EARLY MORNING SNUGGLES

Ryder used to sleep from 7:00am-7pm, I swear he did, though it's been sooo long since that's happened I could be imagining it.  It's not that he's been waking up in the middle of the night, so much as he's been waking up EARLY in the morning.  I have always thought anything in the 5's (as in 5am) was way too early to start a day.  That being said, there were entire years when I woke up in the 5's very single week day morning to get in a long run, or a work out.  I guess what made those days different was that it was my choice to wake up and my flabby ass was my motivation and I could sleep in on weekends...now my flabby ass is excused because I chalk it up to pregnancy, it is no long my choice to wake up in the 5's, it is Ryder's and I NEVER get to catch up on sleep on the weekends! Every morning for the last little while, Ryder has been waking up between 5:30 and 5:45am.  He calls for me and I think about ignoring him (as long as his calling isn't urgent) however, I gotta admit, there is this little part of me, that secretly loves our EARLY morning time together.  I have found that I can just walk into his dark room, scoop him and his blankets out of the the crib, carry them to the big Lazy Boy chair that is still in his room (and will be until the new baby comes) to snuggle..sometimes for up to an hour.  We've actually both been falling asleep in the chair, his legs straddled around my ever growing tummy, his soft, sweet red head on my ever growing boobs and my arms wrapped tightly around his chubby little middle.  I know that I should probably lie him back in his crib once he falls asleep, and head back to my own bed so that I can get at least a few more minutes of precious rest, but I also know that my cuddle time with Ryder is going to get to be less and less especially once Peanut arrives, once Ryder discovers how much cooler Dad is than me and once he gets too big to fit comfortably in the chair with me.  I have decided that I am going to let us both enjoy these last few months of "alone time" together guilt free...  

 No pics of us cuddling together, no one else is awake at that time, not even Scout.

Cute lil guy in the tubby!

 Wearing Daddy's shoes...he thought he was sooo clever putting Marty's shoes on.

Well, it's after 10pm and I should be in bed, but I can never seem to get there before 11.  Tomorrow, I'll be tired, but I will also be happy because my day will most likely start with warm cuddles from my favorite almost two year old.

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and hold those lil ones while you can!!

MORE "NO" LESS TANTRUMS...?

It seemed like that for most of January, Ryder's vocabulary consisted of three phrases, "No Mommy, no mommy, no mommy," "I need it," and "Don't want to." His behaviour consisted mostly of rolling around on the floor in protest to almost anything requested of him.

I am happy to say, that as we round the corner and head towards February, his vocabulary, at least, has begun to expand. I am amazed every day at how many more words he can put together and I get such a kick out of his expanding language skills.  I have noticed that his, "Thank you, Mommy" is becoming habit and comes out of his chubby little mouth without being prompted more often than not.  Today, he told me that one of his little friends who was visiting was "bugging" him after he got bumped accidently into the wall.  When he wants to eat or drink something now, he'll ask for it by saying,  "I want to eat it/drink it with my mouth."

He spends less and less time rolling around on floor and more and more time running across the floor and trying to "jump." We are all smiling a lot more every day!  I am not gonna be so bold as to say, that our consistency has paid off and that Ryder is finally learning how to cope with "no", but secretly, I hope so. :)

Things have been going so well (either that or we've become desensitized,) that we decided to head out on a Family date Friday night, to Earls Restaurant.

Sitting in the booth, like a big boy.

We only have trucks at the table in a restaurant, NOT at home!

The outing itself can be considered a success can't it? There was no rolling around on the floor screaming in the restaurant, or in the parking lot. He managed to keep all of that "inside" until he was buckled safely into his car seat and we were on our way home and then he let it all out...all the way home!

This morning, Ryder and I had an almost tantrum free dog walk together.  We played at the park, even slid down the slide in the snow and watched Scout eat bunny poop (with her mouth.)

Ryder only layed face down on the sidewalk screaming, "don't want to!" twice. Once when I insisted he walk ON the sidewalk not on the street and once when it was time to head back towards home.

Ok, maybe I am just becoming desensitized, but I walked through the door after our walk, feeling like we'd had a great time! I didn't have to drag him home kicking and screaming, to me, that equals success!!! :)

STICKS!!!

I could lie and tell you this is a picture of Ryder feeding Scout...but it's not. This is evidence that I still don't say, "no" to everything. He wanted to play with the dog food.  He loves to pour it into Scout's bowl and then dump it back into the bucket...I kicked the dog outside and let him play to his heart's content. The only one who threw a tantrum was Scout, locked outside, unable to access all the kibbles that were spilling all over the floor!!!

