The Meert Family in Seattle

Painting and playing

2012-02-29T02:00:00.000-08:00

A few photos from the end of January...

Rylan has gotten into finger painting and loves to put his whole hand in the paints! He likes to tell me "I want to do some painting." :)

If only I could get to that tea pot! (it's one of my favorite toys)

Maylee is loving sitting (and loves hanging onto this ball too).

Sweet smiles and laughs

2012-02-28T02:00:00.003-08:00

These moments are the best and are absolutely priceless!!

Uncle Bill's visit

2012-02-26T22:19:00.001-08:00

Uncle Bill came by to see us in mid-January while he was in town for work and we had a wonderful visit. We always enjoy seeing him!

Maylee (now in stranger anxiety mode) even let Uncle Bill hold her for a bit!

Fun in early January

2012-02-21T23:12:00.000-08:00

More catching up and cute moments from early January...

Maylee always wants to know what Rylan is up to.

Loving her jumper!

She started liking her booster seat more after we got back from our Florida trip.

Yummy toes!

Entertaining Maylee and Alejandro (he loves to "groom" daddy).

Alejandro is Ry's favorite pillow (when he lets Ry get away with it)!

Celebration cupcakes

2012-02-19T02:00:00.001-08:00

We tried a focused, 3-day potty training weekend (diaper free toddler method) with Ry the weekend it started snowing in January... a great time to stay warm and cozy inside, play, and bake! To celebrate how well he was doing, we made cupcakes. He still loves to help cook and, of course, loved the cupcakes! (We're now in our fifth week of diaper free... he's doing great (though we've had a few accidents) and we're all loving fewer diaper changes)

Snow!

2012-02-18T02:00:00.000-08:00

Maylee experienced her first snow in mid-January! It all started happily, and the first couple days we had a great time out in it and tried sledding with Ry. Then came the ice storm, and we lost power (but wow, how beautiful everything looked gleaming and encased in ice!). We were thankful to be able to escape to a hotel for a few days until it came back on, but it was an adventure getting us all there and back!

Pine needles and tree limbs covered in ice!

Yams

2012-02-17T02:00:00.000-08:00

May tries yams...

In the background, Ry is taking a picture with his camera... pointed at his forehead. I had trouble with my first camera too.

Adorable Kids

2012-02-16T02:00:00.000-08:00

Some days they are especially adorable...

Sometimes tickling and chewing are the same thing.

I think he's trying to listen to her head.

He's definitely tasting her head here.

I think she's a biter.

cupcakes

2012-02-15T02:00:00.000-08:00

Ry loves to help in the kitchen. Especially when there's a new cupcake recipe to try.

A visit to the playground

2012-02-14T02:00:00.000-08:00

We are surrounded by playgrounds. Here's a trip to one...

At least one of them is having a good time.

This is too wobbly to really work, but fun to try.

Once in a while dirty hands disturb him. Or maybe it was how I laughed and took pictures instead of helping?

Teething meltdowns mean it's time to go.

At least only one of us is freaking out.

Rylan in Florida

2012-02-13T02:00:00.000-08:00

Ry went to Florida too...

Ry and his girlfriend riding bikes on the playground.

He likes it when this gator bites.

Ry's first gingerbread house. He did a great job resisting the urge to eat everything before it went on.

It was early and grabbing cheeks just made sense.

Ry got to drive a real plane!

And browse the hangar next door.

Uncle Gary is the storytime mastermind.

Ry loves to help cook.

He can't swim but loves the water.

Using a hoop meant for a pool on the porch was a brilliant idea.

Ry tries to use his new camera on Auntie Lainie.

Watch out for reindeer.

Cousin Kyle and Ry play lazy ball.

Ry loves diggers and monopolized this one at the playground.

Maylee in Florida

2012-02-12T02:00:00.000-08:00

We are very fortunate to have an excellent excuse (grandparents) to visit Florida during the winter (when the weather is almost tolerable). Here are a few of Maylicious photos from that trip...

The princess likes the pool!

She puts up with the beach too.

Eats

2012-02-11T02:00:00.000-08:00

Maylee attempts to eat, and other chaos...

Wow.

