17th Month

Rylen has now reached his 17th month. He is almost a year and a half old! I will most likely quit his monthly pictures at the two year mark. I had to pick a time since I have kept up with them for so long. I figured that after two years the rate of change isn't as frequent as the first two. Besides, I'm sure he will get some camera time with the new baby anyway. But for now, here is our ever growing little boy.

Rylen has made leaps and bounds of communication improvements this month. We are definitely experiencing a lot of understanding and compliance at this point. That means we are also experiencing defiance as well. This has been quite a challenge to figure out how to bridge the FULL communication gap. He definitely understands a lot of commands, requests, and conversations, but then there are times that without words or sentences that we will just not get anywhere. With that thought in mind, Rylen has still not "said" a whole lot. I heard from Robby that he said "Tiger" plain as day and from my brother, he said "uncle". But as usual, it was once or twice and I never heard it or have heard it since. On the other hand, signs are flowing from his hands and he tries his best to pick up any new ones that he deems interesting. I can confidently say that he knows about 20 signs. Some days they are fleeting and other days they bridge our communication gaps. Don't think that just because we don't have words that there is no sound that comes out of his mouth. Au contraire, he is a jabbering chatter box and makes us laugh constantly. His favorite two animal sounds are the cow: "Mmmmmm" and the horse which sounds like his little laugh. Very similar to the "Naaaa" sound the we tell him for horse. He is also on the move 24/7. Running forward, backward, in circles, around corners. His feet, from birth, have been in constant motion. When he is not running, he is looking at books. I have never seen a child so interested in books and he has worn out quite a few of his favorites already. Two of which were from Evi that she brought from Hungary. We might have to get some replacements! We have introduced cheese that is aged 2 years to allow for the best digestion and the least amount of lactose. I make homemade mac and cheese (which is actually quite easy!) once a week for him and will top some of our homemade pizzas with it as well as an extra source of calcium. That was definitely a hard item to bring into the house and not want some for myself. Rylen is also almost solely on Organic Whole milk now over the formula. I am basically using up the last bit of formula as his last drink of the evening. I debated getting raw milk and just thought about it for so long that I gave up the idea for now. It just became too complicated of a process at this point. Otherwise, he eats what we eat and really enjoys it! That is a huge blessing. We have the two bottom canine teeth, so that makes 14 teeth in all! He is quite a chomper, though we still struggle with the chewing before swallowing. We are going to become that parents that make you chew your food 20 times before swallowing. HA!

As for the family, we returned from Thanksgiving break in Indiana enjoying the time that we spent with family. I slacked a bit over the holidays and the first few days I was there I flared BIG TIME! I cut out the Little Debbie's that I had indulged in and the Oreos had to go too, as they were big issues. Once those were out of the diet, I didn't have any more issues the rest of the week. Interesting how some sweets are worse than others. I actually indulged in Pizza with cheese and...gasp...pepperoni! Yes, it was probably my first meat in over a year. Interestingly, I had no flares at all. This was after my cookie flares and I had progressed another week into my pregnancy. So, either the type of cheese they used or the meat didn't affect me... OR... I am in remission now. Who knows. I am just going with the flow and continuing to pray every day that God takes this disease from me so that I can enjoy caring for my two children. Otherwise, as my midwife told me, "Pregnancy does you good, huh? Well, maybe you will just need to continue to get pregnant in increments over the years." Yah! Tell that to Robby and watch how white he can become!

Speaking of Robby, he is continuing to stay on the healthy track with me and has commented how much better he feels eating well. He notices the difference when we slack now and is much happier with the healthier lifestyle. You miss the pizza until you eat it and feel the yuckiness afterwards. We are back on track after the holidays and he is looking to lose a few more lbs. He has also been teaching a lot more cycling classes and loves the adrenaline rush he gets while teaching them. It isn't something he could do 24/7, but it is definitely closer to his calling or what he enjoys. Rylen is all about daddy these days and I am completely worthless in the evening once Daddy is home. I like that. It is so fun to see them together and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Well, that is Rylen's update with a bit of the family added on. We appreciate all of those that enjoy following our family. We love to tell you and express how much God has blessed us. We have had many challenges, but one thing has always remained the same. From the day Robby and I said "I do", God was there and has always been the focus of our family. And with a nod of Rylen's head, we say "Amen." and close this post.