Check out the pictures from Rylie's birthday party.
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| From Rylie's 2nd Birthday |
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| From 2010 January |
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January 31, 2010
New Pictures
We uploaded new pictures to the Picasa Site!
Check out the pictures from Rylie's birthday party.
The January album is complete.
Enjoy!
Check out the pictures from Rylie's birthday party.
The January album is complete.
Enjoy!
January 30, 2010
I Can't Always Be A Perfect Mother
Last night Bryce's car seat fell off a bench, while he was strapped in it. This was at Chick Fil A where I let Rylie have chicken nuggets, french fries and chocolate milk for dinner. Oh, and I gave her some of my Coke too. Go ahead, judge me.
(Bryce is fine. He didn't even cry. It was about a 2 foot drop and I think I actually caught the car seat before it hit the ground. I have no idea how that even happened.)
(Bryce is fine. He didn't even cry. It was about a 2 foot drop and I think I actually caught the car seat before it hit the ground. I have no idea how that even happened.)
January 29, 2010
Whose kid was that?
That could not have been MY Rylie that I took to the doctor's office this morning. Because my Rylie always cries, and screams, and cries some more. She had a horrible ear infection at 4 months old that wouldn't go away. We tried 3 different antibiotics over a span of a month and when none of those worked, she had to go for shots for three consecutive days. Ever since then, going to see the doctor is sheer torture...or at least you would think it was by the way she was acting. She would start crying the second we walked in the door, and not stop until we were back in the car.
Until today.
We had a follow up with the ENT to check on her tubes. When we walked into the waiting room she wanted to get down and play with the toys. When the nurse called her back, she walked back all by herself and was glad to get up on the scale. Then she walked into the room by herself. When the doctor came in she smiled and said hi. He asked her which ear he could look in first and she pointed to her left hear. After he checked that ear he asked her if he could look in her other ear and she gladly turned her head. She then opened her mouth when he told her to say "aaahhhhh". I honestly couldn't believe it. I was just amazed the whole time. We left there with a lollipop and some stickers, and no tears. I was so proud!
Her ears look great and the tubes are still where they are supposed to be. They can fall out as early as six months after they were put in, so I need to remember that and not freak out on the day when I go to get her out of her crib and something is hanging out of her ear!
Until today.
We had a follow up with the ENT to check on her tubes. When we walked into the waiting room she wanted to get down and play with the toys. When the nurse called her back, she walked back all by herself and was glad to get up on the scale. Then she walked into the room by herself. When the doctor came in she smiled and said hi. He asked her which ear he could look in first and she pointed to her left hear. After he checked that ear he asked her if he could look in her other ear and she gladly turned her head. She then opened her mouth when he told her to say "aaahhhhh". I honestly couldn't believe it. I was just amazed the whole time. We left there with a lollipop and some stickers, and no tears. I was so proud!
Her ears look great and the tubes are still where they are supposed to be. They can fall out as early as six months after they were put in, so I need to remember that and not freak out on the day when I go to get her out of her crib and something is hanging out of her ear!
January 28, 2010
Product Review – Furniture
We all have products that we love. And when I find a product that I love, I try to tell people about it. So since I have a lot of friends that have children, are pregnant, or are trying to get pregnant, I have decided to share with everyone what baby/child products I really love.
My first review is of the furniture that we have for the kids. They both have Baby’s Dream furniture. We liked Rylie’s furniture so much that we bought the same stuff for Bryce, just a different style.
Rylie’s set is called “Generation Next”.
Bryce’s set is called “Infinity”.
The furniture is very high quality. The cribs convert to a toddler bed, and even a full size bed, so technically you could keep this stuff throughout your child’s life. The cribs have a drop gate to make it easier to get your child in and out of them (not the drop side that seems to be getting recalled a lot these days). The drawers on the dressers open and close very easily. We absolutely love this furniture.
The only part of this furniture I would NOT recommend is the toy box. We bought a toy box for Rylie, but we didn’t for Bryce. I don’t like the way it is designed. It is made so that the top won’t slam down on a child’s hands. That part is great. However, the top doesn’t open to a full 90 degree angle, and it doesn’t stay up, so you always have to have a hand free to hold the top up while you put stuff in it. We have also had problems with the top itself. The first problem was that it warped. We got it replaced. Now, one of the hinges came off and the screw is all stripped out. That, apparently, is a known problem because when Brian called about it, the guy knew why he was calling.
And now to sing the praises of the Orlando retailer of this furniture – Crib 4 Life. I don’t think I have ever had better customer service anywhere. I believe that Jim is the owner and he is great. He is a salesman, so he will definitely talk your ear off, but he is honest about the product. He is happy to show you all of the different models and will explain to you why those cribs are better than others. He even gives you a list of other furniture retailers close by because he is sure you will come back. When you purchase your furniture, they will deliver it and set it up for a very minimal charge. When we have had problems with Rylie’s toy box, they are always happy to fix it for us.
So if you are looking for baby furniture, please visit Crib 4 Life. I promise you that you will be very happy with the furniture they offer and the customer service that goes along with it! If you mention that I sent you, I *think* you will be offered the pricing from when we bought our cribs, but I’m not entirely sure how that works.
My first review is of the furniture that we have for the kids. They both have Baby’s Dream furniture. We liked Rylie’s furniture so much that we bought the same stuff for Bryce, just a different style.
Rylie’s set is called “Generation Next”.
Bryce’s set is called “Infinity”.
The furniture is very high quality. The cribs convert to a toddler bed, and even a full size bed, so technically you could keep this stuff throughout your child’s life. The cribs have a drop gate to make it easier to get your child in and out of them (not the drop side that seems to be getting recalled a lot these days). The drawers on the dressers open and close very easily. We absolutely love this furniture.
The only part of this furniture I would NOT recommend is the toy box. We bought a toy box for Rylie, but we didn’t for Bryce. I don’t like the way it is designed. It is made so that the top won’t slam down on a child’s hands. That part is great. However, the top doesn’t open to a full 90 degree angle, and it doesn’t stay up, so you always have to have a hand free to hold the top up while you put stuff in it. We have also had problems with the top itself. The first problem was that it warped. We got it replaced. Now, one of the hinges came off and the screw is all stripped out. That, apparently, is a known problem because when Brian called about it, the guy knew why he was calling.
