9 Months

I can't believe I'm getting ready to write this...

Evan is now 9 MONTHS OLD!

Ugh...how time flies. With all that has been going on around here I really can't remember what I've talked about on here and what I haven't. So...here's the highlights about my dear sweet Evan.

• He has 2 teeth on the bottom and he's getting another...his top canine of all things. Usually it goes in the order of bottom front - top front. Hmmmm.
• He is walking quite well while holding on to the furniture. He has even started holding on to the walls and the back of the couch. That's quite a site to see.
• He army crawls and is quick when he is motivated by something like a piece of paper or a toy that his brother has, but he would rather forget the crawling and get on with the walking.
• He eats great! He is now eating most fruits and vegetables. I've only introduced turkey and chicken for the meats but sometimes I'll add beans to a puree for a little extra protein. I've been given the okay to start egg yolks so that is the next protein I'll add. He loves to eat anything we are eating. He eats quite a few finger foods too...cheerios, infant snacks, crackers, cheetohs, green beans, etc. Today he snatched a muffin from a grocery sack and proceeded to scarf it down before I could do anything more than pull the paper out of his mouth.
• At his WCC his weight was 19lb7oz (30%), head circumference was 18 1/4" (85%), and length was 27 1/8" (15%). So basically he's short, stalky with a big head!
• He is very, very vocal and although he doesn't have any "words" yet he "talks" a lot. He grunts when he wants more. He yells when we walk into a new place as if to say "hi I'm here". He also yells to "talk" to us when he's in a room by himself.
• He is already showing pretty intense separation anxiety which according to the doctor is something that only begins at 9 months at the earliest. She said it will probably last until his 1st birthday but can last a month or 2 beyond.
  
• He has the most precious smile ever!

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RYAN-ISMS:

• Your shirt still looks good. (This was after he just finished wiping his greasy, buttery hands all down my front.)
  
• Momma, when I'm really bigger I can drive you to the doctor. (Such a sweet...sad truth. I just hope he remembers this when I actually do need him to drive me to the doctor.)
  
• Baby brother needs to be quiet. He's waking me up and I need a nap! (Oh really?!?)
  
• Maybe tomorrow at 16 o'clock. (hehehe)
  
• Now you have to get a spankin' 'cause I told you the other day not to eat poprcorn until you eat real food. (Real food is synonymous with healthy food around here and on this occasion Ryan was wanting popcorn before dinner. After being told he couldn't have any until after he ate "real food" he told this to Evan when the innocent little guy was running into the popcorn tin with his walker.)
• Now you have to get a spankin' 'cause I told you baby brother is crying. (On this particular occasion Ryan came up to me and swatted me on the behind because Evan was crying and apparently it offended him.)
• I want to tickle the fishies. (Let's not.)
  
• You can't eat fish out of the water. It has too much dirt and grass and sticks and leaves. (I fixed fish tonight and because the kid knows that fish live in the lake and fishsticks out of the bag are our usual "fish" he reasoned that fish that comes out of that dirty lake surely can't be eaten.)
  
• I lub that pink house. Maybe someday I can lib there. (He saw a pink house while we were driving out of Guthrie. He still really, really, really likes pink so someday he hopes to live in that pink house.)
  

Pucker Up!

Paybacks

I keep telling this kid...
that for all the cruel stuff he does to this kid...
he may want to keep in mind that paybacks could be very rough.

Blogging

I really, really, really enjoy blogging.

But

Lately

I

Just

Don't

Have

Any

Time!

But to leave you with a funny thought...yesterday we went to the Science Museum (Omniplex) and after 2 or 3 hours of fun and exciting things to do and see the highlight of the day for Ryan was the vacuum cleaner that the guy cleaning the floor at the front door was using!

