting the book 123 Magic for discipline guidance as we approach the terrible two's...I think we are there already.
Trip #3 to the pedi in just 10 days... hypocondriach mom maybe? Anyways Ryan had been itching and rubbing his eyes and his rash on his face hands arms and neck was getting worse too so I thought it was time for another visit not to mention yesterday morning he had rubbed his eye so vigorously the pink membrane under his lid has swelled into the white of his eye it was scary looking. His whole eye was red and swollen. Of course and hour later when we got to our app the eye looked totally fine....but he still had the rash. Call me crazy but better to be safe than sorry. So the diagnosis was bilateral allergic conjunctivitis or allergy eyes. And the rash... Mimi was right as always prickly heat...the treatment....allergy eye drops for the eyes and witch hazel and cornstarch baby powder for the rash. The rash is worse today from the heat but it is nice to know it is pretty benign.
Pregnancy update...17 weeks now and feeling so much better. My appetite has returned and I am so much less nauseous now a bit tired but I can deal with that! This pregnancy is finally starting to be pleasant and feel not like I can start and get some things ready for the new baby. We still have a lot of work to do and we need to clean our basement and make room for baby/toddler stuff. I am getting anxious to get the room ready for the baby and clean out one of my dressers for newborn clothes. Maybe we can get some stuff done when Granddad and Grammie come for a visit this weekend. Looking forward to seeing you guys.
Stay cool!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Coxsacki False Alarm!......Phew!
So the neurotic mother that I am I convinced myself Ryan had contracted Coxsackie virus. A common but serious viral illness common in toddlers in the summer/early fall months. It is a horrible illness that has plagued nearly everyone we know recently. The presentation and signs and symptoms are different in each individual. But mainly loss of appetite, high fever, sore throat, vomiting/diarrhea, and sores on the hands, feet and in the mouth. It is highly contagious. Why did I convince myself Ryan had this horrible virus? Because I noticed a rash on his hands and face Monday night and worse Tuesday morning. I looked at some pictures of coxsackie virus on the internet courtesy of Dr. Sears and convinced myself those indeed were the lesions Ryan exhibited. I even consulted with Michelle and she said it sounded like he had it (although she admitted it was hard to diagnose over the phone)...oh and he had loss of appetite and diarrhea the day before for Polina also symptoms of the disease. So again being the neurotic overprotective mother that I am I cancelled our lovely play date with Sophia at the Longshore pool and scheduled another sick visit with the pedi.
If my child does not have coxsackie surely he will have it after playing/touching every single germ infested toy in the office waiting room. Dr. strong said he has seen sooooo many cases of coxsackie the past few days. I am thinking to myself...nice and Ryan touched every toy in the waiting room...oh well. But seriously the rash is not coxsackie thank goodness it is however an allergic reaction we are thinking he is allergic to Sabrina. But no worries he is fine. The rash on his face and arms is still present but not getting worse.
Glad to know we can head into the holiday weekend free of illness (we hope) and still keep our holiday plans. Hope everyone has a very safe and happy 4th of July!
If my child does not have coxsackie surely he will have it after playing/touching every single germ infested toy in the office waiting room. Dr. strong said he has seen sooooo many cases of coxsackie the past few days. I am thinking to myself...nice and Ryan touched every toy in the waiting room...oh well. But seriously the rash is not coxsackie thank goodness it is however an allergic reaction we are thinking he is allergic to Sabrina. But no worries he is fine. The rash on his face and arms is still present but not getting worse.
Glad to know we can head into the holiday weekend free of illness (we hope) and still keep our holiday plans. Hope everyone has a very safe and happy 4th of July!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Ryan's Phrase of the Day
Ryan's phrase of the day...."How are you?" Can't believe he actually said a three word phrase! He kept repeating it over and over again.
