Mommy Meltdown….

So today, Ryan tested my patience. And he won.

The day started out fairly normal with everyone waking around 7:45am. Both Owen and Ryan got dressed and had breakfast & bottles with no trouble. I have had a bad cold which turned into a really, really bad earache over the weekend so I had a doctor appointment this morning to get some medicine. Daddy was going golfing in Big Canoe with Grandad for the day, but I wasn’t too worried. Both boys have been good lately and I didn’t think twice about having them alone all day and having to go to the doctor with them. Granted my appointment was during Owen’s naptime and Ryan’s lunch, but still… not too worried.

The doctor appointment went fine; Owen slept through it like a champ and Ryan was such a good boy. I left with 5 prescriptions and we headed home for lunch and Ryan’s nap. Still, all was well.

When Ryan woke up we were going to head to Target to fill my prescriptions and this is when the day took a turn for the worse. Ryan was in a “naughty mood” trying to get into trouble. You can see his little mind racing as he looks around a room for something to get into that he isn’t suppose to. He locked himself in the bathroom and when I didn’t answer to his “momma” calls he started shouting “Jean!” over and over and over again. It was actually pretty cute and I still had patience at this point so I laughed. Then he took a chair from the table over to the counter and tried to get stuff down that he wasn’t suppose to touch (cell phone, camera, snacks, etc). Then he tried to stand on Owen’s Bumbo to reach the top of Owen’s swing so he could turn it on. Finally, I got Owen in his carseat and Ryan’s shoes on and we were off to Target.

Ryan FREAKS out when the sun shines in his eyes and of course it was shining at him the entire way to Target so he was mad by the time we got there. Then he absolutely, positively, REFUSED to get out of the car. I could not unbuckle him from his carseat. He was flailing and squirming and screaming.

Of course, this wasn’t making Owen happy so he started fussing and crying too. Then the people we parked next to came back to their vehicle and wanted to get in. After much persuasion along with kicking, hitting and screaming I got Ryan out and we were heading into the store. I was carrying a carseat with an 18 pound child and also carrying Ryan because when I would try to get him to walk he would curl up on the ground in a ball and refused to move. Yep! Tons of fun.

Once in Target, the kicking, flailing, screaming and crying continued. I tried time-out in Target. That didn’t work. I tried to put him in the cart and he would just climb out. I even tried the threaten of “we’re going to leave” and much to my surprise Ryan clapped his hands and said, “Yea! Go home!!” Oh good grief. I just wanted my prescriptions filled so my head didn’t feel like it was about to explode.

I’ll admit, I had tears in my eyes I was so frustrated. If you have ever tried to deal with a 2 year old tantrum in public you will complete sympathize with me on this one. And to top it off, I had Owen with me and shopping carts are not built for a toddler and a carseat. Finally, I got Owen’s carseat to fit in the buggy part and Ryan strapped into the seat portion. Yes, strapped in and on top of that I had to hold his legs and arms so he couldn’t kick and flail.

Finally, after about 20 minutes of this “episode” we made it to the pharmacy to fill the much needed prescriptions at this point. Ryan was very good the rest of the trip and even said “charee momma” and hugged and kissed me. He knew he was naughty when he saw mommy crying.

The rest of the evening was not much better, but at least we were home and not in a public place. I can leave the room at home when he pitches a terrible two year old fit, but in public it’s a little different. It’s much less fun.

So after an exhausting day, I took a warm bath, wrote all of Ryan’s birthday thank you’s and all of our Christmas thank you’s and I’m calling it a night. There are no fun, cute little pictures to add to this post although I’m sure you’d all find photos of our Target adventure amusing. At this point, with my two sweet boys in bed for the night, I might even smile at seeing what we went through…..

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Merry Christmas….

Where has the year gone?! I cannot believe that Christmas came and went already. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the holidays this year. For some reason, last year, I was ready to take down all the decorations and have the holidays be over. This year, we put up our decorations before Thanksgiving and I’m dreading taking them down. I love our house this year with the tree and garland and lights. I even love our over-the-top outdoor decorations.

