Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope your holiday is great one, filled with family, friends and the spirit of the season.

We had our family xmas on Sunday. We started off with a great xmas program at church. It was wonderful, although bitter cold outside. We headed to get a family picture taken afterwards. It was amazing how fast they got us in and had the pictures taken. It was less than an hour total with pictures in hand. Then it was home to Oma's for dinner, which was excellent. Then the kids were waiting to open presents. Ryan was not interested in the clothes, but really liked the semi with cars he could put in it. Then was the big gift. The train table. He had a exasperated response and started playing immediately. He played with it most of the day and when he wasnt play with the train table it was the vacuum that Haley had gotten as a gift. My kid likes to clean. He did very well and walks around home saying, "HO, HO, HO". Funny!!!!!

I got a tennis bracelet that has a heart with a ruby in it. That was from my sister-in-law. I really like it.

We have some cleaning to do on Christmas Eve and then are having breakfast in our pj's on Christmas morning. We are going to make popcorn for Santa. Im glad its that because Ryan wanted it to be chicken and fries originally. Yuck!!! So popcorn it is. Im cool with that.

We are having Christmas morning coffee cake and a breakfast casserole. Hanging around the fireplace, LOL. Its just a dvd that makes my tv look like a fireplace but the sound are the same. It is rockin cool.

I had ordered a couple gifts and they wont make it before Christmas so that is the down side of my procrastination. We will have a great day. Im glad to be home with Ryan. WE havent had our snuggle time in the last few days and Ryan gets very grouchy when we dont have mom/Ryan time at home.

Again, have a great christmas, safe and wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year.

Love,
Becky and Ryan

LUCKY

I have the best little boy in whole world. He has been so loving and Im taking advantage of it before it changes. Lots of hugs and kisses, please and Thank you's. Just thought I would share.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I love the snow. I think winter may be my favorite season. I like to see it snow(hate the ice), like to get bundled up and go play in the snow then come in and sit by fireplace and be warm. No, I dont have a fireplace but I bought a DVD that will give me my fireplace and it even crackles like a fire. LOVE it. So, I have a fire now. LOL

Nothing else to report. Ryan is very tired and he looks awful. He perked up after his bath. Watching Wall-e now. Well gotta go. Take care and drive safe.

Love
Becky

Almost Christmas

We had a very uneventful weekend. I have been sick to my stomach all weekend. Dont know why. Ryan has been a great boy. He has been playing and hanging out in his room. I was able to watch a tv movie. It was nice. He took a great bath and is running his Thomas the Train up and down my arm. He is going to be so excited when he gets his train table. He will be in train heaven. I thought about getting him a conductor hat. Now, he is throwing a fit because he wants to sit where Im sitting. Too bad. He is on another 14 days of antibiotic. 34 days total. I hope this works for his sinuses. His asthma has been good. Lets hope he will stay healthy during the holidays. We went and saw Bolt at the movies theatre. It was cute but I was concerned at the beginning. I thought it started a little weird, almost scary. I was freaking at first. Well its bedtime and we are off to read. Have a good week.

Love,
Becky and Ryan

200

This is the 200th post on Ryan's blog. Thats alot and it doesnt feel like its alot. We had a pretty good weekend. Ryan has has diarrhea since friday, so thats an issue. I think its from the Anitbiotic he has been on for 20 days. He's otherwise in a good mood and is fine. Friday I played Bunco for the first time. It was a blast. I had a really good time and it was relaxing. Ryan hung out with Oma & Opa. Saturday, Ryan was seen at Peds afterhours to check his butt. He has a yeast infection on it, he also had thrush recently, so thats probably where it came from. We then went to Walmart and Oma was there. Ryan was walking down the isle's yelling "HO, HO, HO!!!! Everyone thought that was pretty funny. We then went home and hung out. I didnt laundry and cleaned a little. On Sunday we took 3 hours naps and got up and headed to Peoria. Ryan rode the train at the mall( for the 5th time) and I had a coupon for Children's Place. He got a few shirts, pants and 2 pairs of PJ's. We ate a pretzel and headed to walmart for diaper rash cream. Then we went home and hung out until bed time. Im hoping the diarrhea will stop soon. Oh, while at the mall, everytime we would walk by the door he would yell, Cold, BRRRRRR!!! I think he might be a comedian. LOL. So thats it. We have been talking and watching things about Santa and he wont stop asking about going to church. Looking forward to a quick work week and a long weekend. Hope everyone is staying warm and enjoying the pre-days of Christmas.
Take Care.
Becky

Irritated

I am so sick and tired of the stupid, assanine(sp) people that own and help maintain the place we live. I will be without hot water for 6 days. That is absolutely absurd. I so sick of their crap. So, I will be looking for somewhere else. Unfortunately it will probably not be in Princeville. I wish it were but I cant find anything.
Ryan is doing better with his breathing. Im sick and have a horrible cough. My asthma is really flared up. We dont have much planned this weekend. Church and on Sunday Princeville has a Xmas homecoming. Lots of fun I hope.
I have been wanting to take Ryan to see Bolt at the theatre. We may do that if the weather is to cold on Sunday.
My friend Robin had a baby boy recently. Evan James. I havent got a chance to call her back. I hoping my cough will subside soon so that we can have a long talk. She is the best.
Hope everyone is staying warm and in full swing for the holidays. Take Care.

Becky

Ho Ho Ho

The xmas tree's are up, xmas light's out, presents are wrapped. Only a few other preparations and Im completely prepared for Christmas. We had a busy start to the Thanksgiving weekend. We both had doctor appointments on Wed. Ryan had allergy testing and all is good. His asthma is still flared up and his chronic sinus infections are a pain, other than that all was well. On Thanksgiving we hung at home most of the day. Ryan took a three hour nap and then we had dinner at Oma & Opa's house. Friday, my brother and his family came up shopping and we met for lunch. Other family was in town. Not much else to report. I did wake up with a cold on Friday. Saturday, we hung out the xmas lights, went to church and had chili afterwards at our neighbors. We had a nice and relaxing time. Sandie's fudge was awesome. Today, nothing. We have literally done nothing. We watched it snow out the front window. Ryan woke up from his nap and was grouchy. He is now sleeping on the living room floor. The spot must have been more comfortable. I will have to go wake him as sleeping this late is not good. He made blueberry muffins and cupcakes. Get stuff ready for the crockpot for Monday. This is the first time since Ryan's been born that we have just been able to hang out, no plans, not sick or at least not in the hospital. It has been so nice. The couch has seen my butt alot in the last few day. I actually didnt take one picture.

Well nothing else to report. Have to get Ryan awake. Take care

Ps: Potty training sucks!!!!

Becky

Shopping almost done

Well, I did some Xmas shopping today. Only need three more gifts and Im done. Then I have to start setting the menu for Xmas morning breakfast. It's a pj party this year. Everyone has to wear pj's, but teeth must be brushed. Most all the xmas decorations are up. We are going to finish the tree tonight and maybe Ill attempt the outside lights this weekend. Ryan is sick again. Major asthma flare up. On Steroids again. I hate steroids. Good for breathing but for attitude. Hateful. He gets downright hateful. He is so ready to potty train. I have it planned to start next weekend but he is ready now!!! The kids is obsessed with the stupid potty. Jeez!! So we are well on our way. I may let him run around in underwear tonight. I just dont want his sitting on my new furniture. He's already pee'd on it once. He did have a speech eval last night and he is doing great. He tested good and Ill get a report in a few weeks. She said he has improved alot. That was good news. Friday is my holiday party for work and then Kaden's bday party is saturday. We have a busy weekend. Sunday we are hanging at home. Im tired. Well, that all for now. Take care.
Becky

OH, we love the weekend. Collllllllld!

That's how Ryan says it. Cooooold! We have a football game saturday that I want to go to but if its to cold we wont be attending. Ill have to see. Ryan is doing well. He has been great every morning at school. He walks in and says, " Bye Mommy". He's a pro. Today they made chocolate chip cookies. Miss Brooke said he was really good. He was very patient and waited his turn to stir. It was probably killing him not to stir first. He likes to cook. He has been an awfully good boy. He's the sweetest baby, Im lucky. He is talking like crazy. We have been talking about the potty alot. Oh and cars. He is addicted to the movie cars. This weekend Madagascar 2 comes out in theatre and Im taking Ryan. This will be his first theatre experience. Nothing else to report. Getting haircuts in a week. Cant wait. Did a little xmas shopping and ryan is about done. Take care.'

Vote

So tomorrow is the big day. Vote. I voted early and it was a difficult decision. One Im still not sure was the best one. Time will only tell.

Ryan had a great night. He played very well in his room. It was kinda quiet. I did some stuff on the computer and cleaned up after dinner. He watched cars, his new favorite movie. When we have to take it back to the library, it will be a sad day. Im going to buy the stupid thing. He has been dancing like crazy. Its so funny. I cannot believe its November. Thanksgiving and then
Christmas. It's creeping up to fast. Looking forward to this weekend for another playoff game. Princeville plays Galena. I hope the weather is nice so that Ryan and I can go. He will be able to wear his Princeville sweatshirt. Not much else going on. Take care.

