It's worse than I thought.

Its been several months since I've done a post and after spending last weekend at Katie's house, I finally have something I'd like to say. First, thank you to everyone that was able to come to Ryan's blessing. I really appreciate all that were able to make it and those that tried to come, but were kept away with bad weather. The blessing was awesome and it was really special that we were able to bless Ryan in Katie's home.

One of the best things about being Katie's brother and the uncle to Asha and Sage is the dose of brutal honesty one gets not only from Katie, but especially her two girls. Katie has helped me out with my wardrobe in recent months by informing me it was too boring and I needed to spice things up. I've been working on that. Just before Halloween, Asha was telling me all about her costume and I asked her what she thought I should be. Her answer was "Shrek." I asked her why she thought I should be Shrek thinking it was just an innocent answer; the first thing that came to her mind. She said, "Well, you have the same belly...and the same head as him!" This was a major blast to the ego--apparently I look like an ogre. Then this last weekend, I was looking at pictures with Sage and she said, "oh, look how skinny I am." And I said, "Well, what am I?" (obviously not expecting her to say I was "skinny"). She looked me up and down and simply said, "hairy."

So basically in the last few months, I've discovered that I look like a hairy, poorly dressed ogre. I sure love those girls.

Baby, it's cold outside

About that snow...

So it finally snows here, and quite a bit from what I hear, but of course we were out of town and missed it! We spent four days in probably the one part of the state where it didn't snow over the weekend! Actually, there was a little snow on the ground and we woke up to snow yesterday when we left, but it's definitely nicer to watch it snowing from indoors than drive home in bad weather. I guess that's all I'll get so far this winter.
We did have a nice weekend though staying with Katie. We blessed Ryan on Sunday at her home and it turned out pretty nice even though my family couldn't make it because of bad weather further north. Our plans kind of came together last minute so sorry to the family we didn't get the info. to in time. Ryan was a good baby for his first road trip, but picked up the bad habit of wanting to sleep in my bed only. Hopefully he's back on track after a couple days at home. And of course Jack was in heaven playing with all his cousins. The first morning he woke up at Katie's, he was so excited he couldn't stop bouncing! He slept on the huge bean bag in her theater room and told me he "loved his new bed!" Since we've been home, I've already heard a couple requests to go back.



We have three different advent/Christmas countdowns going in our home and I still can't believe there are only 7 days until Christmas! I don't know where the time has gone and I still have lots to do. I really think I'm an organized person, but it sure doesn't seem like it sometimes. I will get Christmas cards out this year though--I don't plan on missing two years in a row!


(Here's your photo Bets--and thanks for the idea Rebecca!)

Let It Snow

I wish it would snow, but fake snowflakes on the tree will have to do here. Ryan loves staring at the lights. Jack however, informed me he doesn't like the tree now that it's decorated. He wanted it to stay "regular" without all the ornaments added!

2 Months

My baby boy is already two months old now. He's starting to outgrow some of his clothes and we'll find out at his checkup next week how much he weighs. Ryan has a cute personality and breaks out in the biggest grin when he first wakes up in the morning. He loves his big brother--especially when Jack gets right in his face and talks to him. He also loves baths and showers and gets pretty angry every night when I take him out to get dressed. I wonder how long he'd stay in the water before getting sick of it if I didn't make him get out!? He's still not the greatest sleeper at night, waking every 3 hours to eat like clockwork. He'll take good naps during the day and sometimes will go 5-6 hours between feedings if he has a long nap. He likes to go on car rides, be carried in the sling and just be held in general which I like to do! If you ask Jack what Baby Ryan likes to do he says, "eat, sleep, and poop" which I guess pretty much sums up his day!

I'm grateful for...

...SLEEP! Especially when it's my turn to get some which isn't often these days. That's okay though--I really am grateful for my houseful of boys!

