Turning 4: Birthday Festivities

We had quite the celebrations lined up for your 4th birthday, little man! You got lots of fun stuff that you wanted, as well as just the right cake (an animal cake with rainbow cake), and got to spend it with all the people. Thankfully, it snuck in JUST before the Coronavirus pandemic set in (SO thankful!), so not only were you able to celebrate at daycare and preschool, but also with both Uncle Daniel and Grandma Diane, but also with Grandpa and Grandma Pam and Aunt Jess.

We started the day with a birthday crown and letting you open one of your gifts right away: A new Blaze sweatshirt! You LOVED it! It happened to be pajama day at preschool, so you obliged ;)

It was a quick morning, but you enjoyed taking treats to your daycare and preschool and celebrating there as well with "party cakes".

You had been telling me all day that you wanted tacos for your birthday supper, but that changed quickly after daycare to hot dogs and mac and cheese, so that's what we had.

Cashel and Kendrick became really obsessed with blowing up enormous balloons, which meant lots of weeping and gnashing of teeth when they all popped.

Uncle Daniel and Grandma Diane joined the party too shortly before cake and ice cream!

We're a bunch of party animals!

That wraps up Ryan's actual birthday day, but we also celebrated that coming Saturday with Grandpa, Grandma Pam and Aunt Jess! Ryan specifically wanted an animal cake, so I picked up this little pick for the cake and decorated it up. He wanted it to be a rainbow swirl, so we made one layer with reds and pinks and oranges and another layer with blues and greens. He was very, very pleased!

He ripped open his gifts way too fast for me to get a picture of him, but he LOVED them! He had to put on his Blaze and the Monster Machines jammies right away.

In the past, I used to feel like we had to do this big, drawn out birthday party for each kid, but it really has been a huge blessing with so many kiddos of my own to not feel that obligation. It's so nice to have it be just our family celebrating: I don't feel nearly as great a need to clean so in-depth and have everything perfect, and the kids honestly don't seem to care or notice at all.

Ryan said he had just the BEST birthday, and I'm so glad, because a week after his birthday, the whole country got hit with the COVID-19 pandemic, and things got pretty crazy! I'm grateful that we have no more immediate birthdays until early August, when we can hopefully celebrate together with Mark again!

:: FOUR ::

This kid. FOUR? I just...I'm struggling with the words right now. I watched this short "family movie" (that's what we call them) from 2017 a couple weeks ago, and it just SLAYED me when it came to Ryan. I feel like most of the time he still seems so tiny, but watching that video with him sitting right there by me, I realized just HOW much he has grown up from that time. He still seems like my little baby boy, and he's far from a baby now. (He reminds me often to stop calling him and Kinsley my "babies", since they're both very, very big kids now haha)

Physical Development

Ryan is pretty solidly into size 5T clothes and jammies. He is wearing size 10 shoes and boots, and is on the verge of honestly not really needing to wear pull ups anymore at bedtime. He wakes up about 4/5 nights completely dry. He is still my little runt, weighing in at a whopping 40lbs and is 42 inches tall. He's not really short, but compared to Cashel, he's FIVE inches shorter at 4 years old, and 2 inches shorter than Kendrick. I'm actually kinda wondering if Kinsley is going to pass him up!

Sleep Habits

Things are getting better in the sleep department, although since Ryan now gets up if he has to go potty, he tends to crawl back in my bed (granted 9 times out of 10 I don't even know he did). Just more recently, he actually hasn't been in my bed in the night probably for a good solid 3 weeks, so maybe we're turning a corner? He very seldom naps these days, and most of the time, that's not a problem and his attitude isn't too bad. His bedtime is between 8/8:30, and he usually sleeps until I wake him up around 6:15am, so about 10-11 hours of sleep a night.

Speech Development

Ryan talks CONSTANTLY. I mean, NONSTOP. He is our little chatterbox, and he is so great with not only his vocabulary, but also with his pronunciation of things (SO much more clear than a year ago), and it's funny to hear the intonation in his words. I guess my animated reading style has carried over lol He loves to "read" Brown Bear, Brown Bear to Kinsley (just from memory), and talks all about his letters that he's learning more about in preschool. It's so fun to watch him come alive.

