Happy Birthday Baby!

Where did September go?  Or even more accurate … Where did that YEAR go?!  My baby boy is ONE year old tomorrow!  When did that happen?  I swear I was just telling people we were expecting yesterday! 

What a year it has been.  If you told me a year ago that we would have done the things we have done, I would not have believed you.  Ryan has made our lives even better than we could have imagined.  It’s hard to put into words having a son who at first is your worst fear embodied: a genetic disorder!  When we found out that Ryan has achondroplasia, at first I could only think about medical hurdles, social difficulties, and physical limitations.  All things that were completely on the opposite end of the spectrum from what I had envisioned for 9 months!  It didn't take long to fall for Ryan.  And as Scott and I learned about achondropliasia and about Ryan’s specific case, we found ourselves pleasantly surprised that little people have perfectly normal, happy, healthy lives!  Of course we have had a few extra doctor’s appointments and/or minor  issues … but they are just that.  Minor.  And to top it off, Ryan has risen above everything that has come his way.  It’s hard to explain, but I am overwhelmed with pride when I think of Ryan’s past, present and future.  He’s more than just “normal” – he’s my Ryan: perfect in every way.

Here are a few pictures looking back over this first year …

Here I am at one of my showers … I’m 33 weeks here!

Happy family:

Homecoming!!

First time meeting his feline brother Tobey:

Helping mom and dad find the perfect Christmas tree for his first Christmas!

Yay for Holidays!

One of our “less fun” adventures …

Say cheese …

My little bunny and his first Easter Basket …

First time at the race track!

First birthday party!

Go Giants!

First time at the family cabin …

First swim class!

Fight On!

First vacation … what a vacation it was!

First Snorkel ...?  

It’s fitting that Ryan’s birthday is at the end of September … right in time for October - which is National Dwarfisim Awareness Month!  Ryan has opened my eyes, my heart and my mind.  I can’t wait to learn more about dwarfism and to help make a difference.  I feel lucky that today, people are more accepting of differences, but we still have a long way to go!  Thankfully, Ryan has a massive support group in our friends and family. 

Here’s to Ryan! … the most amazing, perfect, lovely boy – I couldn't ask for anything more. 

... On to the next adventure!

Ko`u Aloha ~ (My Love)

 August was a busy month for my little adventurer …

To start the month off right, Scott, Ryan and I went up to the wine country for some nice family time.  We had lunch at our favorite spot downtown.  Scott and I enjoyed good food and great wine – it was a great way to end the week!  Ryan enjoyed the lunch stop in a high chair … he spent most of the lunch talking to and watching 3 flies that were buzzing around on the table near us.  (this may make our favorite lunch spot sound questionable I know.  You’ll just have to trust me that it’s amazing!)

Here’s Ryan having a nice time with his lunch buddies:

 

After lunch, we had some time so we did some wine tasting.  Ryan helped us select some wine to share with Grandma Cec and Grandpa John over the weekend. 

Here we all are enjoying the winery:

After our relaxing afternoon, it was off to the races!  We went to our near by hotel – where we stayed with my parents and our Faster Farms friends!   This weekend is the car club’s biggest track event and it’s a blast.  Scott and I thought it’d be more fun and relaxing to stay both Friday and Saturday night – and it proved to be both!

Saturday was a great day for playing with cars.  It wasn’t too hot or cold.  Ryan had a blast watching the cars and visiting with his track friends. 

Our hotel had an awesome indoor koi pond!  Ryan loved watching the fish swim around!

 August 5^th was my parents’ 40^th Wedding Anniversary!   Talk about a great inspiration.  They are an amazing couple and I admire them for maintaining such a strong bond through all the years.  I know that if we take good care, Scott and I can have the same thing.  I am such a lucky girl! 

We had a wonderful celebration dinner at a great Italian spot near the race track.  Everyone got cleaned up really nice and my brother and his wife were even able to join us! 

The 2^nd week of August was a busy one.  I am still patting myself on the back – I survived being on my own with Ryan for 3 days!  Talk about having to be organized – good thing I’m pretty meticulous when it comes to lists and schedules … And to make it even more of a challenge, on top of Scott being out of town, our nanny was on vacation that week also.  So I also had to get my substitute daytime help lined up and ready to go also!  Ryan got to spend some quality time with his Auntie Diana and also his Great Aunt Sheila and Faster Farms friend Susan!  What a lucky boy!

We are still trying to get Ryan eating finger food … we got him some silken tofu – nice and soft and mushy ... at first he was very intrigued by the tray before him complete with a mysterious substance for poking …

Then we tried a small piece … that wasn’t much of a hit!  Poor guy is having a tough time - even with small soft chunks of food … he gagged and got really upset with us!

… well, it’s something to get used to … maybe he’ll like finger food better next time …

Our biggest adventure of the month was our trip to Hawaii!!!  This was Ryan’s first vacation – what a wonderful week we had!  In celebration of their anniversary, my parents took everyone – Scott, Ryan and I and my brother Sean and his wife Leslie on the most amazing vacation. 

