Memorial Weekend

It was a busy Memorial weekend at the lake. The men replaced all the seats on the pontoon. It looks beautiful! (I can't call it a P.O.S. anymore.) That took all day Sat and Sun. Then they spent Mon morning putting out the dock. Way to go guys!

Rylee had a great time watching everyone work and playing with one of her favorite people: my cousin Lilly. She got a lot of exercise too. I invented a game of throwing plastic golf balls down the hill, racing to pick them up and then running back up the hill. It doesn't sound that thrilling, but it was quite the hit. Rylee played it for hours! My mom thought Rylee wouldn't be able to walk for the sore muscles. :)

Let's see... We had our first S'mores of the season sort of - if you count them being cooked over a gas stove. It was too rainy and cold for a campfire.

Rylee also stayed up the latest I can remember - 10 pm. I am a sleep Nazi (rarely messing with her schedule) so this was big for me to allow. :)

Okay I uploaded these pics from my computer a few days ago, but have no idea what they are now that I'm on my phone. Hopefully they correspond to this post in some way!

Puzzling

My cousin, Lisa, makes the most incredible plastic canvas gifts. Last year, she surprised Rylee with that amazing three bears cottage. This year, she made her some amazing puzzles.

There were three different sets: a zoo cage with four animal puzzles, a lunch box with four food puzzles and an emergency kit with four vehicle puzzles.

She is so talented! Plus she's working two jobs right now so I don't even know how she finds the time. She is the sweetest person. :)

I uploaded the pics from my computer earlier and I can't see what order the pics are on my phone. So here they all are:

Ryleeisms

I didn't get the chance to post these Ryleeisms before we left for MN so these are a few weeks old.

- Rylee is getting in touch with her inner feelings lately. One day when I was upset with her for something and sent her to the naughty spot, she looked at me and screamed: "Frustration!" It was kind of bratty, but still hilarious. Plus it was what she was feeling (what we were both feeling actually)!

- Rylee has been in a polite phase lately (thank goodness something counteracts the brattiness). While we were eating at Chick-Fil-A one day, she kept asking the people in the drive through lane (which was right outside our table window), "Do you want to join us?" We had no takers (shocker).

- Later that same day, out of desperation I handed Rylee my leftover, watered-down lemonade. She took one sip, made an eww face and then recovered with, "No thank you. Thanks for offering."

- One of her new made up words is "bednight" as in "it's not bednight time yet?" I don't know why, but I think that is adorable. I never correct her mistakes anymore. She figures it out for herself so fast and I enjoy the mixups.

- Okay, last one. I was carrying her one day and I gave her a raspberry type kiss on the cheek. She laughed and said, "you're blowing me off!" :)

WTB 2011

Rylee's butt is the worst I've ever seen as far as yeast infection and diaper rash go. The poor girl has really been a pooper trooper these past couple of days.

I thought a nice soak in the tub would help sooth her sore behind so I had my Dad pull out the white trash bath. Rylee was so excited! She really prefers baths to showers - even if they are in plastic storage bins with invented tub toys.

Here's a crazy eyed pic to go with her crazy trashy bath.



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Full of Sh*t

So you may remember that Rylee got the poops the day we flew up to MN, but what I haven't blogged about is the fact that she never got over it. She's been pooping 4 - 6 times a day ever since we got here. Rylee's had poop issues in the past (usually brought on by an accidental milk exposure), but this felt different to me.

I finally broke down and took her to see a pediatrician today. They gave her a stomach X-ray and found that she was really backed up. So despite the numerous poops, she was in a sense really constipated. They weren't sure why, it's possibly just "toddler tummy" since Rylee, like many other toddlers, doesn't always eat the most balanced diet.

They prescribed a "cleanse" similar to what adults have to do before a colonoscopy. She didn't do that well on it today. She pretty much refused to drink the laxative powder. We tried mixing it with Gatorade, apple juice, chocolate milk, water, and (out of desperation) ice cream. She drank a little in some flat root beer. Any other suggestions as we have to try again tomorrow?

She still had one big poop just from the duculax pill. I couldn't help snapping this pic of her afterwards. Apparently even she couldn't stand the smell of it. :)



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Big Birds

My little birdie friends aren't so little any more. They barely fit in the nest. Now I have to start worrying about then leaving the nest. It's a pretty long drop. :(




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Peanut Butter - check

The Dr. had suggested we be at or near a hospital when we tried Rylee on peanut butter since there was sort of a family history of peanut allergies (all Rylee's cousins have anaphylactic shock level allergies to nuts among other things). Since our families have not had the best experiences with emergency rooms in FL, I opted to wait until we got to MN.

