21 Months Old

   Today Rylee Love is 21 months old! I cannot believe my baby will be 2 in 3 short months! It doesn't seem real. Time surely does fly!

     So let's see... Rylee has 18 teeth. I measured her at home today, and she was 23.8 lbs and 33.5 inches tall. That would put her in the 20th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. She's getting much better about eating and drinking. She's still pretty picky, but when you find something she likes, she will PIG OUT! She loves to eat. I hope soon she will start being more open to trying new foods, but for now I'm happy that she's eating and gaining weight. She's also been drinking better. The weather has been very warm, so maybe that has something to do with it, but I also switched her sippys from Nuby Soft Spouts to Nuk Active Cups. They are a lot easier to drink from, and since I bought them she's averaged about 15-20 oz per day. Before we were lucky to get 8-10 oz. Major progress!

     She's moving into size 2T clothes, the pants are a little big around, but the length is perfect! She's at a transition point where she wears both size 5 and size 6 shoes. She's also transitioning from size 4 diapers to size 2T-3T Pull-Ups! This past week we started to try to ease into potty training. She doesn't quite understand it yet, but we don't really force the issue. We sit her on her potty a couple times per day and see what happens. She's gone in her potty about 5 times in the last 10 days. Then yesterday she went in her potty twice in a row with a dry diaper in between, so we're definitely making some progress. But I'm not that worried about it just yet, I'm just trying to introduce her to the concept. My goal is to have her pretty much fully potty trained by August. We'll see...

    Her personality shines more and more each day. She is such a goof. She loves to laugh and play and rough-house! She is also such a smarty pants! She is starting to learn to sing the ABC song and she knows how to say 1, 2, 3. She also has a HUGE vocabulary. She talks more every single day. I can't believe how much she has to say. She is definitely not a baby anymore! But I love my little girl and am thrilled to see the little person she is growing into!

Another Week Down and St. Patrick's Day

      This week has been L-O-N-G and exhausting. The time changed last weekend, so I felt off all week. I'm up walking around and talking a lot more while teaching at this placement and that wears me out, too. By the end of each day, my voice is weak, but it always comes back strong the next day. I do enjoy it though. I was afraid at first because it was just so different from my last placement, but I really enjoy my time at school and love teaching these crazy kiddos.

     Liz was on Spring break this week, so Wednesday, Rylee got to go spend the day with her and Kade. She had a blast playing outside all day with him. Then Friday night, I kept Kade so Liz and Brandon could go out to eat, and we had a blast. Those two kiddos just love spending time together. They really keep each other entertained.

      Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, and it was a beautiful Saturday. Of course, I had to get some cutesy pictures of Ryles for the holiday. She is just so easy to take pictures of. I love to capture her expressions because I want to savor every moment of her childhood. After I took some pictures of her, we headed to Nonna's and Granddaddy's to spend the day outdoors. We took a walk and rode the four-wheeler, and Rylee swung on her swing. Last night we ordered pizza and spent the night in as a family.

      Rylee is changing so quickly. This week she mastered climbing up, sitting down, and going down the slide by herself. Before she would climb up and stand waiting for someone to sit her down so she could slide. She also has learned to answer when someone asks her her name. She says "I Rylee!" :) It's too cute. She is talking so much. Today in church she made a dirty diaper and as soon as she did it she said, "Uh-oh! What's that? It's poop?" And she wouldn't stop saying that until I took her to the back to change her diaper. It was a bit embarrassing, but also pretty hilarious! She also learned how to say Brandon this week. :) I love how verbal she is, even when she's a bit inappropriate. Haha!

     Tomorrow is Liz's 27th birthday! Today, after church, we went out to lunch to celebrate. Going out to eat with Rylee and Kade is always interesting, but we had a good time. I am so thankful for a sister like her! Happy birthday, girl! :)

"I think I can; I think I can!"

      This week was pretty good, but I have got Spring fever something terrible! I am so ready for Spring Break and graduation!! I am getting into routine at my new school; it is just a lot of work to teach first grade! I am hoping that I get a job in Kindergarten. I just loved it when I was there! I am enjoying my time at Atoka, too. I am just ready to be done with student teaching and anxious to know what my future career has in store for me!