Weekend Re-cap
We had a wonderful weekend at Grammy Nancy's and Granddad Jack's for Nancy's surprise 60th birthday party. What a big hit! She was totally surprised! So glad we could be a part of the big surprise! Even with all the cars she had no idea there was a party going on as we pulled up to the house. She thought it was a neighbor's graduation party. Then she saw the ballon on the mailbox and the caterer's in the garage! That was the dead give away! The morning of the party the girls were in charge of getting Nancy out of the house so Erin had booked mani/pedi's for us at a local spa. Meanwhile Nancy thought this was just a part of her birthday weekend and it was... little did she know.... meanwhile the boys were busy getting the house ready for all the guests and the caterer with Ryan and the two dogs...well one got loose! My Dylan had a free run around the neighborhood luckily the Flynn's live on a quiet street but still off a main rd. I guess Ryan of all people was trying to "help" capture Dylan. Who would run faster away from Ryan out of fear than anyone else. Finally I guess Dylan followed Greg back into the house b/c he knew Greg was getting some chicken for him (his favorite treat) Phew! But the pary was so much fun and everyone had such a fantastic time. It was so great to see everyone and meet all of Nancy's friends. Jack made a fantastic slide show for Nancy that was really special. What a fantastic party!
Other events....as quoted by Auntie Erin "did you ever think you would be forcing your son to eat cake and frosting? and what about shoving sugary popsicles down his throat for breakfast?" Well that is exactly what happened this weekend. Yeah we were desperatly trying to get him to take his antibiotics for his bee sting infection. Well it just was not happening! We practically tried everything under the sun to get this child to take his medication...good thing the pharmacy gave me alot extra b/c there were numerous doses wasted (they must have known)! Here is just a small list of the things we tried mixing it with: oatmeal with bluberries, berry flavored yogurt, a popsicle, a swig of med followed by pirate booty, water, milk, a full container of applesauce, cake, a spoonful of frosting, waffles with extra maple syrup, and he was just not having it. I am confident in saying there is absolutley no way possible this child got the correct dose of medication for the 3 days it was prescribed. Thank goodness it was only twice a day and thank goodness it was only for 3 days....maybe this is a good sign my child will not like the taste of bubblegum (it was bubblegum flavored).
Sunday Grammy Nancy and Auntie Jen took Ryan to the park while the boys played golf and Auntie Erin, her mom and I enjoyed a leisurly lunch at PF Chang's and shopping at the Natick Mall. It was such a nice afternoon. Ryan really enjoyed playing at the park...Another quote of the day from Ryan as he got out of the car at the park "All Right!" and off he went running towards the slide. So cute I was telling Grammy usually when we get to the park he says "whooohoo" but this time it was "all right" so cute. It warms my heart to think of the little things that make Ryan so happy in life things like spending time with his granparents and Aunts and Uncles and things like going to the park, petting Sabrina (the Flynn family pet), snacking with Great Grammy Rose, entertaining people with his charm, getting a popsicle (not followed by medication). So cute the little things in life they appreciate so much.
It was great spending the weekend at the Flynn's. Glad the party was a big hit. It was so wonderful to catch up with the family. Thanks for a wonderful weekend everyone!
Other events....as quoted by Auntie Erin "did you ever think you would be forcing your son to eat cake and frosting? and what about shoving sugary popsicles down his throat for breakfast?" Well that is exactly what happened this weekend. Yeah we were desperatly trying to get him to take his antibiotics for his bee sting infection. Well it just was not happening! We practically tried everything under the sun to get this child to take his medication...good thing the pharmacy gave me alot extra b/c there were numerous doses wasted (they must have known)! Here is just a small list of the things we tried mixing it with: oatmeal with bluberries, berry flavored yogurt, a popsicle, a swig of med followed by pirate booty, water, milk, a full container of applesauce, cake, a spoonful of frosting, waffles with extra maple syrup, and he was just not having it. I am confident in saying there is absolutley no way possible this child got the correct dose of medication for the 3 days it was prescribed. Thank goodness it was only twice a day and thank goodness it was only for 3 days....maybe this is a good sign my child will not like the taste of bubblegum (it was bubblegum flavored).
