Tales from Preschool

Yesterday Ryan's preschool held parent-teacher conferences.  His teacher said that Ryan continues to be one of the better behaved children in the class.  He's a good listener, follows directions, and shares well with others (most of the time).  She is amazed at how much more talkative he is this year and impressed that his vocabulary and reasoning abilities are similar to that of the other children (most of whom are nearly a full year older).  The teacher also confessed that Ryan "just melts her heart" and of all of her students, he is particularly special to her.

She also showed me a banner the children created for Thanksgiving.  She explained that each student was asked to draw what they're thankful for this year.  Here's what I learned:

Connor is thankful for his family.
Chloe is thankful for her little brother, Wyatt.
Matthew is thankful for his head.
Ryan is thankful for...(drum roll)...pilgrims and pumpkins.  I suppose it's timely, but geez, what a fall from grace!  Last year, without hesitation, he said he was thankful for Mommy and Daddy!  This year, we're surpassed by pilgrims and pumpkins?!  But, I do have to admit, it was a very um...shall we say artistic rendering of the Mayflower.

His teacher also informed me that they will devote the remainder of the school year to letter and number recognition and learning to write their names.  He can already sing the alphabet by himself and can count to 20 in English and to 5 in Spanish.  I can't imagine what advancements the coming months will bring!

Gavin's Growing Up

I can't believe Gavin is 5 months old already!  Where has the time gone?!  It doesn't seem like that long ago we were anxiously holding vigil over him in the NICU.  Now he's almost a half-year old and shows no signs of his fragile start to life!

Aside from some lingering GI issues (e.g., frequent spit ups and bellyaches), he's fairly laid back, content, and curious about the world around him.  He's interested in bright-colored toys that rattle and squeak.  But he's most fascinated with his feet, especially when he's wearing outfits with animal feet (he has ones with feet that look like bears, monkeys, puppies, and frogs).  Although he's teething and is quite the little slobber monster, he has no interest in wearing bibs.  He fusses and tugs on the bib until we give in and take it off or he removes it himself.  He's also shaping up to be an avid thumb sucker, which is bad for orthodonic reasons, but good as a self-soothing technique.

Gavin used to only have eyes for his Mommy, but lately he's become increasing captivated with Ryan.  Ryan is equally enamored with Gavin and often likes to climb on top of him in the bouncy seat just to be close.  Luckily, Gavin is still my little snugglebug - he frequently wants to be held and loves to cuddle, especially in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning. 

Developmentally, November has been a big month for Gavin.  Here are a few highlights of the milestones he's recently conquered:

Giggling:  Earlier this month, Gavin began giggling to "tweet tweet" sounds.  Around the same age, Ryan would giggle whenever anyone pretended to sneeze (i.e., "Achoo").  Gavin, on the other hand, finds it funny when someone chirps like a bird!

Sitting up:  Once we noticed Gavin trying to pull himself to a seated position in his swing, we decided he should be strapped into his swing and bouncy seat at all times!  Also, he can now sit unsupported for approximately 10-15 seconds before toppling over.  He can sit unsupported in his Bumbo seat indefinitely (although after a few minutes he's usually tackled by his overly enthusiastic brother!)

Creeping:  Gavin has begun "creeping," which is the precursor to crawling.  On one occasion when we put him on the floor in the middle of his blanket for tummy time, he used his knee to "creep" or propel himself forward more than 6 inches to reach his peacock toy.

Rolling:  He surprised himself last week when he rolled from his back to his belly.  Now, much to Ryan's delight, Gavin can roll all over the floor - front to back, back to front, he can get wherever he needs to go!

Babbling:  Gavin's vocabulary used to be limited to "gee" and "goo."  Now he's added, "oink, oink" to it.  Ironically enough, he loves to oink at us when we're sitting at the dinner table.  The first time Gavin oinked, Ryan looked down at him in surprise and asked, "why couldn't you oink like that when you were a pig for Halloween?"

Here are a few recent pictures of our handsome little guy:

So, About Those Manners...

