Week 109- Ryan's Birthday Party

Last weekend was Ryan's 6th Birthday.  I told him that now that he is 6, he needs to make his bed everyday.  I'm not sure why I hadn't thought about this for his 5th birthday.  Ryan is all about rules; he is ready for this responsibility and it is time that he pitched in a little around the house.  Well, we weren't sure how it would play out, but Ryan has stepped up to the plate this week.  Everyday he made his bed without us asking.  He was so proud of himself.  At first he would come and tell us that he did it for recognition.  Then after a few days he just did it.  I wouldn't have known unless I went to check.  He also started to become more independent with other things such as brushing his teeth.  Rather than us ask him 5 times to brush his teeth, he's been doing it on his own and telling us that he brushed his teeth.  This independence couldn't come at a more perfect time since baby #3 is on its way in just two months!

Here are some photos from Ryan's birthday party at Fun Central, his first birthday party out at a place rather than home.  His four cousins attended, as well as 2 of our neighbors and his best friend from Kindergarten.  He had a great time!

Ryan loves his new scooter from Grandma

Excited to ride the virtual roller coaster.  He went on 3 times!

Pizza time

Time for cake

Making sand art crafts

 DC

Week 108

Ryan's 6th Birthday and Mother's Day Weekend!

Thank you to everyone who wore their Ryan Express shirts over the past couple of days.  I updated The Ryan Express page on Facebook with pictures that were sent to me of family and friends wearing their shirts.  We were all sporting our shirts on Friday, May 11th.

Many of my colleagues also wore their shirts and it sparked some conversation with students about why we were all wearing them and what they represented.  We thank everyone who wore their shirts and helped us spread awareness, and to those who made a donation to the walk in June. 

On Friday evening we attended my friend's graduation from the Doctoral Program at Western Connecticut University.  The kids just love Stacy and although it made for a late night, we were so glad we could all be there to see her graduate.  This is the same program that Phil is currently attending and will be graduating from in two years.

On Saturday, Ryan turned 6 years old!  He had a busy day attending his friend's birthday party and his soccer game, and enjoying time with some visitors.  Before dinner we took him shopping to pick out a present.  He's been asking for a nerf gun and we finally gave in and purchased one for him.  He was so excited to have it that he brought it to bed with him!  Ryan also picked out a small ice cream cake for dessert.  That morning Ryan was a little disappointed that he wasn't having a party this weekend, but we explained that we would be celebrating next weekend, and he got to do so much all day that by the evening he was a very happy and EXHAUSTED boy!

Happy 6th Birthday to our son who brings us so much joy each day!  Julia took this picture for us!

When we woke up in the morning we found a package outside of our door from Uncle Tim and Uncle Michael in California.  Some more Lego sets and a Lego ideas book that kept Ryan busy all morning!

A visit from our neighbor, Carol, with toys for the pool and goggles, which excited both Ryan and Julia!

A visit from Auntie B, Uncle T, Amelia and Alyssa before his soccer game.  It took Phil an hour to put this one together, but Ryan was so happy to have a Star Wars Lego spaceship!

So excited about his new toy!

Singing Happy Birthday to Ryan.  Aunt Anne, Uncle Chris, Megan and Kate were on face time on the IPhone singing with us!  Look at that smile!

I told Ryan now that he is 6 years old that he needs to make his bed when he wakes up every morning.  He woke up the next morning and made his bed all on his own.  Ryan and Julia came to our room to wish me a Happy Mother's Day and shower me with crafts and cards they made at Young Hearts.  Phil and the kids also made me breakfast in bed and let me sleep in until 9am!

We enjoyed a lovely buffet brunch in Poughkeepsie at the River Station Restaurant.  Needless to say, Ryan went off of his diet a lot over the past three days!

Julia, Grandma Jeanne, and Ryan

Enjoying a beautiful day by the river!

Daddy and daughter!

I like having Ryan's birthday so close to Mother's Day.  It reminds me how blessed I am to be able to make the sacrifices all moms do for their children.  As great as this weekend was, it was incomplete without being able to see my mom.  Unfortunately she had to work all weekend, but we will see her next weekend.  Thank you, mom, for all you do for me and my family.

And sending out big hugs to those with moms in heaven, especially my cousins Donna and Denise, and Mary.  Thinking of you, and Aunt Linda and Aunt Rose today! 

DC

Week 107

We didn't post last week due to a busy weekend.  Then again, we've had a lot of busy weekends this spring, with another dozen events still to come during the months of May and June.  One of our recent happenings was attending my cousin's wedding.  The kids, as always, had a great time.  This is the fourth wedding they've attended in the past 12 months.  They are pros!

Dressed and ready to leave for the wedding.

Ryan dancing with cousin Alyssa.

A hug for the bride, Denise.

Dancing with daddy.

Dancing with mommy.

Some of the Ciaramella cousins.

A happy night!

