16 weeks

I am in my 16th week. We had a baby check up on Monday and it all went well. Dave met Ryan and I at the doctor's office and the visit was pretty uneventful. Not a lot happening at this point (well, there IS a LOT happening in there, like organs being formed, but nothing eventful happens at the doctor!) She measured my belly and we listened to the baby's heartbeat, which is strong and good.

Ryan was NOT happy to see me as a patient! She was fine when the doctor came in, but when the doctor laid one finger on me, she started squealing! She screamed MAMA through her tears as daddy tried to console her. So the visit was short, since I had to take Ryan for her to calm down....she is definitely in a 'mama's girl' stage right now...and I don't mind because she is a lot of fun.

We will have our ultrasound within a month to find out if we are having a boy or a girl...maybe we can schedule it for my birthday so that can be my present!!

A few random thoughts...

I know this is out of character for me, since I just posted twice in one week making this a third, but I have thought of a few things that I wanted to add...

Just now, as Ryan is taking a nap, I read back through the blog from when I was 15-16 weeks pregnant with Ryan to see if there were many similarities or differences. Well, so far, Ryan and this baby could be twins it seems. Around this time with Ryan I was complaining of extreme pain in my left hip, my appetite was dying down a little and getting back to "normal", I was sleeping well at night, needing to rest or sit down and take breaks from time to time, and I was just beginning to show a little. All of that is right on par this time around. Also, no sickness or nausea. Once in a while I will feel like I need to eat something IMMEDIATELY or I will feel a little sick-ish, but that is easily taken care of. Also, when I am done eating, I am DONE...I may not even be full yet, but like a switch being flipped, I can not make myself take one more bite. I did this with Ryan too, and it can be frustrating when I am eating something really yummy and I am not full yet, but my body just kind of can't handle anything else. It was worse with Ryan though - when that switch flipped, I had to have my plate moved from in front of me so I couldn't see or smell the food anymore, or leave the table completely.

And what is kind of unbelievable to me is that I think I may be a little bit smaller this time than I was with Ryan. I think I have gained more weight, as in *ahem* FAT, but the baby bump itself looks smaller. I am not working out this time around except small things here and there, and with all of the food around the holidays, candy from our stockings, and delicious cakes and pies around every corner...yes, I have gained actual weight. But that is OKAY!! I think I have proved to myself that I can lose weight easily enough when I really want to, and when this baby gets here, trust me, I will really want to! But in the blog at 15-16 weeks last time, I was saying that my clothes weren't fitting and I only had one pair of jeans that fit when buttoned...EVERYTHING still fits me as of right now. I mean, things are a tad tighter, but still fine. I honestly think I have had to eat less frequently this time around. With Ryan, I literally had to eat something every hour or so. I remember crying because I was so sick-and-tired of eating. I remember eating bread all day just to have something in my stomach. This time, it is no where near as bad. Woo-hoo, glad I did not have to go through that again! Don't get me wrong, Dave can testify that I still eat a second dinner every night before bed!!

I'm so glad I kept such a detailed blog of my first pregnancy. Even though it was just 2 years ago, the details get hazy as time moves on.

I also wanted to mention a few more things that Ryan is doing...

We bought her a seat to go on the toilet, and she will say "poo-poo" to ask to sit on it. She has went pee twice at a friends house, but nothing yet here at home. She just likes to sit and read her books for now.

She LOVES to color. She got a coloring book and some crayons for Christmas and she literally colors all day long. She lays in the floor on her belly and scribbles away...she is probably left handed, but we DO NOT push her to choose, or try to choose for her. She calls coloring "co-dah"...which kind of sounds like color.

She is learning her colors. She is getting pretty good with red, yellow, green and blue, and she really knows orange, but she WILL NOT say "orange"...she says "no-nosh". It is adorable. She also says no-nosh for orange the fruit. Orange is by far her favorite color and she says "no-nosh" every single time without fail, so we know that somehow that sounds like orange to her. We have just kind of started to say no-nosh ourselves, because its darn cute.

I can't speak for Dave, but she is doing very well with me. When she cries, I can sit her on my lap and hold her and get her to focus on me and I ask her what is wrong and what she needs. She almost always says "wa-wa" (water), so I get her a drink of water and she is good to go.

When she is hungry, she will tell you "ACK!" which means snack. Then she will go and sit on the rug in front of the stove in the kitchen and wait for her snack. Why she sits there, I do not know...we never made her!

She is starting to pick up on possession. For example, she will point to her cup and say "wa-wa" and then point to my cup and say "wa-wa, mama" like she is saying 'that is mommy's water". In the mornings we bring her to sit in bed with us for a bit and she will point to each pillow and say "dada piwow, mama piwow".

She walks around the house pointing to everything she knows and says what it is...

ite (light)

memm (Grimm)

Tonka

book

bay-bet (blanket)

tent

dog

car

moon (the cutest and my favorite...she waves at the moon and says hi moon or bye bye)

shoes, dada shoe, mama shoe

milk

...too many words to count, but these are the ones she says most often

We put her high chair away and got her a booster to sit at the table with us. We are loving it. Before each meal, she waves her hands at us and says "MAY-MEN! MAY-MEN!" which means "Amen"...it means she wants to pray. So she holds each of our hands and we say 'cousin Seth's prayer' which is "Dear Jesus, thank you for this food, Amen" and she says MAY-MEN after. Adorable. She did it at church supper last night and hearts were melting for sure!

Well, that is about all I wanted to add. I can't wait until Monday for my next appointment!

~robbi

Merry Christmas, Happy 2012!!

For Christmas this year, we decided to really start taking it easy on ourselves. Over the past few years, the holidays have just gotten really out-of-hand and stressful. I really started to hate the "most wonderful time of the year" because I felt like I was always running, trying to keep up with the amount of gifts that I felt "obligated" to give to others, the baking that needed to be done, the decorating, the traditions, not to mention a heck of a lot of important birthdays right there on the end of the calendar.

