Summer Lovin'

I had a new crush this summer and his name is Ryan.  Ryan James joined our family on May 20th and has changed our world in so many ways.  He sure is a momma's boy and we've been inseparable for the last 14 weeks.  One of the best parts of this summer love is that we've shared these feelings of joy with Troy.  Troy loves his little brother!! It is so very sweet to watch him cuddle with him, give kisses, and bring him toys (that he obviously hasn't needed).  When Ryan wakes from a nap, Troy is the first to go running into his bedroom with excitement. 

Ryan was born weighing 8 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 inches long!  He was born first thing in the morning at 7:43am via C-section.  Unlike Troy's birth, I was able to cuddle him right away and boy did that melt my heart!  Matt and I were thrilled to welcome him to our family.

 

 

 

 

Little tidbits I want to remember:

 

• He has the crooked pinkie just like his brother and daddy.  We checked right away.
• The morning of his birth, they took him away to the nursery to have his lungs evaluated.  Although he was only away for 3 hours, it felt like an eternity to me!  Thankfully he was back with us in no time and the fluid soon dissipated.
• His first night home was quite comical for us (as was Troy's), however he slept for much of it.  His first full day home was Troy's second birthday!
• Troy showed no resentment towards him and to this day still has not.  I am confident they will be the best of friends.
• The first three weeks of his life were quite calm.  He was pretty easy going, nursed well, and so on....and then some AWFUL gas pains took over and we had a challenging few weeks.  Waking up every thirty minutes day and night was pretty rough.  We made it through and Ryan is a happy baby who likes routine!
• He loves his play mat.
• He sleeps in the car seat more than his brother did.
• Now that he sleeps better, his naps are longer than his brother's were!
• He loves to be carried forward, is curious, and already tries to stand.
• His smile is to die for and came out around week 5 on June 19th. 
• He absolutely loves to be outside and enjoys stroller rides very much. 
• We've made it to the zoo, lake, shopping, restaurants, pool, open gym, library, and many play dates.  He is learning to go with the flow but.....really likes his own bed!
• He has made us a very happy and busy family of four.

I've been blessed to spend the summer with all three of my loving boys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Well, Well, It Sure Has Been A Very Long Time

After an almost year hiatus, I've managed to pick the blog back up!  I really have no excuse for the absence except for life - the crazy life we lead.  So much has happened in the last year and there is no way one blog post could come close to doing it justice.  However, to sum it up, we have worked, moved (twice) and had our second baby boy!  Although it has been very busy, we wouldn't change it for the world.  I hope Troy can forgive me for the lack of posts during his second year of life!  I can easily tell him that he was a joy and continues to keep us on our toes. 

After Troy's 18 month appointment, some mommy worry was creeping in, as I noticed he wasn't speaking as many words as his peers.  Even though most everyone told me not to worry, I did.  He had all kinds of animal noises down pat, but words were sparse.  Well, I certainly had no need to worry.  Once he turned two, it was like a light  bulb went on.  He NEVER stops talking now!  These were some of his first words:

• hi, bye, no, mommy, daddy, uh oh, eye, ball, shoe, wee, yea, banana, go, up please, more, Amen, Choo Choo, wheel, knee, elbow, Elmo, nose, yes, Koko, juice, apple, apple juice, hockey, I don't know, I know, bubble, What's that?, help me, orange, blue, and milk. 

Other second year memories:

• Troy can also sing the entire alphabet and can identify more than half of the letters!
• He LOVES the movie Cars and plays with his matchbox cars non stop.  He received a Lightening McQueen car for Valentine's Day and since then he's been collecting cars. 
• Throughout his second year, his choice of tv shows/movies have included Veggie Tales, Sesame Street, Handy Manny, Chuggington, Rio, Cars, Super Why, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
• We tried moving him to a big boy bed and he didn't want to have any part of that.  There must be something comforting about his crib!
• He loves to spend time at Grandma and Grandpa's house working in the garden and filling up the bird feeders.
• Trains and tools have been other favorite toys.
• Music and coloring also strike a chord.  Rocking out with the guitar is a favorite activity.
• Our new home has a finished basement and it is a wide open space for Troy.  He enjoys running wild, watching movies in "movie positions" with daddy, and riding his roller coaster.
• He says "downstairs" when referring to anything that is below, underneath or fallen.
• He loves to play with coins with his Granny.
• His second birthday party was held at our new home, the week before Ryan was born.  He loves his new sandbox and outdoor picnic table....and of course cars and trains!  The party was car themed.
• He is so funny sometimes and loves to tease daddy when he reads to him - gets right up in his face to try to make him laugh.
• He has learned how to navigate the IPhone and IPad - all by himself! 
•  Favorite food is pizza!!!  Other favorites are turkey dogs, waffles, fruits, yogurts, and popcorn.

