Long Easter weekend

Our long weekend was epic.

Friday morning I got up with Ryan. Figure Neil should sleep in, he has been working so much. We had a nice breakfast and then got in contact with Tara and The Parks (mike & janet). I meet up with Tara and Sloane (her daughter who is 8 months older then Ry). Mike, Janet and the girls, Alexandra and Chloe joined up a few min later at the park.

This is a very awesome park. Its near Taras place in Port Credit. It was such a pretty day, sunny and still cool but not WINTER in Canada cool. Toward the end Ryan had his coat off.
He ate a bagel, banana and box of rasins. To be fair we were there for almost 3 hours and we ran around a lot, I was starving by the time we left too. It was so cute cause at one point I had Sloane and Ry and we were running around these three weird small statues of random stuff. A turtle shell, a fish, a fox head and a boat... stuff like that. I was counting them as I ran hitting each one. At one point Sloane asked me to play chase with her. So damn cute. It was super cute to see Ryan and her high-five after going down the slide. hehe

WEEEEEEEE!

Mike having fun on the TeeterTotter

Ryan getting in on the fun!

After nap we went to see Joe and Ang and went to another park.
Almost got in a fight with a 5 year old asshole. There was a 'big kid' slide and Ryan had gone on it a few times. The last time I was going to let him on it this kid was standing there not letting him up. I say to him, "Will you move please, he wants to go down the slide, thanks." He looks at me and says "only big kids can go on here, you have to be 5 years old."
I look at him and say,"he is big enough please move."
He says, "you have to be a big kid, you have to be five he is not allowed."
I look at him and very serious I say to him. "Move now kid." like no humor no cute tone of voice. I put on my "I will fuck you up" face to a five year old because he told my kid he couldn't. No I am not above getting in a "who is scarier and bigger" match with a 5 year old.

He moved out of Ryans way. >:)

Saturday we both got up early like it was a work day. We had a fast breakfast and we were off to St Catharine's for an easter egg hunt with some buddies, The Parks! (again). What can I say, we like them.
I was a little shocked how great Ryan was on an hour long car ride. He was perfect! We stopped at Tim Hortons since we were early and got some coffees, bagel and apple juice and we were off again.

Got to the park very early so we were able to walk around before the crowd. Easter bunny was super scary to Ryan. Then we saw it.

RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!

Princess Leia and Chewbacca with bunny ears. Hmmmm okay. Not really an easter thing but I am game.

The Meaning of Easter?

We meet up with Mike, Janet and the girls. Mat, his wife Chrissy and their boys (X and Caiden).
I have never been to an easter egg hunt before this, especially one with little kids. There was a field roped off with caution tape. We all gather around it and holy wow it got crowded. A group of people went onto the small field and started throwing out chocolate eggs out of these huge boxes. Hundreds of them. We got the go ahead. Ryan was in the 1-3 year age group so we are allowed to go. It was so fun. Ryan was so good at it! He didn't understand what it is cause we dont give him candy but he loved the colours! After we went for a small walk to the trash can, just him and me. I tossed my tissue in and he tossed a candy egg in. hahaha

Go buddy go!

OMG YELLOW EGG MOM!!! Look yellow!!!

While Mat, Chrissy and the boys went home to prepp for brunch we went down to the festival part. WOW it was super packed but all the kids got balloons (Ryans was yellow!) so it was worth it.
Went to the brunch, spent a few hours playing with the kids and had a very good talk with Janet about kids, having more then one, loss of children and so on. It was a good talk and it just made me miss her and spending time with her.
After brunch it was pretty late like 1:30 late. Hmmmm 2 hours past Ryans nap time and he was still being good, a little drunk but good. Started the ride home and after a few min he was OUT (while hugging Neils coat and holding his balloon)

Mmmmm sleep.

We keep it casual at the Bank house.

Sunday was family day. It was a very nice dinner. Robin, Christina and Ellie were missed very much (Ellie was sick). What was very fun though was watching Ryan hunt for easter eggs. He was SO good at it. But again he would break open the egg to get the chocolate out and then leave it. Had no idea he could eat it.

Easter Dinner

OH I forgot in the morning he found his basket I made for him. He was sitting there eating all the goldfish crackers while Neil was making him pancakes (from scratch). hehehe
I got in a little trouble over that when I woke up. Then I did it, I gave him his first Kinder Egg. I was so excited cause I found Hot Wheels Kinder. After he ate it, which he did really fast, I pop open the kinder to find A PUZZLE. WTF! I think I even said "WHAT THE FUCK!" while Ryan was in my lap. Opps. But I was super disappointed. I wanted a car for Ryan, that would have rocked his world, he did like his new books though.

My new favorite picture of Ryan and I that Neil got.

Such a happy family, yay spring!

Mean Parents?

Are we mean parents? Today was an Easter egg hunt (well chocolate eggs were thrown on a field and the kids got to grab them all). Ryan had the most chocolate out of all the kids. He didn't know it was candy. Hell at one point he saw me throw a tissue in the garbage and he threw an egg in. He gave most of them away to the other kids and he was just excited about the colours. "Look yellow mommy, BLUE!"