At Ryan's soccer game yesterday, he scored a goal.  He also had a few great defensive moves that impressed the crowd.  More importantly, he enjoyed himself.  He didn't want to quit or walk off the field.  Even after getting a ball kicked into his face/forehead, he stayed on the field and kept playing. 

Ryan's birthday is May 12th.  On Saturday, May 12th, or Friday, May 11th, please wear your Ryan Express t-shirt.  Unfortunately I was unable to place an order for new shirts this year.  I have a few adult smalls and XL's left that I can sell, but that is it.  I've spent the past two months trying to order new shirts, to no avail.  I am super disappointed.  But we've sold around 150 shirts over the past two years, so if you have a shirt, please wear it!  Thank you for your support!

DC

Week 105

April 17th marked an important anniversary for us.  Yes it was my brother's and sister-in-law's anniversary, but they are sharing their day with another event as well.  It is the 2 year anniversary of Ryan starting the GFCF diet.  We feel this is a huge milestone.  When we began we had short-term goals in mind.  Never did we think we'd last a year, let alone 2 years!  Each time we try to deviate from the diet the results bring us right back on track.  There are times when Ryan has to "cheat", sometimes several times a week, and we pay for it afterwards.  It seems his skin is paying for it as well lately as the smooth, soft skin he had a few months ago has been replaced with patches of rough, itchy, blotches.  I have to admit, we've gotten a bit lazy.  We no longer bring his food with us when we go to parties, or at least to the extent that we used to.  We let him have what is there.  He's even more inclined to cheat lately.  He recognizes the difference in taste and sacrifices the way he is going to feel the next day, to enjoy living in the moment.  He also knows exactly what to say to avoid an argument with us... smart little munchkin! Ryan: "It's not gluten-free, so I'm just going to have one, okay?"

Our goddaughter Amelia made her First Holy Communion this weekend.  Here are some pictures of the special day:

On the 17th this week I had a follow up appointment with the specialist to look at the baby's heart and bowels.  The baby is growing beautifully and perfectly on track.  He/she is at 2 pounds 1 ounce.  The bowels and entire digestive system seems to be working normally.  I was there for over an hour and the entire consumption/elimination process was witnessed.  But there are still some spots on the small intestine that will keep me going back to see this specialist, at least for one more follow up before the baby is born.  It may be signs of an infection, but the bowels are so small it is difficult to tell.  So she wants to keep monitoring that section and the baby's growth, and it is suggested the baby gets an x-ray after birth.  If there is a problem with that section, there is plenty of small bowels compared to large bowels, so it is the easier of the two to perform surgery on.

Pictures from Ryan's soccer game this week: 

There is a noticeable improvement from the fall season to the spring season, and Ryan seems to be enjoying himself more.  Although he's had 2 games and hasn't scored a goal, he remains positive.  He's scored goals in his scrimmage matches and he just seems to be happy to be doing something different.

We received Ryan's Quarter 3 report card this week.  He received 2's (Developing Skills to Meet the Standards) and 3's (Meets the Standards) in most areas.  Under the responsibilities, he scored "Needs Improvement" in two areas:  Engages in activities, and Demonstrates self-control.  Here are the comments from his Kindergarten teacher and his P.E. teacher: 

Perfect attendance so far...impressive!!!

His list of speech and language goals also arrived and 8 of the 10 are "progressing gradually", meaning he may or may not meet this goal by the target date, and the other 2 are "progressing satisfactorily" meaning he is on track to meet the goal by the target date.  I think we would have seen much different progress had Ryan continued speech services from last school year into this school year.  His S&L remained stagnant and did not improve enough on its own compared to his increase in age.  His annual review is coming up in May so at least we have proof that he needs the help and needs to continue to receive services in first grade.  We did get a call from the school and they are going to recommend the inclusion program for 1st grade.  This is what we expected him to receive this year, but they did not have this program at the kindergarten level at our particular elementary school and we opted to have a shared aide for Ryan rather than bus him to a different elementary school.   His teacher feels he needs more support than he is receiving from the aide in the regular classroom.  With the inclusion program, he will be in an integrated setting (both regular and special education students) and receive the support from a special education teacher and teacher assistant, as well as the regular ed teacher in the room. 

In the mail this week we received a framed puzzle of a picture from last year's walk.  Ryan, and Julia, immediately noticed that one of the pieces was missing.  We tried explaining to them the symbolism and meaning behind the missing piece.  The company taped the missing piece behind the frame.  Phil seems to think it is there in case you couldn't "handle" not having a piece missing you could fill it in.  I like to think it is taped there in hopes that we can complete the puzzle one day when the mystery of Autism is solved and a cure is discovered. 

Ryan knew that this said "The Ryan Express" and "2011".  When I pointed to the $ amount, he said, "That means a lot of money!"

Our team has been established on the official walk site.  If you would like to walk with us on June 3rd, please click the link below to join our team:
The Ryan Express Team Page

DC