BIG recap

I can't believe it's been almost two months since an update. Sorry for the slack.

A lot has happened since August. Rya has started going to Mom's Day Out twice a week. It took her awhile to get into the swing of a new classroom AND new "teachers", but I think she's adjusted well. On Wednesdays she is still one of the oldest in her class and they take naps in the crib or swing and just sort of play and hang out. On Fridays, she is the youngest in her class and they do more interactive and learning activities. Stories, colorings, playground trips, sleeping on mats!! I didn't think she could do it, but by the second week she would get her mat and go to sleep on it. I'd still love to sneak in and see it one day.

Since our last update, we have announced that Rya will be a big sister! We are very excited...anxious too, but overall excited. We know it will be hard work at first, but it will be worth it in the long run to have two children close in age. They will be about 22.5 months apart. I wasn't really nervous until Larry asked me the other day how I was going to handle two children alone during the day once he went back to work. Now it seems like that's all I think about, BUT we will take it one day at a time and take the curses with the blessings. I'm just really not looking forward to the no-sleeping stage again. Aye Ca Rumba.

All three of us have had the flu. Rya first along with an ear infection, then Larry, then me. I felt like I was dying. Larry and I were both put on Tamiflu, but little Rya just had to stick it out. She did get antibiotics for her ear infection though. I also was put on antibiotics because it started to go down into my chest and my doctor didn't want that to happen...bad news for pregnant women. Rya and I are fully recovered, but Larry has this lingering cough. He has a few more days of antibiotics so hopefully he will be back to 100% shortly.

We leave tomorrow for a mini-vacation to the Outer Banks, NC. It will be Rya's first airplane trip. I don't know what to expect. I have downloaded some shows on the laptop to hopefully help keep her mind off the fact that she has to sit in one of our laps for each leg of the flight. Our layover up is just long enough to let her stretch and run around for a little bit before plopping down in our laps again. After the airplane rides, we have a 2 hour drive. I hope she takes her nap then. That's the only other thing that has me worried. Sleep. I just hope she does it and does it well. But if she can sleep on a mat, she can sleep in a new place, right?! :)

I have a ton of pictures to put up but that will have to be later today. It's time to wake Rya up for a fun day at Mom's Day Out. Thanks for reading!

Dress up & Posing

 

 

 

 

GOLFING

 

 

 

 

15 month well baby

We have a healthy and happy not-so-baby girl. The doctor can't believe how fast 15 months has gone...I think I was one of those moms that called at the slightest sniffle so we've become "regulars" at the doctor's office. Rya weighed in at 21.4 pounds (up from 20.8 pounds at 12 months) and in the 50th percentile. She is 31 inches long (up from 29.5 inches at 12 months) and in the 75th percentile. Her head is 47 cm. (up from 46 at 12 months) and in the 75th percentile. She is growing right on track! We had a few questions concerning her diet. She doesn't like to eat any animals. The doctor said that's perfectly fine, Rya's getting most of her protein from milk. That was nice to hear. Over the past few days Rya has gotten some patches of eczema on her back. The doctor said that Rya is showing signs of having allergies. She wants us to start giving Rya a 1/2 tsp of Zyrtec every night at bedtime. She doesn't want to do testing, but does want us to treat it with over the counter medicine for now. I was doing some reading and found that it's common for children that have eczema to later devlop asthma. I'd like to do whatever it takes to try to delay the asthma. Larry had bad asthma as a child and is a major sufferer of allergies now. He actually just got his first allergy shot today, so hopefully he's on the right path. We are lathering Rya up with cocoa butter to ease her eczema and will start the Zyrtec shortly. Rya received two shots today so we want to make sure there aren't any chances of reaction to those before starting her on the Zyrtec. Dr. V said she is doing wonderfully developmentally and that we should consider upping Rya's days at Mom's Day Out. She actually said this at 12 months, but I think we are finally ready to enroll her in more time away from me. I need it and I know Rya needs it. She LOVES being with the other kids.

Here are some pictures from us "coloring" the other day. She colors for about 2 mintues and then sits on the paper and puts the crayons one at a time in the box...then takes them out, one at a time...then puts them in, one at a time. Over and over again. She does this with a lot of things, not just crayons. In the morning I'll put a hand full of Cheerios on the table for her to eat while she drinks her milk. Lately, she brings them to me one at a time and then puts them back on the table one at a time. I don't mind this, just wish I understood WHY.






