Happy New Year! and the Big Boy Bed

We are home from our New Years Party at Erin and Tom's house. What? Your New Year hasn't started yet? Well we had our official New Years toast and mine has started. We had a fun time. They are a great couple for us. Lots of common interests and similarities. We played some games. I rediscovered that I don't really like Apples to Apples, but had fun while I was playing it anyway. We played some Catch Phrase, which is a new one on our favorites list. We just generally had a really good time. Jay and I were talking about starting a monthly game night...Erin? So Happy New Year to all(even if you didn't have the toddler version of New Years Eve).

This new year is off to an interesting start. Ryan is going to sleep in his big boy bed right now. We set it up almost a week ago and every nap and bedtime we ask if he wants to go to sleep in his crib or his big boy bed. Every time he has chosen the crib(though he likes to show off his big boy bed). I had come to expect this answer and was quite shocked when he wanted his big boy bed. Jay is being the good daddy and sitting in his room with him to make him feel comfortable in his new bed right now. I was in there for about an hour, but he doesn't go to sleep when I'm in the room for some reason. I can't wait to see how this works out.

Christmas Favorites

Favorite moment- Too many to count, I'll just say watching the boys open their gifts and play with their new things and being with my mom, dad and brother for Christmas (first time in 6 years)

Funniest moment- My dad and brother boxing one handed with a pair of Zach's new socker boppers

Favorite gift given- Four pack of Orioles tickets including Opening Day to my grandparents

Favorite gift received- My sister-in-law made a scrapbook for me called "Jen is a Mommy" and my parents are giving me a really nice glider rocking chair (couldn't limit that to one either)

Favorite food of the day- Uncle Bob's twice baked potatoes

Merry Christmas and to All a Good Night

I love Christmas. It's so wonderful to see family and share time, love and joy. We had a really great day today, but it was pretty non-stop. I was up until midnight last night getting things ready for this morning. Ryan chose last night of all nights to be up until 10:45! It was not an easy night. With the help of my mom, dad, brother and husband we managed to pull off a pretty good Christmas day. I was up this morning at 7 getting stuff ready for brunch before the kids got up. The kids got up and we had round one of presents. Then Jay's whole family came over and since my family is all here we had all of our closest relatives with us for a good part of the day. That was really nice. I made a really good breakfast casserole(slightly modified) that I found on All recipes and I will post on Naptime Gourmet. We had round 2 of gift opening. Then spent some time with the family. Ryan didn't go down for his nap especially easily, so I used to opportunity to lie down with him in our bed and get some rest myself. In the evening we headed out to my spend Christmas dinner with my dad's side of the family while my parents and brother went off to spend that time with my mom's side of the family...that was a little weird, but we spent the whole day with them, so it was okay. We just spent a whole day with my mom's side 2 weeks ago for Cookie Day- my parents and brother couldn't be in town then, so it kind of makes sense. There we had round 3 of presents. We got home about 10:30 and now we can relax and reflect on the day. It was a good day :-)

There shall be more on Christmas tomorrow.

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve. It's hard to believe. It doesn't quite seem real. It has come up on me so fast this year. I wonder if that is a little bit how Mary felt on the eve of her baby boy's birth. When I went to the hospital to have Ryan it was a little strange to know that we would be coming back with a whole new little person. I remember it not seeming quite real. Can you imagine not even knowing where you were going to spend the night all the while having contractions?! That couldn't have seemed real. I would have been Fah-REAKing out! Talk about a stressful birth. I'm thinking Mary's trust in the Lord really paid off at that point. I wish I had her complete faith and trust.

Rockin' Star

Ryan was rockin' out to his Leap pad this morning. He had the music page out and he was playing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." He was just dancing away. This has been going on quite a bit in the past few days. He has added some moves to his dance repertoire. He used to just bounce and move his arms up and down. Now he has some back and forth action goin'. It's really cute to watch.
Now that he can turn his Leap Pad on and press all the right buttons to get to the songs he plays them all the time. It can get quite annoying listening to the same song over and over... and over. And don't try to sneak and turn it off when he leaves the room, oh no, he will hear and come back to restart the dance party. At least when he is there dancing it's entertaining to watch.

Single Digits

I feel a little bit silly posting about the time I have left being pregnant again, but people the weeks left are in the single digits! Single digits! That means the longest I'll probably have to wait is now less than 10 weeks. I know some people go past their due date, but I'm not counting on that since Ryan was almost 2 weeks early. I'm getting really excited now. The baby closet is filling with pink, my tummy is reaching it's limits of hugeness, the day I get to meet my baby girl is getting closer!

and we still don't have a name!!!

Wow! 30 Weeks.

I'm 3/4 done with my pregnancy. My little ticker only has two more pictures until it reaches the end. I'm already starting to re-think my idea of having Sweet Pea hang on until March. Wouldn't Valentine's Day be a lovely day for a birthday? I can do indoor parties, right? Yes, if it means I can have this baby earlier! Amethyst is a very pretty birthstone too. I believe there was a very brief moment that I envied the February birthstone in middle school because it was so pretty and mine(diamonds) are so expensive. Violets and Irises are pretty birth flowers as well. I've almost convinced myself...anyone else have a great reason to be born in February?