Sunday Grammy Nancy and Auntie Jen took Ryan to the park while the boys played golf and Auntie Erin, her mom and I enjoyed a leisurly lunch at PF Chang's and shopping at the Natick Mall. It was such a nice afternoon. Ryan really enjoyed playing at the park...Another quote of the day from Ryan as he got out of the car at the park "All Right!" and off he went running towards the slide. So cute I was telling Grammy usually when we get to the park he says "whooohoo" but this time it was "all right" so cute. It warms my heart to think of the little things that make Ryan so happy in life things like spending time with his granparents and Aunts and Uncles and things like going to the park, petting Sabrina (the Flynn family pet), snacking with Great Grammy Rose, entertaining people with his charm, getting a popsicle (not followed by medication). So cute the little things in life they appreciate so much.
It was great spending the weekend at the Flynn's. Glad the party was a big hit. It was so wonderful to catch up with the family. Thanks for a wonderful weekend everyone!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Attack of the Bees Addendum!
I had to add this. Conversation with Ryan this morning at breakfast. Goes something like this...
I take a look at his hand and then I feel his arm and I said "oh shit thats really warm and swollen"
Ryan replies while eating his oatmeal and bluberries "shit, bee!"
Greg walks in "what did he just say?"
I reply "oops" Christina warned me about that.
Thought you all would get a kick out of that I taught our son a swear word and now he relates it to bees...Nice!
I take a look at his hand and then I feel his arm and I said "oh shit thats really warm and swollen"
Ryan replies while eating his oatmeal and bluberries "shit, bee!"
Greg walks in "what did he just say?"
I reply "oops" Christina warned me about that.
Thought you all would get a kick out of that I taught our son a swear word and now he relates it to bees...Nice!
Attack of the Bees!!!
Poor Ryan and Polina were attacked by a swarm of bees late Wed afternoon. I heard she was checking the mail of a neighbor who has been traveling. Her neighbors mail had been on hold but Polina periodically will check. Apparently a family of bees/wasps/hornets were living in the mailbox and when they opened the mailbox they all came swarming our attacking the two of them. Poor little Ryan got stung on his neck and his hand. Polina got stung on her hand.
Both ended up having to seek medical attention for their bites! Polina was in the ER late last night and given a steriod she is being treated for a possible allergic reaction. I noticed on Thursday morning Ryan's left middle finger was a bit red and slighlty swollen. I though nothing of it. He was not complaining and did not seemed bothered by me pressing on it. By dinner time it had swelled significatnly and I felt a little warmth (tell tale signs of infection include: Heat, Redness, Warmth, Purulent discharge) well he had 3/4 symptons present late last evening. I put a call in to the pedi and he assured me it was a normal reaction to a sting and I had double checked the dose of Benadryl with him. The pedi advised me to call in the Am if no improvement. He went to bed all was well.
This morning we noticed his his finger was still swollen slighly worse but now his entire hand was puffy and it appeared his arm was a bit puffy too. Still red with the warmth radiating up his arm. This to me was cause for alarm. So lucky for me Greg was working from home today and was able bring him to the pedi. I did not have to miss work. It is hard for me to miss b/c I only work the 2 days. I just got nervous b/c we are headed out of town tonight and I want to make sure all is well with Ryan. So Greg called me at work and as suspected he has a minor cellulitis or skin infection and is now taking antibiotics. Poor little man. Lucky for us to know he is likely not allergic to bees. I hope he is better soon.
It is so sad though b/c Ryan is now petrified of all bugs..."bees" as he calls all insects. There was a fly buzzing around the dining room at dinner last night and Ryan totally freaked....shouting "bee bee" and crying covering his face with his hands. Poor little man. I tried to assure him it was not a bee that is was a fly and he would not bite. But somehow I don't think he understood I had to move him into the kitchen so he could finish his dinner. Then I felt so bad he was so upset I ended up giving him a pop after dinner and that made him smile.