Picture

Annie

Meet Annie.
Now I have to admit that I wasn't quite ready to adopt a new puppy. I have been "keeping my eyes open" (browsing the petfinder-type sites) for when the "right" dog might come along. I just didn't think it was going to happen right now. So let me tell you how Annie found us!
While out garage sale shopping Mimi and Aunt Jen were gleefully greeted by this sweet little girl. The woman at the garage sale announced she was needing a new home for the puppy because she was moving to an apartment and couldn't afford to take 3 dogs. Mimi and Aunt Jen thought of us and called. I thought, "well...hmmm...maybe." I called Wade and we decided that sometimes the right things come along at times we might not know is right.
Boy I think this is most definitely one of those "right things". This little puppy is the sweetest little thing ever. She was being raised by a family with a 4-year-old little boy. She is calm yet playful and fun. So far she has been absolutely tolerant of all the antics my 4-year-old little boy pulls. She already loves Ryan and Ryan already loves her. They play together so well. Ryan wants here to be everywhere he is, and I'm just basking in the all the laughter I've been hearing. Poor Evan just doesn't know what to do about all the puppy kisses right now, but he isn't at all scared of her and she is very gentle with him.
Annie is a great pyrenees/blue heeler (mom) mix with a chocolate lab (dad).

So I guess it's safe to say that sometimes great things are often unexpected and the best dogs can be mutts that find you instead of you finding them.

There Was a Hole...

There was a hole...
In the middle of the ground...
And in that hole......there was a kid!

Curious George Evan

4-Year-Old Check-Up

Today I took this amazing kid to the doctor for his 4-YEAR-OLD check up. Wow it still doesn't seem right that he's already 4. In some ways it seems like just yesterday we were standing by his incubator bed hoping and praying he would survive. Now look at this kid!
Weight: 32 pounds 10%
Height: 3 ft 4 in 50%
BP: 86/52
O2: 100%
Pulse: 106

Yeah, yeah...I know I don't usually give such precise details but it's been a long time since I've had such precise details. They really don't matter that much. He's healthy, strong, and everything checked out just fine. The doctor was pleased with everything about our little man.

The biggest concern I discussed with the doctor was the potty training issue. She has recommended we see a urologist. Why? Well after I discussed all the "methods" we've tried for potty training (star chart, goody box, cheerios, wearing big-boy pants all day, etc., etc.), the fact he's never yet had a "dry" night, his poop is still greasy (like an infant) she was a wee bit concerned. She said that *something* out of that mix *should* have made an impression on him. We also discussed him being strong willed and she agrees but she also feels that this "strong-willedness" ought not be so strong that he would wear the same underwear all day and long and never use the toilet...for 3 days in a row. These issues being discussed we (the doctor and I) decided checking in with a urologist might be the next best step...just to be certain all the plumbing is as it should be. In the mean time we will be continuing our "plans". We are introducing Evan to the toilet several times a day in hopes that a little sibling competition might ensue. Ryan picked a "grow-up-day" for next Wednesday. We will continue with that. We're hoping that continuing our original plans (especially the grow-up day since Ryan picked the day) will overcome the strong-will thing if that is the problem. So that's where we are with this topic.

Now as for my wonderful, amazing 4-year-0ld little man:

• He's smart
• He knows all his colors
• He knows most of the letters
• He recognizes what words start with what letters for the letters "a" and "b" and probably a few others.
• He loves his family...even his little brother.
• He is so incredibly sweet
• He loves being outside
• He loves taking a bath and thanks to him my bathroom floor gets a nightly shower
• He's cautious although he's starting to take more risks
• He is an incredibly picky eater but I've been surprised at some of the new things he's tried
• He still loves cars but he isn't as consumed with them
• He still takes a nap daily but the naps are getting shorter and shorter
• His bedtime is 8 o'clock but sometimes it gets moved back to 7:30 and sometimes he gets to stay up until 9
• He loves dirt and I'm super excited about gardening with my boy this summer
• He knows one speed...fast
• He tells me he loves me
• He is a good helper
• He's wild
• He's crazy
• He makes me laugh
• He loves to make people laugh
• He is so much and so special that I can't even begin to describe him here...you just have to know him!
  
• ...
• ...
• ...

I LOVE THIS BOY!
TO PIECES I LOVE THIS BOY!

Ryan, my wonderful 4-year-old little boy you delight my heart and just knowing you is one of the greatest blessings in my life. I'm so blessed by you...your sweet smile...your contagious laugh...your tender hugs...your gentle kisses...your stories...your everything. I love little buddy!

