Happy 2nd birthday, Ryan Josiah!

Ryan turned two years old on Friday, June 7. The day before, I took him to JCPenny's to get his pictures taken. It wasn't a great experience, as you can tell from the photos. They were running obnoxiously late, and worse my photographer doesn't know how to center kids and take good pictures. But, I ordered a couple of Ryan since I had a coupon for his birthday. You know I wasn't thrilled with them when I only spent a total of $2 of my own money on them!

His stats at his doctor's appointment on 6/12/13 at 9:10 am with Dr. Kernan were:

Height: 34.4" (87.4 cm) (50%)
Weight: 12.219 kg (26 lbs 15 oz) (35%)
BMI: 16kg/m2 (33%)
Head Circ: 18.82" (27%)

She said he's growing "beautifully" and she doesn't have any concerns. He's talking and social and normal for this age. :) :) :)

Ryan doesn't grasp colors yet, but she said that with vocabulary still building, it's additional work to not only understand the color but then reiterate it. When we ask him what color something is, he always says blue, even if it's not. So, I'm thinking that blue may be his favorite color. We'll see if that stays true!

Ryan loves to jump and walk and play. He goes up and down stairs easily now, without having to crawl. He walks hand-in-hand with us, and he even likes to walk Joshua to school now rather than being held. At his doctor's appointment, the nurse said this would be the last time that he's ever weighed on the baby scale (laying down). The next time he should be allowed to stand up, holding on while being still. My baby is growing up too fast!

 Ryan definitely has a little temper. He is fiesty and spunky! If he doesn't like something, he makes it known! And he definitely likes things done his way. For example, at night when I read to him, HE picks the book. If I pick the wrong one, he says "No! Put it back! I want..." and will tell me the 'correct' book that he's in the mood for. Of course, we typically end up reading TONS of books, so we end up getting to the one that I originally picked, but it's on his time.

 The doctor noticed Ryan's teeth from sucking his thumb. She said it's okay for him to suck it to self-soothe or to go to bed, but he shouldn't do it just out of habit or when he's unaware. He gets MAD when we ask him not to suck his thumb. Hopefully he eventually gives it up on his own.

 For as fiesty as he is, he also is a little sweety. He enjoys rocking and singing, and hearing him read his own books is one of my favorites. He'll say "Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?" and he knows the words to many of the books that we read all the time. His favorite right now is the Bunny book.

 Ryan has turned into a little ham and will say "CHEESE" when you ask him to smile (as you can see below).

When you ask him his name, he'll sometimes say "That's Joshua and that's Caleb" about his brothers. He is so proud of his big brothers! Eventually he'll say Ryan most times.

 Ryan is a little parrot and repeats absolutely everything. Sometimes when it's in public, it can be a little embarrassing (like when another mom is yelling at her child, and Ryan takes it upon himself to repeat it in the same tone and loudness). On more than one occasion, I've had to politely smile and try to distract him into saying anything else.

Ryan loves strawberries, blueberries, grapes and most any fruits except bananas. He won't eat them, even if he asks for one. Not sure why? And he enjoys carrots and other veggies, bread, noodles, and meat in general. He also asks for lettuce from our salads. But, Ryan doesn't eat a lot at any one time. He loves to snack and pick throughout the day but not sit down to one big meal. I realize how quickly we eat and he's much slower as he is slower at using silverware with success (he does fine, but he's methodical about it) and so I feel like I'm always rushing him. Maybe that's why he's still hungry and needs to snack... or maybe it's just his preference.

Ryan is strong! He has muscular legs and a strong core that keeps him going. He gets all around at the kidmazium and enjoys being with the bigger kids.

Ryan sleeps well, still going to bed at 8 and waking up around 7ish. He typically naps for an hour or two in the afternoons still as well. He usually goes right to sleep when we lay him down, which is great! He plays hard and sleeps hard!

Ryan definitely reminds me more of Joshua at his age. He is constantly asking to go play in the garage, he loves music, and he's all personality. Someone asked his older brothers if Ryan drives them crazy, and both of them answered without prompting that they love him and he doesn't bother them. Indeed, he can color on their pictures and do things that they would find annoying if it were each other, but they love the 'baby' and treat him differently and with love. Ryan will tell them (loudly, I might add), "I am NOT A BABY!!!"

 If you ask me, Ryan is growing up way too fast. We've started talking about big boy beds and if/when we want to redecorate the nursery. Honestly, the conversation made me cry. Caleb told Mamaw that it was time for Ryan to get out of the crib and a new baby to go in. It's true that both my older boys were either out of the crib or on their way out at this point for the next baby. But Ryan is our last baby. And that nursery has been the favorite room in my house for the last seven years. I have loved looking at the sunny yellow and baby blue with the frogs, chicks and sunshine. I love how the border says "Hippity hop" and how bright the room is with the white furniture. I have memories of rocking them all to sleep and changing them on the table and I'm not ready for the next transition. I don't necessarily want any more babies (although I would take one), but I hate that mine are growing up so fast! Who hit fast forward when I'm desperate to go toward pause or slow motion at least?

 Ryan is fun to be around, and he and Daddy have a special bond. He loves him! And his Mamaw! And his big brothers. He is spunky and full of life and energy. We've gotten rid of the baby chair at the table because he refuses to sit in it and rather pulls up one of the bigger chairs to sit in. We do need to get rid of the high chair as well because no one has sit in it for a long time. I had kept it in case we had friends over to eat who have babies, but it is just taking up space at this point.

 Happy 2nd birthday, my littlest man! Don't grow up on me too fast!

 Enjoy the rest of the pictures. More stories from Ryan's actual special day to come..

 Here are pictures of the boys together:

 Like I said, the photographer wasn't great at spacing or getting the kids to look or snapping the picture when they did.

I asked to get one of the kids and me, but none of them turned out great either. I was going to order some for Father's Day but passed on all of them. Here's to hoping we get a decent photographer next time!