Eating

Ryan is still in the "snacks are life" camp, but he's OBSESSED with pizza. He wants pizza for every meal every night. He could truly care less if he has any additional food, beyond pizza and applesauce pouches and Gogurts. I mean, he EATS other things, but if you ever ask him what he wants for supper, it's guaranteed to be "Pizza from Godfather's. And we need the dessert pizza with the M&Ms on it, Mom". He'll scream that at me until I acknowledge him while I'm in the middle of calling to order lol

Still, he does really like a lot of other foods, and it's fun to watch him light up when one of his favorites is on the menu.

Toddler Behaviors and Discipline

Between Ryan and Kinsley, I've got my hands SO full these days! If one hasn't thought of it, the other one has. I'm very thankful that they tend to play pretty well together overall, because if I had to chase after both of them, I'd lose my mind! Still, Ryan is becoming more behavioral and assertive as time passes. He has begun being more behavioral (throwing things, hitting his siblings and even me sometimes, screaming loudly, getting up in my face, etc.), and as I don't want things to get out of hand like they did for a while with Kendrick, I'm starting the evaluation process for the SEED program in town that Kendrick went to. I think it'll be a great thing for him to be able to really learn to process his emotions. He has said NUMEROUS times over the past month that Daddy is dead, and that he doesn't have a Daddy, so I know a lot of the behavior stems from his not understanding what's going on. He has also determined that he doesn't want me as his Mommy anymore because I don't give him what he wants, so he has been plotting how to get Daphne from Scooby Doo out of the TV so that he can have her as his Mommy and I can go live with some other unfortunate kids. He also keeps saying that he wants Daphne as his Mommy because then Fred can be his Daddy and he can have a Mommy and a Daddy, and that just guts me. There is just no way I can handle processing that with him right now, so I just talk with him about how much I love him and how much I'll miss him when he gets Daphne to come out of the TV. Who knows what's the right thing to do? He did tell me I can come back, though, so he can play with my hair lol

Likes

• Blaze and the Monster Machines
• Mama's hair and those two fingers
  
• Suspenders lol He asks me to put them on him at least once or twice a week.
  
• Scooby Dooby Doo
• Interrupting EVERYONE'S bedtime.
  
• Hot dogs and mac and cheese
  
• Going to our church's AWANA program where he's a "Cubby". He LOVES it!
  
• Preschool - he LOVES going! He had his first program this year, and he was beaming the whole time. It was so sweet!
  

Dislikes

• Going to daycare :( It's usually a struggle every morning.
• Mondays and Fridays: Those are the weekdays he doesn't have either preschool or AWANA
• Being told "no".
• Someone else doing his "job" in the kitchen
• The second his tablet runs out of time and says "All Done for Today". Oh boy!
• Mommy being too busy to sit down and play with my hair.
• Any form of discipline. He tends to explode if he's being punished.

3 Years 9 Months

Okay, so he's cute and all those things, but boy, oh boy is he ever three right now.

Physical Development

Ryan hit a growth spurt recently, and he's easily fitting into most 5T clothes now. Some are a little bigger, but even his teeny tiny little waist isn't quite so teeny or tiny anymore.

I haven't been working on night time training for Ryan at all, but he wakes up probably a good 75% of the time completely dry. Honestly, he's probably going to beat Kendrick done with nighttime pull ups!

Sleep Habits

Naps are slowly phasing out, and if he takes one, it's a hot mess trying to get him to bed at night. I'm beginning to dream of the day that he stops napping just so he goes to bed by 8 each night!

He still wakes up most every night to come crawl in bed with me and play with my hair. Kinsley does the same (although not to play with my hair), so there's always some sort of disruption every night still, which is trying. Our 8pm bedtime is slowly pushing back to 9pm, which I hate, but with two napping toddlers, I suppose it should be expected. They just aren't even sort of tired by 8pm, and even by 9pm, I'm shocked they finally fall asleep. It feels like he's not getting enough sleep, but he's a happy little guy most of the time (excepting for the whole threenager thing - he's definitely got that 3-year-old attitude down).

Speech Development

Ryan is really moving along nicely as far as speech is concerned...in fact, I can't get him to STOP talking most of the time. He is really starting to just talk more throughout the day and likes to joke around and be silly and make people laugh. The little-kid-isms are slowly becoming a thing of the past, which makes me sad.

