Mother's Day

(out of order - this post will be moved to 5/14 at a later date)
What a wonderful Mother's Day. I was lucky enough to be able to spend the day with almost all of the people that are most important to me, enjoying the beautiful weather, eating great food, and hanging out with the best moms and best kids in the world.

We started the day off by going out to breakfast with Jay's family at a diner not far from their house. I did not have high hopes that the boys would behave and I thought that we would have to wait a long time for a table but I was wrong on both counts: We got a table right away, Dylan slept the whole time, and Ryan was very well behaved for almost the whole meal. It was so great to drink my coffee while it was still hot, not have any trains dipped in my water or my bacon stolen, and to leave the restaurant without my pants being used as a napkin by the very cute boy sitting next to me. That same boy even agreed to smile for some pictures with his Omi:

We had told Ryan if he behaved at breakfast, we would take him to one of his favorite places - a lookout point right by Jay's parents house where we can watch the trains pass. If you time it right, you can see both the northbound and southbound train within a few minutes of each other and it just so happened that by the time we were done eating, we had just enough time to get to the lookout and see both trains. Ryan was beyond excited and was waving away at the trains as they passed by. He even started jumping up and down screaming "you hear that, you hear that?" when one of the trains blew its whistle. Ryan loves trains so much and seeing and hearing how excited he was to see the trains was one of my favorite parts of the day.

After watching the trains, we headed over to my parent's house where we had a barbecue with Aunt Carrie's family and celebrated not only Mother's day but Gamma's birthday a few days late. Ryan happily declared "Hatty Birtday Gamma" on top of his lungs throughout the day and had a blast playing with a chalk toy that Aunt Carrie got him - while I think it is intended to make the lines on a ball field, Ryan decided to make "decorations" all over the deck. Thank goodness it is supposed to rain soon.

Ryan was having too much fun and refused to take a nap. By 4 o'clock, he had decided he was not going to listen, be in any pictures or eat anything other than cake for the rest of the day. It is no wonder he fell asleep in the car before we were even up the street. The more tired he got, the more wild he got, and the only thing that would calm him down was sitting with his Gamma long while she told him a few of her crazy stories about Bobby, Betsy and Francisca (or Franscisca as Ryan would say) - I am not sure how my mom comes up with these stories but 1. Ryan LOVES them, 2. They keep his attention better than anything else, and 3. He is still talking about them days later.

While it was great to spend the day with my mom and Jay's mom, I still would like to acknowledge them and two others here- I love you all so much and I could never thank you all enough for all you do for me, Jay and the boys.

To Elizabeth: You love both boys like they were your own sons and for that, Jay and I are so grateful. I have really enjoyed spending more time with you these past few weeks while I am on leave and I really appreciate all that you have done to help me. Thank you for everything you try to teach Ryan, for taking him somewhere fun everyday, and for helping with Dylan when I am with Ryan. We are so lucky to have you and so are the boys.

To Aunt Carrie: Thank you for not only being the best aunt to me but to my children too. It has been great meeting up with you on Fridays - before my maternity leave is over, you will be a master at making complicated train tracks! Thanks for letting us come over to play with all your great toys, take all your snacks, and drink all of your drinks. Ryan loves spending time with aunt "callie". He tells me everyday that he needs to give you your magnets back, but keeps hiding them. He still talks about the day you took him to the Thomas show and never leaves out of the story that you took him in a taxi and to the toy store. When the time comes, I hope you will teach him and Dylan to play tennis so they can be pros, just like you. We all love you and hope that you had a Happy Mother's Day.

To Omi: We definitely need more pictures of us together since I had to really dig for one that didn't have everyone in it. Most importantly, I need to thank you for Jay- I am so lucky to have a husband that is so hard-working and dedicated, loving and caring, and fun and adventurous. Thank you for all of the traditions that you have introduced to our kids to that I hope we always continue - dyeing Easter Eggs and hunting for real hard boiled eggs, having Christmas stockings that I always can't wait to peek in, sleigh riding in your yard, and taking long walks on Maiden Lane just to name a few. I love our tradition of bargain hunting the day after Thanksgiving, I love that you love gift bags as much as me, and I that you spend almost as much time in BJ's as I do. You are a fantastic mother-in-law and Omi and I hope that you had a great mothers day - love you!


