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!