Ryan's 4th Birthday

Birthday Events
Although we hosted Ryan's 4th birthday party several days ago, we wanted to make his actual birthday seem equally as special.  So, we saved some presents for him to open today, had a picnic lunch and played at a local playground, enjoyed a cheeseburger dinner at the "tall table" at Five Guys, and made ice cream sundaes for dessert.  Ryan also declared that since it was his birthday, he made the rules for the day.  Not surprisingly, his first order of business was to abolish afternoon naps, allowing for all-day play!  We had one tired little boy by the end of the day!

The Batcave is now complete with the addition of villains, Mr. Freeze and the Penguin.

Ryan is such an avid reader.  He's excited to add 3 more books about Superman, Spiderman, and Batman to his growing collection of super hero books.

Ryan had a great time exploring the new playground we discovered.  He had so much fun in the giant sandbox that he required an afternoon bath when we got home!

Like Spiderman, Ryan scales the chain ladder with ease.

Much to my dismay (but Daddy's pleasure), Ryan received a Nerf dart gun for his birthday.  I don't think it's a coincidence, but as soon as Ryan opened it, Guinness immediately started hacking and had to be rushed outside to throw up.  I think he must have known the abuse that's in store for him!  And, as you can see, Gavin is unsure of what to make of this new "toy."

This is what happens when you put a dart gun in the hands of a four-year- old!  Apparently, this is what my future holds with a household of boys.  Why bother to strive for a tidy house when I'm doomed to suction cup dart marks all over the walls?!

Ryan and Daddy enjoy a cheeseburger birthday dinner at Five Guys.  Although it was a little awkward sitting in a line at the counter, Ryan insisted that we sit in the "tall chairs." 

Tired of birthday cake leftovers, Ryan opted for homemade ice cream sundaes for his birthday dessert.  He had triple chocolate ice cream with marshmallows, M&Ms, and chocolate syrup. 

Birthday Memories
I wish I remembered what I was doing at this exact moment four years ago. August 31, 2006, was one of the best days of my life and I desperately want to remember every detail with clarity. Unfortunately, over time, my recollection of the small moments, such as the precise timing of the day's events, has begun to blur. While my fading memory of the specific details saddens me, I know that on that day, Mike and I were blessed with one of the sweetest, happiest little boys - one with an infectious smile, a kind heart, and a gentle spirit.


I also know that every day we're creating new memories - some of which we'll remember for a lifetime and some of which will soon be forgotten. It's our hope that together, all of these combined moments will create an unforgettable childhood. And while Ryan may not always remember the details, he'll know that he was always loved and cherished. (My fading memory also reminds me of the importance of regularly updating this blog as it provides a way to capture those moments - both big and small - that we don't want to forget.)

Happy 4th birthday, Ryan. You have brought us immeasurable joy; you make our heart smile every day! Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon and back.

Ryanism

Anatomy Lesson
Tonight as we were finishing dinner, I looked at the boys, who tend to get more food on them than in them, and declared they were both headed straight to the bathtub.  Ryan protested that he wanted a shower instead.  I informed him that he'd have to have a bath tonight since Daddy wasn't home.  When he questioned why he couldn't shower with me, I cautiously explained that little boys shouldn't shower with their Mommies because boys and girls have different private parts and little boys shouldn't see their Mommies undressed.  Confused, Ryan said, "but we both have knuckles, Mommy.  Yours are just a little bigger."  My first thought was what in the world has Mike been teaching this boy?!?!  Almost afraid to hear his answer, I asked him to clarify what he meant by knuckles.  He then lifted his shirt, pointed to his chest and said, "See Mom, knuckles."  I could not contain my laughter after that.  Gavin didn't understand what was going on, but laughed because I was laughing so hard.  Ryan was confused and embarrassed and chastised me for laughing at him.  Every time I tried to correct him that those were "nipples" not "knuckles" I started to laugh all over again.  Whew, based on this experience, I can only imagine how *the talk* will go with him in a few years!

