The Celebration Continues

Checking the engine

I got one of JM's relatives this little dress and I had never seen her before but I knew she was the same age as Ryder so I had to use him as my model.

For the pain I put him through, I let him open an early gift (not really - this was from Mrs. Connie)

Trying to get a couple inches

Christmas Eve (day) we went to Greenville to my grandmothers.  I would label this Christmas #__ but at this point I've lost count.

Ryder broke Santa's head.  It went back on but his hat wouldn't stick.

Isn't my boy handsome?

Gave it another shot with Santa (my cousin dressed up).  Just not happening this year.

There's hope...

Christmas Eve (night) I had some baking to do for the next day.  JM politely offered to help me.  I put him in charge of balling up the sausage balls.  After three balls he was already complaining and telling me he will never spend his Christmas Eve like this again.  Oh, the torture I was putting him through rolling up those balls.

Then he got real cute and towards the end and made them super size hoping it would speed the process.

It only slowed him down longer when I made him undo all the super sizers and make them regular size.

While he was doing that, I made cinnamon honey butter for my loved ones.  It took me awhle longer than him and he yelled for me to quit making my "jelly" and go to bed.

We woke up the next morning and celebrated Christmas with our baby (still a little sleepy it appears).

Delivering gifts

We spent most of Christmas break in a box

When JM rolled this around into the living room, Ryder saw it and jumped up and ran over to it, grinning so big.  It was the sweetest moment.

Then Nanni, Grandaddy and T came over to celebrate.  Ryder was proud of his tool belt.

And his tool shed!

Another box

Christmas night we celebrated at mom & George's. 

Ryder and Sellers got in a few tiffs over the gifts.  First it was the phone...

Then it was over who got to open CC's gift.  They are too cute together.

Day after Christmas we celebrated in Benton.

Then on our way home we stopped by the Fyke's so Ryder could finally meet Levi!  Not interested :(

But then he wanted to lay down like a baby.  Gosh he looks huge.

Ryder is changing so much these days.  He's starting to get more hair and he is talking alot too.  He can repeat almost anything we say.  He's starting to play by himself really well too.  He has a big box of lego's and everytime hwe walks up to them he'll say "Bocks."  This morning JM was about to put his shoes on and Ryder walked up to them and said "Chooos."  When I undress him to get the bathtub he'll pull on his socks and say "Socks."  He says "Eat" and pats his belly when he is hungry or passes by the highchair.  He says "Teeth" when I pull out his toothbrush.  When we walk outside and it's chilly he'll say "Told" (cold).  The cutest and newest thing is when he drops something he says, "I geee" (I'll get it) and then picks it up. 

The other day I could tell he was really tugging on his teeth and I have been noticing two more bottom teeth coming through so I just assumed that was why.  It started getting worse so I rubbed some stuff my dentist gave me for when he is teething.  I freaked out.  I felt two huge teeth in the back of his mouth and I thought something was wrong because there was a HUGE gap from his front bottom teeth to those back ones.  Marlee told me later that night that they are the one-year old molars.  No clue.  But I was relieved, whew.  Those stinkers have been making little Ryder MAD though.  Two or three nights this past week I've gone to get him about 2 a.m. from him crying so bad from pain and after I pop some motrin and lay him in our bed, he's sawing logs in minutes.  It's been nice having him with us, but he's dangerous in the bed.  He's clocked us in the face a few times and he snores like a man.  But he's the sweetest thing so I don't mind.

Bad to the Bone

He is very good about looking but not touching.  Might have something to do with that other tree practically falling on top of him.

But he likes to test us sometimes

Christmas #2 was held at my dad's house.  Ryder loved the dancing Santa, but wouldn't let him get any closer than this.

His favorite gift of all was somebody walking up and down the stairs with him

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For Junior Auxiliary, I was on the Angel Tree committee this year and was responsible for making sure all my angels were adopted, sorting through the gifts I received to make sure families got an equal amount, etc.  One last thing was missing from one of my angels bags so Ryder and I went and got her some little shoes.  We keep these gifts at the 4C's in Clinton, which is more or less a thrift store, until the big day where we hand them out.  Ryder and I went on Friday morning to take the shoes and Ryder found lots of goodies for himself.  I'm no thrift store snob, so if my child wants something from there, I don't have a bit of a problem getting it.  We walked out with the piano below, a toy hammer and a pair of pants for two bucks.  (Of course I cleaned these items thoroughly)

Ryder getting ready to go nowhere

I can't believe this will actually fit him one day.

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So, I have finally pulled the blind fold from my eyes and realized my child is (kind of??) bad.  He doesn't take "NO" for an answer.  It's his way or the highway.  When he picks up a spoon, pen, or any other pointy object and we take it away from him (because it is dangerous to walk with these objects, especially in the winter when he wears socks and we don't have carpet), it's a disaster.  He acts like his life is over.  He screams and screams and cries and falls on the ground and I don't know what to do.  This happens in public and it's gotten bad.  We do our best to tell him no and take things from him, but it's almost like we've let things slide for so long, that now it's what he expects.  I talked to his doctor about it yesterday at his 15 month check up and she said I need to start time out.  I told her I didn't think he would understand what it was and she said he absolutely would.  It makes sense.  When I ask him to bring something to me, or to show me where his ears, eyes and mouth are, etc., he follows directions, therefore, he will understand when I say "You are going to time out."  He might not like it at first, but it has to be done.  Because when it is time for him to go to a daycare, he can not be acting out like this or I'm afraid they will cut him from the class.  An example, JM had some papers sitting on the coffee table yesterday.  Ryder banged his hand on the table and swiped the papers to the floor.  JM picked them up and put them back in place and said, "Ryder, please do not touch my papers."  Ryder looked at him and grinned and banged his hand on the table and swiped the papers off again, and kept grinning.  We did this five times in a row to see how many times it would take for Ryder to obey.  After the fifth time, JM popped his hand.  Ryder seemed to think this was funny as well, and threw the papers off the table again.  This is what I'm talking about.  He thinks when we tell him no that it is funny.  I love Ryder so much and I hate to punish him and get on to him at such an early age, but I'm really struggling with it and I just want him to be a good little boy.  I want to fix it while he's still so young so it will be easier along the way.  His doctor suggested some books to us, but I don't have the names in front of me right now.  Do any of you have any book suggestions on disciplining your child?  It would be greatly appreciated.  I can't wait to use the "Santa is watching you" threats next year!  Yesssss!!!  Those seem to always work.