Just as I was praising Ryan's good manners, I overheard the following exchange between Ryan and Mike:

Note:  Mike hadn't seen Ryan awake in days because of his work, school, and medic ride-along schedule.  He wanted to give Ryan a small token gift to remind him how much Daddy loves and misses him.  The following conversation took place around 5 a.m. when Ryan awoke to discover a Lightening McQueen Matchbox race car that Daddy had left by his pillow to surprise him. 

Ryan:  "What's this, Daddy?"
Daddy:  "I got you Lightening McQueen."
Ryan:  "Where's Mater?"
Daddy:  "I only got you McQueen."
Ryan:  "Go put your clothes on and get me Mater."

It serves me right for bragging.  I believe Scripture warns that pride cometh before the fall!

Little Heartbreaker

Ryan had his school picture taken last week.  He was so darn cute in his sweater and khakis I couldn't resist snapping a few photos of my own before taking him to school.  I know I'm biased, but I don't think he could be any cuter.  All the teachers at school swoon over him when I drop him off and pick him up.  I think it's the dimples...they make the ladies weak in the knees! 

Looks aside, he's a pretty swell kid.  He is such a sweet, gentle soul.  And, he has such a joyous spirit, he actually brought tears to a little old lady's eyes (one of the childcare volunteers at my MOPS group).  His happiness and enthusiasm for life is infectious; he regularly makes me pause to re-examine my perspective on things.  Plus, he has the manners and charm of a southern gentleman.  I think the ladies will be lining up...once he turns 18 and is allowed to date! ;-) 

In other news, Ryan had his annual physical with the pediatrician last week.  He weighs 33 lbs (50th percentile) and is 38.75" tall (75th percentile).  He has received his regular flu shot as well as the first H1N1 shot.  Unfortunately, given the extremely limited availability of the H1N1 vaccine, I don't know that he'll be able to receive the booster shot.  The pediatrician reassured me he's partially protected now and, if he were to contract the swine flu, it won't be as severe since he's had the first shot.  I feel much better knowing that, especially since he's in one of the high-risk populations because of his respiratory problems.  Other than that, he's happy, healthy, and continuing to bring light and laughter to our lives.  Hope these pictures bring a smile to your face as they did ours. 

The Gracious Host

Earlier this week Ryan invited his friend, Chloe, over for a playdate.  This marked the first time Ryan has had a friend over to play with his toys.  I was unsure how he would react to having someone on his turf and sharing his toys.  There were a few instances when I had to intervene, but for the most part, Ryan was generous and gracious. 

Within a few minutes of her arrival, he asked, "Chloe, have you been to me house before?"  When she replied, "no," he said, "you want to come upstairs and see all me animals in me bed?"  Perhaps in time he will master the art of subtlety... 

Despite Ryan's expansive toy collection, they had the most fun playing with Guinness' dog toys, building tents out of couch cushions and blankets, and hosting birthday parties for Chloe's doll and Ryan's stuffed animals.  It was impressive and cute to see such imaginative play.

After lunch, Ryan was visibly exhausted and asked, "when you go home, Chloe?"  So much for tact and graciousness...

Discovering Nature

Ryan went on his first field trip last Thursday.  He joined his preschool classmates for a presentation and nature hike at a local nature center.  The tour guide was very animated; all the parents were impressed that she was able to entertain a room full of 3-year-olds for more than 45 minutes, which is no small feat!!

At the beginning of the presentation, she instructed all of the children to designate one finger as their "petting finger" and reminded them to be gentle with the animals.  I was worried that Ryan would be as gentle and delicate with those animals as he is with Guinness!   

The first animal she brought out was a wooly bear caterpillar.  Ryan was able to pet the caterpillar and learned that it would one day turn into a moth.  That was somewhat confusing for the kids since they are familiar with the story, "The Hungry Caterpillar," where the caterpillar morphs into a beautiful butterfly.  The tour guide described the moth as a nighttime butterfly, which seemed to appease their curious, inquisitive little minds.  Next, she introduced a toad and a turtle.  She fed each animal a handful of meal worms.  Ryan was fascinated, especially when he discovered that toads' eyes retract into their heads whenever they swallow.