First Pair of Shoes

Now that Gavin is walking, we thought it was time for our barefoot beach boy to start wearing shoes.  So today we headed to the same Stride Rite store where we bought Ryan's first pair of shoes about three years ago.  The shoes we purchased have flexible soles and special treads designed to provide better balance and control and minimize stumbles and tumbles.  Time will tell if that's just a clever marketing gimmick.  Regardless, he looks super cute in his preppy new kicks!  Gavin did surprisingly well walking in shoes for the first time, but he did have Ryan with him for support every step of the way.

Walking And Talking

It was a milestone I thought I was ready for, but now that Gavin is walking, I am not so sure.  I suppose it means my baby has now graduated to toddler.  Where did the time go?  It seems like just yesterday he was sliding along the couch and tottering hesitantly while gripping my fingers.  Now he's walking completely on his own and is ready to explore the world around him.  These first steps represent his growing independence, which is important and exciting, but also a little sad as I will miss holding him on my hip, hearing him suck his thumb so close to my ear, feeling his sweet, hot little baby breath on my cheek, and having him lay his head on my shoulder and snuggle in close when he gets tired.  However, since this awkward walking stage comes with its fair share of stumbles and falls, I'll still get to kiss boo-boos and scraped knees and hand out hugs of encouragement.  In fact, I still get to enjoy those Mommy moments with Ryan as well.

On August 19th, Gavin walked across the kitchen to retrieve a refrigerator magnet that he had thrown across the room.  He was quite proud of his accomplishment and was even more tickled when he heard us applauding and cheering him on.  That first unsteady walk was quickly followed by more walking attempts of even greater distances.  By the end of the evening, he had become more sure-footed (and probably a little sore).  He's been walking ever since.  His newest thing is to walk with a long stick such as the Swiffer or a plastic golf club.  I'm not sure if it's for balance or protection since he's even more of a target now that he's upright!  It does bring back memories of Ryan tottering around the house with the orange plastic bat raised over his head!

Now that he's mastered the art of walking, Gavin likes to vacuum with me.  He follows me around the house pretending his walker is a vacuum.  It makes the housework take twice as long, but the company is worth it!

As I've learned with Ryan, the interest in helping with cleaning is short-lived so I plan to enjoy it while it lasts!  Soon, I'm going to teach him how to push the real vacuum cleaner and put a dust rag in his hands!

Although he's uninterested in any help from Mommy, he loves the extra attention he gets from Ryan.  The three of them (Ryan, Gavin, and the Swiffer) take their daily stroll hand-in-hand around the downstairs.

As if his first steps weren't enough, Gavin decided to expand his vocabulary (which previously included, "dadda," "momma," and "uh-oh") a couple of days later.  On August 22nd, during dinner, Gavin started loudly repeating "mo, mo, mo."  It took me a few minutes to realize he was saying, "more."  His panting, pointing, leg kicking, and fixed stare on my Arby's curly fries (is he our kid or what?!) were much needed clues to help me figure out what he was so desperately trying to communicate!

Chuck E. Cheese

On a rainy day last week, we took the boys to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch and an afternoon of arcade games. I wish we had discovered this place sooner - Ryan loved it and was completely exhausted by the time we got home!  Granted, we did outlast nearly every other family at Chuck E. Cheese; we were there for almost 3 hours!

The police chase game was by far Ryan's favorite! Daddy provided some much needed assistance with the gas pedal and steering, but Ryan did the hard work of activating the police siren to let the bad guys know he was in hot pursuit!

Monkey see; monkey do. Gavin wanted to get in on the action, too. Unfortunately, he was not able to catch as many criminals since he couldn't see over the steering wheel or reach the gas pedal.

After 4 or 5 police chases, Daddy decided it would be easier to join Ryan in the seat. By the end of the afternoon at least 10 dangerous criminals had been apprehended by Officers Ryan and Daddy.

As Ryan excitedly prepares to take flight on the whirly bike, he soon realizes he can't reach the pedals.

