Ryder: 5 months

proud to wear his "Captain Crabby" outfit!

As you can see in a couple of the pictures, Ryder has discovered his feet! He loves to hold onto his toes, whether he is sitting up or lying on his back. His "dislike" list is still very short, but here are some new "likes" that we've observed over the past few weeks:

• eating oatmeal and trying to "help" by grabbing the spoon
• gnawing on one or both of his hands at the same time--he has 2 bottom teeth that have poked through!
• reaching out to touch ANYTHING that is nearby (toys, remotes, my phone, the dogs)
• "helping" me water my flowers; he likes to touch the fern leaves and petunia petals each time

Other new discoveries...

1. Just over the weekend Ryder has taken interest in the dogs (especially Cody!) Ryder was sitting on my lap on the couch, and when Cody walked by, Ryder babbled and reached out to touch him. It was so sweet to see him pat Cody on the head, and Cody wagged his tail and leaned a little closer, obviously loving the attention!

2. Ryder is ticklish! When he is tired and/or relaxed, he is super ticklish under his arms and down each side of his tummy. I will trace my fingers lightly on his skin, and he will tense up a little and giggle. Adorable!

No new stats at this point because his next doctor's appointment isn't until the end of June. He's wearing 9 month clothes now, mostly because of his length!

A Weekend with Aunt Alison

Since Andrew and Steve headed to NY for a concert, Alison decided to come keep Ryder and me company. She arrived just after lunch on Saturday and stayed until around 5 on Sunday. It was great to see her and have another pair of hands to help out with Ryder! :) We did some shopping Saturday afternoon and ate at Chipotle--Ryder loved all of the noise and was very content to people-watch while we enjoyed our meals.

Andrew found Ryder this onesie that says "My Aunt Rocks".

Ryder had lots to talk about!

On Sunday it was pretty overcast in the morning, so we decided it would be the perfect opportunity to take Ryder to the pool for the first time since we didn't think it would be very crowded. I was worried about Ryder going poo in the pool, so I let him spend a few minutes in his bumbo seat before coating him in sunscreen and dressing him in all of his swimming gear--success! :) When we got to the pool I think there was a total of five people there, so it was great! We started in the baby pool (which we had all to ourselves) so Ryder could get used to the water, and then we headed to the big pool to try out the new float I bought for us. He really seemed to enjoy just floating around. He was so laid back about the whole experience that he fell asleep while I was trying to give him a bottle, and he ended up napping in his stroller for almost an hour! Alison and I enjoyed getting a little sun while Ryder slept in the shade. It was a great first pool experience!

sitting in the shallowest end of the baby pool

testing out the new float

floating with Mommy-- I knew he was kicking his little legs because he would occasionally get me in the stomach!

soaking up some...clouds

wiped out!

touching the grass and clinging to Cody

Mommy's Little Helper

Ryder and I went out for lunch with some of my coworkers on Friday--a treat for any teacher on a half day! I'm accustomed to inhaling my lunch in a 25 minute time period, so the fact that the six of us (and three kids) got to leisurely eat and visit for over two hours was wonderful! This was Ryder's first trip to a restaurant, and he was a complete angel! He enjoyed being passed around the table and told how adorable he was by the waitress each time she checked on us. After lunch we headed back home, where I assumed Ryder would be exhausted and ready for a nap. Silly me! Instead, he helped me get some chores done, which included folding laundry.

Doesn't he look like a prisoner in his little orange "jumpsuit"?

"Uh, Mom? I'm slipping!"

hanging on for dear life

Morning with Daddy

Andrew took Thursday night off work because he was leaving Friday afternoon to go with Steve to a concert in upstate New York. Since I only had a half day of school on Friday, Andrew kept Ryder at home with him instead of taking him to the babysitter so they could have some "guy time" together. What a busy morning it was! They managed to vacuum the whole house and go through some of Andrew's camping supplies (which he would be needing for the weekend) by the time I got home at 11:30.

Is coffee the only thing brewing in this picture??? :)

Ryder dropped a subtle hint that it was almost time for his morning snack.

"Ta-da!"

"It wasn't me!"

Feeding Frenzy

As I looked through all of the pictures we took this week, I noticed a pattern. Nearly every one of them involves Ryder eating! He's just so happy and adorable when he's sitting in his high chair that we can't resist reaching for the camera. He has moved on from rice cereal to oatmeal, and he LOVES it.

"Umm, excuse me. Can I get some oatmeal over here?"

"Ok, enough with all of the picture-taking."

A taste of summer

It was in the 80's and even a bit humid this weekend, which made it a perfect time to get outside and do some yard work and enjoy the sunshine. We planted two baby Japanese maple trees out front; my parents came up with this great gift idea for our first Mother's/Father's Day so that we have something that will grow along with Ryder. Andrew dug a couple of holes, and then Ryder and I posed next to one of "his" trees.

Ryder checks out one of the new trees.

After our outdoor "chores" were finished, we headed to the deck where it was nice and shady so Ryder could enjoy some playtime in his new walker. (Thanks, Wally World!)