Relaxing with Cooper

Ryland figured out how to push his toy over to the ottoman, so he could climb up in the chair. He crawled right over Cooper and made himself comfortable. He grabbed the blanket and started relaxing. It is crazy how much he picks up from just watching others.

Storytime

Ryland and I headed to the library for a little storytime and playing. We had a crazy hard time getting out of the house, so we missed the story. We did make it in time to play with the others. Ryland was running around like a crazy man, so I didn't get one good picture of him.



I thought this picture pretty much summed up our crazy morning and Ryland's burst of energy.

Air pump

John Chris and I started cleaning out the garage over the weekend and found this air pump. Ryland was intrigued right away, and now he is refusing to put it down. He likes to push it and feel the air blow out in his face. It was cute at first, but now I want to hide it away. Not to be mean, but he doesn't need at pump when he is trying to eat dinner. Can you see the possessive look on his face?

Fun at Borders

Ryland and I made a stop at Borders to pick up some new books, and he made a new friend in the children's area. He was no longer interested in books or anything else. He just wanted to hug and love on this big stuffed dog.

How sweet!

Who is the king?

Our Sunday plans got a little messed up today. Instead of going to the church picnic, we headed to Burger King. Ryland loves french fries and the play area.
He isn't so thrilled with the crown.

John Chris tries to show Ryland that the crown is cool. Oh, sure it is!

Tulip

I brought home some beautiful tulips today. They were bright orange and yellow variegated. Absolutely gorgeous.

Ryland was pretty curious, so I gave him one stem. What do you think he did? Of course, he broke the bloom off the stem and disassembled it petal by petal.

I asked him what he was doing, and this is the look I got. It was so matter of fact. Duh, I am tearing it up.

But mom, it is so much prettier torn up on the floor. Can I have another one?

BOUNCE

Nanna was in town visiting, so we took her to play with us at bounce.



Ryland acted like he was a little tired. He would just plop down every now and then. Who knows? Maybe he was just power resting.

Peek-a-boo! We see you.

Rain and bubbles - 2 favorite things

The weather has been really hot and dry for the past few weeks. We were pleased to see a brief rainstorm, and Ryland couldn't get enough of the sprinkle. He loved standing in the rain.

Ryland kept sticking his tongue out to catch the rain. He is silly!

Nanna came to spend the night with us and visit for a little while. She picked up this cool bubble gun for Ryland. After playing in the rain, he came inside to another one of his favorite things, bubbles.

We knew the bubbles inside would make a little mess for us to clean up, but how could we resist. Ryland thought it was the neatest thing. He just stood and watched the bubbles fall around him for a while, and then he started catching them. Simple joy.

Applesauce

Ryland is really into feeding himself now. We caught a couple of pictures of him chowing down.

What else could we expect?

Ryland wanted to get every little bit of the applesauce. It was hilarious, because we would fill his bowl, and he would devour it all. This is a good way to get in his fruits. Now if I could just get him to eat his veggies.

Ryland's bad breath

We were warned, but we had no clue what was coming.

The ENT doctor told us that Ryland's breath would be rank due to the adenoidectomy, and it would get better as he healed. John Chris was holding him this evening when he caught a whiff. He immediately said yuck!

This reaction made Ryland giggle with joy.
Ryland started breathing all in John Chris's face. It was so hilarious. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Ryland is a funny boy. He is very pleased with his new discovery.

He decided to give Dad another good smell. What a little stinker!

Happy Father's Day!

We had a wonderful Father's Day. We started the day with an awesome message at church. We had a huge tasty meal at Texas de Brazil. A nap was the perfect way of relaxing, so we all took a 3 hour siesta. What a way to spend the day!

Rough recovery

Ryland's recovery has hit a hard spot tonight. He has been acting like he feels great, but he just crashed. He now is running a fever and very clingy. I am concerned but remaining calm because the doctor did tell us to expect these symptoms. It breaks my heart to see him in pain. I just want to hold him and make him all better.

On another note... I have such a wonderful friend. Chanda has been here with us all evening. She has been so helpful, and I am so lucky to know her. She has helped calm Ryland with hugs and love, and she has helped me not pull my hair out! I am blessed beyond words. Thank you!

Tubes and adenoidectomy

Ryland is getting tubes today. He may also get an adenoidectomy, but we won't know until the doctor checks them out. He was a sleepy head on the way to the hospital.

He finally decided to wake up a little when we arrived at the hospital. I am sure he was wondering what was going on so darn early in the morning.

Now the little mischief monster comes out. Ryland was very curious about the bed and the hospital equipment. We let him play with it for a little while we waited. He quickly decided that they were all boring. We couldn't give him anything to eat or drink, so things started getting uncomfortable very fast.

After waiting about an hour and a half, it was time. John Chris gave Ryland hugs and kisses, and I took him back. The nurses had prepared me for the Giggle Juice and said that it would calm him down before the real anesthesia. I sat in a dark little room with him while one nurse blew bubbles and another shot the Giggle Juice up his nose. All hell broke loose. Ryland started screaming, crying, and arching his back. I tried to calm him down, but another nurse kept rushing him to go on back. I rocked as long as I could, and he started to calm down. As they wheeled him out of the room, I could not hold back my tears.

John Chris and I sat in the waiting room for about 35 minutes before the doctor came to tell us how the surgery went. Ryland's adenoids were huge, so they were removed. The doctor said everything went according to plan, and he would be in recovery soon.

About 10 minutes later, we were called back to the recovery area. He was barely awake and drifting in and out. When he would wake up, he could feel the IV in his foot, and he would start kicking and screaming. John Chris rocked him while I held the IV and the monitor wires up so they wouldn't pull his skin. I couldn't help but think about the time we spent with Ryland in the NICU. It is so hard to see your baby in the hospital.

Ryland was released with a few prescriptions and some magical ear drops. We headed by the pharmacy and then home. He slept most of the afternoon, but when he was awake, he was acting a little drunk. He stumbled a good bit and laughed a lot.

We are hoping and praying for an improvement with ear infections, and we are so happy things went well.

Fireplace fun

Ryland loves to follow Cooper around house. One of Cooper's favorite places to relax in on the fireplace hearth. It is now one of Ryland's favorite places to climb.

Knocking blocks on the glass.

Whew! That was fun! Ryland takes a break to have a cup of yummy milk.

Feeding Cooper

Ryland must have been paying attention to John Chris and I feed Cooper. He decided that he would give it a shot.

First. Go in the pantry.

Second. Get a scoop of food.
Third. Take the food to Cooper's bowl.

Fourth. Forget the bowl. Cooper will eat it off the floor.

I guess this is a way to get out of getting chores.

Splash pad

Ryland and I visited the new Splash Pad that just recently opened at the park. He had a blast playing in the water.

He watched all of the big boys and copied what they would do.

He didn't seem to mind if the water was splashing in his face. He was having fun!

Ryland's fun was interrupted by a messy diaper. He lost his shirt and his swim suit as casualties.

It didn't phase him. It was time for a snack and back out to play in the water.

Sunday school helper

I volunteered to help with the Sunday school program for the summer. It was a great way for me to get involved at the church, and I started this Sunday. I was assigned to the infant/crawlers room, and it was so much fun. It was different being around little babies again. It also made me realize how big Ryland is getting. I really enjoyed my time, and I am looking forward to next time.

Digging in the dirt

John Chris was working on the flower beds earlier today. He left a little mess that Ryland found amusing. What could possibly be better than a pile of dirt/mulch and a spoon?

Ryland can be in a fussy mood, but the minute you take him outside he is happy. He loved playing and getting dirty this evening.