Happy Early Birthday Rylan!!

Yesterday Rylan was running fever all day long and acting a little fussy, so we basically stayed in the house for the day. Sometime during the night his fever broke and he was back to his happy self this morning. Cody and I were itching to get out of the house today so we ran a few errands including a trip to Toys R Us to look for Rylan's big birthday present. There is a Kangaroo Climber in the church nursery room that Cody and I work in and Rylan LOVES it. So I thought that would be a great birthday present for our little munchkin. I thought we would have to order it, but it was our lucky day because Toys R Us actually had it in stock at the store. So we came home and daddy worked his magic to get it all put together. We could have waited another two weeks until his actual birthday, but we were too excited to see him play on it. So...Rylan woke up from his nap to see his very own Kangaroo Climber in the middle of our living room! He has wore himself out climbing all over it this evening. When I made him stop playing on it to go take a bath tonight he was not very happy with me. I'm sure watching him play on this toy will give Cody and I many laughs. I just hope it doesn't give Rylan too many bruises!

Rylan Should Be Acting Sick, But...

Cody took these pictures of Rylan when he stayed home with him on Wednesday. On Tuesday night Rylan started running a low grade fever and therefore could not go to the babysitter's on Wednesday morning. I had already taken off on Tuesday to take him to the doctor so Cody decided to stay home with him on Wednesday. The two boys had a good time just hanging out in the living room and watching a baseball game. As you can see in all the pictures he has his orange bat with him and he is very focused on the game.

Rylan Has Strep...And He's Still My Happy Baby!

Rylan started getting this rash on his torso toward the end of the weekend and it began spreading to his arms and legs by yesterday afternoon. He hasn't been fussy at all, he's been eating and drinking like a horse, and he's just been a very happy baby in general. Well, I decided to go ahead and make him an appointment this morning since the rash kept getting worse. I figured he just needed some steroid cream to clear up the rash. When I took him in Dr. Lanman (the best pediatrician in the world) she decided to go ahead and strep him just to be on the safe side. Well, guess what...he was positive for Strep! Dr. Lanman was completely surprised and so was I. I took the rest of the day off since he couldn't go to the babysitter's and we basically played all day. He has been my happy little boy this whole time. Thank goodness for his rash or else I wouldn't have even known my baby was sick.

"Sick? Who said I was sick?"

"Okay, so maybe my rash is a little yucky."

Easter Weekend

We loaded up on Friday morning and headed for Abilene for the Easter weekend. Friday afternoon my mom and I spent the day together running a few errands. We also took Rylan to the mall to see the Easter Bunny. Saturday Cody and I went fishing while Rylan spent the afternoon napping with Nonny. I am happy to report that I caught 4 fish and Cody caught 2...one of his was definitely the biggest of the day. Saturday evening we went over to Uncle Randy and Aunt Jen's house for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. Rylan didn't quite get the point of the egg hunt, but I'm sure in a year or two he will have a blast running for the eggs. Sunday we all went to church and then to lunch. After lunch everyone (including Rylan) took about a 2-3 hour nap. We just drove back home this morning so Cody could get to baseball practice by 2:00. We are exhausted and glad to be home, but we had so much fun in Abilene!

"Mom! Look at the car RoRo let me ride!"

"Giddy up horsey!"

"Puppy! Where are you?"

"Hmmm...what's this egg thing all about?"

"I got some mom!"

"Egg hunting is always better with daddy's help."

"So I got a plastic egg...now what?"

"I'm so full I think I'm going to explode."

"These adults can talk forever."

"I just love Easter mom!"

"I'll take a picture, but don't expect me to take my finger out of my mouth."

"All these Easter festivities can really wear a little guy like me out!"

"Look everyone! I got another orange bat!"

(Uncle Randy and Aunt Jen gave him this carrot bat)

"I just love my daddy so much!"

"I'm climbing on the furniture and getting away with it!"

Flip Flop Weather Where Are You??

Those of you that know me well also know that I live for "flip flop weather" every year. I completely admit that I have an obsession with flip flops but I have no desire to change this obsession. In fact I am very pleased to say that I have found Rylan his first ever pair of flip flops! Not only did I find flip flops in his size (not an easy task) but they also have a baseball print on them! I found them yesterday at the Children's Place. They called my name the minute I walked in the store. Anyway...no it is not quite warm enough for Rylan to wear them outside, but I couldn't resist putting them on him in the house.

The Orange Bat

Most babies become attached to a certain blanket or stuffed animal when they are little. However, our little boy has no need for blankets or stuffed animals. Nope, all he needs in life to stay happy is his orange baseball bat. For whatever reason he has become attached to this orange toy bat. He carries it around with him all the time while he plays. Of course those of you that know Cody well should know that this attachment to his baseball bat makes his daddy VERY happy.

My cousin Malachi and his friend Richie came from Alabama to stay with us this weekend while they tried out for a baseball team. We had such a good time with them and the best part is they made the team! That means they will be back to play baseball in the Dallas area all summer! Hopefully we'll get to make several games to cheer on the "Bama Boys."

"I don't know where I'm going, but I've got my orange bat so everything is okay."

"Let's see what we can find in the fridge."

"Mmmm! A whole tub of butter! Momma knows I'll eat anything."

"I just love it when cousin Mali is here to play with me!"

"Hey Richie, want to know what it feels like to be hit in the head with a bat?"

11 Months Old!!

It was crazy to see the ticker on our blog say only 1 month until Rylan's first birthday. It made me start thinking about this time last year during my last month of pregnancy. I remember Rylan had the hiccups ALL THE TIME. I felt like I had a little jumping bean in my belly. He was constantly stretching...poor baby was 9 pounds...he was needing some more room. Most of all I remember being so anxious about getting to see my precious baby's face.

When I look at my little boy I know I never deserved such a blessing but we serve an awesome God who hears our cries, and he definitely heard mine when I prayed for a child. Cody and I love Rylan more than any words could ever explain.

"I'm just checking out the remote mom."

"Batting practice is hard work...don't tell daddy I'm taking a break."

"Hey mom! Watch me run laps in my crib!"

"Wow, who knew this could be so much fun?!"

"Surprise, surprise...momma has the camera out again."

"Oh okay, take one more."

"Momma, this $5 red bucket of blocks is still my favorite toy."

"You kept me at a baseball game until 10:00...I ran around the field after the game with daddy...my bottle is empty...did you really expect me to stay awake any longer?"

New Pictures

Look at Me Go!!!

Well, our big news is that Rylan is walking! He had taken a few steps on his own for the first time on the 19th. Just this weekend he started walking across the entire living room on his own. He is so funny to watch.

Rylan is ALL boy! He is rough and he has no fear of getting hurt. He almost always keeps a bruise on his head from falling or running into something. He is convinced that everything is meant to be climbed on...including ME!!

I can't believe he is almost a year old! I am having a blast planning his first birthday party. This first year with him has absolutely flown by, but it has been so much fun!!

Just hangin' out in the old car seat!

Love that smile!

Getting his belly full

Having fun in the living room!