Here's to hoping we can keep better track of the rest of 2013!  Looking forward to sharing Ryan's firsts and Troy's changes.  They are the two best little guys who make my life worth living.

My boys rocking out together

 

Our new home

 

Troy Announcing in October 2012 that he's going to be a big bro!

 

15 Months and Moving On!

The past few months have been a blast and we've seen such big changes in Troy.  I know I am his mother, but he truly is the best little guy!  His personality has bloomed and his sweet hugs and kisses are to die for :)  Below are a few things I don't want to forget as time moves on so quickly:

• Troy got all four of his top teeth at the same time (around 13 months)! He now has a total of 6 teeth.  He took it like a champ and it didn't even mess with his sleep.
• Around 14 months old, he started to toy with the idea of going down to one nap.  We still haven't mastered that and day sleep is more unpredictable than ever.  I will not complain as his night sleep is much better than my own!
• Loves to repeat sounds and we're trying hard to learn words.  Some favorite phrases are:
• Diga Diga
• Ami Ami
• Mommy
• Dada
• Vroom Vroom
• Mooooo
• Oink (but it's really a snort)
• a plane noise
• Around 14 months we taught him "so big"! This was something I used to do all the time as a baby around the dinner table.  Troy caught on very quickly and this is often one thing we can use to distract him - which is not an easy task.
• He gives kisses when you tell him you love him.
• He gives kisses when you don't even ask.
• Veggies have become a challenge, but we hide them in pasta, sandwiches, and make yummy fruit/veggie smoothies. 
• I love the fact that he recognizes many of our family members now.  He greets them warmly :)
• He waves goodbye when we leave (and sometimes cries).
• He LOVES to wear daddy's socks.  They come all the way up his legs, but he thinks it's great.
• He is a little Mel DeMarcos.  He has four pairs of his own summer shoes, but he also insists that everyone else wear their shoes.  He's quick to point them out if you take them off.  His favorite pair currently is his blue crocs.
• He gives out the biggest smiles from his crib - and for this very reason I look forward to getting up in the morning, even if it is early!

Checking out the new baby gate and wondering why he can't climb the stairs as usual.  Luckily for him, it put a hole in the wall on day two and we no longer use it!

 

Trying out the old school rocking chair.

 

One of the many times he's sported daddy's shoes.

 



Cruisin'

We use the word cruisin' for many things around our house, but usually we're either cruisin' in the Cozy Coupe or Troy's using his cruisin' skills to get into trouble.  Even though he was early to stand and walk around furniture, he's just become confident enough in the last few weeks to take a leap of faith out into the middle of the room.  Everyday it's something else, and as of this weekend, he's bending down to pick up toys mid-stroll and walking to and fro without realizing it.  He definitely throws some crawling in there, but he just looks so darn cute when he walks - hands in the air with a big smile!  Since he's been climbing up and down the stairs and doing the crab walk for months now, we're certain running is just around the corner.  It's so fun to watch him learn.  Big boy celebrates his 14 month birthday today!

One of his first cruises on July 4th! He wasn't a fan of our second attempt to get him to walk.

The Adventures of Summer 2012

I have anticipated summer for several months, heck, maybe even several years.....to do fun things with Troy!  I am excited about the pool, spraygrounds, playgrounds, amusement parks, zoos, backyard play, and time with family and friends.  I'd say that the last few weeks have definitely been complete with lots o' summer fun.  Here are some of our favorite times of summer 2012 so far:

Troy and I headed to my work's golf outing.  Although we skipped swinging the clubs, we took several rides in the cart and Troy practiced his corn hole skills.