Love,
Becky

Halloween

We had a great Halloween. Ryan got a ton of stuff from his school party. He got these teeth, I came in from outside and turned and Ryan had those in, it was so funny. I lost it. He thought it was funny too. We started a little after 5pm and I bet we didnt get home until 7pm. We took the wagon and walk all over town. He was pretty serious about his trick or treating. We got a ton of compliments on his costume. We came home and I made chicken and noodles. We ate, Ryan didnt and sat around for awhile and everyone went home. Ryan was exhausted. If we didnt have so much going on we would have gone over to the football game. They are in the playoff's and they won again. Nothing else to report.

All is good

Ryan had his procedure today. They did do biopsies but didnt have to dilate his esophagus and Dr. Liu said everything looked good. Except for all the food packed in his esophagus and stomach. Nothing else for now.

Busy

We had a fast and furious weekend. Had a playdate with some people from work. We did lots of crafts and got some pictures with the costumes on. Ryan really didnt want to wear the coat to his pirate outfit. He looks pretty cute. We had a new sitter for Saturday night. Her name is Abby, she is the daughter of a woman I met a one of the local hangouts. She owns the place and she always stopped to say Hi, and fuss over Ryan. I asked her one day if she knew anyone that babysat. And she said her daughter. She did bring a friend, Brandy. They were both nice and took Ryan for a wagon ride and to the park. He had fun. He was in bed asleep when I got home. I certainly like having someone to call for those times Nana or Oma/Opa cannot watch Ryan.
I went to a benefit for a guy I used to work with. He has a recurrence of Cancer and is having to pay out of pocket for alot of stuff. Rumor has it that they have raised $80,000. Im shocked and so happy for him and his family. I was a fantastic benefit. He has wonderful friends and they did a great job. It was a blast. Carrie and I entered the bags contest. Won the first time, lost the second and we left. Sunday I worked a full day to make up the hours for this friday. That's when ryan has his endoscopy and such in Chicago. I talked with the RN this afternoon. Im not feeling well, so I thought about cancelling but am not going to. I got zofran to help with nausea. Its wonderful. No Im not pregnant. I know that used alot for that but I can say with accuracy, absolutey not!!!!!!!!!!
I have to get packed for Friday, ryan is sleeping and Im headed that way also. Hope all is well. Take care,
Prayers for a good outcome for Ryan's procedure and tests.
He has been healthy for about 3 weeks now. I wonder if the adult pneumovax worked and his immune system is working like it should. I know the test said his immune system is finally responding. Thank God for that little bit. Now if we can just get the rest working right. Prayers, Prayers, Prayers.

Love,
Becky

Fast week

Well, the week went fast and that was nice. We really had a uneventful week and thats an added bonus. Tonight we did laundry and cleaned a little. Tomorrow is the playdate with some people from work. The kids are dressing up and decorating pumpkins. Then Ryan is hanging with a new sitter. Her name is Abby. I keep telling him about her, that she is coming over to play. Im going to a benefit for a guy I used to work with and he is a former patient at my job. Looking forward to that. Im tired and Ryan is watcing Cars. His new favorite show. He is addicted. I hear footsteps so he's probably heading to the kitchen in search of a snack. He gets in trouble for getting into things. He's out of control. So the picture above is from last weekend. Ryan and Jakob in front, and Erika and Jordan in back. I really like this picture.
Hope your weekend is well.

Love,
Becky and Ryan

Fun Sunday, well intended

Well, Ryan didnt get a nap on Sunday. April and the kids came up for a visit. We went to Shore Acres in Chillicothe. I but the kids threw rocks in the water for an hour. Ryan loves that. We then went up and played on the playground equipment. Then went over to a stream that didnt have any water. Got some great pictures of the kids. Im going to get them printed off and hang one in the house. Nice fall photo with cute kids. Then we went to the store for a few things and home to cook out. Then after dinner they had to leave. A 2 hour drive home. I was a fun day. Ryan was cranky. He was in bed at 730am and didnt wake up until 615am. He had a great sleep. He took grapes to school. He was very excited about that. Not much else to report. Another work week has started and we are looking forward to the playdate on Saturday. We have to get a couple pumpkins to take. I hope everyone has a nice week and it goes fast. Take Care.

Love,
Becky and Ryan

Busy Saturday, not intended.

I really had nothing planned for us today. So, I thought well I need a few things at the store. We ran to Walmart and then I remember the kids clothing consignment at Expo. So the car drove us there. Oh yes, I found clothes. I got 15 shirts and 4 pairs of pants for $25. I was so excited. These Clothes he can wear to school and ruin and I could care less. So, that was fun. Then we got gas at $2.79, hello. Thats more like it. Then we came home to get the recycling tubs to take out to the place and we played outside and did a load of laundry. Ryan was a pistol tonight. He would not stop getting into things. Driving me crazy. Everytime I turn around he is standing on the bottom shelf of the Fridge. So, we will be working on his listening skills. They are lacking at this time. Now his counting skills are better. I have never heard him count to 5 and he did then started in spanish. I looked at him like he was crazy, I was standing there with my mouth open, like what the heck. He's smart!!! LOL. He does spanish better than English. Today, I was doing something with flour and had taken it out of the cabinet. He said, Flour. The kid is crazy about cooking. Im glad he likes it but he thinks he's been doing it for 40 years. He isnt allowed near the hot stove but since he's a chef now, its a struggle. He always gets the pot holders out and walks around the stove saying, OK!!! He is a mean stirrer, LOL. Anyway. thats all for now. We are heading to Shore Acres in Chillicothe tomorrow to play and have a picnic. We are all about picnics this weekend. He had one friday night. I made homemade pizza and salad. We sat in the living on the floor, covered by a sheet of course, and watched Cars. It was fun. Something different to start off the weekend. He enjoyed it. He liked the salad and carrots better than the pizza. He's a funny kid

Procedure now for ryan is October 24th, Im excited because we will be able to go to the playdate on the 18th. Really looking forward to that. Seeing all the kids.

Ok, gotta go.

Love,
Becky

Let's try it again

OK, I'm attempting to blog again, hopefully without erasing everything.

Everything is going good. Since last week, I got a call late one night from one of Ryan's doctors. His upper GI was abnormal, totally different from what the radiologist told me the day of the test. He didn't give me all the results. So, stuff is sitting in Ryan's esophagus and it shouldn't be. I called the surgeons office and faxed the report. they told me he need to have his esophagus stretched and then they would look at the nissen(old surgery) to see if its to tight for food to go down. Its weird. I'm still waiting on the scheduling of that. I will probably do it in November.

He is over the worst of his breathing issue's. Off a ton of meds and I'm so grateful. He nose is disgusting. He is continually have sinus infections. The surgeons office said the stuff in his esophagus wouldn't cause that but I bed to differ. Before he had his last surgery that was a problem and after surgery it cleared up. Maybe a coincidence, but I doubt it.

Went to Tanners on Saturday. Ryan picked apples, rode a pony, rode the tractor ride and played. I really think he had a good time. He will not leave the stupid apples alone. Jeez. I put them in the fridge thinking he wouldn't get in there but I was wrong. I can hear the crisper open and he comes in saying, ha ha, with a apple in his hand.

We took a 3 hour nap on Sunday and it was great. Then went to the park and went for a walk and Ryan rode is tricycle. He is doing much better pedaling.

Tonight I made apple cake with all the apples and Ryan helped. he is a very good cook and enjoys it. He stirs and tries to sneak bites of the batter. I just chuckle to myself, unless he gets really out of control. It turned out very good. He had a great dinner and took a shower. He is officially a shower boy now. He does take baths occasionally but boy is it so much easier to do the shower thing. Especially through the week.

He is very tired and I think his sinuses are bothering him. He has dark circles under his eye's. i certainly hope he sleeps better than he did last night. He was up for 3 hours in the middle of the night. I don't know what the deal was. Partly, he was hot and he smashed his hand in the back door on Sunday afternoon. It probably was bothering him. Finally he fell back to sleep.

He really is a good boy and is very helpful. I'm very lucky.

We are looking forward to the play date on the 18Th. It will be so fun to see the kids in their costumes and decorating their pumpkins. We missed the last play date because he was sick. So praying for good health.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and enjoyed the weather. Have a nice week and hopefully is goes by quick for another good weekend.

Take care,

Becky and Ryan

wow, I made it to the end without erasing it. Yippee

Well, I had written a flipping huge post and must of hit something and its gone. That's has now happened to me 3 times. So, Ill post later when I don't want to throw the stupid computer out the window. Hope every one's weekend was great. Saturday was so nice. Ill post soon.

