Mission this Week.....Tire out the toddler!

2008-01-31 Ryan and friends 15 months

Okay so my mission this week was to tire out the toddler....and I think we were able to accomplish this! As mentioned earlier Ryan is a highly energetic 15 month old who gets EXTREMELY bored at home and when this occurs he seeks out the opportunity to get into serious mischief! What a disaster this can be at times so my mission this week was to get out and literally exhaust him so he would pass out so I could have a few precious hours to myself. Sometimes I wonder if going back to work full time would be easier and I think to myself...yes most definitely it would be easier but not as much fun. So here is a re-cap of what we have been up to for he past 3 days.

Tuesday we went to the Milford mall to meet up with Sarah and Caroline. I never imagined I would let my child climb all over the Milford mall play area and touch those germy cars and animals....but times have changed yes I can't believe it...me the total germaphobe can say this but I have learned that Ryan will be exposed to many many germs in his lifetime and hopefully he is old enough to handle it now. I still cringe a the thought of it though. Ryan and Caroline played and played and tired themselves out in that play area (mid week there were not that many there) and Sarah and I were able to enjoy a very peaceful lunch at Panera while the children just sat in their strollers (yes he actually sat very happily in the stroller eating a grilled cheese)glossy eyed ready to pass out. It was the most pleasant lunch outing we have had since Ryan was born. They barely made a peep and Sarah and I got to enjoy our lunch and share in adult conversation for what seemed like forever.

Wednesday we met Jen and Tyler at the Maritime Aquarium for some more fun! Ryan and Tyler just love the mini aquarium at the library so we thought they might enjoy the big aquarium too. Tyler was really into the fish...Ryan on the other hand was more into running around the open area and climbing the stairs. He did enjoy the fish too but mostly loved to roam. It was perfect mid week for him to run around. Lots of the exhibits have little steps up to the aquariums and Ryan just loved climbing these but after a quick peak at the fish he was off running. The best part is that we practically had the whole place to ourselves and there was really no where for Ryan to run out of my reach. Boy that sure tired him out! That was the most he has ever walked/run in his life! They also have a great play area for children under five with padded mats and things to climb on so we stopped by there at the end. And Ryan really enjoyed the sea otter and seals too! It was definitely worth the trip and we hope to get back soon with Greg.

Today we checked out Playtime in Monroe. It is basically this huge indoor play area. There are cozy coupe's, tricycles, tons of other ride ons, little houses with pretend play (themed with cars/trucks, food, dress up, baby dolls) and a huge tiny tykes climber and little slide. Ryan met his friends Caroline and Sophia there and they ran and played until they exhausted themselves! It seemed pretty clean and there were a ton of moms and babies there. They also have a smaller gated area for pre-walkers/crawlers so they won't get trampled by the bigger kids. We thought of getting a membership here but with Spring around the corner and our music class starting back up next week we will pass on it for now. What a huge difference it makes to get out with Ryan and let him run around!

My second mission is to look for used toddler toys. I hate paying full price for toys that Ryan is bored with in 2 weeks time or will out grow. I bought a little push buggy for him for his first birthday and I can barely stuff him in it now. We only used it for a month or so and now his feet are dragging and the seat belt is way too tight around his chubby middle I just feel like it was such a waste of money now. But I did find a cozy coupe on Craig's list for only $25 in excellent condition and I also found a tiny tykes climber for only $30 that we may be picking up this weekend. So we are trying really hard to stick to our plan for 2008 which is to save money for a bigger house and so far in the month of Jan we have managed to keep to the budget.

"Uh OH" is now Ryan's favorite word. He started saying it a few weeks ago and now is constantly saying it and in the right context too....very impressive he says it everytime he or I drop something it is adorable. He also says thank you when we give him something he wants. The newest thing he did today was say "Toot Toot" after I said "Beep Beep" Greg and I always say "beep beep, toot, toot" if we give him a ride on his ride on little car and this morning I said "beep beep" as we were getting in the car and he replied "toot toot". I know I just have to brag a little our little boy is just so smart. He also hugs his little friends and their moms when we see them and says "bye bye" while waving when we leave.

