Ryan's Visit to the Pediatrician

Papa and I took Ryan to see the pediatrician this morning. This was the appointment my family doctor set up for us because she was concerned about Ryan's breathing; remember, she had been concerned about how deeply his chest compressed when he drew breaths.

Thankfully, Dr. K says Ryan's condition is nothing to be concerned about. He doesn't need any intervention, and should continue to grow up healthy and not have any future problems. Basically, he said Ryan has a mild congenital anomaly of the breast bone. All that means is that while most people's breast bones are straight, Ryan's has a slight curve to it. Therefore, when he inhales, his chest appears to fall more deeply. It's nothing that hurts him; it just looks a little alarming because it resembles what a lot of people's chests do when they are trying harder than usual to breathe. However, Ryan is fine.

While we were there, they took Ryan's latest weight and measurements. He's now 12.98 pounds, and 23.45 inches long. The nurse said he's a big boy! I think she was expecting someone a bit smaller, since he arrived a little over a month early. Then again, she doesn't know that Ryan has a brother and sister who are both big for their age, too. We grow 'em big!
;-)

A Visit to the Dentist

On Saturday morning, Andrea and Kevin went to the dentist for their regular teeth-cleaning and check-up. I was a bit nervous about Kevin's reaction to the dentist because we had tried to take him in for his first appointment about 9 months ago, and it didn't go over well with Kevin. He let the dentist peek in his mouth, but that was IT. The dentist had suggested that we try again when Andrea was due for her next appointment (at this age, half a year makes a big difference in a child's emotional maturity). Also, Kevin won't let me brush his teeth (but he won't do it himself, either!). Thus, I wasn't too optimistic.

Thankfully, Kevin had a much better reaction this time. When Daddy tried to help him brush his teeth before going to the dentist, Kevin was suddenly, totally cooperative. They practiced opening his mouth wide and saying, "Ahhhhh!"

I didn't see Kevin's appointment (I was in the waiting room with Ryan), but I could hear what was going on because his chair was just on the other side of the door (which they left open). Daddy went in with him. Kevin did fine! He only whimpered a few times at the start. I could hear them explaining every step of what they were doing, and every teeth-cleaning tool to him. He opened wide just like they practiced, and let them take some quick x-rays and clean his teeth.

Andrea had a great appointment, too. They both have nice clean teeth, and no cavities!

Kevin was fascinated by the new toothbrush the dentist gave him. He thought it was the best "prize" ever. He held onto it for at least an hour after we got home, and then insisted on having his teeth brushed before his afternoon nap AND before bed! I hope his new excitement about dental hygiene continues for a long time. :))

Playing!

"Baby Turtles": Andrea and Kevin came up with a new game, where they crawl under empty laundry baskets and pretend to be my baby turtles (the baskets are their shells). We have to feed them "shrimp" as a snack, and we have to call them "Andrea Turtle" and "Kevin Turtle." They call me "Mommy Turtle." When it is time for the turtles' "bedtime," they turn their shells over, crawl in, and curl up in them with a pillow and blanket.



Dressing Up: It never gets old. Andrea, especially, is all about creating "styles" right now.


Kevin also likes to dress up now and then, so he can be included in the fun. I think he just wants to be a part of Andrea's games. However, Daddy won't let me take any pictures of his boy in a crown and high heels!

Fun with Ryan: Both Andrea and Kevin are starting to enjoy getting a reaction out of Ryan, now that Ryan's starting to coo a bit, and he gets excited when they play near/with him.


We were laughing yesterday because when Andrea was trying to show Ryan how to play with the hanging toys on his bouncer, she got a few little smiles and coos out of him.

Later in the day, Kevin sat down next to Ryan (who was in the aquarium-themed bouncer again)and was quietly saying to him: "Hi, Ryan! See your fishies?" Suddenly, Ryan started to cry, and Kevin said, "Oh, no! I just want to be your friend!" It was SO sweet. I went over and reassured Kevin that Ryan wasn't crying because he was mad at Kevin, but because he had a sore tummy!

