Monday, June 1, 2009
The Young and the Restless
I wrote about this on Facebook, but it really deserves more space than a status update. Ryan has his first crush. There happens to be a 3 year old at daycare named Daniella who has captured Ryan's heart. While Ryan loves to say all the names of his daycare people, his favorite name is Daniella. He not only says it all day long, he sings it. Dan-iell-a! Dan-iell-a! But before you go, "oh, it's just a fun name to say, that's all", there's more. One day last week I showed up at daycare and Ryan, Daniella, and Alice were sitting on the stoop hanging out. Ryan reached for me like always but then bent over so he could give Daniella a kiss. She pushed him away and giggled. He just stared at her, even as Alice tried to say goodbye. Today I picked Ryan up and heard that Ryan tried to hold Daniella's hand when walking back from the park. She apparently didn't want to hold his hand and he threw himself on the sidewalk in a fit of despair. She ultimately relented (thank you Daniella!). Meanwhile Lucy was perfectly willing to hold Ryan's hand, but he only had eyes for Daniella. Guess he likes older women.
Bahamas
A couple of weeks ago we spent a week in the Bahamas with the Summerses. We had a great time playing on the beach, swimming in the pool, and generally enjoying the awesome Bahamian weather. The only problems we encountered were due to what we called "Island Time". The people of the Bahamas generally adhere to 2 speeds: slow and stop. When you are just adults hanging out on the beach with no schedule, it's pretty nice. It was a tad more complicated with the kiddos. For instance, the poolside restaurant opened at 12:00 everyday which really meant 12:30. Not a big deal for us, but not great for Ryan who was starving and generally unhappy by the time we got food an hour later. We learned pretty quickly though and got groceries so we could feed the kids on our schedule and not on Island Time. Oh, and a tip to anyone traveling to the Bahamas with young kids - bring your own crib. Our resort not only didn't have them for us the first night as promised, but when we complained they actually told us to just put them on the sofa: "They're 1? What are they doing in a crib anyway?"
But despite any minor setbacks, we had a great time. At one point I was sitting in the hottub watching Ryan and Justin playing together at the pool with a view of the ocean behind them. All I could think was "Life is good".
Click here for additional pictures from our vacation!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Asthma
It's official - Ryan has asthma. We're not really shocked, the definition of asthma is chronic wheezing, and well, he wheezes a lot. I took him to the doctor yesterday morning since he was wheezing again. We've been controlling it with albuteral, but I just wanted the doctor to see him before our trip to the Bahamas. The pediatrician said he fit the criteria and that we should try a preventative medication for a little while to see if that helps. So he's now on low-dose Flovent that he has to take via inhalation once a day for 4-6 weeks. After that we'll decide if it's helping. Luckily Ryan seems to enjoy the inhaler and eagerly breathes it in every time. I wonder if that means he knows what he's getting and he knows it will make him feel better.
I know a lot of kids have asthma and outgrow it. It just sucks that my perfect little baby is not so perfect. The good news is that the wheezing doesn't seem to bother him and he's never been in real distress as far as we can tell. I'll start carrying around a rescue inhaler just in case, but hopefully we won't need it.
I know a lot of kids have asthma and outgrow it. It just sucks that my perfect little baby is not so perfect. The good news is that the wheezing doesn't seem to bother him and he's never been in real distress as far as we can tell. I'll start carrying around a rescue inhaler just in case, but hopefully we won't need it.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Terrible Ones?
We took Ryan to Chicago for the long weekend to visit my family. The last time we were there was in October, but wow what a difference 6 months makes! Ryan was pretty good on the flight there - he just didn't want to sit still. He went back and forth from my lap to Justin's and wanted nothing more than to run around in the aisle. He didn't cry or anything, but he did try to get away at least a dozen times.
Once we arrived, it became clear that our easy-going baby was now a terrified toddler with MAJOR stranger anxiety. Ryan wouldn't go near anyone and pretty much clung to me the entire trip. The only way he would play with his cousins was if Justin or I played too. And forget going to my family members. He pretty much shunned everyone. The only person he went to was Vikram but I think that's because we were outside and Vikram was offering to take him to a playground. Being outside seems to trump stranger anxiety.
We had a bbq on Saturday since the weather was so nice. Aunt Beth came over to spend some time with Ryan (albeit from afar). On Sunday we had brunch with Ziggy, Heather, and Max and Ryan was pretty well behaved during that outing. I guess mornings make a big difference.