And now to sing the praises of the Orlando retailer of this furniture – Crib 4 Life. I don’t think I have ever had better customer service anywhere. I believe that Jim is the owner and he is great. He is a salesman, so he will definitely talk your ear off, but he is honest about the product. He is happy to show you all of the different models and will explain to you why those cribs are better than others. He even gives you a list of other furniture retailers close by because he is sure you will come back. When you purchase your furniture, they will deliver it and set it up for a very minimal charge. When we have had problems with Rylie’s toy box, they are always happy to fix it for us.
So if you are looking for baby furniture, please visit Crib 4 Life. I promise you that you will be very happy with the furniture they offer and the customer service that goes along with it! If you mention that I sent you, I *think* you will be offered the pricing from when we bought our cribs, but I’m not entirely sure how that works.
January 27, 2010
Um...
Mommy: Rylie, did you have a good day?
Rylie: Um...Yes!
Mommy: Rylie, what do you want for dinner?
Rylie: Um...macaroni!
Mommy: Rylie, what song do you want to sing?
Rylie: Um...Santa song!
I don't know where she got that from, but I am finding it highly amusing for some reason.
Rylie: Um...Yes!
Mommy: Rylie, what do you want for dinner?
Rylie: Um...macaroni!
Mommy: Rylie, what song do you want to sing?
Rylie: Um...Santa song!
I don't know where she got that from, but I am finding it highly amusing for some reason.
Eczema
I didn’t know what eczema was until Rylie was born. She had it mostly on her torso and it didn’t seem to bother her that much. She still has flare ups here and there, but I think she has outgrown it for the most part.
My poor baby Bryce has it on his face. And bad too. It breaks my heart when it flares up like it does. It seems to be worse after a bath and after he has a bottle. This is what he looks like when it gets bad…
Isn’t that sad? And not only does it look bad, it seems to itch a lot too. Over the weekend he made himself bleed on his eyelid and on his nose by scratching it. We are constantly putting eczema cream on him, and I have the girls at daycare do it too.
I am so afraid that we are going to have to put him on the hypoallergenic formula that Rylie ended up on. I’ll have to get a part time job just to feed my kid! My internet reading has led me to believe that he may have a sensitivity to cow’s milk and that may be making the eczema worse. He goes back to the pediatrician next week to get his ears checked, so I’m going to talk to her about this too. We may give soy formula a try first to see if that helps. But obviously I will do whatever I have to do so that he doesn’t have to suffer with this.
I guess my kids just have sensitive skin. Rylie now also has some kind of scalp condition (I forget what the doctor called it) that makes her head itch and causes her to scratch it all of the time. She has little scabs even from scratching it so much. We’re washing her hair with a natural shampoo with tea tree oil and that does seem to help. I have even put olive oil all over her scalp just to give her some relief! We’re trying to avoid steroids if we can.
Although if sensitive skin is the worst problem my kids ever have, I think we can live with that.
My poor baby Bryce has it on his face. And bad too. It breaks my heart when it flares up like it does. It seems to be worse after a bath and after he has a bottle. This is what he looks like when it gets bad…
Isn’t that sad? And not only does it look bad, it seems to itch a lot too. Over the weekend he made himself bleed on his eyelid and on his nose by scratching it. We are constantly putting eczema cream on him, and I have the girls at daycare do it too.
I am so afraid that we are going to have to put him on the hypoallergenic formula that Rylie ended up on. I’ll have to get a part time job just to feed my kid! My internet reading has led me to believe that he may have a sensitivity to cow’s milk and that may be making the eczema worse. He goes back to the pediatrician next week to get his ears checked, so I’m going to talk to her about this too. We may give soy formula a try first to see if that helps. But obviously I will do whatever I have to do so that he doesn’t have to suffer with this.
I guess my kids just have sensitive skin. Rylie now also has some kind of scalp condition (I forget what the doctor called it) that makes her head itch and causes her to scratch it all of the time. She has little scabs even from scratching it so much. We’re washing her hair with a natural shampoo with tea tree oil and that does seem to help. I have even put olive oil all over her scalp just to give her some relief! We’re trying to avoid steroids if we can.
Although if sensitive skin is the worst problem my kids ever have, I think we can live with that.
January 26, 2010
Baby Laughs
(Update: people were having trouble viewing the video, so I put it on YouTube)
There aren't many sounds sweeter than that of a baby laughing.
Bryce started laughing over a month ago. It started out as little giggles here and there, and now he is full on cracking up. He laughs pretty easily too. He laughs during his bath when I wash his hands. He laughs when I sing, but I imagine most people laugh when I sing. And I get the most laughs when I kiss his cheeks and his neck.
I tried and tried all weekend to catch Bryce laughing on video. Of course he would start laughing when I didn't have the camera ready, and as soon as I would get it ready he would stop. I caught a little bit when he was doing "Bryce ups" with Daddy. Enjoy!
(And no, Brian didn't really post this. He did upload the video, though, and that is why his name is on it.)
Conversations With A Two Year Old
As I have mentioned before, Rylie talks very well. She has become quite the little chatterbox lately. I love how I can actually carry on a conversation with her. She talks in sentences and is usually very easy to understand.
The daycare puts out a basket of crackers by the front door for the kids to take when they leave in the evenings. Recently there have also been graham crackers in there, which Rylie calls “cookies”. Well since Rylie is one of the last ones there in the evenings, the graham crackers are usually long gone before she gets her turn at the basket. So this was part of our conversation last night:
Rylie: Rylie no get cookies, only crackers left.
Mommy: I know. We’ll have to ask Ms. Debbie to put some cookies in the basket for you tomorrow.
Rylie: Ms. Debbie, please put cookies in there for Rylie.
Sometimes I am just amazed with how well she communicates her thoughts. In our 5 minute ride from school to home, we usually talk about 3-5 different subjects. Last night she also told me about how she played with her friends that day (Ellie, Zara, Coley, Belebele and My), how she got to wear “undiewears”, and how Ms. Cheryl gave her a ponytail in her hair.
Oh and she was also so happy that Bryce went back to school yesterday, as soon as we walked in the door she started saying “Bryce feel all better. Bryce go back to school with Rylie.” She said it a few times to make sure that everyone knew Bryce was back.
