Christmasitis

Day care called me yesterday around lunch saying Grady had just been crying a lot during the morning and was crying if he wasn’t held. She called just to see if I thought he was sick and to see if he’d had a fever over the weekend. So, I dropped by to comfort and love on him. He was definitely not himself, so I made a Dr. appointment after lunch to rule out an ear infection or whatever. The official diagnosis from Dr. Schmid......Grady has Christmasitis!! Thankfully, it didn’t appear to be anything more. Guess he got too much holding and loving over the holidays. We had a pretty crazy schedule too, so I'm sure that didn't help him out much.

Since we had an appointment, I asked to go ahead and do his 6 month well child checkup (already scheduled for next week). He weighs in at 17lbs 6oz (50% exactly) and 26.75” (65%). Dr. says he looks to be doing well. Grady was in a perfect mood and was just tearing through the paper that covered the exam table. He didn't even open his Christmas presents that well, but I guess he got the paper tearing figured out. He got a couple shots before we left. He was smiling away at the nurse prior to being poked. I wonder if that made her feel even more guilty giving the shot?

I think Grady's Christmasitis is clearing up. Of course he was "just fine" after I made the Dr. appointment---little faker! Isn't that the way it goes sometimes?!

Day Care Christmas Party

First we start out with the entertainment portion....



Then, Mr. Santa showed up! Santa looked a little worried that Grady was going to pull off something???


Even though it's been another year, we found out that Ryane still does not like Santa. Notice the santa-death-grip on my vest?

Santa brought her a gift. Even though she was crying and so scared, she eeked out a "thank you". ha!

2008 Christmas Cards

Simple Picture Request

After getting Ryane dressed for the day, I thought she was so cute that I wanted to get a simple picture of her in front of the tree. This is how it went....

Happy Birthday Daddy!

This is Matthew when he was almost 2. Anyone else see a resemblence to a certain 3 footer in our house? :)


Today Daddy/Matthew turned another year older. Ryane and I baked a cake for him. Here are a couple pictures of my little helper!

Cheerios

I thought I would give Grady some broken up cheerios to mess with while I got his cereal ready tonight. He was very curious about them and determined to grab them. While he chased them around the high chair tray, he never tried to put them into his mouth. It was pretty fun just watching his curiousity though. I love it when baby discovery new things.

Creative Friends

I've always thought I have some of the most creative friends ever. This is just one example. My good friend Anna in Wichita gave this to Grady when he was born. She is so crafty being able to make this hat. I love it! Thank you Anna - you definitely got skills!




I thought I would include this Christmas picture of Grady. Such a cute boy in Santa's bag!

Klepto

About 7 last night, Matthew and Ryane were setting on the floor playing cards. Matthew saw something green poking out of Ryane's pocket.

Matthew: Ryane, do you have something in your pocket?
Ryane: (looking down) yah!
Matthew: Did you take something from Nanny's?
Ryane: yah!
Matthew: Ryane, show your mommy what you took from Nanny's.


Ryane proceeds to pull out these snakes! Jesh - my klepto chose these to take???? Guess Santa needs to go do more shopping now! We proceeded to have a little 'life lesson talk' about how you don't take things from Nanny's and don't put things in your pocket that aren't yours, blah, blah, blah. Some of those talks are tough when you are just trying not to laugh.

There she was!

I had the oddest thing happen tonight. After a shopping trip to Wal-Mart we walk out to our truck. What do I see next to him (the truck) is an Xterra. My first thought was awww, looks like my old one. I get a little closer and look down at the front grill and realize "There she is!". It was my old xterra. I go into a daze and recall special memories with her. I got a lump in my throat and pride in my heart that she was still around and running. I couldn't help myself but to really check her out and saw there was a stroller in the back and was happy she had another young family to take care of! :) I tore myself away from her and finished buckling the kids and rode away. It was such a good site to see her again and I was happy that she and truck got to park side by side again.....just like when they were kids in the driveway.

Worst mom ever

I could so title a lot of blog entries like this! :) I had to pick up Ryane from day care yesterday with a fever. After battling the fever for several hours, I took Ryane to the Dr. today to make sure it wasn't something more serious going on rather than something viral. Sure enough, I find out she had a double ear infection. I had NO idea. Bad mom!! It's times like this that I feel that I don't have a clue what I'm doing as a mom. My poor kids being stuck with me to be responsible for them! But, we got the prescription and off to Wal-Mart we went. I just love Wal-Mart and now I super love their $4 prescription program. I filled prescriptions for both of us for a whopping $8! Now, when can we get those doctors to go to $4 routine visits?!?!

Extra Princess-y

Sometimes you feel a like a little princess


..and sometimes you feel a little extra princess-y

Soon to be MaMA!

Over the past few days, Grady has really began to talk! He is doing the repetitive sounds. Right now it sounds like Bababababa-----but, we ALL really know he's trying to say mamamammamama!! He just needs to match up those lips rather than talking with an overbite with that bottom lip sucked it.