Good News

Well, Ryan had a sweat chloride test this morning, which is a test for Cystic Fibrosis. It is negative. Thank God!!!! I slept horrible last night and was a nervous wreck. I actually didnt hear the news from the doctor, I have my own special ways of finding things out. Waiting on a result of another test and he is having an Upper GI next week to make sure his stomach surgery is still intact. Hopefully there isnt herniation or anything. I am soooo relieved. He cried when I took him to schoo. He did show his friends his stickers but then that was all. All the kids seemed a little grouchy. They all needed naps. So, its a good day. Thats all for now as Im working or suppose to be. Take care.

Becky

another weekend gone bye

So, we didnt do anything this weekend. We ended up at peds afterhours at OSF on Saturday afternoon. Ryan is still having problems breathing. They put him back on oral Steroids. It does help but he does have his coughing fits and it makes him mean. So after we got home from OSF we just hung out and Ryan was fast asleep. We were up early as he was coughing, retching all the fun stuff. :( Got his meds going and had breakfast. We went outside for awhile, I wanted to see if he would start coughing. Not much, but I suppose its because of the steroids. We came back in to take a nap and he coughed for 30 minutes. Then he settled down and took a good nap. It will probably be a late night as we didnt get up until 430pm. So we just finished dinner and bath time. Im emailing and getting all my stuff done. We are going to watch the Emmy's and work on puzzles. Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Love Becky

Ryan and his goggles.

Scary

OK, went out on Saturday night and on my way it was raining like crazy. Had to call 911 because someone hit the guard rail and was in the ditch. Then on the way to Crusen's on War Memorial, I took 74 to the University exit. The exit was under water. Some guy was waving me to slow down. Then on my way home, some drunk missed the turn to go into Princeville and went into the grass of the Apostolic Church. I suppose they wouldn't be happy about that. Then he was swerving all over and almost took out the Welcome to Princeville sign. I thought maybe someone was trying to tell me to go home. So I did.

Ryan is still working on getting better. We were in the ER again on Monday. Didn't have to stay, thank God for that. We saw the DR. the next day and Ryan is now on 8 medications. A little ridiculous. She is trying to get him under control before weening him off of some. I have to write it down because tonight I gave him antibiotic and wasn't suppose to. It wont hurt him but may make his stomach upset. We don't need that on top of everything else. So, hopefully he is getting better. Last night I thought he was doing better but he got breathing treatments all day. I just want him to be able to play like other kids his age. He has gymnastics on Saturdays and has missed two classes already. I do intend on going this Saturday and we have Oliver/Victoria's bday party that afternoon. That will be a fun time. We see the doctor again on Tuesday. She did want him to be tested for Cystic Fibrosis, which is in October. Its a sweat test, no pain and easy.

Also on Monday, my nephew, Jake, went to the ER because he blood sugar was crazy high. It was 350, fasting and 560 after school. He spent the night in the hospital and by morning it was 140. So he is type 1, and what he tells me is, he will give himself shots 4 times per day. He will do a good job I know. Its a different lifestyle and sure the whole family will work together to get everything worked out. I was very emotional about it, you just don't want your kids or your siblings kids to suffer in any way.

Well, That's all for now, need to get in the shower. I'm tired and tomorrow is a big day at work. We have an Audit. Have to dress up and work late. Take Care

OK, so many months ago I was having trouble posting pictures. Got to talking with people at work and now that I have my laptop, its working again. So cool.

Much better now

So, ryan is doing better. He is getting back to himself. It seems like its been forever. I was diagnosed with pneumonia by the end of last week. I am feeling better today. We are both officially done with steroids. Im very grateful. Looking forward to getting back to gymnastics class on saturday. The mother of twins sale is saturday also. Im hoping to go but gymnastics is at nine. I hope im able to run around with ryan without having a coughing attack. We are heading to church on Sunday and thats it for the weekend. Just enjoying our time together. Not much else is going on. Hope everyone is well and enjoying some of this cool weather, although rainy. Have a good week and Ill update again soon.

Love
becky

Labor day not so fun

Well, Ryan was admitted to the hospital on Sunday morning. He was having difficulty breathing. It started out to be a great weekend. We went to our first Princeville football game on Friday. They won and we both had a nice time. Ryan got a sweatshirt and its a size 6-8 in kids, not even that big people. I was shocked. He was up in the middle of the night and couldnt breath through his nose. We went to a few garage sales saturday morning and was able to get some decent shirts and pants. Gymnastics was at 9am, and we had a blast. Ryan was a good listener. He seems to be right up the teachers butt. We will call that an over-achiever. LOL. He was the only kid that was good about following directions. I was proud. They have a mini high bar and parallell bars. Too Cute!!!!!! Then off to Oma/Opa's. Had lunch with Aunt Lindsay and went home. I did start increasing his breathing treatments on Friday night, I could hear the change in his breathing. Sunday, he woke up around 530am and was grunting. I thought he was playing around. Then I heard him panting and knew that we would be in the hospital. So I jumped out of bed, gave him a treatment, got dressed, got Ryan dressed, called the nurse line to let them know his respirations were 49 and they told me to bring him in. Within two hours he had 3 Albuterol treatments, one with Atrovent and steriods. The kids was shaking like crazy. He finally seemed better after 8 hours but if they didnt keep the treatments up at 4-6 hours he was back to the same old thing. He oxygen saturation at its lowest was 86. He's now at 92. Not sure if we are going home or not. May be here another night. Pediatrician doesnt want to push him. His history sucks for this kind of thing so, we will see. His heart rate is finally coming down.
I feel sick now, but am sure its due to lack of sleep. Have been talking to alot of people and one lady's grandson is dying. So sad. She talked about it so non-chalantly. I just listened and told her I was sorry. How awful.
Not much else to report. The steriods make Ryan hyper and then mean. Its like riding a roller coaster.
Take care and hope your holiday was a good one.

Love
Becky and Ryan

Im working on a Saturday

Oh Well, I'm almost done working. Ryan went to visit Oma and Opa. Nana is watching him today. They are running around town. Leaving about 4pm. Ryan and I will be off to the store. We need milk and some fruit. Not doing much tonight. Some laundry and playing. We have been working on our words lately. We get puzzles out and I have Ryan tell me what the puzzle piece is. We work on numbers and colors and sentences. All the fun stuff. Im horrible at keeping his attention. He is very focused on getting the right thing in the right places. We may go for a long walk around town. We have done that lately. He let me lay around on the couch until 9am this morning. It was awesome. He just wanted to watch Duck, aka: WordWorld. Gymnastics start in another week, on the 30th. I hope he enjoys them. He will meet new friends. Hopefully, its not full of string bean moms. Anyway, we are hanging around home alot, Im trying to put money back into my account after paying for car needs. I have a bunch of large toys, etc... I want to sell. Hoping to have a garage sale. Reminder the Mother of Twins sale is soon and the Marquette Heights garage sale is the 20th of September.

Thats all for now. Have a nice weekend.

Love,
Becky & Ryan

Ready for Fall

Im ready for cool weather. I want fall to be hear. Ryan is doing pretty good. He is still fighting some kind of sinus thing. We saw the Doctor on Tuesday and she has three things she wants to do. His immune system is not good. The labs are low and he isnt fighting of things very good. So she is going to give him a shot and see if he develops antibodies. If he doesnt we have to change some meds and then if that doesnt work, prophylactic antibiotics. I really dont want that as he can become resistant. Yuck!!! Other than that he is good. We played alot last night. He slept great. I fixed a good dinner and he eat very well. His appetite hasnt been that great lately. We have a few busy weekends coming up. Then Ryan starts Gymnastics on the 30th. I hope he enjoys it. So, thats all for now. Take care.

To the Museum we go

Going to the Museum with neice, nephews and sister-in-law. Ryan isnt going because he is to little. Have a haircut tonight and then we are cooking out. Ryan worked up a sweat last night, raking mulch. He was a big helper. Im so glad he is a worker. He's a very hard worker. We havent been doing a whole lot. Ryan did have a speech evaluation and is behind. So, he will start speech once a week. It could take up to 3 months before it starts. He is delayed in Gross Motor but that was known and he will always be delayed in Gross Motor due to low muscle tone. He is singing alot lately and we are working on learing "Big" and "Small". He pretty much knows it but we work on it for an entire week. Next week I think I will teach the word "I". He is just starting to use it and I want him to get the full understanding. Then we are working on his colors again. He does ok, but I want him to know them really well. ABC's are coming along and number are pretty good. Someone other than me probably wouldnt understand what he was saying. Ryan is really enjoying the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks. I have been very busy at work and the weeks have gone fast. I was reading our town paper last night and realized that Ryan will start Pre-School in one year. Stressed me out. I cant even imagine it. We will be working on alot of goals over the next year. I dont want him to be behind when starting school as he will always be behind in gross motor skills. Our babysitter is leaving for college in a week. She is going to Massage school in Moline. We will definately miss her. Ryan had a ball at her parents house the other night. They have goats, ducks, chickens, dogs, and cats. He loved it. He played very hard. In about a week we have a playdate with a bunch of girls from work. We all have kids in the same age range. I believe Ryan is the oldest. It will be a good time. My friend, Pamela, is pregnant again. She says this is it. Well, not much else. Have a nice weekend. Ill post after the Grossology exhibit at the museum. Take care.

