Happy Halloween!

Our Little Monkey























































Our Little Pumpkin

Tanner Norton (1998 - 2008)

After a short 10 years of life, Tanner (Sister Betrille) Norton has been laid to rest.

Tanner suffered with seizures his entire life. Over the past several months, the seizures became more frequent and more severe. On Sunday Tanner suffered 9 severe seizures in a 24-hour period. Jeff and I decided it was best to put Tanner down.

Hopefully Tanner will no longer suffer.

What was I worried about?

Dress - Check!
Tux - Check!
Flowers - Check!

Stay tuned for updates.

Back to Work and Homecoming

Before I begin my tale... double click on Ryan's picture. (He's started blowing bubbles!)

Monday was my first day back at work. In splitting my time between Santa Monica and Irvine offices - I opted to go into Santa Monica to be with Laurie (my partner in crime) to start my work week. My first day started off a little late - but it was my first time abiding by a schedule so I think I actually did pretty good and was only about 30 minutes behind schedule.

The night before, I stayed up until 1a preparing a detailed packet (okay ... a Newsletter) for the provider (Nina). It was one of those crazed mom letters with the detailed section on likes and dislikes, etc - but there was also a letter of consent, contact information and copies of our insurance cards, etc that I knew she'd need. By the time that I dropped off Ryan in the morning I realized how silly the packet actually was.... especially when Nina mentioned that she had a packet of her own that was necessary for her files in the event of an audit. So I just let her know that I typed everything up in case she needed it and recognized that I knew SHE knew what she was doing and got out of there! I probably wasn't there more than 5 minutes. I knew I couldn't spend a lot of time hovering over Ryan and creating a long good-bye because it would only make it harder on me.

I had to figure out the pumping "thing" when I got to work . Apparently there is a lactation room (I've re-named it the "mommy" room) in the Santa Monica office. (Who knew?) It's a private room with a massage chair a refrigerator and a radio. It's actually a great private place... I think I may escape there just for the massaging chair!!

My first day back was one of those days where everything was hectic. Nothing worked. My work station had been disconnected from internet connectivity, once I did log on - my computer password had expired and required resetting from our Detroit office. I had a ton of emails to get through, I had a conference call and I spoke with a few co-workers to get updates on projects and happenings. In between each task I had to find time to use the mommy room. Needless to say, I didn't take a lunch break - but mowed through a stale bag of Pirate Booty (left over prior to my leave) and then hit up the vending machine on my way out for a snicker bar and a coke. (Sounds gross when I think of that now).

When I arrived to pick up Ryan - he was happy and content. Nina raved about what a "happy" baby Ryan was. She is great with him -and it is very comforting knowing that Ryan is in good hands.

I was supposed to have Wednesday through Friday off this week to EASE back into my first week. I must have been delusional to think that was actually possible. Of course the Client would want a meeting this week - -so I worked from home today to help Laurie prepare a presentation for a Thursday lunch meeting. So I guess I get one day this week to EASE back into work.

On a separate note.....
Dylan asked his best friend Randi to go to Homecoming tonight. Way to spring it on me - it's in 2 weeks! (Somehow I think he did this to me last time, too)

So here's how it all transpired: Dylan got into his monkey suit and took a bunch of bananas with "Homecoming" written on them over to her house. (Kids just don't ask someone if they want to go to the dance anymore - - it's this big production now) Her mom Karin told me she was totally scared by the monkey suit - but said "yes" anyways.

Add "Get Dylan Ready For Homecoming" to our full schedule. I just hope Dylan can get a tux in time, Randi can find a dress she likes and that we can all remain as stress-free as possible.

100s Weekend

We spent the weekend in Johnson Valley with Dylan's motorcycle club. Next weekend is the 41st annual National Hare & Hound race that the club is hosting. Jeff, Dylan and Dylan's friend Nick were out this weekend helping to set up the 110 mile course by tying ribbon, moving boulders, hammering stakes in the ground, etc.

This was Ryan's first time in the motor home and his first time away from home. Overall, I think he did good. There was little room to go when he was fussing and it made it difficult on him an I to quickly find comfort. It was a new environment and we had to figure out where Ryan would sleep (bunkbed vs our bed). The bunkbed was okay - -but he pushes himself out of his "nest" (a sleeping contraption that keeps him slightly propped up and in one place... but really meant to be used when sharing a bed with the parents) I get too worried about him - - but when I put him in bed with us, I can't sleep because I'm curled up into a little ball and my head is kinked.

I got to use the jogger stroller to walk him around in. It worked really well. He seemed to enjoy it. Ryan spent most of the time in his open-top portable swing. He is very comfortable in it. It's what gave me most of my freedom over the weekend. Thank god for that swing! Overall, we just didn't have the comforts (and space) of home. Being in the motorhome was really like being confined to our kitchen!

I was hoping to have some pictures to share of Ryan, but I didn't have much spare time outside of trying to keep him occupied.

Since this weekend was a little overwhelming for me and Ryan, I think that we may elect to stay home next weekend. I need to really think about it. Next weekend will be chaotic for the club - and I anticipate that the days and nights will be very long. We'll probably be best accomodated at home.

All-in-all, the boys really put in a lot of time and hard labor this weekend. I'm sure that they're glad to be home. They are both complaining of sore muscles, so I can only imagine what the next couple of days will be for them! I think all of us will have a hard time getting up tomorrow morning.

