Ryan - 5 Months

Dear Ryan,
Well this is awkward. You were born on the 30th and yet there is no February 30th so I guess technically today you are 5 months old! So much has happened in a month!

The beginning of this month you started blowing bubbles, it was so cute. Your favorite time to do it was during diaper changes. You'd lie there and blow and laugh and blow some more. Now you like to talk to yourself, and it is a very cute voice. But what is most amazing is that we've caught you sign 4 different things this month -- milk, mommy, daddy, and bath. Although you don't do those consistently, it was very obvious when you did do them!

You had your first real illness this month -- a very bad cold that left you congested and coughing. We had a rough few days but then you pulled through and afterwards we saw some definite signs of growth. To help you get through, your doctor had us giving you probiotics, the wet sock treatment, eucalyptus rub, humidifier, and lots of garlic in mommy! You hated the garlic (mommy did, too) but everything helped.

Your personality is starting to show. You seem to have an all-or-nothing style -- you are smiling like mad or you are crying hard. Your brother was all-around mellow but you are different!

You've become more assertive this month. You demand attention when you know we can give it to you. You are grabbing at anything -- our faces, hair, plates, cups, etc. You even grabbed Mama's banana at one point and got a taste in your mouth! Oops -- you are too young for that :)

Even the cats are something to grab at, although they don't like that so much, but you love watching them.

Nothing beats watching your brother, though! The two of you play more and more as you get older, and lately the two of you have taken to (gently) rolling around on the bed. Play has been a big development this month. You can now handle toys with relative ease and love them and already have your favorites. You also found your feet this month! I love watching you grab your socks and toes and smile.

You love your baths, toys, cats, the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Jake. You're not such a fan of car rides, diaper changes, or snowsuits.

Love you so much, baby boy.

Yo, Bro!

Still February

February is such a boring month for the blog. We're at home a lot or on playdates with friends or at OMSI/Children's Museum, any way to be inside when it is cold and/or raining. But these last few days I've made more of an effort to pick up the camera.

My mom actually took these pictures -- we were at Jake's tennis lesson.

This is naptime -- Ryan recovering from a bad cold and Jake has a 102 fever. No fun.

Cute Ryan.
Today - 25 degrees outside but beautiful and sunny.
Picking at the ice.
We made a hole and pulled it up and out -- it was about 2 inches thick!
While that was happening, Ryan played.
Later... I think this is funny because both boys have the same expression.

My Valentines

So this picture was taken on Sunday, 1 day before Valentine's Day. This was actually my first year as a mom making sure Jake had a Valentine for each classmate to take to school the next day (he missed it last year due to pinkeye!). Lesson learned: start making them a whole week beforehand, not one day beforehand. After about the 5th Valentine Jake was bored and wanted to do something else and we still had 19 Valentines left to make. Oops. So all day I was saying, "Jake, do TWO more Valentines, and then we'll have lunch" etc.
Long story short: Jake had 24 Valentines done by the end of the day Sunday to take to school on Monday.

Valentine's Day after dinner we all got our treat: strawberry milkshakes (Coconut Bliss vanilla ice cream and strawberries that I had purchased fresh, processed, and frozen last summer).
Yummmmm! Happy Vees. Well, maybe except for Ryan who stares longingly at our food and drinks. Too young, baby, too young!

Is it March yet?

I'm not sure why, but February seems to be the month of sick for the Vees. We were sick last year February, and probably the year before.... bleah. Remind me to go somewhere tropical and warm next year February, and send me donations for that trip ;)

Anyway, after a round of colds and pinkeye (which only Mike escaped), we are still here and almost all better and ready for more fun adventures that don't involve eye washes and tissues.

Who wouldn't want to sleep snuggled on a warm chest?

Jake had the idea to make celery boats after I put peanut butter on the celery sticks.
I'm so happy to be using my pouch sling again. Ryan fit into it when he was a newborn, but then it wasn't comfortable for awhile as he got bigger. Now that he can hold up his head and body, it is perfect for the hip carry. You know it is comfortable when he falls asleep that way!