Holy Molars!

Today, thanks to Grann and her keen awareness of all things related to teeth, I learned that Ryder has not one, but TWO of his molars! How did I miss this? Sure, he's been drooling, but what baby doesn't? And he's had a little bit of a runny nose, but it's winter and the sniffles are common. And since the 8 teeth he already has are little chomping machines, I don't put my fingers in his mouth on a regular basis. I am definitely thankful that these teeth obviously didn't bother him too much since he hasn't been fussy, but I feel bad that I was out of the loop and didn't notice them sooner. At the rate he's going, the tooth fairy will be making visits before we know it!

Merry Christmas!

I think it's safe to say Ryder had a pretty great first Christmas--and we still have some celebrating to do tomorrow since Pops and Grann will get here tonight. Ryder must have been overwhelmed this morning by his new toys and the whole "unwrapping gifts" procedure because he has taken three great naps today. :) Mid-afternoon we headed over to the park in our neighborhood so that he could swing and get some fresh air since it was sunny and just a little cool. It was a nice relaxing day for the three of us since it's not often we get to spend an entire day together without something we have to do or somewhere to go.

Let the gift-opening begin!

Ryder got lots of books. :)

kissing his puppy pillow

He loves Elmo's eyeballs!

reading another story

so much to do!

"Aaaahhh.... a change of scenery!"

Pickle Monster

I've decided that Ryder must have taste buds of steel. He has tried several foods in his short lifetime that I assume would be too sweet, sour, tangy, etc.  Yet he will taste them without even flinching. For instance, if we're in a restaurant and I get a lemon wedge in my drink, guess who wants to eat it? Tonight at dinner we gave him one of Nana's homemade sweet pickles--it's Nana's recipe that Ann, Alison, and I used a few summers ago to make a HUGE batch that we're still enjoying. :) The pickles aren't sour, but they are definitely a little tangy because of all of the vinegar. We gave Ryder a slice, and instead of taking a small bite he crammed the whole thing in his mouth. As he chewed, not a single, silly expression crossed his face to acknowledge that what he was eating was "unusual" for him. I think we have yet another fan of Nana's pickles!

"Maybe I should use two hands for this!"

"Is it gone already?"

"Maybe Mommy will share with me."

Baby Steps

On Friday, Ryder really started showing interest in pushing this toy around as he walked behind it. He would get so frustrated though when he ran into something because he couldn't quite figure out how to maneuver it. He just stood there and screamed until I either a) removed the obstacle or b) pivoted him in a different direction. After one or two quick "lessons" from Mommy, he has definitely mastered it!

He can also take a few steps at a time ALL BY HIMSELF. He will do a few little stutter steps from one toy to another or between Andrew and me. I can't wait to capture this on video, but right now he's still a little too unsteady and unpredictable. My baby is almost a TODDLER! 

Here are a few pictures from this weekend. We were downstairs enjoying the Christmas tree (that we finally put up Friday night), and Ryder had a great time exploring this new territory.

a future musician?? He had fun "playing" Daddy's guitar.

(And this is why the tree is downstairs this year. Little hands grabbing everything!)

Mike, Jen, and Kendall came over on Saturday to help us celebrate Andrew's birthday. The kids had so much fun playing together and were exhausted by bedtime!

admiring Kendall :)

Kendall decided to try to ride Ashley....

and then Cody!

Despite the look on Cody's face, he loved every minute of the attention!

"Ping pong, anyone?"

"Hmmm, what else do they keep in here?"

Cody doubles as a bridge for Ryder to play under.

"Cody's hair tickles my face!"

The Charleston

Check out Andrew, Ryder, and I dancing the Charleston! :)

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/ur5l1S2WaRp83KAPqoxH

Fit of Giggles

This afternoon Andrew and Ryder were sitting on the couch together watching some football and munching on some Cheerios. When Andrew tossed one to Ashley, it was apparently one of the funniest things Ryder has ever seen. His giggling was contagious!

Christmas photo shoot

Andrew and I decided that instead of taking Ryder to an official photographer for Christmas pictures, we'd see what we could do at home with our camera, a couple of outfit changes, and a white sheet for the back-drop. *Note: when purchasing a white sheet, don't buy the cheapest one you can find; you will be able to see right through it. :(


After a little bit of frustration trying to capture the perfect shot, we decided to quit "staging" each picture and just snap as many as we could throughout the day. We ended up getting some great pictures of our happy little guy, one of which we are using for our Christmas card this year. (It's not on the blog; you'll just have to wait and see!)

Santa's little helper:

He did not want to wear the hat!

Ryder's first sweater:

mesmerized!

Ryder in lights:

Thanks, Alison, for this artistic idea! :)

(my favorite!)