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!

18 Months Ago

Ryleigh Katherine Rowe was born...

August 26, 2011

February 26, 2013

Have I mentioned that toddlers are nearly impossible to photograph?

Her 18 month birthday was actually a couple weeks ago and was marked by a blizzard that pretty much shut down Columbia. Hurray for snow days! I have been working on a post with our snow day pictures for at least two weeks. No joke.
Anyway, because of the snow, Ryleigh's 18 month check-up was postponed until this past Tuesday. She's doing great! She weighs 29.8 pounds and is 32 inches tall. She says a TON of words and her pronunciation is getting better and better. Current top favorite books include Llama Llama Red Pajama (aka "Mama Mama Mama") and Goodnight Moon (aka "Moon"). She is definitely testing her limits (and ours) with her toddler attitude. But it's all part of learning, right? Just keep repeating... "it's all part of learning." Breathe in. Breathe out. "It's all part of learning." Take a sip of wine. Breathe in. Breathe out... ;-)

Becoming a Big Kid

Well, I am not really succeeding at my new years resolution to update the blog more consistently. My 2013 is not necessarily off to the greatest start...but more on that some other time.

Check out this kid.

cheese!

sometimes a girl just wants to lie on the kitchen floor, you know?

I think it's safe to say we are officially into toddlerhood. My little baby is not so slowly turning into a big girl. I mean, how grown up does she look?? and just this week she started calling me "mommy" instead of "mama" some of the time. She's been going back and forth between "dada" and "daddy" for a while now, so we're used to that. And while hearing her say "mommy" in that sweet little voice is heart melting, it's just another sign that my baby is growing up right before my eyes.

Leaps and Bounds

Our little Ryleigh girl is growing and changing every day. At her 15 month check up last week she weighed 27.5 pounds and is 31 inches long. She also seems to be learning something new every day. We made a list the other day and she is saying more than 20 words (some are up to parental interpretation, but she is consistently saying a lot of words) and she understands WAY more than that. She has these great picture books and when you ask her, "where's the doggie?" she points right to it.

favorite books

She's always liked it when daddy gets out his guitar to play, but now she is taking more of an interest in "playing" it herself. Even if playing means beating it like a drum.

She is a little smarty pants and pretty cute too, daddy and I couldn't be any prouder.

Birthday Girl!

Oh my goodness, we have a one year old!
(Yes, I am more than a week late with this post!)

Isn't she the sweetest?

A few stats from her one year check-up:

- 25 pounds 9 ounces

- 29.25 inches

She has six teeth. She's getting oh so close to saying a few words. Actually, she does if you count mommy & daddy translation. (ba = ball). She points at everything. She is so inquisitive and curious. If you say, "Are you ready to...?" She says, "yeah!" No matter what, she's ready. It's hilarious.

Oh yeah, and we had a little birthday party. 

A little annoyed with the birthday party paparazzi, perhaps?

Trying out a little birthday cupcake.

my sweet girl

present time

Super cute owl hat from Ryleigh's new BFF Olivia (made by O's mommy, Carin)

She started to get the hang of the whole wrapping paper thing

The look on her face cracks me up. Loving her new blocks.

Another funny one, she's so excited about these new sippy cups

Mimi and Pop visited for the weekend. We didn't do a good job of getting any photos with them. Oops! Apparently Pop was concerned that Ryleigh had too many stuffed tigers and no wildcat. When he and Mimi went to Toys R Us, he was on a mission. I'd say he hit it out of the park:

That's a pretty little girl

Look at that face! Good work, Pop!

Kisses!

We had a great weekend with our birthday girl. Looking forward to many more fun birthdays.

On the Move

Our little Ryleigh is getting the hang of this whole crawling thing more and more every day. On Sunday she crawled from the living room to the sun room in search of "di-tee" (we translate that as "kitty").

At the end of the video her foot gets a twisted at an angle that looks bad. Her ankles are very flexible because the muscles and ligaments are pretty loose. We are working on leg awareness, by telling her to pay attention to and "fix" her legs if they get in an awkward position.

Heading to St Louis to check in with Dr Elbabaa and hopefully show off her new tricks.

This Kid

I tell you she is AMAZING!! Gerti emailed me this video today from her session at daycare.

I cried. Then I watched it again...and again...and again.
I cannot even say how proud I am of my daughter.

I think we'll be doing some baby proofing this weekend!

No More Mullet

Ryleigh got her first real haircut today! She looks like such a big girl.

very mullety

before

not too sure about this

definitely not sure about this. we had to break out the binky.

Daddy was the photographer and kind of missed getting an "after" pic at the salon. So this was about the best we could do at home.

 

after

happy girl!

What has Miss R been up to?

My little baby is almost one! How is that possible?
We've been enjoying our summer and getting out of the house whenever we can. It's been so stinking HOT!
Here are a few snapshots of what the little lady has been up to the past week or so.

being pretty

learning to use a spoon

it takes practice

grabbing mommy's iphone

kissing and/or hugging all stuffed animals

petting any kitty within reach (usually lucy)

her zipzac puts her at prime kitty petting height.
i think lucy has decided they'd better just be friends.

dozing off on walks

holding her own bottle like a big kid

Good-NESS!! I super love this kid!

Busy, Busy Ten Month-Old

Is she ever! The past week or so Ryleigh has really turned into a crazy baby. She is wanting to get around and get into whatever she can. She REALLY wants to get after the cats. All of this is a wee bit challenging for her with her legs. Because she doesn't move them as much and can't feel them as much she can sometimes get into awkward positions. She is doing very well and Gerti thinks that if we work with her a little more she will be crawling very soon.

We also got her a ZipZac. It is basically a little wheelchair for toddlers with mobility limitations, kind of a Bumbo on wheels. Designed and built by the engineer uncle of a little boy with spina bifida. This is actually our second ZipZac, the original model was too small for our chunky monkey, and we had to send it back. Model II is a much better fit and she will be able to use it for a lot longer.

She hasn't quite figured out how to use it. But she's moved her wheels a couple times on accident and it's only a matter of time before she gets the hang of it. And she is highly motivated. This child is going to wear me out! And that's okay.

On Saturday, we had a little mama-Ryleigh photo sesh, in the back yard. I just can't believe my little baby is almost one!!

love this pretty face

hmmm, this looks interesting

well, if i can't get it open, i'll just chew on it.

tired?

can i have that camera, mama?

teething makes her look oh so serious

two little teeth...soon to be joined by others, i'm sure of it

hello there