Dryden's 4 month stats...

Dryden is almost 5 months now, just one week shy.

His 4 month apt went great.  The day after his shots is always hard!  He cries all day long, poor boy!  Dryden weighed 16lbs and 14.5 oz!  He is a pound and a half more than Kalder was at the same age. Dryden is one chunky little baby....so dang cute!  His height was 25.98", which is also longer than Kalder by a half an inch.  Dryden is now in 9 month clothes crazy!  Time is going by too fast!  Besides Dryden out growing his reflux I'm not "waiting for the next stage" as I was with Kalder.

Brother love

The two boys are starting to interact more and more.  Kalder is paying more attention to Dryden now that he is playing.  Dryden watches Kalder everywhere he goes.  I love to watch them interact with one another!

Kisses

This is my monster child :) love age 2

Dryden is now 3 months!

One adorable little dude

Proud mama and her boys

Summer fun for a week!

Ryan came home for a whole week!  I love the weeks we get to spend together when he is home.  This time we were able to go for a 10 mile hike with the two kids.  The boys did better than Ryan :)  We were also able to go for a bike ride in grand teton national park.  Kalder got to play in string lake...he saw ducks and got so excited!  Then he saw a little chipmunk and he tried to call for it to come like it was a dog.  He can be so cute, then a terror the next second! A different day we headed back to the grand teton national park and went for a hike.  We did a 5 mile loop, and once again Kalder was able to play in the water.  He loves the water.  We took him to the Rexburg water park as well, but he wasn't a fan of that.  I think there were just too many people, it was too overwhelming for him.  Either was we had a ton of fun in just one week!

Dryden 11 weeks

The second child...

My mom would always told me that you never take as many pictures with the second one as you do the first.  I didn't believe it until I had my second...I have so many pictures of Kalder I cant count them...as for Dryden there is definitely not as many so I made it a point to take some photos of him this last week.

Dryden is now 11 weeks.  Time goes by so fast.  Here are just a few pictures....

Kalder loves to sit by Dryden and hold him whenever he can!

My precious little guy.

All smiles!

Our first family hike

This picture was taken when Dryden was 3 weeks old.  My brother and Yesenia were up visiting.  We took a little hike and I mean little!  I was still recovering!  Dryden slept the whole time and Kalder rode in his stroller (we were on a bike path).  Cant wait to do some more hiking with these two boys when the weather cools down a bit.

Kalder and his Dog!

Kalder is a character!  He keeps me moving all day long!  His vocabulary has really taken off.  He puts two and three words together now.  Strawberries is his favorite word to say.  He is enjoying the challenging words these days!

Kalder lovey is a dog...which fits since he spends most of his time outside with his dog, Sierra.  Since I'm tending to Dryden a ton, Kalder has learned to play with Sierra while I feed and change Dryden.

Kalder is now 21 months.  He is listening better than he was at 18 months which is wonderful!  He is now jumping and dancing!  Love him!

Camping in a forest service cabin!

YAY!!!

Ryan came home for a whole week!  It had been over a month since we had seen him!  We were all so excited to see him.  We decided to rent a forest service cabin in the Salmon NF.  It was 2.5 hrs into the mtns on a dirt road...but SO worth it!

We saw an old mine.  Went on some gnarly dirt roads, played in the lake, played in the streams, went for a hike, and most importantly enjoyed each others company with out cell phones or other electronic interruptions!  

The bugs were bad...lots of mosquito's, so Dryden stayed inside most the time since we cant put bug repellent on him till he is 6 month old...so Ryan and I took turns with Kalder :)

Kalder loves the water...loves to be by it, but not in it!  He doesn't like how cold the mtn lakes and streams are...and I don't blame him!

Daddy and Kalder on the 4th of July!

Tired little man!

Our home for a week! No running water...but we had a propane stove!

Mama and her two boys!!  Love them so so much!

Isnt he just adorable!

Dryden 2 month checkup

Dryden at 2 months!

Poor Dryden!  The first two months of his little life, he had a nasty butt rash.  It was open sores...all bloody.  The doctor thought it was a yeast infection.  We tried topical cream, oral medicines, and an antibacterial topical cream as well.  The rash would get smaller, but never disappear.  After all this the doctor informed me that Dryden could possibly be allergic to something that I was eating.  Instead of playing the guessing game I went to see Dr. Jim (a chiropractor who does muscle testing).  It seems really strange, but it was worth a try at this point.  I had nothing left to loose.  Dr. Jim found out Dryden is allergic to wheat and millet.  I have cut both of those grains out of my diet....and Dryden is now diaper rash free!!!  He is a much happier baby now that the rash is gone, which makes a much happier mama! I love breastfeeding!  Stopping was not an option.  Its better for the baby and its better for me.  So now I am on a gluten free diet for my little guy.  It has taken some getting used to but it is well worth it.  I like the almond and coconut flour a lot better than the rice or potato flour.  I am learning a new way to cook.  Its fun, the new recipes I get to try!