      Yesterday, Liz and I went shopping! She is on Spring Break this coming week. I'm pretty jealous and sad that we don't have break together, but summer break will be here soon and we'll get lots of time together! I also ordered Rylee's second birthday party decor yesterday. I know it is a bit early, but I was really excited about the theme I found and I wanted to go ahead and get it so I can make sure everything is coordinated. I can't believe I'm planning a second birthday party, but I love my little toddler so!

     This week it seems Rylee has gone through some sort of language growth spurt. She has been talking more frequently and much more clearly. It amazes me how much she talks and how much I can understand what she is saying. Very little of what she says these days sounds like gibberish to me. I often notice her speaking in full, 5-7 word sentences. She just blows me away. A few days this week Granny kept baby Jenna and Rylee got to see her for the short time that she stays with Granny in the afternoons. She was so sweet with her. She would give her toys to play with and rock her little bouncer for her. It really melts my heart to see her be so kind. Yesterday, she was playing with her daddy and he fell off the bed. She climbed down as quickly as she could, patted his back, and asked if he was okay. The she gave him and hug and a kiss and told him "all better!" She is such a sweetheart!

     This morning we went to church. Before church, Rylee pointed to my camera and said "pictures" so I took her outside and took some pictures of her while she was playing and posing for me. She is so funny. I enjoy being her mommy so very much. Now both Ryan and Rylee are napping, and the apartment is so quiet. I used to love being by myself and would do anything for some quiet alone time, but these days, I know I am blessed to have such an amazing family to fill the silence. MY heart is full and happy and I know I will make it through school no problem with the support of the people I love!

Here We Go Again...

      This week has been a week of adjusting. I don't like change. I was comfortable where I was, so this week has been a little challenging for me. I love Atoka Elementary, my new CT, and my new class. Everything is really great there, I am just not adjusting as quickly as I need to. I start teaching half the subjects tomorrow and everything the following Monday. I need to get the hang of things very quickly!

     Yesterday we went to Dyersburg and just played around a little. We are on a tight budget right now, so we thought going to the arcade for a little while would be a good cheap way to spend the afternoon. We let Rylee ride a few little 50-cent rides they have around the mall and then we went to the arcade and she played games with her daddy and I. She really enjoyed herself, so I'm glad we went.

      2 months from tomorrow I graduate from U of M! I am so ready for summer when I can spend every single day with this beauty! She is growing so very quickly. The picture on the right was taken around this time last year. She has grown so much in only a year's time. I still see her as that little monkey-baby on the right, but she sure has grown into a little lady on me! She's talking and playing and doing more things independently everyday. She is so well-behaved and sweet. I love my gorgeous girl!

Halfway There

      This week was really laid back. It was my last week at MES, so I did not teach very much. I did a lot of observing. We didn't get to have our weekly play date with Liz and Kade Wednesday because he was still sick, so they came and met us at the park on Thursday and the kids got to play together for a little while. It was a nice week to be outside and enjoy each day.

     My last day in Ms. Tiffany's class was hard. Ms. Tiffany cried, I cried, and my kiddos cried. But they gave me this wonderful good luck gift! I was blown away. No I have a lot of the stuff I'll need when I have my own classroom! :) I am so thankful for my time at MES. I learned so much and met so many wonderful people. Now I am halfway done with student teaching. It has really flown by! I'm excited to meet my next CT and class on Tuesday!

     Saturday, we went to a bridal shower for Emilee and Jeff. They are getting married on March 17. Rylee had fun at the shower. She ate jelly beans, helped open presents, read books with granny, and showed off like she does best. She got a little jealous when I held baby Jenna, though. After I'd been holding her for a while, Rylee came up to me and clearly said, "Quit, or I'll cry." Haha! She is such a little MESS! She's only a tiny bit spoiled... ;)

     Today we had church, and then we went out to lunch with Granny, Pawpaw, Aunt Vicki, Emilee, Matt, Amber, and baby Jenna. Rylee fed herself a whole cup of ice cream! She is really getting the hang of using utensils to feed herself. We got to the restaurant and she said, "Where's my highchair?" because the server hadn't brought her one yet, and when the server brought one in, she said, "There it is! There's my highchair!" She is talking so much lately. I can't believe how much she's grown up on me!

