Ryan made it through a Labor Day with out a hospital stay this year! The three years prior to this included at least an ER visit, if not an ambulance ride and a stay at the hospital. We don't know if he's growing out of his seasonal allergies and/or asthma, or if it was the cocktail of meds we pumped him with that did the trick, but either way, he made it through Labor Day weekend! Yes!
Ryan's 8, going on 16 lately. We're starting to see some tween behavior along with more desire to play with friends and less desire to hang out with his sister and brother. He's doing well in school...reading well, excels in math, loves recess. His teacher says he's a good boy and student. We've had a few small issues with talking, and unfortunately, we're struggling with a few of his friends. His best friend, who's such a good kid, transferred to a new school last year. Since then, Ryan's been finding new friends in class, but he tends to gravitate toward the class clowns. Friends have such a huge impact on kids, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he's not in class with a couple of the boys next year. One in particular has had a negative influence on Ryan, something even Ryan has recognized. He asked to move chairs in music, because he knew he was talking too much. That was a proud mommy moment...when my kid took responsibility for his actions and made changes. Some times it feels like he doesn't hear a word we say, then he does something like that.
He just finished up another season of fall baseball. His team was mediocre but I think Ryan still enjoyed the season. He played outfield for about half the season and the other half he played second base. He liked second base a lot better because "it got more action". Who can blame him? He's really pushing to play football now. The schedule for kids football is insane, daily practice, traveling weekend games. Plus it's a lot more expensive. Ryan watches the game on TV and understands what's happening, He knows some of the teams and players. He cheers at the right time and knows what some of the calls are. He really wants to play and has a huge interest in it. We're really going to have to think about it for next year.
Ryan, at a month shy of 8, finally stopped sucking his finger. He's sucked his first finger since he was a baby and nothing could make him stop. We tried bandaids, gloves, yucky tasting stuff, rewards for not doing it...everything we could think of. Then he broke his arm and it was in a cast that didn't allow him to get his finger in mouth. I thought that would be the end of it, but nope, the minute the cast came off his finger went in his mouth. Then, this past spring, he lost a tooth and another, adult teeth were coming in and he was still sucking that finger which was causing the adult teeth to come in at an angle. We decided it was time to take him to an orthodontist and get a mouth brace. Well, all it took was one visit, the guy telling Ryan he needed to stop and Ryan hasn't put that finger in his mouth since. I guess he was ready and finally had the right motivation. No matter what, it was a huge habit to break and we're so proud of him.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Surgery, Daycare and Tears...oh my!
The last few months have been pretty big for Makenna. Her voice has changed and she's spent some time away from Mommy.
First things first, Makenna started a two day a week Mother's Day Out program. Tuesday and Thursday for 5 hours she spends time with two teachers and a bunch of friends. I wasn't sure either of us would make it through her first day, and both of us shed many many tears. I thought I was being selfish for wanting her to go to "school" and almost pulled her out, but her daddy, smart man that he is, convinced me to give it a few more days. She cried for most of the first and second day, but by day three the drop off tears stopped within half an hour. By the fourth day it was about 10 minutes and since then she's been a superstar. Walks right in, with her baby in tow, and is always happy when I pick her up.
Potty training amped up when MDO started and Makenna was doing so well. We still had a few accidents, but she was in panties most days and was proud of herself. Then, we found out she was going to need surgery. Minor surgery, tonsils and adenoids, but still surgery. Potty training went out the window and she's fighting it with all she's got now. She refuses to go potty at school and when she's in panties, has accidents pretty frequently. On a positive note, since surgery she no longer snores or has sleep apnea, yay! Her voice has gotten a lot higher too. Now that we're through surgery and recovery, it's time to push potty training into high gear again. We're ready to have just one in diapers!
A few other little tidbits about Makenna:
*She sings all the time.
*She's a strong little thing, when she had blood drawn for surgery labs she watched the whole thing and didn't even flinch.
*She's very opinionated and strong willed. She's challenging me in so many ways right now, we're constantly trying to figure out what discipline technique is most effective.
*She stopped calling Ryan Bubba or Bub and now calls him by his name. That was something sweet between the two of them, it's been kind of bittersweet to hear the nickname go.
*At 2 3/4 years of age, she's wearing 3T and 4T clothes. I hope she doesn't tower over her two brothers who are both on the small side.
*She still wants me to put her to bed, anytime I'm home. When anyone else tries she throws a huge fit. I love this and struggle with this all at the same time.
*My girl has some attitude...sigh.
*She loves her brothers, but doesn't always show it. I know this is normal sibling stuff, but it can be so frustrating and sometimes sad. Ryan gets his feelings hurt when Makenna doesn't want to give him a hug goodnight.