Eating

Ryan isn't always the biggest eater. I feel like he probably eats about 1-2 "meals" a day, if even. He still prefers to snack. His favorite snacks include pickles, marshmallows, mandarin oranges or clementines, applesauce pouches, Gogurts, and cheese. But his favorite of all times is pizza, especially from Godfather's, and especially the m&m streussel dessert pizza lol

School

Ryan LOVES school, and asks every day if he gets to either go to preschool or cubbies (AWANA) every morning before he determines if he feels like getting dressed lol I don't have any more recent pictures, so you get this one again. He tends to be highly distracted and struggles to stay on task, but he's also 3, so there's that. I got a note home from preschool within the first couple months about how he was difficult to redirect and wasn't listening when he was told to sit down, and it made me think: How is it that I've never gotten that note sent home with my other boys? Because seriously lol He's pretty tame compared to what they were at 3.

Toddler Behaviors and Discipline

I feel like it's never going to ease up, this toddler stuff. Man, it's exhausting! We're still doing 1-2-3 magic for the most part, but I'm getting lax with it, and I usually count 1-2 and then bargain at 3, so I need to be more firm. I hate to have to punish them, so I really stink at follow through at the end. But USUALLY, they are listening by 2 anymore, so that's helpful. Ryan still throws tantrums a lot and gets loud when he doesn't get what he wants, so there's that. As I've learned with my other two, I just need to continue to be firm, and these things will pass. It's just exhausting with two of them at the same time going through this general phase, from about 18 months to age 4. But then he flashes this little devious smile, and dangit - I can't stay mad at him.

Likes

• His Family!
  
• Sucking on his two fingers and playing with Mama's hair.
  
• Making some music on the keyboard at Daddy's facility.
  
• His sister. These two are tight. They certainly have their moments, but usually where you can find one, you find them both. They're going to be only a single year apart in school, which blows my mind. But they're extremely close, and it's so cute to listen to them talk to each other.
  
• Being silly and making people laugh.
• Helping Mama make supper
• Making a snowman!
  
• COOKIES! Especially the ones from Hardee's.
  
• Being the center of attention
  
• His Siblings. They are usually super loud and crazy and funny. I handle it pretty well most of the time, but every once in a while, I feel a little crazy and make them all go to their rooms just so I can have some peace and quiet!
  

Dislikes

• Being told he can't do something.
• Not having things go his way.
• Not being able to physically do things or get places that he wants to do/go.
• Not being in control of the "amote"
• Not getting to "watch a movie and eat popcorn and have milky and play with Mama's hair" every day.
• Having to actually go anywhere at any point during the morning.

:: 3.5 ::

I think of this kid and seriously just chuckle. Ryan is the funniest little kid you'll meet. And he's SO FREAKING ADORABLE most of time. I don't care if he's ready to rip your throat out, sleeping or happy, he just is the cutest thing in the world to watch. The "baby fights" between him and Kinsley are just so, so very cute.

Physical Development

Ryan moved on up to 4T clothes earlier this summer, but some of the pants still are a little loose around the waist. He has been, BY FAR, my easiest kid to potty train so far, and has been fully day trained since February, I think. We're still working on the nighttime part, but for the most part, I just always put on a pull up and am not sweating it yet.

He really enjoys getting his body adjusted when we go to the chiropractor. He gets SO excited to "ride" the table down into position each time lol

He's 45" and 38lbs now. He wears a size 10 toddler shoe and is in the S/M size for night time pullups.

Teething

Ryan now has all his teeth, although for some reason, he still likes to wake up in the night and come crawl in bed with me. He finally had his first real checkup at the dentist this month where he sat for an entire cleaning! It's so nice when they finally stop screaming and clinging to me lol

Sleep Habits

Ryan still naps at least for a short bit most days, but it isn't abnormal (although it's very frustrating) for him to skip a nap.

I can usually count on him to be put down to bed with our usual routine and stay there, basically making him the most compliant bedtime kid of all his siblings. He still wakes most nights around 3am to come crawl in bed with Mama to play with my hair, which isn't usually much of a problem, unless his baby sister has the same idea. That becomes an issue because they both want to be laying next to me, and well...that gets pretty uncomfortable.

