Bouncetown

We met others from one of my MOMs groups at Bouncetown and Ryan was in climbing *heaven*. 2 hours of climbing/bouncing/sliding = 3 hour nap :)

Chuck E. Cheese

It was about that time to take Ryan back down memory lane - Chuck E. Cheese in Lancaster, where my first job was. We went with Opa first thing in the morning to avoid germs and crowds and I think Opa used just as many tokens as Ryan :) I'll try to remember not to wear that shirt on Ryan the next time I plan to take shots because the snowboard reflected the flash in almost every picture...

Happy 2nd Birthday, Ryan!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

We can't believe it's been 2 years - it seems as if we have enough memories to fill a lifetime already! You ARE the apple of our eyes and we absolutely cannot imagine our lives without you. We thought this would be a nice way to remember your second birthday:

You weigh about 25 lbs

You wear size 4 diapers

You wear anywhere from 18 month to 2T clothing depending on the brand and adjustable waists are the best since you are lean but extremely solid

You didn't sleep through the night for your first ten months but have slept through like a rock for the majority of the time since thanks to "Sleeping Through the Night" by Jody Mindell

You still give me close to three hour naps every day

You love anything with wheels

You are still not the best or fastest eater but you have come a LONG way

You sometimes don't eat well at all but still have so much energy

You are so happy and we constantly get comments about it

You definitely make it known when you are unhappy though

You went through a phase where you were crawling out of your crib when we moved

You have yet to go a day with one dry shirt and apparently your Daddy was the same way

Your favorite of all favorites is Thomas the Train and you know who all of the characters are

You love reading books and doing puzzles

You LOVE TV (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!)

You LOVE your blankie so much that mommy has three extras just in case something happens to the first one

You never took a pacifier when you were younger no matter how much I tried but I am convinced you would take one today in a *heartbeat*

You have your Mommy's coloring and your Daddy's gestures

You absolutely love gym class and your gym teacher calls you her little monkey

You love drinking out of water bottles and especially go crazy when you see Gatorade bottles and juice boxes and are actually pretty good at drinking from a regular "adult" cup

You have been left-hand dominant from the start

You are 100% boy

You know your all of your body parts

You love bath time with Daddy

You are what you eat - chicken nuggets, goldfish, ice cream, yogurt, and pudding

We (I mean you) love your portable DVD player as it gives us a few more minutes out to eat or shopping

You are constantly trying to figure out how things fit, move, and spin (just like your engineer Daddy!)

You have yet to have your first real haircut

Your words are flowing and it is music to our ears

You love being chased

You just don't stop :) And we hope your "drive" continues for the rest of your life!

Love, Mommy & Daddy

Breakthough

Among the things that preemie moms have in common is the fear of germs since preemies are born with an under-developed immune system. Although Ryan has been long-cleared of anything special we need to do because he was a preemie, I don't think I will ever part with the Purell in my car or the one that I set on the table when we go out to eat, I still typically plan Ryan's DR appointments NOT first thing in the morning when all the sick kids are in and especially NOT Monday mornings, I still avoid taking him to the grocery store from November-February, and my hands are cracked/semi-bleeding from my compulsive washing (just to name a few!).

But, one thing I can take off my list is the BALL CRAWL, and of all times - mid-January, the heart of germ season. I took Ryan to an indoor play gym with some friends from one of my MOMs clubs on Friday morning (after I shoveled) and he was in HEAVEN. This area was a huge two-story room filled with endless tunnels, slides, and bawl crawls. Ryan isn't quite big enough to run around on his own, so he took me on a journey for an hour and a half that had my body aching the next day! We took our shoes off and were climbing, sliding, bouncing, gliding, and rolling in the balls. Yes, he had a great time and a GREAT nap that afternoon.

Oh, and it's Sunday night and still no signs of sickness (knock on wood)!

Christmas 09

This Christmas was even more hectic than others as not only did we recently move, but Mike went on a business trip to Stockholm and London for a week in mid-December. Of course we were so excited for our first Christmas in our new house and found a way to fit everything in though. This was the first year that Ryan woke up in his own house in Christmas morning, a tradition we plan to continue. He was a pro at ripping wrapping paper and totally pushed the smaller gifts away in order to get to the big ones first! Santa brought Ryan MANY items including an easel, Thomas the Train track sets and trains, Thomas books and dvds, a Thomas ball crawl, many cars and trucks, puzzles, bath toys, a play house and more!

Penn State brought in the New Year in style by beating LSU in the Capital One Bowl, 19-17. This year is off to a fabulous start! A long 8 months until we get watch our Nittany Lions again though...

Snowstorm 12/09

We didn't think that we would be tested by our steep driveway so soon, but we welcomed almost 2 feet of snow to prepare for a rare white Christmas. I think it took longer to get Ryan dressed and undressed than to actually play outside because after 5 minutes and a couple rides down the driveway, he was ready to go inside by the fire with daddy and I don't blame him!

Thanksgiving 09

Freshly moved in with boxes everywhere, we took some time to celebrate Thanksgiving with Mike's parents and grandparents by going out to Normandy Farm in Blue Bell for the third year in a row. Ryan was excellent (thank gosh for the portable DVD player!)

New House 11/09

After starting our search last summer, we are happy to say that we sold our old house on Gorgas Lane in Roxborough and moved into our new house on Chinaberry Drive in Lafayette Hill the week before Thanksgiving. This is the house of our dreams and we look forward to many memories to come...