When she brought out the white pillow case holding the  large, squirming black rat snake, the parents in the room collectively groaned while many of the kids giggled nervously and squealed in delight.  Before the trip, Ryan insisted that he was NOT going to pet the snake and declared that we were going to watch the demonstration from the back of the room - fine by me!  But, after seeing all of his classmates touch the snake, he cautiously lifted his "petting finger" and quickly petted the snake.  He later informed me that he was surprised to find the snake was dry and warm, not cold and slimy as he had expected. 

Can you imagine if Mike had been the one to accompany Ryan on his field trip?!  We all know how Mike feels about snakes.  He probably would have embarassed Ryan by shrieking like a girl and jumping up on the nearest chair!  (Sorry the snake pictures didn't turn out too well.  As it got closer to Ryan's turn to pet the snake, my heart began to pound, my palms began to sweat, and I readied myself in case I needed to sprint across the room to save Ryan from the attacking reptile!) 

Once all of the animals had been put away, we took a short hike through the woods surrounding the nature center.  The trail took us past a pond where the children stopped to look for turtles and fish, over rocks, past trees that had recently been chewed down by beavers, and through a big grassy clearing where the children were encouraged to run off their energy.  Although the color of the leaves were particularly vibrant this Fall, the leaves had unfortunately passed their peak by the time of our hike.  Despite the drab surroundings, I learned that there is nothing more beautiful than witnessing a child's sense of wonder as he discovers nature and nothing more heartwarming than walking hand-in-hand through the forest with Ryan!

Fire"Mann" and the Little Porker

We woke up on Halloween to discover overcast, gloomy skies with dark clouds that threatened rain.  While that's perfect weather for a spooky Halloween party, it is not what a 3-year-old boy hopes for.  Ryan spent the day with his nose pressed up against the window wishing the bad weather away.  Thankfully the rain held off until after all the little goblins had gone to bed!

We had a great time trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.  There are so many families with young children in our neighborhood, that it seemed like a block party; the sidewalks were jammed with parents escorting little princesses and superheros (and piglets and firemen, too!).  Plus, many of our neighbors go to great lengths to decorate their yards for Halloween, which really adds to the festive atmosphere.

The boys were dressed in their costumes long before sundown.  While they waited for Daddy to arrive home from work and take them trick-or-treating, they agreed to pose for a few pictures.  It's amazing what little boys will do in exchange for the promise of Halloween candy as a bedtime snack!

Gavin was quite the little "ham" for his photo shoot.  He was all smiles for the camera as Mommy, Daddy, and Ryan giggled and cooed over how cute he was in his pig costume.  I really debated whether to dress him as a pig for his first Halloween.  I worried that people would mistake him for a girl or that when he becomes a teenage, he'll look back at the pictures and be horrified that we dressed him in all pink.  But, as Mike likes to say, real men wear pink.  Plus, how could we not dress our 17 lb, 4-month-old baby as a little porker?!  After being jostled around for all of the pictures and carried through the neighborhood, Gavin spit up all over himself and me.  So, we told everyone that we dressed him as the swine flu.   

Ryan is completely enamored with his Daddy and was thrilled at the idea of them dressing up as firefighers together.  Although Mike was one of the only parents in costume, he proudly walked hand-in-hand through the neighborhood with his little boy.  It brought tears to my eyes to watch the two of them together and to see Ryan look up to his Daddy - both literally and figuratively.  He couldn't ask for a better role model or father.  Even at the tender age of 3, he can recognize what a good man his father is.

It's hard to believe that last year Ryan could not even say "trick-or-treat."  This year, he gleefully announced "trick-or-treat" whenever someone opened the door, immediately said "thank you" as they placed candy in his bucket, and shyly said "have a nice halloween" as he walked away.  It's amazing the difference a year makes. 

