Happy 1 Year Sloane and reflections.

Today Sloane is 1 year old. WOW.

Our good friends had a daughter 1 year ago today. It's amazing how much she has changed.

Taken Aug 22, 2010

How much she has grown and how much she has experienced already in this world.

Sloane also has so many more new things to look forward too. The life for a baby is insane so many things going on. No wonder sometimes they get cranky.

(Sloane is the one on the left)

Taken Aug 11th 2011, also why is my four month old almost as big as Sloane?

Now she is walking, full on walking! And as I have she seen getting into everything she can. Can you blame her? All this new stuff she can see now that she is standing and shiny new things to get into. Poor Tara must be getting tired of chasing her! I think its Tara's new work out routine, chase the baby.

Now Sloane can look forward to bike rides, running in a park, swimming in the ocean, chasing butterfly's and falling leafs, apple picking, trick or treating, opening her own Christmas gifts this year, snow ball fights, eating real food and so many more things.

I find having a kid now I am experiencing new things and not just poopy diapers. When you do stuff with a kid its all new to you as well. Seeing the wonder and excitement though them.

Watching Ryan at the EX he was all wide eyed and he didn't even know what was going on. It was just from the lights from the games all around us. And the new smells though he doesn't know what they mean yet. Mmmmm the smell of popcorn or cotton candy. I get so excited when I think of all the things he gets to explore.

Even putting him in his highchair was exciting because it was new.

Kids are a lot of work and sometimes its really hard but seeing Sloane now 1 year old and knowing what is in store for her it's so worth it.

I never fully understood a lot of things about kids and how parents dealt with it until we had Ryan. Drooling was so gross to me before as were poopy diapers. I remember almost screaming when I changed my friend Jenn's daughters diaper. Now Rayna is going to be 9 in December, friggn' 9 years old. Where did the time go?! Now if Ryan is drooling and I don't have anything to wipe it away I use my hand and wipe that on my pants or shirt. Its better then him staying wet and getting a rash.


How I have changed as well. Neil told me the other day if I saw myself 10 years ago now I would have laughed. To be fair I was wearing a tank top, little black shorts and a white hair band doing the dishes while Ryan was playing in his bouncer. I think Neil is right. I didn't want kids 10 years ago. Things have changed.

I like it.

The Ex and Brillant Dad

Friday Ryan had a really bad day.

He spent a good amount of the day screaming, not crying but screaming. Or sleeping. One point he screamed like he was in pain from 1:30 to 2:15 when he finaly ate and passed out. I felt so bad there was nothing I could do to get him to calm down.

 Poor little guy.

So it was understandable I was a little worried when Neil suggested we go to The EX that night.

However Neil made a good point that it might be good for him to get out of the house since he loved being out doing stuff with us. Might distract him.

(for teeth pain)

We were able to meet up with Robin and Christina at the marina, Ontario Place. Which is right across from where The Ex is held. We got to park for free. YAY. After a quick trip to Robins boat we were on our way.

We walked around and we started on the junk food.

I got poutine for dinner. Neil got a peameal bacon sandwhich. While I was feeding Ryan outside Neil went in for Deep Fried Twix bar. SO GOOD.

Robin and Christina came outside with a Burrito, deep fried mac and cheese, perogies and went back in for poutine.

After everyone ate (the food court closed at 10) we walked around for a while.

Christina was determined to win a prize. She just kept getting ripped off, but the games were fun at least. 

We spoted a Tiny Tom Donuts and they had a wheel you could sping and win either a free bag, buy 1 get 1, buy 2 get 1 or buy 3 get 1. I spinned it and got a free bag YAY! And Christina for got a buy 2 get 1 (well Robin got it but passed it on to her) Which she was sweet enough to give us a bag. So Neil and I got two bags (12 mini donuts per bag) for free.

Nice!

It was a really fun night and I am really happy we went out. Ryan had a great time and other then him getting a little upset outside the food court for like a minute he was great. He also was fussy in the car on the way home but that was him being tired and lasted two minutes before passing out.

Neil noticed something cool. We were worried about the loudness for Ryan so Neil kept the 'hood' part of the car seat up around Ryans head. When I went to move it back so he could see more Neil told me to stick my head in there to see what I could hear. You hear less then 1/2 of what we could hear which was GOOD because it got really loud there.

