Ryan's Birthday Baths!

For the past three years, I have taken a picture of Ryan in the kitchen sink on his birthday!

One Year Old!

Two Years Old!

Three Years Old!

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Three years ago today, a little boy named Ryan came to be. And all was good.


I will post more (and some pics!!) after Chuck E Cheese and cake tonight:

Ryan's birthday "party" at my Mom's and Dad's

Ryan looks sooooo much like Steve in this pic

Icing face!

Ryan's friend Isley at Chuck E Cheese

Ryan and his friend Halie, opening presents

Ryan and his friend Reed

Sleeping Weirdos, umm, I mean "Beauties"

My children are strange, as evidenced by the recent sleeping habits of not one, but two, of my kiddos:

I walked in to wake Ryan up the other morning, only to find him like this:

How long he had been there, and how comfortable that really was, I have no clue...

A few days later, I put Carly in her swing. She fussed and screeched, and kept turning around to look at me, but I was trying to keep myself busy so she'd go to sleep without me. Suffice it to say, a little while later, I noticed she had been very quiet. That's when I found her like this:

True Ladies Man...

So today I was getting on to Ryan for hitting his brother for the umpteenth million time today. I got down on his level and was giving him a stern lecture.

"Ryan, hitting is unacceptable. If you hit brother again, you are going to time out."

Ryan looked me in the eye and said, "Mommy, your eyes are pretty. And your hair is pretty."

Oh my! Where did this *charm* come from and to start it at age two??!! Like he knows just what to say to diffuse the situation.

Ryan, little buddy, you learned a very valuable lesson today...flattery will get you EVERYWHERE!!

"The Boss"

And, no, I am not talking about Bruce Springsteen!

The other day Ryan was ordering me around as he is wont to do these days. I told him that I was not his slave. You know what he said?

"Yes, I am the BOSS"

WHAT????! I honestly do not know where he learned that.

He really is turning into a bossy little thing. I don't really remember how the other boys were at this age (motherhood has a funny way of blurring the bad times), but I assume they were just as bossy. Must be a (almost) three year old thing.

Speaking of almost three, Ryan is excited that his birthday is coming up. He says he will be three and gets to eat cake. As a matter of fact, whenever anyone mentions his birthday, all he talks about is eating cake. Really, Ryan? Cake?? He is SO my child!!

Ryan and Carly Part Two

I was reading my MySpace blog, when I ran across this old blog. Pay particular attention to the bolded part down towards the bottom:

"Friday, April 04, 2008
Ultrasound...
I went for an ultrasound the other day...to check the "transnuchal fold" for Down's Syndrome, because, you know, I am sooooo old. Anyway, that particular scan is anywhere from 11 weeks to 13 weeks & 6 days. The trick is to schedule the appt at the latest possible date so you might be able to find out the gender. (Apparently some people on a babyblog website that I belong to are vehemently opposed to the idea that, oh-my-gosh, you might be able to find out earlier than 20 weeks, and have let their feelings be known.)
Anyway, I went on April 1st when I was 13 weeks & 5 days. The baby actually measured 14 weeks exactly, and the paperwork from the MD office said that gender could be determined from 14 weeks on...I figure at that point I am golden!! The neck-folds measured perfect...no Down's for my baby!
MD: Three boys, huh? I can't tell you 100% what the gender is...blah, blah, blah. Do you want to know what I think?
Me: Oh, yeah!
MD: I see girl parts.
Me: Are you April Fooling me????
MD: No, now you have someone to go shopping with. And someone to buy a purse for. (What??? He's a little weird.) I had a smile on my face that no one could wipe off! He printed some pics of her to give me. A couple of profile shots...

I think she might look like Ryan, which means another baby that DOES NOT look like me. Oh well.
At one point she had her tongue sticking out. He said she was "licking the placenta." Oh gross, stop that baby. That's disgusting, considering I deal with placentas on a regular basis at my work....ICK! She'll fit in perfectly with the boys!"

Did I call it or what????

Ryan and Carly

There are days when I see certain expresssions on Carly's little face that remind me so much of Ryan as a baby. Then there are days when I think that Carly looks like her own little self...definitely a Caro, but her own person...make sense??

Anyway--here are some pics of Ryan and Carly--do you see the resemblance?? Each "set" has Ryan first (as evidenced by the crappy quality--we got a better camera last year), then Carly.

Terrible Two's???? Not here!!

As you can well imagine, life with a two year old is NEVER dull. Lots of talk has been made about the dreaded, awful, horrifying terrible two's. But it looks like I might have dodged a bullet this time around!! While Ryan does have his moments of two-ness, for the most part he is such a sweet and amazing child!! (Of course what mother doesn't think that about HER child??!!)

So I decided to journal some of the cute (and not-so-cute) things he does and says, so that I will always remember life with a two year old!!

--The other night, as I was getting Ryan to bed, I told him, "Night-night, Baby." And he told me, "Night-night, Baby Mommy." Definite melt-my-heart moment!

--Recently, he has started to use the corner of the kitchen when he, umm, fills his diaper. Each and every time, he comes running out of the kitchen and says in this very excited, sweet little voice, "Poo poo come out!" As if I had any doubt it would, RyRy!

--He loves to carry "monies" around...usually it is just a couple of pennies or so. When I ask him what he is going to do with his money, he tells me, very excitedly, "Pay gamessss!" Which means he wants to go to "Kuck Keese" (Chick E Cheese).

That's all that comes to mind right now...I know there's a million more I'm not thinking of...