Ryan and Owen had a great Christmas. We went up to Big Canoe on Christmas Eve and spent the day/evening with Jim’s family. It was such a great time, as usual. We went to church and Ryan was a Shepard boy and Megan was an Angel. During the service they called all angels and Shepard boys to the alter and Ryan willingly went up with Grandad. Shortly after getting settled in “his” spot, he looked out at the audience and lost it. Big crocodile tears came flowing down with a frantic “momma” being shouted from the Shepard boy. Megan did great, but looked like she got a little bored by the end.

After church we all went back to Grandad’s and had Grandmom Janice’s yummy lasagna for dinner. Ryan gobbled it up as did mommy and daddy. Following dinner we decorated Christmas cookies and Auntie Kelly helped Ryan with his. He had fun decorating them, but even more fun eating them!! After everyone was finished and headed over to the tree to open presents, we found Ryan still sitting at the table patiently and quietly eating more cookies. He never stops amazing us with his sweet, funny personality. The kid just cracks us up.

It took a little convincing, but Ryan finally came over to open presents. Both him and Owen got a lot of great things and have been enjoying playing with them all over the last few days.

After an exhausting day, we headed home to wait for Santa’s arrival. Both boys slept in and mommy actually had to wake Owen the next morning at 8:30 so we could open presents. I know there won’t be many more years of that happening on Christmas morning!

We opened stockings in Ryan’s room as Owen had his morning bottle. I think Ryan was a little confused with what was going on, but as soon as he got out of his crib and spotted the presents under the tree, he bolted straight for the ATV 4wheeler from Ga-Ma.

Both Ryan and Owen had a blast opening presents. Ryan wanted to play with everything immediately (“open momma, open”). Owen studied each gift carefully as if he was ready the age limit and directions on how to play with them. I loved the concerned look he would get; this one must not have been age appropriate.

Ryan Skyped with Ga-Ma and showed her how he rides his ATV. He loves calling her and asks about 20 times a day to “call Ga-Ma momma” and when I say, “Not right now Ryan” he always responds with a matter-of-fact, “Oh. Ga-Ma seeping (sleeping). Night-night Ga-Ma.” We tell him that Grandma is sleeping when he wakes up in the morning and wants to call her at 6am CST. Now he thinks she’s sleeping everytime we say we can’t call her.

Grandad and Grandmom came over for dinner on Christmas day and as always Ryan enjoyed having them over. We all played with the new toys and laughed and had a great time.

Overall, what a great, great holiday. We couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas.

We wish all of our family and friends a happy, healthy New Year.

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Ryan’s Two Year & Owen’s 4 Month Well Visits

Ryan had his two year well check today and Owen had his 4 month well check today. It was absolutely insane having two doctor visits at one time for two different kiddos. I thought it would be easier to do it all at once, but I’m going to rethink that next time.

Ryan was 27 pounds and 4 ounces and 135 cm in height. He was in the 75th percentile for height, but only about 46th for weight. He has consistantly dropped on the weight chart and the doctor is very slightly concerned. She doesn’t think it’s anything to be alarmed about since he’s just a very active kid who burns so much energy and calories and he is still on the charts and doing well. She just wants us to come back in 4 months for a weight check rather than waiting an entire year for his next well visit. I can’t imagine we would make it an entire year without any sick visits anyway; we seem to be there several times a month. The alarming part for mommy was on the check-out form it’s coded as “failure to thrive”…. really?! Do they need to code it as that?! This would fall into the same category as “your child is in a downward spiral” right Malinda??? Do you need to tell a parent that?

Owen was 18 lbs. 1 oz and is in the 97th percentile for weight. He is 25 1/2 inches tall and I can’t remember the percentile for height, but it was up there in the 75th plus. He is our tank! He is quickly outgrowing his 6 month clothes and while 9 month is still a little big, they fit. He does have a few “rolls” on him, but really he is well proportioned and just a big boy.

