Dear Ryan (9 months)

Happy NINE months little bug!  It is so strange to think that you have now spent as much time outside my belly as you did inside. I feel like the past 18 months have really flown by!!

The BIGGEST news is that you are crawling! Yay! I have been trying to upload video of this monumental milestone but I am having problems. You pushed yourself backwards for about two weeks and then three days before you turned 9 months it just clicked. You are so happy now!

Over the past month we have been going to occupational therapy twice a week and you are doing so well. It's so hard for us to tell if it's the therapy that is helping or just that you are getting older and stronger and would have progressed this far at this rate anyways. Oh well, you really enjoy playing with Sandy and it gives you a change of environment. She does push you to try new things so it's always nice to have something new to work on.

You have pulled yourself up a couple of times but the first time you did it you fell backwards and onto the wood floor and that did not make you happy. Having Bob around really peaks your interest. You are always trying to follow him and play with him - even when he clearly does not want to play. His growls don't scare you! I think he will be the reason you learn to pull up - he is usually on the couch and you crawl over there and get stumped. Pretty soon you will pull yourself up and get a little closer - watch out Bob!

You are eating a mix of baby food and table food. For breakfast you usually have apples with cinnamon and oatmeal or peaches and bananas with oatmeal - those are your favorites. We tried egg yolks and you thought they were ok.  For lunch and dinner I try to give you what we are eating, but if that doesn't work out then I give you some baby food (stage 3). You LOVE chicken...well you basically love anything I give you now. I guess babies don't really get picky until around 2 or so. However, whenever I give you something new to try you usually make a disgusted face when I put it in your mouth - but then you eat it and want more.

What else is going on:
You have two (almost 3) teeth (Your top left is so close to poking through)
9 month clothes or 6-12 months
Size 3 diapers
You nurse 5 times and take an 8 ounce bottle of formula at night
You had your first non family babysitter this past month and did so well
You went to the nursery at church for the 1st time and did really great
You still take a paci randomly throughout the day and for nap time but never need it at night
You take three naps a day (around 9am, 1pm and 5pm) and they typically last 1.5-2hrs
Bedtime is still 9pm

Playing tug-o-war with Bob

Happy man!

And you are not so happy here! So versatile for your photo session...lol

Love you!

You LOVE tails....watch out Bob!

I love that you give kisses now! They are full on open mouth kisses but they are the best! You even give me hugs - I have been waiting for this and I love it so much. These past nine months have been amazing and we love you so much. Ready for the next one!

Ryan's first Easter

This weekend was packed full of fun and we are still recovering from it - I'm exhausted! Here are some pictures from our weekend!

Ryan helped mommy color some eggs!

On Saturday morning my parents here around 9:30am. We got ready and headed to Lakewood for brunch and fun Easter activities. They really do such a great job with Easter and I think next year will be super fun for Ryan -  he really couldn't do much this year. They have cupcake decorating, egg hunts, really bunnies to pet and pictures with the Easter bunny, which is the only thing we did.

He wasn't scared of the bunny....I guess we will see how he does with Santa this year!

 Easter morning

The Easter bunny made a special stop for a new little boy on his bunny trail.  Ryan got a basket full of goodies from the Easter bunny but he was busy crawling which made it hard for mommy to get a good picture!

Kevin and I went to the 8am service, which was packed! My parents watched Ryan for us which worked out really well. After church we got ready and headed over to the Suns house to celebrate with everyone. 

Cousin Lyla and little R

Truman is 4 months old!

Hanging with his cousins

All the kiddos - and Megan!

what a face!

Ethan helped push Ryan on the swing!

Getting ready to hunt for some eggs!

Confetti eggs!

Ryan just wants to eat it

We popped it on dads head!

Then Lyla got Ryan

So much fun!

We have such an eventful weekend and really enjoyed every minute of it. It was so great to be able to spend the holiday with both sets of Ryan's grandparents and cousins - such a lucky little man! We are so fortunate to have our family so close and to have such great friends!

9 month - stats

Today we went to see Dr. Neely for Ryan's 9 month check-up. He did so great and was happy the entire time. I didn't really have any questions for the doctor so it was pretty quick. I really thought R was in higher percentiles, but I guess he is still a little man....for now. 

Weight: 17lbs 8oz - 8%

Height: 28.25in - 50%

Head: 43.5cm - 8%

As Yia Yia T says "he is tall and trim"

We also talked about his therapy and although R still has a slight tilt we have decided that we no longer need to go to therapy. I can do the stretches at home and he is right on track as far as where he should be developmentally. Tomorrow will be our last session with Sandy...I just have to tell her!

Ryan was so active while we waited for Dr. Neely. He really LOVED checking himself out in the mirror and kept head-butting himself - what a goof!

 

He didn't get any shots but they did prick his big toe to do a blood test to check his iron level. Everything was great, he didn't even really notice - the only thing he noticed was the bandaid on his toe and he sure wanted it!

I am still working on his 9 month letter and we need to take his pictures! Hope to have that post ready soon!