I wonder if she talks her teachers’ ears off all day at school too?
She also loves to sing songs. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” is her favorite. She knows the words and gets pretty animated when she sings it. She can sing “ABCs” too, but we have to go real slow. We’re still working on counting to 10. She will actually count objects and gets to 10, but still forgets the 8 all the time. She just does not like that number.
The daycare puts out a basket of crackers by the front door for the kids to take when they leave in the evenings. Recently there have also been graham crackers in there, which Rylie calls “cookies”. Well since Rylie is one of the last ones there in the evenings, the graham crackers are usually long gone before she gets her turn at the basket. So this was part of our conversation last night:
Rylie: Rylie no get cookies, only crackers left.
Mommy: I know. We’ll have to ask Ms. Debbie to put some cookies in the basket for you tomorrow.
Rylie: Ms. Debbie, please put cookies in there for Rylie.
Sometimes I am just amazed with how well she communicates her thoughts. In our 5 minute ride from school to home, we usually talk about 3-5 different subjects. Last night she also told me about how she played with her friends that day (Ellie, Zara, Coley, Belebele and My), how she got to wear “undiewears”, and how Ms. Cheryl gave her a ponytail in her hair.
Oh and she was also so happy that Bryce went back to school yesterday, as soon as we walked in the door she started saying “Bryce feel all better. Bryce go back to school with Rylie.” She said it a few times to make sure that everyone knew Bryce was back.
I wonder if she talks her teachers’ ears off all day at school too?
She also loves to sing songs. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” is her favorite. She knows the words and gets pretty animated when she sings it. She can sing “ABCs” too, but we have to go real slow. We’re still working on counting to 10. She will actually count objects and gets to 10, but still forgets the 8 all the time. She just does not like that number.
January 25, 2010
Sanity
Mine is slowly seeping away. Seriously. I am just about to throw in the towel. My house is an absolute disaster. The laundry is never ending. The “to-do” list has about 8,539 items on it and we can’t seem to get any of it done.
We are not the only ones with 2 young children. And I know that my friends’ houses don’t look like mine. How do you all do it? By the time I get home in the evenings and get the kids fed, bathed and off to bed, I am exhausted. Brian and I usually eat some kind of crappy fast food and then I fall asleep on the couch while we try to watch TV. We can’t seem to get anything done on the weekends either. If anything, one of us can do a little chore here and there as long as both kids don’t need attention. We try to get Rylie out of the house at least for a little bit both days and do something fun with her. Because even though the mess in my house drives me crazy, spending quality time with my children is way more important to me. Unfortunately their nap times never seem to coincide, so we both can’t even work then. Thank goodness I have someone that cleans my house every 2 weeks, so at least the showers, toilets, etc. stay clean!
I’m embarrassed to have anyone come to the house. The dining room table is piled high with bags from recent shopping trips, toys from Rylie’s birthday party that I want to put away for a few months for when she gets bored with everything she has now, and whatever happens to get thrown on it when we walk in the front door. There are toys everywhere, but that I can deal with. We have kids, I’ll live with the toys all over the house. The guest room is full of tubs of Rylie’s old clothes, baby stuff that Bryce isn’t quite ready for, boxes of stuff that could possibly be sold in a yard sale if we were somehow able to find time to ever have one, and whatever else we need “hidden” in there. All of the Christmas decorations still sit in the game room, along with the pool table that we REALLY need to get rid of (is anyone interested????). Even if I had time to start working on the house I wouldn’t know where to begin.
We don’t have time to really cook in the evenings. Hell, we don’t even have time to get to the grocery store on a regular basis. Some nights we make spaghetti (Rylie’s new favorite dinner) or get a rotisserie chicken and cook up some vegetables. On those nights we all eat together. Other nights we cook something up for Rylie like fish sticks, chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, etc. and we eat after the kids go to bed. I really need some meal ideas because Brian and I are getting way too fat, and Rylie needs more of a variety. She doesn’t eat much at night, but the nights that we all eat together she definitely eats more, so I really want to make family dinner something we do every night.
And then there’s the computer. Thank goodness for my phone or I would never be able to email anyone or feed my Facebook addiction. The only time I really have to write here is during my lunch at work. I used to visit a message board about toddlers, but I haven’t looked at it in a while because I finally realized how immature most of it was and all it did was annoy me. But I would see these stay at home moms on there ALL.DAY.LONG. I always wondered how they were home with a kid or two or three and were able to be on the computer so much. Do these women put their kids behind a gate and just let them entertain themselves all day while they play high school games on a message board? (But somehow I bet their houses don’t look like a tornado came through like mine does!) And the working moms seemed to be on all evening long after they get home from work. Do they not spend any time with their kids? When I am home with my kids, there is no way I am able to get online. I might respond to a status update on Facebook through my phone here and there, or reply quickly to an email, but that is it.
And not only are there the things I NEED to do, there are things I WANT to do also. Like catch up on the kids’ baby books, get some pictures up around the house of our wedding and the kids, and paint some rooms so the house isn’t “primer white” anymore. Oh yeah, and I need to lose like 40 pounds too. If only there were about 10 more hours in each day, maybe I could carve out some time to exercise.
I just don’t know what to do anymore. Do I just give up and let this stuff go for the next couple of years until my kids are old enough to play unattended for a little bit? Because I’m at the end of my rope. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids and we have an awesome life. I wouldn’t trade my life for anyone else’s. It is just this stuff that is driving me crazy. It feels good to get this out, and hopefully some of you can tell me how you manage it all. I am open to comments, emails, FB messages, whatever, if anyone has any helpful suggestions for me. And thanks for reading this. I promise I won’t have many posts like this. I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled blogging about the kids tomorrow.
We are not the only ones with 2 young children. And I know that my friends’ houses don’t look like mine. How do you all do it? By the time I get home in the evenings and get the kids fed, bathed and off to bed, I am exhausted. Brian and I usually eat some kind of crappy fast food and then I fall asleep on the couch while we try to watch TV. We can’t seem to get anything done on the weekends either. If anything, one of us can do a little chore here and there as long as both kids don’t need attention. We try to get Rylie out of the house at least for a little bit both days and do something fun with her. Because even though the mess in my house drives me crazy, spending quality time with my children is way more important to me. Unfortunately their nap times never seem to coincide, so we both can’t even work then. Thank goodness I have someone that cleans my house every 2 weeks, so at least the showers, toilets, etc. stay clean!