This year for Thanksgiving, we hosted a mix of both families at our home. The meal turned out really nice including both turkeys JP cooked. For one he used a brine and cooked in the oven, and the other he cooked outside in the smoker. There was lots to eat and still leftovers to enjoy this weekend. Jack is in heaven with his grandparents in town and all his toys seem new again since they're so much more fun to play with when different people are around. Now it's time to get all the Christmas decorations out and start enjoying the next holiday.

Wait for it...

That's the best smile I could get on camera...complete with spit bubbles!

I love it...

Jack cracks me up with the things he says on a daily basis--and just the way he talks in general. Here are some of my favorite things he says that I want to remember:

He loves Transformers, but can't quite get the name right. He sings: "Transmorbers...more than meets the e-y-y-y-y-y-ye!"

Some of his favorite snacks to ask for are fruit-lopas (fruit rollups) and yutty charms (Lucky Charms).

And when it comes to asking for snacks or TV shows or anything he knows he can't have an endless amount of, he asks, "I just only need a couple three more."

The other night at dinner I told him to eat his carrot stick and he said, "Carrots are not for big boys...they are for bunnies." He was very serious too.

And my recent favorite is whenever Ryan is fussing and I'm not right there, Jack will try to comfort him and say, "I am right here baby boy, I am right here." So sweet!

I've tried to get video of him talking, but he usually doesn't cooperate. Here's a short clip from right before I had Ryan. (At the end he gets up to kiss my belly!)

Baby Boy

Ryan is getting bigger every day and has even started smiling a little--just not for the camera. Another noteworthy milestone is he can roll from his tummy to his back. Strange, I know. It's not really intentional...more like he uses the weight of his head to propel the rest of his body over. Notice a pattern with the following pictures? I love the wrinkly forehead! He's just taking it all in.

Side by Side

We're always trying to figure out who Ryan looks like...Jack and JP, or more like me this time around? It wasn't obvious when Jack was born that he looked a lot like his dad...they had the same round head and cowlick, but it took a little while to tell he would be a little mini JP! We pulled out some photos of Jack when he was a baby and JP thought the boys looked alike in this picture of Jack so I took one of Ryan to compare with--same shirt and all! He wouldn't cooperate and look at the camera, but you get the idea.


Sometimes I think they look a lot alike when Ryan is sleeping, but still--it's kind of hard to tell. I'm thinking he looks more like me, but we'll see as he gets older!

Halloween Fun

Jack was a cowboy this year for Halloween--complete with plastic gun and spurs! JP took him trick-or-treating down our street and after a dozen houses Jack looked in his bag and was so excited because he had "100 pieces of candy!" He's easy to please. After they got back, Jack had just as much fun helping pass out candy and seeing what costumes kids arrived in. He always pointed out that it was a "nice" witch or a "nice" monster. By far his favorite treat to pick out of his bag to eat is Tootsie Pops. I don't think he's had anything else yet.

Happy Halloween!

1 Month

Ryan is one month old today! He is a pretty good baby who likes to be held a lot by his mom. His sleeping pattern hasn't changed much in the past few weeks. He naps a lot during the day then sleeps 3-4 hours at night, gets up to eat, then repeat. I'm looking forward to longer stretches hopefully sometime soon. He seems to be growing a lot; he weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. at his two-week checkup. He loves bath time and laying on the bed by his wild big brother. My mom gave Ryan this cute stuffed puppy so we could take his picture with it every month and watch how much he grows. He's not very easy to pose right now, but still pretty cute!

More snuggly baby...

Brothers

Jack seems giant next to Ryan! It's the weirdest thing to pick Jack up and wonder how he suddenly got so big. He loves his baby brother and is pretty good with him...I just have to remind him to be soft seeing as how Ryan isn't quite ready to wrestle with him.

I Spy...

something disgusting--or as Jack would say, something aaa-scusting. We've actually spotted a few frogs in our yard, usually when it's dark.

Don't worry...lots of cuter pictures to come, but right now it's too hard to post while holding a baby and typing with one hand. I need to invest in a sling; this kid will not let me put him down!