I contemplate about going back to work full time soon but can't decide...it has been exactly one year since I went back part time and I feel like it is the best time now to go back before we think about a second one....but to go back to work and leave all this......not sure I am ready just yet but then again will I ever be really to return to work full time??? Who knows....

Check out the photos above! Auntie E Ryan drags that bag of books everywhere adn will sit and read them often and Grammy N Ryan loves his rocking horse a ton!

Visit with the Flynns

2008-01-27 Ryan 15 months

Yesterday we had a visit with the Flynns. Ryan celebrated a late Christmas with his Aunts and Uncles. Auntie Erin and Uncle Brian had a minor flood at their house and Auntie Jen and Uncle Paddy were celebrating Christmas in Sweden this year. So we enjoyed a git exchange and family time with the Flynn's yesterday. It was so great to see everyone and thanks for making the trip to CT! We had a wonderful time and Ryan really enjoyed seeing everyone!

Ryan was mommy's little helper yesterday and helped me sweep and vacuum the house. He is obsessed with the broom and the vacuum and loves to help clean. I hope to keep this up and teach him to clean up after himself. Check out the pictures above to Ryan cleaning the floors. I even gave him a wet rag and he wiped his finger prints off the stove and I wiped down the counters. I realize I am a bit of a clean/neat freak....but we gotta start them off young these days.

Not much else going on we are planning a family outing this afternoon to check out the new whole foods. Looking for some new food options for Ryan. Hope everyone is doing well and miss you all.

Here's what he ate yesterday
oatmeal with sweet potatoes and banana mash
strawberries
milk

pastina with chicken carrots, celery, onion, sweet potato and squash
milk

snack
few cheese tortellini
grape tomatoes
apple
milk

squash and pasta for dinner
few grapes

Ryan on the (running) Move!

2008-01-24 Ryan 15 months

Today we had a play date at the Stepping Stones Children's Museum with Caroline and Sophia. Ryan just loves these girls so much and had to give them both great big hugs when he saw them. Ryan and Caroline carpooled with us and they held hands the entire time in the car...how sweet. So Ryan is totally on the (running) move now and I knew it would be a challenge at the museum today but I was determined not to use the monkey backpack (although at times I was so wishing I had it). For example as we were checking in at the museum and paying Ryan took off on me and literally started running wild throughout the museum squealing in delight and I had to abandon he cashier in search of Ryan....luckily he got distracted at one of the exhibits and I was able to capture him. Of course course sweet little Caroline stayed right next to her mom in line. Again same sort of story as we were checking our coats in the coat room he literally took off it took two adults to contain him as we hung up our coats. Luckily they have a toddler terrain area specifically geared towards children 3 and under so that was a lot of fun. They had a table with play dough...Ryan just had to take a little taste. He really enjoyed the slide and climbing up the steps. Really he just loved to run around the place! Some of the activities were a bit old for Ryan and his friends but we had a wonderful time! There was a water scape exhibit that we were going to try put but there were a lot of older children there and I was worried that Ryan would run away from me there. We checked out the rain forest exhibit but I think it was a bit too old for them but they enjoyed roaming around. It was a lot of fun but a bit pricey at $18 for the day for both of us. We passed on the seasons pass I think maybe next year when they can enjoy a bit more. We are planning on trying out Playtime Village next week.

Pretty much my life story these days is doing ANYTHING to get out of the house so I don't go nuts! Ryan is just at that stage where he is happiest on the (running) move and he gets bored in the house and I find he gets into more mischief when he is cooped up indoors. We have been frequenting the Fairfield Children's Library so Ryan can roam around and run. I seriously have issues keeping up with him and at 28lbs picking him up kicking and fighting me is quite the workout! So it has been my mission in life to seek out activities for us to partake in out side of the house! We have been to the park in the freezing cold twice this week. The upside of going to the park in the middle of January is that you have the entire park all to yourself.