Daddy to the rescue!  Daddy gets an upper-body workout as he pedals the whirly bike for Ryan so he's able to fly up to the ceiling and back down.

While exploring the toddler section, Gavin discovered the ABC Whack-a-Mole game.

It was not a high scoring game for Gavin since he was startled every time a mole popped out. By the time he recovered and tried to whack it, it was gone and another had popped out and surprised him all over again!  Help from Mommy did little to improve his score since lack of sleep slows my reaction time.

Gavin LOVES talking on the phone. Although we have quite a collection of toy phones, he's only interested in the real ones.  It's only a matter of time before he dials 911 while playing with our home and cell phones!

Apparently, Gavin received some shocking news...

Big brother Ryan has taught Gavin how to safely descend the steps at home. Apparently, Mr. Safety Conscious assumes he's supposed to go down the slide the same way he goes down the steps. It was very cute to watch him climb up there, then very carefully turn himself around, lay on his belly, assume the feet-first position, and gently lower himself down the slide.

Ryan feeds the tickets he won into the ticket counter machine. Although he accumulated a couple hundred tickets, it only earned him a handful of Tootsie Rolls, a sheet of stickers, a plastic scorpion, and a pair of blue and yellow foam dice. Mommy and Daddy thought the prizes were ridiculous since it cost us almost $20 in tokens to win those tickets. Fortunately, they were considered completely worthy prizes in the eyes of a 4 year old!

17 Years Ago Today

Seventeen years ago today, August 14, 1993, Mike and I officially became a couple.  We've been together almost two decades and more than half of our lives!  During the past 17 years, we've graduated high school, college, and graduate school, moved almost a half-dozen times, made at least 5 employer/job function changes, gotten married, and had two beautiful boys.  We've built an amazing life together so far; I can't wait to see what the next 17 years will bring!

Here are a couple of pictures from when it all began - the Summer of 1993, lifeguarding together at Crosswinds Condominium Pool.

Sadly, here's what Crosswinds looks like today.  Obviously, it has fallen into a pathetic state of disrepair.  It's sad to see what has become of a place that is so special to us and where so many wonderful memories were made.

Luckily, we've fared far better than the pool where it all started, though we do look much older and more exhausted than we did in the early days!

Gavin May Be A Vegetarian

Gavin may be a vegetarian, not because he has a particular fondness for vegetables, but because there may not be much else he can eat.  A few weeks ago, in response to several isolated vomiting incidents, the pediatrician ordered bloodwork for Gavin to test for food allergies.  The results of his bloodwork indicated he is moderately allergic to milk, eggs, and fish/shellfish (no surprise there given Mike's history), and mildly allergic to beef and pork.  Guess it's chicken, pasta, fruit, and vegetables for him from now on!  Perhaps it's not a terrible thing for all of us to eat more vegetables.  We have been referred to a pediatric allergist to better understand the nature and extent of his allergies, determine what effect we can expect these allergies to have (rash, upset stomach, anaphylaxis), and discuss recommended changes to his diet.  I'll post another update with information that we learn from the appointment with the specialist.

Mommy Needs More Sleep!

Yesterday, while Ryan and Daddy were napping, I decided to make a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner.  Halfway there, I realized it was unusually quiet so I looked in my rearview mirror to see what Gavin was doing.  My first reaction when I saw the empty infant carrier was, "Oh s#!%, where's Gavin?!"  I was instantly panicked and confused.  I thought I remembered strapping him into the carseat before I left.  I then looked behind me and there he was sitting in Ryan's carseat with the chest straps up around his ears, happily sucking his thumb, swinging his chubby little legs, and enjoying the view!  He was clearly delighted to be forward-facing for once and not jammed into a teeny-tiny infant carrier!  Once my heart stopped pounding and my breathing returned to a normal rate, we began to giggle together at Mommy's silly mistake.  I did drive extra carefully the rest of the way to the grocery store though!     