Bike

2012-02-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

Ry gets a new bike, and Maylee is thrilled.

Lights and bouncing

2012-02-09T02:00:00.000-08:00

I got the lights out, and warmed them up while Ry bounced on his trampoween.

Still catching up

2012-02-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

I had no idea why he was laying on the floor, but I thought I should have a picture of it.

That used to be a delicious brownie.

They play nice, for now...

She makes a nice pillow.

Yay pwaydooh!

More adorable sleepytimes, but it's time to wake up!

Good morning sunshine!

Or not.

More catching up

2012-02-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

More catching up...

She's so adorable we even take pictures of her when she sleeps. Actually, it was time to wake up and this is a convenient way to do that.

Ry is not a fan of pickles.

Tummy time is when May plots her revenge.

Alejandro haz a fierce!

In his dreams.

Catching up

2012-02-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Finally catching up on posting photos...

I taught Ry how to take pictures with the digicam and I got a few dozen like this.

Princess Mei Mei isn't entirely pleased with the plan that involves a ride in the car seat.

Ry drives the train through a forest of chair legs.

Trying to teach May how to google it... didn't go well.

She's expanding nicely.

Ry helps feed the hungry hippo.

May learns how to reach/grab/toss a bowl of chili all over everything.

Brother and sister

2011-12-17T06:28:00.000-08:00

May and Ry both at 5 1/2 months :)

Maylee and Rylan on white

2011-12-17T06:20:00.000-08:00

More cuteness from early November!

Maylee at 5 months

2011-12-17T06:09:00.000-08:00

We did a few photo shoots around Maylee's 5 month birthday on November 4!

And here are a few of Rylan taken when he was 5 months old...

Fall leaves

2011-12-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

More photos of us in the beautiful fall leaves in early November, just a short walk from our place...

Depot Park playground

2011-12-13T20:52:00.000-08:00

Daddy took some fun shots of Ry at one of his favorite playgrounds nearby on one of their outings together in early November.

Pumpkins and another walk

2011-12-13T20:44:00.000-08:00

Ry helped carve his first pumpkin for Halloween this year (and helped carve one for Mei Mei too)! He learned some new words like slimy and gooey when we took out the pulp and seeds. And he loves roasted pumpkin seeds!

And another late October walk...

We're realizing it's quite the challenge to get two little ones to look in the same direction at the same time! :)

Fall walk in the woods

2011-12-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

We got out to Timberlake Park nearby at the end of October and enjoyed a walk down to Lake Sammamish in the falling leaves. We were all a little mesmerized watching so many twirl to the ground around us.

Maylee cuteness!

Playing in the sand!

Maylee's first ferry ride

2011-12-11T23:28:00.000-08:00

We took a ferry ride to visit our friends Marc, Heidi and their two daughters in Port Orchard at the end of October. Ry especially had fun on the ferry and we had a wonderful visit with our friends!

Thankful

2011-12-09T06:21:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but we continue to be so thankful for all the support and love we have received from our amazing family and friends, and for God's protection of our family, as we think back on this year and Maylee's early arrival. A heartfelt thank you to each of you who have supported us along the way.

Along the lines of being thankful, we were so grateful and blessed to have Jason's mom here to help us with Rylan and Maylee for three weeks in September and are very behind in posting pictures from her visit (in part due to some that went missing for a while)... so here they are. She loved her grandbaby time and we loved having her here!

Ry had fun lining up his cars and trucks around the trampoline!

Bouncing away on his birthday gift from Granmommy.

Play doh fun with Granmommy.

May smiles

2011-11-12T13:00:00.000-08:00

She's been smiling a lot lately.

This shirt from Auntie Lainie is especially appropriate for her!

She's found her thumb a few times too.

May is one of the fiercer animals.

But she can't resist smiling for the camera.

She loves bath time, but throws a crazy fit when it's time to get out.

Ry

2011-11-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

Ry just woke up in his fire engine pajamas.

He loves to help in the kitchen, and asks to taste everything.

This is some version of some game where he gets a beach ball thrown at his head.

Big boys sweep the leaves off the porch.

We love making cookies.

Rylan and Alejandro

2011-11-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

Alejandro doesn't always sleep, that's just the only time we can get photos of him. He manages to fit in some very funny positions and places.