So, we made the decision to not buy gifts for others. We asked friends and family to not buy us anything either, but to instead spend some time relaxing and enjoying the season. We feel like gift giving has gotten out of control in today's society, and we are GROWN and don't need parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles sending us things. Of course we realize that everyone wants to give Ryan a gift, and that is perfectly fine!! Kids SHOULD get gifts. But the greatest gift to me is to be able to spend time with Dave, Ryan and the boys and to see my kids enjoying their things.

Also, I found a blog on the internet that suggested doing a "Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh Gift Exchange". The 'Gold' gift would be something that you WANT...it could be anything. The 'Frankincense' gift is something you NEED, like socks. And the 'Myrrh' gift is something to benefit your mind, body, and/or soul - like a musical instrument, a journal, or a book of devotionals. Dave and I had already bought each other a few small things here and there, so we decided to do a modified version of this...3 main gifts with a few small goodies here and there.

It was FANTASTIC. It was very low-key and low-stress!! We spent the month of December having dinners as a family every night at the table rather than dashing around the mall food courts. We had time to drive around to let Ryan see the Christmas lights on houses...which she would exclaim "ITES, ITES, ITES!!" each time she saw any. We were able to relax at the end of the day rather than scrambling to wrap hundreds of gifts. And our bank account, which was already hurting due to our recent travels, was not in the red at the end of it all.

Ryan checking under the tree before bed on Christmas Eve

Christmas morning, we got up at 7:30 so I could pop my homemade cinnamon rolls in the oven, then we woke Ryan up around 8:00. She loved digging through her stocking so much, that Dave and I let her open ours as well. After the stockings, we had a break and had breakfast as a family on the living room floor. Ryan got a new sippy cup with a STRAW in it that was filled with her favorite drink - ice cold vanilla soy milk. She gobbled up her banana and toast as we ate our extremely unhealthy, sugar coated cinnamon rolls. Then we opened up our gifts!

Ryan's first peek on Christmas morning!

Digging through her stocking

Daddy helping with her stocking

Breakfast with mommy

Taking a break to enjoy a good read

Ryan did a great job opening. She like ripping the paper and she would play with each gift for quite a while rather than dashing for more to open. And we just let her go at her own pace! She said 'thank you!" after each gift, and funny enough, her favorite things to open were clothes! She got several 'Gold' gifts, including wooden play food and crayons. Her 'Frankincense' gifts were some new cups, snack bowls, and pajamas...she was really growing out of her PJs fast! But she is completely restocked now!! And her 'Myrrh' gift was a little guitar from Santa. It is not a toy guitar, but not a real one either...it falls somewhere between. It doesn't actually stay in tune, but it has real strings on it, and it is really a good way for her to learn to hold a real guitar and how to strum.

Santa came!!

First lesson!!

As for Dave and I, my Gold gift was an iPhone and his was a fancy set of shaving stuff that he was wanting. My Frankincense gift was new bread pans which I was really needing, and his was a fireproof safe so we have somewhere to put our important documents. And for our Myrrh gifts, we both got each other several books.

Christmas fell on a Sunday this year, so we had church at 11:00. Ryan still had a few gifts under the tree, so we left them for later rather than trying to rush her through them. We had a great church service and Ryan got to wear her pretty Christmas dress. After church, it was nap time, so we came home to let Ryan nap it out in her bed.

After nap time, we went over to my parents' house for some dinner and Ryan had a few gifts to open. She got a tricycle, a kitchen, and a play tent, and several more things. She likes the tricycle, but it is still too big for her. She can't reach the pedals, but she likes to scoot on it.

Then it was home again, and Ryan finished opening her gifts before bed. After it was all over, Dave and I were talking about how great the whole day was. It had an ease about it, and none of us felt like we did not get "enough". I honestly could not think of anything more I could want. This is going to be our new tradition for sure!! I am excited to teach our kids about the true meaning of Christmas and to be thankful for the things they receive rather than always wanting more, more, MORE! To everyone who gave Ryan a gift, she enjoyed them ALL and we are thankful for your generosity!

She screamed "NEIGH!!" for 10 minutes at these horsey PJs...she loved them!!

Dave had almost 2 whole weeks off at the end of the year. We spent a whole day having a "jammie day", with no plans, being lazy, not leaving the house, and not getting out of our pajamas all day. Sounds like a nice time? Well, not for us!! By the end of the day we were regretting out decisions to be so lazy!! Dave can barely function without a shower and putting shoes on, and I just feel useless if I don't at least put some make up on and change into real clothes! We dragged our butts around all day feeling very blah...we vowed to get up and around every other day of his vacation...and we DID!! We have spent the week hanging out with friends, test driving cars (we will need a bigger family car with our new addition), cleaning around the house, watching the Outback Bowl, and turning the dining room into a playroom!! We had to move several things around in the house to make it all happen, but now the dining room table is in the kitchen's breakfast area, my kitchen hutch and cookbooks have been moved to the garage, the dining room hutch is in the living room, most of Ryan's toys are now in the dining room, and the living room is TOY-FREE!!! We are loving the new layout, and Ryan is REALLY enjoying her playroom!

For New Year's, we had 2 couples over and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner...we had earned a free turkey from Ingles in November for spending a certain amount in groceries, and since we were on the road for Thanksgiving, and having a super low key Christmas, I wanted to cook it when we would have plenty of people to share it with! We had dinner and just hung out for a while. Everyone left by 10:30, and Ryan fell asleep immediately after. I really did not want to stay up until midnight, but after I had a shower and dried my hair, it was quarter till, so we just watched the ball drop before heading to bed....I felt awful the next day...I hate staying up past 11:00!!!

So that has been our Christmas vacation. We have had such a great time hanging out as a family. Ryan is learning quicker than you can imagine! She is starting to put 2 words together...she says "Go Dawgs!" and will throw a toy for Grimm and holler "GET IT!!" Just last night, out of nowhere, she started saying Tonka, instead of the usual "TON-DAH". And then she tried to actually say Grimm...she usually just grunts a "G" sound, but she has now started saying "MEMM". We bought her a potty seat for the bathroom and she likes to sit on it, but has not "done anything" yet.

