Big Boy Bed

Rylan has officially transitioned to his "big boy bed"!!! After about three weeks of some very late nights for all of us, he is now happy and content and sleeping soundly in his new bed. For the first two weeks of his transition, we kept his crib set up in his bedroom too. We wanted to have it as a back-up just in case the whole bed thing didn't work out. Good thing we did because Rylan found his new bed to be a little scary at first. It was so big and high off the ground and didn't have any rails on it. Although he was a little frightened, he still wanted to try to sleep in it (I think he liked the fact that it made him feel like a big boy). So, we would try to get him to sleep in the bed, but he'd cry and want in the crib. Then, we'd put him in the crib and he'd cry and want back into the bed. We tried this back and forth business for about two hours every night. After a few nights of this, we decided we'd just let him fall asleep in his crib and move him to the bed after he fell asleep. This worked out nicely, and he loved waking up in his bed in the morning and being able to get up all by himself. But, this didn't solve the dilema of getting him to fall asleep on his own in his bed.
Finally, we decided to take the crib out of his room so that his only option was to sleep in his bed. Surprisingly, he didn't seem to mind that it was gone. But, he still couldn't seem to fall asleep in his bed. So, we spent another week of lying next to him until he fell asleep. This usually took about two hours or so, but once he was asleep he slept through the night no problem. We would also have to lay with him during nap time until he fell asleep. It seemed as though most of our day was spent just trying to get him to sleep.
I am now happy to say that we can tuck him into bed and leave the room and he'll fall asleep on his own. Yeah! Our only problem now is that he's been waking up at 6:30 every morning compared to his usual 7:30 or 8:00. I guess that's what happens when they're given the freedom of getting out of bed whenever they want.

"Look at me in my new bed! I haven't even fallen out. I'm such a big boy now!"

"I love my new sheets and bedding from Grandma! My bed is so cozy!"

Here is Rylan's new bed, with a trundle underneath. We also got him a matching nightstand and dresser. His bedroom now looks like a little boy's room instead of a baby room. I have to admit I got a little emotional as we were setting everything up.

His room is decorated in a fishing/outdoor theme. A lot of the decorations were Bryon's from when he was younger.

He even has a few live fish in his room. Rylan loves his new room and seems thrilled that he gets to give his crib to his new baby sister!

Getting Closer

I am a little over seven months pregnant now. Only 7 weeks to go!!!

Fun With Grandma

Bryon's mom came to visit last weekend! We always have such a good time with her and Rylan just adores her! They have so much fun playing together.

They shared lots of giggles while playing duets together on the piano.

We brought Grandma along on a trip to the park. Rylan got to show off his skills. Grandma was impressed that he could go down the big swirly slide all by himself,

and climb up the equipment all by himself too!

Rylan also liked to play Hide-and-Seek with Grandma. Peek-a-boo!

Grandma got to see how our little Ry is turning into such a big boy. How time flies!

Valentine Carnival

We know several families involved in a co-op preschool for their children. We would like to put Rylan in it next year. This particular co-op has an annual Valentine carnival, which our friends invited us to attend. They had all kinds of booths set up for the kids to enjoy. Rylan had a great time! What a fun way to celebrate Valentine's Day as a family!Rylan got to decorate his very own heart-shaped Valentine cookie with frosting and sprinkles. Looks yummy!

He played with Flubber, or in other words; fun, slimy purple stuff. He thought it was pretty cool! We'll have to make some at home too. For those of you who are interested, I'll share the recipe which they gave out at the Flubber station.

Flubber

Flubber ingredients:

#1-Large Container
1 1/2 cups very warm water
2 cups Elmers white glue
A few drops of food coloring
Mix this combination thoroughly.

AND

#2-Small Container
1 1/3 cups very warm water
3 level tsp 20 Mule Team Borax (use less for a stretchier consistency)
Mix this combination thoroughly.

• Use your hands to mix the contents of Container #2 into Container #1.
• Lift and turn the mixture until it is fully combined.
• If kept in an airtight container, the Flubber will keep for up to two weeks.
• Make sure to keep the Flubber away from your carpet, as it will stick!
• The recipe makes enough Flubber for six children.
• Do not eat!!!
• Have fun!
  

Rylan got to go fishing and caught a red Valentine duck.

His favorite station seemed to be the golf station. The only problem was that he kept wanting to swing the club really high and we were afraid he was going to smack some other child in the head. Thankfully, that didn't happen. I think we'll be buying Rylan his own set of golf clubs so he can practice his swing in the back yard this summer.

Rylan got to show off his basketball skills to the other toddlers. He's quite good since he shoots hoops at home on a regular basis.

"Watch me make a basket from the tall hoop, boys. I've got skills!"

He made his own necklace with noodles and beads. He had fun stringing things on, but hasn't wanted to wear the necklace at all. I guess he thinks it's too girly.

Rylan was even patient enough to wait in the long line for face painting. He was so excited. But, as you can see, once it was his turn he decided he'd rather have something painted on his hand than his face. So, the nice lady painted a cute fish on his hand.

After all the fun at the carnival, Rylan got to come home and open up a tote bag full of fun little gifts from Mom and Dad! You are the sweetest little Valentine, Rylan! We love you more than words can say!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday Daddy! I'm glad I got to celebrate your birthday with you after you and Mommy got back from Vegas. Wasn't the Baked Alaska cake Mommy and I made for you delicious? It was so good that I didn't want to stop eating to pose for a picture. I love you tons, Daddy!

Love, Rylan

Weekend in Vegas

Bryon and I recently took a weekend trip to Las Vegas to celebrate his birthday! It was the first time we've spent more than one night away from Rylan, so it was a nice little getaway for us. I think Rylan had just as much fun as we did while we were gone. He spent the weekend playing with Mimi and Papa.

While in Vegas, we had fun exploring the enormous, and extravagant hotels, eating delicious food, watching a couple of shows (including a Cirque du Soleil show), shopping, sleeping in, and of course, doing a little gambling. We even got some great exercise...I can't even tell you how many times we walked the entire strip. We stayed in the Tropicana, which is an older hotel, but still nice. It is right on the strip, so everything was really close by.

Me in front of our hotel and Excalibur on the right.

This was the view from our hotel room. Not bad, huh?

Paris was one of the many hotels we explored. The inside and outside are amazing! Maybe we'll stay there next time. The ceiling of the hotel is painted in clouds, making it appear as though you are outside.

We watched the fountains go off at the Bellagio. They go off about every half hour in the evenings and are timed with music. It is quite a show!

I got to shop in some of my favorite stores and dream about all the things I'd like to buy.

The weather was beautiful while we were there. We spent most of the time walking around outside in t-shirts. It was hard coming back to the cold, gray weather here.

A view of the strip during the day.

We didn't run into anyone famous while we were there, but we did get to meet Yoda.

We had a great time in Vegas! Thanks Mom and Dad for watching our son. Thanks Ashlie for the tickets! It is nice having a best friend who works for Southwest Airlines!

Open Please

Rylan has been pointing to my belly and saying "open". I guess he's just as excited for baby sister to arrive as we are. Three more months and we'll have a wonderful present to give our son.

6 months and counting...