Win, Win, Win

Well, Jakob and Jordan won their ballgame on Tuesday night. Now they play Thursday and If they win that game, play Saturday and we will be there. I sent flowers to them today to wish them luck. Exciting stuff. Ryan and I went to the pool last night. It was great. The water was very refreshing and it wore Ryan out. Tonight he has a speech evaluation and easter seals eval. They will probably release him from the program tonight. He is doing well. Really into Thomas the Train. He always wants his, "Choo, Choo". So, tonight we are spending the night at Oma/Opa's, our air conditioner is being replaced, finally. Nothing else for now. Take care.

Good Holiday

Our 4th of July was fantastic. We went swimming and ate alot of food. Ryan had his first experience with Monster trucks. They were a little close for comfort. I was nervous. But they were enjoyable. He wasnt scared of the sound, although he did have headphones on. We had several late nights. We went to ballgames the next night. Ryan was a maniac. I dont know if he is just feeling better and able to breath better after being treated for asthma or what. He is crazy and has alot of energy. He has also been having melt downs when I leave or if Oma/Opa leave. He cried himself to sleep last night after leaving Opa/Oma's house. Jeez!!!! Over all everything is going well. I think Ryan and I are going to the zoo soon. I have been wanting to take him. It will be hotter than heck, but what the heck. So, he has been talking alot and really becoming his own little man. Aunt April cut his hair and he looks like a Marine. Its to cute. Well thats all. Have a good week.

Love,
Becky and Ryan

Lots of swimming

Well, Relay for Life is finally over and Im glad. It was a great success. Saturday, Ryan and I went to the pool and I finally got a little sun. Sunday we went to Deborah's house to swim. We had a good time but it got cold after a while. Her pool is heated and it was awesome. We at hom now and Im waiting for Ryan to fall asleep. He has been quiet for about a minute now. He has been saying, "Mommy", for 30 minutes. I think I hear him walking down the hall. So, we had a nice dinner and Im glad its only a four day week. Im hoping to leave this thursday after work. We are heading to see some family. I hope the weather is nice.
In the last few days, two girls at work had their babies. Two girls. Ive seen pictures of both and they are so sweet. Thats all for now. Have a great week and Happy 4th of July.

Love,
Becky and Ryan

Diagnosed

So, Ryan has been diagnosed with Asthma. They are putting him a preventative to help control flare ups and he still uses Xopenex for flare ups. He was also put on Nasonex for Sinus infections/control. Sinus infections make Asthma flare up. He also has been diagnosed with Transient Gammoglobulinemia in Infancy. That one is a long story. His iron is worse. I thought it would be better now that he taking a multi-vitamin with iron and been eating more things with iron. But that isn't the case. so we have to add more vitamin c to help the iron bind. Hopefully it will come up soon. So we are very tired and worn out, especially on such a busy week. the Relay for Life start Friday. I'm exhausted. I can hardly keep my eye's open. Ryan did go back to school today. Hopefully he does well. I got my new furniture and it looks nice, although I'm not used to having all of this furniture. Its kinda driving me nuts. Well, nothing else. I think that's plenty to report. Take care.

Its been a while

I know, I havent written in a while. Not much has been happening. Ryan is currently sick. Been giving him breathing treatments often. Im sitting here listening to him wheeze while he watches Mickey Mouse and goes through my purse. Last night we went to the festival up town. It was fun. Ryan actually rode on the car ride. He really didnt move while on it but he didnt want to get off the ride. He also went down one of those big slides, oh, Id say 8 times. He loves it. We went with the neighbor kids and Jordan took him down the slide. He would laugh all the way down. He had a corn dog, and he tried a lemonade shake up. He made the worst face. Too sweet. He didnt get to bed until 930pm. That is very late for him. He will probably take a good nap today. Janine, our babysitter is coming tonight. Im going to Peoria to meet a friend. I was suppose to go to my brothers and then to Zach's 1 year party but I have to sit and wait for the cable guy this morning. I want to have a full weekend to drive down and hang out with family. Also with Ryan's breathing issue's, I like to stay close to home. There is a parade at noon today. It goes right in front of our house. Lets see. Ryan started swim lessons this week. He will take them on Tuesday and Thursday. It helps develope his low muscle tone. He seems to enjoy it. Brooke from daycare is going to take him with her daughter. Thinking about Gymnastics in the winter as I want to continue to develope his coordination and muscle tone. He was evaluated yesterday at school, through Easter Seals. So we will see what that says. Nothing else to report. Have a good weekend.

Love
Becky

Swimming season

We had a great, relaxing weekend. We went to the pool Saturday. Ryan has trouble in the pool but we will work on that. Hoping to get him into swim lessons. I had to volunteer at church in the 4th-5th grade room. It was a blast. We then took a long nap, didnt get up until 330pm. WOW!!! It was very nice. We hung out the rest of the day and watched Shrek and played. Ryan helped me with laundry and threw a few fits. Thats to be expected. Tonight we have to go to the hospital so he can have some blood drawn. We are going to run by Easter Seals to drop off his braces. Hopefully someone else can use them. Then its off to dinner with Oma/Opa. Then home. Thats all for now. Take care.

Becky

Is summer here?

Well, It's be rather warm. I like it. Yesterday I planted flowers, ect.... for several hours. Got a little sun on my shoulders. Ryan and I played outside and we cooked out for dinner. We had a good day, other than the air conditioner not working. Its suppose to be fixed sometime this week. I certainly hope so. Its going to rought the few next days. Ryan see's the allergist on Wednesday and Im not able to give him Zyrtec. He is already stuffy and coughing. the zyrtec helps dry him up. He is sleeping right now and we plan on going to the pool after naptime. Im sure the water is pretty cold but we will have fun. We have a busy week with lots of appts and I have to volunteer at church next weekend. Hope everyone has a nice week.

:)

Happy Friday!!! Enjoy your weekend.

Love,
Ryan

Nothing to report

All is well. We have a busy home weekend planned. I have many things to get out in the yard and put together. I need to get a couple more plants for the outside and some mixture that will help the absolute nasty soil in the back of the house. Im hoping that my air conditioner will be replaced at the beginning of the week. The landlord should have replaced it last year but he is just that a landlord. Finally, I told him the other day if it didnt get fixed quick, I would be moving. So we will see if it actually gets fixed. If it does, I soooo need the carpets cleaned. When my furniture arrives we can no longer have food and drink in the living room. We have been practicing. So all is well. Water aerobics start Tuesday and they are twice a week. That will be a good work out. They run from 7-8pm and Janine is coming over the hang with Ryan. Ill definately sleep well on those nights. Work currently sucks. I have a bad attitude about it right now. Im sick of the crap and dump.

Anyway, thats all for now. Still looking for online programs to finish up my degree. Maybe then Ill get out of the dead end job.

Have a good weekend.

Becky

Milk

Thats the new word, "Milk". Its pretty funny. When we drove home yesterday, he said "Mommy! Mooooo", and he was very proud of himself. I could see the gleam in his eye. Hope everyone had a nice weekend. We did and are looking forward to the next one. Not much to report. Picking his pictures up tonight and will be late picking him up. I hate that. Im a nightmare until I get there to pick him up. Its such a long day. I have an appt. I must go to and I dont have the time to drive home to get him.

Gotta go,

Becky

Long weekend gone

The holiday is over and Ryan is standing behind me pushing and shoving. He wont go to bed because we napped to late. We did get up until 5pm. So here we are. I could actually sleep but for Ryan, thats a lost cause. We went to my brothers for the weekend. It was a little stressful as they were trying to put up a pool. Ended up hiring it out. So at this point not sure when it will be done. Needs to stop raining first. So my cousin, Aunt and Uncle came over Saturday. We grilled out and the boys had a ball game at 8pm. They won. Sunday we went to visit Aprils sister in theospital. She had twins on Saturday. Conner James and Riley Nicole. We were only able see the little girl as Connor was in ICU. We then went and played miniature golf and the kids went to the batting cages. Then off to the movies they went. Ryan and I didnt go as he would set still that long. We were home early today and everything is picked up and put away.
Thats all for now. Ryan is tearing the house apart. Reminder to self dont let him sleep in again. Great, now he has my bible. Gotta Go