Poor little Ryan we hope he is on the mend soon. But to cheer him up we promised a visit to Grammy Nancy's and Granddad Jack's and that really made him smile! He has been saying "Dad Dad" all week! So cute. Looking forward to our visit! Have a great weekend!
Yesterday was Grammy Nancy's 60th Birthday. Happy Birthday from all of us!
Both ended up having to seek medical attention for their bites! Polina was in the ER late last night and given a steriod she is being treated for a possible allergic reaction. I noticed on Thursday morning Ryan's left middle finger was a bit red and slighlty swollen. I though nothing of it. He was not complaining and did not seemed bothered by me pressing on it. By dinner time it had swelled significatnly and I felt a little warmth (tell tale signs of infection include: Heat, Redness, Warmth, Purulent discharge) well he had 3/4 symptons present late last evening. I put a call in to the pedi and he assured me it was a normal reaction to a sting and I had double checked the dose of Benadryl with him. The pedi advised me to call in the Am if no improvement. He went to bed all was well.
This morning we noticed his his finger was still swollen slighly worse but now his entire hand was puffy and it appeared his arm was a bit puffy too. Still red with the warmth radiating up his arm. This to me was cause for alarm. So lucky for me Greg was working from home today and was able bring him to the pedi. I did not have to miss work. It is hard for me to miss b/c I only work the 2 days. I just got nervous b/c we are headed out of town tonight and I want to make sure all is well with Ryan. So Greg called me at work and as suspected he has a minor cellulitis or skin infection and is now taking antibiotics. Poor little man. Lucky for us to know he is likely not allergic to bees. I hope he is better soon.
It is so sad though b/c Ryan is now petrified of all bugs..."bees" as he calls all insects. There was a fly buzzing around the dining room at dinner last night and Ryan totally freaked....shouting "bee bee" and crying covering his face with his hands. Poor little man. I tried to assure him it was not a bee that is was a fly and he would not bite. But somehow I don't think he understood I had to move him into the kitchen so he could finish his dinner. Then I felt so bad he was so upset I ended up giving him a pop after dinner and that made him smile.
Poor little Ryan we hope he is on the mend soon. But to cheer him up we promised a visit to Grammy Nancy's and Granddad Jack's and that really made him smile! He has been saying "Dad Dad" all week! So cute. Looking forward to our visit! Have a great weekend!
Yesterday was Grammy Nancy's 60th Birthday. Happy Birthday from all of us!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Pictures from the weekend...
Ryan's new picnic table and chairs. Daddy still to assemble table that matches chairs.
Strawberry picking with Daddy
The big "Geeuck" that took us to the picking area!
Ryan Goes Strawberry Picking!
Greg and I took Ryan Strawberry picking yesterday. It was a lot of fun and the strawberries are at their peak for ripeness! Ryan's favorite part was riding to the field in the big Geeuck! (tractor truck to and from the picking area) He also really enjoyed eating the strawberries too. It was hard to try and hide the evidence that he had been eating the berries b/c he had red juice all over his hands face and clothes! He did some picking but mostly eating who can resist a fresh ripe juicy strawberry? It was defintely a fun activity although not sure how things would have gone over if Greg was not there to help. I did most of the picking while Greg sort of entertained/encouraged Ryan to pick some too. He actually got a little upset when it was time to leave b/c he really wanted to go back on the "geeuck" again!
