Year 2 Day 151: This Way Up

This snazzy new ensemble is courtesy Auntie Emma. It goes great with his red Converse-look-alikes.

Thank you, Auntie Emma!!

Year 2 Day 150: This Just In...

Someone found his thumb! He doesn't suck it all the while, but he was in need of some self-soothing after his tragic day of being a cute baby.

Year 2 Day 149: Mommy's Little Helper

He does what he can to help when cookies are involved. By helping, of course I mean sleep on my shoulder.

Year 2 Day 148: Do YOU Have Tickets?

To the GUN SHOW of course! Check out my little man's guns! I wouldn't put it past him to be doing pull-ups in the next few months in his play-gym. He has such a strong grip and is often quite stubborn about straightening his arms when I'm dressing and undressing him. Such a strong boy!

Year 2 Day 147: Chance of Showers

I made a trip to Asda today with Ryan in his pushchair to get a few bits. The sky was overcast when we left the house, but I didn't think anything of it. By the time we walked out of the store, it was hammering it down. Luckily I had the raincover with me so Ryan stayed nice and dry.

Lesson learned. Raincovers are a must in this country.

Year 2 Day 146: TV Time

I watched Myst today sit in front of the telly for a good hour watching an RSPCA programme. I kept waiting for him to get bored and lose interest but it seemed to go on forever so I grabbed the camera...no surprise there. I've never met a cat more like a human than him.

I couldn't help this second photo. Since Ryan is exclusively breastfed, Matt doesn't have much of a chance to be involved in the feeding process so we bought a pump for me to express. Tonight Matt got to witness first-hand Ryan's ravenous appetite. Five ounces down the hatch in no time!

Meanwhile, Ryan had his favourite view for a change...the TV.

Year 2 Day 145: All Wrapped Up

I've been able to get a lot more accomplished around the house now that I have the Moby wrap. For instance, I managed to peel and cut carrots and potatoes for tonights' tea before Matt got home and do some laundry...and all of this was done with a smiley or sleeping baby attached to me.

I've been You Tubing my way to baby-wearing contentment by checking out all the different holds and positions in which to carry mini-Matt. One of the favourites of the day was the "burp" carry where Ryan's head can rest on my shoulder and my hands are free.

The only thing I'm still finding a bit challenging, however, is discovering a hold/carry where I can feed him...without suffocating him with my mommy-milk holders. Without the wrap, I have settled for the 'Heisman' position where he lies next to me and somewhat on his side on a stack of pillows...he has the luxury of breathing there.

Still, I'm more than pleased with my Moby thus far because at the end of the day, a contented Ryan makes for a contented Mommy.

Year 2 Day 144: Sunday Best

Ryan used today as an opportunity to show off his new threads for his Nan and Grandad. I'm really pleased Matt changed his mind about the red Converse look-alikes because I think they definitely compliment his little outfit. Plus, I'll take the smile on little man's face as approval.

Talk about one cool lookin kid!

Year 2 Day 143: Hubby's Paradise

We made a special trip to Merry Hill late this afternoon to stop by Mothercare, Toys R Us, and then BHS in the mall to get shoes for Ryan. As soon as we entered Toys R Us Matt noticed the sweets and had to make a stop before we left. However, once he saw the prices he had a change of heart.

Year 2 Day 142: Baby Power

The little guy is two months old today!! Here he is throwing up his 'B' for 'Baby Power' before falling on top of Myst. I love that he is smiling more and more every day and when I'm lucky I even get to hear a giggle or two -- it's fantastic!

Myst was as cooperative as expected for the photo-shoot, but after a while he had enough and scampered off. Oh well, it looks like our little man had a good time anyway.

Year 2 Day 141: AGAIN?!

I mean, seriously...I appreciate some people are under several FEET of this stuff, but enough is enough already. I want to be able to take my baby for a walk so he can get fresh air and therefore SLEEP at night. But as long as this is going on, it's way too cold and the last thing I need is a sick child on top of it all.

Dear Snow/Cold Weather,

Thanks. It's been fun.

Love,

Me

Year 2 Day 140: Ashes, Ashes...

Tonight was the first time I have attended mass at the Catholic church here in Brierley Hill, St. Mary's. When Matt and I lived in Kingswinford I went to Our Lady of Lourdes, which happens to be St. Mary's sister church as they're both connected to the same Catholic primary school.

I called around this afternoon looking for an evening mass with it being Ash Wednesday and planned to bring Ryan in the Moby wrap to see how he would do. Matt dropped us off since it was dark and Ryan slept through the whole mass. Father gave him a little blessing when we went up for communion and even gave him ashes when we went up later.

I'm so proud my little guy was so well-behaved!

Year 2 Day 139: I Got Shot(s)!

Looking at this first photo, you wouldn't think he had gotten his 2-month vaccinations today, but he did and boy was he a champ! He's cried louder and more violently during a nappy change. He was weighed and measured as well and he is now 11 lbs 9 oz and 55 cm long, which is almost 22 inches. Yep, that's my kid...the shorty (for now).

