Brrrr.....

It seems like we have had a very cold winter for Houston this year. It looked like it was turning around and then another cold snap just hit. I am so ready for the spring as it is very difficult to entertain a toddler inside all day. This particular day we were all going a little stir crazy so we bundled up for a wagon walk. I had to get a picture of him wearing my ear warmers. He looks so 80s, but oh so cute.

Coloring

Ryan loves to make little art projects. I love it when I open his back pack from school to find a picture that he painted or colored that day. It is like a little gift to mom. He likes the result of finger painting, but he doesn't like to have his hands messy, so I have to clean his fingers off every time he makes a paint stroke. Grandma and Grandpa Reckers mailed him some Elmo coloring pages and some new crayons last week so here he is coloring on one of them. He wanted some snacks while he colored. I guess coloring burns too many calories.

Piggy Bank

For Christmas Ryan received a cash register and it has become one of his favorite toys. Rob decided that going forward Ryan would help us put the money in his piggy bank as an early lesson in saving. He had so much fun doing this with Daddy and was sad when there was no more money to put in the bank. One day when he can crack it open he will be so surprised as to how much is in there!

3D/4D Ultrasound for Lillian

When I was 10 weeks pregnant I won a free 3D/4D ultrasound from Baby Image Ultrasound (http://www.babyimageultrasound.com/). It was courtesy of Deliver Me Fit (http://www.delivermefit.com/) my pre/post natal fitness class. Today we took advantage of the free ultrasound and we were able to see some amazing pictures of our little girl! We didn't do this for Ryan, so it was extra special to see her today. So far we think she looks a lot like Ryan and his Auntie Ella. Lillian was moving around quite a bit and opened her mouth a couple of times so we could see her tongue. She opened her eyes briefly as well. It was such a neat experience and I am so glad we were able to do it. We think these pictures are pretty incredible!

This is one of my favorites. Her left hand is grabbing her right foot and her left foot is creeping up her right leg.

Reckers' Family Update

School is still going really well. Ryan is adjusting so well and really likes his teacher. He has cried a couple of times when I have dropped him off, but nothing bad and not too long. By the time I make it around to the window to see him he is totally over it. He is sleeping well there and seems to enjoy all of the activities that they do with him. His daily report cards are always great and his teacher told me that he is "such a delight to have in class." He has really started talking a lot more. We aren't sure if it is just a coincidence that he started school at the same time his speech has finally blossomed. Some new words he says now are "Ryan", "snack", "all done", "potty", "peas", "yuck", "please", "clip" (when I clip his finger nails), "tv", "thank you", "play",plus a few of his friends' names. I am sure there are more words in his vocabulary, but I haven't picked up on them. He has almost all of his body parts down and can make a ton of animal noises. My favorites are a bumble bee, frog, and dinosaur. Our once adventurous eater, turned super duper picky eater, has started to come back around and eat a lot more foods. Vegetables and fruit have been off his menu for quite some time and it seems like he can't get enough of them now. He is also more willing to try everything with out frowning and shaking his head. His appetite is HUGE right now, must be going through a growth spurt. In fact on his report card from last Friday, Miss. Allene said he ate all of his lunch (which I have been packing a lot) and his friend's peas. haha! I guess I need to pack even more. He is also really into my growing belly. I think he finally realizes that it is bigger than normal. He loves to kiss it and if we ask him where his baby sister is, he will point to it then kiss it. Ryan still loves to make people laugh by making faces or doing the cutest things. Once he gets a laugh, he will continue to do it over and over. What a source of entertainment for our family! He has started throwing fits when he can't have something or we take something away from him. I am talking huge elephant tears that last for a while. We can't get enough of him and look forward to everyday and every new thing he does and says.

My pregnancy is going very well. I have just entered the third trimester and it is hard to believe that I am this far along. It goes by so much faster with the second baby! I am a little slow these days, and still tired, but I can't complain since we have a healthy pregnancy! We have picked a middle name. She will be named Lillian Claire. We are working on her nursery and hopefully will have it painted in the next week. Between my mom, myself, my mother in law, and my generous friends Lillian is going to have more clothes than I do. She will be the best dressed baby!

Oh Ryan.....

This would be applesauce in his hair. He was not happy after he did it, but continued to put spoonfuls in his hair. See below.

And he puts another spoonful in his hair.

This is what happens when Daddy lets Ryan play with a pen.

After this picture was taken, he decided that Rob and I needed our hands colored as well.

First Day of School

Our baby is growing up. As sad as it is in many ways, it is also fun and exciting in others. Ryan started nursery school last week. He will be going every Monday and Friday from 9:00-2:00 during the regular school year. We were very nervous for his first day since he really hasn't been with out us other than with Grandparents or Aunts and Uncles. We anticipated some crying and a really sad little boy. Well much to our surprise he did GREAT! We got there a little early and chatted with his teacher before class began. I think that worked out great. Miss. Allene is an older woman and Ryan loves Grandmother types so he took right to her. Not to mention that she has been doing this well over 20 years and couldn't be any nicer. Rob and I kissed him good bye and walked out. We immediately went to the "spy" window to watch him and fully expected to see tears and a fit, possibly screaming. Instead we saw a content little boy sitting on the floor playing with toys. He looked over at the door a couple of times, but kept playing with Miss. Allene. When we arrived to pick him up, he was still taking his nap and we discovered that he slept for 1 1/2 hours on his new nap mat which was laid out on the floor. Wow. Another first. Miss. Allene prepared his report card and she said he did wonderful all day and was very happy until he spilled water down his shirt onto his shoes (he is going through a phase where he hates to be messy or dirty). He even ate all of his lunch! We are so proud of our little guy and hope that it continues to go as smooth as it did the first day.

He wasn't so happy that morning. I think he sensed that something was going on.

We have since learned that he likes to carry his backpack,not wear it.

Daddy's Solution

Many days Ryan will play with the faucet in our bathtub while I am in the shower. Sometimes his shirt sleeves get wet. Well this happened the other day and instead of Rob going upstairs to get a dry shirt he thought a decent solution was to put Ryan in one of his t-shirts. When I got out of the shower and discovered this wardrobe change, not only was I shocked but I was also surprised to see how much Ryan liked wearing the giant shirt!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! We are excited about the upcoming year and meeting our Lillian in the spring! We rang in the new year asleep :). Earlier in the evening we went to a party and had a wonderful time. I didn't bring my camera, so no pictures to show, but Ryan had 3 of his friends to play with (Tessa, Asher, and Alexis). He had so much fun playing with Tessa's play kitchen, it makes me think I need to start looking for one at garage sales.

We hope that everyone has a happy and healthy 2010!!