Brothers . October 2011

The monthly "Brothers" post is making it on to the blog at the last possible minute!

These boys are growing too fast!  Sunday they wore their coordinating fall polo shirts (yes, I know - I said they wouldn't always have to wear their "colors", but until they can say no, it's hard to pass on the chance!).  And, despite their expressions - all three were in a good mood . . . it's just hard to capture each of them looking at the camera at the same time.


Brothers . October 2011
(Harvick, Ryder, and Jarrett)

(September 2011)
(August 2011)
(July 2011)
(June 2011)
(May 2011)

Pumpkin Painting . 2011

We finished up our pumpkin-themed October events this weekend, with painting the pumpkins we picked earlier this month.

As with last year, Patrick and I decided that painting our pumpkins was the best way to decorate them.  However, we were a bit more creative - we used tape to create jack-o-lantern faces, then painted over it.  Before the paint was dry, we removed the tape to reveal the faces.

Ryder participated in painting his pumpkin, but given his typical disinterest in craft projects, didn't want to paint his brothers' pumpkins.

Harvick and Jarrett helped to paint their pumpkins - using their hands to smear around the paint.

Harvick instantly reached for the pumpkin with both hands!

Jarrett was a bit more cautious.

While Patrick and I finished up, the boys enjoyed spending time outside . . .

Ryder loved running around Patrick's work shirt (used as a "painting shirt").

Harvick (left) and Jarrett (right) laid on the grass.

Of course, Ryder helped clean up when we were finished.

And - our finished product:



Painted Pumpkins . October 2011

Harvick & Jarrett . 25 Weeks

25 weeks old
17 pounds, 10 ounces (Harvick)
17 pounds, 8 ounces (Jarrett)

(Compare to Ryder at 25 Weeks)

Harvick and Jarrett continue to do great!  Both boys have very good dispositions - although, don't let their cute smiles fool you - they have tempers too!  We've been giving them a bit more "solids", but won't be giving it to them regularly until after they are 6 months old.

Still no signs of teeth, despite the massive amount of drooling and chewing on things, from each boy.  Ryder didn't get any teeth until the week after he stopped nursing (a great coincidence!) - at 9 months.

Hanging out on Ryder's bed before baths.
(Harvick on the left, Jarrett on the right)

Sleeping Harvick.  Thankfully, he has had no issues with the full-time (23 hours/day) wear of the helmet.

Smiling Jarrett.

Playing "airplane" - both boys love it!
(Harvick on the left, Jarrett on the right)

Happy boys!
(Harvick on the left, Jarrett on the right)

Ryder brings Harvick and Jarrett their teething rings - they love chewing on them.
(Jarrett on the left, Harvick on the right)

Taking turns in the car walker that Ryder was given for his first Christmas!
(Jarrett on the left, Harvick on the right)

Ryder . School Pictures

Earlier this month Ryder had his first "Picture Day" at school.  His school is especially brave - they start off the day with an all-school shot (age 15 months through 6th grade), then break into class pictures, and finally individuals.  Today, we received the pictures . . .

School Photo (with my self-taught blurring out of the school name).



Notice Ryder - in the bottom right . . . clearly, having to be held by his teacher.  And, while his body isn't facing the camera, at least his face is!



Class Photo.



This time his body and face are facing the camera!  His teacher's arm is still around him, helping him to stay in the photo.



Then, for the individual pictures . . . Ryder's teacher had told us that he had a "good attitude" during the pictures, but that he had spotted the supposed-to-be-a-surprise snack, and wanted no part in sitting still.

A few of the outtakes.

Unfortunately, they were unable to capture a smile - however, he still looks cute!


Ryder . Preschool . 2011
(age 2)

In the end, we think Ryder did pretty well, considering he is just 2 - and had no parent there to help guide him!  He could have done much worse - several other children are crying in the group shots.  However, my favorite is the little boy, wearing green, in the center of the school photo - he must have screamed just as the picture was taken!

Black Island Farms . October 2011

Last weekend we visited Black Island Farms.  Turns out, that this place is pricey!  Luckily, children 2 and under are free, so we only had to pay for Patrick and me.  We told the boys that they can go next year (since admission will only go up in price by one child), but the year after is questionable!