He's a very smart cat and puts up with a lot.

Ry likes to cuddle with him sometimes and this time he found he was due for a grooming I guess.

Ry thinks our cat is a comfy pillow.

Ry and May

2011-11-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

Having them together in photos is cuteness overload.

She knows what a camera is and can't help but smile at it.

Ry is jealous of his little sister, the leopard.

May

2011-11-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

We have a very friendly and sleepy cat who fits right in with Maylee.

Meimei, it's what's for dinner.

Having fun swatting at the dangling toys.

She likes getting dressed up already.

And has no problem hamming it up for the camera.

Ry

2011-11-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

Ry has a good time while he eats.

And then afterward he crawls under his trampoline to find the cat.

Ry and May

2011-10-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

It gets pretty crazy and funny with two...

Fox Hollow Farm Fall Festival

2011-10-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

C found us a farm around the corner to visit when it was time to find some pumpkins.

Maylee had a great time riding around.

The farm has tons of things to keep kids busy.

Ry got to wear his new frog hat. He loved it and so did everyone else.

Ry had fun demonstrating his ability to lift heavy pumpkins for us.

There was a small barn, with some friendly horses.

And upstairs was a hay maze.

Back downstairs was a friendly pony with a crazy look in his eye.

Ry wasn't interested, but was kind enough to stand next to the hog long enough for me to get a photo.

And then we found the baby piggies!

He got to race around in a cart.

Then another cart.

And we finally let him attempt to drive the small electric vehicles. We thought this one was especially appropriate because he's ridden in a real version several times at grandmommy's.

Then he drove the tractor around.

Mei Mei eventually dozed off.

I had absolutely no trouble getting in that train car.

Ry picks out a pumpkin for May too and she's obviously thrilled.

Salmon Days 2011

2011-10-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

Every year Issaquah turns into a fish party. The party is even more fun for us now because there are fun things for kids to do.

Ry and I went down a slide. Even though he looks terrified, he loved it and wanted to go again. I had to distract him with the next fun event to keep us from getting stuck.

While C waited in line for us to ride the train, Ry and I ran around the very busy playground. Ry walked into an empty playground train car and within a few minutes he was wedged in there with 7 little ladies. It cracked me up.

On our way out Ry got to sit in a fire truck!

THE fair

2011-10-03T22:37:00.000-07:00

I finally made it to the fair. And so did C, Ry, May and my mom. Things seem to go smoother when the big kids out number the little ones. We weren't there for long, but we still had a wonderful time. I finally got to see the baby piggies! And Ry got to briefly see what mutton bustin looks like. I've only got a year to work on his grip!!!

I'm thrilled to see, though I didn't get to try, that deep fried snickers is on the menu.

I think that was a bag of chips that the sheep found?

A freshly shorn sheep looks pretty funny.

I think Maylee's nose has just informed her that she's in a barn.

And she's about to inform us that it's time to move along.

Ry was not half as interested in the baby piggies as I was so I didn't get many delicious pictures of them.

Feeding time was intense.

This one had just finished a bottle.

They pass out all over each other when the feed is over.

Ry found a tractor display.

Of all the kid's rides this was one of the few we went on, because he's still too short for the others.

Even though his face says "terror" most of the way down, he literally cried to go again.

He apparently needs a haircut.

He'd barely stood up before crying to go again.

We went on the train instead.

May can't participate in the fish n chips yet, so she just gets close ups of her blue eyes.

While waiting for the bustin to start, we crawled around on somebody's bobcat.

This is how we roll.

By the time we left, some of us were overdue for nap.

Rylan's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-10-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

C was very very very smart and ordered Ry a party at the little gym around the corner. They have tons of space and toys and great staff. We all had a blast.

iflyseattle

2011-10-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

Oh yes we did! We celebrated our anniversary with some indoor skydiving.
The whole experience was fun and worth it. We were even able to order some photos after I signed up for the package that didn't include them (whew!). C was naturally good at it, and could pose while flying, but I'm not surprised. I was just trying to stay above the floor.

