She was sleeping within minutes of getting into the car!
3.27.2011
Zoo Fun!
Gilly and I got season tickets to the Cameron Park Zoo here in Waco and this weekend was the first weekend to get out for a visit. I've heard nothing but good things about it, so we hoped we wouldn't be disappointed. We arrived first thing Saturday morning and the weather was perfect! We spent the week leading up to our trip looking at all the pictures of the animals we would see. Rylynn seemed very excited and I hoped she would really enjoy it. And we did! The zoo is just the perfect size for a young child. You can get around really easily, hit the hightlights and then head home before nap time! We can't wait to go back again. In fact, Ry already has a playdate iwth her cousin Jackson to show him around on Friday. Here are a few pics from our fun day!
She was sleeping within minutes of getting into the car!
She was sleeping within minutes of getting into the car!
More good news...
Late Friday afternoon, Gilly and I received an unexpected and wonderful phone call from Children's. So last week, we left our appointment with the good news that we could have Rylynn's 2nd Birthday party at the ranch in Lampasas. This was very exciting for us. Ry and I haven't been back to Lampasas since December 11. It will be wonderful to leave our bubble for the afternoon and take her back to the ranch. On Friday it got even better though! Laurie called to let us know that the transplant team talked about Rylynn's health that morning and decided because she is currently doing so well, we should take the opportunity to do a small amount of traveling to enjoy some time together and have a nice summer. We will have to notify the team each time we exit the bubble and for any trips more than about 30 minutues from here, we will have to be temporary placed as a "status 7". This means she will be removed from the list for that period of time. So you can understand that it doesn't make sense to spend too much time away, but a little time will be just what we need. This post can not convey the excitement that Gilly and I feel. We know that the reality of our situation leaves us little opportunity for truly excellent news, but little things like this really make us smile! :) We are looking forward to a wonderful birthday celebration and a great summer! I hope you all will be a part of it! With love. . .
Other things that Ry has been up to...
I haven't blogged in so long that I feel like I have so much to catch up on. Here's a little of what we've been up to. Ry's language skills Rylynn is still talking so much, each day she picks up new phrases and vocabulary, it's amazing. Some of her more recents sayings are below. Check it out, Where'd you go? or Where you going?, Up the hill, I see you, Hold on tight cowboy. She puts phrases together using the words she knows such as Watch more Meemo movie now, Help build small castle, and miss you today. She has absolutely no problem conveying what she needs or wants. She makes sentences and will repeat them until you understand her. Church Behavior I have wanted to note her church phrases for some time, mainly because I don't want to forget them. I am very proud of Ry's behavior in church. She usually stays quiet for most of the mass and wiggles an acceptable amount for a 23 month old girl. On most Sundays you will hear the following phrases coming from the back row of St. Louis' 9:30 service. "Jesus!" and "Father!" we're working to explain the difference between Jesus and Father John. I think she's starting to understand. "Bells!" During each mass there is a very quite moment when bells are rung by the alter boys. Rylynn shouts each time with complete excitement Bells!! And finally, the phrase each parent is proud to hear their toddler shout during church... "Naked!" Her children's Bible has pictures and in the first chapter, there you can find the story of Adam and Eve. Unfortunately, it appears that they are not dressed. Rylynn likes to point this out. We have had to bring one of her other story book Bibles the past few weeks, I think we've solved that problem. Potty Training I am so proud to say we survived and were successful in our endeavor. It's been a little over a month and she's doing great. We still use pull-ups when we go out, but she rarely has an accident. Our biggest problem has been trying to find little undies that don't fall right off her tiny booty. Even the pull-ups are huge on her!
Spring Break 2011
Although Mommy and Daddy didn't have spring break, all our family and friends did! So we were able to spend a lot of fun time together over the week. By the time Sunday rolled around, Rylynn and I were so exhausted. We able to see all her grandparents, aunts, cousins and even great aunts, second cousins and old friends. We aren't used to so much excitement around here so we had more than we could handle!
Thursday, Ry and I went out to support the Lampasas Badger Baseball team. They had a tournament here in Waco so Ry and I decided to go for a bit. We actually mainly wanted to go so we could see Carley (Ry's sitter) for a little while. We enjoyed the visit and Rylynn was happy to see Carley. I was glad she had not forgotten her.
Friday Gilly's parents came into town for dinner and a show! We took Rylynn to see the Lipizzaner Stallions. Rylynn loved the horses and kept asking for more! 
The rest of the week, Rylynn got to spend some time with my parents and sisters out at Lake Waco. They played with Play-do, played with the puppies, played on the playscape, painted fingernails, played Barbies and so much more! Ry even helped catch her first fish. She wasn't too thrilled about it though. Her cousin Shelby pet it and held it, but Ry said no way!
Another really big project for the week was helping PaPa build Rylynn a sandtable. I drew up my idea and PaPa went to work. Becasue I was busy having to work, PaPa did most of it himself, but Rylynn and I tried to help when we could. She was so thrilled when we got it home. She shouted Yay PaPa! It is so great and when we put the lid on, she can use it as an outdoor table too. 