I took Dryden in for his 2 month appointment a couple of weeks ago.  Dryden was 12lbs 15oz....a whole  pound heavier than Kalder was, but a half an inch shorter than Kalder (23.62 inches).  Dryden was in the 80-85% for both.  He is a much chunkier baby than Kalder...probably because he keeps his food down!  Dryden now coos...I love to have little conversations with him!  He is also smiling a ton now!

Dryden Ridge Woolstenhulme

We had a baby boy!!!  How exciting to have two little boys so close in age.  They are 19 months apart.  I am now really out numbered, but I wouldn't have it any other way!  Picking a name for our little dude was not too easy.  We sat at the hospital with out baby name book till we were about ready to head home.  With the help of my midwife we settled on... Dryden Ridge.  He was born April 30th.  I arrived at the hospital at 10:30 being 9.5 cent.  My midwife broke my bag of waters and then Dryden was born at 11:30.  Natural labor is one of the hardest things to do, but the most rewarding!  Dryden was 7lbs 6oz and 21 inches long.  Kalder was 7lbs 2oz and 20 inches long.  Kalder being 12 days late and Dryden being one week early Dryden was still bigger than his big brother when he was born.

Kalder has had a hard time adjusting to Dryden.  At first he was excited there was a baby.  Now he has realized how much of mommy's time it is taking away from him and he is quite jealous.  He has been throwing temper tantrums a lot more often.  The doctor said it would take 2 or 3 weeks to adjust.  Today has been the first day that Kalder has been better behaved...I can see it getting better, which makes me feel better about it.  Kalder is one great little helper though!  He helps me out a ton!  

Ryan has been home for over a week now and we get him one more week before he heads back to work.  This time with Ryan has been so wonderful.  I didn't realize how much I truly miss him!  Kalder is dads little buddy its so fun to see them interact.  Ryan is just so in love with Dryden.  I really could not have gotten through this last week without his help!  

Ryan and I are just so in love with our growing family!  I love being a mom.  It is the best thing in the whole world!  I love my boys!

 Our family of four!

 Kalder holding his baby brother for the first time!

 Dryden Ridge...

Brother love!

Easter & Sunshine!

Ive lived in Teton Valley for 6 years.  In those years, this was the first year we were able to celebrate Easter OUTSIDE!!!  We were actually able to have an Easter egg hunt outside!  Usually there is a snow storm or its just too dang cold to go out.  It was actually almost 60 degrees!  We went down to my sister in laws for our egg hunt.  This was Kalder's second Easter, but first time looking for eggs.  He loved it. Not sure if it was just because he was outside or actually liked getting the eggs....

This past week the weather has been wonderful!  No rain, snow, or wind....which is rare for Teton Valley in April....for a whole week.  Kalder and I have played outside everyday.  Its the first thing he says after he eats some breakfast....outside, outside, outside as he is running to the door.  Today is the first day in over a week we wont be playing outside.  Its raining....I'm afraid to say our nice weather has been put on hold!

Kalder has taken a liking to the slides at the park, but still hates the swings.  He would still rather play with pine cones or just run around over anything else.  The being on my feet chasing my toddler around is starting to become difficult with the baby getting bigger in my belly.  I am now 35 weeks along.  Not too much longer now :)

Ryan came home for the weekend, this past weekend.  Kalder and I love when he comes home.  Kalder loved Ryan's tape measurer.  He is going to be a big help for his daddy when he gets bigger!  In this picture above I am 33 1/2 weeks preggo with Kalder's little brother/sister.  We are all getting so excited to meet this little baby!

Yesterday I just noticed that half a molar is poking through his gums!  I hate when he is in so much pain, but I cant wait until he can chew some real food.

Kalder will be 18 months next week.  I cant believe how fast a year and a half has flow by.  Kalder now will repeat anything you ask him to.  There are a lot of mispronounced words, but he gives it a try any how.  Its so cute.  I love that he is talking more and more.  His favorite word at the moment is "uh-oh".  Everything is uh-oh!  When he drops something to when he takes off his socks or even when he falls down!  Its adorable.

Kalder and his lovey

I couldn't grab my camera fast enough so its a photo off my phone....

But, Kalder and his dog!  It fits, since we have 3 dogs... that the stuffed animal of his choice be a dog!  He must have it to sleep and carries it from place to place when he is teething or sick.  This past week he has been sick so his doggy had gone every where.  From his bed, to his bath, to helping him brush his teeth.  He has just found this cubby in our office where he likes to hide out and snuggle his dog.  Love this little man so much!