A Three-Day Weekend

 

     Because today is President's Day, we've had a 3-day weekend this weekend, and it has been wonderful to spend 3 full days together as a family. Last week was a really good week. It was my last week of full teaching responsibility at MES. I got to take time to really enjoy teaching my kiddos. Wednesday night we had our weekly play date with Aunt Liz and Kade, and we all had a blast. And Ryan got off work early on Friday night. That all made last week wonderful. This week is my last week with my sweet Kindergartners. I cannot believe how quickly this has flown by. But being so busy these past weeks has left me really missing my little family. This weekend was refreshing and much needed.

      Saturday I started the day by getting a haircut and making a quick trip to Walmart, and then we did absolutely nothing for the rest of the day. We were so lazy and it was wonderful! We played the Wii, watched cartoons, snuggled, and just hung out with each other. It was fabulous! Lazy Saturdays are the best!

    It always seems like Rylee learns new skills during or right before a long weekend/break. Last week Rylee completely mastered climbing stairs, and Friday, she began to master eating with a fork. Those are two skills she was a bit behind on so I was relieved and proud that she was working on them. No matter if her motor skills are a little behind, I am so proud of my big girl. Her cognitive and language abilities amaze me on a daily basis. She amazes me at how much she picks up on so quickly. I love her so much and watching her grow and learn is truly a blessing.

     Yesterday we went to church, did some school work, and then just spent more family time together. We played and wrestled with Rylee, cooked pancakes for dinner, played the Wii some more, watched a movie, and had another wonderful day. Spending two full days at home with my loves meant more to me than you could imagine. I love my little family!

     Today, we went to Memphis for a day of shopping fun. We took Rylee on the carousel, which she loves. We ran some errands, and I got Rylee a new pair of tennis shoes in the next size up on sale for $4!!! I was pretty excited about that. We had a good day, but I must say I am ready for a serious shopping day with Liz pretty soon. I could use some retail therapy, and Rylee needs a summer wardrobe! ;)



      On our way home, I got the text that Kade was in the ER! He was having difficulty breathing, and his heart rate was elevated. It turns out he has a mild case of bronchitis and severe double ear infections. I am so glad that it was not something more serious, and he is okay. I love that child like my own! 

Valentine's Day

      Today was Valentine's Day. I had so much fun at school today with my kiddos. They were hyper (as expected), but very good. They are all so sweet. I love them so. I am getting VERY sad about leaving them in just over a week. :( I came home with all kinds of goodies today, and I had quite a few at school, too. So much for that weight, loss, huh? Haha!

     I wasn't able to see Ryan today, so we exchanged gifts on Sunday afternoon. I got him some chocolates, Need for Speed, and some PSN points. He got me some shopping money (with the promise of a shopping trip on Monday) and a new auxiliary cord for my MP3 player. With all the driving I do, my music is something I cannot go without!!  Rylee got some candy hearts, a small box of chocolates, a touch and feel book, some flashcards, a drawing tablet, and some crayons. She loved it all!

     Today, I pulled up to Granny's and Rylee was waiting for me at the door and saying "Mommy! Mommy!" She never does that. She never even really acknowledges me when I get there, she just keeps playing. But today she ran up and hugged me and said "Loves you!" It made my day! She's such a sweet little Valentine! Then, I came home and this was waiting for me on the table!! I was truly shocked! I didn't expect anything today since we already did gifts on Sunday. I must say I am truly blessed with a thoughtful and loving husband. I have the best 2 Valentines anyone could ask for!!

   Rylee was so cute in her Valentine's outfit, I couldn't resist a photo shoot. Her pictures turned out amazing, of course. :) Now I need more wall space to hang them! Haha!!

Bailey is 2!