Ryan got his finger pricked and boy was he mad. He didn’t really cry, but he scrunched up his forehead and looked at the nurse as if to say “that was mean!” and then he just sat on daddy’s lap with a pouty lip. Throughout the day he would bring his finger to mommy and say “Ryan boo-boo” and want me to kiss it.

Owen had to get 4 shots and he was beyond mad. He SCREAMED! He did not like that at all and was really upset. Everytime I would set him down to get him dressed or put him in his carseat the tears would start all over again. This kid holds a grudge. Boy was he upset with everyone involved in holding him down and sticking him with needles. Daddy is still on his good side since he was busy with Ryan and didn’t participate in these actions.

Owen did come home with a nebulizer (sp?) for RSV which he has to use 4 times per day for 2 weeks. Let the fun begin! Ryan hated this treatment when he was on it last year.

Overall though, both boys are doing great! We certainly can’t complain!

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Jump, Jump, Jump!!!

Ryan had a very busy weekend this past weekend. It started with his school holiday party on Friday afternoon where they ate lots of yummy food and had a book exchange amongst all the kids in his class.

When we got home from the party Grandma Ellie and Great Granny arrived from PA to help celebrate Ryan’s birthday party weekend. He LOVED having them both here and was quite the little charmer (and showoff!).

Then on Saturday it was the big party day!! He took a great nap and off we went to KangaZoom to jump with all of his friends. We had about 18 little kiddos and 30+ adults. It was a ton of fun and the kids jumped and jumped and jumped. Ryan was so excited to see everyone and had a blast playing with all of his little friends.


He became quite the little pro at the big slide too! He climbs up all by himself and goes down without another thought. The kid has NO fear!!

After the jumping, Ryan got to ride in the “birthday car” and boy was he excited. As soon as they brought it into the room, he jumped right in with the biggest grin on his face. Addie came running over to check out the stud muffin driving. He explains to her that they’ll drive off into the sunset together…..

As soon as all the kids got in line, Ryan led the parade by driving the birthday car to the party room where we had snacks and cake and juice.

It was great to have the party outside of the house this year. As we left the party room and saw what a mess 18 little toddlers can make, I was relieved that the mess was there for someone else to clean up. Especially since Mommy was sick with a cold and was starting to feel miserable.

Grandad and Grandmom Janice and Grandma Ellie and Great Granny all came back to the house for dinner and to help Ryan open his gifts. He got so many great toys; he is one lucky little boy.

And all Owen has to say about it all is that he can’t wait for the hand-me-downs……

Sunday was a quiet day around the Yahres house. Grandma Ellie and Great Granny spent the day with us and Ryan enjoyed being lazy (stayed in his pjs until after naptime!) and played with all of his new toys. Ryan and Owen had a babysitter (thanks Melissa!) on Sunday evening and Great Granny took mommy and daddy out to a nice kid-free dinner. It was such a great dinner; we really enjoyed the company, atmosphere and food. Thanks again Great Granny!!

It was such a great weekend. Minus the split lip (Ryan fell against the bathtub and cut his lip), the many poop explosions (thanks O-wee! Mommy still doesn’t think it’s funny even though you laugh and laugh when you do it) and mommy and daddy being sickies. Other than that, it was great! Ryan couldn’t have had more fun. He loved having his Ga-ma visit and was just such a little charmer.

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Happy 2nd Birthday Ryan!!!

Ryan has been walking around singing, “Happy birthday Ryan!” for a few days now. He loves all of the attention that he has been getting and was very excited today when mommy, daddy and Owen came to school for snack time. Of course, you would never know that with this photo…

Naptime is from 12noon – 2pm at school. Ryan has been rebelling lately and won’t go down for a nap. Some days he naps and some days he doesn’t. Today he ended up falling asleep, but not until just before it was time to get up. I showed up at school with cake and was ready to party with the two year olds, but Ryan was still sound asleep. All of his classmates were awake and sitting at the table waiting to eat, but the birthday boy was still zonked out.