The new baby is growing too. I am starting to show, which is a few weeks earlier than I started to show with Ryan, but that is normal. My clothes are still fitting fine, but getting a little more snug. I have been feeling a little lethargic, and I know it is because I need some exercise. My left hip has been really hurting, so I have had to take it easy, as well as sitting or lying down to rest my back frequently. But this week I plan on taking Ryan for walks and doing some more stretching. Other than that, the baby is pretty uneventful at this point. I am in my 2nd trimester now, so more things will start happening soon. I have an appointment next week and then within a month hopefully we will be scheduled for the ultrasound to determine whether we are having a boy or a girl. I can't wait to know. I feel so disconnected with the baby before knowing. Once we know, we can pick a name, we can buy a homecoming outfit, and I can make a crib quilt. Until then, the only thing I have to remind me that I am pregnant is a nagging hip and alway being tired!

Ryan did NOT like Santa.

The best picture I was able to get of Ryan with Santa...

Here are a few pictures of us at the tree farm getting our Christmas tree this year...

Ryan and mommy

Watching people roast marshmallows. Yum!!

They have goats!!

Love, the Sullivans

An even littler Sullivan!

Sullivan baby #2 is on the way! We had the craziest November ever, first with traveling, then with the whole house taking turns being sick, then with the news of a new baby!

Dave took Ryan to her 1st Georgia football game one Saturday and I stayed home to work on some design stuff. When they got home, I was super hungry so we went to Correlejo's to eat. Ryan usually gobbles up Mexican food, but she wouldn't even take one bite. She was acting just fine, sitting in her seat playing and giggling like normal, but all of a sudden she started drooling. As Dave went to wipe her face, she started to spit up a little, and then out of nowhere - she started full on vomiting! She has NEVER thrown up before, so we were caught completely off guard and we jumped out of our seats trying not to scream! We immediately stripped her down right there in the middle of the restaurant. Once we had her all cleaned up and in new clothes, we payed the tab and ran out of there! Ryan and I got in the shower, just like every other night, and she seemed just fine. We thought that the throwing up was a one-time deal, like she just ate too much earlier in the day. But in the shower, she started REALLY throwing up, heaving even. She puked all over me...luckily I was in the shower already.

So she was officially sick. We put her in some comfy jammies and made a pallet on the living room floor. We decided that we didn't want to put her in her crib for the night, in case she threw up again. We had fears of her choking or not waking us up and laying in vomit all night. She fell asleep pretty quickly in the floor with Daddy, but ended up waking up once an hour ALL NIGHT LONG to throw up again. I nearly ran out of pajamas for her as she kept puking on them....I did 3 loads of pukey laundry that night.

Dave had to run sound at church the next morning, so Ryan and I spent the morning in her rocking chair just taking it easy. She seemed fine most of the day, but ended up throwing up once a day for the next 3 days. Other than that, she acted almost completely normal, no fever, no crying, trying to walk around and play...she was just really tired.

Well, Monday, Dave had to go back to work, and I woke up with Ryan's bug. I only got sick twice, but I felt absolutely awful all day long. We had an OB/GYN appointment that evening for a pregnancy conformation, and there was NO WAY I was going to cancel it! We must have seemed really awful during the ultrasound...I felt so yucky that any excitement definitely did not show.

But, there is definitely a baby in there! I was hoping to be at least 8 weeks, and she said that I was 7 weeks, 3 days, so I could not have asked for much better. My due date as of right now is June 22, 2012.

Baby Sullivan #2!!

Well, after the ultrasound, we came home and I went straight to bed. I laid there for hours unable to fall asleep and just feeling like I could vomit at any second. But then around 7:30, I started to feel my fever breaking so I took some Tylenol and almost instantly started feeling better. By bedtime I was sure that I would wake up healed in the morning...and I did for the most part....but Dave woke up at midnight running to the bathroom to throw up. Poor guy had it way worse than Ryan or I did...he was sick for an entire 24 hours, maybe even more.

We had been RUNNING so hard for the entire month and were just exhausted, then for all of us to be sick in rotation, the idea of being pregnant took a while to really hit me...we are just so worn out that my brain couldn't wrap itself around anything else. The 2nd time around is a lot different than the 1st. I kind of feel like I have been-there-done-that and I know what to expect, whereas with the first, everything is so new and exciting/scary. But the farther along I get, I kind of forget what it was like the first time around...I definitely have "baby brain" and have a hard time remembering anything at all!

With the first pregnancy, I was in a whirlwind of making quilts, burp cloths, dresses, and everything else for a baby I could think of. I was running around like crazy buying up baby products, which all had to be brand new and straight out of the box...even the floor model wasn't quite good enough! But now...we kind of have everything we need, so there is no rushing out to get whichever bottles are the most expensive or the top of the line crib mattress. There are one or two things that we will be needing in order to make juggling 2 babies a little easier, but for the most part...this poor kid is getting all of the hand-me-downs. Anything that we DO go buy, we now have learned that consignment and used stuff is JUST as good as new, and way WAY more affordable. I have even saved most of Ryan's clothes, so if we have another girl, we won't have to go out and get a new wardrobe.

Daddy and Ryan at their 1st Georgia game together!!

Well, that is about it for now! We are so happy to share with you all that the new "Littlest Sullivan" will be making his or her debut this coming summer! This is something that we definitely feel was meant to happen, because we weren't trying, and we probably honestly weren't ready! But Ryan is going to make the best big sister ever and I can't even imagine the number of kisses she will have for her new baby!!

Fall!

Life just never seems to slow down, I tell you! We are always up to something, going somewhere, doing this, doing that, making plans...but that is a good thing.

Fall is my favorite time of year, and every year we go get lots of pumpkins for the front porch. Ryan got to pick her very own little pumpkin this year!

I want this one, please!

Sitting in the pumpkin patch

What a cutie!