So today, Rylee hung out at the hospital with some family friends (a nutritionist and the director of nursing - it helps to know people!) and ate some peanut butter dipped pretzels and nutter butters . She didn't seem to have any issues other than peanut butter stuck to the roof of her mouth.

She loved the nutter butters, but passed on having one of her chocolate bars dipped in peanut butter. Say what? If she has her dad's aversion to the chocolate and peanut butter combo it will really annoy me.

I'm quite excited to try her on some other peanut buttery delicacies and to only have the milk issue to deal with. One thing to check labels for is enough. :)

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Twins!

A family friend had twin baby boys on Wednesday. Today my Mom, Rylee and I stopped over at their Grandma Ginny's house to meet Jake and Cole.

Man were they little and cute. Molly was able to carry them full term so they are both six poundish which is pretty good for twins.

Rylee enjoyed watching them yawn and stretch. She liked their little fingers and ears. She wanted her doctor kit so she could check them out! :)

She also had fun playing with the other kids that were there. There was a steady stream of visitors pouring in with tots 5 years and under.

Babies are such fun!

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Check, Check

Rylee and I have checked a few more things off our MN to do list the past few days:

- I bought a short term membership to the community center and have worked out with Sara twice (not too sore yet!). Rylee and I also played in their kiddie pool yesterday.

- Sara and I went to Rafferty's for pizza (one of my local faves). I'll need to check this off my list several more times while I'm here. :)

- Rylee got her bounce house out for the first time this season. It's even more fun for her than last year. She loves doing summersaults and other types of flips.

Also, the fourth birdie finally hatched! (This proves I know nothing about birds). He/she looks featherless, bug eyed, weird and yet somehow adorable just like the others. Fingers crossed for my little birdie friends. :)

P.S. I've been reading blogs, but commenting on the iPhone is a little laborious. Just wanted you all to know that I was still lurking.

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Baby Birds

Last night when Rylee was playing on the deck, I happened to look down through the slats of wood directly into a bird's nest. The amazing part was that baby birds were in the process of being born.




As you can see, one bird had hatched and two more were in the process of coming out. We quickly went inside (after I snapped the above photo) so as not to disturb the process.

I couldn't help sneaking another peek and photo today. Three of the eggs hatched. I'm assuming the other egg is a dud and not just a late bloomer, but I know nothing about bird hatching so this is just a guess.




I've seen the mama robin out and about so hopefully she'll take good care of her little ones. I'm growing a bit attached to the goofy birds.

The only down side is that I feel like we can't be on the deck for fear of interfering with the whole process. And poor Rylee loves the deck!

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Campfire - check

Just crawling into bed after the first campfire of the season (at a friend's house on Turner Lake). It was perfection right down to the calling loons and bright full moon. Did I mention no bugs?! The only thing missing was the S'mores. :)

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The Deck

For some reason my parents deck made a lasting impression on Rylee. It was literally all she was talking about prior to our trip. She has been pestering us to let her outside to play on it, but of course the weather was not cooperating. Today we saw the sun for the first time and even though it was still chilly out, I was finally able to oblige her deck request.




She had to wear socks in her crocs!




It's supposed to be a nicer week ahead so hopefully she'll have plenty more opportunities to hang out on "the deck." (It's a second story deck so maybe she feels like a princess in a tower?)

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Just Checking In

It was an interesting travel day on Thursday. Rylee was fantastic, but she got the poops. :) I changed one poopy diaper right before we boarded (of course no changing table in the bathroom next to our gate). Then she had two more on the plane. Again, no changing table on the plane! Is that even legal? :)

You may remember that when Rylee was a baby I changed her diaper on the toilet seat of the plane. Well I was forced to try that again. It was a little harder considering she's two feet taller now! One time there was turbulence too. Let's just say I almost ended up with poop on my pants. :)

Anywhoo, Rylee was great and all the people around us really liked her. She yelled, "here we go everybody" on takeoff and everybody laughed. She also got her first set of wings. She kept saying she was the captain.

The cutest thing was when we got to baggage claim. We were one of the last ones to get there so it wasn't busy. Rylee saw my mom and screamed "Gaga!" She took off running and threw herself into my mom's arms. It was like a scene out of a movie. So sweet. It makes me want to go away for a while just so I could get a reception like that!

We've already started visiting. On Friday we went to see my cousin's new baby and today we went to Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Chip's house. We can't do much else as it's been rainy and cold since we got here. I'm already missing the sunshine state in that respect. :)

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MN Summer 2011...