Cupcakes and Birthdays

2011-10-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

Ry is a big fan of cupcakes... or at least until he's devoured the icing and can't finish the rest. And this passion of his blurs the line between his birthday cupcake and everyone else's. So when it was time to celebrate mommy's birthday some of us struggled with reality, while the other(s) enjoyed the photo op.

Happy birthday to you!

2011-09-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Jason's birthday this past Sunday! Ry has figured out how to "sing" the first line of the happy birthday song, "Happy birthday to you," so Jason got a serenade on his special day! Jason is a wonderful husband and daddy and a blessing to our family.

This one goes to ELEVEN

2011-09-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

Maylee weighed 11.o lbs at her doctor's visit on Friday! This put her in the 25th percentile for a 3 month old. It is absolutely amazing to see her at triple her birth weight in 3 months! She is our miracle baby and we're so thankful that the Lord and His angels have continued to watch over her. She's doing so well that her doctor suggested I could try breastfeeding alone, and when she wants to eat (versus the every 3 hour schedule she was on) to see how she does. We have another check up this Friday to make sure she's still gaining enough. So far I'm still pumping a few times a day since I have more milk than Maylee needs, but the freedom from pumping 6+ times a day and cleaning all the parts and bottles is wonderful! Yay!

We're also enjoying seeing Maylee smile more often and have caught a few smiles on camera! She's sleeping better and longer at night, going as long as 5-6 hours between feedings, and has dropped a night feeding and is eating more during the day... so we're also happy to be getting a little more sleep!

"Hello!" from the Moby wrap

She has a cute little roll on her neck!

Yay for smiles!

Family photo shoot

2011-09-14T03:48:00.000-07:00

Lainie requested a photo shoot while she and Gary were here. They brought outfits for the event and styled us too. :) Here are some of the fabulous shots Jason got...

Fun with Auntie Lainie and Uncle Gary

2011-09-14T03:39:00.000-07:00

Auntie Lainie and Uncle Gary's visit

2011-09-14T03:19:00.000-07:00

It's past time to catch up on our family who have visited...

After giving us over six weeks of grandmama time, from Nashville to Seattle, it was time for my mom to head home in the middle of August and get some decent sleep! We can't thank her enough for all she did for all of us during an especially challenging time for our family, and for the priceless memories we have of her with Ry and Maylee!

A few days after her departure, Auntie Lainie and Uncle Gary arrived to stay with us for a week and a half to help out. We had a great visit, and really appreciated all their help!! RyRy especially loved playing games and throwing rocks in the river with Uncle Gary, and Maylee loved to fall asleep on Auntie Lainie. We're so blessed by all of our loving family!

Here are some photos of all of us out for a walk to the creek...

Maylee is 3 months old!

2011-09-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

Maylee was 9 lb 5 oz when I checked her weight 2 weeks ago! So she's likely over 10 lb now, and she's got the cute little fat rolls on her thighs and arms and a double chin to show for it! She's also in 0-3 month clothes, size 1 diapers, and her hair is filling out more and her eyelashes are getting longer. Yesterday she turned 3 months old. She's growing so fast, and we're enjoying every minute of this sweet time with her while she's still little.

I still think one of the most precious things in the world is having my baby fall fast asleep on my shoulder with a full tummy. Maylee looks most like Ry when I see her cute sleeping face on my shoulder.

We're starting to get some smiles now when Maylee's awake! She's awake a few times a day now for several hours each time, usually with an alert and curious period in the morning, and a usually more fussy period in the evening around and after we have dinner. She still takes her pacifier, so lots of cuddling and the pacifier help us through the fussy times... and she's such an easy-going baby compared to Ry at this age who was upset so much of the day! She's already grabbing on to fistfuls of my hair, and enjoys swinging at the toys in her activity gym... which Ry also enjoys swinging for her when she's in there. She's making more eye contact with us now, especially during feedings. She's making super cute cooing noises here and there. She was having a hard time getting back to sleep after some of her night feeds, but has done much better at night the few weeks.

She's done beautifully at her doctor check ups (2 regular and 1 eye exam) in the last month, and her doctors are happy with her growth. Breastfeeding is slowly getting better, but she still gets to the point where she refuses to latch again after about 10 minutes (though sometimes much less) of nursing. So she still takes some of a bottle after most nursings, and I'm still pumping after almost every feed. We visited the lactation consultant a few weeks ago, and she gave us some tips that have been a big help. We have another doctor visit Friday, so we'll see how she's doing then!

