Ryder at 2 years old

All about Ryder at 2!

Favorite things are:  reading books, playing with blocks, going to Little Monkey Bizzness, Spiderman, any type of vehicle, being outside, swimming, playing pretend with Rilyn, and singing and dancing especially to Jesus Loves Me and The Fox Song.  

Favorite foods: cookies, cottage cheese, waffles, eggs, bell peppers, goldfish, any fruit, and mac and cheese.  Ryder is still super inconsistent with food though and some days will love something and the next not touch it.  But the above items are pretty consistently his favs.  

Newest skills: going on the potty - for the most part this kid is potty-trained, knows the letter R and M and that Ryder starts with R and mommy starts with M, building taller towers with blocks, talks tons and in 3 - 5 word sentences, putting on his crocs, and counting. 

Funny/cute things he says: "hold you" for hold me, "Funny..." he thinks everything is funny, "HaHa" grandma (although he can say grandma very clearly), "Oh Ry Ry" again when he thinks whatever he does is funny. Actually there isn't tons of cute little kids sayings from him because he does speak fairly clearly.  He never did babble and really went straight to talking.  

He is such a fun loving and goofy boy. He loves to be around his family and is a very happy little guy.  He is a ball of energy that keeps us moving constantly. He is a little daredevil and has absolutely no fear.  

 He is also quite the handful when he wants to be.  I'm pretty sure when I tell him "no" it goes in one ear and out the other because that word has no meaning for him.  We've started with sending him to his room when he is throwing fits and he loses IPAD time on occasion.  He throws a lot less tantrums than 6 months ago but he still is pretty defiant so we will just continue working on it.  


At Ryder's wellness visit our doctor entered with the words, "that's a big boy you have" ya ya we hear it every time they weigh one of our kids.  And I'm pretty sure Ryder's going to be our small one...ha!  He weighs 28 lbs 15 ounces (75%) and is 36 inches tall (85%).  

We enjoy being around this little goof and I'm so proud to be his mama.  Of course I wish it wasn't so exhausting sometimes but hey that's part of parenting.  Everyday is exciting and fun with Ryder in it that's for sure!  

His favorite shape is the triangle...

Being a goofball!

Ryder is Two!!

Yesterday our goof ball turned two.  It seems impossible that he is already two.

Rilyn loved singing to Ryder and treating him special yesterday.  I think he was tired of hearing about his birthday by the end of the day because she was just so excited.  He got lots of calls and loved having lots of attention.

The night before we took his last picture being one:

The next morning he woke up a new age and also to chocolate muffins.

We had some fun at the park yesterday and then popsicles, pizza, and presents when Tyler got home.

showing off her red tongue...she thinks it's hilarious

His new "motorcycle"

Next week we have lots more celebrating planned....a visit to the train museum with BOTH sets of grandparents and a birthday party.  Being two is a lot of fun!

Potty Training and Swim Lessons

Ryder has been up to a lot lately because apparently turning 2 is a pretty big deal.

Ryder started swim lessons about a month ago so on Saturday mornings him and Tyler head off to play in the water.  Ryder wants nothing to do with instruction and is very comfortable in the water. He thinks he can swim so is constantly trying to get out of Tyler's arms.

I watched him last week and it was fun to watch him in a class setting.  I'm pretty sure we have a class clown on our hands.  At one point the instructor was talking about life jackets and was talking for a couple minutes when Ryder decided he had heard enough so he started splashing Tyler in the face.  Of course all the other kiddos decided that was hilarious and started splashing their parents in the face.

He is definitely a goof ball and fun to watch!

We also decided to go ahead and try to potty train Ryder.  To be honest, I probably should have waited until I was getting more sleep at night and Sawyer was a little older, but when the boy is showing all the signs that he is ready and I'm washing diapers almost every day I just couldn't wait. So, a week ago we pulled out the underwear, treats, IPAD, and of course the potty.  We rolled up the carpet and pretty much spent 4 days at home sitting on the potty.

After the first day, Tyler had to give me a little pep talk (the whole no sleep thing = no patience too) and after some flowers and home-made frappuccinos we were back on track.

Ryder is actually doing really well.  He has pooped in the potty every day but one (and that was in a pull-up) He loves wearing his underwear and is getting really good at using the potty when we tell him, but has yet to tell us when he needs to go other than for a BM.  He is very proud of himself (as he should be).  I really dislike potty training but love when the kiddos are successful and I get a day free of washing diapers!

I found this sticker stuck to my arm on day four...ha potty training is exhausting.

Saturday Snapshots Take Three - A Day Late

Just some photos of our week last week....

Sawyer at 3 months

Sawyer is 3 months old today!  It seems like he has been here forever, yet time is flying by.  It's amazing at how quickly infants change.  So much is happening in their little brains, nervous systems, and bodies at this age!  

Sawyer's sleeping is still really inconsistent and I've succumbed to letting him sleep in the swing pretty much all the time.  I feel like we tried everything to get the boy to stay asleep and the swing seems to be the only thing that sort of works.  The good news is he is going to bed MUCH earlier!  He is going to sleep in the evenings any time between 5:45 and 6:45 depending on his last nap.  I put him in the swing for this first stretch.  Often, I have to go back in an hour later and feed him again and then he sleeps for 2 - 3 more hours.  The next time he wakes up I'm usually in bed so then I bring him in bed with me and he's up every hour or maybe every two hours and even sometimes I'll get a 3 hour stretch in there.  I know he's not hungry and just needs me to put him to sleep but for now I'm okay doing that.  As he gets older and able to put himself to sleep we will be revisiting this decision.  Naps typically last between a half an hour to an hour with his second afternoon nap sometimes being 2 hours.  He takes all his naps in the swing.  

The good news is evenings are so much easier since he is going to bed earlier.  It's still not his most favorite time of day but at least he is manageable!  He likes to play with toys and watch Rilyn and Ryder play.  He is also starting to like playing games like peek-a-boo and the game where I eat his face and neck.  We don't have a name for that one, ha!  He is quite the talker and coos a lot throughout the day.  He is smiling and even decided to flirt with a little 4 month old girl during church today.  He is also starting to try to sit up.  If you lean him back he is constantly trying to lean forward and sit up.  

He is nursing every 2 hours during the day still, but we did get him to take a bottle the other day. He wasn't happy about it, but took it so that is a relief for when I go back to work. 

We won't have stats this month since he doesn't have a check-up but I'm sure he is growing and developing just like he should.  

I'm excited for him to start sleeping better, but other than that he is doing great and we all love having him around.  He's going to be such a fun little guy as he starts to get older and we look forward to watching him grow!