And finally, to my mother:
You are not only my mother but one of my best friends and I don't know what I would do without you. I can't thank you enough for the million times you have listened to me tell you stories about the boys or cry about a hard day. Each time you seem to understand exactly how I feel and you offer great advice (usually, lol). I love that I talk to you a million times a day and that I get to see you every week. I love that you introduced Ryan to "bones and ketchup", that you are so excited for "your turn" every week, and that you probably go to the kids section of Barnes and Noble more than any other adult in Westchester. You make my life so much easier everyday and I could never repay you for all that you have done. Thank you for all of the nights you have made us dinner, for the times you let me sleep while you played with Ryan, for all the Fridays that you have driven to the city at 5:30 am to watch Ryan all day... I really hope that I will be as good of a mom to my children as you are to me and when I am a grandmother, I hope that I will be as fun and crazy as you are. I love you very much.

This is my third mother's day but my first as the mother of two boys. Every day, I count my blessings for having a wonderful husband that has given me two healthy and wonderful sons. They are my world and I can't imagine my life without them. As much as I love when the 4 of us get to spend time together as a family, I also cherish the alone time I get to spend with the boys individually. I love them both very much but how could I not? There is just so much to love.....

To Ryan:
You are my buddy, my big boy, my helper. I am so proud of you and what a great boy you are. You are always wanting to help with your brother and it is obvious how much you love Dylan. Whenever he cries, you try to take care of him, you sing him songs and give him kisses. You are so talkative and funny, such a little parrot and we really need to watch what we say around you because you repeat everything. Your memory is unbelievable and you talk about things that happened weeks ago without leaving out any details. You are so polite, always saying please and thank you ("sank you"). You are wild and rambunctious, but loving and cuddly too. I love when you say "Mommy, I love you soooo much" even when you say it only to get out of trouble. I love your big eyes and sweaty head when you wake up from your nap and how you always declare "Mommy, I wake up". I love that when you come home from your morning out with Elizabeth, you always knock on the door and yell "anyone home?". I always say "Is someone knocking on my door?" and you always say "Mommy, its Ryan". I love that you are so determined to do things by yourself, even if you are too young or too little to do them. You are such a great helper and ALWAYS want to help unload the groceries, do the laundry (you press the buttons and carry the "soap"), and carry your own bag when we go out. I look at you and can't believe how much you have changed over the past year - you have grown so much and your personality is amazing. I have so much fun with you and I am loving watching you become a big boy -I love you so much and can't wait to see what the next year will bring. xxoxoxo

To Dylan:
I have never seen a happier, more smiley baby than you in my whole life. You are such a great baby - you love to just hang out and look around. You are constantly moving your arms and legs, and at least once a day, you kick off your socks from moving around so much. You have the best smell and the softest skin and the best word to describe you is delicious. You have gotten so big in these past 2 months and I can't believe how fast the time has gone - when other people see you and I tell them how old you are, they are always surprised that you are not older. You love sitting in your swing and fall asleep pretty easily (usually). I love your big blue eyes and wonder if they will stay that way. I love the patch of hair on the top of your head near the back that stands straight up no matter how I brush it. I love that you have chunky legs and are already wearing 3-6 month clothing. I don't wish this time away, but I can't wait to watch you get older - I look forward to watching you crawl, walk, say your first word, play with your brother etc. I know that we are going to have so much fun together and I will do everything I can to make sure you stay as happy always as you are right now. Mommy loves you. xoxoxo

I had a great mother's day and to any moms reading this, I hope that you did too!!

2 months and 2 1/2 years

On Friday, both boys had to go to the pediatrician - Ryan for his 2 1/2 year appointment and Dylan for his 2 month appointment. Grandma came to help so that she could entertain one boy while the doctor and I spoke about the other

Ryan went first and did a great job. He weighs 32 1/2 pounds (65th percentile) and is 36 1/2 inches tall (50th percentile).

