Extended Family Fun

On Saturday we spent the day at Steve and Alison's house because Steve's brother, sister-in-law, and niece were also in town. Andrew had met and hung out with them before on a couple of different occasions, but I only knew them from stories Steve has told. We all thought it would be fun for Dailyn (almost 3) and Ryder to play together, and we were right. They got along so well, and with their blonde hair and blue eyes, they could definitely pass for siblings. We also joked that since they're not actually related they would make a cute couple one day. :) We enjoyed sitting outside while the kids chased each other around the yard and held "dance parties" in the screened-in porch. We probably should have just set up a video camera to tape the entire day, because there were way more funny and adorable moments than we were actually able to capture in snapshots.

Ryder admiring the tie-dye shirt Andrew made for Dailyn

Auntie Ali bought them the coolest popsicles! Ryder didn't move from this spot until his was gone and he was a sticky mess!

practicing for his role as big brother???

Fortunately, Dailyn was very sweet about sharing her baby doll and stroller with Ryder. :)

fascinated with a fly crawling across the table

Auntie Ali with her niece and nephew :)

sharing some blueberries and goldfish crackers

Steve and his brother Dave in charge of the kids

Awww!

preparing for the Johnson family tie-dye photo

Dave, Tracy, Dailyn, Alison, and Steve

(As you can see, Ryder and I didn't get the tie-dye memo!)

If you look closely enough, you can see a mosquito on Ryder's forehead! The poor thing now has a red bump between his eyes. :(

sniffing mint leaves from Ali's garden

a spontaneous hug while Ryder wipes his face--doesn't it look like he's sad and Dailyn's comforting him?

"Wheew! Now this is what I call relaxing!"

"What a day...I'm beat!"

Ryder and Zoe

(note: The last time we were at their house, Ryder created a "doggy door" by pushing out the screen on the bottom of the door. This time the door stayed propped open so it wouldn't get man-handled!)

Cute and Cuddly

While giving Ryder a bath the other night, Andrew decided to have a little fun with our little man's hair, which is in need of another haircut soon. I think he looked like a little sumo wrestler! :)

Tonight before bath time, Ryder wanted to "rock rock" with his two puppies and brown bear pillow from his bed. What better time to get out the camera?!

"Daddy, the flash is so bright!"

kisses for puppy

Baby Girl's second "photo shoot"

I went back to the doctor today for another sonogram to get the last couple of pictures that the baby just wouldn't cooperate for last time. Luckily today she was very agreeable, so the technician got the pictures fairly quickly and then I was able to just enjoy watching her on the screen. She was in a face-down position, kind of like she was crawling, so it was fun to watch her kick her little legs and flail her arms like she was punching. I am definitely feeling her movements more and more each day!

Baby:

Weight: 1 lb. 13 oz. (up 9 oz. since last sonogram two weeks ago)

Heart rate: 150

She's measuring 25 weeks 5 days, which is one week ahead of schedule. Another big baby on the way???

the perfect little footprint! 

(We have one just like it from Ryder's first sonogram).

24 weeks, 5 days

Me:
Total weight gain: 10 pounds
Blood pressure: 120/63

I'm definitely starting to feel "big" now. I spend a lot of time on the floor playing with Ryder, and it's not always so easy to get back up again. Bending at the waist is becoming quite the challenge, and Andrew likes to remind me that the baby will probably grow another 8 pounds before everything is said and done. :)

Next appt. --> Wed., September 5th

Ryder's 19-month stats

I feel like Ryder has grown up so much over the short time I've been home with him this summer, both mentally and physically. Based on his doctor's appointment today, the pediatrician said his stats reflect those of an average 2-year old, so my little man is ahead of the game! :)

Height: 34 1/2 inches (91st percentile)
Weight:  29 lbs. (81st percentile)
Head Circumference: 49 cm. (77th percentile)

He only had to get one shot today, but after being contained in the small exam room for the short amount of time it took for the nurse to get his basic stats and the doctor to perform a quick check-up, he was ready to leave. Needless to say, he was not happy when the nurse and I pinned him down on the table for the 3 seconds it took to give the shot. However, the nurse saved the day when she applied a Cars band-aid to his "boo-boo". And it wasn't just any band-aid; it was more like a sticker, and the car was blue, which just so happens to be Ryder's favorite color right now. I got him dressed and we headed home, where he couldn't wait to show Daddy the car on his leg. What was even cuter was that for the rest of the evening he would periodically lift up the leg of his shorts to sneak a peek at it, like he was checking to see that it was still there. I believe that it even survived bath time tonight because he wasn't ready to part with it yet. :)

Mommy's shoes and Daddy's car

I'm enjoying this stage of Ryder's life where he thinks Mommy and Daddy are super-cool and he wants to be just like us. I'm no fool--I know there will come a time when we are the last people he will want to hang out with. (Hopefully that phase will pass quickly!) Whether it's the food we are eating, the cup we are drinking out of, or the fact that we are washing our hands in the sink, he wants to have or do the exact same thing.

Out of the blue, Ryder came clomping into the kitchen the other day in my Crocs. :)

(a.k.a. my "watering the garden" or "taking out the trash" shoes) He proudly said "Mommy's!" before shuffling back out of the room.

"Hmm.....where should I go first?"

dodging doggy "land mines"

"Jackpot!"

Ryder has been obsessed lately with Andrew's Volkswagen Vanagon. He wants to sit in the driver's seat and pretend to drive or play in the back where he can walk around. (And of course Andrew loves that Ryder loves the van!) When we go outside, this is where Ryder always ends up.

Playdate with Emily

My friend Jessica had an appointment on Friday that she didn't want to drag 20-month-old Emily to, so Emily and Ryder had a little "date" at our house. They've seen each other about once a week throughout the summer, and they always play well together. I couldn't resist getting the camera out this time because they were so cute!

Emily climbed into the rocking chair, and it was only a matter of seconds before Ryder climbed up and squeezed in next to her. They sat and rocked for several minutes before losing interest and moving on to the next activity.

play dough time!

Andrew was in the driveway talking to our neighbor, and the kids just stood at the window and gazed outside.  (It's a double window, but they were practically sharing one window pane!)

A mother's intuition

Ryder is going to have a little sister! :)

I knew it! I'd like to think it was mother's intuition that convinced me from the very beginning that this time I was pregnant with a girl. I just knew. I felt (and continue to feel) different than I did with Ryder, from the morning sickness at the beginning to the way I'm carrying this baby. I know that every pregnancy is unique, and that a mom of three boys could feel different with each one of them, but I still knew this was going to be a girl. While I'm sad that we won't be using all of Ryder's adorable hand-me-down clothes that reside in our attic, I'm thrilled at the thought of having a daughter and "Daddy's little girl".

profile shot with her left fist up

bird's eye view of baby in a sitting position with her feet together

(top of her head on the right)

Baby Girl proved to be just as stubborn during her photo shoot as Big Brother was during his. I get to go back in two weeks because there were two pictures the technician just couldn't capture because of the baby's position. Baby kept her hand in front of her face almost the whole time; I haven't decided if she was being bashful or just difficult! :)