With a little prompting though he woke up and was ready for cake. Ms. Fawzia made Ryan a crown to wear for his “birthday party” and he loved it. The whole class sang Happy Birthday to Ryan and he just sat there with a smug little look on his face. He LOVED it!!

While Ryan was busy licking the frosting from his fingers, his little friends were patiently waiting for their pieces.

And this table was getting a little annoyed waiting on their cake. Poor Morgan looks completely bored because it’s taking so long.

Ryan had a great day and cannot wait for his birthday party at KangaZoom on Saturday! Get ready to JUMP!

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Aaaaaaah…. Um!

As usual I was trying to multi-task tonight. I had Owen in his bouncy chair and was feeding him in between cooking dinner. Ryan was hanging out in the kitchen playing with some toys.

Behind me I hear, “Aaaaaah…. Um! O-wee, um! Aaaaaah, open O-wee.”

I turn around to find Ryan standing on my kitchen chair with a spoonful of Owen’s cereal trying to get Owen to open his mouth so he can insert the spoon.

When Ryan caught me watching him feeding his brother, he got all bashful and explained, “Feed O-wee momma. Um!”

“Um!” is what he tells us when he wants a taste of something. He loves to eat whatever we eat; especially whatever Daddy has. We even found out he does this to his teachers at school. Ms. Tywana (aka Wana) has to share all of her food with Ryan because he follows her around saying, “Um! Bite Wana. Um!”

Being the good big brother that he is, he was looking out for his little bro and trying to keep the food coming since momma was busy cooking.

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Ryan’s Big Date with Addie and the Fishies….

Ryan and Addie had a date to the Georgia Aquarium on Sunday morning. All morning, Ryan ran around the house telling us, “Addie fishie!” and smacking his lips together making a fish face and fish sounds. He was so excited to go spend the morning with daddy, Addie and Mr. Jim (Addie’s daddy).

Addie and Ryan got to see alot of fish and had fun running around. Apparantely Ryan was really excited over the jellyfish; check out his profile with his mouth open screaming in excitement.

Here he is in typical “Ryan” mode studying the jellyfish so contently. Great Grandma Berg always says how she loves Ryan’s attention to details and how he takes his surroundings in.

Everyone enjoyed checking out the big wall of fish. Again Ryan studied them all.

Ryan realizes that there is a diver at the top of the tank. Here he spots the diver and backs away from the wall of fish.

He was VERY concerned about the diver in the water with the fish and wouldn’t get near the diver or the tank!

After several hours of running around the aquarium, I’m not sure who was more tired… daddy and Mr. Jim or Ryan and Addie!

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Brunch with Santa….

We sure are getting our fill of Santa this year. Our third visit with the big guy was this morning at our neighborhood Santa Brunch. Every year the neighborhood hosts a brunch at the Clubhouse for all the little ones in the neighborhood. We couldn’t go last year because it was the same day as Ryan’s 1st birthday party.

The boys got all dressed up in their cute little coordinating outfits and off we went to see Santa again. Owen looked seriously handsome with his blonde fuzzy hair, big blue eyes and sweet little smile.

On our way to the Clubhouse we ran into Addie, Ryan’s little girlfriend. The two of them are just so funny together. They both get so excited to see each other and just LOVE being together. Ryan looks SO proud holding Addie’s hand….

He really does love Addie. I have to bribe him daily when we are getting ready to go to school, “If we hurry and get dressed we can see Addie.” When he’s begging to watch Elmo on the car ride home from school (an entire 2 mile ride), I tell him, “We’re almost to Addie’s house and maybe she’s outside. Watch for her.” And when he’s getting into mischief and not listening, I have to say, “If you can be good while Mommy’s making dinner, we’ll go for a walk and see if Addie is outside.” Yes, I admit I bribe my 2 year old, but he LOVES Addie and it always works!

Ryan was much more comfortable with Santa today. Although, he still wouldn’t sit on Santa’s lap, he did give him a high five very willingly.