Baby Ryan

We're all enjoying our first week home with Ryan. My mom has been here to help out with the boys--especially keeping Jack entertained. He'll miss having someone to play trick-or-treat with (yes, he's made it a game to practice up for Halloween I guess!) and I'll miss having such a clean kitchen, but we'll manage fine on our own soon enough.

Ryan is a pretty good baby and lets me get a few hours sleep at a time during the night. I know he won't stay this tiny for long so I'm enjoying it while it lasts!

Bedtime. *yawn*

Finally!!!

I've been meaning to try and post some pictures all week, but obviously I've been a little occupied! My sister told me she checked the blog about 99 times on Wed. and now I'm finally getting to posting!

Ryan Walker DeWitt was born just after 10:30 p.m. on 9/29/2008. He weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. and was 20 in. long. My labor was very similiar to what it was like with Jack--contractions starting the night before and 24 hours later, we finally had a baby! This time we made it to the hospital a lot sooner though so that was nice.


Jack loves being a big brother and keeps asking me when Ryan will be bigger and can play toys with him and walk and talk!



And Happy Birthday yesterday to the new daddy! Sorry it wasn't the most exciting celebration, but you know we love you!!

Countdown

We are counting down the days to when our baby arrives and I can't believe it's about time! I've had such a smooth pregnancy and everything is ready and waiting. I've been cleaning and organizing all week; both to have a clean house and hopefully jump start some contractions!

And speaking of counting down the days...Jack is SO excited for Halloween this year. He keeps asking when he gets to trick-or-treat so we made a chain for him to tear a loop off every day until the big day. He finally settled on a costume so we started working on that. We also found this mask when I got the Halloween decorations out. He's terrified of it, but decided to try it on for a few seconds to scare everyone. Should be a fun month.

Date with Dad

One day last week, JP took Jack with him in the morning so I could get some work done and they could have some fun together. They went to the library to pick out some books and met up with Jack's cousins. Outside the library they played in the splash pools and Jack ended up falling in. JP, being the resourceful dad he is, stripped Jack down to bring him home so he wouldn't have to ride in wet clothes!?! They stopped to get some lunch and this is what I came out to once they got back.

Jack didn't seem to mind riding home naked or eating his lunch that way. He definetly enjoyed his time out with Dad!

**Thanks to everyone who voted on a middle name for Ryan. The jury is still out on the final result, but we'll figure it out soon enough!

Ryan?

We decided on our baby's first name early on this pregnancy, but we're stuck on what to do for a middle name. Before Jack was born, we took a vote with our family and narrowed down our list of about 10 names to 3. It was close between Toby and Jack, but in the end we wanted another J.P. and named him Jack Paul; his middle name coming from his dad, grandpa, and great-grandpa.
So we figured we'd put it to a vote again--this time for Ryan's middle name. The choices are in the poll to the right, but I'll explain each one a little bit:

*Corbett: This is my dad's middle name and grandma's maiden name.

*Dylan: This isn't a family name, but I've always liked it and think it goes well with the full name.

*Hunter: This is another name we both like and considered as a first name. JP's cousins have this for a last name.

*Walker: JP's cousin's name, but I think he's pulling for this one because he's a closet Walker, Texas Ranger fan.

*Wallace: JP's uncle's name and brother's middle name.

So cast your vote in the poll or leave a comment with a name not listed if you have a good idea. We'll narrow it down and see what we come up with!

Success!

Over Labor Day weekend we had some great success with potty training Jack. It quickly went from me constantly reminding or asking him if he needed to go, to him telling me when he needed to and he was a lot more interested in doing well at it. We had some family and friends over for a BBQ on Saturday and Jack was too busy playing and having fun to be bothered with going to the bathroom, but his aunt Jenny told him everyone would march around and have a potty parade after he went. I caught some of it on video and I laugh every time I watch Jack running to catch up. (I don't know what it is about him wanting to wear only underwear lately, but we've since convinced him to at least put on a shirt. And yes, that's the smallest size of underwear I could find at the store!)

The kids watching the deer in the field behind our house.