Speech Development

Ryan is a little chatterbox, and he's just freaking hilarious most of the time. You can understand probably 98% of what he says too, although he still has issues with his "f"s, which is so cute too. I dread the day he begins to work on it and changes. Right now "shish" (fish), "strosting" (frosting), "singers" (fingers), and so many more...they just brighten my day and make me smile from the inside to hear. His little voice just melts me most of the time.

Eating

Ryan has really turned into quite the snacker these days, which makes me sad. He loves his milk, which he and Kinsley both still take at various times throughout the day in their "kitty cups" (Kinsley coined the term, and it stuck).

He is definitely really fond of "snacks" and will eat most of whatever snack it might be. He is oddly not very overly fond of sweets. If you give him a cookie, there's a good chance that the cookie will sit there with a tiny bite out of it and Cashel or Kendrick will find it and finish it for him. His favorite meal is "cheese and cocks", which means macaroni and cheese and hot dogs. I really hope he never learns to say it right, because it's so adorable when he says it lol

School

This big kid started PRESCHOOL in September! It's crazy to think about how big he is getting. He absolutely LOVES going to school, and would go every day if he could.

Toddler Behaviors and Discipline

Ryan has certainly amped up his tantrums, and the intensity of them leaves bystanders very concerned for his wellfare, I'm sure: Especially when I am extremely nonchallant about them. The thing is, he sounds like he is in horrendous pain or something, but I know there is a slight difference between pain and anger, and about 99.9999% of the time, he's just angry. He no longer gracefully lowers himself onto the floor to kick and scream, but rather throws himself on the ground, and the vast majority of the time, it's because he isn't getting something he wants - ESPECIALLY the ride on tractor of Kendrick's. (The kid is going to be an excellent driver by the time he's 16, right?)

I've been working with ALL the kids on following the 1-2-3 Magic program, and for the most part, it's working alright. For the big boys, it works really well, actually, and I can usually either halt the behavior or they will listen to me to "take 5" almost immediately. If we are in public, they will just ask me where they have to go for their "take 5" time. However, with Ryan, he just likes to count along with me while being deviant and watching me like a hawk, and when he ends up having to take 5, he throws the motherload of all tantrums and refuses to listen when I tell him that he has to be CALM before his 5 minutes starts, so it goes on FOREVER.

I HAVE, however, been trying extremely hard to focus on making sure his needs are met on time, however, to keep the unnecessary tantrums at bay. If he's tired or hungry, I give him a little more slack, especially if I'm an hour late getting him his lunch or supper, or he hasn't had a nap and it's 3pm or something. He's generally a really sweet kid, but he's just a typical tantrummy toddler at this point. I'm very grateful that his behaviors don't seem worse than the typical toddler in light of the hard times his first couple years of life.

Likes

• He still loves Daddy so much and asks when he gets to see him regularly. He actually said the other day that he wished Daddy could live with us in our house. He doesn't remember that Daddy once did, but that was 18 months ago when he was 2, so...
  
• Sucking on those two fingers...ALWAYS. I realized I haven't taken a picture of him doing it lately, though.
• His Family!
  
• Cheering on his big brothers playing ball!
  
• Mama. Always.
  
• "Coloring" with big brothers. It usually consists of him doing this, followed by biting the tips off all the crayons.
  
• Hanging out with his siblings
  
  
  
• Swimming
  
• Brown Bear Brown Bear. Argh. I just really hate it when my kids cling to this one. I grow weary of reading it every.single.night. The repetitiveness makes me feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone.
• Making everyone laugh. Ryan LOVES the spotlight!
  
• Spending time with these guys
  
• "Playing" video games.
  
• Our favorite new park!
  
• Helping Mom in the kitchen.
  
• Celebrating anything that involves cake!
  
• Candy!
  
• The County Fair!
  
• The Vikes...and also wearing clothes that are too small for him lol
  
• The carousel. He asks to ride the one at the mall in Mankato every time we go. This one was at the Zoo in Sioux falls, however.
  
  

Dislikes

• Being told he can't do something.
• Not having things go his way.
• Not being able to physically do things or get places that he wants to do/go.
• Not having his cuppy before bed.
• Not having his cuppy before Jody's.
• Not getting to "go owwwside" with the big kids.
• Any pjs but his "Pawtrolls" or Santa ones.