Friday, July 29, 2011

All About Ryder

There has been so much talk about Maisy on here lately, I’m going to make this post all about Ryder!

Ryder can be found these days laid back relaxing in his thinking chair…

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He has added some new TV shows finally to his list that previously only included Blue’s Clue’s.  Now he likes Diego, Jake & the Neverland Pirates, the Mickey Mouse Club, and Ni Hao Kai Lan (thanks Kim!).  This has made it really hard to figure out what he’s talking about half the time because he’s referring to these shows that all have their different lingo and made up words and even different languages.  But it’s hilarious to see his little imagination at work when he tells us that he’s about to put on a parade…or that Jake & Cubby are coming over to play…or that he’s “Mouskersizing!” 

Ryder is the sweetest little guy, always giving out hugs and kisses to Mommy, Daddy, and Baby Sis…but boy did this 2 year old find his emotional side.  He will have a little episode and then go right back to being sweet in the snap of a finger.  He goes from 0 to frustrated in about 2 seconds now which has resulted in lots of little pep talks and a few trips to timeout to think about why he got so frustrated.  This is not good news for Lefty because he just doesn’t have the patience right now to try things like he used to.  We’re hoping this is just a 2 yr old thing and not a personality trait developing.  We’re doing our best to stay on top of it though so that he knows that getting frustrated and upset are not the best way to react when something doesn’t work the way you want it to. 

His absolute favorite thing to do right now is rough house with Daddy.  He loves to tackle Daddy and wrestle on the floor, use Daddy as his jungle gym, and let Daddy flip him onto his bed.  (Erin you’d be amazed at how “unstable” he is during this playtime and he loves it!)  He has been doing great in Occupational Therapy and overcome something that he has always had a HUGE issue with!   Abby has been trying to get him on a swing for a while now and he finally gave in!  He won’t get on alone, but he will swing with her now :)

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And I thought this was neat, she smushed a bunch of beads into his therapy putty and he had to pick them out, using lefty to hold the putty down.

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This child has so much energy, I feel like he puts on one big show that starts when he wakes up and ends when he lays down in bed at night.  He runs a circle around the open space in our living/dining room singing songs, dancing, and shaking his little hands in front of him (which I think is his version of strumming a guitar), just being so silly. 

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It’s hard to even get a picture of him anymore because he’s constantly on the move.  He has become so independent since the baby was born.  Probably because I’m not able to do everything for him anymore but it has made me realize how fast he is growing up!  He can follow any of my instructions now, which has made him a great helper to Mommy, which makes him so proud!  He always says “Mommy I take good cares of you!” and he really does. 

His vocabulary continues to grow and his little mouth never stops moving.  You just never know what will come out of it next!  He finally added a word that we never thought we would hear from him, 3 simple letters, Y-E-S!  Yes, he is finally saying YES.  It has always either been “okay” or “ryder does” or “mmmhmm” But finally Daddy has taught the boy how to say yes.  It actually comes out “mmmhmm JES” but whatever, it’s a yes!

He makes us laugh and melts our hearts every single day.  He also tests our patience and gets in trouble on a daily basis now too!  But we are so lucky to have him as our son and I think Maisy is going to grow to love and appreciate him as much as we do.  She has no clue how lucky she is to have Ryder as her big brother, but she will one day! 

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

1 Month Dr. Appt

Maisy had her 1 month check-up today.  The Doctor said she looks great and is growing just like she should.  She weighed 10 pounds 1 ounce and was 22.5 inches long.  She has started to break out in little bumps all over her face and he said it’s just baby acne and could stick around for 2 months but it’s nothing to be concerned about.  I also told him about her fussy period in the evenings and he said it sounds like she has colic.  I thought maybe it was reflux like Ryder had, but he said since it’s only in the evenings and not all day long that it’s colic.  There’s not much you can do to make it better but he said most babies out grow it by 2 months of age.  She is content all day long but just has a hard time in the evenings, which isn’t always a bad thing since she gets a lot of energy out and then sleeps great through the night, only waking up to eat. 

So overall our girl is doing great!  We have to bring her back at 2 months for her first shots :(

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She always looks at me like I’m crazy or something!  This was the look I got the whole time we were waiting in the Doctors office.  Silly girl.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Hanging With the Marsh Men

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Think anyone will try to mess with her??  I don’t think so either!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

1 Month Old!!

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Maisy is one whole month old today!!  Here is what she is up to:

  • Nursing every 2.5-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night.  She surprised Mommy big time by going 6 hours between feedings the other night! 
  • She is sleeping in a bassinet next to my bed and has been a great sleeper for me, only waking up to eat.  I can hear her start moving around and making little noises with her mouth so I feed her then swaddle her back up and lay her back down and she goes back to sleep. 
  • During the day she has started to be awake a lot more.  She likes to walk around with me and be a part of whatever I’m doing.  She likes her swing too and swaps between the swing, the vibrating chair, and the playpen.
  • We are starting to see her try to smile, of course only for Daddy right now!
  • She has outgrown most of her Newborn clothes and is wearing size 0-3 Months now.  She is in Size 1 diapers.
  • She loves bath time, I’ve never seen a newborn baby not scream through their bath!  It makes her so relaxed, but then when it’s over she gets goosebumps and hates that part.
  • Her head is so strong, she is constantly lifting it off my chest or shoulder to look around.
  • I left her for the first time the other day when Mom came over so I could take Ryder to therapy.  Mom said she did great while I was gone.
  • She has a fussy period in the evening between her 5:00 & 8:00 feeding.  But even when she’s fussy, she’s still as cute as can be!

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Ryder is taking very good care of her.  He is always concerned about where she is at or what she’s doing.  And when he “visits” her, he can’t get close enough.  He keeps inching closer and closer as he talks or sings to her in his high pitch baby voice.  “What you doin’ Maisy??” or “Here comes Ryder Maisy!”  If he’s near her he has to be touching her, even in their carseats he is always leaned over rubbing her leg!

Of course this 1 Month photo shoot could not have been completed without the invasion of Big Brother!

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Love these beautiful babies!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

More Visitors!

Jess, Sydney & Kacy came by to visit with me and their newest baby cousin/niece.  And….they brought us Chicken Pot Pie & brownies, yumm!  This picture of my niece holding Maisy is so surreal to me.  I remember when SHE was the new baby girl that we all couldn’t wait to hold and love.  Now she’s way too grown up holding my baby girl.  Where does the time go?!

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Oh, this handsome little guy came to visit!  Aiden came with his Mommy Kim and my BFF Kristen to visit.  They brought a gourmet bag of McDonalds food.  Leave it to Kristen to say “you want me to bring you food?!  Okay make it a drive thru!”  Hahaha, sorry Kris, I need to remember these moments.

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Nick, Lindsay & Maddy also came to visit.  They brought us some delicious chicken noodle soup!  I’m seriously considering having another baby so that all our friends and family will keep showing up at our door with food!  (not really).  (seriously).

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Love this girl, she just makes me smile!

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I’m sure Maisy is loving all of the attention and spoiling she’s getting from our visitors.  And Ryder’s happy to have an audience for his big show he likes to put on!  Mommy & Daddy just feel blessed that so many people care enough about us to want to drive all the way out here and visit. 

Going on a Treasure Hunt

X Marks the Spot!  Let me give you a little background…Ryder has been all about reading maps and finding treasures lately.  This is thanks to his new favorite shows Jake & the Neverland Pirates, and Dora.  So we’ve been making little treasure hunts for him to go on where he has to read his map to find all the clues that lead him to his treasure.  Here is our special treasure hunt from yesterday:
 

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

God Knows

Just when I thought I had this whole “Mommy of Two” thing figured out and under control, a day like today comes along.  Eating every 3 hours turned into every 1.5 hours lastnight for Maisy, resulting in very little sleep for either of us.  Ryder wakes up crying, which is never a good thing.  All we needed to do was get fed, dressed, and out the door.  Simple enough, right?  Yesterday we had to leave to get Ryder to therapy (an hour each way), our first time out alone as Mommy with both kids and all was smooth sailing!  Today all we had to do was drive 2 minutes down the street, piece of cake…WRONG!  So wrong. 

Maisy didn’t know whether she was hungry, or tired, or both!  Ryder just plain didn’t know what he wanted.  He didn’t want to get dressed, he didn’t want his shoes on, his hair done, he DID however make it known through tears and screams that he wanted to go on a treasure hunt.  Treasure hunting was not in Mommy’s plans this morning, my only goals were to get fed, dressed, and out the door.  Since none of these things were happening, I got frustrated.  I just really wanted to join in the tears and cry with both of them.  Since I knew that wasn’t going to get me anywhere, I tried yelling…which led to more tears…not the result I was looking for.

We did eventually get out the door, I brought Ryder to Nana’s and me & Maisy headed to run the errands I needed to get done (not without more tears because she decided she didn’t like her carseat today!).

By the time I got home, it was 10am, and felt like it should have been 10pm.  I noticed a little gift sitting on the buffet by the front door and remembered that Cindy had sent it home with Alan lastnight for Me & Maisy.  It was from an elderly lady in the Church named Margie.  A bar of soap for Mommy, a baby photo album, and a card that read “Praise God for Children!” (far from what I had been doing this morning!).  But what really spoke to me and made me realize that God knows each and every time that I struggle was a page that had been ripped out of a devotional book and placed inside of her card to me. 

