Rhyan: 23 months old!

Theres a new post below about our trip to the library tha thas pics. This post doesnt have any pics. Disclaimer done.

I dont even know how to express the pure joy that Rhyan brings to my life. I am so grateful for her fun personality! She really is so sweet, very teachable and loving.

And i cannot believe that in just (less than) a month, our baby will be TWO years old! And at the same time, i'll be glad to move to 6 month updates :-)

I cant even think of all the things that have changed this month with Rhyan.

• Napping is still going well. She goes down around 1pm and sleeps until 3:30, give or take.

• Nighttime sleep is from around 7:30pm-7am. Some nights she stays up a little later (if we're out and about) and some she's in bed by 7:15. With the time change, I find it difficult to get her in bed on time. Its still so bright out (Thank you lord!)!!!
• Eating is still great. She has a good appetite most days. There are some days that she doesnt eat as well, but on those days, I dont worry. Over the course of 2-3 days, she gets plenty.
• Rhyan adds words DAILY. She will try saying ANYTHING! My very most favorite thing that she started saying this month is "Shelby" (one of her friends who stays at Tracy's). Its super cute and she was super proud of herself for saying it!
• No fits/2year tantrums yet. She does try whining to get her way if we tell her "no" about something, but we quickly tell her "no maam" that she can use her words and that while its ok to be upset, its not ok to be ugly about it. She seems to understand? For now... :-)
• Bottom molars are bugging her from time to time. Its causing some off and on fevers (i think thats what its from... no way to know for sure) and her gums are pretty swollen back there. On the upside, she's not drooling nearly as much and doesnt require a bib (odd, since they seem to be moving on in). No official appearance, yet, but they're coming.
• She told me once this month that she "go poopoo". She had not yet gone so i asked if she wanted to go in the potty. She said yes (she say's yes "see" like she's speaking spanish?! how odd! but funny.) so I took her in there. 1st problem is that I dont think she likes to poopie sitting down. I think this is an odd concept/feeling for her. So as the poopie came out, she stood up and it fell on the floor, to which she exclaimed "MAMA! UHOH!!! GUCK!". Yes, indeed it was guck. And we will not be trying the potty anytime soon again :-)
• Nightmares continue on occasion :-( I'll chat w/ the Dr about it at her 2 year checkup, although from all of my research, we're doing all we can.
  
• She vomited in her bed again once this month. This makes 4 times in 5 months. I'm looking forward to discussing this with the Dr as well and looking into the possibility of going back on reflux meds if needed.
  

She's getting a little bossy :-) If she wants Jeff or I to do something (like take her "outside"), she'll pull us by the hand or push our legs and say "GO!GO!GO!". And if we dont go she says "nooooooowwwwww". haha. Pretty sure she got the "now" from me telling her to either clean up or come to me or put that in the trash or whatever command i give followed with a "now". :-) Kids pick up on stuff FAST!

Soaking up this last month before she turns Two! And having a blast planning her party!

PS- NEW POST BELOW!

Ahhhhh... welcome back, computer!

So, as i mentioned a week or so ago, our computer has been on the fritz. Jeff was trying to get AT&T to help him figure out if it was a computer problem or an internet problem (the internet kept shutting down) but he mentioned the word "virus" while he was on the phone w/ them and they refused to help anymore. Really?! Thanks for the great customer service.

BUT, I ended up downloading all of the "updates" available for our computer and guess what?! That seemed to fix the issue. Praise the Lord! So now, I can get back to updating!

I'll start with what has been going on most recently: Rhyan's 18 month checkup.

Her stats were as follows:
Height: 33.5 inches (92%)
Weight: 26lbs 9.1oz (79%)
Head Circumference: 18.5 inches (62%)

Dr Messick (the best pediatrician EVER) said she looks great. He said that her tummy looked like a toddler tummy should (aka: huge) and that he felt certain she wasnt being deprived of food. lol. On a side note, while I fix her breakfast, lunch or dinner, she whines incessantly as if she will absolutely STARVE if she doesnt eat immediately. Somehow, she survives till its done.