Baby MUTANY at dinner time again tonight. Absolutely refused his dinner despite the fact that I broke down and offered him 2 different options. I think he had a very busy week, a lot of activity today, and too short of a nap and was just overly exhausted by the time dinner time rolled around. He fell asleepin my arms nursing and went to bed an hour earlier tonight! He even shed a few tears while in his highchair. That was it I broke down and ....gasp...ended up giving him some Oatios and Goldfish for dinner...I was desperate and it was the only thing that he would eat.....HELP anyone else have a rebellious toddler during mealtimes on their hands? On a positive note at least I did not end up wearing the chili he refused tonight.

Here's what he ate today
oatmeal 1/2 baby 1/2 adult with cinnamon, sweet potato, banana and raisins
1/2 slice raisin toast
entire pear
milk

lunch
spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower puree
plain yogurt
cereal bar
few goldfish
milk

snack
pirate booty

dinner
refused chili (which he gobbled up last night)
refused whole wheat eng muffin pizza (which he gobbled up yesterday) maybe he is just bored
ate a few bites of apple
goldfish/oatios
milk

packed a large bag of food for him tomorrow I know he will eat Polina out of house and home for sure! I already called her to give her a heads up. My mission is to again try to get lots of good stuff in throughout the day so if he refused dinner I will know he at least ate something....any other suggestions?

Also if anyone know any fun things to do with toddlers to burn off excess energy please let me know ASAP! Thanks.

Visit with Emily

2008-01-22 15 months

Emily (my college roommate) came up from D.C. for a visit to meet Ryan and celebrate my birthday. It was such a fantastic weekend and one of the best birthday celebrations ever! Thanks so much to Greg for watching Ryan so Emily and I could have some "girl fun" we went shopping, got mani/pedi's, went to dinner and then out for drinks with our other roommates from UMASS, saw 27 dresses, and even went to the Gym for a spin and kickboxing class (we could barely walk after) What a fun weekend! Emily thanks so much for visiting it was just like old times I miss you so much!

Other news Ryan and his Daddy cheered the Patriots on Sunday to their victory. There are even pictures of Ryan wearing his sweatshirt...Go PATRIOTS! Thanks cousin Jim for the sweatshirt!

Ryan has been a little better in the eating department but still some nights dinner is not his best meal. We have ventured into the Annabel Karmel Super Baby Foods cookbook and Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield. Emily and I made a bolognese sauce with hidden vegetables and surprisingly Ryan gobbled it right up but not before he threw the first bite at me....Yes and it was all over me the chair and the dining room floor. Lucky for me he only does this with me...go figure...would never dream of throwing food at his Daddy or Polina. To his surprise after he threw it (and yes it is sooo hard not to laugh but I bite my tongue I want to keep a stern face to let him know throwing food is incorrect!)He actually liked the taste. His new thing is that he says "HOT" to everything we put in his mouth regardless of if it is hot or not. Very cute....

Good news at the office. All my hard work is finally paying off...but not without a few mini meltdowns of course...but we have finally randomized all 7 patients...Yes the last participant was randomized today...HOORAY. Thank goodness! No one knows how much work these clinical research trials are! Whohoo we are finding a new promising treatment/possible prevention for Diabetes. And the results so far are astonishing. I can't give away all the juicy details but lets just say this everyday medication (likely sitting in your medicine cabinet at home) is really working very well to improve glycemic control in type 2 diabetics with slightly uncontrolled diabetes. We are almost half way through the trial....but wait there is more... phase 2...lucky for me! Seriously what a great learning expereince and to one day look back when the drug is approved and marketed and say....Geeze I helped make that happen... will all be worth it in the end! Wanted to share the news and this great accomplishement with all of you.