We flew direct – and after a 2 hour plane delay (on the plane!) we were off!  Ryan actually did really well on the flight – we had fantastic seats thanks to Grandpa John – we were in the front row so we had plenty of room to put Ryan on the floor.  And thank goodness for those ear tubes – he was probably the only happy child on the plane during the descent! 

Our condo was simply amazing.  It had a suite for each couple – and ours had plenty of room for Ryan’s crib – we might have had plenty of room for it in our closet … and we might have put it there … I’m not going to say!  :)  The living space was just gorgeous – overlooking the ocean and the great room was perfect!  My dream house has a great room like this.

Here we are getting settled in the condo:

We all had plenty on our agenda’s – Ryan’s “to do’s” consisted mostly of naps, eating and sleeping – with a little exploring and swimming mixed in!  Here we are on our adventures …

And here we are back to reality … and it’s already time to finalize Ryan’s FIRST BIRTHDAY party!  I can’t believe that my baby boy is turning a YEAR old in one month!  Time has FLOWN by! 

Here’s my adventurer at 11 months:

… on to the next adventure! 

When The Going Gets Tough ... Baby Gets Tougher

What a busy couple of weeks it has been.  Our big boy is already 10 months old!  Where has the time gone?! 

Ryan has kept busy, really enjoying interacting with us and also discovering how much he can do!  He is into everything and very much ready to play with some “big boy” toys!  Scott and I introduced some new toys to Ryan and were impressed with his appreciation for their buttons, doors, sounds, movement and of course, most importantly, “banging capabilities”.   

Here’s Ryan and some of his new goodies …

… An avid reader already:

… Ready to drive:

… We can take the rings OFF, haven’t quite figured out how to put them back on …

… This isn’t a toy, so of course we’re interested.  We just can’t figure out why it won’t fit in our mouth …

Ryan is lucky to have so many friends.  And just a few weeks ago, Ryan got to meet his new friend Liam, who is just 2 months old!  Scott and I enjoyed our visit with our friends and their kids – we all got together to meet Liam.  It was a great party … how times have changed … I think we were all heading home by about 7:00 … I don’t think we even got together before 8:00 before we had kids!  It’s been so much fun to enter parenthood together!

Here's the boys at the BBQ:

Ryan has another great group of friends in my parents’ car club.  We had a fantastic visit with them on Sunday the 15^th at the club picnic.  It was a great day – nice and warm, but not hot.  We spent the day checking out everyone’s cars, having some delicious food - from BBQ tri-tip to homemade desserts and of course ice cold margaritas to complete the meal.  It was a nice relaxing day – and was a great way for Ryan to have a nice visit with Grandpa John, Grandma Cec and the Faster Farms friends.  … that’s our amazing group of friends in the car club.  Ryan is already a member of the Faster Farms and he has 17 ½ more years until he’s allowed to drive on the track!  :)

 Here we are enjoying the picnic:

The big event in our household over the past couple of weeks would be Ryan’s ear tube surgery.  What a day it was – and Ryan never ceases to amaze me.  He’s such a tough guy. 

The surgery itself was great, it couldn’t have gone better.  We got the first surgery spot, which is nice for Ryan since of course he’s fasting prior to surgery.  It was a bit early for Scott and I – Starbucks wasn’t even open yet!  So you know it was early! 

We got to the hospital just as the sun was coming up, and they were right on schedule – we were checked in and in pre-op before we knew it. 

Here’s Ryan and daddy in pre-op:

... As you can see Scott was all set for the big Open Championship.  In fact, he was actually excited to be up early enough to see some of it live!  I wasn’t so sure about that as a “silver lining”!  :)

Soon we were taken to the operating room where we get to stay until the gas gets Ryan to sleep.  This is the worst part for Scott and I.  It was a bit easier on us this time, but I will never get used to it.  It’s brutal to watch, the mask and his tears simply rip my heart out.  Thankfully this time around we had a wonderful anesthesiologist who actually got the entire room of nurses, assistants, and students to sing the ABC’s and “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to help Ryan relax.  Probably helped me relax too!  

Once he was sleeping for surgery – Scott and I went off to the waiting room.  Thankfully it was a short wait as promised and before we knew it we had our (SCREAMING) baby in our arms!  He had a tough transition from waking up – he was uncomfortable from either the surgery and/or the general anesthesia.  As quickly as possible we got him home, and after a little effort, he was all settled down in his crib for a nice looooong nap:

Ryan started to feel more himself that afternoon and evening and the 3 of us had a nice evening together!  Getting the tubes was a long day, but know it’s worth it to help prevent future ear infections. 

Here we are hanging out on our deck for a little evening happy hour:

Ryan is a trooper – he’s a tough guy … and when Ryan started having trouble sleeping and eating just a day after surgery we knew something was up.  Thank goodness for our pediatrician.  Surgery was on Thursday – Scott and I gave it through Friday night but Saturday morning we knew something was off.  Our pediatrician saw Ryan that morning – and diagnosed an ear infection and clogged tube.  Of course in his bad ear!  He jump started meds for the little guy and we got going on ear drops.  And the amazing guy he is, our pediatrician saw Ryan again Sunday morning to check in.  Looked a bit better so hopefully by the time he is done with the antibiotics and ear drops it’s all cleared up.  Poor Ryan went through all of the surgery only to get this to follow.  He’s pushed through all of this with a big smile on his face.  It’s truly amazing.  I didn’t know someone could be so resilient.  I’m so proud of him.

