A Video of Ryan signing and talking

Ryan signs and speaks from tracy roy on Vimeo.

Throwing Food, Discipline, and a Mommy Time Out

I've talked to a lot of moms and read lots of blogs about kids throwing food. It is nice to know that my child is not the only one who does this. However, throwing food in our house can be a big problem. We have a small dog with a very sensitive tummy that usually eats any and everything that gets thrown on the floor. Needless to say this becomes an issue for me because the dog is 1)gaining weight and 2)needing to use the restroom more often than usual. Ryan thinks it is a game, he throws food on the floor and the dog and I scramble to get the food. Lucy (the dog) usually gets there first. I've told Ryan numerous times,"Don't throw food!" Then when the next piece flies, I remove all food from his tray and figure he must be full or doesn't like what is on the menu for this meal. This food throwing doesn't just take place at home. I feed Ryan snacks while grocery shopping to keep him from climbing out of the cart. (Whose kid is this, I mean really I was a model child!!) Most of the time, like today, he will shake the cup and the snacks fly out and onto the floor of the store. Any Cheerios or crackers that have fallen next to where he is sitting get thrown out too. Ryan will just pick them up and off they go to the floor. At first I thought he was doing this to get a reaction from me, positive or negative, so I would ignore this behavior, hoping it would stop within seconds seeing that he got no reaction from mom. No such luck, so I took the cup and told him, "All done." Enter crazy kid that, I swear, cannot be mine. He screams and cries at the top of his lungs and starts to climb out of the cart. This signals to me, time to go to the checkout line! And here is the part I don't get about grocery stores. So with one hand I am holding my crazy kid in the cart (yes he is strapped in, Houdini Ryan knows how to wiggle out of the belt, oh and did I mention he is strapped into the cart cover AND the shopping cart belt, yeah he can get out of both when he is determined to do so)and trying to unload the groceries onto the moving belt with my other hand. All the while,the checker is looking at me like,'Come on lady I don't have all day, there is a line behind you that stretches to aisle 10!' I'm wondering why people don't see a mom in distress and offer to help? That is a whole other issue, along with the people who park to close to your car so you can't open your door wide enough to put your baby in on the side that their carseat is on.

AAHHH!!!! Okay, so the throwing has gone from food to other objects like toys. We play in Ryan's room and he walks around, picks up toys and throws them at me or Sanjay or over the gate that traps him in his room. Last week Ryan threw a toy and Sanjay didn't move fast enough and got hit in the eye. I have started to implement time outs. Now I know what you are thinking, he is 14 months old, he doesn't get it, are you crazy? Sanjay and I have been over this and he feels like Ryan won't get it. But I am a firm believer that we need to start now and not wait until he "gets it" and then put him in a time out. What my perception of a timeout for a 14 month old is I pick up whatever was thrown and take it away from him. Sit him down, look him in the eyes and tell him, "Don't throw toys, you hurt (Insert name here). I then try to get him to sit for a minute then I talk to him again and show him that he hurts people when he throws things. (A little tip borrowed from Super Nanny) Some days this works, and other days he is left with nothing to play with because we have taken all the toys away. It sounds harsh, but I don't want to be that mom on Maury Povich or Jerry Springer 15 years from now and is scared to death of my son because he throws, hits, kicks and punches.

After my long morning today, as I'm putting away groceries and Ryan is drinking his milk, I knocked applesauce out of the refrigerator and onto the floor for the second time in 3 days. It was everywhere! Then I looked up at my sweet boy who I thought was drinking his milk, but was actually creating milk puddles on the tray of his highchair. Mommy timeout was all I could think! I put Ryan in his exersaucer (Thanks Kari!) where he would not harm himself and I sat down and had a snack in peace. I just needed 5 minutes without screaming and food throwing and milk puddles to clear my head and catch my breath. When my time was up, I finished cleaning up the applesauce, rescued my boy from the exersaucer (he was actually playing and having a good time at that point) and took him for a walk. I'm happy that I decided to post not just the good, but the bad and the ugly days too. We are not perfect, everyday is not a great day. I don't want to mislead anyone who actually reads this blog that things are perfect, we are learning as we go. I mean seriously, I haven't even showered today, and it is afternoon already! Welcome to my crazy world!