Climbing up "Fat Albert"

A while back, the Gwinnett County Fair was going on, and we had no plans one night, so Dave and I decided that it would be a good thing to take Ryan to do. Goodness gracious, did that girl love it!! The food was gross, and Ryan was too small for the rides, but then we found the livestock and the 4-H building. Ryan absolutely LOVES animals, and apparently has NO FEAR of any type of animal...she went right up to a HUGE bull and petted him right between the eyes!

Ryan and the bull

She tried to kiss all of the baby animals in the 4-H building. She had to get a hand on every animal, but the cows were too far away...but she didn't mind. The cows were far and away her favorite thing ever. She stood at the gate and mooed and waved and cackled with laughter. It was adorable and amazing.

the face she made the whole time she was near the cows

I just love cows so much!!

Daddy, did you see the cows???

She quacked at the ducks :)

Goat!!!

She kissed this chick right on the beak before we could even try to stop her.

We recently had a family reunion of sorts for Dave's mom's side of the family. In honor of Dave's grandma'a 75th birthday, all 5 of grandma's children and their families came together in Senoia, Georgia for the weekend. It is about an hour and a half drive for us, so we just made the trip down and back each day, but everyone else was in from other states, so they all stayed in one big house together that belongs to Dave's uncle, Bob. Dave took the day off on Friday and took Ryan down by himself while my friend Makenzie and I went to the Country Living Festival at Stone Mountain Park.

We had a really good time at the festival, aside from both of us almost passing out due to hunger mixed with a caffeine rush from pumpkin spice lattes. We didn't realize we were so hungry until it was almost too late, and we literally RAN to the food tents to get something in our bellies. I didn't get much at the festival - a picture frame, some vintage velvet ribbon, a few necklaces that I collect - but it is by far the prettiest festival around and we just had a good time looking in all of the booths and enjoying each others company.

Back to the reunion....on Friday night, Dave brought his little brother, Nick, home with him to spend the night at our house. He gave Ryan a belated birthday gift and card...she LOVES cards. We keep all of the cards that people send to her and she will just sit and play with them for hours! Ryan really loved Uncle Nick. There were times throughout the weekend when we would just need to hand her off for a few minutes to get a free hand, and she would go right to Uncle Nick with no hesitation. She tends to be a little shy sometimes, even clingy to Dave and I, but she was just fine going to Uncle Nick! Maybe it was the beard?

Kisses for Uncle Nick!

Saturday morning we all got up early and headed south again. We had a great time playing games, talking and getting to know the family better. Ryan enjoyed all of the attention! Her cousin, Ashley, brought some sidewalk chalk, and they had fun playing with that together. Dave's mom's brother and sisters spent the ENTIRE day cooking a HUGE, authentic Italian meal. It was SO yummy. I had the eggplant parmesan and it was out-of-this-world! After dinner, grandma blew out her candles and we the most amazing cheesecake. After dessert, Ryan was fading fast and we had to head home to get her in bed.

Playing with sidewalk chalk with mommy and Uncle Nick

Cousins!

Aunt Geri and grandpa playing dice with Ryan

Dave and his cousin, Brian

Daddy and Ryan playing

Sunday we decided to head down once more before everyone left. I took lots of family photos and got 2 "Four Generations" photos with the grandparents, since they have 2 great grandkids that were there. (they have 4, but Seth and Brady had to keep an eye on things in North Carolina and couldn't make it down) We had an amazing time at the reunion. I guess I didn't realize how big Dave's family is, since we mostly just see his parents and his brothers and sister. It was a lot of fun to have everyone in one place like that, and everyone was so welcoming and friendly. It was almost as if we had all lived in that one big house together for ages.

Four Generations!

Grandma and grandpa, and all of their kids

Dave's family

All of the cousins

Everyone!!

Well, after the big reunion weekend, we were understandably exhausted. But before the dust even had a chance to settle, we were off again the very next weekend. We drove up to Raleigh to stay the night with Dave's brother, Shaun, and his family. Ryan was an absolute peach in the car. She never really fussed, and took 2 great naps...mommy may have had a nap or two herself :) We did our usual routine of stopping at Cracker Barrel for lunch. Ryan was feeling like a big girl, and sat in a booster seat for the first time. She ate her sandwich all by herself, got to color a little, and then learned to drink out of a straw...it was an eventful lunch! We walked around for a while, and walked next door to Whole Foods to get Ryan some cookies, and then we were back on our way. When we got to Raleigh, Ryan was so happy to see her cousins, Seth and Brady. She loves them so much, and those boys are so good to her!

The next day, Dave and I packed up and drove on to Richmond, Virginia for our friend Damian's wedding, while Ryan stayed with her aunt, uncle and cousins for the weekend...I'm pretty sure she had the time of her life. It was actually really hard pulling out of the driveway without my baby, who is pretty much ALWAYS with me. I probably could have cried, but I didn't because she was with my sister-in-law, Heather, who is by FAR the best mother that I know. Luckily, I was able to get Ryan to go down for a nap just before we left so she slept right through our departure.

When we got to Richmond, we had to unpack and start getting ready for the wedding rehearsal, since Dave was a groomsman in the wedding. After the rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner was at a quaint little pizza place. Dave realized very quickly that we were surrounded by liberals...there was a pretty clear line politically...those from Georgia=Republicans, those from Virginia and DC=Democrats. So that made for some interesting conversations!

The next day we went to lunch with Damian and a few others before the wedding. Damian never seemed nervous or anxious at all. He's a pretty cool customer. When we got back up to the room, Dave and I started getting ready. We went down to Damian's room so the guys could walk down together and I noticed that the room was TRASHED as they were about to leave...."um...THIS is what you are going to bring your new wife back to on your wedding night??!!?", I asked. So I sent the guys on their way and stayed behind to clean up the piles of clothes, computers, shoes, and plastic wrap from rented tuxedos. I tell you....its a tough thing to be friends with boys sometimes! haha

So the wedding was beautiful. It was in this amazing historic hotel, the Jefferson. We had a good time, and Dave even got to make a toast at the reception.

