all things RYAN: 2.5 years

We couldn't ask for a better kid. Simply a wonderful child. Though, he's growing up way to fast!

~ He weighs 30 lbs. He wears a 3T pant, though they are usually big in the waist but he needs the length.

~ There isn't a more polite boy. 'Please' and 'thank yous' are his norm. We're working on 'you're welcome'. He says 'bless you' when someone sneezes. He thanks his babysitter for coming over and the librarian after story time. He says 'excuse me' when he bumps into someone or something. I could go on and on.

~ He loves to watch, out the window, the neighborhood children wait for and get on the bus. He narrates the scene, it goes something like this...

"The kids are playing football. There's Jacob. I see Jacobs daddy. There's the bus! I see the school bus! The kids are getting on the bus! Bye-bye kids. Have fun at school kids. Ryan will ride the bus soon. Daddy's go home and go to work (3 dads walk there kids to the stop and then walk back and drive off to work everyday). Oh no, Jacobs daddy not go to work (he went inside instead of to his car)."

~ He's wearing underwear!

~ He's learning the states. He currently knows 20.



~ He doesn't like getting his hair washed.

~ When the neighborhood kids get home from school they all head out to our culdesac to ride bikes. They are normally out there when Ryan wakes from nap. He loves to join them with his tricycle. The youngest, other than Ryan, is 4, and the oldest is 9. When Ryan goes outside they all yell 'Ryan' and come to see him. It's so cute.

~ He loves balls and cars.  So boy.



~ He can count to 10 regularly, sometimes as high as 20. He can visually identify numbers 0-9.

~ He talks and talks and talks. I'm amazed at his vocabulary. More than anything he says 'whats that?'. Problem is, he normally knows. So, I often tease and say a fork is a bear and he will say 'no, a fork'. Silly kid.

~ I barely have to raise my voice for him to realize he's in trouble. And he knows I mean business if I start counting. If I make it to 3 he goes to timeout, which has only happened a handful of times in his little life. I've found timeout to be very effective with him. He always tells me why he was there and what he should have done/needs to do (in other words, lesson learned).

~ He mimics everything. Of course, this isn't new but is more elaborate. Here he is imitating Chris who was on call that day.



~ He is so very sweet. Loves to give and get hugs and kisses. Is very snuggly, well, as snuggly as a fast paced 2.5 year old can be. He clearly cares about others. Helps me and his baby brothers regularly. Just very loving.

~ He moved into his big boy bed and he LOVES it. Currently, it's just a twin mattress on the floor with a safety rail. He wakes around 7am, though he stays in bed for 30+ minutes before we get him up. That's right, he doesn't get out of bed til told to.

His usual nap is 3 hours.

And he's in bed by 7:30 pm. What can I say, the boy loves his sleep. He gets that from me.

~ He's typically shy. Even with those he knows, though he warms up quickly in that case.

~ He is awesome at pretending. He will pretend anything is anything. Can't find a cell phone to place a call, that's ok use my hand. Don't have a wallet, that's ok this megablock will do. I think he's a genius.

~ He loves storytime at the library.

~ He is a great big brother.

~ He continues to be one of the 3 most loved boys in all the world!

all things ETHAN & OWEN: 6 & 7 months

There was a tremendous turnaround somewhere near the 6th or 7th month. Nighttime and daytime sleep was more predictable. The boys started enjoying playtime on another level. And they finally started recognizing and enjoying each other! Precious.

6 month stats
Ethan 18.5 lbs | Owen 17 lbs

- 6 months -

Ethan/ Owen

- 7 months -

~ They love each other! And I love it! They were playing in the family room floor and I was in the kitchen. All the sudden I hear laughing so I check to see what's so funny. Owen was on his back and Ethan was on his belly, up on his elbows. Ethan was in Owen's face and Owen was touching Ethan's face and both boys were laughing like crazy. It was so, so sweet.

~ Ethan, aka Bulldozer, is on the move. He rolls and army crawls like a mad man. Anything, or anyone, in his way gets rolled over hence the nickname. And with his new found mobility has come a desire to steal anything and everything from poor, unsuspecting Owen.

In addition, he's determined to remove as many ornaments from the Christmas tree and tear into as many presents as possible.

Though Owen isn't as mobile, it's by choice.  He can roll if he wants to.

- Owen -

~ Owen got his first tooth! It was effortless. No issues whatsoever. Ryan never had a problem with teething, I never thought I'd be lucky enough to hit the jackpot twice. Fingers crossed for three times!

~ When we aren't calling Ethan 'Bulldozer', we're calling him 'Slobber Monster'. How can one kid have so much drool? Everyone assumes its teething related but this habit has been from the get go. Can't tell which baby is which? Look for the bib, that's Ethan.