As far as milestones to report, there arent many. She continues to eat well, sleep well and learn. She is enjoying playing with playdough recently and is learning new words all the time. She shakes her head "yes" and "no" to answer and seems to understand truly everything we tell her. She has added several words but my favorites are "Ashes, Ashes" (as in ring around the rosies...), "pud" (for spud) and "off" when she wants her socks off or wants to turn a light off, etc.
She is very playful, especially during times of getting dressed. She basically wants you to chase her down, catch her and then try to dress her while she wiggles and giggles the whole time. Fun if you have the time, not so funny when you're rushed. She doesnt seem to grasp the concept of "we're running late" yet, so its a little difficult for her to understand why I sometimes play along and other times tell her she has to sit still. :-(

She still absolutely loves to read/be read to. She is also becoming quite fond of her stuffed monkey that angela gave her. We started putting it in her bed for her to sleep with (more for it to be there when she woke up to play with) around 14 months old, i think. I cant remember. But she now rubs it against her face, wants to give it hugs and kisses before getting out of bed in the a.m. and if we take it out of the bed to change sheets, she wants to put him back quickly.
Just this past week, she started pointing to her eye ("I"), then crossing her arms ("love") and pointing to me or Jeff ("you!"). My mom taught her that. Its precious!

She still loves water and really likes to take showers with me. She does seem to be pointing out our "differences" more and more lately, so idk how much longer that will be appropriate. I thought she was young to notice stuff like that?

She is also loving playing outside now that its cooler. Rhyan is super hot natured and it was hard in the summer to let her play outside too long, especially with the HOT summer we've had. Her little face would get beet red and she'd sweat like a man. So this cooler weather has been a nice reprieve for her! (although i freeze when i take her out!)

Lastly, we've noticed that she's doing something that Mommie said i was obsessed with as a child: checking her toes for "toe jam" (as we all it around here). She wants to inspect her toes at least a couple of times a day, or every time we take her socks off (which she asks us to do so she can check!). It's pretty hilarous.

In regards to babywise, i've kind of fallen off the wagon. When Rhyan became discontent in her playpen for independent playtime (around 13 months old), I never moved to room time. This is a huge regret of mine. I am anticipating going back and working on this in the next few weeks. I've noticed her becoming more and more whiney and clingy and i KNOW this has something to do with it. It may not be the entire reason, but its part of it. Especially now that outside time is becoming limited due to cold weather, its so crucial that she learn to be content playing inside and using her imagination.

Well, thats about it! I'll work on getting pics up and getting back onto updating this thing! As a side note, I FINALLY got finished w/ my 2009 blog book (i turned my blog into a book!) and its fantastic. It really makes me want to make sure to not forget to keep this updated!

Looking forward to all of the holidays coming.... and BOY are they coming FAST!

Rhyan: 17 months

Alert the presses: Rhyan is 17 months old! Its weird, because clearly I am not aging... funny how she keeps getting older while i stay young :-)
I feel like my monthly updates are Random, so i'll try to be more concise? For whoever cares...

TEETHING: Rhyan's two top canines came on in this past month. She drools like a faucet and is on occasion more cranky than normal, but i guess that's to be expected. All in all, she teethes quite well.

NAPPING: Rhyan continues to adjust to her one nap a day schedule. She typically eats lunch around 12, although if she shows a good bit of tiredness prior to then, we'll go ahead and feed her a little early. She goes down for her nap right after lunch, typically around 12:15-12:30 and sleeps anywhere from 3pm-4pm, depending on how tired she is, i guess :-) Regardless of when she wakes up, we dont get her up until 3:30 to allow her some "rest time" after waking.

EATING: Rhyan eats like a lumberjack. Seriously! But this month, with teething, she has not eaten quite as well. She also got an ear infection at the end of the month which affected her eating. She will eat most anything. She, this month, would not eat chili or spaghetti. On a typical day, she might eat:

• Breakfast: 3/4 of a grands biscuit, a piece of link sausage, an egg and some fruit
• Lunch: a whole PB&J, yogurt and a fruit
• Snack: raisins and cherio's
• Dinner: 1/2 chicken breast, 2 veggies, a fruit and a bread