Dave and his toast...their faces say a lot...

Us at the wedding

Sunday morning, we got up and headed back to Raleigh to see our little chicken. Dave's dad and stepmom came down for the afternoon to see Ryan and the boys, and I totally blew right past them as I ran in the house and grabbed up my girl. She was happy to see us, but didn't cry, like I thought she would. She was all smiles! She kept hugging us like she was making sure she wasn't dreaming. We all went to dinner that evening before the grandparents had to head home.

Having a bath with cousin Brady

The next day was Halloween, and I didn't want to be in the car the while day and have Ryan miss out on the whole holiday, so we stayed an extra night with Shaun and Heather and took Ryan trick-or-treating with her cousins and some of their friends. It was so cute to see them all together! Ryan was a chicken, of course, and each house we went up to she would say "BOK BOK BOK" instead of "Trick-or-Treat". She scored some yummy candy for her dear old parents, since she is way too little for all of that sugar!

our chicken!!

The trick-or-treating crew

Heather really helped us with a problem we have been having with Ryan...she won't go to sleep at night in her own. She has to be rocked for a long time, and then put in her crib after she is asleep. We wanted to get to a place where at her set bedtime, we can just lay her in her crib and she will go to sleep on her own. We had tried all sorts of things, but always came back to just rocking her since it was easier. While we were away at the wedding, Heather started putting her down and coming back after a set amount of time until she would eventually just give in and lay down and sleep. So we have been doing it here at home for the past week, and it seems to be working. Ryan cries for a little while, but she will eventually understand that we are not abandoning her and it is no big deal to just go to sleep.

Ryan's time with her cousins was an amazing thing for her. She seems to be more independent now and content to play on her own. She is even interested in using the potty, believe it or not. When the boys were in the bathroom, she would go in after them and try to climb up on the step stool to get to the toilet, or she would try to pick up the potty seat and put it on the toilet. She even tries to flush the handle. I know it is way too early for her to start training, but it is good to know that she is at least interested! And one last thing about this trip...Ryan would hold Brady's hand and lead him around everywhere...it was heart-melting! She loves her cousins so much!

Our drive home was great as well. Ryan was a good girl the entire time. Once we were almost in Georgia, she was getting really tired of being in her seat, so we stopped at a gas station to let her walk around for a while. It ended up being a truck stop, and in South Carolina you can smoke pretty much anywhere, so the whole place was disgusting. We had to leave...pronto. There was a church just down the road, so we drove over there and let her run around in the grass and have a snack for a while.

Dave scored some free tickets to the Georgia-New Mexico game and took Ryan to her first football game. I desperately needed the time to catch up on work projects, so I stayed home to work and they took our friends, Mike and Jayme, and their baby girl, Riley.

Ryan likes to sit on the porch in her little chair and have snack time. She used to hate the grass and refused to touch it, stand in it or walk in it. But now she is just fine and loves being outside!

Dad, let me tell you how it is...

So, it's football season, and we get almost NO channels, so the Georgia game is rarely on tv for us. Dave solved the problem....he brings down the computer and we watch it on the internet! Here is Ryan in her cheerleading uniform reading a book with daddy during the game!

Dave's dad and stepmom couldn't make it down on the day of Ryan's birthday party, so they came down later that weekend. Ryan loved seeing them, opening more gifts, and getting to play with her grandpa and Nini!

Well, that about catches us all up for now!

Have a great week!!

~robbi

One year old!!

It has been a very long time since I have written anything on here...I am just getting worse and worse at keeping up with this! But, I now have a TODDLER to keep up with, so my time is pretty much eaten up with that!

Ryan is getting so big, learning so many new things each and every day, and getting prettier by the minute! She is just so much fun. She turned one this past Saturday, and we had a party that was bigger than a lot of weddings! hahaha. She has been walking for 2 months or more. She is starting to talk...well, let me try to recap the past several months for you....

June was another busy month for us. We had VBS at our church, and I was in charge of the skits, singing and dancing. It started out being very stressful and a bit overwhelming, but in the end it was really cute and all of the kids had a good time.

Ryan and Daddy in the bounce castle...she did not like it :(

Ryan and Mommy at VBS

Daddy and Mommy doing a skit for the kids at VBS

The last Saturday of every month through the summer there is a "Pick'n-N-Grinnin'" at one of the local parks here. It is basically just anyone who plays any instrument can get up and play or sing. We have been going to that each month with some friends. There is bluegrass, gospel, and country music and we bring a picnic, sit in the shade and enjoy the show. Ryan loves to see people play and she just absolutely loves to dance to the music!

Ryan and her friend, Macy, at the music in the park

In July, Dave had to go to Israel for a whole week for work. His trip ended up coming at the worst time because I was having a really hard time with Ryan that week, and almost everyone I knew was busy, working, or out of town. So rather than sit here alone and struggle with a bored and fussy girl, Ryan and Mommy packed up and headed to stay with Papa and Grandma Judy in Southern Illinois. It was exciting to be out on our own like that on an 8 hour trip. Ryan did really well on the trip. She only had one meltdown on the trip up, but it ended up being poo-pants, so that was an easy fix. We would stop at Cracker Barrels to walk around the store and take a break from the car. We would get something to eat and rock on the porch for a bit before heading off again. We got to Illinois just in time...we were both getting sick of the car!

We had a great time in Illinois. My grandparents were a HUGE help with Ryan. It was hard being a "single parent" for a whole week. Ryan was not sleeping well through the night at that time. Add that on top of being in a new and exciting place to her and it adds up to her wanting to explore and mommy not getting much sleep at all. One morning I actually fell asleep on the couch without realizing it, but luckily my grandma realized how worn out I was and just kept Ryan company for me. I was able to do simple things, like take a shower, without worrying about the babe. Each night, Ryan would wake up halfway through the night and refuse to let me lay her back down in her pack-n-play, so she would end up sleeping next to me in the bed or on my chest for the remainder of the night.