However when I told him I had a Banana he went craycray. "NANA! BANANA MOMMY YES PLEASE PLEASE!" and ate it all down while I was carrying him, just so super happy. He was also very worried about getting a balloon (which we did, a yellow one).

He has had sugar before, we have cake sometimes at family events and he has had chocolate before (halloween & Christmas). I don't want him to know what it is, I don't want him to WANT it. I really dont want him to demand it or expect it.
That being said are we mean? He will be 2 in 18 days. I have always been a little... careful about what he eats. I did get lazy for a bit and let him eat a lot of empty carbs (goldfish/graham crackers.)

He was 34 pounds at 18 months old. That's really big. Yes he was tall but the doctor told us he might be an obese child if we are not careful. Well I am happy to say he is going to be 2 very soon and he is still 34 pounds. I stopped giving him crackers and gave him cucumber to hold him over till dinner was made. The past month Rasins has been his big thing. Which is fine with me, helps him poop. Oh and berries. Holy wow this kid can eat a pint of blackberries in 3 minutes and with a purple stained mouth and fingers ask "please mommy more tank you."

So are we mean parents? Are we setting him up to only want to eat sugar sweetness when he is older? Who knows. All I know is I breastfeed him for 14 months, made all his baby food (other then carrots cause I always burned them and prunes) and tried to make sure he eats a good amount of healthy foods.  I really dont want to mess it all up now!!!
I also get super pissed at daycare when they give him those damn cheese doodles things or juice and have told them DO NOT give them to him. Made me happy when I caught the teachers giving him orange slices.

Wow really hard Easter egg hunt. :P

YELLOW MOMMY!

Star Wars Easter? Sure WHY NOT!

After brunch he was very fast to pass out, like 3 min later fast. Helped it was 90 min past nap time.

Oh on that note time to make his basket (a new book, colouring book, Kinder Surprise eggs with Hot Wheels car in them and plastic eggs with Goldfish crackers). Then time for this mom to take some cold medication and pass out. Two nights up coughing. Antibiotics are working just taking some time and I really could use a good night 'sleep'.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

So much

I have so much to write about!
This will be a short one since I am on my lunch break at work but hopefully I will go into more detail tonight.

So much has happened.
Ryan turned 14 months, we had an awesome fathers day weekend. Went camping for the first time (not so great at night) We had to leave around midnight, Ryan was coughing like crazy and couldn't sleep. Day Care Boogers strike again.
That was Saturday the 16th of June.

Monday the 18th - Monday the 25th we were in Punta Cana! We took an amazing trip just the three of us. So much fun.
More on that later as well.

Just two cool guys hanging out.

Update on Ryan. Still not talking so much. I am pretty sure he said 'Bottle' today and he does say mom and dad.

He is SUPER huggy and attached to us both right now. A little more to me. I have to calm down a lot of the time. I am a doer and I dont like just sitting I want to get up and go and get stuff done and I am trying to enjoy just sitting and playing with Ryan and reading a book together. Or even just cuddling. (which he did to me last week) I sat there with him for 10 min just cuddling. He wasn't ready to start his day and didn't give a crap that I was. He wanted to cuddle so that is what we did. On the floor in the living room. It was awesome.

Oh when he drops something he will point at it and go "utoh". And he will do it over and over until you pick it up for him. (if its a ball or something that he can not get too). Its pretty damn cute. He smiles like crazy! He has really got comfortable walking/running and climbing stairs. He needs help sometimes goes up or down and will hold his hands up for you to help him. He loves to be picked up and will come running to me with his arms up in the air going "UP" or at least it sort of sounds like up. He will also get his shoes and socks, bring them to you, sit down and wait for you to put them on. He liked to grab our shoes and try to put them on too. He does the same with shirts.
He got two molars while we were in Punta Cana. I think more are coming soon.

Every month is more fun then the month before. This kid is getting pretty kick-ass to be with.

Just so busy with home, work, kid and husband and to be honest the poor husband doesn't get as much time as he should. And tiny bit of time for me... and my Lego Batman game. :D

EDIT
Ryan is weened , his last feeding was Monday the 25th on the flight home. I am a little sad about this but we have other ways to bond now. He brings me books to read to him, we play hide and seek (sort of) and we have a lot of giggle fits together. Just another chapter in his life closed which means he is growing up.

Sleeping, crazy birthday party and hair lines.

So the past two nights Ryan has been sleeping pretty easy. Saturday night when he woke up at 1:30 Neil just went over and put his hand on him and he went back to sleep. Sunday night he woke up at 2:30 and 4:30 and I did the same thing. I put my hand on his belly or I flipped him on his back and put my hand on his back. Let me sort of squirm around a little but DO NOT pick up. He was back sleeping in less then 10 minutes.
I am trying something I read about online, do not pick up baby. Lay them back down and put your hand on the kid so they know they are okay and you are there. Even if they cry DO NOT pick up. It has worked the past two nights. At 530 when he woke I put him in bed with us and gave him boob. It was nice to not be up for 2-3 hours with a screaming kid.
I forgot what that is like. Good lord I hope it stays this way. Could we be getting a break from teething? Is the kid just so tired he doesn't want to fight anymore? Is it just a fluke two days in a row?