Here's what he ate today:
Breakfast

Apple
1/4 banana
kiwi
oatmeal
milk

Mid morning snack
Buckwheat ricotta bluberry pancake
milk
sliced peaches

Lunch
Bolognese sauce with orzo pasta(deceptively delicous recipe)
milk

snack
Earth's best apple cereal bar
milk

Dinner
water
broccoli/cauliflower/cheese chunky puree
(refuses unless slightly pureed)

Keep the toddler food ideas coming! I appreciate all the suggestions! Thanks

15 Month check

Just a quick update on Ryan's 15 month check.....He is 28 lbs exactly and 32 1/4 inches. He gained 2 lbs and 3/4 of a inch in 3 months still in 90th percentile for height and weight. Hooray! He is a totally healthy and very happy little boy. He took 3 shots todayy like a champ DTaP, HIB, and Hep A. Next checkonly one shot and then none until he is 4 HOORAY! I had mentioned how Ryan ahs started testing the waters with mealtime and he suggested not offerring goldfish or pirate booty or cookies as a snack only to be given after the meal to ensure he eats all his healthy fruits and veggies. He also suggested more meat. Hope everyone else is doing well. Please post a comment with any new and exciting healthy meal options for Ryan. Thanks alot!

Almost forgot what he ate today:
Breakfast
1/2 mug of baby oatmeal mixed with a few scoops of quaker oatmeal (trying to transisiton to regular oatmeal) with cinnamon and a few raisins and banana slices
milk
mango and pear pieces (refused kiwi which last week he loved!)
1/4 mug of frozen blueberries

missed AM snack had pedi app

Lunch
pastina, chicken, peas, carrots, squash mixed with chicken broth
more pear slices (refused kiwi again....I give up for today)
vege pirate booty (only after he finished per pedi)
milk

Snack
cheese stick
few grapes
milk

Dinner
few bites of a chicken and cheese whole wheat quesedilla earth balance spread (I think it was a bit too tough for him to chew)
attempted humus and whole wheat bread but refused again will try tomorrow at lunch
lentils with spinach, pastina and yes some chicken broth
2 arrowroot cookies (after the meal)
milk and water

Playing in the snow!

We headed North this past weekend for a quick visit to see the Strattons. It was an early birthday celebration for me. Greg and I enjoyed dinner and a movie and my mom made me a birthday dinner and had a cake on Sunday. While we were visiting Ryan got to spend some time playing outside in the snow wearing his new snow boots. We have not had much snow here in CT. But up in Agawam they still have a good amount and got even more yesterday. Ryan held his grandparents hands for the first few steps but once he was sure of himself he was off and running! My parents have a big huge backyard for him to run around and play in. He must have tired himself out because he napped and slept really well while we were there. I wish I had got a few pictures of him playing in the snow but I have misplaced my camera charger and I MUST find it soon! I am missing out on so much.

We also stopped by the Saroglou's to meet Tyler on Saturday. He is so adorable and he looks just like Bernie. He is doing really well and his parents and grandparents are just beaming with joy! Congratulations to Lori and Bernie! Tyler will soon be running around chasing after Ryan! Glad he has a new little friend to play with.

Hooray Greg will be coming home today from his trip to Texas. We are so happy and we missed him so much even though it was a short trip. He will be tired though he has had conference calls with his boss over in India at 3 AM and this morning at 6 AM. Geeze! Hopefully he will get to sleep on the plane home.

Today Ryan and I met our friends Jen and Tyler over at the children's library. When we first arrived it was just us and another mom and her daughter but after an hour the place was packed there must have been at least 15 babies and mom's there. They have a gated baby play area called the Farm with soft padding and blocks for the babies to climb on. The rest of the floor is a designated children's library and there is a castle to climb in and a train to play in and lots of other fun things for children to do. Ryan just LOVES to RUN around here and he squeals in delight running all over. I practically have to corner him and pin him down when it is time to leave. Chasing after a busy highly energetic toddler is completely and utterly EXHAUSTING! But I am loving every minute of it!