Speaking of what a difference a year makes...Gavin has officially been in our lives for one year. We discovered last year on Halloween night that we were expecting Baby Mann #2. After putting Ryan to bed last year, Mike decided to run out to rent the horror movie Saw IV and buy some adult beverages. Something told me that I should take a pregnancy test before having a drink. And, much to our surprise and delight, it came back positive!

Halloween Fun

It's so much fun to experience the excitement and joy of a holiday through the eyes of a child!  Over the past couple of weeks, we've decorated the house, played with Halloween stickers and coloring books, danced to The Monster Mash, baked all kinds of Halloween treats, picked out costumes, and carved pumpkins.  Here are some photos of the boys getting ready for Halloween:

Halloween Sweets

Ryan and I baked and decorated 4 dozen cupcakes for the neighborhood costume party and parade.  Ryan helped measure, mix, icing, and sprinkle the cupcakes but was conveniently MIA when it came time to clean up and do dishes! Unfortunately, the party was cancelled due to bad weather.  Between the bags of candy we had purchased to hand out to trick-or-treaters and the haul that Ryan was bound to collect on Halloween night, I knew we couldn't (shouldn't) eat all those cupcakes.  Luckily, I was able to off-load about 2 dozen cupcakes on a neighbor who has 3 growing boys.

Ryan shows off his gingerbread haunted house.  This Halloween creation was two days in the making, although the directions on the kit suggest it can be completed in less than an hour.  Clearly, they didn't have the help of an enthusiastic 3-year-old.  Cleanup alone took me an hour!  Ryan really enjoyed assembling and decorating the haunted house.  It was really cute to watch - he ate at least one piece of candy for every piece he put on the house and he was covered in orange and black icing!  His finished product looks remarkably similar to the one shown on the box, especially given that most of the gingerbread pieces had to be "glued" back together.

Pumpkin Picking

Most of the weekends in October have been a washout.  Since this past Sunday was the first nice day in weeks and the last weekend day before Halloween, we went to Baugher's to go pumpkin picking with hundreds of other families.  Parking was a nightmare, the lines for the hayride were ridiculously long, the field was muddy, and the pumpkin crop was not very good this year and what was left was very picked over.  However, the boys' spirits remained high and they were able to find 4 perfect pumpkins that met their criteria (round, orange, no major flat spots, and still attached to the vine).  Gavin fell asleep halfway through the search for the perfect pumpkins and Ryan eventually got tired and begged Daddy to carry him the rest of the way.  So, just picture it:  Mike with Ryan on his shoulders carrying two pumpkins and me with Gavin strapped to my chest and carrying two pumpkins.  As we were checking out, we learned that together our 4 pumpkins weighed more than 50 pounds!  Who needs P90X!?  This was also the first time Gavin was forward-facing in his Baby Bjorn infant carrier.  He seemed to prefer watching all the excitement going on around him rather than staring at my shirt!

Here are a few pictures from our pumpkin-picking adventure with our little "punkins:"

Pumpkin Carving

Since Mike had the day off, we carved our pumpkins on Friday afternoon.  Ryan's job was to keep Guinness from eating the pumpkin seeds, help scoop out the "pumpkin guts," look through the pumpkin stencils in the carving kit, and choose the design for each pumpkin.  He asked us to carve a bat on one and a ghost on another.  He wanted to carve a happy jack-o-lantern face on a third, but we ran out of time and interest.  The smallest pumpkin was reserved for the "Build-A-Skeleton" pumpkin kit.  As luck would have it, the bat design was missing so Daddy had to draw it by hand.  Daddy worked hard creating and carving a bat.  As he was working on it, Ryan would periodically lean over his shoulder to inspect it.  Each time, Ryan would scold, "me no think that looks good, Daddy.  Me no think it looks like a bat."  Poor Daddy.  Judge for yourself from the photo below, but I think he did a good job.  Fortunately, once Ryan saw it lit on Halloween night, he changed his mind and decided Daddy's bat pumpkin was his favorite.  Gavin wasn't sure what was going on, but he was entertained watching all of us and provided moral support!