Saturday we went to Chloe's 1 year birthday party. So much fun but it wore Neil and I out. There were six kids there ranging from ages 9 months to little over 3 years old.
I was in the play room with all six kids at one point and it was very overwhelming. Ry had a lot of fun but I could tell it was a little much for him but he kept looking at me so I kept on smiling while playing with other kids. Its funny, Chloe just sat there, I guess she is used to it since she has an older sister around all the time. All the other kids were only children.
By the time we left I just wanted to go home, that was about 7:30. We stayed past Ryan's normal bed time. We took him to the grand folks place with no plans in motion. We ended up going to Joe and Angelas for a few hours. After a coffee we were ready to hang, chat and play some dominoes. We were home by midnight with Ryan. He was happy as could be.


Sunday morning I rushed to Zumba, rushed home got ready and went to a wedding open door thing at Robin and Christina's venue. I was happy I went and got to see it. I love it. The reception area was like the Old Mill Inn but not snobby or overrun. Sort of Hogwarts meets a British Bar (with good food). By the end of the day I was worn out and a little grumpy.
I asked Neil how it went when I got home. He said Ryan was really good and they had a lot of fun but he thought Ry missed me. He said he was sort of a little sad all day and when I got home he was back to his normal self. It was very sweet to hear.


I love that right now he is getting very comfortable standing on his own (not holding anything) and taking steps a bit better. For me he has gotten up to five steps before falling, I think Neil said he did six or seven for him. I love that when Ryan does the 'walking' toward me he will come in for a hug and after the hug I clap (he joins in) and I tell him how great he is doing! Neil thinks he will be full on walking in 2 weeks, I think by end of March. Time will tell.
Getting sad its almost the end of Feb, when the hell did that happen?


I have been cooking a lot the past few days, I made Butternut Squash soup, Chicken/Black bean/Zucchini Enchiladas, Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken, Cake Pops and Rice Krispie pops. Oh and all the food for Ryan I normally make. Today is another Ryan food day.

 (cake pops after cooling in the fridge)

 Wrapped up in bags (after dipping in melted chocolate and sprinkles)

 Butternut Squash soup (slow cooker) and a pita with ham

Rice Krispie Pops dipped in dark chocolate.

Drying on a styrofoam block.

I found an awesome website that inspired me. I am trying to find some new recipes that don't take too much time or that I can prepare before hand for when I go back to work and am to tired to cook. I don't want to eat out like we used too.


I did the math and since I had Ryan I have lost 47 pounds. Pretty good I think. (20 of that was just at giving birth so I have really only lost 27lbs)
I want to lose 10 more before the wedding at the end of April. I think I can do it. Zumba like always, adding a Water Boot Camp tonight (or at least trying it out) and I have kickboxing I need to do (once I find my gloves). That's 4 work outs a week and walking everyday with Ryan again now that it's a bit nicer out. I guess fitting into pants I have not worn in years really motivated me. My one pair of jeans are even getting a bit to big which has me excited. 


So Neil pointed out to me Ryan has a weird hair line. Now I can not stop noticing it. He is pretty cute head on but when you look at the side his hair sort of looks like a bad wig because the hair line starts so far back. I hope this changes in the next year when more hair comes in. :P

Hmmmmm weird kid, it's okay you are still my favorite little dude.

He walked today and fun with Lucy.

Ryan walked today. We were on the floor and he stood up (using me to get up) and I pushed myself back and let him stand on his own. He then took three steps to me and fell toward me. I caught him and I was so proud I started clapping and tell him how great that was and how hard it must have been but I was super proud. He sat there smiling clapping with me.
I love this kid so much... during the day.


Last night was super nasty again. I looked at his teeth this morning and the one little on on the top right is super red and looks inflamed. Poor kid. Poor Neil. He was up with Ryan a lot last night. We are still weaning him and its going pretty good. He wanted to feed last night because its a comfort thing for him but we stuck to it till, I think, 6am.


We had Lucy this weekend. Good lord we are not ready for a dog, she is a pretty well behaved dog. Well minus the jumping on our futon and humping Ryan's head. 
Yes you read that correctly. 

 Look mom, a puppy and dad!

 Watching The Incredibles Sunday night while I cooked cookies for Neil. 

He woke up and we figured 'eh let him have some fun with us.'