So tomorrow is my birthday and I am so sad that I only have 365 more days left in my twenties....it has been the best decade of my life so far. I am really sad to be getting older I have really enjoyed life as a twenty something and I don't want to get any older. If I had one wish I really would like to hold time in a bottle for at least another five years! Not sure what the plans are for tomorrow so far I just have plans for Ryan's 15 month check in the morning. I think we will spend a quiet evening at home. Gotta rest up for the weekend. Miss everyone and hope you are all doing well.

Oh I did find my charger so I will post some new pictures soon!

This is what Ryan ate today:
for breakfast
1/4 banana, few slices of mango, pear, apple
1 scrambled egg
1 1/2 slices of cinnamon raisin toast with earth balance spread (no trans fat)
handful of Oatios (organic cheerios)
milk

mid morning snack
milk
few goldfish crackers (we were out and about)

Lunch
large serving of chicken soup: roasted chicken, chicken broth, few TBSP of roasted carrot puree and squash puree
milk

mid afternoon snack
Plain whole milk yogurt
spinach puree
few bites of my bluberry yogurt (he insisted!)

Dinner
1/2 chicken apple sausage (from Trader Joes minimally processed all natural no preservatives)
few bites of squash (I know he ate it for lunch...thought I would try)
apple/apricot sauce (no sugar added)
milk, water

Rebellious Toddler??

I think we have a bit of a rebellious toddler on our hands with little Ryan. At least with Mommy anyways...funny though he appears to be a perfect angel a "delight" for Polina and for his grandparents. Yesterday we were guest at a play date and the little boy who is 2 1/2 kindly offered to share his toys with little Ryan (The menace...well Ryan insisted on throwing Bjorn's toy cars all over the living room and then decided it would be fun to rip apart the car track and throw the pieces of that as well. Poor Bjorn was so upset and did not understand why this little menace had taken over his home and all his toys. He was practically in tears and shouting at Ryan (in German) to stop throwing his toys around. Poor little Bjorn. Once again another victim to Ryan's path of destruction!

For example today he insisted on pulling all the clothes out of a cabinet I have in our room.....yes each article of clothing one by one until they were in a pile on the bedroom floor. He also threw all of his clothes that were neatly folded in a laundry basket...threw them on the floor too. Then pulled all the books off our bookcase, ripped the cord from the monitor out of the wall, threw Greg's alarm clock on the floor (all the while I was trying to get dressed and clean up the mess of clothes) Then we moved onto a path of destruction in the bathroom. As I was brushing my hair he pulled all the shampoo bottles down and managed to open one of them. I saw out of the corner of my eye he had something wet and was rubbing shampoo on his legs...uggg at least he was not dressed yet still in his jammies, thankfully but still a mess. Then on to his bedroom he ripped his alarm clock right out of the wall and threw the humidifier on the floor, climbed onto the ottoman and was standing in rocking in the chair rocking with an evil devilish smirk on his face all while I was tending to the mess in the bathroom and putting his clothes away. This all occurred before 8 AM. I was ready to pull my hair out! Some days he will play "nice" and other days like today he goes on a path of destruction! Our new battle is trying to keep Ryan from climbing on the couches and ottoman in the living room. He LOVES to do this and will kick and scream if we re direct him. This afternoon I picked him up off the couch b/c he was climbing and pulling after the table lamp (which was replaced he already broke one)He then started to kick his legs and then he threw himself on the floor kicking his legs and screaming! My oh my are we into tantrums already?

