Thursday, April 29, 2010

Ryan's First ER Visit

Well....we knew the day would eventually come. From the moment we found out we were having a boy, we were told over and over again...
"prepare yourself for ER trips"!

I guess some would say we've been lucky these past 4.5 years. Sure there's been goose eggs and bruises but nothing that required emergency medical attention. Yep, we were the lucky ones alright!

Until...Friday, April 23, 2010.

I can still see the accident run through my brain like a movie in slow motion.

We had just gotten Kara out of the tub and I was drying her off on her changing table. Ryan still had a bit of energy in him and was acting silly while he sang songs to us. I believe I even told him at one point to calm down and stop running around.
He just giggled and started to sing louder.

As I placed a diaper under Kara I saw Ryan in the corner of my eye throw his head back. In a split second, he quickly whipped it forward hitting the corner of Kara's dresser. Hard.

Ryan screamed. I screamed. Kara got scared and started to cry. Hearing the commotion, Chris came running into the room. I just kept screaming, "he hit his head, he hit his head!" Chris immediately scooped Ryan up and took him into the bathroom to check the injury.

This is the part of the story where I say, I am so thankful for my husband and his ability to stay calm. I, on the other hand, panic and can not stand the sight of blood! Chris was able to get the bleeding under control and assessed the deepness of the cut. He proceeded to tell me that he didn't think it was deep enough for stitches. I took one look at he cut (and felt woozy) and told my husband that he WAS taking Ryan to the ER. I didn't think neosporin and a Scooby-Doo band aid were going to cut it. {no pun intended!}

So after a good 15 minute debate, Chris finally agreed to have the cut looked at by a doctor. I am sure all he kept thinking was....Friday Night+ER waiting room= LONG wait! We explained to Ryan that Daddy was going to take him to see a doctor at the ER. He was a bit confused because he thought he was going to see his pediatrician. Ryan has a wonderful appreciation for doctors so we knew he wouldn't be scared. As I put his coat on and made sure he had his Leapster game in hand, I kissed his cheek and told him to be a brave boy. He smiled and said, "it's ok mom. you stay here with Kara. I see you after my head gets fixed, ok?" I laughed and said, "ok buddy. have fun!" I knew he would be fine.

They left around 8:45pm and at 9:45, I got a text from Chris saying he was in a room. Fifteen minutes later, I got another text saying, "good news! they are going to glue it." I didn't know if I should take Chris seriously or not. I had no clue you could glue a cut closed?!! Finally at 10:20pm, I got a text saying, "all done and coming home!" ...along with this picture.

My brave little man.

When the boys arrived home after the quickest ER visit I've ever seen, Ryan was very excited to show me his glued together forehead. Of course I had to document his first injury with pictures!

Do you seeeeee my boo-boo?


Now can you seeeee it?



It really hurts!


Ryan thought his hospital bracelet was neat but couldn't wait to cut the scratchy thing off.



Seeeeee, my hair covers it up!



As much as I hate to admit it, I know there will most likely be plenty more ER visits in our future (especially with Crazy Kara!). We can only pray that all future injuries will be minor like Ryan's first one....and keep crossing our fingers that our luck hasn't run out...yet.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Toddler Bed Adventures

{3.10.2010}

I will never forget the first week of March 2010. Why? Because it was the week that our 21 month old daughter decided to prove to us that she could climb out of her crib. Not once. Not twice but over and over and over again!

At first, we were shocked. Then completely amazed at this new ability at such a young age. For the record, Ryan NEVER did this! And lastly, scared. Not only scared for her safety but the realization that we HAD to make the transition from crib to toddler bed. I am sure I can speak for most parents when I say that keeping your child in a crib as long as you can is ideal. The children are confined and your sanity is intact. Once they are "free" to roam around, well life as you know it is over.

Here's a video I took of Kara showing off her mad climbing skills. I was not able to catch her "monkey climb" up the side of the crib and our silly camera died before her grand finale of jumping (YES, I said jumping) from the top of the crib rail. She has NO FEAR!

After a crazy week of panic attacks at every thump, I begged Chris to convert the crib into a toddler bed. Like any mother, I didn't want Kara to get hurt and I was positive that her daredevil attempts would eventually lead to a broken arm or concussion.

On Wednesday, March 10th, we converted the crib. As the last screw came out, I couldn't help but cry. Why does she have to grow up so fast? Will she be scared to sleep in a "big girl bed"? Will we be getting any sleep tonight? Thankfully she LOVED her new bed and stayed in it.

By 8pm she was off in dreamland and we were thanking our lucky stars that she was still sleeping when we went to bed at 11pm.

Kara slept until about 3:30am....then the fun began.



The rest of March was a blur. We had a few nights where Kara didn't want to stay in bed. There was also the week where she was up by 4am ready for the day. It was like having a newborn all over again! Somehow we survived those tough weeks and Kara eventually learned that her toddler bed was where she was supposed go to sleep at nighttime.

Nap time is still a work in progress though.

We keep catching Kara napping in the strangest positions and in the oddest places!


Then there is this!


In case you were wondering, I am NOT a fan of this at.all.let.me.tell.you!

Lately, she finds the floor to be comfy for nap time. At first I felt bad and would scoop her up to put her back in the bed. But I quickly learned that it was smarter to just let her sleep wherever she landed. Surprisingly, on this day she slept over 2 hours on the floor!

Here's a video showing the mess that is created on a daily basis in Kara's room!

I keep reminding myself that "this too shall pass" and we will move onto the next phase.
We already have the "terrible twos" knocking on our door.
I know we will look back at this someday and laugh at the craziness of it all.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

snack time

Siblings sitting on the stoop in the shade...



...sipping and sharing a small sweet snack.





Smiling silently and soaking in the sensational seasonal sky.



Such a special sunny Spring day for snack time on the stoop.



Monday, April 19, 2010

Imaginative Play

Any guesses what this could be?

I thought Ryan was being creative with matching up the colors and letters. But when I asked him what it was, he gave me a very imaginative answer....

Here's a clue: Think stop light.

He said, "They are my buttons, Mom...

Red means STOP

Yellow means SLOW DOWN

Green means GO."

So what does the Blue mean?

"BUBBLES, of course!"