Ryan has now started a very bad habit of running over to our neighbor's if we are outside while they are eating begging for food. Thankfully my neighbor thinks it is cute and she really enjoys feeding Ryan but I feel so bad. He sits right at their patio table and helps himself to whatever they are eating. The problem is that they eat earlier than us and Ryan is usually hungry for dinner when they are eating. We try to hold off on dinner until Greg comes home so we can all eat together as a family but I guess maybe I have to start feeding him earlier. Yesterday he took off and helped himself to dinner at their house a turkey hotdog, then polished off his own dinner of chicken sausage, peas, and applesauce. Geez it is a bit embarrasing and I am not sure what to do. He literally runs over there when he sees them eating and I think it is worse now b/c he knows he will get something. Sometimes he runs so fast I can barely catch up to him. Our little Ryan is becoming a food obsessed little boy. I mean it is not like we don't feed our child....what is up with this?
Ryan and I went tagsailing (is that a word?) this weekend in search of bargains on baby gear for baby #2. Not much luck and really a bad idea to bring Ryan b/c of course he wanted to play with all the toddler toys and of course we have planty of toys right now for him. I am looking for gently used pack and plays and a baby swing in good condition and maybe a changing table. I actually had to pull him away kicking and screaming at one tag sale b/c he wanted to stay and play on the ride on toys. The next 2 tagsales we stopped at I actully left the windows down and kept him in the car on the phone with Mimi and Papa (Grammy and Grampy) Next time I will plan to leave him home with Greg or find a sitter for tag sale outings. I am new to tagsailing. This was actually my first time. But I have quite a few freinds who have made out quite well with stuff on the cheap in good condition or even for free...are you supposed to haggle with these people and try to bargain them down? I did end up buying 2 board books for $1 and a Melissa and Doug wooden cube puzzle for $2 but I did not try to bargain...should I have? I know C3 has had good luck she found a cozy coupe for $5 and another friend found a wagon and a cozy coupe for free. Pretty cool!
I will post pictures from our stawberry picking adventure soon. Oh did I mention we went out to lunch after and Ryan and Greg both had stawberry stains all over their clothes.....gotta love oxy clean that stuff gets anything out!
Pregnancy update-
Feeling much better. Now 15 weeks had a great check up last week got to hear a strong heart beat right away. Still apprehensive about the delivery I still have 3 more months to decide but I am leaning towards another c/s with this one. I was a bit discouraged b/c I lost weight since my last prenatal check up but I am hopefull to start gaining soon now that the extreme nausea thankfully has passed and my appetite ahs improved. It was a bit concerning for me though b/c I am down 5 lbs at the same check with Ryan but I guess every pregnancy is different ,y Dr is not concerned. Still a bit tired but so glad to have the nausea hopefully past us for good. Dealing with a few other issues now but very minor. We have our level 1 u/s in a month yay and if the baby is cooperative will hopefully find out the sex! I would really rather be surprised but Greg really wants to know so I guess we will most likely find out. I am happy to say I am also taking part in a research study at yale looking at stress levels of pregnant women. Very interesting. Since I have recently conducted a diabetes research study here at work I am very open to helping others find our more through medical research. It is a totally non-invasive study looking more at behaivor and thought patterns as well as stress levels through out pregnancy. Interesting... I am hoping it will be worth the time spent. More updates to follow..... But finally things are really starting to look up!
Ryan has now started a very bad habit of running over to our neighbor's if we are outside while they are eating begging for food. Thankfully my neighbor thinks it is cute and she really enjoys feeding Ryan but I feel so bad. He sits right at their patio table and helps himself to whatever they are eating. The problem is that they eat earlier than us and Ryan is usually hungry for dinner when they are eating. We try to hold off on dinner until Greg comes home so we can all eat together as a family but I guess maybe I have to start feeding him earlier. Yesterday he took off and helped himself to dinner at their house a turkey hotdog, then polished off his own dinner of chicken sausage, peas, and applesauce. Geez it is a bit embarrasing and I am not sure what to do. He literally runs over there when he sees them eating and I think it is worse now b/c he knows he will get something. Sometimes he runs so fast I can barely catch up to him. Our little Ryan is becoming a food obsessed little boy. I mean it is not like we don't feed our child....what is up with this?