On another note Ryan has been testing the waters with meals as well. The little boy who used to inhale anything and everything I put on his tray has been taken over by a rebellious toddler who loves to bat the spoon away, spit food out, and throw food on the floor. Today was not too bad but once last week and once this week he went to bed without dinner. He absolutely refused the options I placed in front of him and frankly I was too tired to keep offering more options and cleaning up the mess on the floor. I figured if he is really hungry he will eat and if not he can wait until breakfast. I am not going to get in a game of making 5 different meals for him at one sitting just do not want to start that. Then he will learn to always get his way. He Today he ate 1 1/2 slices of whole grain cinnamon bread, a kiwi, some mango, banana, and a little scrambled eggs (usually eats 2 eggs maybe ate one today) for lunch he absolutely refused his yogurt and spinach/broccoli that he loves, instead ate some cheese, strawberries and blueberries a few Angie's cheddar bunnies. Then took a nap when he woke I knew he would be hungry b/c he did not really eat his lunch I offered an apple meatball (turkey meatball mixed with apple sauce and baked)an apple which he gobbled up, some leftover rice and peas which he refused. Just not a vegetable day today! Then for dinner he ate some homemade mac and cheese (whole wheat pasta, milk and cheese baked in the oven also freezes well) half a Dr. Prager's veggie burger but only after I drenched it in ketchup (who knew that toddlers like condiments as well) Like I said he usually is a great eater but not today. Funny though eats a ton for Polina and stuff he won't even touch for me, also eats better for my parents and for Greg than for me. Funny they must know they can test the waters more with mommy. My meal time game plan goes as follows...He most definitely always eats a super large breakfast sometimes two in fact, I try to get lots of veggies in at lunch, lately dinner is somewhat of a challenge so I know at least he was had 2 decent meals for the day if he refuses his dinner. I have read that children often become rebellious at this age and picky with food and that often times dinner is the least likely time to get them to eat. So I guess it helps just to know that this is a normal stage.

Finally the little menace is in bed and the house is quiet for the moment. I am only counting down the hours until he wakes in the AM. Thankfully our little helper is coming in the morning so I can run and do a few errands. I ask myself how do people do it with multiple toddlers at once? You all know how I LOVE Jon and Kate plus 8. Let's just say I do not know how she does it but then again that is why she is on TV. Does anyone else out there have a rebellious toddler on their hands? HELP!

Stomach bug Ughh

Sorry for the lack of updates! I had that awful dreaded stomach bug last week! Kerri good thing we did not stop by on New Years Eve! I got to ring in 2008 plastered to the bathroom floor but not because I drank too much! Thankfully "team Ryan" came to the rescue there was no way I could take care of him I could barely get off the couch to let poor Dylan out. Greg took Ryan to Polina's for the day and then my parents came down from Ma to take Ryan for a few days so I could recover (I think they were itching for an excuse to spend some extra time with Ryan) But seriously thanks so much mom and dad. Greg would have had to stay home with Ryan and risk being exposed to this nasty stomach virus. Thankfully no one else but me got sick but it is currently running rampant through the office at work. The secretary had it over the weekend, Dr. Menon, and now today his assistant....gasp I just hope I do not get it again! This bug is so contagious and I just know I caught it at work from the patients. Ugghh thank goodness we are over it I hope we don't get it for another 20 years (that was the last time I had it). So thankful Ryan did not get it.

Other news Ryan has become obsessed with the broom!.....Polina has a broom she keeps outside her door to sweep her backyard patio and this morning as soon as I opened the door to get him out of the car he practically ran to the back door to get the broom....and he would not let it go. He loves brooms, shovels, ice choppers...pretty much anything with a handle. Did I mention his favorite Christmas gift a little broom from Grammy Sharon that says Suzy homemaker on the side. Yes Ryan loves to clean. He loves to take paper towels and wipe his tray from his highchair and wipe the sink with his wash cloth. I hope this continues. His favorite word seems to still be "Oora" for hooray! I just love it. He has become so much more talkative in the past few days. It is so funny he loves to mimic whatever I say. He also says "aal da" for all done. He is really starting to have such a curious personality about him.

