21 Months!!

Wow Ryder, how in the world are you 21 Months old already??!!  Time flies by so fast, but with every month, I see huge changes in Ryder and his development.

Here’s what’s going on this month:

• We’ve had a huge break in the teething department, he has been set with his 8 teeth up front and 4 molars for a few months now, so I’m not surprised to see his gums swollen and his next teeth trying to push through.
• A big transition for Ryder this month has been sharing the attention with Baby Nick at Nana’s house every day.  I’m very proud of him though for always treating the baby so nice, giving him hugs and kisses, and only being mean on ONE occasion (I’m hoping that was the first and the last time!).  Hopefully this time with Baby Nick will help prepare him for what’s going to rock his only-child-world in about 6 months!
• He still has a great appetite, his favorite foods right now are popsicles, broccoli, spaghetti, fruit, and still with the (make Mommy want to puke these days!) vienna sausages!
• His words are getting bigger and his sentences are getting longer!  The other day at therapy he was playing with the fake food and he said “put da butter on da bread” and his therapist was like “HE JUST SAID A 6 WORD SENTENCE!!!”  He’s definitely a chatter box and there is no limit to the things that could possibly come out of his mouth now!
• He’s very much into having a routine, and will narrate the day for you, in case you forgot what should come next!  “Tummy needs milk!” “need a diaper change” “Goodnight Daddy, time for bed” “Mommy say prayers” and in the car he often shouts directions at me “Turn Left!!” “Keep going!” “We’re heeeeere!”
• He’s going through this horrible phase of putting a “dont wanna” in front of everything I say.  When its time to leave for Nana’s in the morning if I say “Time to put your coat on” he will say “dont wanna put my coat on!” and then when we get there, if I say “let mommy take your coat off” he’s sure to say “don’t wanna take my coat off!!!”  It’s a very confusing and frustrating phase for Mommy because I think he just says it to have something to say, rather than to really mean that he doesn’t want something.  Because sometimes he sticks to it, and other times he cries if you don’t do the thing he said he didnt want, which makes me think he did want it even though he’s steady saying dont wanna…confusing…see! 
• He knows all of his colors now!  The only two that he gets confused every now and then are blue & purple.  He’s got ABCD down for his alphabet and 1,2,3,4 down for numbers.
• He’s probably the only 1 yr old that knows the difference between his left hand and right hand!  But he knows exactly what we mean now when we tell him to do something with lefty.  It’s great to see that his brain sends an automatic signal to his left hand when we mention it!

I know this next month is going to fly by, but we are SO excited that Christmas is right around the corner!!  Ryder is at such a fun age and I think this 21 month old is going to have a blast this Christmas!  He got to open his first Christmas presents from Ree-Ree this weekend and he absolutely loved all of his Thomas the Train gear he got!

Stay tuned…there is lots more Christmas excitement to come and you know we’ll be sharing it all with YOU! :)

12 Weeks!!

Yay, I really feel like I’m getting somewhere now!  Here’s what’s going on this week:

Your Baby:

• Is about two-and-a-half inches long. So still in the lemon/lime range. Comparison reruns! Sorry about that.
• Already has pretty much every structure, organ and system needed for life by this point. Everything will continue to develop and mature, but your baby really is a perfect little miniature human being.
• Reproductive organs are distinctly male or female. A 3D ultrasound could possibly make a pretty good guess at the sex now.
• Can officially be Bugged By You. Reflexes have developed, so if you push on your uterus, your baby will squirm and move in response. You can’t feel it, but it sure is fun to imagine getting flipped off by your fetus.

You:

• Are you feeling better? I hope you’re feeling better. I keep thinking I’m feeling better and then I’m not. And then I am again! And then I smell whatever it is that you’re eating over there and BLEH.
• Have a big-a** uterus now — too big to remain all low in your pelvis. It’ll sort of grow and migrate upwards during the second trimester. Pros: you won’t have to pee so much. Cons: your baby will better be able to land many, many karate chops to your internal organs.
• Are probably in some maternity clothes now, especially if this isn’t your first pregnancy and/or haven’t lost weight due to morning sickness. The whole waist-butt-thigh region is spreading, and it’s best to just go with it and be comfortable.