It was great we went opening night because it was 1/2 price to get in and it was much cooler at night. Also it wasn't very crowded which was good. I think over all it was very successful and a lot of fun.

Side note, we didn't go last year because of my 'morning' sickness. The smells would have had me barfing in all the trash bins.

So onto why Neil is a friggn' brillant dad.

We live in a one bedroom right now. Ryan is four months old and we wanted to not be sharing a room with him for much longer. We were planning on moving our bed into the livingroom and giving Ryan the bedroom (and making it his play area and computer room) However Neil had a good idea to make a sort of wall between our bed and Ryans crib. We would put the dresser and these four drawer things we have up. it dampens the sounds as well.

Taken from the door way. 

 

There is a little space for us to get to the crib. Last night was our first night and it worked out really great. Neil also put the air flitter on Ryan's side so it makes some nice white noise and keeps the air clean. I think it works great since we had to fit a king size bed, crib and dressers in the room!

We bought a new place, two bedroom two bathroom but our rent will more then double so we are trying to wait as long as we can before we move in there. Great thing is his folks live where we will be moving so there is no real hurry to move in. (we bought their old place) 

Neil got great photos of the ex, I will ask him to share on his journal so everyone can see them. Right now they are on facebook only. Should be able to see them on that link even if you dont have a facebook.

A few teaser photos.

Oh all the lights! (notice the 'hood' on the stroller?)

Ryan and Neil on the dock at Robins boat

Me and Ryan on the dock. Ryan makes some goofy faces!

Well he is our kid. 

:D

Rice Cereal Mush

Last night we gave Ryan his first Rice Cereal mush. 

We don't have a high chair yet so we put him in the Bumbo chair with tray. (thank you again Wendy!!) Which, by the way, is getting to small for his fat legs!

I mixed one spoon of rice cereal with 6 spoons of breast milk. Nice and runny. I had a little blue cup and a soft spoon and we were ready to go.

As always click on the picture to enlarge.

Hmmm what is this?

Interesting

 DURRRRRP

We were both getting the hang of it... I think.

Some video.

Its hard to record with my phone while feeding with one hand he was distracted by his dad.

However by the end I think we are getting the hang of it.

In this video you can see he is interested in it but not sure how to eat it. I think it just takes some time.

However we really need to get the high chair. I am keeping my eye on Kijiji because why pay full price if I can get a used one?

4 months today

Wow four months have already passed. It's insane how fast it has gone. And it's insane how much Ryan changes every day.
He smiles when I smile, he gets a little upset when I leave the room, he LOVES to smile at Neil, he gives all the family huge smiles too, is enraptured when I read to him, he loves to hear his own voice, he laughs when you get his belly and he enjoys being outside. He also grabs his feet and lifts his butt when you put him on the change table. So helpful till he pees on you and laughs about it. heh

 A few days old, so little.

Four months old, so big!

This past weekend was nice. We were supposed to meet up with some of the family on Toronto Island but I was worried it would be too hot for Ryan. The heat alone is not too bad, it's bad trying to feed him in public. I get hot and he is hot and then he is drinking hot breast milk and I have to use a feeding cover...

However Saturday was way too nice to stay inside so Neil, Ryan and I headed to Bronte Harbour to enjoy 'harbour days'. Well it was a lot smaller of a festival then we thought it would be so we were there less then an hour. Just walked around the water front.

After that we headed home for a quick lunch and then headed to Hugh and Lily's pool. They were out with Rita and Tim so we had the pool all to ourselves. The three of us swam around for a bit and when Ryan had enough we went to T&T to get sushi for dinner and dumpling wrappers to make Sundays appetizers. 

We ended Saturday night with home made chow mien, red wine and Wipeout. 
It was a very relaxed and awesome day.

I was chatting with my mom the other night and I convinced her to come visit us before Ryan's first birthday. I worry her and my dad are missing out on so much. I doubt I will get my dad to visit which is a shame but mom is coming up September 8th - 14th. I am so excited. This visit will be a lot more fun then the last visit. (she came up for the birth of Ryan) I was over due and after Ryan was born I had a hard time for the first few weeks adjusting to the lack of sleep, lack of alone time and he had a tongue tie so it was really hard for him to eat.

However things are SO amazing and awesome now I am thrilled for her to come up and experience it. I just hope the heavy little bugger doesn't throw out her back!

I posted a video for my dad to see just how LOUD Ryan can get.

