Ryan Turns ONE!

On Wednesday, June 6, we went to JC Penny's to get Ryan's one-year pictures taken. He didn't really smile for the gal, but we still got some cute pictures. Enjoy them throughout this post!

The thing I love most about Ryan is his giggle. There is nothing sweeter than seeing his eight teeth as he's chuckling. We love to tickle or surprise him just to hear his sweet voice.

Another thing about Ryan that has been a huge blessing to us is how well he sleeps. He typically is out for a solid 11-12 hours a night! Neither of my other boys slept so well or so soundly! And he still takes a solid afternoon nap besides. :)

That said, Ryan is not a great eater. He does not seem to enjoy trying new things and textures mag him gag at times. He has yet to bring it up like his brothers did, but I don't remember them being nearly this picky at this age. We offer and he will turn his head and close his mouth and resist! Even to drink milk - we've tried sippy cup, open cup, cold milk, warm milk, and it's rare we can get him to drink even a few sips. Oh, Ryan Josiah! Help a mama out! He also goes back and forth between loving and hating Cheerios, crackers, etc. One day he'll scarf everyone you give him. The next day, every last one will be thrown to the floor.

Speaking of throwing things on the floor and making a mess, that pretty much sums up Ryan's play fun these days! He is into everything and loves to explore. The boys try to help me keep their toys out of reach that have too many small pieces for the Ry-guy. They'll laugh at him pulling things down (like puzzles) and say "SCHNOOK!" He is a grabby little Schnook!

His favorite game is rolling the ball back and forth. We love to see his face light up as we sit and roll it to him and he's pretty accurate at rolling it back to us!

As far as talking, I really can't tell if he's saying words or not. At times it seems like he is saying things like Mama and Dadda and other times he's not all that vocal so I don't know if he was saying them about us or to us or if he was babbling. He was putting his lips together to make the b-b-b-b vroom vroom of a car type sound, but I'm not sure that he's linking the sound with the car or just doing it. At times I would swear he's talking and other days I would say that he definitely isn't.

With that said, he was doing "SO big!" with his hands and even waving, but he stopped them. He hasn't waved hi or bye to anyone for awhile. I asked the pediatrician if this was normal to quit a behavior and she didn't seem concerned. She said at times kids can decide not to demonstrate what they know, but it has me slightly concerned that we'll make progress and then he seems to decide he doesn't have any interest the next week.

Ryan had a well check-up on 6/11/12. The Wednesday before (or the afternoon after these photos were taken), I took him to get his blood work performed that is required before the exam. The lab tests for lead and a few other things. According to the pediatrician, Ryan's hemoglobin test results were not good. He is severely iron deficient, and she prescribed an iron supplement that is 300%  of a normal child's dosing. He is miserable on it (not to mention that he smells like a tin can!) and his diapers are filled with black stuff. Poor little guy. :( :( :(

Just as concerning to me were his stats:



Height: 29.25" (31.64%)
Weight: 20 lbs 9 oz (17.08%)
Head Circ: 17.24" (1.95%)

The pediatrician said that they want Ryan to be on the mediation for six weeks and then they'll re-test his blood. It could be from his diet at this age, but we'll know more in six weeks. I was devastated to see his head circumference was so small. This is the age when his brain is developing - is everything okay? He looks so healthy just to see him, but I guess he's the average size of a 6-month old vs. a one-year-old. In fact, saying this made me look back to his six month stats, which were:

Height: 27.5" (81.99%)
Weight: 17 lbs 8 oz (46.53%)
Head Circ: 16.57" (9.37%)

He really hasn't grown all that much. The pediatrician wasn't concerned about his height because that largely depends on how much he's moving and who takes the measurement, and she said that we just want to see him continue to progress and grow. Please pray for him! I'm terribly concerned! So, I'm giving him the iron supplement even though he's miserable. :(

Before the new medication, I would say that Ryan is the most easygoing baby I've known. If and when he gets at all upset, he simply sucks his thumb and seems to calm right down. He seems content to come along for the ride when taking the other boys places, and he's quick to smile and interact with us. He sleeps well, so though I wondered if he was really eating enough, I wasn't concerned before the check-up.

Because he's not drinking well from a cup and I'm concerned about his weight, I've held off on completely weaning him from nursing. I fear that he's not getting enough to drink and I know he needs the calories. I'm also trying to feed him more and more often. I pray that he'll grow and be a healthy little boy!

While the above picture may seem sad, she snapped it because he REFUSED to stand up that day. He typically loves to stand and explore, but he wasn't too sure about getting his pictures taken and he didn't like the white chair. He wanted to crawl around rather than cruise, where he normally likes both.

I also loved that she took one with him and this ugly soccer ball in this picture with his brothers. The gal taking his pictures (one of my favorites) had gotten out the ball to roll with him a few times so that he would look at the camera when she put it up next to it. She had no idea how in love he is with little balls, and he was NOT happy when she took it and put it next to the camera. At first we didn't put the ball in (it's pretty ugly) but eventually I said that I'd rather have him with the ball than crying with out it. Haaa!!! Silly Schnookie!

Ryan never leaves his socks on. In fact, I rarely put them on anymore because I know that I'll just be looking for them later. While Ryan is easygoing, he is also STUBBORN!

Happy one-year birthday, my little Ryan Josiah! While I often will say I wish you could stay little forever, with these latest results, I realize I don't mean it. I want you to grow and live life to the fullest. But, I will miss having my newborn and barely sitting-up baby. I will miss the rockabye and snuggling. But, I will enjoy the next stages to their fullest. I LOVE YOU!

Here are some more of the pictures that we had taken that day - ENJOY!