*Makenna has beautiful hair. We can't go anywhere without someone mentioning it. It's always curly, but when it's really humid her entire head is full of ringlets.
*She's getting to be more social, but still shy. Takes her a bit to warm up to new people and she's not one to smile at random strangers.
*Her vocabulary is growing in leaps and bounds right now. She's always tossing out new words and understands just about anything we say to her.
*We cuddled on the couch and watched Enchanted a few days ago. It's the little girls version of a chick flick. We also broke out my old barbies a few days ago. Makenna's in love. It's so fun having another girl in the house!
First things first, Makenna started a two day a week Mother's Day Out program. Tuesday and Thursday for 5 hours she spends time with two teachers and a bunch of friends. I wasn't sure either of us would make it through her first day, and both of us shed many many tears. I thought I was being selfish for wanting her to go to "school" and almost pulled her out, but her daddy, smart man that he is, convinced me to give it a few more days. She cried for most of the first and second day, but by day three the drop off tears stopped within half an hour. By the fourth day it was about 10 minutes and since then she's been a superstar. Walks right in, with her baby in tow, and is always happy when I pick her up.
Potty training amped up when MDO started and Makenna was doing so well. We still had a few accidents, but she was in panties most days and was proud of herself. Then, we found out she was going to need surgery. Minor surgery, tonsils and adenoids, but still surgery. Potty training went out the window and she's fighting it with all she's got now. She refuses to go potty at school and when she's in panties, has accidents pretty frequently. On a positive note, since surgery she no longer snores or has sleep apnea, yay! Her voice has gotten a lot higher too. Now that we're through surgery and recovery, it's time to push potty training into high gear again. We're ready to have just one in diapers!
A few other little tidbits about Makenna:
*She sings all the time.
*She's a strong little thing, when she had blood drawn for surgery labs she watched the whole thing and didn't even flinch.
*She's very opinionated and strong willed. She's challenging me in so many ways right now, we're constantly trying to figure out what discipline technique is most effective.
*She stopped calling Ryan Bubba or Bub and now calls him by his name. That was something sweet between the two of them, it's been kind of bittersweet to hear the nickname go.
*At 2 3/4 years of age, she's wearing 3T and 4T clothes. I hope she doesn't tower over her two brothers who are both on the small side.
*She still wants me to put her to bed, anytime I'm home. When anyone else tries she throws a huge fit. I love this and struggle with this all at the same time.
*My girl has some attitude...sigh.
*She loves her brothers, but doesn't always show it. I know this is normal sibling stuff, but it can be so frustrating and sometimes sad. Ryan gets his feelings hurt when Makenna doesn't want to give him a hug goodnight.
*Makenna has beautiful hair. We can't go anywhere without someone mentioning it. It's always curly, but when it's really humid her entire head is full of ringlets.
*She's getting to be more social, but still shy. Takes her a bit to warm up to new people and she's not one to smile at random strangers.
*Her vocabulary is growing in leaps and bounds right now. She's always tossing out new words and understands just about anything we say to her.
*We cuddled on the couch and watched Enchanted a few days ago. It's the little girls version of a chick flick. We also broke out my old barbies a few days ago. Makenna's in love. It's so fun having another girl in the house!
Ummm...hello
Tap Tap Tap...
Is this thing on?
Life has gotten incredibly busy and blogging is one of the things I've let slip. I miss the process of writing and I miss having a record of what's going on in our lives, so, it's time to dust off the keyboard and start again. I know there are a few out there that will rejoice (hi Mom and Mom-In-Law). Let's hope I don't fall off the bandwagon again.
Where to begin...
I haven't kept up with my monthly letters to Eli, so I'll throw out some of the highlights over the last couple months.
6 months - 16 lbs 10 oz
At the beginning of this month Eli started sitting by himself. We drove across the country to visit all the family in Colorado. Eli met his Grandma and Grandpa H for the first time, along with many of his aunts and uncles. He also pulled himself to standing for the first time during this trip. Unfortunately mommy and daddy were off playing, so we missed it, but Nana and Papa got to witness his trick. He tolerated the traveling really well but once we were home didn't want to get within a foot of his carseat. During this trip, Eli exhibited the most seperation anxiety we've seen from him. He wanted mom and dad a lot, but grandparents still got some time with him. A good thing, since all three sets got to spend time with their grandkids!
7 months -17 lbs 12 oz
Things were pretty status quo this month. Eli started enjoying food a lot more and decided he was ready to wean. I tried to force the issue for a couple weeks, but then decided I was ready for that step too. He seemed happy with the switch, and I'll admit, I liked getting my body back.