Potty

Ryan told the teacher today that he had to peepee. So, being the big boy he is, he went peepee on the potty. They called and told me and Ryan said "Byeee". Too Cute! He has really been telling me when he is going to the potty. We have been taking rides in his new wagon. He really likes it and so do I. Tomorrow, Janine is going to bring Ryan home so that I can go get my feet injected with cortisone. It is more painful than birth. I would rather give birth than have needles stuck in my feet. I cant take it any more. My feet hurt so bad. I dont want to be miserable the entire summer. We are going to really have to do something about the pain in the future. All else is well. Ryan's mood has been so much better. I adjusted what we do when we first get home. We walk to get the mail, take a wagon ride, swing, water flowers and then its time to come in to get dinner started. We eat, bath time and play time, he's in bed at 8pm. I was actually up before he was this morning. Thats odd. He is usually up and rocking in the recliner saying "weeee, weeee!!!! Oma's birthday was Monday, as was my dad's. He would have been 60. I cant actually believe its been 10 years since he passed. I really wish Ryan knew him. He would be a great grandpa. He would teach him all the things a boy should know.
So, Ive started packing for the holiday. Ryan's stuff is done except for medicine and his toothbrush. I just have to get my stuff packed. We are leaving as soon as I pick him up friday after work. We are getting together with my cousins and Aunt/Uncle. Im hoping maybe we can go out the the farm and Ryan can get a tractor ride. He has never ridden on a big tractor before. Im going to ask my Uncle Gerald, thats if he's not to busy in the field. It is planting season. If not Ryan will be fine seeing the cows. The twins have a game Saturday night. Ryan will probably sleep through it as its at 8pm. Or he will be really excited and a grouch the next day. Oh Well, he will have fun. Its also the time for pictures at the fish pond out front of my brothers house. When Ryan was about a month old I put him on the rocks on top of the water fall and took pictures. Then did it last year. So, now its tradition. The pond will have to stay forever. It is neat to see the change from year to year. In just one year he went from baby to little man. He will probably look 30 this year. LOL. Well thats all. I need to look at my flowers I planted. I keep checking them like they are going to die in any second. I dont know if Ill have time to write again, so, have a great holiday weekend. Drive safe, dont drink and drive, and enjoy your time with family and friends.

Love,
Becky and Ryan

Kite

I have never in my life flown a kite. Yesterday we got one out. It was fun. Ryan even had it going. The grandkids of my neighbors were over and they all played. They dug in the dirt and we just had a great weekend. I finished laundry and cleaned. I planted flowers and I think we just had a very enjoyable weekend. Thats really all I wanted to say. Have a great week.

Good Weekend

We are having a wonderful weekend. Laundry is almost done. I balanced the checkbook, put Ryan's wagon together and I just need to get milk and we are set for the week. Ryan has been happy and playing and laughing. Its great. He is so much fun. Im already looking forward to the holiday weekend. Ryan is sleeping now. He is taking a great nap. Well, thats all for now.

Becky

My boy is back

RYAN WAS BACK TO HIMSELF LAST NIGHT. IT WAS SO NICE. HE WAS IN A BETTER MOOD, HE PLAYED AND DANCED, AND WAS LAUGHING. IT WAS GREAT. WE HUNG OUT AND HE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT. I FEEL MORE RESTED TODAY.
TONIGHT IS THE FIRST NIGHT IM LEAVING RYAN WITH A BABYSITTER OTHER THAN FAMILY. IM READY TO CANCEL ALREADY. IM NERVOUS. HE WILL BE FINE THOUGH. JANEEN IS GOING TO TAKE HIM HOME AND GIVE HIM DINNER AND PLAY, ETC....... I HOPE ALL GOES WELL. I HAVE FORGOT ABOUT A BABY SHOWER FOR A CO-WORKER AFTER WORK. SO, ILL GO THERE FOR A FEW HOURS AND THEN HOME. JANEEN IS GOING TO WATCH RYAN FOR A FEW HOURS ON SATURDAY WHILE I RUN SOME ERRANDS. LET'S PRAY IT ALL WORKS OUT. WELL, THATS ALL FOR NOW. THE 2ND ANNUAL BASKET DRAWING FOR RELAY FOR LIFE WILL BE OFFICIALLY OVER TODAY. IM GLAD BECAUSE IM BEHIND AT WORK. THAT STRESSES ME OUT.
HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND, SHOULD BE NICE WEATHER.

TAKE CARE

BECKY

Man of a thousand words

He is just saying words and I have know idea where he is learning them. I know he is just picking them up. He is saying " I want more", whick actually is more like "Ida want more" LOL. He is very grouchy, not sleeping well. He either isnt eating well or is a starving lunatic. Its weird. He must be having some sort of growth thing going on. We did have a good night last night. I have readjusted our night time routine. I got away from reading books right before bed and Im putting back in. I dont know why it stopped but it did. He went to bed at 8pm and slept until 2am. The kid was starving. He had a great dinner. He had Tuna Noodle Casserole, Melon, and corn. I mean come on, oh and he had an apple with pb for a bedtime snack. He has me stumped. His mood was better last night, although he did slap his teacher across the face today.

Janeen, is a senior that works at the daycare and she is coming over on Wednesday to see the place and go over where everything is. She is leaving for school in August but Im going to have her babysit throughout the summer. I thing this Saturday for a few hours while I go get a pedicure. Ill start with small times and then build up to a night out. I need to find out what the going rate is for babysitting. In my day it was like $2.00 an hour. Ive heard $5.00.

Hoping my cousin Lisa comes up for a weekend or a day this summer to swim and hang out. Im still looking forward to Memorial Day at my brothers. Going to visit with family and have a nice relaxing time.

WE had a great time this year for the Race/Ride for the Cure. Grandma & Grandpa Hartman were up and it was a nice day. I was a little stressed out because Ryan cried most of the walk. But he got better. He got this great puzzle from Grandma Hartman. We love it. Thank you. We really enjoyed our day and the highlight was Grandma Hartman putting Ryan's diaper on backwards. I laughed. That was so funny. What just as funny is I put his pants on backwards this morning. He was walking around and I thought those dont look right. It happens to everyone. Well thats all for now

Long Week

Oh, Its been a long week. We have had poop problems, tiredness, run, run, run and more run and then work and all the other stuff inbetween. Ryan is asleep and Im getting ready to hit the shower and read for a while. Tomorrow is Race for the Cure. Im looking forward to it as I do every year. I hope the weather is good with lots of sun. We have to go to Strid Rite and see if a pair of sandals I ordered, fit Ryan. His little fat feet are difficult to fit in shoe's.
Im still waiting on my pictures that we had done two weeks ago. She said two weeks and tomorrow is exactly 14 days. Ill give her until Wednesday, which is going to be very difficult for me, then Im calling. It was hard enough waiting 14 days.
Ryan mad me a mother's day card at school. It has his hand prints on it and he colored on it. Its sweet.
Looking forward to the holiday weekend in a few weeks. We will be heading down to my brothers. They should have their pool up by then. Ill be in the hot tub with a Bacardi Raz. Ill be the one with the floaties. LOL, LOL.
Ryan has been in a better mood today. He has been laughing and playing. More like himself. I felt so bad through the week, he was so sad and didnt want to play and wanted to be held alot.

Thats all for now. Have a good weekend.

Love,
The Kunkel's

Sad Boy

Ryan is sad today. His little butt is so sore. I feel so bad for him. He cries and cries and cries. He had to have blood drawn today to see if his iron is still low because eating sand can be a clue that he is anemic. Weird. Its been a long day and I just finished getting the Race packets together. Im tired and my feet are swollen. Must be retaining fluid. Well, Im done for the night. Heading to the shower and then to bed. Lets say a pray that Ryan is feeling better. He has been so tired and not eating well. My little pumpkin feels bad.

take care

Sand

So, Ryan is pooping sand and alot of it. His little but is so raw. Im really ticked off at the School. He sometimes acts like his belly hurts, which, Im sure it does with a bunch of sand in it. I put the crack down on the sandbox. I think they got the message. He isnt allowed to play in the sand, near the sand and I want them to get rid of it. Sand boxes have so much bacteria in it and Im concerned it will make him sick. It is playing havoc on his behind. This kid keeps things going. There is never a dull moment. Hopefully he is doing better in a few days. He isnt wanting to sit down and cries. We were up for a few housr overnight. Im tired but more irritated. Thats all for know.

Rough Day

Well, I have some kind of conjunctivitis going on in both eye's. I went to the eye doctor yesterday and they seem to think its allergies. That could very well be. So no contacts, only glasses. I hate wearing my glasses. Then the day was ok until after work. I had to run a errand before picking up Ryan and as I was coming down the street to daycare, Ms. Brooke called me. She wanted to know if I was on my way and driving. She said something is wrong with Ryan, he cant open his eye's. She didnt know if it was sunscreen or what. I walked in and freaked out. Ryan's eye's were swollen, red and he couldnt open them. He face was beat red, lips swollen. It was awful. I immediately was on my way to the prompt care at OSF. It was a allergic reaction to something. They gave him a huge dose of benadryl and we went home. I gave him a quick bath and he was asleep. He slept all night and looks much better this morning. He is itching his eye's and nose, sneezing, runny nose, etc..... Calling the pediatrician. I think its allergies. Ive said all along he has allergies, but Im the stupid mother and doctors dont listen to the mom's. Actually my pediatrician does listen to me, its just that kids before age two dont usually have allergies and the medications arent tested on small children. Its an area that needs more research. He is back at school today and I hope he does well. We have the air conditioning on all ready because it helps filter the air. They dont want him outside for three days. Im not doing that unless he has another reaction and we will be in the allergists office very fast. Thats all for now. I hope that we are both well for a very busy weekend.