 NOMNOMNOM Peanut Butter

Best friends forever enjoying the window

Ryan was very happy to see her and she was super excited too. After Robin and Christina left she calmed down a bit. After Ryan's nap we let them play together. She is so good with him but when she would get excited and hit Ry with her tail he would get so annoyed it was hilarious.
They play pretty good together. She was letting him 'pet' her aka pulling in her hair around her mouth. She was just letting him do it. Such a good girl. Don't worry we stopped him and try to get him to pet her belly/sides.
The first day we had her (Sunday) we went for a walk around our neighbourhood with her and Ryan. They enjoyed it and both were worn out afterwards. Monday we went to a park near us and had a nice walk. Lucy is so amazing in the car! She just plopped down in the back seat with Ryan. Didn't try to lick him or anything. Such a good girl.
She got into everything she could though. It was sort of having a 4 year old kid that shed a lot and sleeps great. Now I SORT OF know how it is to have two kids, its hard! Neil and I both were saying NO a lot Sunday and Monday.


I am happy we don't have a dog right now. Ryan puts everything in his mouth, including hair balls and we have enough of those with the one kitty.
Speaking of which. After Robin and Christina picked Lucy up Neil and I vacuumed and cleaned. I was in the bedroom putting Ryan to bed and I hear Neil laughing like crazy. Roag (our kitty boy) found a ball of Lucy hair I missed... well he ate it. He sat down, took a smell and then ate it.


Weird cat.

Skiing Adventure with Neil

 Yes a few weeks late but this is all about our skiing adventure.


 Neil and I went Saturday the 21st to Blue Mountain. Neil found a deal for $99 each that included lessons, lift tickets and equipment for skiing and snow boarding. Neil has ski before but never snow boarded so it was perfect!


 We dropped off Ryan very early (with grandma/grandpa) and were on our way. We made it to Collingwood. As we were trying to figure out where to go to get the classes and equipment we got pulled over by a cop. Our license plate was still on Oct 2011 plate. Opps. So we got a ticket. Not a great way to start our day but we were NOT going to let it poop on our parade!
 We made our way over to the correct place and got dressed in the car. Once we checked in and got our ski/snow board boots. Holy cats it is a weird feeling. I was walking like I stepped out of a western movie, a cheesy one. I had this swagger and couldn't walk very fast in the boots. Neil had no issues cause snow board boots are just like normal boots. I found the ski boots were very stiff and could not bend my ankle which I assume is a good thing. heh


 We got our skis, board, and helmets and we were on our way. Neil went into his class area and I went into mine. I put on both skis and started my class. I learned how to do ski postion. Sort of like a squat in Zumba or any other work out class. You stick your butt out and make sure your knees do not go over your toes when you squat. You slide out your heels to the side and then slide then back in with equal weight distribution so it doesn't cut into the snow. I found this to be pretty easy to do. I really think Zumba classes helped with this!


 Once I got that down we took the left ski off and lined up to go in a circle with the one ski on and our poles. I would say it was more like a round edged square. This was KILLING my shins but I didn't want to give up. I did pretty good. We switched to the left ski only. This was a little harder for me but still was okay. Then BOTH skis on. That was super hard. I had no idea how to get going. We were not on a hill. Just going around in this little round square.


 Once you were good enough you got sent to the test hill. It was about 20 feet maybe.
You learned how to walk up the hill sideways on your skis. Then you go down the hill with your skis together and stop. I got it on my second try. I felt good because there was only adults in the classes and there were a lot! Some of the people were really bad. Just had bad balance. One lady ran right into me. I felt so bad for her cause she took her skis off and looked defeated. The instructor told me I was good to go on the small real hill. ACK!
 This is the smallest hill there so you dont get on a lift you get on this sort of escalator, like they have at the airport. You ski onto it though. I fell over the first time I went on. heh
 Once at the top of the hill I found the instrutor and he taught me how to stop. I went down the hill stopping every few feet. It was just to practice. I did this a few times (and fell a few times). Then they taught me how to turn. I got this pretty good with only a few fall downs. Neil got a pretty good video of it.


 Neil was getting pretty frustrated at Snow Boarding. He was falling A LOT and it looked super hard to do. Didn't look like much fun. We took a lunch break which was a great idea. My ski boots were on wrong and it was cutting into my shins which is why I had the bad pain when I first started. DOH!
 After lunch it was fixed thanks to Neils help and I felt so much better! We did the small hill a few more times and I told Neil I was ready for the big hill.

Lets do it!

 Neil confessed he was not, he was not comfortable on the snow board yet. He went to switch out for skis which I was very happy about! I wanted him to go with me because I was a little scared.

 We found an instructor and told her I was ready for the big hill... EKKKK

 The three of us got on the lift together. She taught me about lift safety and how to land. Well that went out the window when we got off the lift. I was supposed to go right, I went left into her and she stopped me from going down a VERY steep hill.

 On the top of the real hill it was much larger up there. I was freaking out and trying my best NOT to show it. The instructor and Neil were great. We would go down the hill a little and stop. We stopped a lot. However there was one part I freaked out and feel down. I feel pretty good. I ripped up my leg pretty bad. I was shaking I was so scared to get back on the skis. I don't think it helped that the snow was starting to get icy.
 We made it down the hill and the instructor was on her way to help another person. She was kind enough to tell me she was proud. She said about 6 new people out of the whole day go on the big hill. :D
 Neil all day kept telling me he was proud of me. So when he asked if we could do the hill one more time I said okay (after sort of crying saying I didn't want to). He said "please?" and I thought to myself. "fuck it Mary, man up. You have given birth, twice... this, this is nothing."
I tell myself that a lot when I am doing something I don't want to do or something hard. Also I didn't want to end the awesome day with my husband on a sour note. Though at this point I was feeling pretty beaten up and my leg was on fire.