I’m embarrassed to have anyone come to the house. The dining room table is piled high with bags from recent shopping trips, toys from Rylie’s birthday party that I want to put away for a few months for when she gets bored with everything she has now, and whatever happens to get thrown on it when we walk in the front door. There are toys everywhere, but that I can deal with. We have kids, I’ll live with the toys all over the house. The guest room is full of tubs of Rylie’s old clothes, baby stuff that Bryce isn’t quite ready for, boxes of stuff that could possibly be sold in a yard sale if we were somehow able to find time to ever have one, and whatever else we need “hidden” in there. All of the Christmas decorations still sit in the game room, along with the pool table that we REALLY need to get rid of (is anyone interested????). Even if I had time to start working on the house I wouldn’t know where to begin.
We don’t have time to really cook in the evenings. Hell, we don’t even have time to get to the grocery store on a regular basis. Some nights we make spaghetti (Rylie’s new favorite dinner) or get a rotisserie chicken and cook up some vegetables. On those nights we all eat together. Other nights we cook something up for Rylie like fish sticks, chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, etc. and we eat after the kids go to bed. I really need some meal ideas because Brian and I are getting way too fat, and Rylie needs more of a variety. She doesn’t eat much at night, but the nights that we all eat together she definitely eats more, so I really want to make family dinner something we do every night.
And then there’s the computer. Thank goodness for my phone or I would never be able to email anyone or feed my Facebook addiction. The only time I really have to write here is during my lunch at work. I used to visit a message board about toddlers, but I haven’t looked at it in a while because I finally realized how immature most of it was and all it did was annoy me. But I would see these stay at home moms on there ALL.DAY.LONG. I always wondered how they were home with a kid or two or three and were able to be on the computer so much. Do these women put their kids behind a gate and just let them entertain themselves all day while they play high school games on a message board? (But somehow I bet their houses don’t look like a tornado came through like mine does!) And the working moms seemed to be on all evening long after they get home from work. Do they not spend any time with their kids? When I am home with my kids, there is no way I am able to get online. I might respond to a status update on Facebook through my phone here and there, or reply quickly to an email, but that is it.
And not only are there the things I NEED to do, there are things I WANT to do also. Like catch up on the kids’ baby books, get some pictures up around the house of our wedding and the kids, and paint some rooms so the house isn’t “primer white” anymore. Oh yeah, and I need to lose like 40 pounds too. If only there were about 10 more hours in each day, maybe I could carve out some time to exercise.
I just don’t know what to do anymore. Do I just give up and let this stuff go for the next couple of years until my kids are old enough to play unattended for a little bit? Because I’m at the end of my rope. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids and we have an awesome life. I wouldn’t trade my life for anyone else’s. It is just this stuff that is driving me crazy. It feels good to get this out, and hopefully some of you can tell me how you manage it all. I am open to comments, emails, FB messages, whatever, if anyone has any helpful suggestions for me. And thanks for reading this. I promise I won’t have many posts like this. I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled blogging about the kids tomorrow.
“Blaaah On Daddy”
We went to IHOP for dinner last night. We do this occasionally because I love their breakfast food, Rylie loves eggs and pancakes, and it is much less crowded in the evenings than it is in the mornings. The waitresses know us there and always make a fuss over the kids.
Bryce was unusually fussy last night so I had to hold him while I ate. Rylie scarfed down her eggs and pancake like she always does, so she finished way before I did. After she was done she told us that her belly hurt. She lifted up her shirt and pointed right under her breastbone and said she needed Vaseline on it. (Vaseline has been used a lot lately for her dry skin, so apparently now it is a cure all.) Brian took her out of the high chair and sat her on his lap and was rubbing her belly. All of the sudden I saw this look of terror on his face and I knew what was happening…she started throwing up all over him! I threw Bryce’s blanket at him thinking he might be able to catch some of it in it, but it was too late. She lost her entire dinner all over his shirt.
What a mess! They were both covered in vomit, so I grabbed Rylie and tried my best not to cover myself in it. By this time everyone in the restaurant knew what was going on and I heard some little boy say “that baby just threw up all over her dad!” Then he came over and handed Brian a stack of napkins. What a sweet kid. Rylie was crying and I was just trying to get us out of there. We finally paid and got outside, where I stripped Rylie down to her diaper and Brian was able to take his shirt off. I usually carry spare clothes for Rylie, but I didn’t have any, so she rode home in her diaper.
She was talking about it all the way home, and even mentioned it this morning. She kept saying “Rylie blaaah on Daddy”. I couldn’t help but laugh. At first I thought she was getting the bug that Bryce had, but she didn’t throw up again so I think she just either ate too much, or ate too fast. Brian said that when he was rubbing her belly it felt very full. Poor Rylie.
I have had enough vomit in my life the past week or so to last me a lifetime!!!
Bryce was unusually fussy last night so I had to hold him while I ate. Rylie scarfed down her eggs and pancake like she always does, so she finished way before I did. After she was done she told us that her belly hurt. She lifted up her shirt and pointed right under her breastbone and said she needed Vaseline on it. (Vaseline has been used a lot lately for her dry skin, so apparently now it is a cure all.) Brian took her out of the high chair and sat her on his lap and was rubbing her belly. All of the sudden I saw this look of terror on his face and I knew what was happening…she started throwing up all over him! I threw Bryce’s blanket at him thinking he might be able to catch some of it in it, but it was too late. She lost her entire dinner all over his shirt.
What a mess! They were both covered in vomit, so I grabbed Rylie and tried my best not to cover myself in it. By this time everyone in the restaurant knew what was going on and I heard some little boy say “that baby just threw up all over her dad!” Then he came over and handed Brian a stack of napkins. What a sweet kid. Rylie was crying and I was just trying to get us out of there. We finally paid and got outside, where I stripped Rylie down to her diaper and Brian was able to take his shirt off. I usually carry spare clothes for Rylie, but I didn’t have any, so she rode home in her diaper.