8 months - 18lbs 11 oz
Right as he turned 8 months old, Eli started crawling and pulling himself to standing on everything. It took him about a week of the tummy crawl before he moved into the triangle crawl, which lasted a couple more days. By the end of the month he was proficient in both crawling and standing. He also got his 3rd tooth and about a week later his 4th and saw the beach for the first time. Eli, and family, spent a week in Charleston, SC with Nana, Papa and all the aunts and uncles. He liked the sand much more than the water, we had a hard time keeping it out of his mouth. He also decided to wake up before Dawn most mornings, which meant dad or mom (but mostly dad) got an early morning walk on the beach.
9 months - 18 lbs - 14th percentile for weight, 26 1/2" - 6% for height, head circumference 46cm - 70%
At 9 months, after discovering new skills and having croup twice in month, Eli's weight dropped a bit. He's a peanut with a big brain. What little separation anxiety that was seen a few months ago is long gone and he's a happy, social baby. He smiles all the time and loves to play with anyone who looks at him. We get tons of compliments about what a cute and smiley baby he is...maybe that's where his big head comes from? He's already discovered an affinity for fruit over veggies, and of all my kids, is probably the least open to new tastes as this age. He loves to be outside, and if Makenna leaves the back door open, he beelines for the back yard. Speaking of Makenna, Eli started fighting with her this month. He's able to go after toys that interest him now and she isn't always willing to share. It's so funny to see a 9 month old yelling at his big sister, I know it won't be funny for long but for now it makes us laugh.
I could write all day about our sweet baby, but these few updates bring us to current time. To the grandparents, I promise to try harder to keep the updates coming in a timely fashion.
Is this thing on?
Life has gotten incredibly busy and blogging is one of the things I've let slip. I miss the process of writing and I miss having a record of what's going on in our lives, so, it's time to dust off the keyboard and start again. I know there are a few out there that will rejoice (hi Mom and Mom-In-Law). Let's hope I don't fall off the bandwagon again.
Where to begin...
I haven't kept up with my monthly letters to Eli, so I'll throw out some of the highlights over the last couple months.
6 months - 16 lbs 10 oz
At the beginning of this month Eli started sitting by himself. We drove across the country to visit all the family in Colorado. Eli met his Grandma and Grandpa H for the first time, along with many of his aunts and uncles. He also pulled himself to standing for the first time during this trip. Unfortunately mommy and daddy were off playing, so we missed it, but Nana and Papa got to witness his trick. He tolerated the traveling really well but once we were home didn't want to get within a foot of his carseat. During this trip, Eli exhibited the most seperation anxiety we've seen from him. He wanted mom and dad a lot, but grandparents still got some time with him. A good thing, since all three sets got to spend time with their grandkids!
7 months -17 lbs 12 oz
Things were pretty status quo this month. Eli started enjoying food a lot more and decided he was ready to wean. I tried to force the issue for a couple weeks, but then decided I was ready for that step too. He seemed happy with the switch, and I'll admit, I liked getting my body back.
8 months - 18lbs 11 oz
Right as he turned 8 months old, Eli started crawling and pulling himself to standing on everything. It took him about a week of the tummy crawl before he moved into the triangle crawl, which lasted a couple more days. By the end of the month he was proficient in both crawling and standing. He also got his 3rd tooth and about a week later his 4th and saw the beach for the first time. Eli, and family, spent a week in Charleston, SC with Nana, Papa and all the aunts and uncles. He liked the sand much more than the water, we had a hard time keeping it out of his mouth. He also decided to wake up before Dawn most mornings, which meant dad or mom (but mostly dad) got an early morning walk on the beach.
9 months - 18 lbs - 14th percentile for weight, 26 1/2" - 6% for height, head circumference 46cm - 70%
At 9 months, after discovering new skills and having croup twice in month, Eli's weight dropped a bit. He's a peanut with a big brain. What little separation anxiety that was seen a few months ago is long gone and he's a happy, social baby. He smiles all the time and loves to play with anyone who looks at him. We get tons of compliments about what a cute and smiley baby he is...maybe that's where his big head comes from? He's already discovered an affinity for fruit over veggies, and of all my kids, is probably the least open to new tastes as this age. He loves to be outside, and if Makenna leaves the back door open, he beelines for the back yard. Speaking of Makenna, Eli started fighting with her this month. He's able to go after toys that interest him now and she isn't always willing to share. It's so funny to see a 9 month old yelling at his big sister, I know it won't be funny for long but for now it makes us laugh.
I could write all day about our sweet baby, but these few updates bring us to current time. To the grandparents, I promise to try harder to keep the updates coming in a timely fashion.
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