We also went out to the farm to visit Uncle Dirt today.  As soon as we were ten minutes from home, heading in "Farm direction" Scout began to get excited. She started whining her "excitement wine."  Ryder is now able to read her cues and before long, they were both sitting in the back seat "cheering" with delight over the idea that we were heading to see "Uncle Dirt." Scout was whining and Ryder was throwing his hands up in the air, shouting, "Yippee Uncle Dirt! Yippee Uncle Dirt!" Adorable!! As loud as it was, it was heart warming, there was nothing left for me to do, but join right in! :)

We had a fun, outside kinda day and now, this happy, tired Mamma is ready to hit the hay!!

I will take me and Little(?) Peanut to bed!! Good night!

28 weeks!!!!

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and get out of the house once in while, even if there's a pretty good chance your lil one will lay face down in the snow and throw a fit...there's also always a chance he won't!

SWEET DREAMS

I walked into Ryder's bedroom lastnight before I went to bed to kiss him one last time for the night and this is how I found him. I had to snag my phone and snap a pic.  Marty thinks I staged this, but I didn't! He was sleeping with his head all snuggled up to his lil horse. Melts my heart!!! I love my little pumpkin!

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and have sweet dreams tonight.

27 WEEKS

My toes have disappeared! I am sure they were gone before today, but today was the first day I actually noticed!  It seems that while i have been busy chasing Ryder around, working full time, walking Scout and feeding my salt and chocolate cravings  lil "Peanut" has been growing..alot!!

I've been battling varicose veins, mostly on my left foot, ankles and upper leg, but also in unmentionable places that have been causing my a little discomfort. I am definitely not enjoying being pregnant as much this time around. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying some things about it, like eating for two (believe me, I am taking full advantage of that,) the bigger boobs (oviously not showcased in the unflattering, yet comfy sports top I am wearing in this pic,) and the "front of the bathroom line" treatment I get in public places, however, this belly is slowing me down. Growing a fetus takes a lot of energy, the kind of energy I sooo badly want to and need to have so I can be "fun mom" for Ryder James. I try, I try so hard to be happy, fun and full of the kind of enthusiasm Ryder has for every second of every waking hour, but I seem to be loosing steam.  I hate being too tired to really play with him all day, but I am sooo happy to be expecting another little miracle. I better get used to this continuous fatigue as I have a sneaking suspicion I am going to feel this way for the next few years!

One thing I always have energy to do with Ryder is hang out in the kitchen.

Ryder loves to help me bake.  Today, we made "energy bars" then a yummy smoothie!

 mmmmmmmm

Tomorrow, I head for an Ultrasound. I am excited to get another look at lil Peanut!  

Kiss your babies, Count your blessings and remember: There is plenty of time for sleeping when you are dead.

TUESDAY

It recently stopped snowing after two or three days of it in a row. The sun has come out and the weather has warmed up. I love it when this happens...it snows then it gets warm enough to enjoy it!! Yipppeee!
Today, I picked Scout up after school, then drove to get Ryder and we headed out to see "Uncle Dirt." Ryder loves helping with everything out there at the Farm and now that he is a little bigger, he really can do some of the things on his own. Today he led, "Uncle Dirt" all the way from the barn to the gate by himself.  He even yanked on the rope a few times when Dirt would stop.  Dirt is awesome at being patient and humoring Ryder. He must have eaten 15 horse cookies today, just because Ryder got  sooo excited every time Dirt grabbed one out of his hand...oh and just because no horse ever turns down molasses cookies, do they? He he!

Scout was happy just to be along for the ride!  She loves the farm, it is her happy place too! 
Ryder and I also took her for a short walk around the block after supper tonight. Ryder held the leash all by himself almost the entire time...until he got tired on the uphill walk back and asked me to carry him. :)

 Marty is gone this week and I would be sooo lonely without these two little creatures in my life keeping me company!

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and soak up a little winter sunshine whenever you can!

CLEAN UP! CLEAN UP!

I sat on the toilet lastnight and shook my head in disgust at the dust bunnies I could see from my perch, loitering in the corners of the bathroom.  How is it that I cannot stay on top of all of this dust and considering I just vacumed, how do these crumbs keep collecting under the kitchen table and other places Scout can't get to and how can we even stand to get naked in the shower with all that grime running down the walls???  Sometimes I get so frustrated at how much of the house work I cannot get done. I never used to ever ever go to bed with dishes drying on the counter by the sink. I hated that! I liked to go to bed with my kitchen counters clear, ready for the morning's mess.
I don't know when I started letting my standards of cleanliness slip..oh wait, yes I do...almost 22 months ago!  I found something else to occupy every minute of my day....an adorable, chubby "mini-me!"  and every day since has been one a little dustier, dirtier and grimer than the one before...I guess it's because, if I am being truly honest, I don't really notice the dust bunnies anymore. I rarely have time to sit and watch TV, so the layer of dust on the screen really doesn't affect my view of it.  Scout really does a pretty damn good job of keeping the kitchen floor crumb free and I'm not ashamed to move a chair or two in order to give her access to the space under the table.  I'm usually so exhausted by the time I get to shower that I am so greatful for the 10 minutes of alone time that I refuse to waste it worrying about the grime on the walls in there.  Truly, I have something way more fun, important, and exciting to focus on and to spend time on...Ryder James.  Yep, I am using him as my excuse for my less than sparkling clean home.  Turns out, I am not "Wonder Mom" I can't keep my home in tip top shape and still have the energy to play with my son, so I've had to admit defeat and choose and I choose Ryder!
I found this poem today and it seems to fit with my philosopy perfectly....