MILESTONES: Rhyan can now correctly place 6 of her 9 shapes in the shape sorter (w/o help)
She is using a fork and can on occasion actually poke something with it. She tries to use a spoon but only does well with this if it is a sticky food (oatmeal) and if you load it for her. She signs "please" when she wants something, without being prompted (i do still prompt her sometimes if she's not asking w/ a "please", but my point is she uses it correctly most times on her own). She also correctly asks to be "done", "down", "up", and "nigh-nigh". She can point to and say "bird" and thinks every animal is a cow and says "mmmmmm". She "nay"'s at the horses in her books and snorts at pig pics. She can correctly point to in a book a: balloon, ball, hat, horse, pig, cow, kitty cat, sun, green cucumber, red tomato, bear, a kids toes, eyes, hair, etc... The list goes on and on. The child is obsessed with books and brings them to us any chance she gets for us to read to her. She will NOT let me put her to bed w/o reading "goodnight moon" first :-) She can now point to her own ears in addition to her toes, eyes, hair, teeth, tongue, nose, eye.
Rhyan now fake burps, fake coughs, fake yawns and tries to fake sneezing. She finds herself to be quite funny. She has figured out how to stomp her foot and walk on her tippy toes.

FOLLOWING DIRECTION: Rhyan "helps" clean up more and more each week. Just today i asked her to help clean up and she pushed her "walker" back to its correct spot and her vacuum as well. She does not always, but usually comes to me when i ask, as long as i get her to look me in the eye first. Typically, she is very obedient.

OTHER: Rhyan loves to shower with mommy, play outside (She's venturing out on the grass, now!!!), dance, tries to sing along with her toys and LOVES being chased!
What a doll.

Rhyan: 16 months

I tell my patients daily, "I absolutely love being a mom". I think its because Rhyan makes it easy! She has the sweetest personality and is so. much. fun. Although, we are starting to see her frustrated side as she now at times attempts things she cant do (like fit into the bookcase... she wants to sit in it) and gets mad and yells. Its kind of funny for now, but i can totally see the tantrums coming. So we're enjoying every tantrum free moment until then :-)

At 16 months some of the fun things rhyan is doing:

• rubs her belly in a circular motion if you ask her if her food is "yummy to her tummy"
• blows kisses and waves when she's ready to leave or go night night. even if its not time.
• pinches her nose and says (in a very low tone) "bum bum"
• continues to point to her belly button, toes, foot and hair
• now also shows her teeth, tongue and again, points to her nose. we're almost there w/ eyes
• puts her hands together to "pray" at each meal (doesnt close her eyes, though)
• is still a dancing maniac and has dance parties w/ Daddy regularly
• can sit on a riding toy and finally go forwards as well as backwards
• has the two top canines coming in. no official appearance, yet.
• still loves the water
• is down to ONE NAP a day! It starts just after lunch (12:15ish) and lasts till 3ish. Sometimes she wakes up around 2:30 but stays in bed till 3, at least.
• signs "more" and "all done"
• still gasps at everything exciting or new
• can turn on the dishwasher and the gas stove (and has gotten popped for this, alot!)
• sticks her finger up her nose now that she's found it. we try to ignore it. :-(
• loves to get a book and have us read to her
• tries to do the motions to "itsy bitsy spider"
• shakes her finger when i sing the 5 little monkey's song ("no more monkey's jumping..."
• still does "bad face". idk if we will ever get tired of that!
• still eats alot. lately, she's loving fried okra. and black eyed peas. pretty much any bean/pea she will eat. and the girl can eat her weight in fruit of any kind. apples, oranges, pears, watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, bananas, etc... she is also liking chicken more.
• likes to fake cough or fake yawn
• thinks us faking falling down is hilarious, and likes to do it herself (on a pillow... its so cute)
• thinks spud is the greatest thing ever and tries to hand feed him his food. if he doesnt eat it, she will. *sigh* i dug 6 pieces out of her mouth last week. at one time!
• still sucks her fingers when very tired or upset and still wants to cover it w/ a bib or shirt.
• says "baaa" (ball), "up", "bubbnnnn" (button... for her belly button), "boo boo", "daddy", "puh" (spud), "ahh duh" (all done) and possibly a couple of others we cant understand.
• loves her shape box and can correctly get the circle and occasionally the square but mostly she gets frustrated w/ it and throws the shapes. but returns to it moments later.
• tries to put on her shoes, my shoes, any shoes!
• gags herself w/ her fingers from time to time? the dr says its a teething thing...
• occasionally makes a high pitched noise when we ask her what a kitty cat says
  
• is not really a momma's or daddy's girl, but definitely wants me for comforting. she loves us both, and we both adore her.