He Speaks...Actual Words!!

Ryan has been growing and changing so much these days. Several mommies from Ryan's classes have told me that Ryan no longer looks like a baby, he looks like a little boy. It is wonderful seeing my baby grow up, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I feel some sadness about Ryan no longer being a baby. However, I am enjoying this new phase with my grown up boy. He is now signing and talking like crazy. He can sign please, thank you, milk, apple, more, cheese, water, light, up, nice, and I love you. In addition to all of these signs, he is now speaking, actual words, not just dada and mama or repeating what we say. He now says the words and signs them at the same time. It is amazing to watch this little sponge that said, "Da" and pointed before, now say the words for different things. When we are outside he is the first person to spot a ball or a bird and wants everyone to know that he sees these things. Another thing Ryan has started doing is singing. In swim class we sing the ABC's and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. The other day we (my mother-in-law and I) were singing in the car. We stopped singing and started talking. When he thought we were no longer paying any attention to him, Ryan started singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Parts of the song were very clear and other parts were jargon sung to the tune of the song. My mother-in-law and I looked at each other with huge grins on our faces and we started laughing. It was the cutest thing. He then started singing the ABC's, well mostly the end of the song,"Now I know my ABC's..." you get the point. I thought it was just a one off thing until today when I was on the phone with my mom and he started to sing again. It was nice that both grandmas had the opportunity to hear him sing. I love being able to communicate with Ryan. I no longer have to guess if he is hungry or thirsty, he will tell me exactly what he wants, or doesn't want for that matter. I guess it's not so bad that he is growing up. I know that there are so many things to look forward to as he grows up. But, he'll always be my baby!

Easter Egg Hunt

Our city holds an annual Easter egg hunt the day before Easter every year. Last year was our first year at this event. Since Ryan was just a peanut, only 2 months old, he did not participate. I looked forward to taking him this year because he is now walking and this was right up his alley. We arrived 30 minutes prior to the hunt. To pass the time Ryan was collecting leaves in his basket. Before we knew it, it was time for the big hunt. All of the crazy parents lined the grass area designated for kids under 2 years of age. Parents were allowed to assist their kids with the egg gathering. When the candy and eggs were thrown onto the grass, the hunt was on. Thankfully we found a small spot where Ryan picked up four eggs and a few pieces of candy while I took some pictures and video. When the eggs and candy in this small section were cleared out, we were done collecting. We then decided it was time to hunt down the Easter bunny and get our free picture with the furry fellow. After waiting in a short line, it was our turn. I put Ryan on the bunny's lap and Sanjay and I stood on either side. Ryan immediately began crying. Not the 'I'm sad whiny cry,' but the 'OH MY GOSH I AM BEING TORTURED cry.' The sheer terror on his face was priceless. I felt bad, but I just wanted one free picture for the memory. I mean everyone has goofy kid pictures with the Easter bunny. Okay, so maybe next year we will have to talk about the bunny and look at him from afar before we actually take the big step...pictures with the bunny!

Cousins

Just some recent pictures of Ryan and cousin Gavin.

My Very Own Bird

When I was little I wanted a bird. My cousins had birds and I thought they were the coolest pets, far cooler than dogs and cats. I am proud to say I am now the owner of a parrot. Not the bird covered in feathers, but a human parrot, and I use the term "owner" loosely. Ryan is now saying actual words. He won't say things on his own, I say the word and he repeats it, much like a parrot. Because I am enjoying this so much I make him say all sorts of silly things. Names are the funniest, I will say a name like Savannah and it comes out like "Nanana," or Krista which comes out like "TiTa." Or, he will only say part of the word, thinking he is saying the whole thing, like bird. He says "bi," water, is "wa." The best part is he thinks he is so funny when he says words. He will repeat a word like "ta" for truck and then laugh. I tried to get it on video, but he is more interested in the camera at that point. Yet another milestone for my crazy little guy!

Airplanes

For quite awhile Ryan has been intrigued by airplanes. He can hear the noise of an airplane and point in the sky without ever even seeing the plane. Recently we went up north to visit the Ferraros. We flew, of course, and while we were waiting to board our flight Ryan spent the better part of an hour peering out the window at the planes taking off and landing.