Figure I should share it with you guys and hopefully cause a good laugh.

Enjoy

Also last week was nice chilling outside with Tara, Sloane, Janet and Chloe. The weather was perfect and I can not wait for more cool sunny days. The hot ones are getting tiresome. Just a nice 25c and FEELS like 25 would be great. (about 76f)
Here is a video of Ryan and Chloe going after each others hands. Sorry it is laying the wrong way. Not sure how to fix that.
YUMMY!

Here is a bonus video of Ryan in his exerciser thing. I told my dad I would put a video up for him so here it is.
BOUNCE!


Also my dad inspired me to get out and go for a long walk every morning with Ryan. However because I have so much weight to lose I am also walking at night with Neil and Ryan. Shorter walks at night though.
Tonight we are picking up a jogging stroller (used) for 65 bucks which is a great deal because those things go for $200. And really why get it new? It's not a car seat or mattress.
Its good because I can roller blade with it or Neil can jog while I bike and we can have Ryan with us. He loves being outside so much there is no point to leave him at home!

Videos of Ryan and Worried Mom

Ryan has been spitting up a lot as of Sunday. Monday was the worst. He didn't want to eat that often and was spitting up A LOT after every eating (sometimes as much as 1/2 a cup) 

I tried laying him down right after a meal, burping him, having him sit up, having him sort of slouch, taking off his pants, making the diaper loose... everything. However he just kept tossing his cookies. He was in a great mood though and still peeing. The poops were not as much as normal but I don't think anything to be worried about and he had no fever.

Neil thinks he just had a slight tummy bug. He is a little better today. He only spit up once.

Sometimes it would be just breast milk, or clear liquid and milk (spit) and sometimes the milk would be a little digested so it would be a little cottage cheesy. It didn't bother him so I think he is okay.

We gave him Gripe water last night because he was SUPER fussy and I think his tummy/teeth were bugging him really bad at night.

Ill make sure to make notes and mention it to the doc on the 24th. (second round of shots).

Also I dont want to jinx it but the past two night he has been sleeping great. 

5 1/2 hours the first stretch, 2 hours and then 2 hours. Yesterday we woke up at 10am. Today I was up at 8am and he woke up a little after 9. He is sleeping now.

I love these 40 min naps. It helps that today is very rainy and dark. I am sure he will nap more today. I think his late afternoon nap I will join in. :D

I love maternity leave. So far today we had breakfast (both of us) he had a big poop, we did tummy time when he rolled over, I read him two books and he had a mid morning snack (breast) and now is resting.

Mean time, enjoy some videos of Ryan.

Ryan being chatty.

Ryan rolling over

Ryan enjoying music at tummy time


Ryan with daddy

Ryan and Grandma Bank having a fun time

A new first!

Ryan flipped over last night! His first full flip over.

I was upstairs showing Rita and Tim how Ryan pushes himself up on tummy time on the carpet and he just pushed himself over.

All three of us yelled YAY and started to clap. Then Ryan started to cry. I think we scared him and he scared himself. It was awesome.

The flipping over not crying...

He is almost 4 months old. (15 weeks)

And we weighed him on Tim's scale. He is almost 19lbs. Holy hell. No wonder my back is messed up and size 2 diapers don't fit him anymore AND he is in size 6-9 month clothing. Which makes me sad, we didn't get to use the 3-6 that much. This kid is gonna be huge. (tall)

Also here are some pictures to enjoy of last nights bath.

Both hands in mouth! He was teething pretty bad last night.

And random july photos

What colour are those eyes?

Enjoy!

Brave mom is brave

Thursday Neil heard of this place call Cedar Point in Ohio and how we should go next year with Joe & Angela and how it would be this awesome cheep get away. Well I looked it up and its a roller coaster park.

Well crap. I hate roller coasters.

Last year when we went to Canada's Wonderland for Joe's birthday I had the wonderful excuse of being preggo with Ryan so I couldn't go on any of the rides. Well I have no excuse anymore. Shit.

I wrote Neil back and told him no way I would go to Cedar Point. I shut that idea down. He wrote back saying he was sad, he didn't want to go without me to Amusement parks. He wants to go with me! That was when I decided I was being an OLD fuddy duddy and when the hell did that happen? And I would go to Wonderland with him and try going on a roller coaster. Who knows maybe I liked them again.