Play time

March and there is still snow!  There will be snow for a couple more months yet where we live.  So we have to take advantage of a nice day and go play outside.  The snow was so hard we were actually able to walk out in our yard!  The fun did not last too long because Kalder took a header into one of our stairs.

Kalder's first boo boo

My big 3-0 birthday is coming up!  My parents sent my birthday present a little early, which I was extremely excited about!  They sent me a new camera!  My old one took blurry pictures whenever you moved...and to get a toddler to sit still for a picture.  Ha thats a joke.  Needless to say taking pictures of my son hasn't been the easiest.  Now with a wonderful new camera I am able to get clear pictures of my toddler running full speed!!  I love it and am so grateful to have such thoughtful parents!  They sent me the most perfect present.  I love having pictures to look back on.

Kalder's first "real" boo boo!  The little guy tripped while playing outside.  He went face first into one of our stairs on the porch.  Poor guy had a huge fat lip yesterday, then today he has a little cut.  Poor guy.  I think Kalder and I are both ready to play outside without snow clothes!

Baby Names...

I am 30 1/2 weeks pregnant.  We do not know what we are having.  Both of us love the surprise.  We have a cute girl name picked out since our last pregnancy, but as for boys names...that's another story!  We cannot agree or even kind of agree on a boys name!  Ryan came home this weekend and it was one of the topics we discussed.

First of all Kalder and I were super excited to see dada!  Ryan's time at home was too short and as for the next time we will see him....that is uncertain.  Ryan is going to be working 12 hour shifts 7 days a week.  We are grateful that he is a hard worker, but Kalder and I miss him a ton!

Now, as for boys names...Ryan is stuck on Danner.  He loves it.  He has also mentioned Kade, which I'm okay with but not in love with.  The names I choose are different...Id like to stick with an outdoorsy name without it being too granola!  Kalder means stream, our girls name means lake, so if we have another boy Id like it to mean something outdoorsy.  Dunley (meaning hilly meadow), Ridge, Trayton (meaning town full of trees), and River are all names Ive come up with.  I'm not "in love" with any of these name and Ryan isn't too sure about any of them.  As of now we may end up having a little boy that doesn't have a name for the first few days of his little life.  We do have about 9 more weeks to come up with something Ryan and I both like!  Hopefully we can come up with a few names we both really like!

Playing in the Snow!

Yesterday Kalder and I took advantage of the warm sun!  Kalder is getting to the point where he would much rather be outside than inside!  Spring is coming and we both cannot wait!  Kalder has learned that he has to stay on the packed snow to walk around without falling.  We spend a lot of time in our driveway or walking up and down the street.  He loves to put the cold snow in his mouth.  For the first time ever Kalder was able to get up after falling down on his own.  Not just once either but multiple times!  Since my belly is growing this allowed us to spend more time outside, which was so nice for the both of us!

Kalder and his dogs!

Today I was thinking about how tiny Kalder was when he was born.  I figure I am thinking of this more and more as my due date with the new baby is approaching fast.  I was thinking about how Kalder had little frog legs that wouldn't go straight for the longest time.  I was also thinking about how he would just snuggle on my chest and sleep!  Oh how I miss those moments, but I am enjoying the little boy Kalder is becoming.  My favorite thing he does is say erriosiosiosios....for Cheerios.  He does this as he is wiping his chin with his finger (the sign for cereal).  In the last two weeks his vocabulary is expanding daily.  At this point I cant list all the words he is saying or at least I'm understanding :)

A couple of days ago, Sierra, one of our dogs was excited to play with Kalder and picked up her teddy bear and was carrying it around in her mouth.  Kalder's bear was right next to Sierra's...Kalder runs over there and picks up his bear with his mouth.  Then he stands up with this huge smile on his face and looks me in the eye and says dog!  Oh he cracks me up!

In the picture below I asked Kalder to say hi dada...and he did exactly that.  I am so lucky to be able to stay at home with this little dude of mine!

27 Weeks and New Beginnings??

Well...

I have had a lot to think about these last couple of weeks.  Probably a bit too much, but life always throws new and fun adventures at you.  Well, that is how I am thinking of it now :)

Ryan just got a new job in Rawlins, WY.  It is 5 hours away from our house.  Its not too far, but far enough that we wont be able to see him unless we go there.  Ryan told me he was going to get laid off again from his company here in town so I put out a few resumes on the Internet.  Thank goodness he had a couple calls back.  One was 9 hours away and then there was the Rawlins job.  Its a great opportunity for him.  He is doing industrial electrical work, which he has not ever done before.  He started on Monday and so far he is enjoying it.

As for Kalder and I...

We miss daddy!  We are used to him being gone all week due to work, but he has been coming home on weekends.  This new job doesn't allow enough time off to come home for the weekends.  Ryan has rented a room in a hotel for a month.  Kalder and I will be joining Ryan this Friday to give it a try down there.  If I wasn't pregnant there wouldn't be too much to think about.