Happy Easter!

Babies Babies Babies!!!

A few weeks ago we headed up to Frisco for a baby shower for Stacey & Jacob. We had a great time catching up with all of our friends and of course watching the two of them open all sorts of fun baby stuff . It's always entertaining because there are always gifts that the couple does not expect or really doesn't know that they will need them. I actually went with Stacey to register and she was shocked when I showed her a handsfree pumping bra that I recommended - it was so funny!  It was also entertaining with Jacob's commentary such as "Ah, nipples - Stacey's favorite". (referring to bottle parts. lol :) Fun times! I can't wait for their little one to arrive - it's going to be so much fun having another little baby added to our group!

Scott & their new little baby girl Reese with Ryan & Kevin

Super cute preggo Stacey & Jacob

Sneaking in Kevin and Ryan

Quick pic with Stacey

We recently got together for our monthly COT luncheon.  COT = circle of trust, which was a name we came up working long hours together on the Travelocity account at Click Here. The name stuck and so now that none of us work there anymore we try and get together for lunch once a month. One of the girls recently had her second baby so I got to meet her for the first time! So much fun!

Jackie with new baby Grace with Susanne & Ryan

Our little group!

A couple shots of sweet little Grace! So cute!

Lastly we had a super fun get together with my playgroup girls! One of the mommies hosted a dinner and we all brought our husbands! It was so fun to meet everyone's significant other and put a face to the name. It was the most perfect weather and we had such an amazing time. The hosts cooked brisket and sausage and everyone else just brought a side. We sat out back on blankets and had so much fun with our little ones. I only snapped a few pictures and wish I would have taken more! Here is what I got...

Sweet little Henry

Ryan playing with daddy

Madelyn getting ready to crawl

Ryan & Madelyn

Quentin 

Been having such a wonderful time this Spring. I have always been a Summer girl but I am thinking it's going to be difficult with the crazy heat and a baby. We will be hanging out at the pool a lot!

Houston

Ryan and I got back from a week trip down in Houston yesterday. We had such a fun time - we drove down Monday morning and went to Mk's house. I finally got to meet sweet little Thompson! I can't believe he is already two months old! He is a doll and such an easy going baby, but of course it probably is because Mk is such an amazing mother. Nothing really rattles her and she makes having a two year old and newborn seem ridiculously easy. Anyhow we hung out with the kiddos and when the sun came out we took a blanket and toys outside. It was so much fun! Later we headed to Lupe Tortilla's for some fajitas! Jen, Marc, Jessica, John, Missy and Kevin met us and it was so fun catching up with everyone!

On Tuesday little Miss Caroline had school so it was just us and the boys. We had a super fun day starting with an early lunch at Tiny Boxwood's  - this place is ADORABLE and I LOVE it. It's a shabby chic cafe within the Thompson + Hanson nursery on West Alabama. I really wish we had one here in Dallas. It's so cute! The weather was amazing and we sat outside with our little men eating our salads and sipping white wine mojitos! Yum yum! Plus their chocolate chip cookies are AMAZING! After lunch we did a little shopping for the boys. Mk took me to a cute boutique called Itsy Bitsy where I got Ryan a sweet little outfit that I need to get monogrammed. (side note: I need to find a monogram shop in Dallas if anyone knows of one)


Tuesday evening my bug and I headed west to Katy. Ryan was so happy to see his Yia Yia T and Papu! On Wednesday we had a fun day at the pool - Mk and her kiddos joined us as well. The water was too cold to get in but the weather was nice to we ate lunch outside and put our feet in the water.  On Thursday we headed into town to do a little more shopping for Ryan. They have so many boutiques with cute boy clothes in Houston! Plus I wanted to take Yia Yia T to Tiny Boxwood's since I loved it so much! Later that day Uncle Steve came in to town and we went to Lupe's for dinner. On Friday we had a relaxing pool day - we heated up the spa a little so Ryan could play in the water and he LOVED it! We met some friends from our old neighborhood at Perry's for dinner and had a great time.

Our trip was so much fun and even though we were there for almost an entire week we still didn't get to see everyone we wanted to.  Would have loved to see Cristin and Tiffinys families but our schedules didn't work out. We also really wanted to see Ashley but were unable to. She had major surgery on Tuesday and I really wish we could have got to visit with her. We were thinking about stopping by on the way out of town but were unable to. Been thinking and praying lots for her! She is one tough cookie! We really missed Kevin and had to head back early on Saturday morning. Driving alone with an 8 month old is quite a challenge but I am glad I did it because we had such a great time.

My little crab

Ryan is becoming mobile! He is not technically crawling but he sure is getting around these days. He just goes backwards....and tends to get stuck on things. I put him on his play mat and sometimes he will hang out and play and other times he get down into the crawling position and start pushing himself backwards. He always has a huge grin and if he could talk I feel like he would be saying "LOOK AT ME MOM, I"M MOVIN!!" This morning he scooted himself right up under the coffee table and then got stuck...but he was happy.