Take care,
Becky

New word

Well, Ryan has a new word. "Let's Go". Dont know where he learned it but he stands at the door and says, "Let's Go". Gotta Go, Ryan is yelling in his bed. He is over tired and was up to late. That is my fault entirely. The day got away from us.

Have a good week.

Becky

All is quiet

Its Saturday night and all is quiet. Ryan is in bed and I'm balancing my checkbook. What a Saturday night. It really must mean I'm old to be doing this on Saturday. Oh well, don't mind. We had a busy week. Ryan is full of new words each day. He is saying, Duck, broke, poop, pee pee, cookie, swing, side(that is outside, he misses the out part), I guess that's it. He has been hitting more the last few days. Its when he is really tired. Today, we were nose to nose and I told him how things were going to be if he hit me again. He will be spending alot of time in timeout.

Ryan is enjoying his swing set and I'm so glad. He is getting addicted to cookies, which, in his world cookies are fruit bars. So I have him on 100 calorie snacks. I don't want him to have a bunch of sugar. He was up early this morning and I made banana pancakes. They were pretty good.

We went to a family fun day that was put on by Easter Seals. We got to play and made a frame and painted. He also rode a pony and Ill be sending out the pictures. He loved it. He didn't want to stop riding the pony. They likes mints so they let Ryan feed the pony mints. Who has ever heard of ponies eating mints. I guess their breath will smell good. LOL. It was a fun time and he was zonked out in the car. He went to Oma and Opa's. I had the afternoon to myself. Had lunch with a friend and shopped a little. Got groceries and came home and started to watch Broke back Mountain. I'm telling you my mouth was hanging open really fast and I'm scarred for life. I don't know if Ill finish it or not. The actors did a great job. WOW. I want to watch Juno before Monday, maybe during Ryan's nap time.

That's all for now. Take care and Ill try to write again this week or after Race for the Cure next weekend. This is a very busy week for me, leading up to Relay for life fundraiser on the 12Th. I'm a little stressed out getting prepared for that and trying to keep up with work.

Have good rest of the weekend.


Becky

PS: Ryan brought home a sweet mother's day card for me. It was really cute. An earlier gift.

Restrictions

FYI: I have restricted this site to people I have to add in. I have had people writing comments and I dont know who they are. S0 if you cannot read the blog or know someone can no longer see it, let me know and I can add them to the list.

Becky

IT'S DONE

The swingset is finished!!! Ryan has gone down the slide and been swinging and climbing on the rock wall. He likes it. Have a good week, I have to go, Ryan is on top of the table trying to eat an apple.

Pictures

We had a very low key day. It was nice since it seems like we are on the go all the time. We didnt even get out of our pj's until afternoon. We played and hung out. We napped. I layed down with Ryan and was out. I woke up at some point and went into my room and layed down. Then Ryan came walking in. I was shocked. He has never gotten out of his bed before. He really didnt know to get out. This was the first time and so it will probably continue. The pacifier is still an issue. School will be instructed not to give it to him at nap time. Im going to start with that and see how he does. Then we will work on the over night without his pacifier. It will have to be on a weekend, as I know I wont be sleeping much.

We had a 3pm appointment to have pictures taken in chillicothe. It's KV Imagery. You can check out her website at kvimagery.com. I was a mess. I was really nervous. I had a ton of clothes for Ryan and forgot one bag. I was not prepared and I didnt know what to expect. This was so different from the in and out picture places. She was very nice and Ryan did really well. She was pleased that he listened so well and he was posing like a professional model. I should say that lasted about 30 minutes and then the typical 2 year old came out. He still did well. We had threea outfit changes, pictures of us both and then we went to a park near the river. Ryan was having a ball throwing rocks into the water. It got to be a game when she would try to take his picture he would turn away or ignore her. She did get some great shots. So she will have them on the website in a couple of weeks. I will be sending out the link to see the proofs and they can be ordered from there. I cant wait to see them. Next time Ill know better what to do. I now know what its like and what looks best. She is really good at what she does. I wish I had her talent. Ryan was tuckered out and fell asleep on the way home.

Well, thats all for today. Ryan is in bed and so am I as I type this. Im tired and I now he will be up before 530am. The mornings are early around here. It will be nice because I only have a little laundry to do, take the garbage to the curb, the neighbor mowed today and let me tell you its so nice not to have to worry about that, and we are hopefully going to get the swing set finished. Lets pray the weather is decent. Then the work week starts again. I really had a hard time being at work last week. My attitude was bad. I think its because its nice out and I usually get that way as the nice weather hits. Im going to try to take some time off this summer and just hang at home and do nothing. I dont get much down time and Im feeling the need for it. I can take Ryan to school and rest or take a walk. Just what ever I want.

Ok, more some other day. Cant wait to send you all the link for pictures. Have a good Sunday.

Love,
Becky

2 year well baby check

Well, Ryan had his 2 year well baby check. He isnt feeling well but it went great. He is 35 pounds with shoe's on and 36 1/4 inches tall. He is anemic so I will be pumping him full of red meat and I think the doctor will prescribe a different multi-vitamin. I thought they all had iron in them but I guess not. Other than that all is well. He hasnt been sleeping well. I dont know if he is dreaming but he wants to be very close to me and has been very clingy. We have been on the go so much, he gets like this when we havent had the us time or when he's away from home. I went to check on him before bed last night. He looked so cute sleeping in his bed. Sometime I rub his back while he's sleeping. He a sweet little peanut. When he got poked for the lead test yesterday he didnt even cry. The last time he got shots he didnt cry. He is a brave boy. I hope the lead test is negative. Im concerned as we live in a older farm community that is a high lead area. I will freak. Nothing else to report. I have been working on flowers. Ryan helped me pot one and its a little lopsided. He did a good job. He sure likes digging in the dirt. He has been mowing the lawn and playing ball. Thats all for now. Take care

Love,
Becky

Birthday

Well, Ryan would be almost 16 hours old, 2 years ago. It seems like yesterday and I already miss it. He was born today the 21st at 521am. Today he went to school and I took a small cake and cupcakes. He played and had fun. He hasnt been wanting to leave when I pick him up. Its nice because he likes being there. Its a fight to get him to the car. Today I walked down and took his tricycle with me. He rode some and yes, pedaled on his own. Then he walked the rest of the way. It was a long walk for him. We played outside, he helped me plant flowers and we cooked out on the grill. Our neighbor bought a riding lawn mower, so he is going to do that for me this summer. Its awesome. Its a big relief not to have to mow. I done mind it, but trying to watch Ryan and mow at the same time is hard. Its such a big help. So we visited with him and watched him mow. Ryan was very interested. He said next time he would let Ryan ride with him. Ryan will be thrilled. Then our other neighbors came over and Dave took Ryan for a ride in his truck. I think he has everyone wrapped around his finger. We are very lucky to have a great neighborhood. I absolutely love living here. Everyone is so nice and friendly. Everyone helps out and I love it here. Its our home and were Ryan will grow up. So, Ryan was up later than he should have been. Bedtime has been great. He brushes his teeth and we go into his room and he lays down on his pillow, I give him a kiss and he goes to sleep. I am lucky. The problem is going to be this weekend when I get rid of the pacifier. He is only getting it at nap time and bedtime but its time to let it go. I think its going to be very hard. A sleepless weekend is on its way. We have pictures on Saturday. I have our clothes ready and am looking forward to the session. Kara does great pictures. Other than that we will be outside planting flowers and trying to get the yard looking good. The swingset isnt done yet. We have had some delay. We need to move it again and it will take about 7 guys to get it moved. Lord only knows when that will happen. Im ready for it to be done so Ryan can start playing on it.
Well, thats all for now. I will try to get the pictures out in the next couple of days. We have been nonstop and I just havent got to it yet. Enjoy the nice weather.
Happy Birthday to Ryan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still cannot believe he is 2.

Love,

The Kunkel's
Becky & Ryan

Happy Birthday to Ryan!!!! "2"

Well, its Sunday afternoon and Im by myself. Ryan went to the airshow with Oma and Opa. I guess he is having a great time. Im so glad, I was worried he would be afraid of the loud planes and jets. I heard he was clapping and hitting Opa in the head and was having a grand time. He is on the way home now. I have spent the afternoon picking up and finishing laundry. I vaccumed and have put all the music I wanted on my Ipod. So, I am glad to have the small stuff done. I still have to pot a flower before Ryan gets home. Friday, my brother's family came up to help get ready for Ryan's party on Saturday. It was a long night with not alot of sleep. I guess everyone except Ryan and I, froze to death. I was fine. People started showing up around 12 or 1pm. Im not sure what time it was. We were suppose to have cake at 2pm, but I think it was more like 330pm. The cake was awesome and I have a ton left over. The weather was good. Thank goodness. I was worried about it raining. Everyone played outside. We had the gloves and bats out. It was a fun day. Ryan received a lot of nice things and help with the swing set. He did receive his very own mower. I wish it actually cut the grass and he did get a T-ball set. There was a ton of other things also, but to many to list. We had dinner. Yes, I know we had dessert first. But, whatever. The day turned out wonderful. At the end, Ryan was over tired and over stimulated. He crashed and so did I. Well, Ill write more later. He's home with a muddy stoller.

