State Fair 2014

Due to the fact that I have been crazy busy at work as well as the fact that neither of my children like to sleep these days, I am so behind on my blog posts from October and November. I plan on playing catch-up over the next couple weeks, and up first is a recap of our trip to the State Fair of Texas.

For the third year in a row we visited the State Fair with the Arnolds. The day we chose could not have been more beautiful. 

We started off with some obligatory pics in front of Big Tex. 

And, of course, some Fletcher's corny dogs.

The breakfast of champions.

Then it was time for some rides. The kids were tall enough for even more this year, and they were so excited. 

I don't think Ava stopped smiling the entire time.

Mama got in on the action as well (which I regretted once my daredevil of a toddler spun that bear faster than I thought possible).

Then it was time for some games…Josh's favorite part.

And you know what love is? Making enough shots in a row to win yourself some really nice headphones, but opting for a Dora basketball instead (as well as a crown, stuffed Scooby Doo, and a balloon). 

Ava was quite excited about all her loot.

Henry had a blast as well. 

So did Ry. 

 Lane is notorious for ordering all phallic-shaped Fair food, but he switched it up a bit this year and ordered the fried s'mores. 

 Which was, ummm, the opposite shape.

But it was quite delicious. 

Josh was also a fan of the "Deep Fried Texas Bluebonnet." 

To round out our trip to the Fair, we headed to the petting zoo. This was Ava's favorite part last year, and it didn't disappoint. 

In true, second-child fashion, we brought Rylan in with us to the petting zoo. The germs are good for him, yes? 

Luckily, the animals were still hungry when we arrived.

Well, hello there.

"Baby pigs, Mama!"

This is by far my favorite picture of the day. The joy on Ava's face is priceless.

And this is how you know you had a successful day at the Fair...

Until next year!

Rylan - Three & Four Months

Life is a little busy these days (understatement of the year!), so I'm combining Rylan's three and four-month updates into one post. 

The last couple months have been a big transition as I returned to work and Rylan started daycare. He doesn't nap very well at school, but overall he has adjusted pretty well to the new routine (much better than I have). 

We made it to my first goal of breastfeeding for three months...and we're still going strong despite his upper lip tie (which I discovered only a couple weeks ago) and how much pumping at work sucks (I'm already mentally shopping for the completely frivolous gift I'm going to buy myself if I make it to six months). I'm glad it's going well, because we were really worried about his weight gain the first two months (likely due to the lip tie). Thank goodness he started gaining weight at a good rate before I went back to work or I would have thought it was just the bottles at daycare. 

Rylan was sleeping better at night for a while; however, the dreaded "four-month sleep regression" started around the 3.5 month mark and it's noooo joke. This mama is in serious need of a full night's sleep. 

Other than the poor sleep habits, this little guy is such an easy baby. Rylan is a happy, go-with-the-flow second child. And his smiles are the absolute best. 

The smiley baby in action during his monthly photo shoots...

He has discovered his cute little feet.

You can really tell with these pictures how much hair he has lost as well as how much bigger he has gotten between the two months. It's crazy that I now have a chubby, bald baby.

You can also see that he chews on his hands constantly.

Happy boy!

Doing the sprinkler dance :).

Stats:

Three Months

• No official stats from the doctor this month, but according to our infant scale at home,* Rylan weighed 10 pounds, 10 ounces at three months.

*Due to our concerns about his weight gain the first month, we borrowed an infant scale from our friends. I highly recommend having one around if you are breastfeeding and worried about how much milk your baby is getting. It completely saved my sanity!

Four Months

• Weight - 12 pounds, 11 ounces (5%)
• Height - 24.5 inches (25%)
• Head - 16.75 inches (75%)

Milestones/Firsts:

• He is getting stronger and loves to do mini push-ups in order to see himself in the mirror.  

• Rylan started "talking" up a storm shortly after he turned two months. He is clearly saying "I love you too, Mama" in this video…

• Rylan can roll over from his tummy to his back. According to his daycare teacher, he can also roll over from his back to his tummy…but I have yet to see that in action. 
• He is still sleeping in the Rock N' Play, but we switched Rylan to a sleep sack a few weeks ago in preparation for the move to his crib. 

Likes:

• The running water sound on my phone's white noise app. It is magic.  
• Being held facing out (unlike his sister who like to face me and lay her little head on my chest). 
• Laying on the changing table. It is when he is his most talkative. 
• Trying to suck on his thumb.

• Laying on the play mat.

• Sleeping in the Rock N' Play. I suppose he will have to learn how to sleep elsewhere before he starts Kindergarten. 

• Trying to watch TV. The struggle is real. 

• Chewing on Sophie. #onceithitsyourlips

• Playing with his big sister.

• Cheering for TCU :).

Dislikes:

• Sleeping through the night.
• Tummy time.
• When Ava cries (or the other babies in his class). He sticks his bottom lip out and looks so sad. It is ridiculously cute.

And finally, some more of my favorite pictures of Rylan from the last two months…

He looks so much like his Dad in this one.

Sweet sibling snuggles.

Excited that he finally reached Ava's birth weight…at 2.5 months.

Playing at school.

Real men aren't afraid to wear a little pink.

Enjoying the cooler temps.

 All smiles.  

My sweet sleeping baby. 

Finally, my favorite picture of the last month...

This right here is what makes my world go round.