Wilkins' World: Ryno 18 months

Ryan's new nickname is "Ryno" (thanks, Dad). It's very fitting as this boy is head strong and big! The month of December was very hard on me with all of the holiday festivities, Luke's birthday and the giant 'to-do lists' that come at this time of year. It's hard enough just caring for the kids and keeping the household running smoothly so the added stress was really almost more than I could juggle. But Ryan seems to be settling into his skin and I'm optimistic that we will be entering a better phase...until the next difficult one comes along, that is. :-)

Ryno is very, very verbal. He's adding new words daily, and sometimes putting two words together. The funniest thing he says is "Tree. No, no, no!" and shakes his pointer finger back and forth. He knows full well he is not supposed to mess with the Christmas tree. He will say that phrase anytime he sees a Christmas tree or Christmas lights outside. He likes to say, "Trash...gross!" or "Gross!" when he has a stinky diaper. Michael has taught him to say "gross" when he sees the UT Longhorn logo. Really funny to this Aggie family. I've recently noticed how he's making associations and trying to express that he knows things go together. Sometimes for fun we will refer to changing a diaper as changing his "bo bo" (Luke used to call it that). So now he will say "bo bo" when we are in the bathroom. Last week he saw our dog, Bosley, go to the bathroom and he said, "Bo bo. Gross!" Today he pointed to a changing station in a public restroom and said "bo bo". He has started to say, "na" for his blanket and also when he's ready to go to sleep. Other cute things I can recall him saying this past month are: "Ho! Ho! Ho!", showing us "So big!" when we ask him "how big is baby Ryan?", singing the tune to "Row, Row, Row your boat", knowing to put on his shoes and coat to play outside, using his "help" sign for just about anything he needs, saying "I sowow" and giving the sweetest hugs and kisses afterwards. When he is too rough and we ask him to say he's sorry, and it just melts our hearts how cute his apology is.

He loves his "Melmo" (Elmo) and Banee (Barney) books, to play cars, to be outside pushing his toy lawn mower or eating dirt. We were at a park over the holidays with a sandy floor and he literally lapped the sand up with his mouth/tounge. He likes the "boom" (Broom) and carry and push it all around the house. He still gets into things, but he's not quite as bad about getting into stuff and rummaging through my cabinets - he still likes the pantry, though. He's getting up and down the stairs better and now seems to understand it's easiest to go down on his bottom. He's a little insecure on the trampoline but is learning to jump some. Running FAST is what he does best. Give that boy a straight-away and you will have to sprint yourself to catch him. He acts really scared of all of our vacuums, but it's usually his fake cry.

Some things I could really do without.... how he insists on exploring the Acadia before sitting in his carseat. So many times he just refuses to sit. It's so nerving to have to force him down and buckle him in screaming. And at 26 + lbs it is physically hard to force him. I think wrestling might be in his future. He does not like me paying attention to the computer or cooking in the kitchen. He wants my undivided attention at these to times and he will push my legs in the kitchen as if it tell me I am not allowed to do my work. :( I still can not get this child to go to sleep without crying hysterically after I lay him down. Fortunately, it doesn't last long, but the Dr. says it's probably not a phase since he's been doing it since he was 6 months old. Must be his temperament and she suggested giving him sessions during the day where he plays independently for a few minutes to show him that it's okay to be alone and that Mommy always comes back. Yeah, that lasts for about 1 minute. Michael is having some better luck this week at night time. I wonder if it's one of those things he does more for his Mama? I am concerned about the big bed transition that is to come - hopefully in a few months he will be more willing to lay down and let me leave. The little man is a hitter! He swipes at us, his siblings and innocent bystanders and we can't figure out the reason. Sometimes he's mad, other times jealous, excited, or for no reason at all. Ugh! Another reason I think this past month has been so hard is us all getting used to having a dog again (post to come). Ryan can be rough with him too - he pulls his ears and that makes Bosley upset so I have to really watch them together. Ryan is loud! Since he has a pretty good vocabulary now, he is not afraid to use it. He will yell, "nack" or "puc" in the car over and over again or "out" and grab my hand and walk me over to the back door. He usually does not stop until he gets his way or we come up with some creative distraction technique. Did I mention he is a strong-willed child? Starting to feel like I need to get this kiddo in a school setting where he can be more stimulated and content, but there are not many options out there that work with the family schedule. I know this time is precious and goes by all too quickly. So I've decided to take him on new outings and activities this spring and just try to enjoy this time with him. We will DEFINITELY start school in the fall. Good news is that the tantrums are less frequent - not sure if due to all of the activity surrounding the holidays, but I will take it!

I love seeing Ryan's personality develop and figuring out what he likes/what makes him tick. He's such a friendly baby waving "hi" at complete strangers in the dentist's waiting room, letting grandparents and aunts/uncles tend to him, running into the childcare center at the gym. He loves his favorite songs, to color or put stickers on paper, but he is way to busy to sit and watch TV. Oh how I wish he'd sit and watch for 10 minutes or even just 5 minutes. He likes to pretend play - cooking, eating, soothing the upset baby, sleeping and working trains...it's all really fun to see what he understands about the world. It's been an exhausting and challenging path, but no doubt about it we are blessed to call him our baby.

What, I can't get in the sandbox?