Ryan and I went tagsailing (is that a word?) this weekend in search of bargains on baby gear for baby #2. Not much luck and really a bad idea to bring Ryan b/c of course he wanted to play with all the toddler toys and of course we have planty of toys right now for him. I am looking for gently used pack and plays and a baby swing in good condition and maybe a changing table. I actually had to pull him away kicking and screaming at one tag sale b/c he wanted to stay and play on the ride on toys. The next 2 tagsales we stopped at I actully left the windows down and kept him in the car on the phone with Mimi and Papa (Grammy and Grampy) Next time I will plan to leave him home with Greg or find a sitter for tag sale outings. I am new to tagsailing. This was actually my first time. But I have quite a few freinds who have made out quite well with stuff on the cheap in good condition or even for free...are you supposed to haggle with these people and try to bargain them down? I did end up buying 2 board books for $1 and a Melissa and Doug wooden cube puzzle for $2 but I did not try to bargain...should I have? I know C3 has had good luck she found a cozy coupe for $5 and another friend found a wagon and a cozy coupe for free. Pretty cool!
I will post pictures from our stawberry picking adventure soon. Oh did I mention we went out to lunch after and Ryan and Greg both had stawberry stains all over their clothes.....gotta love oxy clean that stuff gets anything out!
Pregnancy update-
Feeling much better. Now 15 weeks had a great check up last week got to hear a strong heart beat right away. Still apprehensive about the delivery I still have 3 more months to decide but I am leaning towards another c/s with this one. I was a bit discouraged b/c I lost weight since my last prenatal check up but I am hopefull to start gaining soon now that the extreme nausea thankfully has passed and my appetite ahs improved. It was a bit concerning for me though b/c I am down 5 lbs at the same check with Ryan but I guess every pregnancy is different ,y Dr is not concerned. Still a bit tired but so glad to have the nausea hopefully past us for good. Dealing with a few other issues now but very minor. We have our level 1 u/s in a month yay and if the baby is cooperative will hopefully find out the sex! I would really rather be surprised but Greg really wants to know so I guess we will most likely find out. I am happy to say I am also taking part in a research study at yale looking at stress levels of pregnant women. Very interesting. Since I have recently conducted a diabetes research study here at work I am very open to helping others find our more through medical research. It is a totally non-invasive study looking more at behaivor and thought patterns as well as stress levels through out pregnancy. Interesting... I am hoping it will be worth the time spent. More updates to follow..... But finally things are really starting to look up!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Help Ryan only wants Mama!
This is new I would say it started only a few weeks ago and very gradually but now it suddenly hit me today and I was showering and a curious little voice kept calling out "Mama, mama, Mama" and then curious little fingers kept opening the shower door as water sprayed all over the bathroom....there was much whining each time I pulled the shower door shut. It just further adds to a busy morning in the Flynn house as we all scurry around like mice trying to get ready and get out the door. This frenzy of a morning routine is no one's fault but our own we try to sleep as long as possible and finally forcefully pull ourselves out of bed to get ready. But now Ryan only wants Mama to get him up out of bed, Mama to change his diaper and get him dressed (refused to take his PJ top off for Greg as I commented send him to Polina's in his PJs if he insists some things are just not worth fighting over) finally he agreed not pleasantly though. I think he even hit Greg a few times as he was picked up to get changed.
It is the same sort of thing with breakfast and even the other day as I dropped him off he only wanted me and I left Polina's as she held my screaming kicking child! We have also started a crying/whining routine of standing at the gate calling for me as Greg is trying to put him down for bed. I try not to go upstairs or go outside to water the flowers or something so he does not hear me. It makes it dificult on Greg. Not sure if it is just a phase but we are hoping he will outgrow it soon. It just makes it hard on everyone. Greg wants nothing more than to spend time with Ryan and usually lately all he wants is me.