All that aside...if anyone wants to chip in to get me a "house keeper" I'm not to proud to take donations! ha ha ha...seriously. :)

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow,

But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

~ Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

 

TERRIBLE TWOS!

I know it's called that because billions of toddlers have gone through the same stage Ryder is going through. I tell myself this everyday because I refuse to believe my adorable, chubby little cutie pie has turned permanently rotten....right now though, he is a little bit rotten. No, he's not rotten 24 hours a day, just when he hears the word, "no." No, is like a trigger that makes him start clenching his fists, stomping his feet, crying, screeching, dropping to then rolling around on the ground. It makes him turn into a limp noodle who refuses to stand up, sit up or do anything to make carrying him up the stairs to his crib (time out) at 26 weeks pregnant easy.
I am starting to understand how so many of the kids I teach end up so spoiled. It's way easier to just say, "yes," than to ever say no. If you are a busy parent, a single parent, an impatient parent, or even a perfect parent, I get why saying, "yes" is sooo tempting..it's quicker, it's easier and sooo much quieter then what happens when, if you ever say, "no."

I've not been as tough on my own kid as I used to think the parents of my students should be, but I also have not been able to say, "yes" to everything Ryder wants to do, especially now that he is almost 2 and wants to do soo many more questionable/dangerous/unnecessary (eating treats before supper) things.  We started off, trying not to have to say, "no" all the time.  We'd try to distract Ryder by offering him less questionable/dangerous/unecessary things to do, but the older he gets, the more committed he becomes to his requests.  "Redirecting" no longer always works as a peaceful alternative to, "no." Ryder's favorite new sentences are: "No, Mommy, no Mommy, no Mommy," "I don't want to," and  "I need it." These are all three very convincing phrases from the mouth of such a cute 21 month old, but.....I've had to start standing my ground. I want Ryder to express himself and his opinions, I expect him to test us and to test his limits but I need him to learn that Mommy and Daddy have opinions too and we have limits that can't be pushed....this is what we are working on, discovery..for all of us! We are all three learning our limits and boundaries and just how far we can each be pushed...I am telling you right now, it is a LOUD, lesson.  Just to clarify, the "LOUD" refers what is coming out of the mouth of the toddler, not the mouths of Mom and Dad. We've worked really hard at not being as loud as Ryder. Ha ha! So "Tantrum Bootcamp" has begun! Marty and I are training ourselves to realize that it is ok to say, "no," and to stick to it, even if it's gonna make Ryder cry. Ryder is in training to find coping skills that don't involve crying at top volume or rolling around on the floor, to handle the word, "no," It's a learning curve for all of us, but I know it will be pay off eventually...right? :)

Don't get me wrong, there are lots of hours of the day, when we are all having fun together. No yelling, no tantrums, no rolling around on the floor....here are some fun times from today.

New favorite passtime: playing in the sink...yes, it's messy, yes, he gets water everywhere...but sometimes, I say, "yes" to playing with real water!!

Me: Ryder, wanna go outside and play in the snow?
Ryder: No, Mommy, no Mommy, no Mommy.....
Me: let's go anyway....
Ryder: yelling, crying rolling around on the floor
Me: 26 weeks pregnant wrestling a squirmy, kicky, limp noodle into his winter gear
End Result? Fun Family time in the snow!!!!! Who knew it would be worth the loud, awkward ordeal? ME!!!!!!!!!!!!  See, Ryder, sometimes, Mommy does know best. :)

Snow Angel

Sliding down the snow pile on the side of the driveway...Daddy shoveled all of this over the winter season.

Ryder, "helping."

ISLA MUJERES, 2012-2013

December 30th, Marty, Ryder and I boarded a plane to Cancun, Mexico! We were heading to Isla Mujeres, an island a 20 minute Ferry Ride from Cancun to join Marty's Dad and Trish for a week of fun in the sun.  They had rented a house in the middle of the island and it had enough room for us too!!

