Christmas Lists

Just in case anybody is planning on participating in the "Black Friday" Christmas shopping I thought I would get Christmas lists put together. I'm already done with the purchasing part but still have a long way to go on assembly! Ivan is the only one who is able to voice his opinion on what he wants, which is pretty much everything he sees on T.V. or in a catalog (unless it is pink).

Ivan:
Clothes: Size 6 shirt, Size 5 pants, Size 11 shoe. Not in need of anything specific, but he likes to wear cool new things to preschool.
Toys:
Idea 1) Ivan spends hours out in the commodity shed playing in the distillers grain and would love some new functioning construction toys. He has two big Tonka trucks but only one little plastic loader. He leaves these outside, so probably nothing with electronics or sound.
Idea 2) Ivan also loves to build stuff. He has some duplo blocks and probably isn't ready for real legos (his brothers would probably try to eat them). Sets that include wheels or house parts like windows and doors would be a big hit. May also like K-nex, Lincoln logs or other building sets.
Idea 3) Ivan has been learning letters and numbers at preschool and could really use some reinforcement. He loves the idea of the electronic games. His cousin has a Leapfrog Leapster that he thinks is pretty cool.
Idea 4) Ivan is just now really focusing on action figures and cars. Batman, Spiderman, Transformers, Speed Racer etc. are all cool right now. He has liked the Matchbox and Hot Wheel sets when we have been shopping.
Idea 5) Ivan is at the age where he is just starting art projects and creative stuff. Coloring books, markers, play-doh and stickers keep him enertained for quite awhile.

Tyler
Clothes: Size 24 months or 2T (still haven't figured out the difference between these two!), Shoes size 7.
Toys
Idea 1) Tyler is very active and coordinated. Santa is picking him up a slide. He would do great at active stuff like ride on toys, sit and spin, and rockers. Since all of the boys have their own room we are ok on toy storage, so don't worry too much about size.
Idea 2) Tyler thinks he is 4 so anything in the above list for Ivan that you can find with bigger pieces or even if you want to duplicate would be great. Tyler and Ivan are not the best at sharing but are getting better. They do spend a lot of time playing together (and I spend a lot of time settling arguments!)
Idea 3) Tyler still likes repetitive toys so anything that moves or makes noise keeps him happy. Some of these things look babyish but he is really now just enjoying them. Even if you aim too low he does have a brother that will eventually play with it. Toys that I have seen are a ball popper, musical instruments and simple radio control stuff.

Ryan
Clothes- currently in newborn but will be in 0-3 months by X-mas. I'm now ok on 3-6 months thanks to some consignment shop and ebay finds.
This is the hard one- he has everything thanks to his older brothers. The only things he needs are diapers (Size 2 Pampers or Huggies) and wipes (sensitive skin). But, we will use any toys or clothes that he gets because everyone likes new stuff.

All three boys have 529 plan college savings accounts, so if you would like to fund these instead of buy toys just let me know. Stock market has not been kind to them, but I think we are nearing the bottom now (hopefully).

Randall
Clothes- Size 31/34 on pants, Size Large on shirts (for some reason they make the arms real short on Medium and Smalls). Always can use socks. Santa picked him up 3 pairs of pants. Anything to stay warm is always appreciated so long johns, sweatshirts and wool socks are always a hit.
Randall is hobbyless, thanks to the full time hobby of the dairy. He is tough to shop for because buying things for the dairy isn't with in a X-mas budget. The boys really like to play with him in the evenings so if there is a cool toy he can share with the boys that might be the closest thing to buying something fun for him.

Tessa
Clothes- Size XL on shirts, Size 16 on pants (I can even fit into my pants already!). I'm in need of stay-at-home long sleeve shirts. I have heavy fleece or dress clothes, don't really work for just around the house. Some days I don't even get dressed so loungewear is perfect because then I won't look like I'm still in my pajamas (actually with Ryan's eating schedule I just wear my clothes 24-7).
Toys- would like an Ipod nano (these are the little $30-$40 ones). Crafty stuff and books help keep me from going insane. I'm also a big fan of gift cards, give me an excuse to online shop or actually get out of the house. Anybody willing to babysit a 4 year old, 2 year old and an infant could also earn big points by letting me go out to lunch with the hubby.

I really hope this helps. There is nothing worse than trying to shop with no ideas. Hope you find short lines and mild traffic (yeah right!).

Two Weeks and All is Well

Since my last post had the poor baby in a lit up suitcase I thought I better post an update. We had our 2 week Dr. appointment today and the little guy is now 8lb. 2 oz., up from 7 lb 6 oz a week ago. He is accomplishing this by eating every 2 hours 24-7. I'm a little tired and am hoping he will spread out the evening feedings a little in the next couple of weeks. Other than sleep deprivation I'm doing fine and even managed to squeeze on some non-maternity pants to go to town today. On top of that I got three kids out the door, picked up the neighborhood girl and made it to preschool on time. Even though its only been two weeks I'm really glad to be back in the swing of things and be able to go about a normal routine.

Yellow Baby under the Blue Light

Ryan is following in the foot steps of his older brothers and turned a nice yellow color as soon as he came home from the hospital. Unfortunately his jaundice was a little worse then the other two and we had to do UV light treatment to attempt to break down the biliruben so his little liver could handle it. This has involved keeping him in a suitcase with blue lights for 7-8 hours a day over the last two days. Now maybe a normal baby would just sleep in this thing...but Ryan insists on ripping off the face shield and attempting to blind himself the whole time he is in there. He also wants the pacifier held in his mouth or he will scream and kick until you give up and take him out of the weird contraption. Lets just say its been a long 2 days. We are headed to the lab for tests this afternoon (3rd day in a row of driving to Ontario) and god hope the levels are low enough that we can quit. He was pretty close yesterday, so I've got my fingers crossed. On the positive side Tyler has really enjoyed tapping on the glass like his brother is an exhibit at the zoo. Otherwise Ryan is doing wonderful and is a very good baby outside of his lighted suitcase.

Brotherly Love

Picture of the day

Welcome Home Ryan Jason Young

Ryan was born on Nov. 4th at 7:56 a.m. in Ontario. He was 7 pounds 8 ounces and 18" long. Although he came out just fine he developed breathing problems in the first couple of minutes. After turning blue he was kept under the oxygen hood for the next 36 hours. His rapid breathing and low oxygen saturation were just a complication of delivery and he is now completely fine with no lasting effects. He is adored by his older brothers and is extremely content, as long as he is being held. We have enjoyed our first day at home and being all together. I'll write more when I have two hands to type with!