On Thursday, we took a little break to have Ry's picture made. We had an appointment made to have her picture taken before Christmas, but we instead spent the week in the hospital for transplant eval! So I was waiting for some warmer weather and made an appointment with one of my closest friend's sister. She is a stay at-home-mom with a wonderful talent. We had a blast snapping photos in downtown Waco! Here's just one of the shots, I love it!
Friday Rylynn had a special visitor. Her Aunt Caity from NY came for a visit. So her Riojas Aunts and cousin Jackson, and her Martinka Aunts and cousins Tyler, Sydney, and Shelby all went for a swim here in Waco at the indoor pool at the Hampton Inn! It was lots of fun, but Ry didn't want to get her "shirt" wet! I'm not sure how fun swimming will be this summer if Ry doesn't want to her swimsuit wet, but oh well! We shared lots of pretzels and laughs with the kids.
Overall, I'd say the week was a success!! We're all rested up now and ready for more spring time fun! We love this weather and each and every time we walk outside (no matter the temperature or weather conditions) Rylynn says "it's nice outside!" And she says it with such excitement!
The munchkin is up from her nap so I'll have to run for now, but hope to add another entry tonight.
With love. . .
3.25.2011
Good Trip to Dallas
I know it has been an awful long time since I've last blogged and I owe you all a long entry full of pictures and the things we've been up to. But I've struggled to find the time to blog.
I wanted to give you all an update on our Doctor's appointment yesterday though.
We had a good report again yesterday. Ry gained a whopping 7 oz. Of course, for the first time ever she was weighed with her clothes on (usually dry diaper only). Gilly and I just looked at each other and let the nurse continue. So a couple of those ounces may have come from her clothing, but I feel a few of those ounces were truly the result of our daily work at her eating. Although they'd love to see more growth, because she is still eating with out bowel problems, cramping or vomitting they just want us to keep at it. So this month is more of the same.... eat, eat, eat!
All of her labs came back with little change. It began to sink in to Gilly and me as we traveled home discussing the day that from here on out, each appointment will hold only slightly worse news than the time before. We are in the waiting game and just have to pray that Ry holds tight as long as possible.
Rylynn was once again such a brave girl. The nurse drawing labs had a terrible time sticking her and we ended up with lots of war scars. Luckily, they had purple tape for each of her bandages and a princess sticker to take. Ry even told the lady thank-you as we left.
BIG NEWS OF THE DAY
The greatest news of the day is that we did get the ok we were hoping for. Gilly and I posed the question to our transplant coordinator, Laurie, whether we could leave our "bubble" for just one afternoon to have a birthday celebration for Rylynn. And they all said YES!!! We are going to be able to celebrate Rylynn's 2nd birthday at the ranch in Lampasas! This means so much to Gilly and me and we can't wait to begin planning. I don't want to devulge into the emotions of celebrating another birthday and what this year will mean compared to the emotions and thoughts of last years. For now just know that we are so happy and can't wait to celebrate her special day!
I've got to wrap this post up for now, but I'll leave you with this short video of the happy girl we had in our back seat on the way home. She was thrilled to be headed home after a long day at the hospital and mommy and daddy were celebrating our happy news of a birthday party on the horizon in the front seat!
(Sorry it's kinda shaky, we were driving down the interstate!)
Thanks for all your prayers for a good apointment!
With love ...
I wanted to give you all an update on our Doctor's appointment yesterday though.
We had a good report again yesterday. Ry gained a whopping 7 oz. Of course, for the first time ever she was weighed with her clothes on (usually dry diaper only). Gilly and I just looked at each other and let the nurse continue. So a couple of those ounces may have come from her clothing, but I feel a few of those ounces were truly the result of our daily work at her eating. Although they'd love to see more growth, because she is still eating with out bowel problems, cramping or vomitting they just want us to keep at it. So this month is more of the same.... eat, eat, eat!
All of her labs came back with little change. It began to sink in to Gilly and me as we traveled home discussing the day that from here on out, each appointment will hold only slightly worse news than the time before. We are in the waiting game and just have to pray that Ry holds tight as long as possible.
Rylynn was once again such a brave girl. The nurse drawing labs had a terrible time sticking her and we ended up with lots of war scars. Luckily, they had purple tape for each of her bandages and a princess sticker to take. Ry even told the lady thank-you as we left.
BIG NEWS OF THE DAY
The greatest news of the day is that we did get the ok we were hoping for. Gilly and I posed the question to our transplant coordinator, Laurie, whether we could leave our "bubble" for just one afternoon to have a birthday celebration for Rylynn. And they all said YES!!! We are going to be able to celebrate Rylynn's 2nd birthday at the ranch in Lampasas! This means so much to Gilly and me and we can't wait to begin planning. I don't want to devulge into the emotions of celebrating another birthday and what this year will mean compared to the emotions and thoughts of last years. For now just know that we are so happy and can't wait to celebrate her special day!
I've got to wrap this post up for now, but I'll leave you with this short video of the happy girl we had in our back seat on the way home. She was thrilled to be headed home after a long day at the hospital and mommy and daddy were celebrating our happy news of a birthday party on the horizon in the front seat!
(Sorry it's kinda shaky, we were driving down the interstate!)
Thanks for all your prayers for a good apointment!
With love ...
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