She was talking about it all the way home, and even mentioned it this morning. She kept saying “Rylie blaaah on Daddy”. I couldn’t help but laugh. At first I thought she was getting the bug that Bryce had, but she didn’t throw up again so I think she just either ate too much, or ate too fast. Brian said that when he was rubbing her belly it felt very full. Poor Rylie.
I have had enough vomit in my life the past week or so to last me a lifetime!!!
January 22, 2010
Mama and Papa
That is what Rylie calls my parents. It started out because she couldn’t say “Grandma” and “Grandpa”, and it just stuck. When Mama and Papa are around, Rylie wants nothing to do with Brian and me.
I am so lucky to have such awesome parents! They help us so much. Just this last week when Bryce was sick, my parents stayed with him so Brian and I wouldn’t miss too much work. They have come over and stayed plenty of times when Rylie has been sick too. They stayed with Rylie when we were in the hospital with Bryce, and trust me, she didn’t miss us one bit. It is so easy for us when they stay. We can leave and we don’t have to give them any instructions, since they know how everything usually goes around our house. And we don’t have to worry about the kids when they are with them.
There was a time when only Papa could take off Rylie’s band aids. (Now she won’t let ANYONE take them off.) I was talking to my mom one day and told her about how Rylie said she needed Papa to come over and take her band aid off. Next thing I know, they were at my house...and they live two hours away! Now that is love.
So to Mama and Papa – we are grateful for everything you do. Thank you so much! We all love you!
I am so lucky to have such awesome parents! They help us so much. Just this last week when Bryce was sick, my parents stayed with him so Brian and I wouldn’t miss too much work. They have come over and stayed plenty of times when Rylie has been sick too. They stayed with Rylie when we were in the hospital with Bryce, and trust me, she didn’t miss us one bit. It is so easy for us when they stay. We can leave and we don’t have to give them any instructions, since they know how everything usually goes around our house. And we don’t have to worry about the kids when they are with them.
There was a time when only Papa could take off Rylie’s band aids. (Now she won’t let ANYONE take them off.) I was talking to my mom one day and told her about how Rylie said she needed Papa to come over and take her band aid off. Next thing I know, they were at my house...and they live two hours away! Now that is love.
So to Mama and Papa – we are grateful for everything you do. Thank you so much! We all love you!
My Happy Boy Is Back!
Bryce seems to be feeling so much better! He is smiling again and his eyes are sparkling. I am so relieved. He was so miserable for so long.
January 20, 2010
"Well Child" Visits
We took both kids to the pediatrician yesterday for their “well child” visits. Rylie had her 2 year check and Bryce had his 4 month check. Bryce obviously wasn’t “well”, but I didn’t want to cancel his because it is like a 2 month wait to get an appointment with the pediatrician the kids normally see.
I love their pediatrician! (And apparently so does everyone else since it is so hard to get in with her.) She was in the room with us for well over a half hour and sat and answered every one of the questions I had. She never makes me feel stupid for asking any questions and she never tries to rush us. She is also very thorough. She has been a little concerned about Rylie’s growth in the past, so she actually measured her height herself to make sure the nurse got an accurate measurement. I appreciate the little things like that.
Rylie’s visit went very well! She is 33 ¼” tall (25-50%) and 25 pounds (25%). The nurse was asking us questions about her development and right when she got to the question “Does she put 2 words together?” Rylie said “Rylie need some more stickers”, so she got the answer to that question without even asking us. The nurse was very impressed with her speaking and said that there are 4 year olds in there that don’t talk as well as she did. The doctor said that most kids her age aren’t putting 4 to 5 word sentences together like she is. That, of course, made me very happy. People have been commenting to me over the past few months about how well Rylie talks, but since I really don’t have anything to compare it to, I didn’t know if other kids her age were talking the same way. Even though she is still pretty little, the doctor was happy about her growth because she has gained weight and grown taller since her last visit. She said she has “allergy eyes” (dark circles underneath and sometimes puffy), but she said it was too early to test her. So I guess that will be done in the future. I’m sure she’ll love that…not! I was so proud of Rylie because she didn’t cry and was real good when the doctor was examining her. Up until now, she would start screaming when they called her name and didn’t stop until we left. The only times she cried was when Bryce was crying during his exam, and when she got her H1N1 booster, but she only cried for like a minute after that. What a big girl she is getting to be!
Bryce’s visit wasn’t so great. He is growing just fine and is 24 ¾” tall (50%) and 14 pounds, 8 ounces (25-50%). He lost about a half of a pound over the last week, so he probably should have been closer to 15 pounds. But that was all OK and no worries with his development. The “not so great” part is that both of his ears are infected. When I took him in there on Monday we saw one of the Nurse Practitioners. I generally love seeing the NPs because they are usually not as rushed as the doctors. Well she told me that she could see his ear drums clearly and they were both fine. Come to find out that there is no way she could have seen them because his ears were full of wax that the doctor had to clean out yesterday. I was so mad, as was his doctor. So he is now on antibiotics for his ears. My mom and I had been wondering all along if his ears were infected because he seemed to always scream when we laid him flat. Again, mother’s intuition was right. He didn’t get his shots yesterday since he was sick, so I take him back in two weeks to get his ears checked and get his shots (providing he is well).
Bryce does seem to be slowly getting better. He hasn’t vomited since Monday morning, so that is great! He didn’t spike his usual night-time fever last night either and slept *a little* better than he has been sleeping. Hopefully once his ears clear up he will be back to 100% and we can all start sleeping a little better. The poor little guy has just been miserable, so we can’t wait to see him well and happy again.
I love their pediatrician! (And apparently so does everyone else since it is so hard to get in with her.) She was in the room with us for well over a half hour and sat and answered every one of the questions I had. She never makes me feel stupid for asking any questions and she never tries to rush us. She is also very thorough. She has been a little concerned about Rylie’s growth in the past, so she actually measured her height herself to make sure the nurse got an accurate measurement. I appreciate the little things like that.
