Thursday, August 25, 2011

Doctor's Appointments

Today both Rya & Hayden had doctor's appointments. Hayden was going in for his 15month follow up appointment & Rya was going in because I'm concerned that she's such a picky eater. Here is what  happened at the doctors plus my August update on my babies.

Hayden is doing great! He's 25lbs & 31" long. He's in the 47th percentile for his size. He did very well today, he didn't really fuss at all when the doctor checked out his ears, eyes, mouth & belly. She said he is very healthy & looks great. He is walking & climbing. He says a few words & knows what they are (Dada, Mama & Uh Oh). She said he is right on track with his mobile development. He still wakes up 1-3 times a night so she suggested that he only gets water at night to get him back to sleep & that I don't pick him up. He needs to stop waking up so it's fine to put him in the other room, close the door & let him cry for about 10min. I will definitely try that because I haven't had a good night sleep in about 17months! We definitely need to get him off his bottle 100%. He can use a sippy cup & needs to start using them all the time so as soon as I can, I'm going to go buy him a bunch of sippy cups & toss all his bottles. He's not very dependant on his binkie, he really only uses it to fall asleep. She said it's fine for sleeping but try to not let him use it much when he's awake. Hayden did get 2 shots. He wouldn't let go of my arm as I was laying him down. Poor little guy was screaming but as soon as I picked him up he stopped. Tough little guy!

I'm very happy that he's on track with his milestones especially since he has the extra fluid in his head. That is just something that will go away on it's own. Hayden is doing so well! He loves sitting in his booster seat. He wants to eat alone & prefers if no one helps him. He eats just about anything. It's so cute when he plays peak-a-boo! We love watching him walk around the house. It's so cute! The way he walks, we call him 'Dump Truck'. Not sure why but it just suits him. I do believe he has some seperation anxiety problems but I'm hoping that that will pass when I go back to work. He is such a joy & so sweet! He isn't much of a cuddle bug which makes me sad but he'll cuddle on occasion when he's tired. As he gets older, I am still seeing how much fun it is having a little boy. He is such a character! We get such a kick out of him! I'm so happy & thankful for our little man!

Rya was very good at the doctor today too. She is 30lbs. They didn't measure her height. I was kind of disappointed because she's so tall (she's the same height as our friend's 4 year old niece!) that I was really curious but oh well. She goes in again at 3 years old so I'm sure she'll get measured then. She didn't fuss at all when the doctor was checking her out. She said that she is very healthy. That's all I wanted. I just wanted to make sure that depsite Rya being a picky eater, that she was still healthy. I'm doing something right! The doctor made some suggestions for how I can sneak fruits/veggies into Rya's diet. She said cut up small pieces & hid it in the food she does like. We had Rya on a vitamin called Polyvisol. We added it to her juice every morning. We can now switch her to either a gummy vitamin or something like the Flintstones. I will pick something up next time I go to the store. She also said that I can make her smoothies. Sadly, I don't have a blender but I'm planning on buying one as soon as I can. When I worked at Bon Appetit, my smoothies were the best! I'm hoping she'll like them. I also asked about the Pediasure but the doctor said not to give her those. She said it's basically a milkshake that's more for kids that need to gain weight so to stay away from those. I'm just going to start sneaking fruits/veggies into the food she does like & I'll make smoothies once I can buy a blender & pick up some vitamins. I'm just so happy & relieved that despite her picky eating habits, she's incredibly healthy.
Rya continues to amaze me everyday with how smart she is & how incredibly beautiful she is! I've lost count of how many people have said I should get her into commercials or modeling. I would love to but it's so hard to find a real agency. I'm still looking into it & thinking about it. She is also incredibly smart! She knows 10 colors & 16 body parts. My favorite body part is the arm pit. If I ask her where her armpit is, she smiles & raises both her arms up above her head. She can drink from a regular cup but I don't let her do it often because usually she'll drink a little & dump out a little. She says so many sentences. My favorite is if she's in the family room & Garyn's in the bedroom, she'll say "I gotta go see what Daddy doing". She is just the most precious & beautiful little girl ever! I've actually cried while talking to her or watching her because she is just so cute. I can't believe that in about a month, I'll be planning her 3rd birthday. She told me she wanted a Rapunzel birthday party with a Rapunzel cake & even a few gifts she wants. I can't believe that she'll be 3 in November but I'm so looking forward to having another awesome party for her!