So, as you can tell, our days are full of "free" entertainment via Rhyan! We love every minute!

Following is her approximate schedule at 16 months with one nap a day:
7:15ish- get her up, get dressed, brush teeth
7:30-8 free play time
8am- breakfast (still something and fruit. eggs/toast/fruit or oatmeal/fruit or pancakes/fruit)
8:30- play time with mommy (i pick the activity... blocks or shape box or little people, etc)
9am-outside play
10am-come in and get washed up and have reading time
10:30- 30 min of independent play (not officially, really... i havent implemented room time)
11am-tv time
11:30ish-lunch
12:15ish- nap
3:30-4 get up from nap and eat a snack
afternoon is free play and play with daddy/family time
5:30-6 dinner
bath, get ready for bed
7pm bed

Rhyan: 15 Months

WOW! 15 months! We are loving every minute with her. She really is such a great baby. We're blessed, and we know it! At 15 months, here are some things i'll want to remember. She is:

-sleeping 7pm-7am each day
-naps in the morning from about 10:15-11am
-naps in the afternoon from about 1:15/1:30-4ish
-occasionally skips her a.m. nap (like, on sundays)
-LOVES to dance! to anything!
-is taking TONS of steps. not a full time walker just yet, but is well on her way!
-loves Spud like crazy. gives him kisses and pets him gently, much to his dismay
-says mama, dada, bye bye, bah (ball), bud-un (button.. in reference to her belly button), puh-kin (pumpkin), puh (spud), nigh nigh (night night), up, open (um, but i'm pretty sure she doesnt mean open, its just a noise she says constantly) and done.
-does "bad face"
-lets you "smell her foot"
-still does the little indian
-shakes her finger when i sing 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed when i get to the part where the doctor said "no more monkeys jumping on the bed"!
-tries to do the motions to itsy bitsy spider
-loves the outside
-LOVES water! pool, beach, water table, bath time... she just loves water!
-can point to her toes, foot, hair, belly button and OUR hair, ears, eyes, nose and teeth.
-talks a ton. we have no clue what shes saying and most of it sounds Chinese :-)
-helps get herself dressed by putting each arm in her clothes, putting each foot in her pants, etc.
-says "ohhhhhh" when she drops something or falls while walking. its cuter in person.
-blows raspberries. yuck.
-has weathered since her 1st bday roseola and strep throat.
-is doing great w/ her torticollis and is holding her head up well. we still do daily stretches.
-gives the best hugs and kisses. she even does it when i sing "i love you, you love me..." (the barney song...).

We are very excited and feel very blessed to get to be Rhyan's parents and are so glad that God entrusted her to us!

Mealtimes: A day in the life of Rhyan

So Rhyan is in the process of coming off the bottle. She's down to one bottle a day now and the rest of the day she drinks whole milk or water from a sippy cup. She's doing well, although she doesnt love the milk to be cold. She'll get used to it, but for now we warm a nightly bottle and give cold milk the rest of the day. She's also been transitioning to table food recently and I wanted to record what she ate today as its quite typical lately and I want to remember. I also want to remind her when she's older that she ate us out of house and home from the beginning :-)

Breakfast: offer sippy of whole milk
whole egg, scrambled
piece of toast, buttered
3-4 mandarin orange slices, cut up

Lunch: offer sippy of whole milk
greber graduates veggie pasta (she ate half)
6 oz blueberry yogurt
1/2 a cup of pineapple tidbits, drained

Snack: offer sippy of whole milk
gerber cereal/fruit bar (she ate almost all of it)

Dinner: 3-4 oz of water, 2-3 oz milk
1/4 turkey burger
2 tsp purple hull peas
3 tsp macaroni and cheese
10-12 bites of cantaloupe
6-8 bites of cheese

With each mealtime, i have to just quit feeding her. We havent hit a point with table food where she refuses it on her own. She always did with baby food, but i guess she REALLY loves table food. I mean, really, she cant NEED more than what she's getting! Are yall seeing those portion sizes? Keep in mind that for a child, one teaspoon per year of age equals a serving in each category. She gets 2-3 times that much, sometimes! HA! She is LOVING feeding herself and we let her do this for almost all foods.