 So we go back up, just him and me. I am so happy we did. Neil taught me a lot. I pretty much went parallel down the mountain the whole way. I did wipe out but only once in a bad icy patch. I felt a little bad Neil babysat me but he said he had a great time. He said he was shocked how fast I learned how to do a "c turn". What he calls a type of turn when skiing. 
 It was also nice to see all the little kids doing it, I can't wait to take Ryan. He can go as early as three but I think I will wait till he is almost 4 before we go. The kids were just so darn cute.


 We ended the day with dinner out with Joe and Angela and then picking up the kid.


 It was an awesome day. I love skiing and I can't wait to try cross country if we get any darn snow this winter. I am so happy I tried it and I didn't let fear stop me.
 I think since going on rollar coasters with Neil I have made up my mind to try more things. It really started when we went to Budapest. I told myself I would try anything and eat anything there. I want to be more adventurous. I want to be a person my son can look up too instead of a fuddy-duddy mom I was becoming. 
yeah sometimes it's scary, sometimes you get hurt (see below) but most of the time you just have fun and feel sort of like a bad ass.
:)

You can't tell in the picture but it was a HUGE bruise. I thought it was very pretty (and lumpy).

Ahhhhh much better

Sun is out and we are a happy family again.

(sold this from Neil's website)

I wonder where Ryan gets his bipolar-ness from... heh.


Yesterday we had a fun night with the Doiron clan (Chris, Tara & Sloane) and the Wilsons (Dan and Vee). Neil got some photos so hopefully he will share those soon. I think Ryan scared Sloane a little. Her mom and dad are pretty chill & quiet people so she is pretty quiet. Now Ryan... well his parents are very loud excited people (most of this is my fault) so he is a pretty loud kid. He likes to do this excited scream thing. Well Sloane sort of had this 'WTF is wrong with this kid, I am just going to go over here." look on her face that made me laugh. I hope Neil captured it on his camera. 
Oh man, I also  think Ry has a slight crush on Tara. He was just so happy in her arms. 


Here is a video of Ryan this morning while I was at Zumba.
NOMNOMNOM


We got home a little late last night but Ryan was still up (well he passed out in the car for about 10 min) he was sleeping by 9:30pm. Woke up at 11:30 crying and passed back out about 15 min later. He slept from then till 5:30am. We got almost 6 hours of solid sleep. I got him back into his crib at 6am. He woke up again at 6:30 this time screaming. Neil went and got him and tried his best till about 7 to get him to sleep.
I told Neil to put him in bed with me because when Ryan wakes up screaming he will have a BAD day. I got him back to sleep and he woke up again at 8am in a GREAT mood. Neil took him out of the room and I got up 30 min later to get ready for Zumba.
(This has lead me to the idea of making his bedtime a little later. I am going to try this theory tonight to see how it goes.)


We had some eggs and Ryan played with Neil while he got photos (and video) of Ry.


I come home to a husband on the computer fixing up photos and a baby sleeping in his crib. I WAS going to get McD's for Neil but I made him a nice healthy sandwich instead as a thank you for being awesome.


And after dealing with my bitch-ness yesterday he is awesome. 

Breastfeeding (revisited) and a new tooth

I just got Ryan down for a nap by humming to him and holding him. This is a huge deal for me. I always get him to nap by breastfeeding him. I did start that way then I put the boob away while he was awake and just hummed. He fussed a little, tried to get at the boob and tried to sit up but I stuck with it.


I think it helps that this is how Neil and Gabi (grandma) get him to sleep (humming) so it was not new to him. I also will do this at night sometimes. Trying to break him wanting to feed himself to sleep at night as well. That was more for when I go back to work in April then about the tooth though.


I digress. Before I had Ryan I wanted to BF (breastfeed) him for about 3-6 months. I said when the first tooth came out I was done. Then it was no more then 6 months cause he is getting too big to hold. Then I said I would never feed him past a year cause that was pointless.
Now that I have had him for a while I enjoy feeding him and I will really miss that bond when its gone. I know we will have other things to bond us as he gets older but I love our time together. I am his mother and I love feeding my baby. Even more now that its not every hour of him wanting to eat. Man that wore me out and make me scared to go out in public. It is nice we can go out for a few hours with him as long as I bring a yogurt or fruit for him to snack on.


I do think bfing a 2 year old is a little odd but thats my choice to make. And who am I to judge? I don't want people to judge me. I use my boob to get the kid to sleep at night when I am tired and I know it will shut him up. I might do that past him being a year old. I don't know what the future holds. I know right now I feed him about 3x during the day and at night a few times whenever he wakes depending on how awake he is.