While we were there, it was my uncle's birthday. We all went out to their house to eat - my cousin, Leah, made fajitas and our family's red velvet cake...it was all so good!

Making a knife trade with her great-great-uncle, Jim

Papa and uncle Jim teaching Ryan to cut a deal

more knife trading

my toys are all over Grandma Judy's living room!! Cheeeeeeeese!!

Hey, Papa, give me some of that watermelon!

This is good melon!

ISRAEL TRIP

I would be a total liar if I said I was not completely jealous of Dave's Israel trip. Sure, he had to do work stuff while he was there, but his hotel room looked out over the Mediterranean Sea and he ate dinner each night right on the beach. He was able to call me at least once a day - we were worried about the international phone situation, but luckily it was no problem! He was traveling with a friend and co-worker, Dan, and they called me one night while they were dining on the beach and told me how romantic of a setting it was and how they kept looking at each in disgust because they would much rather be there with their wives! I had a good laugh picturing it :) There is a big time difference between Israel and Illinois, so when he would call, it would be the end of his day, and my day would just be getting started.

The last day he was there, he was treated to a PRIVATE TOUR OF THE HOLYLAND!! I have wanted to see the Holyland since...well....forever! Drool! Super jealous!! Unfortunately he didn't have a camera with him, so he had to just buy the disposable kind (remember those? haha) so his photos are less than good. But his stories and experiences were so fun to listen to. He got to see it all - the Garden of Gethsemani, the Mount of Olives, even the very hole where Jesus' cross was standing on Calvary. Amazing. I asked him if he "felt" anything while he was there, and he compared it to the feeling of deep mourning or solemness he had when he toured a former concentration camp in Germany. Since I still could not understand that since I haven't been there either, he then compared it to Pearl Harbor, and I understood. He said you just feel this mourning and respect because of what happened there.

BABY RILEY

One week after we got back, my very pregnant friend, Jayme, and I went to the Farmer's Market here in town that Saturday morning. It was super hot outside, and I just prayed that she would NOT go into the labor on my watch! hahaha. Well, after we walked around long enough to see everything and we had made our produce purchases for the day, we parted ways and each went on home. About 2 hours later, I got a text message that said "My water just broke!" We were so excited!! Within 3 very short hours, baby Riley came into the world! The next day after church, we dropped Ryan off at our friend Makenzie's house and headed down to the hospital to meet her. She is so very pretty!! She weighed only 10 ounces more than Ryan did when she was born, but Dave and I both swear that we can not remember her ever being that small! Now that Jayme is on maternity leave, we spend a lot more time together, and Ryan is absolutely in LOVE with little Riley. She always runs right up to her, points to her, gives her kisses and even tries to say "Ri-ri".

Jayme, baby Riley, and Michael - 1 day old!

Baby Riley and Dave

GEORGIA MOUNTAIN FAIR

Dave took a day off of work in late July to take Ryan and I to see Ryan's favorite band at the Georgia Mountain Fair. It was so much farther away than I had anticipated, but we all had a great time, so I guess it was worth it!! It is a 2 and a half hour drive, and the last half is straight up a mountain and so curvy you could rear end yourself! It was an afternoon bluegrass show on a Thursday...we were the youngest people there by far. There were 2 opening bands and Ryan had such a good time watching the guys play their instruments and dancing in the aisle. She kept walking around trying to pick up water bottles, but you just can't do that in the North Georgia Mountains if you catch my drift (they are "dip cups" ew gross!!) Well, by the time Dailey & Vincent came on, which is who we had come to see, Ryan was ready for her nap! We managed to keep her awake to enjoy a few songs, but she was out by the 3rd song. We laid her in her stroller to snooze and we enjoyed the show without her. After the show, the band came out to sign autographs and shake hands and we got a picture with them! I bought one of their song books and they signed it to Ryan! It was a great day!

Watching Dailey & Vincent!

We got to meet them afterwards...Ryan was still a little sleepy.

On the way home, we were driving down the mountain and Dave says "What the heck is THAT??" I looked up and thought "that is one mutated deer" but as my eyes made their way toward the animals feet, I realized it was a baby bear!! He dashed across the road and up into the woods. We did NOT stick around to see if mama bear was following! haha

ALISON KRAUS & UNION STATION

This year for mother's day, Dave and Ryan got me tickets to see Alison Krauss and Union Station, my all time favorite band. The show sold out almost immediately, but Dave managed to snag a few tickets before they were all gone. We got a babysitter for Ryan for the night and were able to have a real date for once! The show was at the BEAUTIFUL Fox Theater downtown. Our seats were so far back we were basically sitting ON Peachtree Street, but he made a point to get the seats dead-center. There really is not a bad seat in that place, so we were just fine! They played for over 2 hours! And for an encore, they came out and played unplugged around one microphone, old school bluegrass style, for 30 minutes or more! I was grinning ear to ear the entire show. I knew every word to every song. I got to hear Jerry Douglas play the dobro, Alison Krauss's gorgeous voice straight from her lips, and see Dan Tyminski play the guitar, and in one of the most beautiful theaters in the world, no less. Sigh. Can we do it again??

IOWA TRIP

Dave had more business up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, so Ryan and I decided to go with him again since it is so beautiful up there. We flew this time instead of driving...Ryan's first time on an airplane!! The flight up was fantastic. She got a little stir-crazy toward the end, but never fussed a bit. We had a great hotel room...it was basically an apartment. It had an entire kitchen, so I felt like I could breath a LOT easier not having to worry about scrubbing baby bottles over a hotel bathroom sink, or cramming Ryan's daily food into a barely-cold teeny-tiny mini fridge! We had a rent-a-car, so while Dave was working, Ryan and I went to the mall to play at their indoor play area. We had a great lunch at Panera Bread (it always makes me SO happy when I can find a restaurant that has healthy stuff for Ryan to eat...she ate an entire fruit cup, and shared my soup and sandwich with me).

We had dinner with our friends, Dan & JoAnn, and their 2 beautiful kids. There just happened to be a retirement party for someone at Dave's company at the same restaurant, so Dave got to chat with some higher-up people. We really really hope to move up that way someday soon, so that is a very good thing!