On Sunday night we all went out to a nice steakhouse for Vikram's birthday. Luckily they put us in a private room since chaos pretty much ensued when we got there. Ryan got bored within seconds of being put in the high chair and decided to throw all his toys. The only way we could get him to stop was to let him play with a cup of water and a straw. Which of course leads to him flicking water at me with the straw. So then we take the water away and he has a fit. We manage to distract him with some dinner rolls for a little while and I sigh in relief when I see the food coming thinking that will distract him too. Instead, Ryan decides now is the time he doesn't want to sit in the high chair anymore. I put him in my lap and give him some green beans. Ryan loves green beans so I figure I'm good. Nope. Ryan gets a little overzealous with the green beans, shoves them in too far, and starts choking on them. And then there's vomit. All over his pants and a little on me too. And of course this happens to be the ONE TIME I forget to put his spare clothes in the diaper bag. So off come the pants. Ryan thinks this is hysterical and starts running around the room in his onesie and sweater. We decide to close the door to the room and just let him run as we finish our meal. I so miss the days when we would put a sleeping Ryan in his infant seat next to the table. I think it's going to be take out for us for a while...
Ryan threw several fits on Monday and at this point I think he was getting frustrated at being away from home. On the flight home, we were given the bulkhead row so Ryan could run around in the extra space. It was much easier for us, although he started throwing his toys. I think part of the problem is that we encourage him to throw a ball and he doesn't yet understand the difference. He looks up at us for approval when he throws something and is then confused and frustrated when we don't give it to him.
I'm having a love/hate relationship with this age. He's old enough to be more fun. He loves playing games and when he laughs it just warms my heart. But he's also old enough to be manipulative and young enough not to understand reason. Which just makes leaving the house challenging. We're going to the Bahamas in a couple of weeks for vacation, wish us luck!
Once we arrived, it became clear that our easy-going baby was now a terrified toddler with MAJOR stranger anxiety. Ryan wouldn't go near anyone and pretty much clung to me the entire trip. The only way he would play with his cousins was if Justin or I played too. And forget going to my family members. He pretty much shunned everyone. The only person he went to was Vikram but I think that's because we were outside and Vikram was offering to take him to a playground. Being outside seems to trump stranger anxiety.
We had a bbq on Saturday since the weather was so nice. Aunt Beth came over to spend some time with Ryan (albeit from afar). On Sunday we had brunch with Ziggy, Heather, and Max and Ryan was pretty well behaved during that outing. I guess mornings make a big difference.
On Sunday night we all went out to a nice steakhouse for Vikram's birthday. Luckily they put us in a private room since chaos pretty much ensued when we got there. Ryan got bored within seconds of being put in the high chair and decided to throw all his toys. The only way we could get him to stop was to let him play with a cup of water and a straw. Which of course leads to him flicking water at me with the straw. So then we take the water away and he has a fit. We manage to distract him with some dinner rolls for a little while and I sigh in relief when I see the food coming thinking that will distract him too. Instead, Ryan decides now is the time he doesn't want to sit in the high chair anymore. I put him in my lap and give him some green beans. Ryan loves green beans so I figure I'm good. Nope. Ryan gets a little overzealous with the green beans, shoves them in too far, and starts choking on them. And then there's vomit. All over his pants and a little on me too. And of course this happens to be the ONE TIME I forget to put his spare clothes in the diaper bag. So off come the pants. Ryan thinks this is hysterical and starts running around the room in his onesie and sweater. We decide to close the door to the room and just let him run as we finish our meal. I so miss the days when we would put a sleeping Ryan in his infant seat next to the table. I think it's going to be take out for us for a while...
Ryan threw several fits on Monday and at this point I think he was getting frustrated at being away from home. On the flight home, we were given the bulkhead row so Ryan could run around in the extra space. It was much easier for us, although he started throwing his toys. I think part of the problem is that we encourage him to throw a ball and he doesn't yet understand the difference. He looks up at us for approval when he throws something and is then confused and frustrated when we don't give it to him.
I'm having a love/hate relationship with this age. He's old enough to be more fun. He loves playing games and when he laughs it just warms my heart. But he's also old enough to be manipulative and young enough not to understand reason. Which just makes leaving the house challenging. We're going to the Bahamas in a couple of weeks for vacation, wish us luck!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Mine!