Also I just want to put it out there that its a myth formula feed kids sleep longer. They dont. Some babies sleep more then others. Sucky thing for me is our son takes after Neil not me. He doesn't want to sleep. He wants to play, he doesn't want to miss anything. He will be past the point of tired and into purple bags under the eyes and still want to play. I was really hoping he would take after me and want to sleep when tired. Though he is getting better at nap times. Also I am proud we didn't have to give him formula for long. That we tossed two containers of it. I am proud I stuck with something that was very hard and I feel better that I did. It was really hard to do it and I have a history of when something is hard I give in. I also have a history of when something is hard I want to do it even more, depending on what mood you catch me. I am not writing this to insult anyone but its my blog and sometimes it is just about me. (Please dont feel bad if you were not able to breastfeed, there are a lot of reasons. Maybe you had a biter or flat nipples or not enough milk. Providing is providing no matter now or what!)


I used to tease friends about the kids schedule. 'Ohhhh I cant go out it will mess up our kids schedule.'
 I used to say what bullshit. Now I understand. Oh yes. Christmas week was a huge eye opener for me. Yeah we can go out now and then with the kid no problem. However messing it up day after day after night really took its toll. And when he was getting sick and cutting a tooth. That was just stupid. Some nights/days he was fine and others it got downright ugly. Kids do work better with a schedule!


So Ryan is cutting an upper tooth on the left side. I can't get a picture of it cause he doesn't like me looking at it. I will try to get one after it pops out. He is handling it MUCH better then the first round of teeth. Man that was a nightmare.




EDIT Feb 10, 2012.
No its a nightmare now. Such a silly woman. Cutting teeth sucks balls. It will always suck balls. Just deal with it, understand the next month or two after you first notice that tooth will suck and move on with your life.
Teething hurts, teeth punching out of the gums hurt more and at night when there is nothing to play with or distract the baby it really sucks.


So tired...


ZZZZZZZzzzzzzz

New Year and resolutions

 I hope 2012 is as amazing as 2011 was. I hope Ryan continues to grow and thrive and be a smarty pants. I hope my family stays/gets healthy.


 Last night was a blast. Fondue with Neil, Joe, Angela and Ted. Was pretty wicked and funny. Played a new game too which was a blast. Loaded Questions was the name of the game. We had A LOT of laughs. I highly recommend it.
 Thank you to Christina for convincing us to have oil fondue. I think it was the most popular and these cheese things she told us about are TO DIE FOR. I think Ang and I alone ate half the box.
Zucchini was pretty good too.


So on to my new years resolutions...
This new year I will
1. Stop Cussing
       I am doing this with Neil. We have jars set up already and everything.(Neil already put 50 cents in)

2. Loose 3-4 lbs a month 
       I will do this by eating healthy again (almost no breads and no more glass of wine at night) and working out 3x a week (right now its 2x, I am starting this in Feb)
3. Focus on being a great/creative mom and wife. 
     # 1 & 2 play into that as well, getting healthy so I can keep up with Ryan


Speaking of which I need to eat my breakfast, dry my hair and go pick up the kid. Gabi said her and Sandor had a great night with Ryan (and day) which I am very happy to hear. They are awesome grandparents. So happy they are so close to us (a block away).


I am a tiny bit sad I didn't have Ryan to hold for new year but happy we all had a much needed break to. Its nice to have a quiet morning (haven't had one of these since September) but I miss my little man and I cant wait to see his big smile.


HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Seven Months

Happy Seven months Ryan.


He can sit up alone, still trying to crawl and does that army shuffle along the ground. He lifts himself up on knees and arms and will rock back and forth. He is faster, so any week now.
He does this open and close wave thing with his hand. I am hoping he is learning the sign language I have been trying to teach him. Food and Drink are the only ones now but soon I want to teach Mommy, Daddy and tired. (neil thinks he is)


He is turning into a bit of a brat. He whines a lot at nap time and bedtime. He is starting to whine when playing too. I ignore him until he stops then I will pick him up or cuddle him. Got to break that habit soon. Still not sleeping through the night. Last friday he slept 5 hours and then 4 hours. Which was GREAT but the past few nights have been bad and back to the 1-2 waking.


His hair is getting long! He has curls now but only on top which is super cute.


He still liked strangers, mostly women, but now he is starting to duck his head into my shoulder to hide. I hope he doesn't go through the stranger fear stuff. I love having a happy friendly baby.


Oh also he is awesome at going out for lunch as long as I have some food for him to eat so he doesn't feel left out. The past two days I went to lunch with Emily and he was awesome both days (he hit his head on the table one day and cried a little). He just likes to be out looking at stuff. I worry he will be bored when we go back home. We have been going out so much since I have been in Florida. I guess we will have to have play time and meet up with Janet and the girls while she is on Mat leave since Tara is back working now. :(


I just wanted to do a quick update on Ryan on his seventh month birthday so in the future I can remember all these fun and crazy times.

Neil gone back home.

Neil flew home this morning. He said it was awesome he had a row to himself, I hope we are that lucky when Ry and I fly home.