That was when he told me we are going Friday, he had the day off. Double Shit. I tried the excuse it was hot and going on rides makes me feel sick and with the heat, surely he wouldn't want me to get sick. He laughed and said I was being silly. Then I saw the weather said Thunder Storms all day Friday. YAY I had a good excuse. When we woke up Friday morning just rain in the morning and the rest of the day was going to be nice. Triple Shit!

I tried telling Neil his mom was busy with work and couldn't watch Ryan all day, he said he already talked to her and she was happy to have Ryan.

So around 11:30 we were on our way. That was when I decided I would have a great day with my husband. It's pretty rare we do stuff just the two of us now. We either have Ryan or invite friends with us. 

We hit a good amount of rain on the way there which was nice, it cooled it down. 

After we got there we started on the Spinovator. Its like tea cups you have no control over. Neil got it on video till the lady over the speaker told him to put away his iPhone.

The lines were nothing, no wait times due to the rain. We think it scared people into not going to the park which is what we were hoping for. So we made our way to Behemoth. I waited in line with Neil (about 15 min at the most) and he went on it without me. No way that was going to be my first roller coaster.

 

Afterward we went and got food, we had a all you can eat for $8 which was a good deal. After eating we needed to digest a little before a ride so we went out to the car so I could pump my boobs. 

Once that was all done we headed back to the park and hit up The Vortex. It's a suspended coaster and you are in a bucket with good straps so I felt pretty safe. I was doing good but I had a breaking point when I let out a HUGE scream. Felt much better. The ride messed up my bum hip though which sucked.

After that we took a break and hit up Sponge Bob 3D and its sweet sweet air conditioning.

We made our way over to the kid area to check out rides for Ryan when he is older. I saw Silver Streak and there was no wait so we went on it. It is a suspended leg dangler. We went on it twice. I loved it. Yeah its a Jr roller coaster but whatever I still loved it.

Had to head to the car for pumping again. On the way to the car Neil wanted to hit up SkyRider. Its a STAND UP roller coaster. I almost went on it but it had a loop and standing up during a loop I think would be a little much just yet. Neil went on it twice.

Brave dad is brave! Brave mom not so much...

After pumping we checked out the water park and the rides for Ryan. We figure it would be a lot of fun next year. Its no Typhoon Lagoon but its still pretty wicked.

I told Neil I really wanted to go on Wind Seeker, 30-story tall swing ride.This ride I was not scared about at all. I love swings and I love heights! 

Poor Neil was mortified.

As we were waiting in line Neil said he was trying to decide to go on the inside of the swing and fall to his death or the outside of the swing and be flung to his death. He chose the inside. It was my turn to be brave for him. As we started going up I was telling him the view was amazing. I look over at him and his eyes are sort of open and he is just staring ahead. He mumbled something about looking at the horizon. I was looking all over and going WEEEEEEEE! I even put my arms out in front of me like I was flying. It was AWESOME. I could go on that ride all day.

Poor Neil looked like he was going to vomit. I just don't understand how he can go on the Behemoth but not handle a big swing. He thought I was insane trusting this small piece of 'string' to not break off and kill me. He compared it to the strength of a paper clip. Yeah we can both be a little dramatic.

Time to celebrate with fries!

Off to the car for pumping again. Stupid boobies. The AC was nice in the car though and gave us a chance to put on more sunscreen.

We made our way over to Back Lot Stunt Coaster after that. Thinking it would be a fun small ride. Neil had never been on it before. Holy shit it went fast! It was a lot of fun but I screamed like crazy. (and cussed until Neil pointed out the kid in front of us so I started yelling bugger)

We also hit up Thunder Run. It goes through the mountain. Its like Thunder Mountain in Disney. It was fun and not scary.

We figured for both of us being so brave we could get ice cream cookie! We didn't get one last time because soft serve ice cream is a no no when preggo.

It was so good.

YUMMY!

We ended our night with another go on the Vortex. This time I kept my eyes open. We wanted to go on The Fly but it was closed. And I asked if Neil wanted to hit up Behemoth again but he was good.

When we go in September I am going to try a loop ride. EEEEK!

We called Gabi and she was good with Ryan so we took a shower and met up with Joe and Ang for dinner.

It was a great day.

And here is a picture of Ryan watching Tv. Just because its cute.

Durrrrrrrrrrrrp

:)