Boone County Fair

Last night we headed out to the Boone County Fair. We thought Ryleigh would love to see all the animals up close and we'd heard that there were pony rides. Well, the pony ride part was true. Ha ha! 

Our little girly girl was super excited to see the animals...in theory. Once we were there and actually got up close to a cow, or pig, or goat she clung on for dear life. I do have to say it is a little intimidating standing next to a mooing cow, even if it is inside a pen. Inside the goat barn she kept pulling her feet up and saying, "no doggies lick my socks."

I kinda have to agree with her... with his long floppy ears, this guy does look kind of like a dog. But where she got the idea that they were going to lick her socks, I have no idea. 

We decided to give the pony ride a go. She was SO excited. ...again in theory. She loved hanging on the fence and watching the other kids go round and round on the ponies. When it was her turn there was a lot of clinging, and more than a few "no"s. Of course we were the mean parents torturing our toddler and laughing about it. But she made it through and even gave the "horsey" a couple pats and said, "thank you," after the ride.  

Oh, her little face looks so scared.

I look like a total goob in this picture, but I still had to post it.
I was laughing at my poor little daughter.

This also made me really sweaty. First of all, my child was clinging to me for dear life. Second of all, we were going around that circle pretty fast. I thought we'd have a minute to get her up on the horse and collect herself. Nope. I had no sooner gotten her in the saddle and we were off and...well, walking. But still. 

Of course when we retell the story, we will remember how brave Ryleigh was and how much fun she had riding the horsey. We are planning to sign up for therapeutic horseback riding this fall. So hopefully we can get her a little more acclimated to horses before then. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Clinic Day

We had a great visit at the Cardinal Glennon Myelo Clinic yesterday. We went for a six-month follow up with urology. Last time we were in clinic Dr. Elbabaa said he didn't need to see her again until after she turns two. So in a few months we will head back for a series of x-rays and a CT to check that Ryleigh's shunt is still working properly.

We told Ryleigh on Tuesday night that we were going to St Louis in the morning and she got really excited. I don't think she really has any frame of reference for what or where Saint "You-ees" is. But she was pretty pumped to go somewhere with mommy and daddy.

Our visit started off with a renal ultrasound where they check her kidneys and bladder. She was super good and cooperative during the "belly scan." Then we headed over to clinic. First we met with Lou, the urology nurse, and she introduced us to the new urologist, Dr. Duel. Everything looks good and they are happy with how Ryleigh is doing. Yay!

After that Pam, the PT popped in to chat. She is so great, we really just love her. Again, she is super happy with Ry's progress. And she gave us a few tips on where to go and what to concentrate on next.

As we were getting ready to head out the neurosurgeon, Dr. Elbabaa, stopped in to say hello and give Ryleigh a hug. It was great to see him and catch up a bit. We're looking forward to our next appointment with him when he can take a closer look at how our little shunt is functioning.

Everyone we saw yesterday just couldn't stop saying how big and how cute Ryleigh is. They just have such a great team there. We left clinic feeling so happy. We commented how blessed we are to have these wonderful people in our life. Looking back at the road we took to get here, it's just so funny how life works out sometimes. :-)

Ry was such a trooper. Especially considering that a 1 o'clock appointment was smack dab in the middle of her nap time. She was her happy personable self. And we were so happy that she wasn't too shy and actually even talked to Pam and Dr. Elbabaa. Pam stepped out of the room for a few minutes and when she returned Ry excitedly said, "there she is! There's Pam."

How do you keep a toddler happy while waiting in the doctor's office?
Answer: Pretzel Sticks. (And there may or may not have been some spinning around in the chair).

This is pretty much how it goes lately when I try to take a picture of the two of them. I get one pic where one is looking at the camera, and one where the other is. But none of both of them looking at the same time.

Here's another example, from Fourth of July:

Nearly the exact same poses. Daddy looks at the camera while Ryleigh looks away. Ryleigh looks at the camera while daddy looks down. Rinse and repeat. And mommy's always behind the camera, never in the picture... sigh. Ha ha!

July 4th and Other Stuff

Here are some photos from the past week or so...

June 27 we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary with dinner at Les Bourgeois and gorgonzola cheesecake. YUM!
Thanks for the gift card Hugh!!

Hair accessories are becoming a BIG thing in our house.

Ryleigh loves this little people dollhouse and plays with it every day.

I mentioned the hair accessories... well "Misser Bear" likes to accessorize too.

We went out for a little 4th of July breakfast.

"Cheese!"

I discovered these Bud Light Lime Straw-ber-ritas.
Yeah, they're pretty good.

We enjoyed some relaxing stroller rides.

I found the Kona Shave Ice Truck! Whoop!!
Actually they kind of just came driving down our street, but still. 

Our 4th of July was pretty uneventful. Since Ron and I both had to work Friday morning, we didn't feel like keeping Ryleigh up late and trying to do the fireworks. We grilled and had a nice dinner at home. After Ry went to bed we sat outside and listened to everyone else blow stuff up.

Underneath all this fun is the story saga of our new patio. But that deserves a post of its own... Maybe one day soon I will share it.

Hope everyone had a happy 4th of July weekend!

The Real Ryleigh Rowe

Ryleigh, in her toddler stage, has become a little bit shy. We went out for brunch yesterday with friends and she talked the whole way to the restaurant about seeing baby Arlo, and meeting our friends and on and on. But when we got there she was shy and stand-offish. Even a bit of a pill, crying and carrying on when she wanted mommy to pick her up. More often than not lately I've found myself being one of those parents. You know, the ones who sigh to their friends, "really, she never acts like this." I'm ashamed to admit that I've judged these parents. "Oh sure," I would think, while inside I was rolling my eyes. But now I know the truth. She really doesn't act like this all the time.

Aside from being humbled by toddlerhood, it makes me a little sad that our friends and family don't get to see the real Ryleigh - the sweet, funny, TALKATIVE girl that we get to see everyday. I know it's just a phase that she will grow out of. ...well I hope it is.

So here's a little glimpse of "at home" Ryleigh. Including a little fussing and demanding to see my phone - she loves looking at pictures and videos of herself. Oh and please ignore my bumbling for words...I was really tired. Ha ha!

That little voice. The counting. It just melts my heart. That's why I want so badly for everyone to see the real Ryleigh. Until she decides to stop being shy, this will have to do. :-)