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!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
A Bad Week Gets Worse...
We all have our ups and downs, but unfortunately for Ryan his are all happening at the same time. So we all know about the ear infection and molars. Now let's add potential head trauma. (Ok, not really, he seems totally fine.)
Yesterday morning, I was getting Ryan ready for day care as we do every other morning. He was sitting on the changing table and playing "let's drop the clothes on the floor and watch Mommy pick them up" game. This went on for a while, he drops the clothes, I pick them up, he drops them again and laughs hysterically. On the 4th or 5th drop, I bent down and he leaned forward to see but lost his balance and came tumbling off the changing table. It felt like it was happening in slow motion, but at the same time, it happened so fast I can't really remember. I think I got my arm in there a bit, but really he fell and landed half in the open bottom drawer of his dresser and half on the floor. It looked awful. He was on his back (somehow twisting in mid air) with his head hitting the floor and his back hitting the edge of the drawer. I picked him up to comfort him (he's screaming his head off) and literally 10 seconds later he's forgotten all about it and playing with his toys. Thank goodness kids are resilient and flexible. I on the other hand am totally freaked out and can't get the image of my son being tossed about like a ragdoll out of my mind.
Anyway, he's fine thankfully and I'm trying my best to forget it. I think from now on I'll be getting him dressed on the floor, he's just a little too big and unruly for the changing table. And major kudos go to Justin for not yelling at me which I'm pretty sure would have happened if it was him instead of me. So I've learned a lesson in how fast these kids are, and Ryan has discovered gravity.
Yesterday morning, I was getting Ryan ready for day care as we do every other morning. He was sitting on the changing table and playing "let's drop the clothes on the floor and watch Mommy pick them up" game. This went on for a while, he drops the clothes, I pick them up, he drops them again and laughs hysterically. On the 4th or 5th drop, I bent down and he leaned forward to see but lost his balance and came tumbling off the changing table. It felt like it was happening in slow motion, but at the same time, it happened so fast I can't really remember. I think I got my arm in there a bit, but really he fell and landed half in the open bottom drawer of his dresser and half on the floor. It looked awful. He was on his back (somehow twisting in mid air) with his head hitting the floor and his back hitting the edge of the drawer. I picked him up to comfort him (he's screaming his head off) and literally 10 seconds later he's forgotten all about it and playing with his toys. Thank goodness kids are resilient and flexible. I on the other hand am totally freaked out and can't get the image of my son being tossed about like a ragdoll out of my mind.
Anyway, he's fine thankfully and I'm trying my best to forget it. I think from now on I'll be getting him dressed on the floor, he's just a little too big and unruly for the changing table. And major kudos go to Justin for not yelling at me which I'm pretty sure would have happened if it was him instead of me. So I've learned a lesson in how fast these kids are, and Ryan has discovered gravity.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Another Month, Another Ear Infection
This was not a good weekend for poor Ryan. On top of being sick and having another ear infection, all 4 of his molars seem to be pushing through at once. I don't think I've ever seen him so miserable in his short little life. The good news though is that hopefully he's getting it over with all at once.
Quick development update: Ryan has added "yeah" and "all done" to his vocabulary and can go up and down the stairs easily. He's also pretty good at obeying commands like "wash your hands" and "go to your high chair". The best one though is Ryan getting our slippers. Now I know what you're thinking, no our son is not our dog, but given Ryan's penchant for shoes, it was inevitable that he would happily pick up this trick. All you have to do is sit on the couch, put your feet in the air, and say "Ryan what's missing?" He will then go get your slippers and try to put them on your feet. And he distinguishes between my slippers and Justin's. Pretty cool party trick - we'll have to get it on video one of these days!
Quick development update: Ryan has added "yeah" and "all done" to his vocabulary and can go up and down the stairs easily. He's also pretty good at obeying commands like "wash your hands" and "go to your high chair". The best one though is Ryan getting our slippers. Now I know what you're thinking, no our son is not our dog, but given Ryan's penchant for shoes, it was inevitable that he would happily pick up this trick. All you have to do is sit on the couch, put your feet in the air, and say "Ryan what's missing?" He will then go get your slippers and try to put them on your feet. And he distinguishes between my slippers and Justin's. Pretty cool party trick - we'll have to get it on video one of these days!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Ryan Health Update
We just got back from our follow up appointment at the pediatrician's office. Ryan's ears and lungs are clear and healthy! The doctor did notice that Ryan has had 3 ear infections in 4 months, and apparently the criteria to be referred to a specialist is 3 ear infections in 3 months... so he's just shy. I'm ok with that though since I'm not all that interested in having to deal with tubes. Right now the ear infections don't seem that bad. They don't really bother him all that much, and he loves antibiotics. He just finished a 10 day course today and I think he's going to be bummed. He always makes the "more" sign when we give it to him.
As for his lungs, the doctor told us to give him some preventative puffs on his albuteral inhaler at the first sign of a cold to help keep his airways open. It appears so far that his wheezing is triggered by colds, which is bad cause he has them a lot, but good because it's not an everyday allergy thing. According to the doctor, kids usually outgrow wheezing from colds, so hopefully this is all temporary!
As for his lungs, the doctor told us to give him some preventative puffs on his albuteral inhaler at the first sign of a cold to help keep his airways open. It appears so far that his wheezing is triggered by colds, which is bad cause he has them a lot, but good because it's not an everyday allergy thing. According to the doctor, kids usually outgrow wheezing from colds, so hopefully this is all temporary!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)