This morning while making my morning bowl of oatmeal he reached in the lazy susan and grabbed the container of raisins and sat on the floor amusing himself for like minutes eating the raisins out of the can. I though it was so cute! He was very careful not to shove too many in his mouth at once too....I briefly envisioned having to do the baby heimlich on him.....they must have to too sweet after a few handfuls because he lost interest and moved in on my bowl of oatmeal with bananas so we shared it together and then we were off to start the day. I find it slightly easier to get ready for work with him now. He usually finds random things to amuse himself...like the container of raisins, we also have a food bag to drop off to the local soup kitchen and he enjoys taking the food out and putting it back in the brown paper bag, he also discovered the magnets on the refrigerator...while I am brushing my teeth in the bathroom I give him his toothbrush and we brush together in unison, or he will play with the shampoo bottles in the shower...knocking them down and standing them on the shelve again.....the cause and effect really captures his attention and you can see his mind working and that brilliant smile at the success. Oh and he loves the light switch too! The list goes on.....

More updates later...off to bed for now...in the AM trip to Stamford for a play date with Bjorn and finally get to meet Arik (Victor-Greg's boss and Sylvie's new baby)

Congratulations to our friend Jenny who had her son Tyler last Friday Jan 4th (click on the link above for details). He is doing well born early at around 29 weeks. Thinking of you Jenny and congratulations hope Tyler continues to stay strong!

Happy New Year!

Wanted to wish everyone a very happy healthy 2008! We had a wonderful New Year's eve last night. Greg and I enjoyed a romantic dinner without Ryan but of course like always all we did was talk about him and how much we missed him and how we could not wait to pick him up :) But it is so nice to actually enjoy a meal without having to eat it cold and or inhale it! We definitely enjoyed the quit evening alone as a couple. We picked Ryan up and did not even attempt to keep him up to ring in the new year he was just too pooped. Greg and I did stay up but barely.

We started in on some of our resolutions today! We organized our kitchen cabinets and sadly I threw out a ton of expired dry goods I am embarrassed to say. But at least now the cabinets are nice and new and we know where everything is. Wanted to also thank my parents for the new Martha Stewart pots and pans! They are sparkling and we are going to throw our old ones away! I can't wait to cook with them. Thanks mom and Dad!

Next we hit the Trumbull mall for some returns and managed to limit our spending to only $10 dollars which included dinner out (to Ruby Tuesdays we had a gift card) Greg actually feels like we made money because he found an extra $20 in his coat pocket unexpectedly....don't ya just love that? But seriously this was a huge step for us we had absolutely no impulse buys at all! Although the temptations were there with all the after Christmas sales but we walked away without spending!

I do have to share this story. While walking around Lord and Taylor today....A middle aged couple shot me a dirty look and the husband muttered loud enough for me to hear" God I can't believe she is yanking that kid by a leash"! I felt so offended and I really really wanted to speak up and say something like.....'Um excuse me yes I have my child on a leash...would you rather I let him either a) sit and scream in his stroller kicking and throwing a fit b/c he wants to get out, b) let him run around the store aimlessly leaving a tornado in his path, OR c) let him run around the store so some stranger can kidnap him"....I mean geese he really made me feel very self conscience about having Ryan on the leash if that's what you want to call it. I mean what do you all think about the whole leash thing? It is not like I am going to use it until he is 5...it offers him some freedom to move around instead of being miserable strapped in the stroller the whole time and he LOVES to walk and run around and he was laughing and giggling the entire time! And he is still way to young to understand he has to stay with me and not touch everything. I actually bought the monkey backpack (leash..I hate to call it that) for the airport for next month when we go to Florida to tire him out so he would sleep on the plane. It is basically a little monkey backpack with a long tail on the end I can hold on to to keep him close to me if we are walking in a crowd I have only used it twice but now I am very hesitant to use ti again....I mean that man made me feel like a child abuser/very bad mother! Help!

Also wanted to let you all know that our friends Lori and Bernie welcomed their first baby Tyler Paul on December 30th at 6PM weighing on at 8lbs 1.0z and 21 inches long. The proud parents are doing very well they came home from the hospital today! Congratulations Lori and Bernie we are very excited for you and can't wait to meet little Tyler.

Hope everyone had a very Happy 2008!