Brandon's 2nd Birthday Weekend

Brandon celebrated his second birthday this past weekend - and it was a multiple day event! Brad's half of the family flew in (we will be visiting mine in a few weeks) and proceeded to spoil the birthday boy rotten. He loved every minute of it. Brad and I didn't mind the babysitters either.

We kicked things off with a trip to Victoria Gardens in Central Park. It's a small amusement park that's great for the younger kiddos. During the winter it's an ice skating rink (you've probably seen it in movies, and it's much larger than Rockefeller). I thought Brandon might be a little scared to go on rides for the first time, but he was all over it. He wanted to go non-stop, not paying any mind to the ridiculous heat. He was a champ all the way. After a nice long nap, we went to Benihana for dinner. Definitely not on my recommendation list if you are visiting NYC, but it was a blast for Brandon. Him and Rylan were perfectly behaved (Brandon eating nearly 2 bowls of mushroom soup) for the whole 90 minute dinner - miracles never cease. Too bad they cut him out of his own birthday photo! Another highlight of the day was the mini-cupcakes Aunt Jennifer sent from Baked by Melissa. They ship, are super yummy, and perfectly kid sized. Big hit.

Day 2 of festivities included a trip to the Children's Museum of Manhattan. Pretty much a bunch of manic kids running around an indoor play space, slamming and kicking "educational" exhibits. These people are minting it. On a hot day, this is the perfect escape from the heat. After another much needed nap, we headed to dinner at Rosa Mexicano, also the site of Brandon's first birthday party. This is by far his favorite restaurant. He loves the guacamole and chips and was pretty content to spend the whole dinner eating away and sticking stickers all over Nana's face. We had a very special Momofuku Milk Bar birthday cake (you must go, and you must get the cake balls - they'll probably change your life), but I think the candle and fire freaked Brandon out, so that celebration didn't last very long.

 

Before everyone headed out on Sunday, we went to church and Telepan for brunch. I think the kids had reached their breaking point, and didn't exactly make the meal a relaxing one for the four adults involved. Brandon loves to be surrounded by people, and having four extra playmates was definitely his idea of the ideal birthday weekend. Thank goodness he has a load of new toys to keep him occupied in the meantime! 

Happy 2nd Birthday beautiful boy!!

Rylan 4 Month Summary

Rylan is just as sweet and easy going as ever. I swear 2nd babies must come out knowing that they have to share the spotlight. The biggest change this month would be his sleep consistency. He now goes down easy as pie at bedtime, and will generally fall asleep on his own for naps as well. He pretty much only ever cries when he is tired, so I know he has to go down before he reaches that point.

With Brandon, I was very adamant about always having his naps in the crib, but that just isn't possible for Rylan. Instead we usually do his morning nap in the stroller then his last 2 in the crib. This seems to be working fine for him and gives us the flexibility we need to get out of the house during the day. Because I'm not always having him in the crib, if he is having a rough time going to sleep (rare) or wakes up 45 minutes into a nap, I will move him to the swing and let him finish his nap there.

Rylan loves to play peek-a-boo, and has even figured out that if he pulls a burp cloth up and down in front of his face we will finally catch on and start playing it with him. He also loves to be lifted up and down, which is giving me some killer biceps! If he isn't holding something he will grasp around with his hands until he finds something. His bib, fingers, shirt - this kid just has to be holding something at all times.

Our highlight lately is that he is now old enough to go in the exersaucer, aka the circle-of-neglect. Glad we discovered this, since when Brandon was that age I was stuffing the thing full of blankets and towels trying to keep him upright. So far, Brandon seems more interested in it than Rylan, but I'm sure he will come to love it as much as we do. :)

Here's a typical rundown of his day:

7:25 am - wake-up, get dressed, and bottle of BM (7.5 oz)

7:45 - sit in bouncy chair as we have breakfast
8:15 - watch mommy do laundry/chores
8:30 - playmat time

9 - out for a walk/run or trip to the park in the bjorn or stroller - will sleep most of the time
11 - "play" with Brandon

11:30 - bottle (7.5 oz) then hang out while we have lunch
12:30-2:30/3 - nap
3:15 - bottle (7.5 oz)
3:30 - "play" with Brandon
4:30 - nap
5:30 - independent play in play pen
6 - dinner with family
6:40 - bath
7 - bottle (7.5 oz)
7:30 - bedtime!

Happy 4 months precious boy!!

Brandon also turned 2 this weekend, so I will post about all the fun and festivities soon.

Our Life in Pictures

Rylan went for his first long run (8 miles)! He slept like a champ most of the way. Brad and I were cursing the hills of Central Park - pushing a double stroller with a car seat is not easy!