Here he is smiling his way through the days just after surgery and ear diagnosis …

Hanging with mommy and Grandma Cec:

We like cars …

Taking mom and dad to a much needed happy hour …

Helping mommy with the laundry …

That’s my boy!  He’s teaching me a thing or two already … always smiling through even tough times.

… on to the next adventure

You've Come A Long Way Baby!

Here we are already pushing the middle of July!  It’s been a wonderful couple of weeks in our world!

Ryan missed his 2^nd swim class – instead we spent the morning at the pediatrician’s office … another ear infection!  Not the best way to start out a weekend, but Scott and I are glad that we have Ryan’s “ear infection MO” figured out so we can catch and treat them early.  My little man is so amazing … we had a great Saturday regardless of the infection!

Sunday we were thrilled to go for a nice long walk in our neighborhood.  It was a great day – just pushing 80 degrees.  Ryan loves riding forward in his stroller – he talks to the passing trees and cars nonstop … well, until he wears himself out …

The next weekend’s fun began on Thursday when Ryan and I headed to the clinic for his hearing test.  Who would have thought we could successfully test an infant’s hearing?  They put Ryan and I into a soundproof room, and the nurse testing him sat in the adjacent room behind a window.  She’d play sounds from speakers that sat on both sides of Ryan and I.  When he’d look towards the sound, it was reinforced with lights.  She also ran a few other tests, all were really non-invasive and Ryan did great!  The nurse was pleased that we were able to test so much.  And thankfully we found out right then and there that Ryan’s hearing is in good shape!  What a relief.  After so many ear infections, you can’t be sure. 

The following day we had more doctor appointments – the first with his Ear Nose & Throat Dr.  The doctor prescribed ear tubes for Ryan.  That will be a great solution for him.  It’s a simple procedure, they come out on their own – and while they are in, they prevent ear infections!  What a relief that will be.

Shortly after the clinic, Ryan and I headed to his pediatrician for his 9 month visit!  Ryan is growing well ... he had another good sized growth spurt and our doctor is very pleased with his motor skill development!  We think he’s due to crawl any time … he’s ready to go … it’s just a matter of it “clicking”.   

On Friday the 29^th, Ryan turned 9 months old!  How can that be?!  Time is going by so quickly! 

Here is my big boy’s 9 month old picture:

Over the past couple of weeks, Ryan has had quite a few firsts to add to the list!  He’s doing new things all the time, it’s so much fun! 

Time for mom and dad to start watching what they say and do … Ryan is starting to learn how to mimic sounds and movements.  One of our favorites is how he sticks his tongue out in response to our sticking our tongue out!  We aren’t certain where this one came from, but I am suspicious he noticed our tongues when we yawned?  It's a mystery …

It’s quite comical …

Scott and I shared some special firsts with Ryan over the weekend too. 

On our way to his appointments on Friday, I took him on his 1^st train ride … he’ll probably enjoy it a lot more when he’s older, but he still got a kick out of the quick trip he and I took … 

Holding the ticket for mommy:

Enjoying the view!

Having fun together:

Later in the weekend, Scott and I were thrilled to see that Ryan can (finally!) sit up comfortably in a restaurant high chair.  And (for now) he loves it!  As do we … we loved being able to sit with Ryan and still eat at the same time!  Oh, the little things …

In spirit of our big boy in the restaurant high chair, Scott and I thought that Ryan might enjoy the view from the shopping cart at the grocery store … are the days of pushing stroller and cart through the store over?  … maybe not quite yet …and yes, those are bags of flour next to him ... 

I’d say that Ryan’s favorite first over the past couple of weeks was his experience in the swing.  Boy, does he love that!  By the 3^rd “swoosh” he was hooked – all smiles and giggles.  The irony is that he hated his swing when he was a newborn!   

Here’s my big boy having his first swing:

And last but not least, was Ryan’s 1^st Fourth of July.  What a great day we had!  Scott and I coordinated a BBQ at a local park with some friends of ours.  Because it’s a busy day for the parks, Scott, Ryan and I got there at 6:45am to hold a spot – we got the spot we wanted, set it up and enjoyed the morning at the park.  It was beautiful weather so we were quite comfortable being outdoors and the time flew by.  Before we knew it, we had the company of about 12 friends and 7 kids, 6 of which are under 18 months.  Our patch of grass was very busy!  We are so lucky, it was a great way to spend the holiday!

Here we are ready for the day of fun …

And here’s Ryan – ready to celebrate his 1^st Fourth of July!

That sums up the past couple of weeks … eventful but a blast as usual!  Ryan is pure joy – I can’t get enough of him, he’s always amazing me and making me so proud. 

… on to the next adventure!