Ryan's Expressions: In general, when I look back at videos of Andrea and Kevin when they were Ryan's age, it seems that they communicated much more than he does. They smiled earlier (and much more often), and both had a wide range of vocal coos and gurgles by this point. It concerns me a bit that Ryan is just starting to smile a bit, and he isn't as vocal as they were. Then, I have to take into consideration his adjusted age, and maybe, that's just his personality. Plus, we're still having some trouble with Ryan's belly bothering him. I know I have less desire to socialize when I'm not feeling well, so it's likely the same for Ryan.

However, when I was taking pictures of the kids on Friday (which happened to be Ryan's 3-month birthday), Ryan suddenly came out with several different facial expressions every time the camera flashed! I'm so glad I caught the moment on film. :))

The Funny Things They Say

I wish I had been keeping track of all the funny things Andrea and Kevin have been saying over the past 6 months or so. Their interpretations of what they hear, and the new concepts they are learning, are greatly amusing. However, being busy Mommy, I can't remember most of it, or I don't have the time to write it all down. However, here's a few that have come up lately, or have stuck with us as family jokes.

Anatomically Correct

About 6 months ago, when Kevin was starting to talk, Andrea and Kevin were in the bathtub together. Andrea, who is not shy, was pointing at and asking about their different male and female parts. I explained, "Kevin has a penis, and you have a vagina." Kevin suddenly pointed at himself, and proudly declared, "PEANUT!" Andrea laughed like crazy, pointed at herself, and exclaimed, "LASAGNA!" Ever since, "peanut" and "lasagna" have stuck as nicknames for the parts. The kids laugh every time they say it, because they KNOW they are being silly, but their words are more fun!

Explaining the Easter Mystery

Now that Andrea is attending JK at a Catholic school, she comes home with all sorts of interesting interpretations of Catholic theology. On Good Friday, she came and said to me: "Mommy, today something sad happened. Today Jesus died. But it's okay--because in three days, the Easter Bunny will come and rosed him from the dead!"

She also had an explanation for the Last Supper and the sacrament of Communion: "We eat Jesus's bread and drink his wine. Then it's his body, and we eat his body to remember him."

More on God's Mysterious Ways

Andrea wanted to know where people come from--like, "Who makes us?" She'd already been given a very basic physical description when she'd previously inquired about where Ryan came from, so this time, I decided to go with the more spiritual route. I replied, "God makes people." She replied, "Then how does he put us in your belly?" Before I could think of a suitable response, she answered her own question: "I think that when we're asleep, he opens our mouths really wide and puts the baby down our mouth and into our belly."

On Marriage

After watching Sleeping Beauty on DVD, Andrea wanted to know why people get married. She asked, "Why did you marry Daddy?" I replied, "Because I love him, he's a good person, and I want to be with him forever." Andrea asked, "How will I know who I should marry?" I explained, "It should be someone you love very much, and someone who you want to spend the rest of your life with." Andrea promptly responded: "I want to marry Daddy!" When I explained that she couldn't marry Daddy because he was MY husband, she said: "Then I'll marry Papa!"

Words That Sound Like Other Words . . .

Similar to the "peanut" story at the start of the post, Kevin and Andrea have lots of words that they repeat incorrectly or misunderstand, often with hilarious results. The most recent one was yesterday, when Kevin was playing with the new toy shish kebab set the Easter Bunny brought. When I asked Kevin what he was doing, he tried to say, "I'm playing with a shish kebab." However, it kept coming out as, "shi* kebab." The best part about it was how seriously he was saying it. Therefore, you know me--I had to get it on video!

Easter Weekend 2010

Good Friday


Good Friday was a busy day, with the kids being home from school. I decided to keep up the family tradition of colouring Easter eggs on this day. Ryan was in the sling, while Andrea and Kevin coloured eggs. Andrea had a little more patience than Kevin, so her eggs turned out a bit more colourful, and she spent more time putting decorations (stickers) on them. Kevin was too eager to see his eggs, and took them out of the dye a bit early, so he ended up with one very light blue one and one that still looked white. He also put only one sticker on each (guess he's a minimalist). However, both kids had fun, and were very proud of their eggs.