She's getting about 8-1 oz of whole milk in her sippy during doing the day and drinks one bottle at night of 6-8 ounces of whole milk, too.

She is completely off of formula by default. We ran out :-( Oh, well... its only a week or so "early". Our ped. said the only reason to keep them on formula for the entire first year is b/c there are more vitamins and nutrients in it that they dont get in whole milk but that as long as her diet was varied and had plenty of nutrients, not to worry. My only concern now is how much water to offer. My first priority is getting her to drinking more milk out of her sippy so we can drop the night bottle. I'm thinking that i should offer NO water until she's doing good w/ the sippy. I know she's not getting dehydrated as long as she's getting the night bottle, anyways.. any advice on that is welcomed :-)

I cant wait to see what her stats are next friday for her one year check up!

How we do things in these parts of town

Disclaimer: I do not condone this and try my best to not laugh when i see it happening. But Jeff says that this is just the way to do things right.

So sometimes Rhyan gets full before we think she should. So jeff does this:

6 months! (summary and pics)

Rhyan turned 6 months old last week. and already, i cant remember my life without her. nor do i want to!! she is the sweetest, cutest thing i've ever seen. i love that she has some of both of us in her. some people claim she looks just like one or the other of us, but i love it when people say she looks like both :-). but even when someone says she looks like jeff, i grin. hey, he's a hottie! its certainly not the worst outcome...

Ok, so at 6 months she is:
-still sucking her fingers CONSTANTLY!
-diagnosed w/ reflux
-not sitting very well, because of the reflux :-(
-taking medicine to make that all better... and its working
-waking at 7am
-taking 2 two hour naps and one 1hour
-in bed by 7:45 each night
-eating cereal 2x's a day (um, this will change... tomorrow)
-eating 24 ounces of similac a day
-starting sweet potatos (homemade by me!) tomorrow
-eating prunes occasionally to help her "output"
-laughing at spud and jeff playing! love this!
-loves when you say "mamamamama" or "dadadadada" or "spud, spud, spud" over and over!
-touches my face when i'm feeding her bottle
-plays with my hair (gently!)
-sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and then pops it out to make a weird sound
-still loves her bath!
-grabs at anything she wants to hold :-)
-"tastes" everything
-loves, and i do mean LOVES her daddy (boo! jk)
-loves for me to sing to her
-favorite songs: the wheels on the bus, itsy bitsy spider, head shoulders knees and toes, you are my sunshine, twinkle twinkle little star
-laughs if i say "oh little fly, why do you cry, stuck in a web, soon you will be EATEN!!!" (from the lord of the rings)
-snorts sometimes (yes, its a trait from me...)
-learning to blow raspberrys (occasionally)
-talks so loudly you cant hear the tv or people on the phone (no, shes not deaf)
-almost NEVER cries
-VERY stubborn and strong-willed
-fights physical therapy (she's very strong now!)
-is trying out a sippy cup each day and is doing pretty well!

Thats about it. i'm sure theres more, but i dont want to bore any of you (any more than you already are! haha). On to the good stuff. Her 6 month pics :-)

Helmet Time

Rhyan is adjusting well to her helmet. She doesnt like it when we first put it on, but quickly gets used to it. She is still rolling over like crazy and holding her head up well!

Here, she's reading her book :-). Yes, my child is clearly brilliant.














Still smiling!














This morning, eating cereal. Which has her constipated, btw... SAD!














Our first "mother-daughter" chat. She's such a good listener.














Daddy wanted a pic of his 2 babies. Unfortunately, Spud hasnt mastered smiling for the camera like Rhyan has.

Big girl!

Rhyan is rolling over!!!



























Jerry came over and took pics so that Jeff could record Rhyan's first taste of cereal on video.
























































She loves when we let her "fly" high!




























Rhyan is getting so big!