      This week has been pretty good. It was another very busy week, but I'm kinda starting to get used to running, running, running. I've learned that even though I can't spend all of my time with my Rylee Love, I can make the time I spend with her as meaningful as possible. When I make it a point to hold her and really play with her and teach her things during my time with her, it makes it feel like I'm getting enough. I'm learning that happiness is a choice, and no matter how tiring life can be, you can choose to make the best of any situation! More good news is that since I started student teaching, I've lost 10 lbs. I haven't been trying to lose weight, it's just happened, but I'm glad. I've tried a lot of things since Rylee was born, and nothing really worked. Who knew student teaching would be the best weight loss plan? Haha!

      Friday was Bailey's 2nd birthday. I cannot believe she is 2! It seems like just yesterday I was pregnant with Rylee and checking my phone every 10 minutes to see if Bailey had decided to make an appearance yet! And here she is, a toddler! Time really does fly!

      Saturday was Bailey's party, and we traveled to Missouri to be there for it. It was a lot of fun. Rylee had fun playing at the party and at Bailey's house. I'm glad we were able to make it up there to see her on her special day.

     Rylee was such a good girl! I am so very proud of my angel-face! She road in the car for 4 hours to the party without any meltdowns! She had a bit of stranger anxiety when we got to the party, but she warmed up quickly and without much fuss. Then she road 4 hours back home without a meltdown!!! I am truly shocked. She always has at least 1 meltdown on long trips, but she's really growing up into such a well-mannered child. I am so glad she's all mine! :)

Busy Bees :)

      This has been a busy week, but filled with good things. Tuesday Rylee had a doctor's appointment. She was up to 23 lbs and 33 in! She's growing like a weed now. Dr. Melton's final diagnosis was illness induced growth delay. She had a respiratory infection in November that turned into bronchitis in December, and when she finally kicked that, she got a double ear infection in January. Her body was too busy fighting off sicknesses to grow big and strong like she needed it to. Now she is illness free and growing fine. He also said that she was under eating a little before, not so much under eating as under drinking. She eats as much as the average 18-Month-Old, but she doesn't drink her 2-3 full cups of milk a day, so we have to make up for those calories by either getting her to drink that much milk, giving her pediasure, or having her eat more. Every day is something different. If she has a bad day and doesn't eat well, we go with pediasure. If she drinks a full cup of milk with her breakfast, we don't. I don't mind taking it day by day. I'm just so glad to have a healthy, happy baby girl!

      Wednesday night Liz and Kaden came over to play and have dinner. We had fun. We tried to plan to get together every Wednesday night, but things have come up 2 weeks in a row, so we were glad to get back on track this week. Kaden and Rylee just play so well together. They are so darn sweet! Kaden always wants to hug and kiss Rylee, and as much as she doesn't like, she doesn't get upset about it. Kaden loved the dinner I made! He ate a whole (toddler-sized) plate full and some off his mama's plate. Aunt Becca also snuck him a chocolate chip cookie! ;)

 

       Rylee got to spend some time with her cousin, Austin, this week! Melanie and Josh have been in town for a doctor's appointment and some things they had to take care of. Wednesday was Mel's birthday, so Ryan and Rylee went out to lunch with them. Then Friday, they came over and spent the day with Rylee and Ryan and Rylee and I went over and spent some time Friday evening. Mr. Austin sure is sweet! We love getting to spend some time with him.

    Yesterday, we were just lazy. Rylee laid on the couch watching cartoons. I got my lesson plans and stuff done for this week. Ryan played a game. And we all just hung out at home. We loved it. After this busy week, it felt good to just relax. Today we have church, and then I don't know what we'll do. It's Nonna's birthday today and Superbowl Sunday! So we'll do something...

Busy but Blessed

      This week has been harder than the previous ones. I took over full teaching responsibilities on Monday, and I also began my seminar class on Monday night. Those two things made this week one that wore me out! It was also REALLY beginning to wear on me to spend so much time away from Ryan. I fall asleep on Sunday night and don't see him again until Friday night or Saturday morning. Even though I get to talk to him a little (but not very much at all) during the week, it still sucks not to be able to see him and spend time with him. I hope by the time I start teaching for real, he has a job on a different shift. Second shift is just NOT family friendly!

