Cupcake time!

Ryan finally got his cupcake. Not the one I wanted to get him but it didn’t matter to him. I was looking forward to having him pick out his own cupcake this year (of course, I was also looking forward to picking out a cupcake for myself too). We have a bakery that specializes in only cupcakes, a Cupcakery, and I’ve been wanting to go there forever! So, this was prime opportunity. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. I picked Ryan up from daycare Friday and he was pretty hot. It was a very hot & humid day so I never gave it a second thought other than that they went outside to play. We got home and Dean and I decided to take Ryan out for dinner and then go to the cupcake shop. I thought something was strange when during dinner, Ryan was clingy to me and acting tired. He didn’t do that the whole time though and by the time his dinner arrived, he was willing to eat. He ate a simple dinner of grilled chicken, a few French fries and some tortilla chips. About 5 minutes after we left and headed to the cupcake shop, he said his back hurt. Dean and I repeated Ryan and he said it again. Then a couple more minutes went by and he said his stomach hurt and started getting that “I’m going to puke” look to his face (mom's know what I'm talking about) so Dean asked him if he was going to throw up and he said yes and well, he did. Now I don’t know what it is about men, but something about vomit and poopy diapers makes them act like the world is ending. I’m sure Dean is a lot more tolerant then some men and probably less tolerant than others. I was driving so there was literally nothing I could do but pull off into a shopping center lot. Dean is saying all sorts of things & making noises. Finally I just said, “throw up happens”! This is the 3rd time Ryan’s thrown up in the car and I’ve been there every time...there’s not much you can do! We stripped him down, cleaned up the carseat the best we could and made our way home. That was the only time he got sick that night so I imagine he possibly he ate all his lunch (daycare lunch of Beefaroni which he is not used to), went outside to play and got a little overheated.

Finally, Saturday arrives & Dean comes home from grocery shopping (yes, he DOES grocery shop! Don’t ya love it?) with a cupcake from the bakery. It was a Halloween cupcake but it was cute and it said “Boo” on it, which is what we sometimes call Ryan. He loved it! Especially the icing!

3 years ago

September 24, 2007 was a special day. Dean and I woke up early knowing we would probably be going to the NICU to see Ryan for the last time. I was happy..well elated, but still cautious because it's not over til it's over as they say. I couldn't truly believe that he was coming home until we actually got home. Dean and I had our CPR training at the hospital that morning which gave us a good laugh..not that it's a laughing matter. It was more of getting through the training. The room we were in was a small conference room and it was so hot in there. Anyone that knows Dean is aware he's hot natured, so of course sweat was pouring off of him..onto the baby doll! I know, ewww gross, but at the time it was pretty funny. While we were in training, Ry was getting his circumcision and the nurses were getting all the paperwork together for us to sign. Finally, after everything was signed & we got our certificates for the CPR training, Ryan was taken off all the monitors for the first time in 69 days.We were allowed to change him into his going home outfit and make our way home!

It's really hard to believe it's been 3 years. Time has gone by fast and it's amazing to look back and see how far Ryan has come. He was 5  lbs. 5 oz when he came home and he's now 32 lbs. Yes, he's still in therapy for low  muscle tone, but for the most part he's doing most things a typical 3 year old does. We are so proud of our little man and September 24th will always be special to us. I cried on July  21, 2007 because I had to leave the hospital without my baby and those were tears of heartache.  I also cried on September 24, 2007 because we finally got to come home as a family!

First Day @ Playschool

AKA Daycare! We call it playschool to Ryan since one of his favorite TV characters, Calliou, goes to "playschool". I've been pretty calm about the whole thing. I mean, it was our decision to let him start going. My mom would've continued to watch him, even though I know he tires her out. Plus, he really needs the interaction with other kids and all the teaching aspects that will happen. Since we had him in half day preschool (aka Mom's day out) one day a week last school year & through July, we knew he would adapt really well to daycare. He was excited to be going and all I had to do was mention, "not going to school" if he was whining or starting to act up, and he quickly changed his attitude. He was all smiles this morning though.

He did great waking up (after I went in and woke him up) and eating breakfast. 6:30 am is VERY early for us to eat breakfast so I was surprised he was willing to eat. He's much like me in that he usually doesn't like to eat until a couple hours after he's been awake. I dropped him off and he didn't bat an eyelash. He went right in and starting playing. I was worried about naptime because I hadn't brought a pillow. I didn't see anything in the handbook about bringing one but the teacher today told me I could bring one. So today he had no pillow but when I called they said he did sleep and he was having a good day..whew! When I picked him up I noticed a little scratch on his forehead and one of the teachers as if he had a bite.When I responded no, I then pushed his hair back and noticed a big scrap. The director called his teacher (since she had already left for the day) but she said Ryan hadn't cried all day and nothing unusual happened on the playground. They determined it was probably done on the slide outside, wrote up an accident report & put some neosporin on it. As we left, I asked him what happened and he said he was on the slide and "boom, hit my head". So, Ryan survived his first day (and so did I) and hopefully his second day (Wednesday) there won't be any surprises when I pick him up.

First Baseball game

Ryan had another first this weekend and that was his first baseball game. We have a local AAA team affliated with the Baltimore Orioles and we usually go at least once every season. I don't think we've been since Ryan's been born though. Dean won tickets from a local sports radio station and Friday night was the  last home game of the season. We took our godson since Ryan adores him and always has fun when he's around. We got to the game & Ryan was so excited about everything. All the food stands, the face painting, the games  & the moon bouncy. We went to see where our seats were,  took a couple pics and then headed up to walk around.

We got him a hat in the fan store because they didn't have any shirts his size. Normally he's not a fan of hats but he actually kept the hat on for quite a while during the game. He wanted to throw a baseball and he threw 2.

Then is was Daddy's turn

After he played in the moon bouncy, it was time to get some classic baseball food and sit down to watch the game and eat.

After a few innings, we got up to stretch our legs, get some ice cream for Ryan and then we walked  up to the upper deck seats where we could see a ton better and not be so crowded (we were down low by right field in the beginning). Ryan had a fun time dancing to the music in between the players batting & then watched the video on the big screen during the 7th inning stretch. They had a tribute to the military and sang God Bless America.

We left  at the top of the 9th inning to get back to the car in time to watch the after game fireworks and to change Ryan into his jammies since it was so late (we figured he would fall asleep on the way home).

We'll definitely take him again next season!

First Dentist Appointment

Ryan had his first dentist appointment Friday and he did great. I wouldn't say he loved it (who does?), but he was very cooperative for the hygentist and the dentist.

We took him to the same dental office that Dean goes to so at least we knew that this was a reputable place. They are very kid friendly by having a play area in the waiting room, a designated kid area where all the kids get their teeth cleaned and can watch TV (or a DVD) and a Pediatric Dentist. Ryan got right up in the chair and the hygentist explained all the tools she would be using and what she was going to do (in toddler terms) and then he got to put on the apron for x-rays.

She polished his teeth, used that plaque tool to "count" his teeth (used it to get any food particles out of his teeth) and then flossed his teeth. She said his teeth looked great and he had great spacing in between his teeth. The dentist came in and "counted" his teeth too and told us to keep doing what we were doing (helping him brush). Ryan got a cool bag filled with dental goodies and then got to pick out a treasure from the treasure chest. Guess what he got? Of course A Car!! And he's carried that car everywhere for the last 2 days...