The dr. said Ryan's language and comprehension were great for his age and was impressed at the wide variety of foods that he eats. When the Dr. said she was finished with Ryan, Ryan turned to Grandma and said "Gamma, your turn. Take off your clothes" and tried to pull her shirt off. He was standing there in his t-shirt and pull ups and the Dr. said "Ok Grandma, Dylan is going to get his shots now so you can take Ryan out" and my mom said ok, picked Ryan up and ran at the door saying "Come on, we will put your pants on outside" -LOL. I guess she really didn't want to see Dylan get his shots.

Next, it was Dylan's turn. He now weighs a whopping 13 pounds which is around the 75th percentile and is an amazing 24 3/4 inches tall, which is close to the 90th percentile.

Dylan had to get 4 shots and took them like a champ - his legs seemed a little bit sore for a few hours, but was his typical happy self all day. Just like Ryan, Dylan is turning out to be one tough little boy with the big muscles and legs to prove it.

When we got home and Ryan saw Dylan's band aids, he said "Dylan have booboo? I make it better" and kissed him on both of his legs. Ryan then got up, went in his room and came back with 2 pillows and 2 blankets and said "I nap with Dylan" and made me put Dylan on one of the pillows. He then covered him up with a blanket, laid down next to him and covered himself up and put his arm around Dylan. It was absolutely adorable, even if Ryan only stayed there for 2 seconds.

Dylan's next appointment is at the end of June and Ryan's is in October. Anyone want to predict what Dylan will weigh? If you have a guess, please put it in the comments section - whoever is closest without going over will get a little something from Dylan next month.

Ryan's Big Boy Haircut

Ryan needs a haircut about every 6 weeks. His hair is really thick and grows very fast, especially over his ears. I have been taking him to a place in Connecticut for the past year that I love, but Ryan usually screams the whole time and for $25 dollars a pop, I figured it might be time to try a new place. Last time Ryan got his haircut, we went to a place in the city and I hated his haircut so much that when Jay got a haircut later that day, we asked his barber to fix Ryan's hair. Eddie, the owner of the shop and Jay's barber, did a pretty good job and Ryan sat there calmly so we decided to try a real haircut there the next time. Ryan and I have gone with Jay to his barber shop a few times before and Ryan loves going there - Eddie has a big bucket of lollipops and always lets Ryan have as many as he wants or as many as we will let him have. We finally took Ryan for his haircut Tuesday and were shocked - not only did Eddie do a great job, but Ryan sat still the whole time (on Jay's lap), he didn't cry or yell at all and even let Eddie use the hair dryer and the clippers.


We will definitely be going to Eddie from now on - not only will we save a ton of time and money, but it clearly is a better experience for Ryan and if I must say so, he looks absolutely adorable with his big boy haircut.

Special Agent Ryan

There is a new tv show on the Disney Channel called Special Agent Oso which has become a big part of our lives and has clearly had influence on Ryan's storytelling. Oso is modeled after James Bond and he is a panda that helps kids with special missions. Each mission has "3 special steps" and Ryan has incorporated 3 steps into many parts of his day, going to the bathroom and going to bed specifically. Apparently, Dylan also has special steps that I was unaware of. When Elizabeth and Ryan were leaving to go to Gymboree yesterday, Dylan was whining a little bit and Ryan said "Mommy, you stay here, watch Dylan. You do 3 special steps. Step 1, Give Dylan milk, Step 2 change diaper, step 3 give bath. no got songs (ie: don't forget songs)" I am so glad Ryan is here to tell me how to take care of Dylan - I don't know what I would do without him - haha. It amazes me everyday how smart and funny Ryan is, how great his vocabulary is getting and how aware he is of the things going on around him. I really love that he is already looking out for his brother and I hope that he always will!

Mommy and Ryan have a date

It had been a very long time since Ryan and I did something alone together and I thought that it might be good for both of us to have a date. Elizabeth said that she would watch Dylan so I decided yesterday that I would take Ryan to the movies. Ryan had only been to the movies once before and he didn't really sit still so I was not sure how it would go, but I figured we could always leave if he didn't like it and I really was looking forward to getting out of the house. The movie we were going to see, Monsters vs. Aliens, looked cute but it was only showing in Manhattan in 3-D and I did not have high hopes that Ryan would wear the glasses.