Good Friday was a gorgeous day--the nicest of the week--at 75 degrees and sunny. When Daddy got home from work (yes, he worked--it's tax season) we took the kids for a walk to the park and candy store.

Ryan was much happier during this, his second stroller ride. He didn't cry once, and seemed to enjoy being out in the fresh air. It was really windy and bright, so he was squinting a bit; however, it was so warm, that when he kept kicking his little socks off, I let him stay barefoot.

Andrea is so brave on the climbers now. She's a little monkey! She climbs up all the different parts. She was waving to me, and posing for the camera, after climbing up the back near the big slide.

She also spotted me trying to take pictures of her coming down the smaller slide. As soon as she saw the camera focused on her, she grinned all the way down the slide!
Andrea and Kevin both still love the swings. I'm glad Andrea had finally given up on the baby swings and prefers the ones for the bigger kids now. Kevin can go on the big kid swings, too, but
he doesn't have good enough hand strength to hold on for a long time!
He seems quite happy in this swing anyways.

Meanwhile, Ryan was content to relax in the stroller and watch the fun.
Saturday

Saturday started off with what has become another family tradition--the Easter egg hunt and lunch at Gram and Papa's. Gram bought bunny ears for the kids to wear during the hunt. We had Ryan try on a pair, but I don't think he was too impressed. He just wanted to sleep.

Andrea and Kevin, however, loved their ears, and kept hopping around so much that they were falling off!

I was busy with Ryan during the egg hunt, so I only got pictures of them after they finished the hunt and distributed the eggs.

Ryan's so little that he fits right in the basket! He's also so tired that he can't keep his eyes open during the excitement. He was soon snuggled up on Papa, with his gifts from Papa and Gram, for a quick nap.

A few minutes later, Ryan was ready to try his first lollipop. We put it up to his mouth as a joke, but then he actually started to lick it. He liked it!

The weather on Saturday was still beautiful, so we went out in Gram and Papa's backyard to enjoy it, and have lunch out there. Gram and the kids were playing tag; then, when she went in to make lunch, Papa got an idea for some ball games.

Ryan was still tired. He had another nap out in the fresh air.

The kids got to have cupcakes for dessert, but even better: they got to decorate their own cupcakes, with icing and sprinkles! It was a yummy mess, and definitely a good activity to do outside!

Later that day, after we were at home again, our friends the Campbells (from Kitchener-area) came over for a visit. They got to meet Ryan, and the kids had a chance to get reacquainted. Andrea and Maeve are only a few months apart in age, and Kevin and Finn are only a few days apart in age. They had lots of fun playing together!

In the evening, Andrea and Kevin helped me put out the Easter baskets for the Easter Bunny.

While they were sleeping that night, the Easter Bunny came!

The Easter Bunny even tried to hide a chocolate egg on Ryan!

Easter Sunday

As he does every year, the Easter Bunny left a trail of chocolate eggs from each kid's bed to their bedroom door, and then hid lots of eggs all over the living room. Andrea and Kevin were very excited to find their eggs! Kevin needed a little help, but Andrea is an egg-hunting pro now.


Ryan's too little to have candies or little toys this year, so the Easter Bunny brought him one big musical flower toy. I think Ryan was happy with that.

After the egg hunt, we had a restful morning, and the kids had time to enjoy their new toys from the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny brought toys that they could all play with and share.

In the afternoon, we went to Gram and Papa's again--this time for dinner. It was a little cooler out on Sunday, but still nice enough to sit outside before dinner. First, we had some drinks and some yummy munchies.

Andrea: "Mmmmm . . . Cheritos!" (That's how she pronounces Doritos.)

Ryan got to spend some quality time with Great-Gram. She's a famous baby soother and snuggler.

He also got to spend a little time with Papa, before Andrea and Kevin monopolized his attention.
Since we had walked over, we had the wagon with us. Papa came up with the idea to give the kids a wagon ride in the backyard. The terrain's a bit bumpy, but that simply made it more fun! They loved it. (Poor Papa was worn out by the time we left!)

After dinner, Andrea and Great-Gram played Barbies together. Andrea was delighted to have a playmate who was as aborbed in the game as her. :))