Ryder . 20 Months

20 months old; 28 pounds, 6 ounces.

Ryder's doing his best to make up for lost time of not having teeth (he has 2 more new ones poking through) - bringing the tooth count to 14 now. 

Last month he was moved to the "big kid" booster seat at the table.  But, after a couple of weeks in it, we decided that it would be nice to have one at the counter too.  He can sit/kneel on the stools, but his little socked feet slide around too much for us to be comfortable.  So, we purchased another booster, and have it at the counter.  It works out great - he eats there when his meal is ready, but ours is not yet, or when he "helps" make the meal, or when he wants to color!

He continues to not talk, but seems to be babbling even more now than before.  We also encourage his dancing whenever there is any music, and he has started to throw in some jumping as a new move!

Ryder discovered he can easily slip his feet into Patrick's shoes.  He won't put my shoes on, but loves to stand in Patrick's (the ones for work (steel-toed) are especially heavy, so he can't walk in them).

Smiling in the tub.

We've been working on a lot of the little things in the twins' room, and Ryder loves to hang out with us and help (or, really, play with the doors).

Getting his teeth brushed.

Ryder is pretty unsure of the snow, so Patrick was trying to show him it is okay!





Reading books!

Patrick finished building Ryder's new bed (twin size), and I helped to stain/urethane it.  The final assembly had to be done in Ryder's room - Ryder refuses to let Patrick work on any project (especially ones with the drill or ladder) alone.  When Patrick requires the use of the drill, Ryder finds other ways to entertain himself - this time, by playing with Patrick's hat!

Playing with the "Olivia in a box".

"Hugging" Kate - he LOVES it, she does not.

Playing with his wagon on the driveway.

Happy about eating his green beans!

Eating a snack at the counter.



Patrick order 3 tons of crushed rock as a base for the playset (we will still lay down the weed barrier, then several inches of tumbled pea gravel).  Ryder, of course, wanted to help by pushing the wheelbarrow with Patrick - good thing Patrick is patient, it took him at least 4 times as long to make each trip.

Finally, he was able to convince Ryder to at least ride back in the wheelbarrow to save a little time!

RUNNING around the house with his balloons - it doesn't even matter if they lose helium - the kid LOVES balloons!

Working on the playset.

Taking a break from work to play with his wagon.

St. Patrick's Day.

This picture does not do the situation justice at all.  We were given some hand-me-downs for the twins, along with a few organizational boxes - this one had clothes in it, and Ryder just randomly came over to help me with the clothes, picked it up, and dumped the clothes on his head, and proceeded to walk around (and bump into things) with this on his head.  You could hear him laughing as he was doing it - Patrick and I were laughing so hard, and he just kept going!

Ryder's cold came back this weekend, so we gave him some medicine to help with the cough - the kid loves medicine.  He will stop what he is doing, and run into the kitchen when you ask him if he wants medicine - I call him my little junkie.  I thought kids hated taking medicine - not him!

Playing with the drill while Patrick hung his new curtains before bathtime.

I need to take a picture of Ryder's new room to share, with his new bed, chair and curtains.  He's done an excellent job transitioning to the twin bed, which makes life easier for Patrick and I, since we only had to buy one more crib!

And . . . a twin update . . .

I'm nearly 32 weeks now, and am still doing well.  If you had any doubt that I grow "big babies", let me assure you the 11 pound baby was no fluke - on Friday, I was 31 weeks, 2 days - the babies measured 33 weeks, 4 days; and 33 weeks, 5 days - that is 2 weeks, 2 (or 3) days BIGGER than an AVERAGE SINGLETON baby.  At this point, twins are usually about a week or so smaller than an average singleton baby.  They weigh 4 pounds, 12 ounces and 4 pounds, 13 ounces - that's a combined 9 pounds, 9 ounces already!  A common "goal" weight for twins is just 5 pounds each.

If all goes as planned, I have about 6.5 weeks more to go.  Those babies will be here soon!

To help prepare, Patrick and I have been making freezer meals for ourselves for the first few months of having 3 children.  With (lots of) help from a co-worker (for recipes and advice!), we already have quite the stockpile - 6 full pans of manicotti, 6 of lasagna, 6 of Anne's Chicken/Broccoli Casserole, and 12 (just 8x8) of Cheesy Potatoes to use as a side for just about any grilled meat!  And, we have a few more recipes planned to make over the next few weekends!  If living in Utah (most of) your whole life teaches you anything, it's that you should have lots of food storage!