Our Weekend

This is currently my favorite picture of Matt and Ryan! I love it! The key to getting Ryan to smile these days is to sing to him.

We had a quiet weekend around here. We went over to my in-laws for dinner on Saturday night. Matt's stepbrothers are in town and we were excited to see them. They live in Arizona and California so we don't see them much. It's crazy to think the last time they saw Ryan he was about 4 days old.

Uncle Matthew getting some tickle time in.

Ryan is obsessed with space heaters. He knows not to touch them (we have one in our basement) but he couldn't keep his eyes off the heater.

Such a cheese ball!

Matt got a chocolate milkshake after dinner and decided to let Ryan try his very first milkshake. To say he loved it is an understatement!!! He couldn't get enough and we seriously had to cut him off, ha!!!

Spending time with Aunt Erin!

We enjoyed our time with family and so thankful to have people around who love Ryan.

We are gearing up for the "white death" tomorrow. We are supposed to get 2-5 inches throughout the day tomorrow. We are planning a pajama day and maybe play in the snow a little. And I got the best news this afternoon...I should get my car back from the shop this week! It's been almost two months since my wreck and I am so ready to have my car back!

Friday

The last few days have been a little rough around here. Ryan has been fussy and throwing LOTS of tantrums. I'm completely convinced that most of his tantrums are because he can't communicate to us. It is frustrating for him and for us. I love this age but it is HARD!

I've been reading James Dobson's The Strong Willed Child but I decided I need to read Kevin Leman's How to Make Your Child Mind Without Losing Yours more. It's been great so far and giving me some good advice on discipline.

Then today at Tumblebees Ryan was just rough and tumble. He was running into things and falling all over the place. Poor little guy was not having a good day.

Thankfully he ate a great lunch then took a good afternoon nap. He is so sweet when he sleeps. He loves to sleep on his back with his hands behind his head. And of course he loves his monkeys!!!

Birthday Cookies

I made these cookies for a sweet girl named Deana who lives nearby and found my blog through Kelly's Korner. These were for her son's 4th birthday.

Struggles and Success

For as long as I can remember I have struggled with my weight. I gained a lot of weight in college and when I graduated my best friend and I went to the beach on vacation. I came back from vacation and saw pictures of myself and was amazed. I was shocked that I had let myself go so bad. That June day I made it my goal to lose 30lbs by the end of the summer. I lost it then kept going. When I met Matt in 2003 I was the smallest I had ever been. I was so confident and proud of my hard work. Like many women once we got married I put some weight back on. Sometimes I think it's harder to maintain your weight than lose it!

When I got pregnant with Ryan I was still about twenty pounds heavier than I wanted to be. Nonetheless I was pregnant and not going to be able to lose weight. I gained about 30-35lbs with Ryan. After having him I was DETERMINED to lose the baby weight and then some. I worked my tail off and lost all my baby weight by the time he turned 9 months then lost 10 more pounds by his first bday. I was happy but still wanted to lose more but I hit a plateau and just couldn't get over the hump.

That brings me to November. When I found out I was pregnant this time I was excited but worried about gaining all the weight again. Even though I knew I was pregnant I decided to join weight watchers online. I needed the accountability of making healthy choices and not over eating. My doctor is completely fine with me doing WW as long as I am eating at least 3 healthy meals a day and working out. She knows where I've been and the struggles I have gone through. Since starting WW I have lost 7lbs AND I"M PREGNANT!!!!! I am so excited and proud of myself for not making excuses and working hard.

I put Ryan down for his nap this afternoon and I went to change clothes to workout. I had thought to try on some jeans that haven't fit well in awhile, just to see how they fit now. Oh my goodness, they fit and were even a little loose through the legs. I was thrilled!!! These pair of jeans are my absolute favorite. I vividly remember wearing them on my birthday two years ago when I was about 10 weeks pregnant with Ryan. I couldn't button them comfortably but I tied a ponytail holder around the button to close them. I'm excited and motivated that I'm smaller now at 14 weeks than I was at 10 weeks with Ryan. After I tried those on I ran to the other room where my summer clothese are and started trying on pants and shorts I couldn't even wear this summer. They fit and were even loose through the legs and butt.