The part about thinking I’m feeling better, then not, then I am, then I’m not has been so true this week.  I will have days where I feel like…wow, I’ve had energy, haven’t felt nauseous or exhausted, this is nice, then it gets interrupted with some random smell or sight that reminds me that the nausea is lingering…but gone for the most part!  I even managed to cook dinner, get caught up on laundry, AND take a shower, all in one evening this week!  That is HUGE these days!  Usually I have to space things out because I just barely have enough energy to tackle one task at a time. 

I went for my 3 hour glucose test today.  I have an appointment with the Dr. on Wednesday so I should know the results by then.  That test is miserable, I’m SOOO glad its over with! 

My self-portrait of me & Baby Marsh v2 at 12 weeks:

(Ignore the love notes on Ryder’s bathroom mirror!)

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!!

And we couldn’t be more excited over here!  Mommy & Daddy went shopping on Sunday and got almost all of our Christmas shopping done, so now we have a closet full of goodies and lots of wrapping to do!

Ryder made his very first gift at therapy the other day…a picture for Daddy!

 

We gave it to him as soon as we got home because…well Ryder can’t exactly keep a secret right now!  This is a very special gift because Lefty helped make it!  I love how it is not finished, which is totally Ryder’s style…it was fun for a little bit, and then…on to the next activity!

Ryder got a letter from Santa Claus delivered to Nana’s house last week!  When I went to pick him up, I got to read it.

We haven’t talked to Ryder much about Santa Claus, actually I don’t know that I’ve ever mentioned him at all yet.  So it was pretty funny the other day when someone asked Ryder “are you excited about Santa Claus coming???” and I totally expected him to have a blank stare in return, but instead he said “Santa Claus bring you TOYS!!!!”  Well, alright then.

I was pretty shocked to walk outside yesterday to this:

Our FIRST SNOW!!!  I’m telling you, it’s beginning to look, and feel, and smell, a LOT like Christmas!!

11 Weeks!

Getting closer and closer to the 2nd trimester, which makes me happier and happier!  Here is what Alpha Mom has to say about this week:

Your Baby:

• Is the size of a small lemon or large lime. With a twist! Yeah, we’re done with the bean and nut comparisons and have moved onto fruit. Next stop, small household appliances!
• Is officially a fetus, and is downright human-baby looking with non-webbed fingers and toes, although s/he needs a lot more cooking and fattening up.
• Is moving and kicking and dancing and even hiccuping, although you won’t be able to feel the acrobatics for a few more weeks (sometime between weeks 16 and 20).

You:

• Please, it’s just all more of the same. The pregnancy books are all yapping about how much better and less sick/exhausted/crabby we should be feeling by now, and I spent a very productive morning hurling several particularly annoying tomes at the wall.

I’m so happy to report that I’ve been feeling much less nauseous the past few days!  Hopefully that part is over with and I’ll start feeling better overall.  I’m still tired, but I also have a high-energy 20 month old, so I’d probably be tired regardless!

I had a Dr. appt today…and…I failed my diabetes test!  GREAT!  Now I have to suffer through the 3 hour glucose test, which I’m sure will end up with the same results.  I asked if I could just skip the 3 hour and have diabetes, but the Dr. felt there was still a chance I could pass, so he’s making me get it done.  All of my other bloodwork looked great though, so that’s a plus!  AND I got to hear the baby’s heartbeat today!  That’s always such a comforting feeling for a Mommy.  Makes you remember in that moment that every ache, pain, and failed diabetes test is absolutely worth the reward you get after a long 9 months!  I have another appointment in a week and a half to go over my 3 hour test results, so I’ll be sure to update with the final answer!

Here we are at 11 weeks (and Big Brother with all of his tattoos…thanks Aunt B!):

Tattoos, Brooms, and Tricks!

Ryder, in all of his Rockstar coolness, LOVES tattoos!  If you have a tattoo he will be sure to point it out and will never forget exactly where your tattoo is.  Lately he has been asking for tattoo’s of his own, so lastnight he had a seat in Uncle G’s tattoo parlor to get started on his sleeve!