We have taken countless strolls around the block in the Cozy Coupe Troy received as a birthday gift from Granny and Granny Lucy.

I wouldn't necessarily say this is my favorite activity, but Troy's most favorite activity is trying to climb the stairs.  We have become very creative in blocking the stairs!  Recently, he can now climb over this ottoman......plan B has yet to be determined.

Stairs!

Troy spends countless hours filling our kitchen with balls and cars!

Slide fun with daddy at the Tom Sawyer Park.

Birthday lunch for mommy and time with dad on a Friday afternoon!

Happy Birthday to me!

Water table fun!

We fished inside when it was over 100 degrees outside!

Swings!

Sprayground fun!

Zoo Splashpark with friends

Backyard Oasis

QT pool time with Aunt Trisha

A dip in the pool with Mady and Kate

Pool time on the 4th of July!  Troy's favorite pool activity....hanging out on the stairs :)

Beating the heat and playing in the sink

One of Troy's favorite summer indoor toys! Lightening McQueen from Grandma and Grandpa

We have had so much fun, despite the blazing heat we've endured almost all summer long.  We try to spend as much time outside as possible.  We often blow bubbles, which is a favorite activity.  I know we're looking forward to more summer fun and perhaps a few short road trips!    

Turning One!

Troy indeed celebrated his first birthday several times!  As much as I wasn't ready for him to turn one, it happened, and life is still grand.  We had a little party for him the weekend prior to his birthday, and fortunately the weather was great (a little hot).  I managed to make him a monkey cake, complete with monkey cupcakes.  I think I'll probably stick to one of my other day jobs, but I held true to my promise of making his first birthday cake!  It took him a minute to dive in, but once he did, it was destroyed!  I think it's safe to say that he loved the ice cream even more so than the cake. 

Happy Birthday, little dude!

Troy's monkey smash cake

Monkey Cupcakes

Monkey Romper

For the life of me I can't get this photo to upload correctly.  I couldn't resist sharing one of him with his hat and cake!

aftermath

Other birthday celebrations included a new tradition of ours which is to give Troy a balloon on the morning of his birthday.  On Thursday the 24th when the little guy woke up, Matt and I went in his room to sing happy birthday and gave him a Winnie the Pooh balloon.  He loved it and it melted my heart.  We caught it on video, but I'll spare everyone of that :)

Birthday zoo trip also followed! Troy acknowledges the animals this year and is a big fan of the seal and gorilla exhibits!

at the zoo's playground

Checking out the bears

What a great day!

Happy birthday, little guy! We love you more than you'll ever know and you have brought an overwhelming amount of joy to our lives.

Moving on....11 months old

I suppose I'm reaching the end of the time I can refer to Troy as a baby....  not sure I'm ready for that one!  Yesterday, Troy turned 11 months old!  I'm pretty certain though that I'll always refer to him as my baby :)  Love him so!

As with every month, we've witnessed Troy develop on so many levels.  He went from his humorous army crawling to full blown speed crawling, pulling up onto EVERYTHING, standing up in the crib, high-fiving, waving goodbye, and even showing us a few dance moves.  It's amazing how much they learn in such a short period of time.  Going into his room in the morning to his smiling face jumping in the crib is by far the best alarm clock I've ever had. 

Our adventures this month included several first birthday parties, the zoo, Aunt Trisha's wedding lunch, playgroups, and some trips to the park.  Troy still loves to swing, has attempted some slides, and actually notices the animals at the zoo now.  It's funny that whenever you ask him, "what noise does a (insert name of animal) make?".....he responds "moo".  One of his favorite toys this month is the water table that we purchased.  He has such a great time splashing and leaves nothing dry.  I'm sure he will spend countless hours out there this summer.

Early this month Troy also celebrated his first Easter!  We spent the weekend in Lexington with Granny and Granny Lucy.  He was great at church and looked fabulous sporting his cardigan and dress pants!  The Easter bunny did visit with a basket of goodies.     

A day at the park!

Water table fun!

Visiting the Easter Bunny

Troy's basket

Nothing like a quick lunch at Steak N' Shake

Playing outside with Grandma Langan

I have quite the appetite these days.