Nurture Your Children in the Lord

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

“Family relationships can frequently be frustrating, challenging, and even hurtful.  But, they can also bring us joy and blessing.  Paul had a special word for fathers (and mothers as well) in today’s verse.  If adults aren’t careful, they can place unreasonable expectations on children.  A child’s tender heart can be quickly wounded by harsh words.  Paul balanced his warning with encouragement to train children in God’s ways, disciplining them while loving them.  Parents are intentionally to cultivate their children’s interest and knowledge in spiritual truth, using biblical principles.  A spiritually and emotionally well-nurtured child is a joy to parents, as well as to God!”

Somehow Margie knew that I was going to need this encouragement.  Thank God for the elderly women of the Church who care enough about us young Mom’s to share their wisdom and truth with us.

Of course when I read that I realized how NOT nurturing I was to my children this morning.  Then I thanked God for his unconditional love and forgiveness and for being with me when I struggle.  I want to be patient, nurturing, loving, and kind to my children ALL the time…not just when I’ve had enough sleep and my morning cup of coffee!

Excuse me while I go snuggle my girl to sleep then set up the biggest baddest treasure hunt my boy has ever seen!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Cry Babies

My first experience of both children crying at once…caught on tape:

Kiss the boy.

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Comfort the girl.

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Pat the boy while keeping eye contact with the girl.

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Plug the girl.

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Rub the boy’s back…and…exhale!

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Talk about Marsh Madness!  And yes, Alan’s best choice in this situation was to take pictures.  I mean, without him we wouldn’t have the play-by-play to look back on.  Thanks for all your help babe!

Friday, July 15, 2011

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That’s how many pictures I have taken of Maisy since she was born…FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY TWO!  In three weeks!  I thought I’d pick a few and share them.  And this also works as proof that she does wake up and open her eyes!

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(This next one is for you Denise!)

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Note to self: Do not comb baby girl’s hair backwards when wet…because when it dries…there are no words:

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Even when she gets a camera break from Mommy, Big Brother is right there with his own camera picking up where Mommy left off!  This girl can’t catch a break from the flash.

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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Me + Maternity Leave

Me + Maternity Leave + Infomercials = Bad Combination!!

Seriously!  This happened to me when I was on maternity leave with Ryder too.  I wake up for those late night feedings, turn the TV on so I can have some light, and get sucked right in to every single infomercial!  They make me feel like I HAVE to have whatever they are selling.  By the end of my maternity leave with Ryder, I was the proud owner of the Turbo Snake Drain Cleaner, the Perfect Mop, P90X, Bare Minerals, Ab Circle Pro, Your Baby Can Read...I was out of control! 

And so it begins…

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I bought the Shark Navigator Vacuum!! (With no loss of suction AND a detachable canister!)

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I don’t know who was more excited, Me or Ryder!  Before I even told him what it was he said “Dis must be our new Shark Vacuum!”  I love this kid for getting excited about things with me!

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AND it came with a free steam mop!  SOLD!

I’m really going to try to make this my only purchase…TRY being the key word here.  I can’t make any promises because I might need the Bender Ball if I ever want my stomach to recover from having 2 kids! 

Alan says I’m corrupting her -

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No, we weren’t watching infomercials…we were watching the Real Housewives of New York. thankyouverymuch.

Newborn Pictures

Just got the CD in the mail of Maisy’s newborn pictures from the hospital:

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Gosh she looks so different to me already and it has only been 2 weeks!  My sweet girl.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Visitors

This week we’ve been showered with love from all the people who came to visit us! 

Wednesday it was Nicki, Jen, Nana Sherry, and Jaxon!  Sherry made Ryder his very own GREEN blanket and brought him some other goodies, and Jen made us a yummy taco dinner plus dessert.  We were spoiled for sure!  The future Mr & Mrs got their first picture taken together, and then Jaxon took a special picture in Ryder’s Harley bed…just for Daddy! 

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Thursday Patty & Luke came to visit and brought us lunch!  The boys played so good together and it was nice for us girls to get to chat.  Only 10 more weeks and Patty will be the new Mommy!

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Friday Jennifer, Justice and Jenna came to visit.  Ryder loved having the girls over to play, and boy did they play!  I’m so used to Ryder being the baby, I can’t believe that he can actually play now, it’s so cute to listen to their conversations and watch them all get to enjoy eachother.  Jennifer was so sweet to clean up for me when they were done playing!

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Saturday Aunt Megan came to visit and brought all of our favorite breakfast…”Chickalay!” (as Ryder would say).  Maisy propped up right on top of her cousin Connor who will be here in October! 

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Saturday evening CJ, Angela & Carter came to visit again, and Ryan came with them too.  The boys actually played great together this time!  They put their hard hats on and said they were going to work fixing stuff in Maisy’s room, then we found them hiding under her crib.

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Maisy was such a sleepy head through every single one of these visits!  I think Megan is the only one who got to see her with her eyes open.  She either thinks we’re all really boring, or really soothing!  Even though she wasn’t awake to enjoy any visits, Mommy did :)