...begins tomorrow!

Three suitcases, two carryons and a diaper bag will be required to get us there, but I can't wait. I know I overpacked, but in my defense we will be there for a couple of months and with MN weather that means winter, spring and summer fashions! My carryon has more electronics than Radio Shack (cameras, laptop, Nook, baby monitor etc.) Don't worry I left the kitchen sink for Jon!

I'll have limited internet access up there, but I'll try to blog when I can so stay tuned...

Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day/Father's Day for Jon and I, but despite the cards and gifts (Jon got jipped - more on that below) it still felt an awful lot like Rylee's Day in that we let her pick what she wanted to do to celebrate.

Her choice: making sand castles at the beach.



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(Sorry for the fuzzy cell phone pic, but I was too lazy to bring the real camera.)

Rylee seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself even though she kept running from the sand to the surf to the sand and then back to the surf. She couldn't quite make up her mind what she wanted to do. She demanded Jon and I keep going back and forth with her so it was a little too ADD for us. :)

After an hour or so she declared it was time to go home since she was "a little bit tired." She didn't sleep in the car, but she didn't make a peep either. It turns out she was mostly a little bit hungry. Jon made us all brunch when we got home and Rylee ate one and a half waffles with "sursup" and two slices of bacon. She took a nice nap that afternoon too... while I lounged by the pool and read magazines.

As for gifts, Rylee and I got Jon a new coffee pot, whereas Rylee, Jon and Rio got me a very expensive zoom lens for my camera. Rio must be a big spender. I'll have to get her input on Jon's gift next year!

Last Minute Fun

Since Rylee and I are down to our last few days before leaving for our MN summer, we are cramming in as many fun activities as possible (for both her and I).

Wednesday night, I snuck out at her bedtime to see "Water for Elephants" with some gal pals (Olivia and Dominique). I thought it was very good. I have a hard time watching movies I really loved as books though, I'm constantly comparing instead of just sitting back and enjoying.

Thursday, Rylee had her third theater experience for 2011 -she's very cultured for 2 1/2. My Mom took her to the previous performances (The Crayon Court and Knuffle Bunny). Thursday's play was Butterfly Lifecycle or something like that. The show was educational, musical and funny. Rylee liked it. I was very distracted by the puppeteers in their black outfits and black hoods... not because they were scary, but because we were in the front row and I could see every rip in their costumes... and most were in their butt or groin area... I kept waiting for a wardrobe malfunction!

After the play, we met Karen and Baby James for a Cinco de Mayo lunch. Both kids were excellent, not noisy or disruptive at all. We had a corner booth so we were out of the way, but some guy kind of gave me the stink eye when he was leaving. Not sure what was up with that. It's not like we were guzzling midday margaritas - we both had water!

Friday night, we went to a Seis de Mayo party at my neighbors house. Rylee played in the pool, ate some rice and black beans, and performed a little hula dance for the ladies in the kitchen. I ran across and put her to bed around 8:30 and then Jon sacrificed and stayed home so I could partake in the festivities longer. I only lasted until about 10:30 (I'm not used to staying up late anymore), but it was fun to have another night out.

Nurse Tacky

I really only used "Tacky" because it rhymed with Jackie and I was going for a pop culture reference, but my nurse today was having a rough day.

When she tried to give me my shot in the arm (tetanus and whooping cough), the needle fell out of her hand, stabbed me on the arm and fell to the floor. Then she said "sh*t" right in front of Rylee. She was a bit embarrassed to say the least!

Regardless, Rylee had a great time at the doctor with me. She liked Dr. M which was somewhat surprising since he's a guy - she even shook his hand. And even though I was the one who got stabbed, got a shot, and then had blood drawn, she was the one who got a lollipop and a toy from the treasure box! :)


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Special Guest Star

There was a special guest at Ooopsy today: Elmo!




Rylee was pretty excited - she kept telling me "he's from the TV."

She doesn't actually watch "Sesame Street" so I thought it was weird that she would phrase it that way. She does know Elmo from her books though.

I'm sure her friends Norah and Caitlin would have been even more impressed - they are big fans!

In case you're wondering what she's doing in the photo, it was a little lesson on inside and outside. :)

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Easter Sillies

Here are a few silly pics of Miss Ryleekins on Easter.

Rockin' out with her "racas":

 

 

Wrapped up like a "sausage" after pool time:

 

Bonus:
Tonight Rylee yelled: "a little help here" with sarcastic exasperation. She obviously hears these phrases from us, but to hear her use them (and in the correct context) still cracks me up. :)