 

 

Deep down, I think we all know that I’m hoping Ryder doesn’t turn 18 and run to the real tattoo parlor to get a sleeve!  But he’s 1, so it’s cool for now…I have 17 years to fret about that!

After his manly tattoo appointment, it was time to get some sweeping done!  He got the coolest new broom from ReRe, that he doesn’t actually call a broom, he calls it “ReRe got you dis!”

It was the first thing he wanted when he got home from Nana’s today.  His broom talks to him while he sweeps, which he thinks is the funniest thing.  And he was confused when he got to Nana’s today and found his regular broom but it didn’t talk.  He brought it over to me and said “mommy its broken!” 

Lately I’ve felt like Ryder is our little dog that we teach tricks to and then get him to perform out in public.  The things that he says and remembers are just so hilarious that it’s hard not to get him to repeat them, because we know other people will get a laugh out of it to.  So without further ado…Ryder’s latest “trick”:

Weekend Wrap-Up

We survived the Ocean City trip!  Sorry but I feel like that is a major accomplishment on our part (the 4 mommies who braved the trip!)  The kids were SO good and I can’t praise them enough for how well they did on this trip.  We all know how important it is to have kids on a schedule, so when you know that you are going to have a weekend filled with activities that that don’t leave room for the schedule, you never know what kind of outcome you will get!

We started with dinner Friday night and finally got on the road to OC around 8:00, making it there sometime after 11.  Alan bought Ryder some DVD players for the car and installed them right before we left.  We weren’t sure if he would be interested since he won’t watch tv at home…but WOW…he loved these things!!  Patty put an Elmo DVD on for him and Luke and they kept laughing and were so excited!  Ryder looks so wired in this picture like he can’t believe Elmo is alive in the car!

We were all exhausted once we got there, the Mommy’s that is, the kids got a second wind as soon as we opened the door to Patty’s parents beautiful house and they ran wild until about midnight when we all knew they needed to go to bed!

Saturday morning we were up bright and early, went and had breakfast, then started our outlet shopping.  Amazingly the kids let us shop from 9am until 4pm!!  They did so good, I still can’t get over it. 

There were times when Ryder needed a break from his stroller, so I was glad they had these little rides sitting around, he enjoyed sitting on them (as long as I didnt try to turn them on!)

 

I did manage to snap a few pictures while we shopped, Mikayla cracked me up when she rolled over to fall asleep!

And this was what we looked like most of the time, running through the parking lots, trying to get to the next store!  People thought it was hilarious to see 4 moms with 4 strollers going in and out of the stores like we were, they were calling us the Mommy Brigade!

After shopping, we went back to the house and ate dinner at home so the kids could have some down time…or wait, the Mommy’s had down time and the kids finally had a chance to run around and get some energy out.  They LOVED Patty’s house!  And you KNOW Ryder found the closet that held the broom, and the “dust mop”!  But wait, there was no vaccuum in there.  It didn’t take him long to find the closet that had the vaccuum in it, Patty said he must have sniffed it out because no one ever showed him where it was!  I don’t know why I didnt take any pictures of the kids at the house!  Later that evening, we bundled up and headed to the Winterfest of Lights. This was fun to bring the kids to, although I think they were more fascinated with the train ride than the actual lights.

 

Sunday morning, we packed up and headed home!  It was definitely exhausting trying to get 4 kids in and out of the house and the cars and the strollers and packed and unpacked, but it was an adventure and is always fun when we’re with our friends :)

When we got back to “Maralynn’s house” (that’s what Ryder calls it when I tell him we have to go to Maryland for something!) we headed straight to set up for Jamie’s baby shower!  I was really excited to get to help with this shower and have a day to celebrate baby Elijah and his Mommy.  Unfortunately I didn’t get my camera out one time, but the shower was beautiful and so was Jamie!  I’m sure she’ll have pictures on her blog soon.

OC Here We Come!

We are super excited for this weekend to be here because we’re taking a little mini vacation to Ocean City with some of our blogger friends!  We’re going to do some Christmas shopping at the outlets and take the kids to the light show while we’re there.  Looking forward to a fun Mommy & Kids getaway :)  Ryder is too:

I’ll have an update on our trip next week when we get back!