Rylie’s visit went very well! She is 33 ¼” tall (25-50%) and 25 pounds (25%). The nurse was asking us questions about her development and right when she got to the question “Does she put 2 words together?” Rylie said “Rylie need some more stickers”, so she got the answer to that question without even asking us. The nurse was very impressed with her speaking and said that there are 4 year olds in there that don’t talk as well as she did. The doctor said that most kids her age aren’t putting 4 to 5 word sentences together like she is. That, of course, made me very happy. People have been commenting to me over the past few months about how well Rylie talks, but since I really don’t have anything to compare it to, I didn’t know if other kids her age were talking the same way. Even though she is still pretty little, the doctor was happy about her growth because she has gained weight and grown taller since her last visit. She said she has “allergy eyes” (dark circles underneath and sometimes puffy), but she said it was too early to test her. So I guess that will be done in the future. I’m sure she’ll love that…not! I was so proud of Rylie because she didn’t cry and was real good when the doctor was examining her. Up until now, she would start screaming when they called her name and didn’t stop until we left. The only times she cried was when Bryce was crying during his exam, and when she got her H1N1 booster, but she only cried for like a minute after that. What a big girl she is getting to be!
Bryce’s visit wasn’t so great. He is growing just fine and is 24 ¾” tall (50%) and 14 pounds, 8 ounces (25-50%). He lost about a half of a pound over the last week, so he probably should have been closer to 15 pounds. But that was all OK and no worries with his development. The “not so great” part is that both of his ears are infected. When I took him in there on Monday we saw one of the Nurse Practitioners. I generally love seeing the NPs because they are usually not as rushed as the doctors. Well she told me that she could see his ear drums clearly and they were both fine. Come to find out that there is no way she could have seen them because his ears were full of wax that the doctor had to clean out yesterday. I was so mad, as was his doctor. So he is now on antibiotics for his ears. My mom and I had been wondering all along if his ears were infected because he seemed to always scream when we laid him flat. Again, mother’s intuition was right. He didn’t get his shots yesterday since he was sick, so I take him back in two weeks to get his ears checked and get his shots (providing he is well).
Bryce does seem to be slowly getting better. He hasn’t vomited since Monday morning, so that is great! He didn’t spike his usual night-time fever last night either and slept *a little* better than he has been sleeping. Hopefully once his ears clear up he will be back to 100% and we can all start sleeping a little better. The poor little guy has just been miserable, so we can’t wait to see him well and happy again.
January 18, 2010
Rylie's 2nd Birthday Party!
Wow! What an awesome party! Thank you to everyone that came to help Rylie celebrate her birthday!
The party was at My Gym in Lake Mary. I would recommend this place to any parent as a place to hold a birthday party. The girls that ran the party did a great job. I think the kids (and the parents too) had a great time. I know Rylie did. There were so many things to do and they all were going non-stop the whole time. They had opportunities for free play to explore the different equipment at the gym like the ball pit, trampolines, balance beams, etc. They had circle time where they sang and danced, played with a parachute and listened to a story. There was even a zip line! Rylie got to have her own “birthday march” where she was pushed around her circle of friends in a car, after she dressed up a little with a purple boa. I am so glad we decided to hold her party there.
Rylie had 13 of her friends at her party. Unfortunately Grandma and baby Bryce weren’t able to be there since he was sick. Grandpa was there, and Rebecca, Melissa and Shelly drove over from St. Pete to celebrate with us. It meant a lot to us that so many people came to the party. I know Rylie is so loved.
In order to not cut into the activity time, Rylie didn’t open her presents at her party. She was so wiped out after the party, though, that they still remain unopened. She fell asleep on the way home and slept for an hour or so. When she woke up she was still really tired and just wanted to sit around with us until she ate dinner, had a bath and went back to bed. We will probably have her open a couple of them each night after school.
My friend Jen is becoming quite the photographer and volunteered to be our “official” photographer for the party. Here are a few of the pictures she took…
Thanks again Jen! And thank you Tiffany for all of the pictures you already posted on Facebook. If anyone else would like to share their pictures with me, I would love to have them! We will have the rest of the pictures posted on our Picasa site, hopefully sometime this weekend.
The party was at My Gym in Lake Mary. I would recommend this place to any parent as a place to hold a birthday party. The girls that ran the party did a great job. I think the kids (and the parents too) had a great time. I know Rylie did. There were so many things to do and they all were going non-stop the whole time. They had opportunities for free play to explore the different equipment at the gym like the ball pit, trampolines, balance beams, etc. They had circle time where they sang and danced, played with a parachute and listened to a story. There was even a zip line! Rylie got to have her own “birthday march” where she was pushed around her circle of friends in a car, after she dressed up a little with a purple boa. I am so glad we decided to hold her party there.
Rylie had 13 of her friends at her party. Unfortunately Grandma and baby Bryce weren’t able to be there since he was sick. Grandpa was there, and Rebecca, Melissa and Shelly drove over from St. Pete to celebrate with us. It meant a lot to us that so many people came to the party. I know Rylie is so loved.
In order to not cut into the activity time, Rylie didn’t open her presents at her party. She was so wiped out after the party, though, that they still remain unopened. She fell asleep on the way home and slept for an hour or so. When she woke up she was still really tired and just wanted to sit around with us until she ate dinner, had a bath and went back to bed. We will probably have her open a couple of them each night after school.
My friend Jen is becoming quite the photographer and volunteered to be our “official” photographer for the party. Here are a few of the pictures she took…
The birthday girl!
Circle time with the parachute
Rylie's "birthday march"
Yo Gabba Gabba!
Zip Line!
Zip line landing in the ball pit
My Poor Little Man
Bryce is so sick. He even had to miss Rylie’s birthday party yesterday. (More to come on that later.) Thank goodness Grandma was here to take care of him. He has had on and off vomiting and diarrhea since last Wednesday. He also had a pretty high fever Saturday and Sunday. He had Pedialyte for most of the day yesterday, and we went back to formula last night. We thought he was getting better because he was keeping his formula down, but he vomited again at the pediatrician’s office this morning, so he is back on Pedialyte today.
I feel so bad for him. When he is drinking the Pedialyte he gets so hungry and he just screams. And today he seems pretty lethargic and tired, and the sparkle that is usually in his eyes is missing. I can tell that he is really miserable and the worst part about it is that there is really nothing I can do for him, other than to comfort him. It is absolute torture for me to see him so sick.
