Ryan's first day of school!

I am so proud of my boy. We have been talking a lot about him going to school and riding the bus like a big boy. All morning, he would play and then ask "bus". He was so excited. The bus was late, as expected for the first day, but all of Ryan's friends came out to see him off. He had quite the send off. The biggest his bus driver has seen! There were about 12 (adults & kids) out there. Everyone was excited for Ry.

I carried him on the bus and he waved and said hi to everyone that was already on it. His driver took us back and showed us his seat, complete with his very own car seat. We got him all buckled in, took some pictures and he waved goodbye to me. I walked off the bus and joined his crowd to wave goodbye. He did so well. I am so proud of him. Then of course, I cried and got some hugs and encouragement from our neighbors.

I had to take Ryan's supplies over to his school after the bus picked him up. I wanted to get in and out of there before he saw me. Mission accomplished. But all of the teachers were waiting in the waiting area for the buses to arrive and his teachers from summer camp were there. The tears started again and I got my more hugs & encouragement. I am not sad for Ryan because I know he is going to get to school and have so much fun but, it is hard to watch another one of my babies grow up.

And onto the good stuff. Pics! And please excuse his hair. He is way overdue for a hair cut but I have to wait until his stitches dissolve.

Another installment of, are we doing the right thing?

Ryan starts school on Monday through Easter Seals. It is at the same place he went to over the summer and we both absolutely fell in love with the place. We were very fortunate that this was his placement again since there are about 10 schools throughout the city. Anyway, he got an afternoon spot and because of me having to be home to get Ethan off the bus and the wonderful kids I watch, I have to send him on the bus. I just saw the bus drive by (I am guessing for a trial run to see how long it is between houses) and I just got this huge lump in my throat. How on earth am I going to put my 2 year old on a bus with strangers? He has come a long way as far as speech but he doesn't know how to convey his feelings or emotions. He just cries until we figure it out.
I know this is the absolute best place for him, it just sucks that I can't go out and buy a mommy mobile (aka mini van) so I can transport everyone to take him, which would suck anyway but still.
And I know deep down that riding the bus is nothing. We are very fortunate that he is healthy and is making huge strides in his speech & sensory issues but being a parent is so hard sometimes.
His teachers seem to think the first few days will be hard but after that he will love riding the bus. I will be the one buckling him in on the bus every day so I know he will be safe and won't be running and jumping on every seat while the drive is yelling at him. I can just picture that happening. Ry would have a hay day.
Any parents BTDT?

Busy weekend & lots of updates.

We had such a busy weekend! We are all exhausted.
Friday night, the boys went to my parents and Greg and I went to dinner with one of Greg's work friends and went to a wine tasting party. It was a lot of fun and we got to try some yummy wine. The boys had a great time and Ryan is such a Grandpa's boy. I am not sure what it is but Ry is totally attached to him.
Saturday was a great day as the Buckeye's kicked butt! Our neighbors had an all day party so we watched the Buckeyes, had some drinks, put the kids to bed and had some more drinks. It was a great night!
Sunday & Monday were spent cleaning & shopping.
PSA: If you have never had a Whole Foods burger, go and get one now! They were on sale this weekend so we bought a ton and they are the yummiest burgers I have ever had.
Ethan is sick. He has a bad cold, complete with a fever, cough & runny nose. We are going to see how he is Tuesday but he might have to stay home from school. He is not very happy about that.
Ryan's new teacher is coming over for a home visit this week. I am very excited to meet her.
And speaking of Ryan. We feel like he is making wonderful progress. As I sit here writing this, he is actually playing with his brother! Ethan made a tent with his blankets and he and Ryan are hiding under it. I am sure it won't be long before Ryan decides to pull it down and anger his brother. But it is nice to actually see him interacting with Ethan. We have waited a long time for this.
I go to the neurologist on September 19th to talk about my back. I am very interested to hear what he has to say and maybe a tad nervous too.
Greg is having some back issues too and is deciding if he should be heading the doctor to get it checked out.
Hopefully we will all stay healthy for a while!

Everyone could use a laugh, right?

Ethan, Greg and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Olympics this year. Ethan was totally into it and keeps asking when he will get to see the "lympics" again.
I came across these on another website and thought they were funny.
And since this is a family blog, I feel the need to put a disclaimer. The following might not be family friendly. ;)
Enjoy!

I don't know if they are true, but they're still funny.


Here are the top nine comments made by NBC sports commentators so far during the Summer Olympics that they would like to take back:

1. Weightlifting commentator: 'This is Gregorieva from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing.'

2. Dressage commentator: 'This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother.'

3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: 'I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father.'

4. Boxing Analyst: 'Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them are really that serious.'

5. Softball announcer: 'If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again.'

6. Basketball analyst: 'He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces.'

7. At the rowing medal ceremony: 'Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew. Oh my God, what have I just said?'

8. Soccer commentator: ' Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field.'

9. Tennis commentator: 'One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them... cut! cut!... we're live? 0h my god!

I guess I am abnormal.

Tell me something I didn't know. ;) I got my MRI results back yesterday and the results weren't good. I have degenerative changes in my lower lumbar spine...whatever that means. I am now being referred to a neurologist. Just another appointment to work into the schedule. I am not sure what they will tell me but I do know that I absolutely do not want surgery. I will have to see what my options are but at this point it sounds , from the wonderful world of google, that some physical therapy might be in my future. And another appointment to work into the schedule.

Ryan is doing wonderfully. He did discover his stitches yesterday and was trying to scratch them. I think I scared him when I yelled NO but anything to keep those stitches in his head until it heals because holding him down, is not something I want to relive again in the near future.

Ethan is doing awesome at school. He absolutely loves going! Yesterday was the first day I had to wake him to get ready but after some quick complaints of his belly hurting and some yummy Lego waffles & banana for breakfast, he quickly got dressed and raced outside to wait for the bus with his friends. I am sure we will have a day or two where I am pushing him out the door but, I am so thankful he has had such an easy transition.

Another day, another doctor...

This morning started like any other. The boys got up, ate breakfast and it was time to go out and wait for the bus. Ryan is still having some issues adjusting to his brother being gone and was a real pill all morning. He asked to color, we colored then quickly changed his mind. We played cars, then quickly changed his mind. He asked to paint so I got everything out for him and apparently in the 10 seconds that took, he changed his mind and decided to throw the mother of all tantrums. He slammed his head back and normally when he does this, he just hits the carpet and he goes about his business. Well, today he was a bit too close to the sliding back door and slammed his head on the frame. I realized the back of his head was bleeding and took him into the kitchen to see how bad it was. It was bad so we made some calls (had to make sure someone was here for Ethan to get him off the bus & tried to get a hold of Greg to meet us) and headed to the ER. He did a lot better then I was expecting but it was still no fun having to wrestle him down so the nurse could stitch him up. He ended up with only 2 stitches. I think we might have had to knock him out if it had been more.

Ethan's first day of Kindergarten!

And before anyone asks, yes his mommy was a crying mess.  I did wait until he was out of sight.

All of my nerves were for nothing.  I was up half the night, thinking about this day and thinking about how grown up he is.  He has been so excited all summer about going to Kindergarten.  His best friend is in his class as well and he was very excited to ride the bus with all of his friends.  I thought for sure he would be excited until he saw the bus and then turn around and grab onto my leg.  But, much to my surprise, he got on the bus like he had done it a million times before.  I was so proud of him.  

Here are some pics:

Update: He had a great day and can't wait to go back. He goes again on Friday but I think next week will be the real transition when he has to go every day.