A Good Year for the Rickard Household

What constitutes a blog? Can you really call it a blog if you only update it once a quarter? Oh well, despite my tardiness in blogging, I thought I'd post a final update for 2009. All in all we've had a great year. Ben had his first birthday and his first haircut; Eddie and I took an amazing vacation to the Southern Caribbean and celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary; we took our first "family vacation" to San Antonio and visited some wonderful friends; and we've watched Ben grow and develop into an amazing, beautiful toddler!

Ben's Updates / Milestones
Ben started attending day-care in August of this year. We decided it was the best decision for us as a family, rather than driving an hour and fifteen minutes everyday for a baby-sitter whom we loved, we had to consider the toll the commute was taking on us as a family and our overall way of life. We were exhausted and had less time to spend together. I learned from several co-workers that there is a great day-care only 2 blocks from my office. It wasn't the easiest transition, but he did adjust after a little time and he's now to the point of crying when it's time to go home! I guess that's a good thing...
Ben's passion for anything w/four wheels has deepened. He LOVES cars, trucks, tractors, four-wheelers, etc. 'Car' was one of his first words, and one that he still uses regularly. He also loves airplanes. I think he could work for Air Traffic Control b/c he can spot an airplane in the dark of night, from inside the house he hears them, anytime of day - rain or shine, he can spot and point out an airplane!
This fall Ben had his second Trick-or-Treating experience and he was a fireman. He made an adorable one, and really seemed to grasp the concept of Trick-or-Treating. In fact, he thought he had it figured out by the last house and was more than happy to reach in the candy bowl and help himself to all of the candy! Luckily for Ben he's cute and can get away w/that, for now:)
He's also started using more and more words, and he's putting them together now. Some of my favorite phrases: 'Love you Mommy', 'Love you Daddy', 'Daddy home', 'Mommy home', 'I tooted', (quickly followed by a mischievous grin and 'scuse me'), 'I got it' (when he's helping Daddy feed/water the dogs), 'It's cold', and 'thank you'.
He had his first "real" haircut! This was slightly traumatizing, for Mommy anyway. But he's adorable regardless and I'm not bias or anything. Below is a before picture, and then after his trip to the barbershop.



Family Vacation
Eddie and I decided to take up some of our good friends on an offer to visit and stay with them anytime we liked after they moved to San Antonio a few years ago. Eddie and I discussed it many times, but finally decided to make it happen this fall. We booked our trip for the first weekend in December because we knew by then it would be very cold in Missouri, but nice and mild in Texas. WELL, we were halfway right. Missouri was cold, but it just so happened Texas had one of their very rare cold snaps the weekend we visited, in fact, in many parts of Texas they received record amounts of snow! None the less, we had a wonderful time and Ben had his first opportunity to ride on an airplane. We saw some awesome sites: Sea World & Shamu; The Alamo; and The Riverwalk at Christmas time. We ate some delicious Mexican cuisine, and had an amazing time visiting Bob and Patrice. BTW, the Cooks are wonderful hostesses! Thanks Bob and Patrice!

Looking Ahead
In 2010, Eddie and I are hoping to sell our home and move to a more "rural" environment. We like the idea of being able to look out our windows and see trees and nature, and not other houses. Of course, we love our neighbors - they are all awesome and we are so blessed to live in such a nice, quiet neighborhood...but we both feel we're ready to move on. Eddie is continuing to work towards his degree in Computer / Information Technology; and I'm currently working on an independent side job selling BeautiControl products, which I love! It's a lot of fun, but I'm still working at Sigma-Aldrich full-time. Ben will turn 2 in March, and Eddie will turn 30!! That is so hard to believe, but we look forward to it. And my younger brother David is getting married on March 20 to his very sweet, very beautiful fiancee, Courtney. We've also been attending a really amazing church called Rooftop Community Church, and we're planning/hoping to become more active and involved. We've tried other churches, but we both feel this is where God wants us to be. So all in all, we've had a great year in 2009 and we're really looking forward to 2010!

Jibber Jabber!

'Yummy, yummy, yummy', 'bay-beeee', 'bye-bye', 'nigh - nigh', 'car', 'tubby, tubby, tubby'....these are a few of Ben's favorite words and phrases right now. We officially have a talker! I had been listening to my friends talk about their daughters (close to Ben's age), boasting about all of the talking she was doing and wondering...when will Ben start talking?? Yes, I know,little boys and little girls develop differently, at different paces and in different ways. Little girls develop verbal skills earlier, while little boys develop motor skills earlier. But it was hard not to be overly anxious waiting for Ben's jibber jabber to turn into words we can understand! About 2 1/2 weeks ago he suddenly started saying clear words and phrases and I have to say, this is one of the coolest milestones yet!
Ben has also started to show a big interest in reading. He frequently picks up one of his favorite books and brings it to Eddie or myself to read. He loves to crawl up on our laps and turn the pages while one of us reads to him (sometimes he turns a little too fast:). Interactive books and books with colorful illustrations are his favorite. But I really believe the interaction of cuddling up on Mommy or Daddy's lap is just as important (at least it is to us:).
MOLARS
Ben finally has more than 6 teeth! In fact, his number of teeth have almost doubled! Over Fourth of July weekend Ben's cousins Avery and Maddison, and his uncle Eric were visiting, and Avery who's 4, was doing a close examination of Ben's mouth when she said "hey Cassie - Ben has mo' teef coming in, I think I see some white on his gums" - she's so smart! So I then took a look and sure enough, his little gums were very swollen and the little molars seemed to be popping up everywhere. Most of them have now broken through and he's doing surprising well. He's only fussed about his teeth a few times, better than I expected.
Also, Ben has established his reputation as a tough boy. When Eddie took him in for his 15 month check-up in June, Ben had a vaccination shot and was also scheduled for blood work. His pediatrician recommended we have his finger pricked and squeezed to draw enough blood to make sure everything was normal (standard test at this age). When Eddie called me after the appointment I was shocked to hear him say "Benny didn't cry at all! He whined a little bit because we were holding him down for the blood work but he never shed a tear." OK, this is great but seriously unfair. Every time I've taken Ben for an appointment requiring shots it's like I'm holding my son down while he's being tortured. He screams, his face turns dark red, tears flooding and he looks at me with a look that says "Mommy why are you letting them do this to me?!" He was showing off for Daddy I guess, but either way it was a good thing. He's now in the 85th percentile in his height (32 inches), and 19th percentile in his weight (22 lbs). Tall and skinny like Daddy:) The doctor said he's developmentally at the age of an 18 month old, so that also made us very proud! We're very thankful to have such a healthy, happy baby. Hope everyone has enjoyed the update. Check back soon for more updates!