He was good on the way out of the doctor's surgery and held up until about 3pm when he started to get a bit cranky (and foam at the mouth --er, I mean, blow bubbles).

We decided to go ahead and give him his Calpol in hopes of knocking him out, but little did we know he has an apparent immunity. It worked for about 45 minutes but then he was all "eyeballs" the rest of the afternoon.

Oh, and I just want to point out, he's not smiling in this photo...this is between sobs. I'd also like to know what genius designs a medicine dispenser in the form of a spoon for a baby who is not yet eating solids and would therefore not be as familiar with taking something from a spoon? Until babies are regularly eating solids, they're more likely to push it away with their tongue and then everything ends up on the outside of their mouth. 

Year 2 Day 138: Morning Routine

Every morning when Ryan wakes up, we tiptoe out of the room so we don't wake Daddy before work and then go downstairs for his feed. Then he lies under the canopy of his playmat for a nappy change and watches a bit of whatever is on the telly. Clearly he found something amusing this morning.

Then after about an hour and a half of 'awake' time, Ryan takes his nap. It's usually up in his Moses basket in our bedroom, but he asked nicely today if he could nap on Mommy. So, Mommy watched Dog the Bounty Hunter...and Ryan slept.

Wash, Rinse...Repeat.

Year 2 Day 137: Will U B Mine?

He did it AGAIN!! (STTN, that is) We were up bright and early this morning and after his favourite breakfast we decided it was time to get Daddy's Valentine card ready. I "helped" Ryan address the envelope and we wrote a message inside.

Ryan was pretty impressed with his work as you can see. To be fair, he had fallen asleep...but he must have been thinking about it in his sleep as the evidence of this dopey-smile shows.

One thing I have noticed about the UK in comparison with the US when it comes to Valentine's Day is that here it is seen less as a general day of love to ALL loved ones and more of a love to lovers. Matt was surprised that he had a card off Ryan (with Tigger telling him he was a "Tiggeriffic Daddy") until I explained how kids pass them out to one another in school in the States and decorate boxes and everything to hold them. I guess like Halloween, this is yet another tradition that I would like to see more of over here.

Year 2 Day 136: OMG...he STTN!!

For those unfamiliar with these common message board acronyms, STTN stands for Sleep(s)/Slept Through The Night. I could pretend I use this one often, but I only recently learned what it meant and Ryan only just did it for the first time last night. Look (above) at the product of an STTN baby.

And look...still a happy camper later that night! What success!

Year 2 Day 135: Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

I spotted these red Converse-look-alikes today at BHS, so I called dear husband for his input. |Bad move. My purchase request was vetoed with the statement that "he (Ryan) can't even walk yet, so why would he need shoes?" My rebuttle that it would look cute with his dungarees was still shot down and we returned home that night shoeless.

Year 2 Day 134: Stakeout!

I couldn' begin to tell you the time at which this photo was taken, but know that I was close-by and literally "under cover" as I waited patiently to see if little man would take to the white noise fairy and stay asleep.

My answer was received about 15 minutes later...

Nope.

Year 2 Day 133: Here Comes the Sun

It's been a battle of sun and snow here and the sun is not winning. In fact, it was during this brief sunny interlude that I decided to take Ryan for a walk. Too bad it was so short-lived and the clouds rolled back in before I could even get the push-chair ready.

Year 2 Day 132: Little Monkey vs Little Mite

We have discovered there is yet another hanging toy on our playmat -- the monkey! And what does a 7-week-old do when a goofy-smiling monkey is looking down upon him? Well, from the looks of this photo...it's a staring contest.

Year 2 Day 131: Biker Boy

He finally fits into some of his clothes that have been purchased for him! Although technically it's more by weight than height as he's a bit of a shorty still. This little number was a gift from his Great Uncle Burl in America -- it's his 'Harley tee.' In this photo he was kick starting his 'bike' and watching Top Gear off and on while Matt popped home for his dinner break.

Year 2 Day 130: Sleep Solutuions

Being that little Ryan is not typically a fan of his bouncy chair just yet, it seems Mommy has found a way to get him to sleep in it. When placed in the chair in reverse he's completely content. So much so that he strikes a pose from Olan Mills,

Year 2 Day 129: Smiles for Daddy

Ryan is an equal opportunity smiler so Daddy gets his share as well. We've only gotten a couple a day since he started and we're starting to feel like we're acting like big dorks to get them. It's amazing what a baby will lead you to do when you are aiming to get feedback from them in the form of smiles and coos.

Something else to smile about are Ryan's new wrist toys from The Early Learning Centre store. He has been very aware of his elephant rattle from his play mat and is really good at turning his head to the sound. I wanted to encourage him to move his arms and legs when he's lying down, but also distract him from crying so I purchased this set. The lamb squeeks and the bee rattles...so we'll see how they do.

Year 2 Day 128: Give Me a Break!