Being 27 weeks pregnant as of today :)  I have an apt next week with the doctors...then from there on out its every two weeks for an apt.  I am a lot more uncomfortable than the last pregnancy and my tummy has gotten bigger faster.  But I feel this little baby moving a ton more than my first pregnancy which is real neat.  I am getting really excited to meet our new little one.

I would really like it if my husband was at the delivery of his new baby and since my labor was only 3 1/2 hrs with Kalder I'm thinking this labor will go just as quick if not quicker.  Ryan would never make it to the birth of his new son/daughter.  So, I will be meeting with a doctor in Rawlins, WY to see if I can find a good fit.  I sure hope so!  As for the future of our little family....its quite uncertain if Ill be in Victor or Rawlins.  I have figured it out though.  If I don't go down there and spend some time in the city of Rawlins I will not know how to make a decision on what is best for our family.  So Friday Kalder and I will take a little journey through Wyoming to meet up with Daddy!  We cannot wait to see him!

Mr. Independent!

Oh man...

In the last two weeks Kalder insists on doing everything for himself!  He started off by wanting to brushing his teeth with no help.  He comes up to me and does the sign for brushing teeth and says "teeth".  Normally I would help scrub his 5 teeth he has (which just became 7 in the last week), but ohhhh no.  He wont let me touch his toothbrush.  He has to do it!  Now in the last few days its feeding himself.  He doesn't want to feed himself with his hands any longer.  He must have a spoon.  I load it up and then he must take the spoon to his mouth.  I find these new habits cute, but when in a rush...not so much!  As for really getting his teeth brushed...any advice is welcomed!

Some new words Kalder is saying is turtle, teeth, treat, no, cheese, and I'm sure there are more.  As for his signing...wow!  I cant believe how much he picks up on the signing.  Banana, kitty, brushing teeth, outside, wash hands, hat, shoes, are just a few signs that he now does.  It is fun being able to understand what he wants!

Love our little man!

Baby #2

This is an ultrasound picture of baby #2.  We are very happy to be welcoming another baby into our family the beginning of May!  Kalder is going to be a big brother.  I am 23 weeks along.  More than half way through this pregnancy, which has been so different than the first.  Much harder and I have felt a lot more sick.  We opted once again to keep the babies sex a surprise until he/she is born.  I am just hoping for one healthy baby to be welcomed into this family.  Ryan really would like a little girl.  We will find out soon enough!

Kalder will be 19 months old when our second baby is born.  We were trying for this little one and we were blessed right away.  I am so excited that Kalder will have a younger brother or sister so close in age, but I'm afraid that I will be a bit overwhelmed and busy the first few months.  I'm just hoping that Ryan will be coming home at night and no longer working away from home.  Either way we will get through that wonderful time that we will cherish!

Here is a picture of Kalder driving his car around during Christmas 2012 while my family was up visiting.

Christmas 2012

Kalder's second Christmas...

He now knows what presents are!  It was so fun to see how excited he was for them.  He likes to unwrap them and see whats inside...each time he says "wow" in a whispered voice when he can see whats inside.  So cute!  Santa brought him a ball pit that came with a tunnel and tent.  He loves it.  I'm not a fan of picking up the balls all over the house!  At least he is having fun, that's all that matters, right?

My parents, brother, and his girlfriend came up Christmas day.  The week started off great.  It is always wonderful to see my family!  The whole time they were here the temperatures were in the low teens...a bit too cold for Kalder to get outside much.  So we spent a lot of time indoors.  We did go for a few walks, a snowshoe, a xc ski, and Kalder was pulled around in a sled a ton.  My dad and I made pierogies from scratch for the first time.  They turned out great!  Then a few days into their visit my dad got really really sick.  At first I thought it was from him sucking in too much cold air while out on our snowshoe...but then my brother and mom got it as well.  They ended up being miserable the last couple of days and leaving early.  Thank goodness Kalder didn't get it!  Its always sad to see them leave.  I wish that we had more time together more often!  And where everyone is healthy!  Its hard living so far away.

Grandpa Lane took my family for a sleigh ride

 Kalder just wants to walk now that he can :)  Even though he falls a ton in his snow gear, which is adorable, he would still rather be exploring!

 Kalder doesn't seems to like the sleigh rides.  He never smiles and he never cries.

 Uncle Sam picked this sled out for Kalder.  He seemed to love it!

Uncle Sam, Grandma, and Grandpa with Kalder

 My mom hung out with Kalder a day (that's where she would rather be, playing with her grandson) so Ryan and I cross country skiied with Sam and Yesenia.

Our cross country ski in Grand Teton National Park.