Sometimes I don't know how we all keep it together. Jeff works full time, Dylan has a zero-period start (giving him an extra period each day), we always have projects going -- oh, and did I mention I go back to work tomorrow? I get to go from a screaming baby to screaming clients. I can't wait!

Not!

Wii-kend Gathering

Ryan and I got together with my family this evening for my Uncle Jim's birthday dinner. It's always a great time to get together with my aunts, uncles and cousins. We always have a lot of fun. My uncle was gifted a Wii for his birthday so we spent a couple of hours after dinner playing sporting games together.

With 4-player capability, we all took turns bowling and playing tennis, but it was the boxing match between my two uncles that was the highlight of the evening. Uncle Denny and Uncle Jim matched up against each other for an intense match-up. Their expressions during the boxing match are priceless!



In the end, Uncle Denny took the win. :)
I'm sure they'll both be feeling the "burn" tomorrow!

Monkey Smiles

Ryan has a few nicknames - one of which is "Monkey" - for the cute little chimpanzee face he has when he's looking around. (For the record, I happen to just adore chimps and I use the reference lovingly) So when I saw this little monkey hat, I had to get it!!! It's perfect for him!


















We've really been enjoying Ryan's smiles. He is very selective about when he will smile for you so we are very captive when he is smiling. (As we are when he coos) We recently got him a mobile. I captured a couple smiles while he watched his mobile in his crib this evening. I can never get enough of this guy smiling!

Lots of Activities

It's only been 5 days since I last updated the blog but it seems like it's been forever!!  I know some of you check regularly and have inquired about the timing of my next post.  Sorry for the delay... sometimes life just takes over.

Let's see... where to begin:

Since we haven't had very many updates on Dylan lately, we'll start with him.  

Dylan is taking a forensics class this year.  As part of extra credit, Dylan signed up to do a ride-along with the Glendora Police Department.  From 5:30 to 9:30p last Wednesday (10/1), Dylan got to ride in (the front seat of) a police car and participated in a traffic stop, a child services call, and a drug bust.  Dylan was really excited about his ride-along and has mentioned wanting to become a police officer after his experience.  You'll have to ask Dylan about his ride.  He really likes telling the story of his night.

Also on Wednesday:  Jamey Skurtovich (our friend from Atlanta) came over for dinner and met Ryan.  It was so nice to see Jamey.  We really like the Skurtovich's (Jill, Jamey & JT).  It's too bad we live so far apart!  

My great-uncle Jim and aunt Ann came over on Saturday.  It was their first time at our house and their first time meeting Ryan.  They brought my Nana (his sister) with them.  We visited for a couple hours in the morning.  Uncle Jim is so great with kids!  It was exciting to see him interact with Ryan.  

Jeff attended his 20 year class reunion at the Aquarium of the Pacific on Saturday evening.  He really had a great time.  I didn't go.  I wasn't ready to leave Ryan yet - - and besides... my hair hasn't been cut or colored in 12 weeks.  I wasn't going anywhere with roots that are grey and 3 inches long !!!  As I told Jeff, "I had a date with a cuter man"  (Ryan). 

Jeff had already put in several hours of work on Thursday and Friday at our rental property. My aunt Dorothy, uncle Jim (not the same one who was over on Saturday) and cousin Jenni met us at our rental Sunday morning to help us knock out the remaining projects.  Little did we know that it would take five of us to paint for 10 hours and one (Dylan) to do yard work and pick up trash.  

 -We're still not done!!  

I just about died.  I know my uncle Jim was hurting bad... I wasn't too far behind him.  I know I suffered all day today with terrible back pain.  We still need to finish painting trim and doors (the trim seems to be taking 4 coats of paint!) and we still need to do minor repairs.  I can't wait to get these projects off our "to-do" list!

Ryan continues to melt my heart.  He's growing so quickly.  It seems as though we adjust the straps in his car seat on a weekly basis!  He no longer fits into his newborn clothing (he's moved on to his 3-6 month outfits now and he's only 6 weeks old).  His hair continues to lighten up and his cheeks have pudged out!   Developmentally, Ryan has really started to make vocal sounds, he is smiling and he recognizes Jeff's and my voice.  He spends a little bit of time each day on his activity center (see video, turn ON sound)- but mostly enjoys looking at ceiling lights and windows.  He is sleeping better during the day which gives me a little bit of time to get caught up on things (like this blog) - - or to take a quick nap.

Bath Time

Ahhh... Classic pictures of a baby and a bath.
Despite the crying picture... Ryan really does like his baths. He loves the warm water and it really calms him down - especially at the end of the day.

I've been using the baths to my advantage the last couple of days because Ryan has been such a crank! It's almost as though he has developed a case of colic. He doesn't sleep very long throughout (seriously... only for like 5 minutes...just enough time to put him in his crib and get comfortable on the couch, and then WAHHHHH!) Then, when he is awake he just cries! (Just like the picture in the bath) It's been pretty rough. I use the opportunity to hand him off to Jeff when he gets home, but that never helps - - so back to me. It's been an exhausting couple of days.

Hopefully Ryan will get over the blahs and return to the happy baby of last week. If not, I guess I might go back to work early after all!!!