New Obsession

Jack has this new thing where he loves piling his stuff in some corner of the house and inviting whoever will listen to come hang out. Blankets, pillows and stuffed animals are always standard in the pile, but there can be any number of strange things like shoes, magazines and even his plastic basketball hoop will be dragged to wherever the pile is being assembled. Instead of calling it a pile, I guess I should use the name his hangout is often referred to. It's most commonly called The Magic Land, but it's also been known as The Great Valley (after watching Land Before Time), The Finish Line (?), and My Picnic.

Usually Jack begs me or JP to come sit with him promising we'll be "nice and comfy" or he'll want privacy in his magic land and tell me to go away...oh, and bring him a drink. JP helped him step up his fort building by adding a blanket and even our portable DVD player and that just made the hangouts beyond exciting for him. I love his imagination, but forget having a clean house when he comes unglued if I try picking up his stuff even though he'll have a fort going in every room!

Fun with Dad...and 6 weeks to go!

We've been enjoying the end of summer and doing more outdoor activities with Jack, like visiting this little fish pond on Monday night. When we go out I keep thinking this is too easy to just leave and do what we want. I think my mind is already set on how it won't be this convenient in a few weeks with a newborn. On more than one occasion, we've been in the car and I feel like we're forgetting something...I guess I'm just ready for this baby to be here!


Jack needs a little help when it comes to blowing bubbles. He ends up tasting the wand because he gets it so close and gets frustrated when nothing comes out. Lola is poised and ready to jump at the first sign of a bubble. I should take some video of her going bananas trying to eat each bubble before it hits the ground--she absolutely loves chasing and eating them.


And just to show what 6 weeks to go looks like...

Not much longer at all. I need to finish getting the room ready and unpack my baby clothes and see what I still need to buy to be ready...like diapers! I keep thinking this baby will come early so I guess I better make sure I'm ready.

No Thanks

After my first blog post I took a lot of heat about my manhood. I was asked questions like, “Are you going to Enrichment this week?”, “When are you starting a bunko group?” and so on. If you think that sounds like something Scott Bracken would say, you would be right. In an attempt to reclaim some of my man cred I’ve chosen for post #2 to take on women everywere. What’s the deal with these dumb vampire love books? As if The Notebook wasn’t enough to make all women buy into an unrealistic amount of romance, now we’re supposed to compete with a love sick vampire? I know it’s not just our circle of friends that have been affected by the vampire love epidemic. All the places I go where men meet like the gym, the foyer during church, and places like that, the complaint about this book is the same, “My wife reads these books and then is on my case about not having enough romance in our marriage.” These are my thoughts… if I were a vampire I’m sure that would spice things up. Why is it OK for them to fall for a vampire? If a guy was like that about a witch in a Lord of the Rings book, he would be the biggest dork in the world, yet it’s OK for our wives to love some vampire? The last complaint I have is these being made into movies. Like most of you, it’s not the easiest thing to go to the movies and I’m supposed to waste one of those chances on vampire love? No thanks. I didn’t drag Shelly to Rambo 4. I propose we have a huge group date when this movie comes out and all the ladies can go to vampire love and all the men can go to anything else.

Big Boy Bed

Last weekend we made the switch from the crib to a twin bed for Jack. I put it off as long as I could because he sleeps so well at night and takes good naps, but we wanted him to get used to the change before all the other big changes coming up. For some reason this was such a hard transition for me--the first couple nights anyway. I was so paranoid because the bed rail we bought to keep him from falling off wouldn't work; it's a captain style bed and the mattress sits down in the wood so finally we rigged our own guard to keep him in. Between the times he woke up confused the first night and the times I woke up on my own to check on him, I was literally up every hour until morning! He was fine after another night of getting used to it and I've relaxed now--even though he did fall out for the first time last night!

Jack loves to show off his big boy bed to anyone who comes over. He loves the secret hiding place underneath and of course, jumping.

(Don't be fooled by the underwear--potty training is still quite the work in progress).