It's About Time!

I know, I've been very tardy on updating my blog lately (if lately includes the last 2 1/2 months). So I'll do my best to fill everyone in. Ben is doing great. He continues to grow & change so fast (mostly growing up, he's a little on the skinny side like his daddy). He's had 2 haircuts from Grandma - only bang trims b/c I will not allow his curls to be cut, even if people say that he looks like a girl, I'm sure he'll thank me someday, yeah right! He's become much more vocal and has started to show his little temper and attitude, it's surprising sometimes. For example, when we bring him inside after he's been playing outside he lets us know he's unhappy about it by either throwing himself down and crying or flailing his little arms and crying. Another example - he was mad at my mom about something and proceeded to tell her off by saying "NA NA NA!", while pounding on the tray of his highchair. Mom swears I never had that kind of temper (as a baby:), so Eddie takes credit for that.
Recently Eddie and I decided to take an adult only vacation - 7 nights in the southern Caribbean visiting Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, Tortolla (British Virgin Island), St. Thomas and Puerto Rico.
I had reservations about leaving Ben for so long, but I was leaving him in good hands - w/my mom and step-dad. We decided this might be the only time we're able to take a trip like this (at least for the next 18 years or so), so we did it. Ben had a great time on the farm, he loves cows as he shows us by pointing and doing his best "moo", which kind of sounds like "nooo". We had a wonderful time but I was more than ready to get home and see my baby and with a bumpy 4 hour plane ride from Puerto Rico to Atlanta, I found myself praying and wondering if I'd ever see Ben again (I HATE flying btw). So needless to say I was very thankful to be back in St. Louis and overly anxious to hold Ben again. Our flight arrived very late in St. Louis so we had to pick Ben up the next morning. When my mom walked in the door carrying Ben, I ran to them and held out my arms. He had the biggest smile on his face and just rested his head on my shoulder smiling the entire time, it was so sweet! Eddie and I did enjoy our beautiful and relaxing vacation.
Right now Ben's favorite things are being outside, pressing any type of buttons, playing w/magnets on the fridge, cheering on the Cards with Daddy, and playing with his choo-choo train.
Eddie and I feel a bit overwhelmed at times - with an hour and 15 minute commute each day, 9-10 hour work days and then coming home to take care of our 1 year old, maintaining our home and trying to fit in exercise and nutrition meals, then making time for fun with Ben, there doesn't seem to be enough time for sleep. But welcome to parenthood, right? Hopefully I'll be able to update the blog on a more regular basis now, thanks for being patient!

1st Birthday

March 10 was Ben's first birthday. We had his party on Sunday, March 8, the same day as Eddie's birthday. It was an amazing day. The weather turned out beautiful after a stormy morning, and things went surprisingly smooth (I was expecting mostly chaos). I had a lot of help from my amazing family and great friends - prepping the food, decorating the cake, decorating the house, moving furniture, etc.
Ben really enjoyed the day. He received too many presents - but loves all of them. When it came time for cake it took him a while to grasp what was going on, but he finally tore into it - grabbing the ducky by it's head and taking a bite, and pulling the beak off. It wasn't long before he was covered in yellow and orange icing and a little mad b/c he couldn't see or breath with all of the icing in his eyes and up his nose! By the end of the day he was ready for a nice long nap.
On Tuesday, Ben's actual birthday, Eddie and I took a 1/2 day of vacation to spend it with Ben. Thanks to another day of nice weather we were able to take him to Times Beach Park for a long bike ride and his first time on a playground. He liked the swing the best.
Overall it was an enjoyable, exciting, memorable time. I found myself a little emotional when we sang happy birthday b/c I could not believe my baby was celebrating his first birthday. It definitely does not seem like a year has passed, and I know the years to come will only go faster so we're trying to slow down and enjoy as much of it as we can. Hope everyone enjoys the pictures:)

Trucks and Ducks

Ben's 1st birthday is quickly approaching, 10 days and our little baby will be one year old! His first birthday party will be held at our house on March 8, the same day as his daddy's birthday:) His favorites toys right now are his truck (pulls it back and it goes on its own), and his rubber duck. So the party theme will be rubber ducks and I'll make my first attempt at baking and decorating a 3-D Rubber Duck Cake, should be interesting!

Ben's first Christmas was awesome. Here are a few pictures of our little elf.

1st Blog

To keep our friends and family updated, and to show off our little man, we've created this blog and will keep it updated regularly - so check back for updates regularly:)