Ryan Meets Santa

Ryan meet Santa for the very first time today. We heard the fire engine coming and everyone around these parts knows what that means at Christmas time. So we hurried Ryan into his coat and got his still ketchup covered face out to see Santa. He walked right up with the rest of the kids to get a candy cane out of the bag. Of course one of the fireman thought Ryan was too cute and wanted to get a picture with Santa. I wonder if people will see the ketchup covered boy in the local newspaper and wonder what kind of mother lets her child out of the house like that. I was happy Ryan didn't get scared or cry. He didn't smile mind you, but be did manage to wave and say, "Bye-bye, Santa" as he rode away on the fire engine. He always seems more willing to talk when other people can't hear him. Honestly I think he was more excited about the fire engine than Santa, but that's probably because we don't really play Santa up in our house. Now ask him about the Holy Family. He will show you baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph in any manger scene and that's what's really important about Christmas. I'm sure as he gets older Santa will have increasing stock, but as long as he stays grounded in the truth about Christmas I think that's okay.

Oooo- A Candy Cane



Bye Santa

The Peace of Solitude

I went shopping today while Jay's mom watched Ryan. Somehow even Christmas shopping seems easier than any shopping with a toddler. I have to say I truly appreciate the Mom-to-be parking at the mall! With my leg hurting and carrying my current load plus 5 bags it was nice to be parked near an entrance. I still think there should be parent-with-small-infant parking, but I guess you can't have everything.

I went out to buy extended family gifts and one or two gifts for Ryan to even him up with Zach, but I ended up getting the boys more stuff and spending way too much money. Blast Target and their toy section! At least I had a gift card for a good chunk of it.

I rather enjoyed shopping by myself. It was easy getting in and out of the car. I could hit multiple stores and stay out for hours. I stopped and got some Chic-fil-a for lunch(mmmmm) and I didn't even mind sitting at the table eating alone. I used to always want people around, but I guess being a mom means I always have people around, so I welcome the solitude. I've noticed that even when I'm home alone there is a certain peace that only comes when I'm alone and it's quiet.

Little Einsteins

Ryan has a new favorite show, Little Einsteins. It's a great little show. He gets to learn about music and is exposed to art. Since I know nothing more about music than I learned in elementary school chorus class(which wasn't much) I can't teach him these things. Jay has lots of musical knowledge, but he has limited time with the kids and he doesn't tend to spend it teaching music lessons. By watching Little Einsteins Ryan and I are both learning. It really presents the music in a fun way. The 4 kids on the show go on an adventure every week- they follow the sounds of different instruments, help things go faster (allegro) or slower (adagio) by clapping to the beat and lots of other fun stuff. Did you like the musical knowledge I threw in that last sentence? I learned that from the show :-) Maybe every other adult out there knows these things, but like I said- no music lessons here. I can't even read music, but maybe I'll learn along with Ryan :-)
So how do I know it's Ryan's new favorite? He has not been going down easily for naps since his sickness. In a last ditch effort (I had tried everything I knew to do) to get him to nap yesterday I promised him he could watch Little Einsteins AFTER his nap. He laughed and said, "Little Einsteims!" I left the room and he went to sleep. Today I started with that strategy at nap time. He reacted in the same way. He went down for his nap with out a peep. Another reason I can tell he loves it is that he asks to watch it again as soon as it's over. He will sometimes ask for another show when one finishes, but he has never asked to watch the same thing twice in a row. This has been a consistent request when we watch it, so it wasn't a fluke. He also sings the theme song. So cute!

My Little Monkey is Back

Ryan had been sick for about a week and a half. He was like a different child. This was a miserable time for all of us, especially when he got an ear infection at the end. He was up several times a night all week. Most nights he ended up in our bed because he would just scream and cry unless one of us was with him. During the day he was impossible. I would ask if he wants milk or apple juice. He would reply, "No. Orange juice!" Okay, I can deal with that. "Here is your orange juice." Throws himself on he floor in fits and cries. Won't take the orange juice or anything else. This is pretty typical of all his behavior last week. He started getting better Saturday. He was great at Cookie Day even though he didn't get a nap at all. Well, he did sort of. He has been better during the days, but he is still waking up several times a night. I'll take it for now. Hopefully he will be sleeping better again soon. For now at least he is pleasant during the day again. That helps me not be as worn all day long. A full night's sleep would be better, but Sweet Pea doesn't seem to think that's a good idea either.

Cookie Day Pictures

Ryan and Zach decorating


Ryan decorating


Pop and Ryan


"Bwow"

Hooray, Hooray! It's Cookie Day!