I had a lot of extra breastmilk from pumping when Maylee was in the hospital, so I checked into donating it. After a lengthy screening process, I was so happy to hear a couple weeks ago that I was able to donate 264 oz of breastmilk (about 2 gallons) to the WakeMed Mother's Milk Bank in North Carolina. They are members of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, and the milk will be used for other very premature and sick infants. I truly appreciate the wonderful staff at the Ronald McDonald House who shipped it there for me since I didn't have a place to store it in Seattle while I was going through the donation screening process.

Here are some more photos of our sweet Maylee...

Denny Creek Waterslide Hike

2011-09-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

We managed to get out of the house and went for a hike today! We thought the trail was busy when we started around 10, but it got crazy busy on our way back around noon. Ry did great hiking along and mostly sitting on my shoulders. Maylee slept through almost all of it. While May nommed by the river with C, Ry and I climbed up a waterfall to explore the top. He begged to walk through the shallow water parts, and then yelled to be picked up after a few seconds in the cold water. I got to change May's diaper on the trail, and Ry tried to fall asleep on me during the hike back down. I've taught him to say "conquistador!"

Happy Birthday Ry!

2011-09-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little guy turned TWO today!! He is an amazing little boy and brings us unending joy and laughs, and we love him to pieces. He is a huge blessing in our lives. Here's some of the fun he had today...

Cupcakes... Ry's favorite!

Maylee enjoyed the festivities by sleeping through them :).

Ry wants to be just like his daddy, who has some cool sunglasses, and told him "I need sunglasses" one sunny day when he was out with Jason recently... so Jason found some fun ones for his birthday!

Ry is fascinated by lawn mowers... so this gift from grandmama was a big hit!

And no summer day is complete without some time to play outside!

Jason and I also celebrated turning 10 ("a perfect 10" as he called it) today! We have loved our 10 amazing years together and look forward to many more...

Sleepy May

2011-08-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

May is a good sleeper. She's getting used to us taking pictures of her while she sleeps too. It's irressistible because she sleeps in some pretty funny positions.

Invisible Harley, with valentine's hog sidecar.

She sleeps all over this pillow.

Ry got pretty messing with lasagna one evening and I thought it was funny.

Alejandro defending humanity, or playing with the dangling blanket?

I think she posed like this on purpose.

I don't think she posed like this on purpose.

Invisible fencing attack!

Sleepy cupcake.

Due

2011-08-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the day that Maylee _was_ officially due. She arrived 2.5 months early so we got to take pictures today instead.

Happy due date to our Nashville Princess!

While the lights were up we took a few more...

Grandmama and Ry participated too...

Then I found some photos of Ry taken about 2 years ago to compare...

Random May

2011-08-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a wonderful collection of random photos of Maylee.

May asleep on Grandma

Ry practices annoying his little sister.

Mei Mei dreams of win!

Some awake time for May, plus a super cute hat.

Pooh & Piglet.

A delicious sleeping strawberry.

More sleeping.

Anticipation

2011-08-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

The other day Ry learned how to say "cupcake"

May was offered one too, but she was too tired, so I eated it. ;)

Maylee Likes Bath Time

2011-08-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

So far she seems to love bath time. Especially the drying off part in a hot towel.

Ry Cooling Off on Memorial Day in TN

2011-08-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

We got to spend Memorial day in TN at my mom's this year and it was really really really hot. Ry loves the water, and so do the cousins.

Ry in TN, Redistributing Sand

2011-08-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

Going back to our extended stay in TN...
Not long before Maylee made her surprise appearance, we went to a random park in Crossville one afternoon so Ry could play. He decided to redistribute the sand in the playground... The lighting was perfect and I had to distract myself from the oppressive heat and humidity, so I took pictures.

Expressions

2011-08-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

I managed to catch a variety of expressions the other day...

And a couple of Ry from our walk one day...

Welcome!

2011-08-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

We've decided that the hijacking of the jasonography blog to post baby pictures wasn't sustainable. :)