~ Of course, every baby's personality is different but raising 2 babies at once makes it so obvious. Owen is more reserved. He's quieter. More cautious with his smiles. Oh so loving.

Ethan is the opposite. He's more outgoing. Louder. Smiles constantly. And is oh so loving.

- Owen -

~ Owen has this small sly smile while Ethan has a big, gummy grin. Different as they may be, they both LOVE to smile and I LOVE to to see them smile.

- Ethan -

~ Both boys smile and laugh at their big brother. Their adoration for Ryan is very obvious.

~ We started baby food. Both babes seem to really enjoy eating, Ethan in particular. I feed them at the same time and E whines when I turn the spoon towards O. Like he's starving. Silly boy. So far they've had rice and oatmeal cereals, avocado, banana, sweet potato, butternut squash, and apple. So far they aren't picky.

~ They are 2 of the 3 most loved little boys in the entire world!

leaves, leaves, and little boys

No explanation needed.

Turkey Day 2012

There was a last minute change in Chris's work schedule; he didn't have to work the day after thanksgiving. So, we made last minute arrangements to drive the crew to New York.  Though we fit nicely in our car for day to day adventures, its not suitable for cross country ones.  So, we rented a minivan.  Or the 'special car' as Ryan referred to it.

The Minivan

I was a bit afraid I might fall head over heels for the minivan.  No worries.  In fact, I feel somehow obligated to explain how inconvenient a minivan is for 3 carseats.  Only 1 carseat can go in the middle row bucket seats so that the other one can fold back to get in the back (to get to the other carseats). As for the 2 seats in the back, its hard to carry the infant seat to the back row.  Also, you have to crawl back there to strap the 2 kiddos in, which with the 2 kids and 2 carseats leaves very little space for an adult.   I digress.  I guess I thought this is what minivans were made for.  Not so.  I do see the appeal for older kids (who can strap themselves in) and for travel.

The Drive to NY

We left Wednesday night at 11pm.  The kids all went to bed as usual and we moved them to the car for take off.  The twins went back to sleep and stayed that way for most of the trip.  Ryan, on the other hand, did  not.  He was so excited about the 'special car' and about seeing Grammie and Pappa he couldn't sleep.  And since he was awake so was I.  FYI, Chris napped about 3.5 hours before driving us the whole way.  Thanks babe!

The Big Boy Bed

What a disaster.  So in addition to our crew, at the Hayes house was also my BIL, his wife and their 9 month old.  They used the crib normally used by Ryan.  Since he was on the verge of transferring to a big boy bed at home, no problem right? Wrong.  The cause of the disastrous bed situation was arriving in NY 6 hours behind on sleep.  Chris and I alternated sleeping with him in his full size bed.  Sleeping with a toddler is a bit like sleeping with a febrile mini ninja.

Thanksgiving

As if it weren't difficult enough getting all 3 little ones to NY, I was challenged with getting them to Aunt Mary's for Thanksgiving.  Not only were we an hour late but we arrived like a tornado.   Shy, hungry, tired toddler + 2 crying babies who only want mama + 2 carseats + big bag + 2 hungry and super tired adults = tornado.  We quickly fed Ryan, then he was off to be Alison's sidekick.  As soon as the babies calmed, Chris and I stuffed our faces.  So hurried, in fact, we didn't warm our food.  After feeding Ethan and Owen we were off just as quick as we'd arrived.  Back to headquarters just in time for bedtime routines.  Ryan and I were in bed by 6:30!  

Cousins

We got to meet cousin Spencer for the first time.  He's 2 months and 1 week older than the twins.  What a sweetie!

Spencer and Ethan

We tried to get a picture of all the cousins.  This is what I got.  Hopefully someone else got something better!

Ryan had so much fun with his cousins. Namely Alison.  Ryan followed her around like a puppy.  He did everything per her direction.  They had so much fun.  However, if you ask Ryan who he played with or who his favorite cousin is he will say "Alison and Carter".  Poor Spencer.  I guess if you can't walk you are of no use to a toddler.

What a beauty! 

The Drive Back

Owen and Ethan slept the entire way again.  Ryan did better.  Slept just over half way I suppose.  I even managed to get a few hours of shut eye.  All in all it was uneventful.

Overall

It was a hectic trip but we're glad we we made it.  We saw a lot of family we hadn't seen in a long time and one family member for the first time.  Everyone got to meet the twins.  And we learned a few things along the way:

1.  Ryan now has trouble sleeping in the car 

2.  Ethan has early onset stranger anxiety

3.  We do not need a minivan!

 Piano with Uncle Matt

Great Aunt Diane sitting in as a double high chair

Happy Thanksgiving!