The pediatrician said it is possible for this to last up to TWO WEEKS! I really hope that isn’t the case with him. Because not only is he miserable, Brian and I haven’t gotten much sleep in the past few nights, so we’re not feeling so hot either. I hope he starts feeling better soon.
I feel so bad for him. When he is drinking the Pedialyte he gets so hungry and he just screams. And today he seems pretty lethargic and tired, and the sparkle that is usually in his eyes is missing. I can tell that he is really miserable and the worst part about it is that there is really nothing I can do for him, other than to comfort him. It is absolute torture for me to see him so sick.
The pediatrician said it is possible for this to last up to TWO WEEKS! I really hope that isn’t the case with him. Because not only is he miserable, Brian and I haven’t gotten much sleep in the past few nights, so we’re not feeling so hot either. I hope he starts feeling better soon.
January 16, 2010
Gymbucks Redemption
Hi, my name is LeeAnn and I am a shopaholic. This really only applies to stuff for the kids, though. I rarely buy myself anything anymore.
One of my favorite stores to shop for the kids' clothes is Gymboree. A few times a year you earn "Gymbucks" with your purchase. For every $50 you spend, you get $25 in Gymbucks. Then in a couple of months you can redeem the Gymbucks. For every $50 worth of clothes you purchase, you can use $25.
One of my favorite stores to shop for the kids' clothes is Gymboree. A few times a year you earn "Gymbucks" with your purchase. For every $50 you spend, you get $25 in Gymbucks. Then in a couple of months you can redeem the Gymbucks. For every $50 worth of clothes you purchase, you can use $25.
I had a bunch of Gymbucks (and I'm going to just say "a bunch" so Brian doesn't have a heart attack when he reads this) that I had earned over the past couple of months and I didn't think there would be any possible way I could use them all, but alas, I did. I know, I have a problem. :-)
Here are a few of my purchases from today. These kids have MUCH better wardrobes than I do!
January 15, 2010
Stomach Bugs Are No Fun
But at least this time I managed to avoid getting puked on. It seems Daddy was the "lucky" one.
Poor Bryce. Between the barfing and the stuff coming out of the other end, Dr. Mom has diagnosed him with a stomach bug. He stayed home yesterday and this morning with Brian, and now it is my turn. He seems to be getting better, though, and has kept all of his formula down since last night. Yay!
I hate it when they get these bugs. I can handle the stuff in the diaper (well, when it stays in the diaper), but getting covered in vomit is not something I do well with. I will say, though, that baby bugs are much easier than toddler bugs...at least there are no chunks! Ewwwwwwww.
Poor Bryce. Between the barfing and the stuff coming out of the other end, Dr. Mom has diagnosed him with a stomach bug. He stayed home yesterday and this morning with Brian, and now it is my turn. He seems to be getting better, though, and has kept all of his formula down since last night. Yay!
I hate it when they get these bugs. I can handle the stuff in the diaper (well, when it stays in the diaper), but getting covered in vomit is not something I do well with. I will say, though, that baby bugs are much easier than toddler bugs...at least there are no chunks! Ewwwwwwww.
January 14, 2010
Happy Birthday Rylie!!!
Or as Rylie says, “Happy to you, Rylie!”
I cannot believe my sweet little girl is already 2! The last two years have gone by so fast. It amazes me how quickly she went from a newborn that did nothing but eat, sleep and poop to this beautiful little girl that is a walking, talking, bundle of fun.
We took Mickey Mouse cupcakes to school for her and all of her friends today. I think she got a little overwhelmed this morning when all of the teachers and her friends sang “Happy Birthday” to her. She was very upset when I tried to leave. It broke my heart. No one should cry on their birthday. I just called to check on her and the center director told me she is fine and is having a good day. I hope she has a fun day at school.
Look at how much my little girl has changed over the past two years –
Here is Rylie on her actual birthday…
And here she is on her first birthday…
And now on her second birthday (and she actually let me take the picture and even smiled!)…
Happy Birthday to my sweet little girl. Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!!
I cannot believe my sweet little girl is already 2! The last two years have gone by so fast. It amazes me how quickly she went from a newborn that did nothing but eat, sleep and poop to this beautiful little girl that is a walking, talking, bundle of fun.
We took Mickey Mouse cupcakes to school for her and all of her friends today. I think she got a little overwhelmed this morning when all of the teachers and her friends sang “Happy Birthday” to her. She was very upset when I tried to leave. It broke my heart. No one should cry on their birthday. I just called to check on her and the center director told me she is fine and is having a good day. I hope she has a fun day at school.
Look at how much my little girl has changed over the past two years –
Here is Rylie on her actual birthday…
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| From Rylie's Birthday |
And here she is on her first birthday…
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| From Rylie - Month 12 |
And now on her second birthday (and she actually let me take the picture and even smiled!)…
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Happy Birthday to my sweet little girl. Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!!
January 13, 2010
Silly Rylie
For those of you that know Rylie pretty well, you know that she has quite the personality. You also know that she has quite the fiery temper too. (Hmmm, I wonder where she gets that from?) But when she is in a good mood, she is so fun! She talks exceptionally well for her age, and sometimes we wonder where she comes up with the stuff she says. She is like a little sponge too, so lately we have had to be so careful of what we say in front of her. But overall she is just silly. She is constantly making us laugh. Here is a cute little story of “silly Rylie” from this morning…
This morning we were driving to school and the song “Squirrels in My Pants” came on. For those of you that listen to regular radio and not stations for kids (lucky!!!), I promise you that this is a kid-appropriate song that they play on Kids Place Live on Sirius. It is almost like a rap song and has a catchy beat. Anywayyyyyyyy…Rylie starts bopping her head around to the music and says “Rylie being silly”. After a minute or so of this she stopped and said “Go Bryce! Go Bryce! Go Bryce! Go Bryce!” Maybe you had to be there, I don’t know, but it was hilarious!
Sometimes it is the little stuff that makes us laugh. We have these little Oust spray things in all of the bathrooms. I can’t find refills for them anymore so they are empty, but removing them from the walls is #437 on my list of things to do, so I haven’t gotten around to taking them off the walls yet. Lately Rylie has taken interest in them. She likes to flip the cover up and down and call it “weird”. We have no idea why the Oust air fresheners are so “weird” to her, but it cracks me up every time she plays with those things. Brian said that sometimes she calls them “stuff” too.