Ryanisms

Clean Feet
Tonight I walked into the boys' bathroom to discover the sink overflowing with bubbles and soap suds all over the counter.  Ryan was sitting amid the mess intently washing his feet in the sink.  I was somewhat confused since he had just gotten out of the bathtub not 15 minutes earlier.  When I inquired as to what he was doing, he explained, "it's important that boys have clean feet because that makes girls want to marry them." 

He then insisted that he's not going to get married.  When I predicted that he'd likely have many women vying for his attention, he declared that he's going to marry Gavin instead.  Chuckling, I assured him that he and Gavin are brothers and will always be close.  I told him if they're lucky, they may even live near each other when they're grown up.  Otherwise, they can stay close by talking on the phone, emailing each other, or even going on vacation together.  He then said that he was going to check his school schedule for this year and figure out when he has a day off so he and Gavin can go on a Disney cruise together just the two of them.

Untame Mane
Having two boys has finally broken me.  After 15 years, I've finally lost the will - or at least the time and energy - to straighten my hair everyday.  Reluctantly, I'm starting to embrace my naturally wavy hair.  Since curly hair care is all new to me, my hair looks a bit unruly on those days when I allow it to air dry.  While I'm still uncomfortable with my new look, I must admit, a wash-n-wear style is so much easier!  Hopefully, with the right products, a good haircut, and some helpful tips from a stylist, I'll be less likely to reach for the hair dryer and flat iron every morning! 

Foolishly, one day while we were out running errands, I decided to ask Ryan how he liked my new hairstyle.  Honest to a fault, he replied, "you look like a wild woman, Mom.  I like it better straight."  As if that weren't brutal enough, he added, "the people in the store are going to look out and see you coming and say, 'what in the world is THAT coming in the door?!'"  Guess I won't be retiring the flat iron anytime soon!

Peach Picking

After a week of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, we were grateful for the cool front that moved into the region bringing the temperature down into the low 80s.  It was too beautiful not to get out and enjoy the weather today, so I took the boys peach picking and to the petting zoo.   

Ryan kept a protective arm around Gavin during
the entire tractor ride.  Gavin was a little unsure of
the bumpy ride, but enjoyed his freedom from the
confines of Mommy's lap.

.

I'm not sure what selection criteria he used to determine
which peaches to pick and which to leave behind.  But, it's a
significant improvement from our apple picking adventure last
year when he only picked up the rotten, bruised apples that
he found lying on the ground.

 

As the designated fruit inspector, Gavin tastes
first, then looks closely for worms and bad spots!

Gavin tries to escape the runaway train
driven by conductor Ryan.

Sensing he had a handful of food, this goat enthusiastically
greeted Ryan at the entrance gate and immediately snorted
all the oats in Ryan's hand.  Ryan said he was a "gobble guts."   

After calling Gavin a goat for several months now, Ryan is
excited to finally see a goat up close.  Fortunately for Gavin,
Ryan did not see much resemblance.

The kittens were such a hit, Ryan decided to ask Daddy if
he could bring one home.  As you can imagine, that request
went over about as well as if Ryan had asked for a tattoo
or a motorcycle!

More Firsts For Gavin

We affectionately refer to Gavin as "the goat" because he will eat anything we offer him from carrots to cookies!  We decided to let him feed himself tonight in the hopes that it would slow him down a little.  (Seriously, at this rate, Mike will need a second job to feed him!) 

He was so excited when I presented him with bowls and utensils instead of the usual jumbled heap of food that looks like it was served with an ice cream scoop!  Apparently, Gavin pays more attention to us than I realized, because he immediately knew exactly how to use the fork and spoon.  His technique was a bit unsteady at first as he accidentally launched a few pieces of peaches over his head onto the floor behind him.  Luckily, Guinness had positioned himself at the base of the highchair and was anxiously waiting for sneaky handouts and dropped food. 

Here's a "before" picture.  Anticipating a big mess, I stripped him down to his diaper before beginning the meal, but have no explanation as to why I decided to forego a bib.