      I still enjoy teaching. I LOVE my students and I love being responsible for their learning; I just feel torn. I wish there was more time in the day, so I could teach full time and still be with my family a lot of the time, too. Maybe as time passes, I will get used to being so busy. I know teaching won't be as busy as student teaching, but it will still be pretty close. I just miss my baby girl and hubby so much during the week. I go to school in the morning, teach all day, leave and pick Rylee up, get home, start dinner, play with Rylee for a minute, feed her dinner, eat dinner, put Rylee in the bath, pick up the apartment, put Rylee to bed, talk to Ryan on the phone for about 15 minutes, then go to bed myself. Every single day it's the same. I want more time to actually interact with my child. I want more time to talk to and see my husband. But don't get me wrong, I am happy. I enjoy what I do, and while I'm at school with those students, I'm not sad and missing my family the whole time. Most days I don't even have time to think about them while I'm at school. It just wears on me over the week when I feel like I'm not getting enough time with them altogether.

      So now I look forward to my weekends a little bit more! And this weekend was a great one. Yesterday, Ryan, Rylee and I went to Covington. We went to Gamestop and used some gift cards Ryan had gotten for Christmas. You know how grown men are about video games! Haha! Then we went to Walmart and got some grocery shopping done. When we got home, Ryan worked on his schoolwork and I wrote my lesson plans. When we finished we played with Buggy, had dinner, but her to bed, then played Fortune Street. Today we went to church, then came home and had lunch. Rylee napped while Ryan and I watched a movie. Then we went to the park! We all had a blast. It may not sound like much, but spending the entire weekend with my little family makes me happier than you can imagine!

    It amazes me how my life has turned out so far. In just over 3 months, I will be graduating college as a licensed early childhood educator. Around the same time, I will be celebrating my 3rd anniversary with the love of my life. And a month later the best baby in the whole wide world will be turning two. I am so blessed and thankful for all that I have.

Just Going Along

     Week 3 of student teaching was a short week, but a LONG week. It felt like it would never end! I love being in the classroom and I enjoyed my time with my kiddos last week, but the 3 day weekend had me all messed up and I was tired all week long. This week I've taken completely over the classroom. It's easier than I thought it'd be. I love teaching.

     Saturday, Ryan and I went car shopping! We paid off my car with my scholarship check this semester, so it was his turn for a new(er) ride. He picked out this beauty! A 2009 Dodge Avenger SXT with the sports package. I was amazed that we found a 2009 with less than 25,000 miles on it!! It was at the top of our budget so we had to work some magic, but we managed to finance it at a reasonable rate, so we could make it ours! Ryan is ecstatic. He has a new baby! :)

   Rylee has been good. This new antibiotic has been giving her tummy troubles, so she's been dealing with that, but she's still as good and as hyper as ever. She's so playful and sweet. She makes life such a joy. She's saying something new everyday now. And she says the funniest things; I LOVE that kid. I got a little depressed last week about spending time away from her and Ryan. I just love them so much and would prefer to spend ALL my time with them. But I really love teaching and I know I'm on the right track.

Doctor Update

     Today was Rylee's big Dr. appointment. I got up early and made her her favorite breakfast, pancakes. She ate 1 and 1/2 and it gave her lots of energy. She was running around the apartment being silly this morning before we left. Once we got in the car, she got pretty quiet and somber. She has been running fever on and off all week, and I had a feeling her fever was back. Her temperature was right at 100 when we got into the Dr's office. Before Dr. Melton even checked her ears, I knew what he was going to say.

     Rylee's double ear infection did not go away. She had been on an antibiotic for 10 days, and all her ear infection did was get worse, so now she is on a different antibiotic. Therefore, this visit was not as eventful as we were prepared for it to be. Dr. Melton said it would be best to check her levels again when she is not sick, so he is going to do all those tests in 2 weeks, after her infection has cleared up. However, Rylee gained 1.5 lbs, and he seemed very happy about that! He said he's pretty sure that everything is fine, but she was definitely under-eating before.

    We gave Rylee some ibuprofen as we left the Dr.'s office, and she started to be more playful again. We went to Walmart and then to Applebee's, and she was all over the place. She kept climbing up into the windowsill and sitting there. Eventually, I stopped trying to make her get down and just laughed at how silly and strong-willed she is. Goodness, I love that little girl!