Small Walker

In The Army Now

Okay...maybe not...it's just an army crawl.

Leggings

This cloth-diapering, breastfeeding, babyfood making, baby wearing momma just discovered THE LEGGINGS! Ooooooo. :)
And aren't they just adorable!...

Can you believe this kid?...
Yep! He's all wet. For some unknown reason he decided to take a dip in the tub with all his clothes on. The best part was the pride he felt at "pulling one over" on us. He's learning to "play jokes" on us and intentionally try to "get our goat".
He's growing so much and changing all the time. He just turned four and eventually I'll do a "Four-Year-Old Post" but I'm waiting until his well-child-check this upcoming week so I can have some stats to talk about too. In the mean time...it's time for some Ryan-isms:

• Go away baby. I'm trying to sleep and you're waking me up. Go to your own room!
• I have enough energy to go "toot toot". (This was on one of those days where the correct interpretation of this goes something like this: "I am now feeling energetic enough to go find some new way to make a nuisance of myself.")
  
• But I'm hungry. (For some reason Ryan was just about to bite Evan's foot. When scolded by his Daddy this was his response.)
  
• Can you feed me again. (Why certainly as soon as I feed the rest of the animals.)
  
• Daddy you look like a dandelion. (Can you say Oklahoma humidity?)
  
• I think I'm hungry. My tummy is talking. (Food has been on his mind a lot lately. However he has started using "But I'm hungry" as a cop-out statement to avoid anything/everything he doesn't agree with...Me: It's time for a rest. Him: But I'm hungry! Just the other day we pulled into a parking lot and I said he had to hold my hand. His response: But I'm hungry.)
  
• The letter B starts with Pink. (We're talking about the alphabet more these days. We spent a week on "A" and since we haven't designated a week for "B" we've been discussing it off and on for a couple weeks. Did I ever mention I really haven't figured out a good daily routine that we can stick with? Anyway... the other day we were discussing "B" and naturally I mentioned that blue starts with "B"...B...Buuu(sounding it out)...Blue! Since blue is NOT his favorite color that just couldn't work so "B" starts with pink!)
  
• Daddy has a big tummy with big food inside. (Hehehe)
  
• My Googin's right here (holding up his foot). In my feet. (That must have been some really good googin')
• Thanks Mom I couldn't have done it without you. (Oh! So sweet is this kid! He said this to me when we returned to the car after a March of Dimes luncheon meeting.)
  

Evan is doing well. As you may have remembered he celebrated his 8-month-old birthday fairly recently.

He is growing and changing a lot too! He is such a happy baby. At 8 months old:

• He smiles often.
• He has 2 bottom teeth coming in at the same time and they are ALMOST in! Thankfully. Because he just doesn't tolerate the discomfort of teething well.
• He has started cruising along the furniture and just within this past week he can really get moving pretty fast along the couch.
• He started army-crawling although he still doesn't much care for creeping along the floor. He'd rather be upright.
• He walks in the walker all over the house.
• He sometimes forgets that he can't walk by himself yet and gets mad when he topples to the floor.
• He LOVES his big brother. He follows him around everywhere. Sometimes he annoys his big brother.
• He is still nursing but will not nurse in places where there is a lot of noise and activity because he is too interested in everything going on. Unless, that is, he is getting very tired.
• He is eating 3 meals a day with snacks in between occasionally. He eats many of the veggies (still hesitant with the green ones), loves fruits of all kinds, started some meats (turkey and chicken), and for the first time today ate a puree of black beans and applesauce. I'm making our own babyfood.
  
• He loves finger-foods. He can eat any of those first finger-food foods...those that basically melt in his mouth. He can also eat Cheerios and Cheetohs.
  
• He has basically given up the pacifier. He will sometimes chew on one but he hasn't used one for a pacifier in several weeks.
• He still wears cloth diapers.
• He still hates being wet or dirty.
• He has started chewing on my chin as a pacifier. Every time I pick him up to comfort him when he's crying he grabs my hair (what little I have left after having my 7-grade haircut "fixed") and pulls my face to his until he gets my chin. He chews on it for a second or two and for some reason finds comfort in that. It's actually very, very sweet. I love it!