Friday, September 12, 2008

Allergy Update

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!

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!

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!

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!