My mom's family has a tradition. Every year two weeks before Christmas the whole family gathers at Mom-mom and Pop's house and we make Christmas cookies. Some cut the sugar cookies and put them on trays to be delivered to the decorating table. There people paint(with food coloring), sprinkle and otherwise decorate the cookies. Then they are taken to the kitchen to be cooked. When it's all over everyone gets to take some home and some are left there for Christmas. This year was really fun. We planned on leaving at 2 so Ryan could get his nap, but we were all having so much fun that we stayed. We were there until after 7:30. That is one long day for a toddler, but Ryan was awesome(except for a few painful diaper changes, but you can't blame him for that). We even ended up playing this fun game I've never seen before with a big group of people. I really need to find out the name so we can get it.
Ryan liked having some other babies around even if they were both younger and not really mobile. He also liked the attention he got from every direction. He and my Uncle Tommy always have a great time together. They crack each other up coming up with new and entertaining games to amuse the rest of us. The game of the day today was Ryan putting his hand on Uncle Tommy's mouth, saying "Bwow"(blow) then Tommy taking a deep breath, puffing out his cheeks and blowing. Ryan also had some really nice moments with my Pop(short for Grandpop or Pop-pop). I saw him a couple time just sitting there in Pop's lap snuggled in listening to Pop explain one thing or another. Then telling Pop his thoughts on the matter.
Gosh, I could go on and on about today. So many things happened- cute, memorable, sweet. It was just and all around good day.

I'm Back

Well, I'm just old and fat;-)
3 hours and a $50 copay later I know that I indeed have varicose veins. No blood clot. They took me back right away to get a sonogram on my leg, but once they found out there was no clot it took a long time. Basically with the extra weight of the pregnancy and carrying Ryan everywhere is taking it's toll on my body. They gave me some stylish white support hose. Ugh. At least it's winter and I can wear pants over them, right!
So, basically I got a very expensive pair of medical hose. I wonder how much they cost in the store.

Hi ho, Hi ho. It's off to the ER I go.

I'll post the results next week when I get out of the ER. I really don't want to go, but the OB says I need to. It seems like a bit of an over-reaction to pain at the top of my calf and purpleness that looks like broken blood vessels. Why can't they just have the stuff they need right in the doctor's office to do lab work and the like?! Annoying I tell you! Wish me luck and a short wait.

Zach

Anyone notice Zach's counter today? He is 7 years old. It automatically updated to the next year's counter. Boy is it weird to see that 8 at the end of the line!

Snow Pictures

We played in the snow this morning before Zach went to school. Here are some of my favorite pictures.

hugs

playing

Zach

Ryan

I found a reason to LIKE Teletubbies!

They do this little dance thing and every once in a while they do "big hugs." When they do Ryan runs over to me, says, "Big hugs!" and gives me a great big long hug with lots of smiles and giggles:-)

It's Snowing

Well, it's barely a flurry now, but I'm already thinking of snow day activities for tomorrow. Looks like I won't get to go to my Bible study tomorrow :-(

I must be crazy

This morning Ryan was climbing out of his crib. He has never really tried this before. He often climbs in to get to his personal trampoline, but not out. Knowing he gets in by pulling and pushing himself up until he can get his head and upper body over the bar then crashes over, head first, into the mattress I decided letting him figure a way to climb out may not be wise. So I gave him step by step instructions on how to climb out of his crib. That's what my parenting magazines say to do, but I still feel a little bit crazy for teaching my child how to climb out of his crib.
Little did I know he would want to test his new found skills with the grocery cart(a little duh moment for me). So after insisting on the car cart (which sucks- btw) he decided to climb on it in every known fashion. He climbed in and out the doors, in the front window and/or into the riding basket every time I stopped the cart. Of course I saw most of his shenanigans and made sure he was safe. Then the boy scared me half to death. I was looking at some frozen foods and Ryan was sitting in the basket right in front of me. I decided what I wanted and opened the freezer for 5 seconds and as I backed out noticed the boy was STANDING BEHIND ME! I have no idea how he climbed down so fast and silently. I can only hope he used my safe climbing out of crib instructions. Oy, who thought shopping with a toddler could be harder than shopping with a baby?!

Girls' Day

Yesterday my mother in law came to watch Ryan for me so I could go out. Usually I just end up taking these opportunities to go grocery shopping by myself, but this week my wonderful husband went to the grocery store for me. I got to use this precious alone time to hang out with Erin. We still went shopping, but it was not for food. Before we went I was feeling a little weird about not getting our boys together to play too. Once there I was glad to have the time without worrying about the kids. We were out for like 4 hours. I think that is the longest time I've spent "out" since Ryan was born(not counting our one night getaway to Williamsburg for our anniversary). With Ryan's nap right smack in the middle of the day and Zach's bus right after that it's kind of hard to go to more than one store at a time. It was fun to chat while I was shopping too. It makes shopping way more fun. I don't even care that I didn't make a huge dent in my Christmas gift list. So thanks Mrs. D. and Erin for a wonderful afternoon!

Peek-a-Boo I *Really* See You

My dear Ryan is a very strong willed little boy. He is also very strong physically. Recently he had a couple diaper rashes which have made him a very unwilling participant in diaper changes. He actually managed to find this cross legged, head raised position that I can not defeat physically. I can get some parts, but not be sure he is all clean. So in a moment of divine inspiration I said, "Where's the stinky?" and BOOM his legs popped open and he giggled hysterically. Thank God my stubborn little strong man loves games! It has worked every time since, too.