 

How the kids pass the miles.

Brandon started soccer classes.

We had a wonderful Father's Day. We went to church, then Brad and I went out without the kids for a few hours for some adult time (i.e. drinks before noon).

Just because Suki isn't getting much love on this blog.

Getting a much deserved mommy's afternoon out on the roof of the Empire Hotel.

Brandon loves to brush his teeth. I'm enjoying this while it lasts!

Dinner time fun.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day from our family! Big hugs to my Daddy, PopPop, Father-in-Laws, and wonderful husband!

Our Life in Pictures

We got the kids a little table. Big hit!

Brandon met Elmo (his current idol). 

And this is how Brandon reacts when we turn Elmo off the TV...

Our baby nurse, Merle, left us for greener pastures. We will miss her!

Grandma came for a quick visit. Brandon had a ball going to the park with her. They played in the sprinklers and he came back soaking wet and totally happy.

I ran the women's mini 10k in 46:10 - a new post-babies pr. Brandon and I both enjoyed the post race popsicles, hence the green teeth. :)

Rylan - 3 Month Summary

Time seems to be flying by since Rylan was born. Life with a newborn can be chaotic, but throw a toddler into the mix and it seems like every minute is filled with some kind of craziness. In an effort to remember these times that are so easily forgotten (what with the lack of sleep and insane amount of effort it sometimes takes to make it through an hour let alone a day!), I've decided to do periodic updates on the kids. 

Rylan turns 3 months today. Sometimes I feel like we just had him, but most of the time I can't even remember what our lives were like before he arrived. He's the perfect little addition to our family. He's generally a very happy baby, especially in the mornings. He will wake-up all smiles, regardless of the kind of night he's had. This has given us a bit of reassurance as we recently sleep trained him. Letting him cry was really difficult, but seeing his bright happy face in the morning let us know that all was forgiven and forgotten. Though usually not for long, this kid can really scream when he wants something. He reaches octaves we never heard with Brandon. The fact that he calms right down the minute he gets what he wants and pastes a big smug grin on his face has Brad and I a little nervous about his manipulation skills. Lord help us in the teenage years!

In the past few weeks he has started grasping small items, like a rattle and has also rolled over from tummy to back a few times. He's moving around so much in his crib that we actually had to put bumpers on to keep him from hitting his head! He loves to watch Brandon, but he especially likes the tv - ugh! I don't let him watch it but for the 30 minutes that Brandon watches Elmo or Special Agent Oso. Rylan actually had a long "conversation" with the Oso stuffed animal the other day. It was very cute.

Here's a typical rundown of his day:

7am - wake-up and bottle of BM, get dressed and hang with mom as she finishes dishes/laundry

7:30 - sit in bouncy chair as we get Brandon up, fed and dressed

8:30 - out for a walk or trip to the park in the bjorn or stroller - will sleep the whole time

11 - bottle and tummy time, look at the mobile in the crib while mom showers
12:30-3 - nap at some point and play time with mommy
3 - bottle and play with Brandon once he's up
4:30 - nap
6 - sit in bouncy chair at table while the family eats dinner
6:40 - bath
7 - bottle
7:30/8 - bedtime!
* Last week was the first time he went all night without a bottle. He would wake-up 1 or 2 times in the night and cry for a few minutes for a few nights, but now he's sleeping solid for at least 10 hours. If he wakes before 7, we will turn on the mobile and let him chill in the crib while we finish getting ready.

Our life in Pictures

Here's what we've been up to...

Brandon's first duck feeding experience in Central Park. The canadian geese did NOT like Suki!

Brad and I ran the 4-mile Japan Day Race on Mother's day. Brad in 27:58 and me in 29:59. Since we had a babysitter, we followed it up with breakfast at Landmarc and a showing of the Avengers. 

Touch a Truck. Brandon was a little intimidated by all the noise at first, but then he got really excited to see all the big trucks and ended up crying when we had to leave. He went in a school bus, ambulance, dump and fire truck.

Brad's Birthday! We celebrated by going to a Japanese restaurant and having banana pudding and a Magnolia cupcake for dessert.

Saturday Brad, Brandon and I did an 8 mile run. The boys farthest run yet! They both did great! I'm always amazed at how well Brandon does on our long runs, especially when goldfish are involved. 

Sunday was Rylan's first trip to church! Except for one loud cry, he slept through the whole service in the bjorn. Brandon still sheds a few tears when we leave him in the nursery, but he is quick to forget us once he sees all the fun toys and kids. Rylan also held a soft rattle for the first time. 

What a happy little guy!