I sum it up to this I am always home with him during the week. For the most part it is Ryan and I most of Saturday while Greg is playing golf so that really only leaves Sunday and lately Greg has been playing in a tournament both Sat and Sun for the past few weeks (now ended) and for the most part Greg is not around much in the mornings or evenings many times he leaves before Ryan is up and is home after he is in bed. Not sure if this is lack of time spent with Daddy or he just really wants mommy. I have started to encourage Greg to spend more time with Ryan if he is home like giving him a bath and putting him to bed and getting him up if he is home. Seems like a stuggle for them both now but I am hoping in the end it will improve the situation.
Ryan is starting to get a bit more demanding in some areas and I feel this is normal for his age. He now throws a fit when it is time to leave the park, and when it is time to come inside to wash up for dinner/bath/bedtime. We usually have to pull him away from our neighbors kicking and screaming. I find it msot challenging these days to get dinner on the table in a timely manner b/c Ryan is constantly demanding my attention and gets jealous if I am chopping or at the stove and sometimes will throw a fit. I also find when I am cooking or cleaning he looks for mischief to get into such as the dishwasher the tv buttons the dog food and such. Last night Greg came home for dinner and played with Ryan in the backyard while I got dinner ready and can I tell you how pleasant it was to prepare a meal with out Ryan pulling at my clothes or pushihng me away from the stove, or whining for attention. It was sooo pleasant. Not sure how to deal with this when Greg is working late. Any suggestions? I try to let him help but really there is only so much a 20 month old can do in the kitchen.
Hopefully this is just a phase he will out grow. Don't get me wrong for the most part Ryan is a very happy easy going child. I am touched that we have such a close relationship but at the same time I want him to enjoy spending time with his Daddy too. I will continue to encourage more time with Daddy when at all possible.
It is the same sort of thing with breakfast and even the other day as I dropped him off he only wanted me and I left Polina's as she held my screaming kicking child! We have also started a crying/whining routine of standing at the gate calling for me as Greg is trying to put him down for bed. I try not to go upstairs or go outside to water the flowers or something so he does not hear me. It makes it dificult on Greg. Not sure if it is just a phase but we are hoping he will outgrow it soon. It just makes it hard on everyone. Greg wants nothing more than to spend time with Ryan and usually lately all he wants is me.
I sum it up to this I am always home with him during the week. For the most part it is Ryan and I most of Saturday while Greg is playing golf so that really only leaves Sunday and lately Greg has been playing in a tournament both Sat and Sun for the past few weeks (now ended) and for the most part Greg is not around much in the mornings or evenings many times he leaves before Ryan is up and is home after he is in bed. Not sure if this is lack of time spent with Daddy or he just really wants mommy. I have started to encourage Greg to spend more time with Ryan if he is home like giving him a bath and putting him to bed and getting him up if he is home. Seems like a stuggle for them both now but I am hoping in the end it will improve the situation.
Ryan is starting to get a bit more demanding in some areas and I feel this is normal for his age. He now throws a fit when it is time to leave the park, and when it is time to come inside to wash up for dinner/bath/bedtime. We usually have to pull him away from our neighbors kicking and screaming. I find it msot challenging these days to get dinner on the table in a timely manner b/c Ryan is constantly demanding my attention and gets jealous if I am chopping or at the stove and sometimes will throw a fit. I also find when I am cooking or cleaning he looks for mischief to get into such as the dishwasher the tv buttons the dog food and such. Last night Greg came home for dinner and played with Ryan in the backyard while I got dinner ready and can I tell you how pleasant it was to prepare a meal with out Ryan pulling at my clothes or pushihng me away from the stove, or whining for attention. It was sooo pleasant. Not sure how to deal with this when Greg is working late. Any suggestions? I try to let him help but really there is only so much a 20 month old can do in the kitchen.
Hopefully this is just a phase he will out grow. Don't get me wrong for the most part Ryan is a very happy easy going child. I am touched that we have such a close relationship but at the same time I want him to enjoy spending time with his Daddy too. I will continue to encourage more time with Daddy when at all possible.
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