Oh boy. Ryan has learned the dreaded word... "mine!" And he means it. This morning I took away his little bowl of snacks in the car since he wasn't eating them so much as throwing them on the floor. He proceeded to scream "mine! mine! mine!" for the rest of the 30 minute commute. So fun. On the plus side, as long as you give him the bath toys he demands, he seems to be ok with the bath now.
In other news, Ryan has become very attached to one of the assistants at our daycare, Ana. He lunges for her when he gets dropped off and wistfully says her name during the weekends. While of course there's a little part of me that's jealous (especially when he confuses us and calls me "Ana"), I'm mostly thrilled. We are truly lucky that we found this place. It's a family-based daycare run out of the house of a woman named Amy (who used to work in a center). Her daughter is 6 weeks older than Ryan and they have become great friends. There are 4 other kids and between Amy and her 3 assistants, there are always 2 adults present, which makes me happy. They treat the kids like their own, and it feels like family is watching Ryan. I feel like they truly love my child - they always give him lots of hugs and kisses and I can tell they miss him during the weekends. It really makes going to work so much more fulfilling when you are confident and happy with your daycare selection. So in the end, I'll take the occasional "Ana" if it means Ryan is happy and well taken care of.
In other news, Ryan has become very attached to one of the assistants at our daycare, Ana. He lunges for her when he gets dropped off and wistfully says her name during the weekends. While of course there's a little part of me that's jealous (especially when he confuses us and calls me "Ana"), I'm mostly thrilled. We are truly lucky that we found this place. It's a family-based daycare run out of the house of a woman named Amy (who used to work in a center). Her daughter is 6 weeks older than Ryan and they have become great friends. There are 4 other kids and between Amy and her 3 assistants, there are always 2 adults present, which makes me happy. They treat the kids like their own, and it feels like family is watching Ryan. I feel like they truly love my child - they always give him lots of hugs and kisses and I can tell they miss him during the weekends. It really makes going to work so much more fulfilling when you are confident and happy with your daycare selection. So in the end, I'll take the occasional "Ana" if it means Ryan is happy and well taken care of.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Not Mama
Ryan has been saying "namama" a lot these days to our befuddlement. What the heck is "namama"? Turns out he's referring to Justin. He went through a phase when he was calling both of us "Mama". And I would say "That's not mama, that's dada." Of course, being new to the English language, he doesn't quite get the negative. So he thinks I'm calling Justin "not mama". Hehe.
Despite the minor health setbacks Ryan's had recently, he's still a tremendously happy kid. Check out his new smile with all those teeth! (Photo credit: Rachel Summers).
Ryan's 2 favorite activities these days are building a pile of pillows to fall on and riding on his Sesame Street ride-a-long toy with Zach while Aunt Rachel pushes them. The funny part is when only of them gets to ride, the other follows behind crying. Ok, well it's not funny to them, but it's kinda amusing to us. Here they are enjoying the ride:
Despite the minor health setbacks Ryan's had recently, he's still a tremendously happy kid. Check out his new smile with all those teeth! (Photo credit: Rachel Summers).
Ryan's 2 favorite activities these days are building a pile of pillows to fall on and riding on his Sesame Street ride-a-long toy with Zach while Aunt Rachel pushes them. The funny part is when only of them gets to ride, the other follows behind crying. Ok, well it's not funny to them, but it's kinda amusing to us. Here they are enjoying the ride:
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
15 Month Appointment
Ryan had his 15 month check up this morning and passed with flying colors! We're still watching the wheezing and ear infections, but otherwise Ryan is perfectly healthy and developmentally on track. He walks and talks like normal 15 month olds and is still on his way to becoming a very tall and skinny boy. Here are the stats:
Height: 32.75 inches
Weight: 22 lb 5 oz
Head: 46 cm
One thing I found interesting was that the doctor told us we can start disciplining Ryan when he misbehaves. We're just supposed to put him in the crib for a 1 minute "time out" and walk away. 1 minute doesn't seem like a long time, but it still seemed kinda harsh for a 15 month old. We'll see if and when we implement the doctor's advice. I was thinking we'd start with the time outs around 18 months.
Height: 32.75 inches
Weight: 22 lb 5 oz
Head: 46 cm
One thing I found interesting was that the doctor told us we can start disciplining Ryan when he misbehaves. We're just supposed to put him in the crib for a 1 minute "time out" and walk away. 1 minute doesn't seem like a long time, but it still seemed kinda harsh for a 15 month old. We'll see if and when we implement the doctor's advice. I was thinking we'd start with the time outs around 18 months.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)