Kate and Ryan

Ryan is 5 months, and I love him!!!!! Chad jokes that he has been replaced as my #1 man. Ha! I do love both my boys. Ryan has gotten so fat, and he has the sweetest little head of hair. It is so soft and just sticks up, except for right after his bath (which he loves) when it has a little baby lotion in it and has been combed. Ryan loves his feet. They and his hands are his favorite toy. He is always drooling. People keep asking if he is teething because he is always chewing on his hands, and he is always drooling. He has just done that since he could get those hands in his mouth. Sometimes he gets them both in there at the same time. He is such an easy baby. He is happy to hang out and watch what is going on...especially his sister!! He talks and says aaaah aaaah...I love those noises. Milk is still his meal of choice, although I always feel so badly eating in front of him. He just looks at you like a puppy dog. We have started a little cereal, but he has to be in a pretty good mood to eat it. He sort of likes the yellow and orange vegetables, but he hates the green ones. He makes a face like I have just fed him poop when I try to give him green beans. He is learning to sit up...he sort of just looks like a frog now when he tries to sit. He still can't roll from back to tummy. That is wearing me out, because he rolls to his back at night and gets stuck like a turtle. I am getting 2xs a night again, and he had been sleeping ALL night!!! He does go easily back to sleep, and I love to cuddle him at night...all too soon it will be over, so I won't complain. Ryan loves when I sing to him, he loves his Baby Einstein vedios, he loves his Johnny Jumper...which Kate likes to push him in (and he loves to be pushed). He loves to kick. The only time those little legs aren't moving is when he is asleep. It just cracks me up, because he just kicks as hard as he can, and doesn't go anywhere. It is so adorable. Ryan is exactly what I picture Chad being like as a little baby.
Kate started school 2 days a week and she loves it. Her teacher is Mrs. Heather. I take her to Rae's house on the way to school, and pick her up on the way home. She rides with Macy and Rae to her school. So far it has worked great. She and Ryan are so pooped by the end of the day, they always fall asleep on the way home. I never try to get on the highway...we just take our time and go down Plano Road so they can sleep, and I even get a few minuts of peace and quiet. I love to hear bits and pieces of her day. I know she has helped with snack, fell and hurt her bottom at recess, sometimes goes across the hall to go potty, said the weather, has "not" had to sit in Miss Heather's special chair yet (although I am certain she will before the year is over), celebrated Bella's birthday at school, and passed around her circus toy at show and tell. Hard to get too many details out of a 3 year old. I need to be better about writing things down daily.
Kate loves to play Go Fish. My grandfather made us the neatest card holders, just perfect to help little ones with their cards, or mommys with babies in their laps! She loves to go the park, and she is getting braver about what she will do. She started ballet this year, too. She goes Friday mornings, and she loves it. Her teacher is Miss Janie. I asked Kate if she liked her, and she said "yes, and she wears a flowered skirt."
I am beginning to realize how much having 2 instead of 1 has changed me as a mother...in big ways and small ones. I know I want to hold on to each moment a little more than I used to. I have bigger limits of what I can do in a day than I used to. It is more important that we have a good day and not just that everything gets done. I won't go to Target to get groceries with both of them. It is too big a store for Kate to walk, and the buggy does not work good for both of them. I think long and hard before taking BOTH of them somewhere. My parents used to use the expression "a long ride for a short slide." It has taken on a whole new meaning to me...places like Chuck E Cheese, the swimming pool, the mall, if I have to take both of them, may not be worth it. We are better off walking to the park or playing in our own backyard.
We went to Lawton this weekend to see Chad's grandmother. All of Chad's family went. It has been a year since Bill died, and we wanted to be together. We had a really good time. I love going there. We went to the Prairie Dog town, the girls played dress up, bank, and looked for "clues." (Chase is the leader, and Kate loves to follow her, and Bailey loves to follow Kate...so they play really good together.) The girls swam, we got mexican food, ate ice cream, watched the OU game (well Chad and Steve did), and just got to enjoy our family. I think it was good for Donna, Chad, and Steve, and I think it is exactly what Bill would have wanted us to do. Lilith loved being with her family, and she even held Ryan. She held him and said nothing feels better than a little baby.
People keep talking about how hard it is to travel with kids. It is true that it is not AS easy, and you have to pick your destination wisely...but it is about as easy or hard as you make it. There will be a time later to be able to go to Europe, take a long plane ride, or see the lights of New York City...for now we are content with a swimming pool, good food, Prarie Dogs to feed, and most of all to just be together.
I have to add a disclaimer that all of that is very easy to say, because Chad and I get our share of time to do lots of fun grown up stuff. This is thanks to some very generous grandparents, aunts, and uncles who watch our children!!! It is really a blessing to be able to have the best of both worlds.