I am so excited and motivated to stick with WW and continue working out. I will admit that yesterday was the first day that I actually felt pregnant. It's weird to describe! I feel my stomach getting firmer and while running on the treadmill yesterday it was definitely harder to run. My goal is to continue running 3 miles, 3 days a week til I'm 20 week. I might just have to slow down my pace. I plan on doing weekly pregnancy updates and photos like I did with Ryan. I'm not showing yet but I will start the weekly updates soon.

And I had to add in a picture of Ryan for the grandparents!

18 Month Check-up

Today we had Ryan's 18 month check-up. Since he was sick around the time he turned 18 months we decided to wait til after the holidays for his appointment.

Ryan weighs 26 lbs - 50th percentile

He is 34 inches tall - 90th percentile

Head circumforance - 50th percentile

He is one tall and lean little boy. Matt was the same way when he was a kid so I think Ryan will follow in his daddy's footsteps.

Ryan is right on track with all his milestones. We still would like to see him eat more veggies and fruits but hopefully that will change soon enough. He is still not saying many words but in just the last two weeks I have noticed him mumbling more. He will come up and say something to me but I have no clue what it is. I just know his vocabulary is going to take off soon.

He is very receptive and curious. He loves to point out things in his books or go get an item when asked. He is so smart and growing up so fast!!!

Cherished Memories

I love having our basement as Ryan's playroom. We have been playing alot more there lately. Most of Ryan's toys are down there and there isn't much he can get into down there. I've enjoyed having lots of space to play and not telling Ryan to get out of the pantry or bathroom for the 100th time, ha!

I love the holidays but I get a little sad when they are over. It's hard being off your schedule so I look forward to getting back in the groove of things. We enjoyed having Matt home with us last week but now we are getting back into our routine. I'm also looking forward to all the new shows coming on this week!

(Kelly, do you recognize the couch? Yup, I still have your couch and we love watching tv sitting on the couch.)

One of my favorite things we did for Christmas was give our parents this photo book of Ryan's first year! I made the book using kodak gallery and I am soooooo pleased with how it came out. It took many hours to complete but we have this amazing book of cherished memories!

I included all of Ryan's monthly milestones. I also put some favorite verses and fun things we did during the year. I wish I could have gotten a better picture of the book but this was the best I could get. I plan to do a book every year of Ryan's life. I haven't started his second book but I plan to get started very soon.

Happy New Year

Last night we rung in the new year chilling at home and watching the movie "Date Night". It was hilarious and so funny! I laughed out loud many times. We watched the ball drop at midnight and at 12:05 we turned the tv off and went to bed, ha! We are so boring but we were both tired and I knew Ryan would get up early.

This morning I gave Matt a little time to himself so Ryan and I headed to the gym for my first workout of 2011!

Ryan is pointing to Mickey Mouse on the TV in the picture. He loves to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse however it doesn't usually hold his attention for more than 6-7 min at a time. His favorite are the songs.

(The picture of Ryan in the background on the wall is sideways b/c I put the wrong picture in and liked the frame turned that way. I plan to change out the pic soon.)

The other part of my day today I finished up these cookies for my friend Anissa who is throwing a bridal shower tomorrow. The bride's colors are lavender and ivory. I had fun making these cookies. They didn't take as long since I was only using two colors! I really liked how they came out.

I'm not a big fan of new year's resolutions. I rather make personal goals throughout the year. I will say one of my goals this year is to workout as much as I can throughout this pregnancy and make healthier eating choices. I really don't want to gain as much weight as I did with Ryan.

Lastly, I must share the other goal I am very excited about in 2011. I am committing to the Beth Moore-Living Proof Siesta Scripture Memory. Those who follow Beth on the LPM blog can participate. I am committing to memorizing 24 scriptures in 2011. My first verse to start off the year is my favorite verse.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."