I went out to eat without him for the first time, it was hard. My mom took Ry and I to Olive Garden.
He was pretty good until the end and was crying a lot. I took him outside and he was fine. I am so used to Neil being there and we have a good routine. I take him so Neil can eat about half his meal and then he will take him so I can eat half my meal and we switch back and forth. Pretty much hold him and play with him till your arms get tired (he is 23lbs!) and hand him off.
It sucked not having Neil to hand him off too!


I don't get Olive Garden.The past few times I have been there I didn't really like the food and its not that cheep either. Breadsticks are good but I don't get the love people have for it. Mom got soup and salad for $6 which is a great deal so maybe I would feel different. I got seafood pasta. It was okay but heavy. Much heavier then I thought it would be. 


Maybe I am just a HUGE food snob now. Gee thanks Neil for turning me into a food snob!
:)




EDIT
Ryan ate bananas sliced up tonight on his tray. He tried to get it to his mouth and didnt do that good a job but understood when I gave it to him. He got super sticky but had a great time. Gonna introduce chicken to him soon. Exciting stuff.

BANANAS!

Florida trip thus far

The flight was great. Ryan was amazing. He was so good in all the line ups (ticket, customs, security) and when we were at a pub grabbing food he was super good too. When we got on the plane the guy next to Neil made a face when he saw Ryan. A "oh great a fucking baby" face. Normally I wouldn't give a shit but Ryan had yet to even make a peep. The stewardess saw this and offered the guy a new seat once we were in the air and the seat belt light was off. Funny enough the new seat was behind a baby that WAS crying. As we were taking off I put Ryan on the boob and he was fine. No crying or fussing at all. HE even passed out after eating and slept the whole way. I woke him a little while landing and put him on the boob again. He was great in the line up waiting for the car (about midnight now).
Once we got to my folks house all hell broke loose. He had a rough night and around 4am we got him back to sleep and put him in bed with us. The next night was a nightmare as well.
Halloween was very disappointing. Dressed him up in his batman oneise and the awesome cape Christina made and went outside to hand out candy. Before the first kid came a mosquito landed on Ryan's head and after that he started to cry. We had to go inside and I didn't even get to show off Ryan or look at the other kids outfits (all three batches that came).

Neil was sleeping by 630 on the couch and was out there all night till 5am. Ryan and I had the bed in my moms room. Dad was sleeping by 7 and mom went to bed at 830 after helping me give Ryan a bath in his super cute duck bathtub. 
I was in bed around 930.

Next night we were out shopping a lot and in the evening after dinner with my folks we went out to visit Delaney and her family. Ryan lost his shit. I mean really lost it. Was screaming and crying for about 35 min straight. Neil got some burps out of him and he was okay. On edge but okay.

Last night and the night before he slept great though. He slept in his bed all night and in 3 hours stretches which was nice for Neil and I. He even slept in, 10am the other day and 915 today. Normally he is up at 7-730. I wonder if going out so much is making him tired or just being someplace new.
I made him some food and he is doing a bit better. He had a fever last night which worried me and his pee was a little smelly but he is better now. Just keeping an eye on him.

I was super freaked about Neil leaving Saturday and me being here with Ryan for over 2 weeks without him. This week really hit me how much I really rely on Neil to help me when it gets tiring or hard or Ryan is in a mood. I worry about stressing my folks out. I hope they will help me if it gets bad. I have an all new respect for single moms. I couldn't imagine it. My mom is out of shape with a bad back so its limited what she can do and dad has a bum heart and really shouldn't hold Ryan too much cause he is heavy.

Back to taking nighttime showers when Ryan is sleeping. :P

Weather is HOT here. Well compared to Canada. We turned on the air today it was pretty warm with the humidity. Enjoying it while we have it. Though it looks like they are having a nice weather back home.

Funny how Canada is my home now. I miss it. I dont really miss Florida anymore. Doesn't feel like home. I like being here. I love seeing my family and friends but I miss my home.

I think we are adapting well here though. Poor Neil is crippled though. His back is fucked up, along with neck, arms and sides. Soft bed with a kid that likes to bounce and doesn't have a bouncer... he is not used to it.

Tonight was fun visiting with some of our friends. Ryan was pretty good. Got grumpy tired toward the end and just wanted to feed on me non-stop. (it knocks him out). I hope to see them again before I leave.
Next weekend is Jenn and the weekend after that is my sister visiting. Please let Ryan be in a good mood both weekends... please.

Issues on Sleep and Florida!

I was so excited because I thought Ryan slept from 1:30am - 6:30am and he hasn't done that in a month.
No really. It has been a month of him sleeping 1-2 hours and then waking up screaming or crying. If he just woke up we would leave him be to go back to sleep but he will start to scream.
I told Neil this morning I was so excited maybe he is going to go back to sleeping 3-5 hours and I can't wait and Neil confessed Ryan woke up at 2:30am and Neil just held him for a minute till he went back to sleep.