Ryder definitely seemed to have fun; and, as usual, Harvick and Jarrett enjoyed their time in the slings and the stroller.

Ryder loved the calves, and when he started "mooing" at them, they both came right over.  We even purchased some food, and dropped it through the white tube in the fence.

Trying out the tire swing - it was a little unsteady, so he was a bit nervous.

Climbing up the bales of hay was a bit tricky.

Starting off with the smaller slides . . .

And getting brave enough to go down the "grain chute" - it is 3 stories tall!

Ryder loved running around in the open space!

Playing in the "Corn Box" - we thought Ryder would love it, but he pretty much just thought it was average.

They have a tunnel "maze" made of playground tub slides, laid horizontally, and then covered (sides and top) with bales of hay.  Ryder thought this was, by far, the best part of the place.  However, he was a bit confused at first, since he could easily recognize the tubes as slides - he thought he was supposed so slide down them!

Walking up the kiddie slide with ease.

Harvick and Jarrett in the stroller together, for what is most likely the last time - they are just too big!  Harvick stayed awake the entire time we were there, while Jarrett took the opportunity to rest on his brother's shoulder while taking a nap.
(Harvick in back, Jarrett in front)

Just another view!

Ryder and me at the Farmer's Market.

 

Black Island Farms . October 2011

An attempt at a family photo - too bad you can't make out Harvick and Jarrett's faces, and that Ryder was too hungry to stop snacking!
(Left to right: Kayleen, Ryder, Harvick, Jarrett, and Patrick)


Thankfully, we didn't spend the extra money on the hay ride (we asked before paying admission, and were told you can add it later, if desired) - the Courtyard provided plenty of fun!

Harvick & Jarrett . 24 Weeks Old

24 weeks old
17 pounds, 10 ounces (Harvick)
17 pounds, 8 ounces (Jarrett)

(Compare to Ryder at 24 Weeks)

Harvick and Jarrett are going to crawl sooner than we are ready for!  They both almost refuse to stay on their backs for more than a few minutes, rolling themselves over quickly.  Also, they are starting to do the stomach pivot - where there stomach pretty much stays in place, but they are turning their direction (does that make sense?!).  Clearly, they aren't going to be crawling in the next week (Ryder didn't start crawling regularly until he was 38 weeks), but watching them move around more on their own makes Patrick and I a bit anxious about having 3 mobile children!

We changed over their closets once again - they are now wearing mostly 9-12 month size clothing.  That is the FIFTH size (1: newborn; 2: 0-3 month; 3: 3-6 month; 4: 6-9 month, and now 5: 9-12 month) they have worn in their short 5.5 month life.  Thankfully, due to the generosity of my co-worker's daughter, we have plenty of everyday clothing for Harvick and Jarrett - and will only need to pick up the occasional items!

We continue to introduce them to veggies and fruits (using the teething bags, typically) - this time it was freshly pureed zucchini (from the neighbor's garden!).  Both boys were definitely unsure at first, but loved it after a couple bites!
(Harvick on the left, Jarrett on the right)

Getting changed into their jammies at night.
(Jarrett in the back, Harvick in the front)

Happy boys!
(Harvick on the left, Jarrett on the right)

"Sunday Best" Clothes.
(Jarrett on the left, Harvick on the right)

Sitting with the family (in their Bumbos, on the table) during dinner.
(Harvick on the left, Jarrett on the right)

Reading a book with all 3 boys!
(Jarrett in the front, Harvick in the middle, Ryder in the back)

Not exactly a flattering picture of me . . . but, Harvick and Jarrett look so cute!  As we waited for Patrick to finish putting Ryder to bed - the three of us fell asleep!
(Jarrett on the bottom, Harvick on the top)

Harvick Update: You may have noticed in the pictures that Harvick's helmet was off in several of them.  We were given a schedule of a slow introduction to full-time (23 hours/day) wear - some of the pictures were taken during those days, when he had his helmet off more frequently.  Other pictures of him with the helmet off were taken during his 1 hour/day break.  He has adjusted amazingly well to wearing it - if anything, I joke that Jarrett has had the harder time adjusting - when he hits his brother in the head, it now hurts his hand!  We went in for his 1-week follow-up, and had a few adjustments made to the fit.  We go back for a  scan in another month - at this appointment we will get to see, in detail, the progress he has made.  One important thing to remember is that the helmet is not reshaping his current head shape - what it does is put a "constraint" against areas of his head that are "normally" shaped, and leave space where it should fill in (like at his flat spot).  So, the progress is strictly dictated by Harvick's growth - his head shape will change only when he is growing.

