2 Year Check Up

      Today we went for Rylee's 24 Month Physical and Check Up. We had to go to the health department since my insurance won't kick in until October, but Rylee didn't mind. She loved playing with this big toy in the lobby. She doesn't need any more shots until she's 4, but they did take some blood to check her iron levels today, which were fine. She was 23.4 lbs and 34.25 inches tall. That puts her in the 10th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. She lost some weight last week because we were so busy, and she doesn't eat well when she's off her routine. I'm sure she'll gain it back soon, and the nurse said it's fine for her weight to fluctuate now that she's out of the infant stage and into the toddler stage of development.

      Rylee still has 18 teeth, but she is teething, working on her last two 2-year molars, and then she will be done with teeth for a long time. She wears size 2T clothes, but I'm buying size 3T shirts for the fall, her torso is long, and she needs bigger tops than bottoms. She wears size 6 shoes. She's in size 2T-3T Easy-Ups. We're being casual about the potty-training thing, but on days that our schedule allows us to be consistent with it, she does very well. Our final goal is to have her completely potty trained by age 3. She will DEFINITELY be trained by then!

     She is so full of life. "Terrible Two's" have hit a little. We've had 2-3 big tantrums per day, but it isn't all that terrible. She gets over them very quickly and goes back to being her cute little self. She is so smart. She knows all of her letters, capital and lowercase. She can count to 10. She knows the shapes: circle, square, rectangle, triangle, oval, star, crescent, cross, hexagon, and octagon. She's learning her colors: she knows green, pink, and red consistently, and she's learning the others very quickly. She has a wonderful vocabulary. She picks up on new words and phrases every day. She sometimes speaks in complex 8-10 word sentences. She's slow to warm up to unfamilar situations, but once she warms up, she can be quite rambunctious. She is definitely one of a kind, and I'm so glad to be her mommy.

Rylee's 2nd Birthday Party

      Today was Rylee's birthday party. It turned out to be such an amazing day. I couldn't have hoped for any better. The weather was gorgeous, the food was wonderful, the cake was fantastic, and of course we had such good company! Everyone had a blast!

      Rylee looked adorable in her party outfit. Of course I had to get her something special tow ear for her big day. The theme of her party was monkeys because she is my little monkey-baby. And, yes, she is still MY baby! Even if she is 2!

        We have had a very busy week, so I wasn't sure what kind of mood Rylee would be in at her party today, but she had a great time. She has a bit of social anxiety, but she did well with all the guests. She had fun opening gifts and eating sweets! She got soooo many great gifts. She is going to have lots to play with.

       I love my little princess so very much. I still can't believe she's already had 2 birthdays, 2 parties. It seems like I was pregnant only yesterday, but now I have a toddler! Time surely does fly! I wouldn't trade a single moment with her. She entertains us, surprises us, makes us so happy, sometimes frustrates us, but always makes us better. She has changed me for the better and I love being her mommy. I can't wait to see who you become, pretty girl! Mommy loves you!

Rylee is 2!

      Today my Rylee Love turned 2! This week has been CRAZY, and today was no different! Monday, Wednesday, and half-day today, I had professional development workshops. They were very interesting, but tiring. Tuesday we went to Chickasaw State Park to spend the day with my parents. We had a lot of fun! Tomorrow we are going back to spend another full day down there. I am excited! Saturday is Rylee's birthday party. This week is busy, busy, busy, but filled with fun!

      Rylee seemed to have a great birthday. She played with Bailey this morning while I worked until 11:30. Then when I got home I gave her a Popsicle because they are her favorite thing right now. Then she took a nap. While she napped, Bailey and I made her cupcakes for her cupcake party this afternoon and Ryan put together her big birthday gift so she could have it today. We are keeping the rest of her gifts for her to open on Saturday. Her big gift was a vanity with lots of stuff to play dress-up with. She LOVES it!

      After we gave her her gift, we had some family over for cupcakes so everyone could wish her a happy birthday. Then Ryan, Rylee, and I, Liz, Brandon, and Kaden, Mary and Bailey, and Mel headed to Memphis to Incredible Pizza. We pigged out on the pizza buffet and then spent the next 2 hours playing games. Everyone had a lot of fun.

    I can't believe my little princess is already 2 years old! I love my little family so much and would do anything for them. As this week nears the end, I am becoming more and more tired, but in a good way. I am glad to be making so many memories with the people I love.

Father's Day

     On Tuesday, Rylee and Kaden had a play date, and we decided to have them make their Father's Day gifts to their daddies together. They turned out sooooo cute and both of their daddies loved them! :)

      Rylee was so cute bringing the gifts to him. She was so proud of her picture and she had to show him the glitter and tell him all about how she used her hands to make the crown. I also picked up a game for Ryan to surprise him with an extra gift. Rylee ran up to him and told him, "It's a game!" before he even opened it. Haha! He was very happy with both of his gifts!

      This morning I let Ryan pick what we had for breakfast, so I ended up making him cinnamon rolls and iced coffee. After breakfast, we headed to church. Ryan won a prize for being the youngest father at church today! Haha! Rylee was good in the nursery. She is getting better and better at staying places without me there. We heard a good sermon about the top ten attributes of a perfect father. I'd say Rylee is pretty lucky because she has one OUTSTANDING father who loves his family and does whatever he can for them at all times. I am so thankful to call him my husband! Happy Father's Day, Ryan! :)

Potty Training: Waiting Until She's Ready

       We dedicated this week to try out potty training. Rylee is almost 2, she has shown several readiness signs, and we didn't see the harm in trying. We decided we would stay home for a full week to try to give Rylee the consistency she needs to get the basics down. We used a strategy that involved having her wear panties, not pullups, taking her to her potty every 20 minutes, and have her sit and try to go. She's not expected to go every time, but when she does she gets a sticker to put on her sticker chart and we sing a special potty song and she dances. This technique is supposed to get her basically trained (with a few accidents now and then of course) within a week or so, IF she is ready to be trained.

      What we have found out this week is that she is NOT ready, and that's okay. I know a lot of children are potty trained around or even before the age of 2, but I also know a lot of children that are trained closer to 3. I know that each child is different. Rylee just did not seem to understand it at all. We used this potty training technique for 6 full days, and 2 half days before that, and she got no closer to being trained. She began to get very frustrated with it all and so did we, so we decided to call it quits for a month or so and then try again. We know that she will get trained eventually, so we aren't going to push her if she's not ready. I'd rather enjoy my summer break with her without stressing her (and myself) out about this! She's still so young. :)