I've been trying to teach him M M M M Ma Ma for awhile now. BUT since he starting to talk, Matthew is really trying to swoop right in there and start repeating Dadadada to him. It's really not fair as I'm worried he'll win. Ryane said DaDa first, now I'm needing Grady to say MaMa first. I'm telling Ryane to help Grady say MaMa while they are at daycare so he can get extra practice in! :)

Ryane and I put our Christmas tree together last week with the lights. Then, on Sunday, we enjoyed decorating it together. It was kinda tough going through the decorations and only getting out the non-breakable ones (learned my lesson after she broke her first one). I'm excited our tree is decorated a little different....a little bottom heavy with the ornaments as I think Ryane hang most of hers at the same level. Oh, and she was a fan of clustering her ornaments. Who knew a branch could support 4 ornaments at a time?! :) It is tough not going back to redo her decorating, but I won't. If I did, I'm 99% sure Ryane would notice and put them back anyhow.


New decorating technique - clustering!


I asked her to point to her favorite ornament. It's her Baby's 1st Christmas ornament with animals surrounding a picture frame. She tells me it's Grady in the picture. I'm still trying to convince her it is Baby Ryane. (yes, she HAD to wear her hat and scarf and put it on herself. Also, yesterday she HAD to wear her pink cowboy boots to daycare with this jogging outfit. Some fights aren't worth fighting.)

Great Holiday!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our long holiday weekend.

Ryane having fun with Papo.

I'm sure everyone ate wayyy tooo much turkey?!

Two smiling babies at their first Thanksgiving. :)

Grady - 5 Months Old

Look who is sitting up in time for his 5 month birthday!! Today is my little man's big day! We have been working with Grady on getting him to set up and yesterday he decided he was ready to go solo. I'm so proud of him. Once again, Grady has been busy doing new things. He now plays laying on his tummy reaching out for things and scooting himself in a circle. He has moved onto eating more food. So far, he's had banana, avacado and squash along with his usual cereal. His motor skills with his hands and arms are well developed. He can grab for what he sees in front of him perfectly. He even has that darn strong pincher grip down when it comes to grabbing/pinching my neck and trying to eat (alright, maybe kiss) my face. Love the little guy, but he can be pretty aggressive. So, if you see some WT hickies on my neck - those are from Grady's pinches. ouchy! Oh, and the drool is starting to just fall out of his mouth onto whomever or whatever is around. :)

These are Grady's 5mo. pictures we took last night. I think this first one shows Grady the best. With that ornery grin and his head slightly tipped down, so he's looking up at you. We joke that he likes to look at people through his eyebrows rather than lift up his head. Silly boy!

Get those toesies!

I go to change Grady's diaper and look what I saw for the first time yesterday!


Grady has officially learned to grab for his feet and toes. He was trying to bring them to his mouth, but he's not quite there yet. I just love it when babies learn this, so I'm pretty excited about this stage. Also when changing his diaper, he loves to get a death-grip on your arm and not let up. Makes more fun times trying to get a new diaper on with one hand, especially those cloth diapers.

Also, here's a picture I took yesterday of the kids together. I feel I need to get as many as possible while Grady is still relatively immobile and can't run from me. :)

Sick 1, sick 2, sick 3

Ryane's Dr. Suess' Cat in the Hat book with Thing 1 and Thing 2 makes me think of our home lately with Sick 1, Sick 2, and Sick 3. Ryane, Grady, and I have all three been sick with a cold. It started out with Ryane, then she shared it oh so kindly with Grady and I. This is Grady's first cold and it makes me sad to know he can't breathe that great and has a little cough. I am definitely not his friend when it comes to using the trusty blue nose sucker. Thankfully, Ryane is a good nose-blower.....well, since we have to do that every 5-10 minutes. A couple mornings ago she wakes me up at 5:45am yelling from her room "Tissue mommy, tissue". Poor girl! :(

I know it's that time of year and cold season is upon us, but I'm ready for spring already! Each time I start to think the kids have turned the corner and are getting better, they wake up the next morning all congested and coughing. Hopefully, everyone will have time to get better before all the Thanksgiving traveling.

Ryane has pets...

These are the perfect pets - they don't need house trained, you don't have to feed or water them, they don't shed, they always mind, perfect!



Ryane really loves playing with her play doh. These little containers are one of the best things she got while trick or treating. I made a kitty cat one time for Ryane, so that is all she asks for now. I can only make so many cats, so I've branched out and made horses and dogs as well. I need to think of more things for her, but my creativeness is gone when it comes to animals to shape and mold. Any ideas?

Friday night, we went to watch the ESU volleyball team become the MIAA champions. Even though I went to Emporia State, I had never been to an ESU volleyball game. So, it was Ryane's, Grady's and my first ESU volleyball game. Seamstress Nana sewed Ryane up the cutest little cheerleading costume and it was her first opportunity to wear it. She was just so darn cute wearing it and cheering on the hornets repeating "ESU, ESU, ESU!!" and shaking her pom-poms.

Picture after arriving before the game started.

I asked Ryane to smile and this is what I got...


Ryane is using Grady to practice her base skills for cheerleading stunts.

Proof that we were really at a volleyball game

All that cheering made her hungry. This little girl would only eat Raisins and popcorn if we'd allow it.