Regan is 5 Months Old!

Regan turned 5 months old today. The past two days she has gone to bed at eight o'clock, which is nice, but then she wakes up for an hour in the middle of the night. No amount of feeding or rocking will put her back to sleep. Needless to say, I have been a bit exhausted. Aside from that, Regan has developed a napping routine. It doesn't matter if we are out and about or home when it is her time she will nap. She has also gotten very vocal lately. Sometimes she is so loud we have to stop our conversation because she is louder than all of us. Regan is very intrigued with Ryan. She loves watching her big brother play and always has smiles for him, especially first thing in the morning.

Swim

It's that time of year again. It's time for swim class. Ryan started swimming lessons last week. He was grinning ear to ear the entire time he was in the pool. I was grinning ear to ear because I didn't have to go in the pool with him. Ryan is old enough to go in the pool with other kids and a swim teacher and no mommy or daddy. He is the youngest and smallest boy in the class of five kids. He kept up really well with the other kids in his class until they held hands and sang "Ring Around the Rosy" when they 'all fell down' the kids went under water and pulled Ryan under with them. He was very upset at that point and the swim teacher had to hold him for the last few minutes of class. He did not like the water in his ears or eyes. Before going back to swim class I bought Ryan some swim goggles. He has been using them in the bathtub and putting his face in the water, but it is going to take him awhile to get over being pulled under.

A Little Bit About Ryan

Ryan is the best big brother. Although we are going through some trying times with him, he is sure good to his sister. When Regan cries he tries to cheer her up by playing music for her. He also likes to get tissues and wipe the tears from her eyes. When Regan is upset, I hear Ryan say to her, "It's okay, Regan," or "We are right here, don't cry." Some of my favorites are when he shhh's her when she is crying or reassures her by telling her that we are almost home.

Because Ryan has been having a difficult time lately, I have tried to take him places with me alone. It is nice to share time together, just the two of us. However, he gets very upset when Regan is not with us. I left Regan at home with Sanjay and picked Ryan up from school so we could go to the farmer's market together. He kept asking where she was and telling me," We have to go get her." I am so happy that he loves her as much as we do and loves having her around.

Just a side note, when I say, 'We are going through difficult times with him,' all I mean is that he is three and is really asserting himself and has become very independent. He has learned how to talk back, tell us NO, and has a really hard time following directions. I know this is a phase that will pass, so Sanjay and I are just trying to give him a little extra love and attention, hoping that our sweet boy will come back soon.

Regan is 4 Months Old!

Regan is 4 months old! I am happy to report that she is sleeping 8 hour nights in her own bed!! She is also rolling over back to front and front to back. The other day she tried to scoot. I panicked a little, as we are not ready for her to start scooting around. She is still little and we want to keep her little for as long as we can. Regan still has light eyes and the greatest smile. She smiles first thing in the morning when she wakes up, and even when she is upset she manages to smile in between the tears. People often comment on what a sweet baby she is. I have to agree, she is super sweet! We are very blessed!

Regan is Three Months Old!

Regan turned three months old on February 5. I am late posting as we have been busy preparing for Ryan's birthday. More on that in a later post. Regan has started rolling over, back to front and back. She can almost stay on her stomach, but does not like it so she rolls back to her back. She has also started to laugh. It is the cutest thing. I tried to get it on video, but no luck. She babbles up a storm and loves to hold "conversations." She is a sweet baby. I can't wait to see how much she weighs at her doctor's appointment this week!

Ryan is 3 Years Old!!

This cutie pie is three years old!! We celebrated his birthday at his favorite music place. This was the first year that I felt like I was hands off when it came to his party. We ordered the cake and decorations and the studio took care of everything else. It was nice being able to enjoy his party and talk to our guests and not have to worry about timing, set up, clean up and all of the things that make a party stressful. A good time was had by all, especially the birthday boy!! Happy Birthday to our big boy!! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!

Potty Training, Pulling Hair and Promises From a Two Year Old

We are potty training Ryan. This was something I have dreaded for a long time. He finally started showing some interest, so I thought why not? I have to give Sanjay credit though, he was the one who got Ryan on the potty every night after his bath. From then on, with some enticing rewards, he has been going. We still put him in pull-ups just in case there is an accident, but on February 14th, his school will be helping us so it will be underwear from then on. I hope! I bought Ryan his own calender and he puts stickers on it each time he uses the big boy potty. We also do what a lot of my mom friends have done with their toddlers, which is giving an M&M each time he goes. This is working out pretty well.

Pulling hair...You would think that it would be me pulling my hair out with all we have going on. Actually, that is not the case. The hair puller is sweet little Regan. When she gets extremely tired, she fusses and pulls her own hair. This, of course, makes her cry even harder. It is as if she cannot figure out who is pulling her hair. I really hope this phase goes by quickly.

Lately, Ryan has been exhibiting some three year old behaviors. Since we never actually had terrible twos with him I feel like now may be a trying time. He really is trying to assert his independence and some times he is just flat out being defiant. I know he is testing the waters to see what he can get away with. The other day we were driving in the car and he took his water cup and slammed it against the inside roof of the car (the headliner??). I asked him what he was doing and he continued to do it over and over again when I asked him to stop. When we got home I told him how disappointed I was in him that he did not listen to what I was saying and didn't stop when I asked him to. He looked up at me with those big, brown puppy dog eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Mommy. I promise I will never do that again." I just had to hug him, I mean what could I say after that?