I was super anxious about the travel day with a 21 month old toddler. We had to be at the airport 2 hours before our flight, then we had a 5.5 hour flight, then a 20 minute Ferry Ride all of these adventures broken up with several line ups and waiting times...sounded like a nightmare to me...but Ryder James was a troooper!! He only slept for one hour on the plane but he didn't fuss, he didn't complain, infact, he made it his personal mission to smile at every passenger from our seat to the bathroom..which we visited several times for a change of scenery. He even got brave enough to head down the isle a few times by himself. He'd just stand and stare at the person in an isle seat until he or she would look at him and smile.  

We made it to the house on the island of Isla Mujeres just before sun down. Ryder was excited to see his Grampa and Grandma.  It didn't take him long to settle in...

 

 First time in a hammock

Ryder was definitely ready for bed after that long journey and after a yummy dinner and hugs from everyone, we put him to bed in his pack n' play in the bathroom. (We thought he would sleep better if he wasn't in our room with us.) The bathroom was hot though and we hadn't counted on the neighborhood dogs barking incessantly all night and the friendly roosters crowing all night...good thing Ryder was tired cause he slept through it all.

The next day was New Years Eve Day. What a great place to wake up on the last day of the year! 

 There was a pool at the house. It was pretty deep, but Ryder had fun leaning over the side to fill up his watering can and bucket.

 Every morning began with breakfast with Grampa on the patio in the sunshine!!

It was New Years so we all dressed up (kinda) and headed to the "downtown" area to see what was happening! We were told the Island would be partying all night long, but because we had Ryder with us, we were down to the center well before any major partying had begun....that was ok though, cause we have learned to make our own party!!

 Trish and I in our New Years Eve tops

 Mamma and her boy on the last day of the year!

 This was the first time we saw the beach and the ocean and the sun set. Though, the sun had gone down, Ryder could not be kept out of the water. We finally had to undress him and just let him "go for it!" Nothing like a little impromptu skinny dipping on New Years Eve! LOL

Happy New Year to my handsome husband!

Ok, I'll admit it, we didn't stay up until midnight and I didn't see any of the amazing fireworks we heard filled the sky.  I was exhausted from our travel day and from Ryder's desire to wake in the 5's to begin his days. I had felt blessed to spend the day and the evening (we had a delicious dinner at an outdoor restaurant downtown) with my family and didn't need to see 12:00 on the clock to feel like I'd accomplished something.  We watched the ball drop in Time Square (so I made it to midnight in New York) and headed up to bed.  The dogs barking, roosters crowing and fire crackers going off filled the air as I tried to catch some zzzs before Ryder's early morning wake up call! 

January 1st, 2013! We woke up in sunny Mexico bright and early!! Beautiful place to start our day!!

 We went to the Turtle Farm to check out the baby turtles.  Check out Ryder's adorable hat and his beach backpack.

He insisted on wearing this plastic backpack.

 This picture gives me a flash forward to Ryder's first day of kindergarten....makes me all emotional!

 We checked out the BIG turtles after this and that's when the wind took Ryder's awesome beach hat and flung it into the ocean...never to be rescued...we ended up having to buy him a cheezy tourist hat for the rest of the trip...

Baby turtles...soooo adorable!

 After the turtles we headed to the Captain's, one of Jim and Trish's favorite places on the island.

 Yep, this is me, enjoying virgin drinks at 24 weeks preggers!

 Rinsing the sand and salt water off before dinner.

 Dinner at Oscar's Grill.  Great place to eat! It was walking distance from our "house"

Ryder wore his finger flashlights from Grammy home.  Sooo fun!

 January 2nd, we headed to the beach. The weather and water were beautiful and so was my little boy!

 I'm not sure if this qualifies as "beautiful" exactly, but this is me and Peanut, enjoying beach time!

 Grampa and his cutie!

 Staying hydrated is important!

 MINE!

 This stray dog adopted Marty and Trish. Sure looked a lot like Scout!!!

 Marty thinks this little sun shirt of Ryder's is "lame" I think it's adorable and obviously so did all the girls who couldn't stop pinching Ryder's cheeks and making him laugh!! He was attracting all kinds of female attention!  Perhaps I should get Marty one of these shirts too....LOL

Ryder loved helping to sweep and he did so often!

 Our favorite mode of transportation on the island was a golf cart.  Ryder always wanted to drive!

 Check out the giant iguana!

 Such a beautiful place!

 Do we look like we are having fun?? It's cause we are all naked!! Ha ha! Not really, but it sure looks like it from this pic!

 Marty and I did get some time by ourselves. This secret little beach was an oasis!

Our favorite thing to do all together, was go to the beach ofcorse!!

 The Mexicans adored Ryder they couldn't stop pinching his cheeks and rubbing his red hair. They always wanted to take his picture and touch his head!! He brought a lot of joy to a lot of people over our week long stay.

 But he brought the most joy to Marty and I! We loved spending the week in the sunshine with our little boy! Thank you, Jim and Trish for the opportunity!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!