If you ask Rylie what tomorrow is she says “Happy to you Rylie!” (It is her birthday.)
Rylie can count to 10! No really, she can. She might miss a number or two, but she gets there. But she has to always say her friend’s name when she counts. One of her “BFFs” at school is Zara Rodriguez and for whatever reason, Rylie associates Zara with counting. It goes something like this – “one two five six seven nine ten Zara Riguez”. Every now and then we get a three and four in there, never eight, but always Zara Riguez.
The other day we were driving home (probably from shopping since I do a lot of that) and Bryce was grunting. I said to Brian “it sounds like Bryce is taking a dump back here”. So of course the little parrot pipes up and says “Bryce take a dump, Rylie no take a dump”. We heard about Rylie’s not-dumping for the rest of the afternoon.
I almost forgot about “froggy”. That one word made our Christmas quite the fun time. We were eating dinner and I was telling Rylie to say certain words for my brother (Uncle “Nenny”). Froggy was one of them. In order to keep this blog “family friendly”, I will continue to write “froggy”, but that is definitely not how it sounds when she says it. And for those that can’t figure it out…it sounds like the f-bomb with a “y” on the end, or sometimes with an “it”. Well that amused Danny. So he laughed. Then she said it again. So he laughed again. Lather, rinse, repeat. And every time she would say it she would get louder, and of course the laughing turned into hysterical laughter. So now any time we mention my brother Rylie says “Rylie make uncle Nenny laugh…FROGGEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”
My sweet, silly Rylie. There is never a dull moment around our house!
This morning we were driving to school and the song “Squirrels in My Pants” came on. For those of you that listen to regular radio and not stations for kids (lucky!!!), I promise you that this is a kid-appropriate song that they play on Kids Place Live on Sirius. It is almost like a rap song and has a catchy beat. Anywayyyyyyyy…Rylie starts bopping her head around to the music and says “Rylie being silly”. After a minute or so of this she stopped and said “Go Bryce! Go Bryce! Go Bryce! Go Bryce!” Maybe you had to be there, I don’t know, but it was hilarious!
Sometimes it is the little stuff that makes us laugh. We have these little Oust spray things in all of the bathrooms. I can’t find refills for them anymore so they are empty, but removing them from the walls is #437 on my list of things to do, so I haven’t gotten around to taking them off the walls yet. Lately Rylie has taken interest in them. She likes to flip the cover up and down and call it “weird”. We have no idea why the Oust air fresheners are so “weird” to her, but it cracks me up every time she plays with those things. Brian said that sometimes she calls them “stuff” too.
If you ask Rylie what tomorrow is she says “Happy to you Rylie!” (It is her birthday.)
Rylie can count to 10! No really, she can. She might miss a number or two, but she gets there. But she has to always say her friend’s name when she counts. One of her “BFFs” at school is Zara Rodriguez and for whatever reason, Rylie associates Zara with counting. It goes something like this – “one two five six seven nine ten Zara Riguez”. Every now and then we get a three and four in there, never eight, but always Zara Riguez.
The other day we were driving home (probably from shopping since I do a lot of that) and Bryce was grunting. I said to Brian “it sounds like Bryce is taking a dump back here”. So of course the little parrot pipes up and says “Bryce take a dump, Rylie no take a dump”. We heard about Rylie’s not-dumping for the rest of the afternoon.
I almost forgot about “froggy”. That one word made our Christmas quite the fun time. We were eating dinner and I was telling Rylie to say certain words for my brother (Uncle “Nenny”). Froggy was one of them. In order to keep this blog “family friendly”, I will continue to write “froggy”, but that is definitely not how it sounds when she says it. And for those that can’t figure it out…it sounds like the f-bomb with a “y” on the end, or sometimes with an “it”. Well that amused Danny. So he laughed. Then she said it again. So he laughed again. Lather, rinse, repeat. And every time she would say it she would get louder, and of course the laughing turned into hysterical laughter. So now any time we mention my brother Rylie says “Rylie make uncle Nenny laugh…FROGGEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”
My sweet, silly Rylie. There is never a dull moment around our house!
Welcome!
Yes, I have jumped on the blogging bandwagon. I’m always way late for this stuff. I think I was the last person EVER to sign up on MySpace. I resisted Facebook for as long as I possibly could, but then my husband signed up so I had to create an account to see what he was up to. And now here I am with an attempt at a blog. I have no idea when I am going to have time to write anything here, but I will give it a try.
The main purpose of this blog is to allow family and friends to “see” the kids grow up. There will be tons of bragging (hey, they’re my kids, I am going to brag), a lot of funny stories, some requests for advice, and probably a little frustration here and there. I also reserve the right to talk about subjects other than the kids from time to time.
I figured I would have a hard time trying to come up with a name for this. The first words that came to me were things like “crazy”, “busy”, “pulling my hair out”, etc., but then “The Life of Riley” popped into my head. I have heard that expression before, but never really knew what it meant, so I typed it in Google. This is what Wikipedia says:
“The expression, "Living the life of Riley" suggests an ideal life of prosperity and contentment, possibly living on someone else's money, time or work. Rather than a negative freeloading or golddigging aspect, it instead implies that someone is kept or advantaged.”
It fits. I think my kids have a great life, and I hope we’re always able to provide that for them. Even though our lives are pretty crazy busy at the moment and some days I feel like pulling my hair out, the kids’ prosperity and contentment means more to me than the craziness that has become my life these days. The craziness will end. Well, it probably won’t ever end, but it will evolve into different kinds of craziness, and hopefully things will get easier as time passes.
It will probably be a while before this blog is pretty. I have a lot to learn about how this site works, so I will be learning as I go. (For example, how to get that picture at the top smaller.) If I tried to figure it all out before I started posting, the kids would probably be in college before I ever wrote anything about them. So bear with me, OK? I am open to suggestions regarding format, topics, etc. Oh, and I’m not an English major (in fact that was one of my most hated classes), so my writing may not always be proper. That probably will not change as I go.
I have allowed Brian to be an author on this blog too. So every now and then you may get really lucky and get to see something from him.
So here it is. My attempt at a blog. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I’m going to enjoy posting to it. Thanks for checking it out!
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