Here's a brief video clip of Gavin's first meal feeding himself with utensils.  As you can see, he's quite excited about his new independence at mealtime.  Although he's normally a big eater, tonight he was more excited to stir his food with the fork and spoon.  I'm not sure how much actually made it into his mouth.  It's also touching to see Ryan so excited to celebrate Gavin's achievements and equally as endearing to see how enamored Gavin is with Ryan.  He relishes any attention Ryan directs his way!

Here's an "after" picture.  For those of you who may be impressed at how relatively clean he is, please note that this was taken after round two of the meal.  Handfuls of peaches and macaroni noodles had already been scooped out of the highchair and fed to Guinness, and Gavin had already been completely scrubbed down once.  This is what he looked like after gobbling down a cereal bar for dessert!  He was immediately whisked to the bathroom for a much needed bath.  Then, the kitchen floor had to be wiped and moped.  Guinness probably needs a bath to get the sticky food droppings out of his fur, but I don't have the energy to tackle that tonight!

Gavin is also dangerously close to walking.  He's been furniture cruising for weeks now and can walk across a room holding on a finger for support.  Recently, he began standing unassisted for long periods of time and just today took a few unsteady steps on his own before resorting to crawling.  He also likes to push the walker around the house, but has realized that he can do it much faster if he pushes it while crawling.  I think it's only a matter of time before he's truly walking - a milestone I have mixed feelings about.  On one hand, I'm anxious to regain the use of both of my arms.  Although I've gotten used to carrying him around on one hip, he's getting heavy!  But, it is also a sign that he's growing up.  The past year has already flown by so quickly!

 
Finally, I wanted to share a picture of Gavin after completely emptying my Tupperware cabinet.  Despite my repeated half-hearted objections, Gavin, with a little help from Ryan, pulled out every plastic container I own, and then had a grand time crawling into the cleared out, much roomier cabinet!

Child Prodigy

I admit, as his mom, I'm not exactly objective when it comes to assessing Ryan's talents.  I interpret all of his artistic renderings to be the work of a genius!  However, I was honestly stunned a couple of nights ago when Ryan showed me his creation (shown below).  He maneuvered the different shapes around the wooden maze and assembled them in such a way that they resembled our house.  As Ryan explained, the green circle represents our front bushes, the red triangle is the roof, the blue box is our house, and the yellow clover is the sun.  I'm impressed!

The First Meeting

I apologize it has been so long since I've updated our family blog. I plan to post several updates over the coming week with photos and recaps from our Disney cruise, trip to Hatteras, Gavin's first birthday party, and Ryan's first movie theater experience. However, I couldn't let today pass without some acknowledgement of its significance.

Today marks the one year anniversary of Gavin's release from the NICU. I was surprisingly emotional and sentimental today as I recalled the events of a year ago. What struck me as I was looking through the photos from this time last year was that it was the first time Ryan met Gavin. And, as evidenced by the photos below, Ryan was clearly thrilled and proud to become a big brother.  Much to our delight, he is no less enamored with his little brother today as he was a year ago at their first meeting.  And, Gavin clearly returns the affection; he only has eyes for Ryan and giggles and claps whenever Ryan shows him attention.  The two of them have forged a bond that we can only hope grows stronger with time. 

This photo captures the first time Ryan was
able to see and touch his new little brother.

After the initial introduction, Ryan
checks Gavin for stinky feet.

Ryan is obviously excited to be
finally bringing Gavin home. 

Could he be any happier or his
smile get any bigger?!

Ryan is giddy and proud to assume
his new role as big brother.

As soon as the car came to a stop,
Ryan sprinted to Gavin's side of
the car to check on him after the
long drive home from the hospital.

Ryan offered Gavin a kiss since he
missed him so much during the hour
drive home.

Ryan compares foot sizes with Gavin.

Gavin's first night at home Mike and I
stayed up almost all night watching
his chest rise and fall with each breath.