Still 4 hours is pretty good so I am still pretty happy about that. AND he slept in till 8:10 which was nice. AND he slept the whole night in his crib. We have a busy day ahead of brunch with Robin and Christina (we get to meet her parents!!!) and then we have to finish up packing and get any running around done before going to Florida.


Also I am going to brag... its -1 here right now. Minus fucking 1. (29f) In Florida it is 15c (60f). And the high today in Florida is going to be 21c (70f). PERFECT!!! Friday is going to be 25c feels like 31c (76f feels like 86f).
Bring it.


I am looking forward to putting sunscreen on Ryan because we are sitting outside in the grass with grandpa playing. Its gonna kick so much ass.


Of course I am happy to see my mom and I know she will be so shocked how much Ryan has changed but she has come up twice now to see Ryan. My dad hasn't even meet him yet. My dad wanted boys really bad and he got two girls so this is sort of his little boy
Oh and don't get me wrong. I had a blast with my dad. I loved that he rough housed with us, went camping and pretty much raised me as a tomboy. I love it. But boys are pretty awesome. So far I really enjoy having a little boy.


You get less pink stuff which is nice.




Last night we went to Screamers which was a lot of fun. They had this really awesome black light 3D house that was amazing-balls (as Ang would say). We went with Joe, Angela and Ted and really... it's the group you go with and those three are pretty kick-ass. :D


Okay enough blogging and more packing Mary!


BYE!!!!

Grandma from Florida visits.

My mom come up to visit us and to enjoy some nice fall weather (Florida is flippn hot).

This is a recount for me to look back and remember. Bit boring so feel free to skip down to Ryan eating beans.

Mom got in Thursday afternoon/early night. Neil picked her up from the airport and we all went out to Jack Astors for dinner. We sat on the patio which was nice and a little dangerous. In Ontario people can smoke on the patio so we had to sit far from everyone else. We had Ryan with us. It was a lot of fun, a little loud but mom enjoyed her dinner.

Friday I took Neil into work and had the car for the day. I had a doctor appointment at noon and after a quick nap with Ryan we hit up Costco. Mom loaded us up with diapers, paper towels, some out fits and meat which was pretty awesome. We had a nice cook out with Rita and Tim that night and just hung outside for a while. Gabi joined us for dinner (Sandor was off to Thailand). Gabi and my mom went to the South Side Shuffle for a show and one of Gabi's favorite singers, Cheryl Lescom.

Saturday we took her to the South Side Shuffle (Jazz fest) in the afternoon. That night we had some grilled steaks and just spent the night outside chilling drinking wine and beer. Ryan had a great time too and ended up falling asleep on Neil, was pretty sweet.

Sunday we went to the farmers market and had family dinner with everyone at night.

Monday we took it easy and just chilled during the day ( mom, me and Ry). When Neil got home we took mom to Spoon and Fork (Thai). She ever had Thai food before which is a big shame, it is one of my favorite foods (along with french). 

Oh who are we kidding, all food are my favorite.

She got the mango chicken and sticky coconut rice and loved it! Neil and I got red curry, its pretty spicy there so we didn't offer any to mom. She can not handle heat in food!

Today (Tuesday) Mom, Ryan and I went for a walk. I was happy mom joined in on our morning walk. We cut it a little short but she had a good time. We chilled around the house and I made Chow Mien for dinner. Robin came over for a visit.

Wend we are planning on going to Cora's for breakfast nice and early so Neil can come and then I take mom to the airport around 2 to catch her flight home. I wish we would have done more but the point of this trip was for my mom to see and visit with Ryan and she did. I think she had a great time. Man she can make this kid giggle!!! (video below)

_______________________________________

Today Ryan had green beans for the first time.

I was pretty happy he ate them with ease and didn't spit it out or even make a face. So far he likes and eats apples (home made) sweet potato (premade) and green beans (home made). I have the home made peaches in the freezer still and will add those into his diet next week. I am still really scared to give him carrots since his reaction to them last time was SO BAD. I am keeping his foods really simple till he is about seven-eight months and then I will start putting chicken with broccoli in his diet and mixing foods up. Right now I am keeping it apples and cereal for breakfast and sweet potato (or beans) and cereal for dinner. Sometimes I skip the cereal depending on how many servings of food he gets. NO SALT, NO SUGAR. Everything I have read says no seasoning in his food for a while yet. His little body can not handle salt or peppers.

He is still mostly breast milk and he is slowly going more between feedings which is neat. Sort of hurts me on certain days so I have to pump enough to relieve. Which works out because I use that milk to mix the cereal.

Wow this post is pretty boring. Sorry guys.

Ill make up for it with cute videos & photos

Mom getting Ryan to Laugh and being silly while doing so.

Ryan getting almost his whole foot in his mouth.

(As always click photos to enlarge.)

 Sitting in the cart at Costco and happy about it

 This kid loves to be outside! (south side shuffle in the jogging stroller)

 Neil feeding him... yummy food!

 Watching Roag is so much fun!

 Today's walk with Grandma L! YAY!

ALSO a BIG shout out to my sister on her birthday. Happy Birthday Laura!!!