Becky

War of the Spaghetti

So..... Ryan had a fit at the dinner table last night and decided to play and throw his spaghetti on the floor. That's one area I wont let go. So, he spent time in time out and actually stayed. I told him to go pick it up and he started the process and then decided he was done. So, He went back to time out. He was probably sitting there for 5 minutes, crying the whole time. I went over and told him to apologize and he did. Gave me a hug and it was bath time. He did have a fit prior to all of this. He didn't want to come in from outside. Stubborn. Stubborn. Stubborn.
All is well, today is PJ's day at school and he has them on. Tomorrow is beach party day. I have to get something together for that. That's all for now.
Take Care

Becky

Ryan is funny

Ryan is being very funny lately. He has a good sense of humor. He is very interested in everything, especially the neighbors (on both sides) garages. They have all the tools he likes. I think he might be handy. I would be grateful for that. I think that's a great quality to have as a boy/man. Its nice to have someone around that can fix things. Today is character day at school, so he is a Chicago Bears Fan. Tomorrow is PJ's Day. That's an easy one. I'm getting prepared for his birthday party on Saturday. I have to pick up the cake and balloons on Friday. Mickey Mouse is the theme. I have the swing set bought and out. I just need to label everything and have it ready to go for the guys on Saturday. Some don't even realize they are helping to put it together. Its a working birthday party. I be on the couch or napping. LOL. Just kidding. Ill be supervising. That's what I do best. LOL. So, Ryan is talking away and having fits and very active. New things everyday. He is a good boy and I'm thankful that he is my son. God knew what he was doing when he made Ryan.

OK, I hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather that's coming our way. I hope it continues. Take care.

Love,
Becky

Friday night and online

Ryan is asleep. Sort of. He hasnt slept real well the last two nights. Dont know if his ears hurt or what. Im trying to get some music on my Ipod. Im about ready to go to bed. Heading out in the morning to garage sale. Ryan will probably be bored to death. Nana is watching Ryan tomorrow night as my cousin Ed is getting married. Looking forward to it. Hope the day turns out great for him and his fiance. I feel like we have been so busy. Im trying to get some stuff done in Ryan's room and get the swing set to the house and have it ready to be put up on Saturday the 19th. Im asking everyone at the party to help out. I have everything for the party except ice cream, candles, and some odd and ends. I hope the cakes turn out nice. Its the first time Ive ordered from Sam's. I have eaten their cake and its great but I want it to look nice. Its Mickey Mouse. Ryan's favorite. Landon's also. Landon is one day older than Ryan. Its a neat story how I know Landon. Well, Ryan and I sure hope his birthday party is lots of fun. Happy Birthday Landon. Lorey, I hope the two's arent so terrible. For me also. We will be able to recall in a few years. LOL. I hope the weekend shapes up, but dont think it will. I hope Ryans birthday weekend is nice and somewhat warm. I tanned today. It was so nice.

So, I hope everyone has a nice long weekend. We are going swimming tomorrow so that will be fun. Not the best thing for Ryan as he is fighting a double ear infection. But I always keep his plugs handy.

More some other day.

Love,
Becky

Im online

So, I'm finally online at home. It took about 3 hours. I hooked almost everything up right but had to call the cable company and have my brother walk me through some stuff. Jeez, who ever said this was easy. Ryan has really not to much attention to what I'm doing. Thank goodness for that. He is watching Mickey Mouse right now and as soon as I'm done writing this he is taking a nice hot bath. Now I only have the Ipod, wireless mouse and printer to hook up. Ill maybe finish that next week. LOL. If I'm lucky!! I'm computer stupid. Well that's all. Off to the bathtub.

Becky

sickness

Hi Everyone,

Ryan is doing well except for a double ear infection. He is already doing much better since starting the antibiotic. We had a post op appointment in chicago yesterday. Dr. Liu said to start weaning Ryan off all his medications and we dont have to return for 6 months. Im so thrilled for this. I hope he does well going off the medications. It will be a slow process. Ryan did great traveling. As he always does. He ate a great dinner and it was a late night. He woke up about 1am and needed a drink. We are getting prepared for his birthday. I ordered the cake today and still have to get balloons and other decorations. His theme this year is Mickey Mouse.
Ryan learned a new word yesterday. "BUS" He said it over and over. I still have went to get the swingset yet but I will this week. It has been so busy and I havent had a free moment. We have a wedding this weekend so we are looking forward to that. Lots of family will be in town.
Tonight we are going to hook up the computer. I finally received everything I need. I hope I can get it running. I feel like a complete idiot. So Im sure in two weeks Ill still be working on it. By then I wont even want to discuss it. Thats all for now. Take care.

Love
Becky

Good Morning

Well, its been a little while since posting. Sorry about that, Erin. LOL. Ryan has been doing very well. He isnt vomiting at every meal. He eating great. I think sometimes his belly hurt but otherwise he's great. He is quite the comedian lately. Still wanting Mommy on a regular basis. I think as long as he see's or hears me he is fine. He will check up on me if Im in another room. You would think I was the kid. We have many busy weekends coming up. This weekend is the Mother of Twins sale and the work fundraiser. Im so looking forward to that so I can get an IPOD. I want the pink one. Sunday we dont have plans, thank the good LORD above. Ryan has his first post op check in Chicago on Tuesday. We will be driving up the night before and staying so we can swim. Oma doesnt know that yet. Then my cousin is getting married on the 12th. Im looking forward to that. All my cousins and family will be there. I got a babysitter. Yippee!!!! Then its the BIG "2", for Ryan. Can you believe he is two. I cant!!!!! His party is the 19th with cake and ice cream. Very small this year as I went completely overboard last year. He is getting a swingset for his birthday. Im going to go through all his toys and get rid of stuff. After that is Race for the Cure and Mothers Day. Busy, Busy, as Im sure everyone is. Well thats all for now. Take care and have a great weekend.

Love
Becky

All is well

Ryan had a Upper GI done yesterday and everything looks great according to the very good looking radiologist. He was HOT!!!!!!! So everything is intact and going were its suppose too. Im glad to know that and feel better about it. Ryan had a great night. WE played, took a long bath, he ate like a raving lunatic and he slept through the night. Yippee!!!!! We have nothing planned for this weekend and Im so grateful for that. I hope the weather is decent as I need to do yard work. Nothing else to report. Im trying to get caught up at work and Ryan and I are adjusting back to a normal schedule. He is really wanting Mommy, so I am going to be spending alot of time with him. I think he is hitting that stage. Hope everyone is well.

Take Care
Becky

First full day at school

Today is Ryan's first full day back at school. I called and checked on him earlier and Miss Brooke said he is doing wonderfully. He should be taking his nap right now. I hope eating has been ok. He was asking about Tay, his buddy, yesterday. I think he was looking forward to playing.
We had a nice Easter and hope everyone else did also. Looking forward to an uneventful weekend. Ryan was blessed with lots of family and wonderful gifts. His Cubs hat and binoculars are his favorites. He had know interest in the shirts that I got him. Isnt that the way, no clothes just bring on the toys. So, we will be in Chicago again for a post op appt. I think everything is going okay. He is getting back to normal except for eating. We are just waiting for the nice weather to come our way. Thats all for now, Take Care

Love,
Becky and Ryan.

Happy Easter!


Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your time with family and friends.

Love,
The Kunkel's

Happy Easter

Oh my Goodness. Ryan saw the Easter Bunny yesterday. He was OK if he wasn't close. I had the camera guy ready, set him on his lap and he took the picture. Then Ryan was done. He did give the Easter Bunny high fives. He is getting shy. I hope it doesn't get worse. I was incredible shy when I was a kid. LONG PAUSE. I know most of you are laughing right now but its true. I'm obviously over that. LOL
Ill try to get the pictures scanned and send it out. Its so sweet. Princeville is having a Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday at 12noon and we will be ready to go. I'm also going to hide eggs in my yard. They are full of money as Ryan can put it in his piggy bank. We got his swim shoes for the year. All we need to get is the family pool pass and sunscreen and we are ready for swim season.
Well, that's all for now.
Take Care

Back to work

Well, Im back to work. I havent missed it one bit. Ryan is still at home. I think he needs another week to get better. He's very fussy but is better everyday. Eating is coming along. He is eating all the time but I am able to add things each day. The soft diet sucks. He did finally sleep through the night last night, although, he pooped everywhere. I had to put him in the bathtub. Last night I was actually going to vomit. I almost did. It was disgusting. Ill be glad when he's over that. I think on Friday Im going to take him to see the Easter Bunny. I have his basket ready. He is getting a wheel barrow, rake, hoe, shovel, curious george DVD, 2 shirts and a pair of swim trunks. I think Ill put some dollars and change in some eggs for the easter egg hunt. We went and deposited his piggy bank on Saturday. He had 39 dollars and some change. So we have to fill it up again.
Thats all for now.