She is now:
-in size 3-6 mo clothes
-wearing size 2-3 pampers
-laughing ALOT!
-rolling over from back to tummy ALOT!
-eating cereal
-talking VERY loudly
-reaching for toys
-touching our faces if we're close enough. like she's exploring us. SWEET!!!
-blowing bubbles (jeff thinks its gross... i love it)
-eating out of a fast flow nipple all the time
-going to sunday school AND church (its a long sunday, but she does well)
-getting to skip an occasional physical therapy session b/c of me working some extra days, but is still progressing well, according to courtney
-staying awake for 1hour 45 min each waketime
-taking 3 naps a day (2+hour, 2+hour and 1hour)
-sleeping from 7:45-7ish or later :-) (yes, we're grateful!)
-on a successful 4 hour eating schedule (oh, what a DREAM!)
-being cute and making her mommy and daddy happy EVERY DAY!

My big girl!

Who IS this guy?

Tummy Time!

Rhyan and I
Studying the toy...

Supergirl!

3 months old!!!! My baby will be 3 months old in 2 days!

I LOVE her little personality and all she has accomplished in this last month. Rhyan is now:

-splashing in the tub (and loving bath time!)

-in size 2 diapers

-in 0-3 month clothes (i think this will end shortly though...)

-drooling :-) (babies get saliva at around 3 months... she got it at 11 weeks!)

-sleeping from after her 8pm bottle till 7am when we wake her

-not swaddled for naps or bedtime anymore (big girl!!!)

-doing great with tummy time. in jeffs words "you could hang a picture from her neck"

-going through her 3 month growth spurt! Eating more!!!

-going down for (most) naps and bedtime without even a whimper

-SMILING!!!!! alot :-)

-tracking toys and people with her eyes really well!

-sitting in her bumbo seat for a while

-trying out her exersaucer, although her feet dont reach yet so its only for a couple of minutes each day

-waking up happy :-), cooing and smiling
-talking (cooing) alot!!!

I have successfully made it through 2 weeks of work. I have to admit, i didnt cry... i like my job! And i only work tues, wed and thurs. So its a nice get-away. It makes me a better mom, for sure. Jeff starts back to work this week and so Rhyan will start staying with my cousin Tracy. Have i mentioned how grateful i am that the Lord totally worked that out?!

I'm thinking this isnt great... rhyan's already watching T.V. with Daddy :-(

Mothers Day and beyond

The last 2 weeks have been crazy! I never knew how much a baby would change my life in particular. Jeff still goes to work and has some sort of "normalcy"... but I've NEVER been at home this much in my life!! I wouldnt trade it for the world, but cleaning teeth is so much easier!
We've been trying to get Rhyan back up to birth weight since she lost 9 oz in the first 2 days and as of today she's at 7lbs 15 oz... 2 oz above birth weight. YAY!!! Her tongue was tied and they had to clip the little frenum under her tongue so she could properly latch on. Having said that, because of the delay in latching, i've not been producing as much milk as we'd like. I started taking some nasty herb yesterday called fenugreek to help increase my supply. In the meantime, we've supplemented some, and i have to say, its tempting to want to just switch on over to formula. She sleeps longer and better b/c it takes longer to digest and I'll admit that I covet the sleep. But for now, we're gonna keep on keeping on cause thats what Joe Dirt would do. Life's a garden, dig it?!

Mothers day was uneventful. She was up most of the night Saturday night. Jeff said he rocked her for close to an hour and had dozed off. When he woke up he thought that certainly she'd dozed as well, but when he looked down her 2 little eyes were wide open and peering up at him like "oh, goody! you're awake now, too, Daddy!". TOO CUTE! (b/c i was sleeping while this was going on... i LOVE weekends cause he helps at night!) So we didnt go to church like we'd planned b/c we were like zombies :-)

Anyways, I know no one checks this thing to read all about our lives. So on to the good stuff. Pics.

Her best imitation of spud begging

Trying to get her to burp!

Chillin w/ her (very handsome) DaddyLooking Cute as ever!

Spud has found good use for the boppy pillow, too!

Right after a bath... see, the hair can be tamed (for a brief moment)

Very awake and showing Daddy her sleeper
Mothers day