The flight back was not so good...there was no direct flight so we had to do a layover....in Detroit. Oh Detroit. All I saw was the airport, but....ew. Anyhow, the first flight was okay. Not major mishaps. Ryan did well. But we only had about 30 minutes between flights, and it fell right at supper time, so I was running through the airport trying to find some food my child that was not fried or some other form of disgusting! I begrudgingly settled on a fruit cup and a muffin from Starbucks...more of a breakfast than a supper, but we had to make it work. We fed her on the plane, before we even took off. Dave held her on his lap as we were taking off and once we were in the air, I looked over and she was already sound asleep. She slept most of the flight, but woke up near the end, probably right as we were coming over Georgia. As we started our "descent", I started to give her a bottle to help with the pressure in her ears. We were in a huge plane, so we were very, very, very high up there. I took the bottle out of her mouth for 2 seconds and somehow it threw her whole world off. She completely lost it, would not take the bottle back, and started screaming. She screamed and screamed and screamed. Nothing could make her the least bit happy. Now, if you have ever flown into the Atlanta airport, you should be familiar with one thing....circling. I don't think I have ever flown here and not had to circle in the air for at least 30 minutes. The air traffic is so high that it gets backed up and it ends up tacking that extra time onto your flight. We circled for what seemed like an eternity. Dave and I were beyond caring what the glaring and staring passengers thought about us. We felt horrible for not being able to make our baby feel better. Air pressure in her ears was hurting her and she didn't understand that she needed to chew on something or swallow to make it better. We finally land, and the fit immediately stops. Phew.

Well, we get to the car and start for home. We are about halfway to the house and Dave gets a phone call to say that he left a bag on the park-n-ride bus. We had to turn around to go get it or the driver would have to turn it into the black hole that is known as the Lost and Found. When we finally got home, Ryan was immediately starving, the poor dogs had been alone and not been out all day so they were CRAZY, and I was completely fried. Oh, and we had not eaten and were super hungry. WELCOME HOME!

BIRTHDAY PICTURES

Two days before her actual birthday, we had a family photo shoot and 1-year pictures for Ryan. I can't wait to get the disc of the photos. The "sneak peeks" were SO good. Ryan got to get her picture taken eating her smash cake, which was absolutely adorable. She LOVED the cake and would not eat lunch when we got home....I didn't know if it was because she was full from the cake, or if it was because she had gotten a taste of the best food ever and wasn't about to go back to vegetables!

Here is our sneak peek. We won't get all of the pictures for a few more weeks.

RYAN'S 1st BIRTHDAY

For Ryan's 1st birthday party, we had a "Sweet as Pie" theme. I made a ton of different types of pies, along with pizza rolls for "pizza pies", cheese and crackers, chips and dip, and the ever-present veggie tray. My friend Jayme even brought a pie! There were pretty red and pink ruffled streamers hanging all around and pink and red balloons (which Ryan just LOVED).

We started the morning with both mommy AND daddy going to get her out of her bed. We ran in and dumped a bunch of balloons on her in her bed and she was a little confused but excited! She spent the morning playing with daddy while mommy finished up backing all of the pies. Around 11, our friend, Makenzie, came over to help me with Ryan while Dave mowed the yard and I finished up the party preparations....can I just say how much of an absolute life-saver she was? Ryan loves to play with her Makenz, and she was such a huge help that morning! When Dave was done in the yard, I sent him out on some errands to get the cake and balloons. When he got home, I walked into the kitchen to see him standing over the cake box repeatedly mumbling "damnit, damnit, damnit...." As I looked into the box, my heart sank and I fought back the urge to stab my fingernails directly into his eyes....the cake had shifted in the car and smashed up against the sides of the box leaving the cake completely ruined on 2 sides. Knowing how fearful Dave was for his life in that instant, and how badly he must have already felt, I calmly said "Okay.......(deep breath).....it's okay. Just take it back up to the bakery and have them fix it. Pay whatever they ask." I think he soared out of there just happy to be leaving with his life, and his marriage. hahaha!!

The bakery was able to fix it and Dave came home with a perfectly fine cake. I told him I had killed him many, many times in my head, but I somehow managed to keep my cool and be sweet (I ALWAYS have to stay "on-theme", so I had to be sweet as pie!")

Ryan's un-smashed smash cake

The first people to show up was our pastor and his wife, Linda. Makenzie and I were still scrambling to get all of the food out on the table, and like a true angel, Linda came into the kitchen ready to help! After she laid out the most beautiful veggie tray ever, I caught her scrubbing my dishes in the sink!! What a great lady!

The food was a huge hit, and we had almost NOTHING left. I was afraid that I had made way too much! We had a pie eating contest for all of the young dads. I made jello in pie tins and gave the guys Ryan's disposable bibs to wear, which added a hilarious touch. We had an extra pie, so I called Pastor Steve over to take the last seat, since everyone loves to see the Pastor with pie on his face! Makenzie's husband, Chris, was the judge, and my brother, John, ended up winning. The prize was a cute blue ribbon I made and a KISS from the birthday girl!!

Decorations and drink table

Mini cherry pies

Lots of pies!!

Pie Eating Contest!!

Next we went inside to start opening gifts. Ryan got so many new toys and lots of cute new clothes! She liked taking the tissue paper out of bags the best!

Opening my quilt from Grandma Judy

Ryan ADORES this blanket and wants to get under it all of the time!

She points to all of the dogs on it and says "dog!"

Daddy helping Ryan open a gift!

Mommy and daddy helping Ryan with her presents

After gifts, she took off her pretty dress (that mommy made just for her to wear on her big day!) and she sat in her highchair to have her cake. We all sang happy birthday and mommy helped her blow out her candle. She was shy to get into the cake at first because there were so many people around, but she wasn't shy for long! She dug in and clapped after each bite. She had cake all over her face and gave a ton of huge, beautiful smiles for the camera!

Digging in!