It was definitely a challange having 2 kids only 18months apart. We didn't want that but God had different plans & I'm so happy He did. I love both my angels beyond words! I'll look at them & I can't believe how much I love them! Rya & Hayden are so fun, sweet, loving & adorable! I always remember growing up that I knew I wanted kids someday. Now that I have them, I realize what a true blessing being a parent is. I'm also very thankful for such wonderful kids. So many people have complimented me on how well behaved & polite our kids are especially for their ages. We are truly blessed to have such a happy & loving marriage & a beautiful & amazing family. My kids are my world & always will be! They are our #1 priority & ALWAYS will be! We love them so very much & I can't believe how blessed we are!


Thursday, August 18, 2011

How we met

Today is the day that Garyn & I celebrate when we met. Thinking about this day 5 years ago always brings a smile to my face. I think it's a great story & I realized I don't think many people know how we met. So I decided to write a blog about it & share the details for those who don't know.

I was in the Army & stationed at Fort Irwin in CA. Myself & my coworker, Jennifer were offered to go to Fort Lewis, WA for a month for scrub tech training. Fort Irwin had a tiny hospital so we only did minor surgeries so this was a great opportunity to learn more about different surgeries that we didn't do at Irwin. I was super excited to go because I did my Phase 2 training there so I was already familiar with the base & the barracks (as was Jennifer). Plus I could go home on the weekends & spend time with my little brother, Dad & stepmom. Fort Lewis had a beautiful hospital that I really enjoyed working at & everyone was so helpful & really took to teaching us everything they could during our month there.

Since I'd lived in WA for the past 12 years, I still had many friends in the Tacoma area. It was our 2nd weekend at Madigan & a good friend of mine, Megan was talking to me about going out that Friday night. Jennifer had friends on base so she had plans & I was excited to hang out with my BF in WA. She wanted to take me to this club in Shoreline that she & her sister go to alot. They knew all the security guys there so I thought it'd be a good place to go & have a good time.

I got off work at 3pm & met  Megan at her work to pick her up. We went to her place to get ready, picked up her sister & headed off to The Drift on Inn & Casino. It's a great club/bar & downstairs is a restaurant & card room. We had a blast drinking, dancing & just enjoying a wonderful girl's night out. The bar was closing & we were heading downstairs for a 2am breakfast & some gambling. Megan was talking to one of the bouncers named Jim. He was very friendly & protective & was in great shape. I ran to the bathroom & when I came out, Jim handed me his cell phone & said "Here, talk to my son". I still remember thinking 'Jim looks like he's about 35 years old. Why would I want to talk to his 10 year old son?'. I answered the phone & heard a deep voice say "What up, girl?".


Garyn & I talked for a few hours that night. He lived in OR so we decided that he'd come up the following weekend so we could meet in person. We kept talking through the week. The day of 8/18/06 I got off work, met Megan & we went shopping. I bought a gorgeous new shirt at White House Black Market & we went back to her place to get ready. Then off to pick up her sister & then to meet Garyn. We arrived at the club about 45min after we were supposed to be there but we're women so we have to be fashionably late. We met outside & went in to enjoy a fun evening. In between dancing & having a few drinks we chatted & got to know each other. A few months prior, he had gotten out of a long relationship & I hadn't been in one for awhile due to bootcamp, AIT & work. We didn't really think anything would happen after that night so we just enjoyed getting to know each other. It was really nice just to get out & hang out with friends & meet new people.



I was really impressed with Garyn because he was so polite all night. He paid for my drinks, paid for breakfast & comforted me when I got upset because I had to go back to CA & was going to miss Megan. We ended up meeting a few days later at an Applebee's near Fort Lewis. We wanted to talk some more without the noise & distractions of a club. We just sat at the bar & he drank water while I had 2 strawberry margarita's. I was again impressed with him when he offered to pay for my margaritas even though he only drank water. We made sure to exchange numbers & continued talking. Of course there's more to the story but this is just about how we met on 8/18/06. We will always remember the day we met & cherish it.

I can't believe it's been 5 years since that fun night in Shoreline! I wish we still lived in WA for many reasons but 1 is because I'd love to return to The Drift every 8/18. I will always remember something Garyn told me right before we got engaged. "They say you can spend your entire life looking for that one person who will bring a world of happiness to you. I've found mine in 22 years." I still feel very blessed to be married to such a loving, thoughtful, generous & handsome man. I have everything I've always wanted ~ love, a happy marriage & 2 beautiful babies. I never imagined that a fun night out of drinking & dancing with my friends would bring me everything I've wanted. :)