Ryder . 2 1/4 Years Old

Ryder is officially 2 1/4 years old!  Despite growing out of clothes quickly, he hasn't gained any weight, and remains steady at just over 32 pounds.

Ryder is an awesome big brother!  At first he was pretty disinterested in his brothers - he never really showed signs of jealousy, but he didn't seem to care that they were here.  He would give them kisses when we would encourage it, but in the past few months, he has really enjoyed interacting with them.  Most evenings Harvick and Jarrett will sit on the table (first in their Nap Nannys, and now in Bumbos) while we eat dinner - after dinner, we turn them to face the kitchen while Patrick and I get dishes done, and things ready for the next day.  During this time, Ryder is often in charge of helping his brothers - he turns one of the dining chairs so the back is against the table, and will kneel on the chair in front of them, giving them toys (over and over, since they are often dropped!).

His understanding of vocabulary is immense; however, he remains primarily non-verbal.  He definitely has (and uses frequently) a handful of words, but he finds other ways of communicating.  His repertoire of sign language grows daily (check the right column for some of the most commonly used signs).

Ryder continues to love his babysitter, but has really enjoyed school - I am told by his "after-care" teacher that he is the only child to be sad to leave school.  We get a good report of his behavior daily, with the only area of struggling being Circle Time - he's just too excited to be excused for snack (they have to wait their turn, while a song is sung excusing each child individually).

And - now, here's the problem with a quarterly update dedicated to Ryder - I have entirely too many pictures.  But, let's analyze this - for weekly posts there were 6 pictures  most of the time; monthly posts had about 25 - it's not my fault that I have a hard time narrowing them down . . .

Happy boy.

Ryder loves reading!

Cheesy smile during breakfast.

 

Ryder really loved playing at parks this summer.

Bathtime (different nights . . . although, you can't really tell)

Ryder loves walking around in Patrick's shoes - he gets them on correct to start with, but they get turned around as he walks.

Ryder's teacher told us problem solving is Ryder's favorite activity at school . . . we could have told her that!

Watering the plants by himself - he loved when he was in control.

 

Why do we even have expensive toys when a box does the trick?!

Eating breakfast before school (yogurt with flaxseed and banana; oatmeal with berries)

Ryder is always willing to share his bed with his brothers - this time when getting ready for a bath.
(Jarrett on the left, Harvick on the right)

Ryder walks the whole mile himself when we walk in the evenings - he loves when geese or airplanes fly over us.

Could he be more stylish?!  When he wears his hat, he is in charge of how it sits - he doesn't like it getting touched.

Showing off more hat days!

An annoying habit Ryder has started - climbing on Patrick or my back while we change his brothers' diapers.
(Harvick on his tummy, Jarrett on his back)

Ryder loves to be outside, but the noise of the lawn mower is intimidating . . . we pulled out a carrier, and he thought it was super fun to ride on Patrick's back!

Bathtime with brothers.
(Harvick on the left getting washed, Jarrett on the right getting a kiss)

 

Again with the problem solving!

 

Loving the slide - now that he will go down it on his own!

Entertaining his brothers with a ball.
(Harvick in the light blue, Jarrett in the dark blue)

Such a cute boy!!!

Ryder knows the routine - when we walk in the house, he takes off his shoes and washes is hands . . . but, he is convinced he should lay down to take of his shoes.  And, he takes one off, puts it away, and then lays back down to take the second one off . . . such a silly kid!

Ryder is fascinated by the stacking cups with holes.

 

Ending on a cute picture.  This day, Ryder picked out his outfit completely on his own - I wanted to be sure to get a picture of the shirt . . . and after a few failed attempts at a smiling picture, Patrick captured this one - the pose is all Ryder's doing!