Becky

Its Tuesday

Yes, Ryan is still in the hospital. He actually ate part of a banana and didn't vomit. Yippee!!!! If he continues I'm going to push them to release him today. We had talked about Ryan being released and then staying at the Ronald McDonald House to make sure he continues doing well. I'm exhausted. I girl in the room next to us was screaming all night. I did have some Starbucks this morning so that helps a little. Ryan has been smiling so sweet!!! Just the prettiest, sweetest little smile. He is getting some of his shine back. I'm glad to see it. Ryan's dad and Grandparents have been here helping and visiting. Its been very nice. Ryan is playing in the play room and he actually got out of the wagon this time. So I know he is feeling better. He has lost some weight. He feels skinny. Well that all for now. Take Care.

Ill have pictures to post when I have a moment.

Love,
Becky

PS, Thanks to everyone at for the prayers, Sandy and Dave for helping at home, and praying at church, Nana for visiting and helping, Oma for staying with us. I appreciate every one's help.

Surgery

Ryan will be having surgery this Friday, March 7th at University of Chicago, Comer Hospital. They are going to redo his Nissen Fundoplication and a hernia repair. We will be in the hospital for 3 days. It has been a very stressful 2 weeks and Im very nervous about this surgery as Ryan was just discharged from the hospital Saturday. Im stressed out and so is Ryan. We have both been very aggitated. We will be leaving Princeville tomorrow afternoon. We do have a reservation for Ronald McDonald house. It's a wonderful place and cheap to stay. So its now a home away from home. Keep us in your prayers.
Im sorry to all my family for not being able to attend Grandpa's funeral. I am truly saddened about it. I will be there in thought.

Love
Becky

Getting worse

Well, it looks as though this week is going to stay the same as last. I just heard my grandpa Kunkel passed away about 20 minutes ago. He was taken off dialysis on Saturday. Im not yet sure when the services will be. Im thankful I have picutes of Ryan and him together. He was able to meet his great grandbaby.

This has been a bad week.

Well, Ryan is home. We were discharged from OSF, late Saturday night. He is getting breathing treatments every 4 hours. I unfortunately had to take him to daycare today. I wanted to keep him out but I have to work. I missed almost all of last week. Not getting paid sucks. He is doing well. He has to have the treatments. He's on Antibiotic. We see Dr. Diane on Wednesday for a follow up check. He is very mommy oriented, right now. He was not having it at school this morning. I did check on him and he is doing good. They just gave him a treatment and said he was better with it. We did get outside yesterday. I wanted him to get some fresh air. Our neighbors came for a visit. We had a lot of visitors from church. It was very nice to see them.
Ryan does need to have surgery again for his reflux. They have to repair the hernia and redo the Nissen Fundoplication. That sucks. WE will have the surgery in Chicago. That hospital is nice. It's all private rooms and I like that if you try to take a child off the floor, the alarms sound, doors lock, elevators shut down. Each floor has a play area and then there's a huge playroom on the 1st floor. There's zones for each age group. They even have a medical area that has mini medical stuff. I loved playing in that area. We colored and Ryan met some friends. Josh showed us the ropes. He has been in the hospital for several months. He was burned severely. He doesn't have ears and the are stretching his skin, he has drains coming out of his skull. I'm not sure exactly what happened but I am grateful to have the issue's we have. There are so many that have it worse off. Anyway, Josh is a sweet boy and helped us out alot.
So we added a peds Cardiologist to the list of doctors. He is doing fine but want to keep an eye on him. I hope he will be better soon. I'm starting to cough and having chest tightness. I better getting my vitamins.

Saturday, March 8Th is the Easter Seals Telethon. Its on WMBD, channel 31 from 6-11pm. If your able to give please do. Ryan has been using their services for a long time now. That have been absolutely wonderful. Its a big telethon. Unfortunately, we aren't going to the telethon so you wont be able to see us on TV, but maybe in the years to come. Ill be asking all my friends, co-workers and family to help keep the programs going with a donations.

Hope everyone enjoyed the warm weather on Sunday. Have a good week.

Love,
Becky

What a day

So, Im going to vent in this blog. I am sick and tired of putting up with people's crap. Ive had it. Say what you mean and mean what you say. The snippy crap is old and its time for adults to act like it. Work today sucks. Im tired of getting attitude and when I give it back its an issue. Im tired of people that cannot stand up for themselves and communicate like adults should be able to do.

Im stressed out about Ryan's testing. I am tired of getting nowhere with his reflux/swallow issue's. I think people think this is all a freakin vacation. I hate Ryan having all these tests. I feel like we dont get answers. Maybe this time a miracle will happen. Shorts fuse today as you can tell.

Terrible Two's coming on.

Ryan slept in his big boy bed all night. He slobers so much. Its disgusting. Ill have to wash the sheets everyday. Their blue so everything shows up. He's doing very well adjusting to his new bed. He is getting very smart in his endevours. He was in time out a few time over the weekend. He got into my drawer and was playing with carmex, he was messing with the humidifier, hitting and I guess thats it. I wasnt feeling well over the weekend. I went to meet friends for dinner and I thought I was going to vomit. I felt a little better Saturday but I get waves of yucky. Still today Im not feeling that great. I absolutely have no ambition to be at work. Ive dreaded it all weekend. Ryan is still coughing but less and less. He's really gurgling. Next week we have tests at the U of Chicago. Hoping everything goes well. Two months and he will be two years old. I cant believe how fast its gone. I miss that little baby that I hold in the middle of the night and listen to his little noises. He's big now.

Hope everyone's weekend went well.

Ryan is a big boy

Tomorrow I turn 34 and Ryan gets his big boy bed. The painting is all done and it lookis amazing. I cant wait to get the bed up and his quilt on it. I slept with his pillow for the first time last night. He woke up at 330am and his head was at the other end of the bed. Auntie April and the kids got me(for Ryan's room) a picture of old baseball stuff. Its really cool. The boys have it in their bedroom. I want a wood bat that I can put some kind of hooks in so I can hang his hats on it. It will take time to get it all together.
Not much else to report. Going out with two old friends for dinner on Friday and then we are hanging at home. Sunday we are going to Lara's to visit and look at a table. I just finished Ryan's valentines for tomorrow's party and we are making cupcakes for his party. Im going to let him help frost them. I wish I would have taken the day off to go to the party but I might as well work. When we get older our birthdays just arent as exciting. I swear I was just 30. Now Im 34. Holy Moly!!!!!!
We had a bake sale this week at work for Relay for Life. It went really well. We have 3 more moths of fundraising to go. Im in charge of the basket drawing in May. Its a blast. The baskets are awesome. I think its something fun for the patiens instead of walking in and its the same process over and over.

Well, Hope everyone has a nice Valentine's Day. Treat your sweetheart well. I know I will.

Love
Becky

He's a funny boy!

Well, Ryan has found his sense of humor. He has been very funny lately. He runs across the kitchen and hits the cabinets and makes a sound like, Ugh! Then he takes off again and its lasts for awhile. He is completely addicted to Mickey Mouse. Its really a problem. He hasnt been eating dinner and I think he hears the TV and he thinks he needs to watch it. So last night, "NO TV". He cried for awhile because he wasnt getting to do what he wanted to do. Finally we played in his room. I took everything out except his bed and dresser. I got everything ready for painting. I just have to tape and paint. His bed should be here in another week.
The kid is growing like crazy. He's tall.
Going to my brothers this weekend for a visit. Looking forward to it. Ryan will love the basketball games. The kids are going to help me bake for the bake sale at work. We are raising money for Relay for Life.
Hope everyone is well. Take care

Becky.

Good News

Ryan had another evaluation at Easters Seals. They do a global evaluation and Physical therapy. He was within normal limits on everything. Above in being social and development. He did have some delay in speech but it was only 14% and this still fall within normal limits. He will be re-evaluated in 6 months so that we can make sure he starts running and jumping. He hasnt started that yet. Stephanie (physical therapy) said that it was normal due to his surgery on his foot. He babies his foot. So we have to work on jumping and lifting his feet, marching and trying to get on his tippy toes. He does stairs fantastic. She said he has been the only kid to ever put a certain puzzle together. She was very impressed. He's a smart kid.
It was a long evening as we didnt get home until 8pm. Ryan was out cold. He did so well and they all oh and ahh'd over him. I know he likes that. I dont think there is any boy that doesnt like that.
I have a dentis appt tonight and then home to hang out. No television tonight. We are listening to music and playing. I might get the paints out. Thats ambitious.
Looking forward to friday as all the girls from work are going out. Saturday Im going to work a while and then get Ryan and we are going to pick out paint color for his bedroom. We may try a new church this weekend also. I havent been happy with the one we are currently attending. Its just to big.

So, I just wanted to tell everyone that he is the best boy in the world. I love when he takes my face in both hands and puts his head to mine. Little pumpkin. He is finally saying " love you mommie"

Hope all is well.
Take care
Love
Becky and Ryan