He also spotted the candy canes and kept trying to sneak one out of Santa’s little bucket. He doesn’t quit get that Santa knows when he’s being “naughty and nice” and sneaking candy canes away from Santa would fall under the “naughty” category.

Here is a photo of Addie and her mommy, Jenn. Addie has a brand new sister (only 12 days old) so before long Sidney and Owen will be running around together just like Ryan and Addie do now.

But for now, I love my two boys at the ages they are now. I love that Owen has started to laugh and that he watches Ryan very closely. He loves to “jump” in his jumperoo and can roll up onto his side (almost making it all the way over). I love how much Ryan loves his baby brother and will go get him toys to play with, new diapers when he needs to be changed and the first thing out of Ryan’s mouth in the mornings is “baby O-wee, baby O-wee.” Ryan is always very concerned with where Owen is and what he is doing.

We hope that everyone is enjoying their holiday season as much as we are. Merry Christmas!

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High Five Santa….

Our second Santa visit went a little better than the first. Ryan’s school had an Open House on Thursday evening with a special visit from Santa Claus. At first he was terrified and would not go near Santa, but with a little prompting from mommy, daddy, Owen and Ms. Tywana (his teacher) he FINALLY got close enough to give Santa a high five.

Even though Santa was really skinny, he was great with Ryan. He talked to him and made him a little more comfortable with the whole “Santa situation.” We thought that Ryan might finally sit on his lap, but as you can he did not like this idea too much. Owen just looked at him like, “Come on bro. It’s Santa!! How can you be scared of Santa?!”

But Ryan was scared so Owen just enjoyed his time and told Santa everything he was hoping for under the tree. He just sat there looking around; not afraid in the least. I’m sure next year will be a different situation though.

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Santa and the Pink Pig….

Ryan is loving the Christmas season so far! We have a lit up snowman in our front yard and Ryan has to say hello, goodbye and night night to it every day as we come and go from the house. He loves the Choo-choo that goes around the tree. He loves to look at the Christmas tree and tell us over and over again “Elmo way up!” For those of you who don’t know… Ryan LOVES Elmo right now. Jim bought two ornaments for Ryan this year; one is Big Bird and one is Elmo. Big Bird is plastic and is on the lower part of the tree where he can see and touch him, but Elmo is glass so he is way up on the tree. Ryan tells us this every day…. “Elmo way up!”

Last night we decided to take the boys to see Santa. We thought this would make for a cute Christmas card this year. We dressed them up; bundled them and off we went to see Santa. We waited in line for a LONG time and Ryan was so excited to see him. All the way through the line he would clap his hands and say “Yea Santa!” Owen also seemed amused with everything going on.

Finally it was our turn to sit on Santa’s lap. And Ryan had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with it. He flat out refused to get near Santa. Nope; no Santa. No part of it. If we got him too close to Santa, he would arch his back and body away from Santa so that no part of him was touching Santa. So I sat in a few of the pictures thinking maybe he’d warm up to the idea, but as soon as I tried to get down and put Ryan down (standing, not sitting or touching Santa), he would freak again. We gave up.

Owen on the other hand LOVED Santa!! He was all smiles and cooing and watching him. He got some great photos with the Big Man and they were the ones we ended up purchasing. Owen’s first Christmas and he was an absolute delight waiting in line, sitting with Santa and smiling for the photos.

After Santa turned out to be only semi-successful (and still no Christmas card photo) we decided to head over and ride the Pink Pig at Macy’s. Ryan loves choo-choo trains so were hoping this would go a little better.

It started off a little rocky with Owen having to sit by himself next to mommy; he couldn’t ride on my lap. Did I mention he’s not even 4 months old?!?!? Ryan and Daddy were *squeezed* into a small a little seat and Ryan was not thrilled with how much room daddy’s bottom side was taking up in their car.

But once the ride started both boys were completely silent and totally amazed with the ride. They LOVED it!!

It was a lot of fun and all-in-all they were really good boys. We didn’t get a photo of Owen AND Ryan with Santa, but we still have a few weeks to try…

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