What a sweet face!

She had such an amazing day and just adored having all of her friends over at her house to play with her. There were lots of kids and babies there, and she was just hamming it up for everyone. Thank you to everyone who came and made it a great day for her!

BOTTLE WEENING

Well, since the day she was born, our plan was to have her OFF of the bottle on her 1st birthday. The month of August was a stressful one for us, and trying to ween a baby off a bottle was not helping things. We had no idea how to even begin to go about it, so we decided to hold off until the end of September and try again when life slowed down a bit. I didn't like it, but I accepted my defeat and made peace with it.

On her birthday, just like every other night, Dave gave her a bath and sat down with her to give her her bedtime bottle. She turned it away and refused to drink it. Dave rocked her for a few minutes and she was out. We were sure it was just a one time thing, because she was so tired from the party, but she has not needed or wanted a bottle since. That's right, our daughter weened HERSELF off the bottle on the EXACT DAY we were hoping to have her off of it. That is one amazing child.

It may sound strange, but now that she is off the bottle, I see her as more "grown up". It's like she has changed somehow and all of a sudden she is just different. She actually seems to sleep better, and is more alert and aware when she is awake.

1 YEAR CHECK UP

Ryan's 1 year check up started out okay. Daddy was not able to go because of work, so it was just Ryan and mommy. I am not nearly as germaphobic with Ryan as I once was, but I still refuse to let her play with the toys in the doctor's office...they LITERALLY have VISIBLE dirt on them from who knows how many sick-kids with sick germs! So I had my hands full trying to keep her entertained, off the floor and away from the icky toys. Luckily, they have a fish tank, so she waved at the fish for 45 minutes. (TIP FOR ALL PARENTS....always try to get the FIRST appointment of the day, before sick kids start coming in without appointments and backing up the schedule! Our appointment was at 10:00am, we didn't get called back until 10:45, and sat in there for another 20 minutes before the doctor came in!)

She weighed 21lbs, 10 oz and was 29.5 inches long.

Ryan was a peach for the doctor, showing off all of her animal noises and smart tricks she can do. The doctor is always amazed at how "advanced" she is, and this time she told us she is at all 15 and 18 month milestones. We had a good check up, and Ryan did not have an ear infection, but actually her molars are coming in, thus all of the ear pulling lately. So the doctor leave and in comes that mean old nurse...I was not aware that there would be any shots at this visit, or Dave would have been there!! She was supposed to get 4 shots, but they were out of one, so she only had to do 3. And she was MISERABLE. She cried from the moment the needle touched her until we got home and I rocked her to sleep. I kept telling her that the shots are way better than having to have the chicken pox, like I did, but I just don't think she cared :(

It is hard to believe how quickly the past year has gone by and how much this little chicken has grown right before our eyes. I don't find myself wishing she was still a newborn, or that she would just stay small forever like I hear so many other parents saying. Rather, I am enjoying every stage of her life. She learns more and more each day and is more fun with each new stage of life! I have marked off a section on the whiteboard in the kitchen that says "Ryan's Cute Thing of the Day" so that when she does something new and amazing, which she surely will, I can write it down so I don't forget to tell Dave about it later.

Things Ryan can do -

WALK!!

Point to her nose/your nose when you say "nose"

Clap her hands when asked

What do you say to a cow? "Ooooooo"

What do you say to a sheep? "Bah bah bah"

What do you say to a dog? "Rarararara"

What do you say to a duck? "ACK"

What do you say to a lion? "Raaarrrrrr!"

What do you say to a little fish? (she waves) and we say "Hello little fish!"

What do you say to daddy? (she gives a raspberry!) PLLTTT!!!

Wave hello/goodbye

Blow kisses

Give real kisses

Put up one finger when you say ONE

brushes her hair when asked

brushes her teeth with mommy and daddy

plays peek-a-boo

will get specific toys when asked

brings a book to you and backs up to sit in your lap to read

always has her books right side up to flip through the pages, never EVER upside down

drinks from a sippy cup

pretends to eat play food and always offers to share

trying to use fork herself

picks up her plate and hands it to you when she is done

if you ask her if she is done, she will say "dun"

goes back to her room when you say room

goes to the tub when you say bath

goes to her highchair when you ask if she is hungry

helps put dishes away by bringing them to you out of the dishwasher

understands "for me" and "for you"and will bring you something when you say "for me"

Stack blocks

Help put away toys

Get on her rocking horse and gives him a kiss on the nose after to say thank you for the ride!

Loves to dance to music

Points to what she wants

Sit when asked

Lay down when asked

Words Ryan can say...even if we are the only ones who can understand them -

mama

dada

Tonka (ton-da!)

book (bo)

fish

I Love you (la-la-lu)

dog (da)

Riley (ri-ri)

bop

mum-mum (it means she wants a cracker)

bath (ba)

done (dun)

nigh-nigh (at bedtime)

baby

puppy

watermelon (ma-mah-melon)

And here are just a few of our summer pictures!!

1st time on a boat - Stone Mountain (that's our boat behind us!)

looking down at the water

look daddy!!

Daddy & Ryan's 1st Father's Day together

Every day is a Tonka day!

Picking strawberries with daddy

Mommy and Ryan at the strawberry farm

So, lastly, I discovered something really great about myself...if I just sit down and DO it, I can make super cute dresses for Ryan! It came about because I was invited to a Matilda Jane Sale, but I decided not to go since I just didn't need to spend the money (the dresses are quite expensive, and Ryan would only be able to wear them for a month or 2 before she outgrew them). But I WANT my little girl to have all of those adorable dresses so badly! So I dug threw my fabric scraps and started sewing. I don't use any patterns, I just piece it all together!

The 1st dress I made for Ryan - still a little big, but she will grow into it!

2nd dress - made from scraps from her crib quilt I made her before she was born

And I made her birthday apron dress too

I have also made her 1 from a pattern and 1 pillowcase dress so far, but they are both way too big for her right now:) Here's hoping I can keep it going!!

Gosh, I just love her.

~rs