I told Ryan all about the movie on the way there: that it would be on a very big screen, that we could get popcorn and soda (to which he said "that's a great idea", haha), and that we would get special glasses to wear to see the movie better. We got to the theater and as soon as we saw the concession stand, Ryan ran right over and said to the man behind the counter, "Popcorn, soda please". While we don't make a habit of letting Ryan have soda, he is allowed to have sips sometimes so he was excited for the treat. When we walked in to the movie, Ryan said "oh wow" when he saw the big screen and we found some seats and sat down. I picked Ryan up and sat him in his own seat and turned around to put my bag down - when I turned back, Ryan was completely folded in half! Every time I would push the seat down, his legs would flop right back up until I wedged something between the arm rest and the seat so that it would stay down.

I tried to explain 3-D to Ryan, but I am pretty sure he didn't understand the concept. I thought once he saw the monsters through the glasses, he would want to keep wearing them but he wore the glasses for about 2 minutes and then said he didn't want to wear them anymore.

I kept trying to get him to wear them, but he refused. I took mine off for a bit just to make sure that the picture wasn't too bad without them and while some things were a little bit blurry, it didn't seem to phase Ryan at all. He watched the entire movie and was very quiet, even when he asked me questions. Ryan even stood up at a few parts of the movie when there was music and danced along. Every once in a while, he would get off his seat and stand or would ask to sit on my lap but for the most part, wanted to sit in his own seat.

When the movie was over, we were walking out and Ryan turned to me and said "Mommy, what your favorite part?" As if that was not cute enough, after I told him and before I could ask him his favorite part, he asked "Mommy, what Ryan's favorite part?" How cute is that??

I am so glad that we went on our date - I had so much fun and I think that Ryan did too.

Aquarium

Yesterday we decided to take the boys to the Aquarium. Ryan loves "Brucie" from Finding Nemo so we thought that he might like to see a real shark plus we thought since he loves the zoo so much, he would like seeing some other kinds of animals.

One of his favorite exhibits was the Touch Pool. The Touch Pool is a big tank that kids can put their hands in and they are allowed to touch starfish and things like that. Ryan loved it and spent a long time holding on to one - sadly, as we walked away, I saw the keeper reach in to the tank, pick up the starfish and throw it away - oops!

After the touch pool, we went to see the Sea Lion show and we didn't think Ryan was paying attention at all - he spent more time looking in my bag for snacks than he did watching the show. Ironically, when we asked what his favorite part of the aquarium was, he said that seeing Obsorne (the sea lion) was and he talked for 10 minutes about all of the tricks the sea lion did.

While we had a fun day, I think that Ryan was bored by the Aquarium - it really is not that big and there are not many interactive exhibits. The highlight of our trip to the Aquarium was visiting Coney Island when we were finished. We took the boys up to the Boardwalk and as soon as Ryan saw the sand, he took off running down the beach with Jay hot on his heels. Ryan loved the sand, the shells, and the waves so I definitely think we are going to have to plan a beach trip soon!!

1 Month

Dylan is a month old and is doing great! He had his one month appointment today and is now 10 lbs. 14 oz. (which is the 75th percentile for weight) and is 37 cm long (which is the 90th percentile for height). When other people see him, they can't believe that Dylan is only 4 weeks old since he is so big, and while he was bigger than most babies at birth, we are lucky that he also is a great eater.

The three main milestones kids should reach in the first two months are raising their heads, responding to voice, and smiling. The pediatrician said he looked fantastic and thought he did great picking up his head during tummy time. The dr. also confirmed that Dylan was right on track for responding to voice. She does believe, however, that most smiles before 2 months old are caused by gas, not a conscious response to stimulus. While she could be right, we don't think so - Dylan already seems to be smiling in response to silly voices and faces.

Dylan continues to be a really great, happy and content baby. He really doesn't cry unless he is hungry, tired or gassy and makes the loudest burps I have ever heard. He is a pretty quiet baby and it does not take much to get him to go to sleep. He really doesn't like sleeping in the pack-n-play but we are working on it - for now, he seems most comfortable sleeping in his swing or papasan chair. Dylan is one of the most alert babies I have ever seen and stays awake, eyes wide open for hours at a time, just looking around and seemingly taking it all in. Amazingly, he has already grown out of some of his clothes and is starting to get a little pot belly that is absolutely adorable, just like everything else about him.