First Trip to the ER

It all started yesterday morning, I could tell Ryder was wheezing a good bit and he had a fast heartbeat, but I thought it was just from him being stopped up and having to work hard by breathing out of his mouth.  I called the doctor to make an appointment and she told me it sounded like from his symptoms, I needed to take him to the ER.  I immediately started crying.  I did NOT want to take him there.  I couldn't imagine my little baby being in that place.  But she said they were booked solid because of everyone having the flu.  She could tell I was upset and kept putting me on hold and finally squeezed me in to the Jackson office to see his regular doctor.  As soon as she checked him with her stethiscope I could see in her eyes he didn't sound good.  She said his heart was pounding and went and got the little machine to check his oxygen levels.  Then she said, "Ya'll, I think you need to take him to the ER."  I just wasn't expecting that at all!  She said she didn't have a patient for 30 minutes and that she wanted to go with us.  She is the sweetest doctor ever!  Dr. Penny at CMG in Jackson.  So we got there and she had called ahead so we didn't have to sit in the waiting room, we just went straight to a room and they hooked him up to the machine and his little heart rate was over 200 bpm, that is high!  It eventually went down, and they never said what it was, but decided he has an upper respiratory infection and an ear infection.

I could not believe he fell asleep in there.  He had screamed for probably an hour straight after being poked and prodded by 5 different doctors and nurses, and I think he was just worn slap out.  Oh, and he definitely has a phobia of doctors.  He has been to the doctor three times in past two weeks plus one trip to the ER.  He will be fine and chatty and when the doctor walks in he screams and cries and squeezes on to us.  He is terrified of them!  I have decided to get him a little play doctor's kit so that when he seems their equipment maybe he won't be so scared. 

We are just so glad everything was okay and that it wasn't serious.  But that is one place I don't want to see again for a very long time, if ever.

Mustard Face

This past weekend we had the year's first Christmas get-together in Yazoo City.  The weather was great so the kids got to enjoy playing outside.

Daddy making Ryder feel better after a bust

Swinging with Grandaddy and Nanni

"If you turn around I'll Shoot!"

Gift Time

A few of my girlfriends at our annual Christmas gathering.

Ryder doing what he does best.

Ryder has taken a liking to my wrapping box.  Here we are playing tug of war (tug a war??) with the paper.

Then he decided to ride the paper around the house like a horse.

 OOOOPEN IT

Next, he started chasing Peanut around with the wrapping paper tube, which scared Peanut under the bed.  Ryder gets a kick out of looking under the bed for him.

Daddy makes him laugh sooo hard

After bathtime we played safari man

This morning Ryder woke up around 5:45, which is rare.  JM went and got him and brought him in bed with us and he layed still as an angel for 45 minutes.  Then it was time for me to get up and start getting ready and this sweet boy stayed right in place.  He was so comfy watching tv and laying on top of his sleepy daddy.

Lunch time hasn't been good to me the past two days...

How embarrassing... yesterday I went home for lunch and made a sandwich.  I was in a huge rush because I spent most of my lunch break at Walmart, so I ate quick and ran out the door.  I had been at work for more than two hours and called JM to ask him if he was planning to get out and if he did, could he bring me a Coke Zero.  He called a bit later and said he was on his way and to come out and get it.  I was at least 20 feet from his car and he yells, "My Gosh, WHAT'S on your face?"  Did you eat something with mustard on it?"  I quickly ran to his truck and looked in his side mirror and sure enough there was a huge glob of dried bright yellow mustard on the side of my mouth.  DIED!!  I get really embarrassed about stuff, and there had been two people who had come in my office to bring stuff.  One was a guy bringing us Christmas cookies as a happy.  On his way out he said, "Share these, now".  I thought his comment was odd, and I was kind of hung up on it until I saw the mustard an hour later.  That boy probably thought I was a gobbler and didn't like to share my food with ANYBODY after seeing my face.  This was no yellow speck, this was a full blown mustard blowout.

Then, today at Chick-fil-A I placed my order and drove around to the window and the girl was hanging out of the window with my food before I could even pay.  Since I couldn't understand what she said the total was when I ordered, I didn't have my money ready.  Once I got to the window she told me the total again, and I was looking for the correct amount of change and she said to someone next to her, "She's just sitting here counting her change and my arm is about to fall off from holding this food."  I stopped counting and just looked at her and said, "...um, I'm sorry" in a smarty pants voice.  I wanted to say, "Get your dangly arm out of the window if it's hurting so bad."  Bah humbug.

Speaking of change, Ryder is still enjoying his money saving. 

Except now, when we run out of change to give him, he tumps the jar over and gets money from there and keeps repeating this until we stop him.