Last, but not, least. We've been playing with blocks for about 2 weeks now and she doesn't quite get the whole idea behind stacking them, but she loves knocking them down after I've stacked them. Today, however, she grabbed a book from her bookshelf, laid it on the floor, then stacked another book on top of the first one (edges lined up) and carried it over to me...so she gets the stacking idea, just on a less blocky scale. We are working on our words. It's interesting. She'll repeat what we say, but it's not the words we say...it's the tone and pitch we used. Sometimes the letters match up, sometimes they don't. I hope that makes sense. :)

Thanks for reading! xxoo

Summertime Rolls

The only thing that is not active this summer is the tropical weather. They always say that summer flies b/c of all the traveling and visiting that happens. And once again "they" are right. Since we haven't been able to travel as much this summer as we have in the past, it seems like everyone has come or will come to us. I'm a fan!! We do live in one of the most beautiful places and I'm glad we can share it with friends and family. We have had more visitors this year than ever before and have made some wonderful memories. (I'll post pictures in a separate post.)

Rya has her bottom two first molars completely in (good times) and is now finishing the top two. She is TRYING so hard to talk...it's hilarious. She loves walking backwards and although she tends to kind of curve at the end, she giggles the whole time. :D She's trying to learn how to play golf (as you'll see from the pictures) and is really good at kicking and throwing the ball. Nothing mesmerizes her like Yo Gabba Gabba on Noggin. We don't let her watch a lot of TV, but when I have something to do, I admit it does make a nice babysitter. We are working on independent play...I just feel so guilty sometimes. I hope that's normal.

We have our 15 month well baby checkup next week and I am just so excited about this one. I don't think we've been to the doctor (knock on wood) since our 12 month well baby checkup. That's HUGE! Seems like our first year we spent A LOT of time there...even for a little girl NOT in daycare full time.

We are off to meet my cousin's little girl tonight and visit with some other cousins and aunts & uncles...and of course Gran'ma. I'll be sure to post pictures from that too. :)

My such big lips you have!

Rya found my "lipstick" the other day. I hope you can see just how far she's sticking her little lips out. I gotta get a better video camera or figure out how to get a YouTube video on here. :D



Here are some still shots:

Debbie Downer

I have put off posting this week in hopes that our week would improve or I would find something to be positive about, but here it is Sunday and I'm still at a loss. Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday afternoon were some of the most trying days in a long time for me. Rya was being a royal Her Whineyness and my tricks and love just weren't cutting it. When I picked her up from Mom's Day Out on Wednesday she was crying and very unhappy...so unlike her, she usually LOVES going. I had set an appointment with the pediatrician for that afternoon because of the crankiness and low grade fevers, but after I got a quick glance in her mouth, I coughed it up to teething and cancelled the appointment. Well, after her bath Wednesday night we noticed a rash on her belly and back. By Thursday morning it spread to her arms and legs. We figured it was just a viral rash, but I called the pediatrician anyway before the long weekend. And what a long weekend it was! It ended up being a viral rash and we were told we were at the end, but the rash would stick around for about a week. Larry took off Friday from work and so we headed to the beach for him to surf and for Rya and I to play in the sand and sun. We met my mom and dad and had a nice time...there, there's something nice from the last week. So it's wasn't a TOTAL flop. ;) Friday evening Larry started feeling like poo and complained of body aches and headache. I figured he just overdid it in the water and sun. However, he started to run a fever and was having chills when Rya woke up at 1am throwing up EVERYWHERE. She continued to vomit every hour to hour and a half until about 6:30am. We went through all her towels, 4 sheets, both of her lovies and 5 pairs of PJs. I was doing laundry at 2:30am to try to get lovie cleaned. My heart broke everytime she got sick...I felt so helpless. She didn't throw up any yesterday day, but we kept her on a water, banana, rice, applesauce & toast diet just in case. Needless to say, we skipped the fireworks, but I watched some on TV w/ Neil Diamond. :D Larry is still running a fever but hopefully he's almost to the end of it. So we are 0 for 2 on favorite holiday celebrations this year due to illness. Sorry to be such a downer, but I'm sure one day I'll look back on this and laugh..hopefully.