Busy Saturday

Ryan went to the Original Pancake House for the first time. He sat in his high chair and played with toys. We introduced him to banana. It's not necessarily his favorite but we'll keep giving it to him. From there we all went to the Bobcat Chase. By nine in the morning, it was in the nineties! Ryan lasted until 9:30 so Mike took him home for a nap. I stayed and did the half mile parent/teacher walk.

Ryan hung out in the waiting room of Lens Crafters while I had my eyes examined. Mike was there with him. He was holding court and flirting with everyone there. I thought I heard his voice at one point from the back. My prescription had run out for contacts and I tore my last pair in the morning. What timing! Thank goodness they have Saturday appointments.

Our little boy had his first big boy bath in the bathtub. He was getting too long for the sink. He had a blast splashing and kicking in the tub. The bath wound him up quite a little. I don't think we'll be adding a bath to our bedtime routine.

Big Boy

Ryan sat in a high chair at a restaurant and ate his cereal. His first dinner out! It was nice that they sat us in the back by ourselves so he wasn't distracted by too much.

He then got his first shopping trip at Walmart. Mike put a musical book toy in his lap on a lark. I don't think I'll let that happen again. The look of glee on that little boys face sold me. We came home with the annoying musical book. It's batteries may "run out" soon.

Right now he's in his crib wearing his new glow-in-the-dark skeleton pajamas. I hope he's not staring at himself and staying awake. I hear babbling.

No Helmet, Yet

Ryan had his head scanned again yesterday. It was accomplished much faster this time. The trick was let him suck on a bottle. That kid will get through anything if he can be eating.

His measurements actually got better. He went from being 13mm off to 10mm. The orthotist seems fairly conservative and we're going to wait on the helmet for now. We'll go in a month from now for another scan. If he's gotten worse or stayed the same, we'll opt for the helmet at that time. So, in the mean time we're trying some repositioning to keep him off the flat spot especially at night when he sleeps. No easy task now that he can roll over. If we can get him to around 6mm (normal deviation) than we won't have to helmet at all.

Ry is eating lots of cereal. Next week, we'll introduce some new foods. I can't wait to see his reaction. The video camera will have to be out for that. He's rolling from tummy to back in both directions and very close to getting back to tummy. I claim he just lacks motivation. The mechanics and strength seem to be there. No teeth quite yet. Soon, I'm sure.

I have to say that when I look at his sweet little face, I'm often overcome with emotion still. He's a little miracle. I never expected to feel so much for such a little one.

First Day of School

I survived another first day of school. Of course, we didn't get everything done. Filling in first graders on all the basics seems to take forever. I only had two kids write on their desks today. You'd think there were some things you didn't have to tell them. "Don't write on your desk." Seems pretty obvious to me.

On another note, little one is still not napping at daycare. AHHHHHHH!

sad

My cousin Joe was killed in a motorcycle crash last night. I'm sad. As a mother, I'm sad that a son is gone. As a daughter, I'm sad that a father is gone.

Ryan's 1st Blog Entry

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Seriously!

This was Ry's nap schedule: (as written by daycare)

Naps:

8:45 - 9:00

11:15 - 11:35

1:00 - 1:05

1:45 - 2:10

Are those really considered naps? Seriously?

I put him down at 4 when we got home. It's been 1/2 hour. I expect him to sleep at least until 5. On the plus side, his eating schedule was every 3 hours today instead of every 2 hours. Poor boy just needs to sleep!

Getting Better

Today was a better day at daycare. He did cry to be fed every two hours but they held off a little. He really doesn't need to eat that often. He really just needed to take a nap.

I gave him baby oatmeal cereal instead of rice cereal. (He had gotten a little backed up.) His first response to the new cereal was to gag. Eventually, he got into it. That kid is not one to refuse food.

I've decided that some things that I usually do to get my classroom ready just aren't going to get done this year. I just have different priorities now. I don't really want to devote all day prepping things. I have to ask myself: If I don't (fill in the blank), will it impact my teaching or my students' academic experience? If the answer is no, it's not happening.

First Day at Daycare

Ryan had a rough first day at daycare. He barely napped (which I predicted) and he ate too often. When he continued to fuss and wouldn't sleep, they fed him. He immediately fell asleep in the car on the way home and is napping now. I hope he can adjust and be able to nap at daycare. Poor thing was exhausted. At least when we stopped by the Molls for a quick hello, he had smiles for Adrienne, Ellie and Richard! What a trooper.

I was able to get a lot done at school and didn't worry much. Given how today went, I may worry more tomorrow.

Time Flies

Wow! Ryan turns 6 months in a week. I can't believe it! I'm going to try and keep the blog updated on a more regular basis. Here's what's happening with us:

Ryan's torticollis has caused him to develop plagiocephaly (flat spot on his head). He has been evaluated for a corrective band also called a helmet. They compare two diameter measurements of the skull and compare them. His measurements are 13 mm off. The normal range is 0-6 mm. We return on Aug. 20 for a rescan and will make a final decision on treatment at that time.

Daycare starts tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be a wreck but baby will be fine. I know that! I will try to stay busy getting my classroom ready for the new school year. The students start on the 19th. My goal is for him to stay through lunch time.

Ryan is a wonderful, happy funny baby. He is eating rice cereal with gusto and enjoys sitting up with help. He babbles quite a bit and sounds like he's saying "day, day, day, day."

I need to get some pictures up soon.