Oh yea! Looky, looky what came for me this morning...my Moby Wrap!! If there is any question over whether or not my little roo likes Kangaroo care, then here's your proof. He was asleep within five minutes of being placed inside this afternoon. The best part is I now have my hands free and can get things done at home without having to worry about him getting upset that no one is readily available to cuddle him.

This afternoon I took him in his pushchair to the park so I could swing on the swings (and use the baby as a valid excuse to do so). We got there and wouldn't you know...the swings were already occupied. I didn't think it would be fair to shoo a couple of kids out of them so I could have a go, so I just sat on a bench and got Ryan strapped up in the Moby while we waited for our turn.

It never came. The girls just sat there chattering to one another and at one point I could hear them gushing about how much THEY wanted a little baby. It would have been cuter coming from them had they not been about 12 or 13-years-old. Wow girls, yeah...way to reach for the top in life...wanting kids before you're even grown.

As I sat on the bench holding Ryan in the wrap and judging the two twits on the swings, a small group of similarly aged boys comes into the playground area. I didn't make eye-contact but I could hear a noise that sounded like someone shaking a canister of spray-paint. When I looked up it turned out to be a marker and the boy who had it began defacing the playground equipment. Unfortunately my camera photos were too blurry & dimly lit to catch photographic evidence of these clever ASBOs, but I wished I had the number to the police to tip them off. Stupid punks.

I swear, I feel so old now that I've noticed I'm getting irritated by pesky teenagers.

Year 2 Day 127: Ryan's Rules

Ryan's rules are that Mommy and Daddy don't eat in peace and quiet unless he is getting a bit of attention as well. He was well-occupied watching Baby First while I got tea dished up, but not for long. He managed to get himself on Daddy's lap by the time I finished preparing my plate.

Look at his sad little face.

So mistreated, right?

Year 2 Day 126: Hog Wild

So...it's FINALLY here and what a journey it has had! Sit back and read up on the travels of a parcel from Kenton, Ohio, USA and how it took twice as long as it should have to reach me. Oh...and my kid is in the picture there...somewhere.

Let's start at the beginning.

My Nan, Ryan's Great-Grandma is so tickled about her first Great-Grandson that she decided to go "hog wild" (in her words) and purchase/send a few things for him. And boy she wasn't kidding.

She sent everything from the post office on the 13th of January and for the next 10 days kept following up through my aunts and cousin on Facebook to see if I had gotten anything. With the way Royal Mail was running lately, I didn't expect anything at least until the end of the month.

We finally checked the tracking number and it said the item was delivered on the 20th of January, however, I wasn't aware of this as it certainly wasn't delivered to me. Eventually we were able to find out through Royal Mail and Parcel Force that the package was sent to the old flat in Kingswinford despite my Nan being certain she sent it to our current address. Thankfully we know the landlord, so Matt phoned her up and she stopped by the flat yesterday to get it. Matt then went to her house to pick it up and I had it late last night.

I was shocked to see such a big box and ecstatic at the contents. Ryan is such a lucky little boy to have so many people in America who love him and an incredibly generous Great-Grandma at that. She also included a few things for us as well, some Christmas bath towels and Willow Tree Figurines.

The most precious of all was a hand-written letter to Ryan. It will definitely be something he can cherish even after he outgrows all the adorable outfits and toys.

Thanks, Nanny! We love you!!!

Year 2 Day 125: Mommy View

We did our first proper grocery haul in Asda tonight with Ryan in tow. They have shopping trollies specifically designed to accommodate an infant carseat so we decided to give one a spin. Unfortunately, I found a few "minor" yet irritating flaws.

First of all, the trollies in general have all four wheels rotating. This means that instead of fixed wheels in the back (like in the States), you have to maneuver the trolley through aisles using all your upper body strength to keep it going in a straight line. Not fun.

Secondly, what you see in this photo is my ACTUAL view. Yes, that's right...my gorgeous son and not much past him. Have I mentioned I'm only FIVE FEET TALL?! Matt had to walk in front and pull the trolley behind him so I wouldn't run over pensioners and small children.

But I digress. We made it out safely, no one was harmed, and now I'm home waiting for Matt, who popped out to pick up a parcel that my Nan had sent for Ryan. More to come about that tomorrow...

Almost forgot...baby clinic visit today. Ryan is now 10 lbs 13 oz (12 ounces up from last week)...I can't believe it. I hope he slows down a bit or he'll pass being able to fit into his 3-6 month clothes!

Year 2 Day 124: Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Ryan has nearly mastered the NAPPING in his moses basket on his side...now to get him to sleep OVERNIGHT in it. Here he is during his second nap of the afternoon. I opened the blinds and pulled back his blanket so he would wake "naturally" but he was having none of it and tightened his little body into a ball.

He managed to stretch his 2.5 hour nap a further 30 minutes and even then kept dozing back off during his feed. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as he is likely having a growth spurt again. I'm anxious to see what his weight gain is for the week.