Jumping for joy

Just when we start talking about packing up Ryder's jumparoo because he doesn't spend much time in it, he has a moment like this one.
(Sorry the lighting is so bad--I just grabbed the camera and started recording because I didn't know how long it would last!)

Ryder: 9 months

Someone has developed quite the personality over the last few weeks! Ryder definitely knows what he wants when he wants it, and he isn't afraid to let us know. When he's overtired, frustrated, or just plain mad about something, he throws his head back while his body does the whole "limp noodle" act. This is accompanied by a whiny cry and a few screams to get his point across--so much fun to listen to! The majority of the time (thank goodness!) he is our sweet little laid back boy. He is content to sit and play by himself, crawl around on the floor, or run around in his walker. He is becoming quite the handful when it comes to keeping him out of things he shouldn't have, but we're glad he's such a happy and curious little guy.

on the prowl

Likes: eating, taking baths, playing peek-a-boo, chasing the dogs, "helping" Mommy vacuum (his walker always ends up tangled in the cord) climbing into or on top of laundry baskets, pulling up at the coffee table, rolling toys across the floor and scooting after them, dropping toys on the floor for Mommy and Daddy to pick up, and opening and closing books and doors.

Dislikes: having his diaper changed (we basically have to pin him down, so we dread it too!), getting dressed, cottage cheese (the only food he's tried and doesn't like--must be the texture!), and being woken up early in the morning.

His next appointment is actually on my birthday, so we'll find out his height and weight then. He has seemed to plateau a bit because he can still fit into some 9 month separates (especially shirts) but wears mostly 12 month clothes.

Not your momma's mini-van

Andrew has been seriously searching for a 1980 Volkswagen Vanagon for at least a year. He has wanted one for a long time, but especially now that Ryder is almost old enough to take on his first camping trip. Apparently these things are collector's items because he looked everywhere to find one that was affordable. The backseat folds down into a bed, and there is another bed up in the pop-top. There's even a small little sink/refrigerator unit, but we'll probably rip that out and either put in a mini-fridge or a storage cabinet. There are some minor cosmetic changes to make, but overall the van is in great shape.

my boys and their van

The tacky red curtains will be removed very soon!

checking out the dashboard

"Goodbye!"

Ryder vs. Black Beans

We took these pictures about a week ago, but I had forgotten to upload them onto the computer. Ryder absolutely loves black beans, and he basically paints his face with them every time. This time he even got it in his hair, so you'll notice his "wing" over his left ear. Also, his bib is turned around backwards like a cape. :) What a mess!

black beans or a goatee?

Wow!

Disconnected

Hopefully none of you have tried calling us over the past two days, because our cell phones simply say "No Service". We disconnected our land line probably two years ago because the only calls we received were from telemarketers, and frankly I never answered that phone. Since Friday afternoon, though, I've been rethinking that decision. What good does my cell phone do me when I can't make or receive calls from my house??? Yesterday morning Ryder and I headed into town to run some errands, and my phone did fine once I was about 5 miles from my house. Apparently my neighborhood is a black hole. Growing more and more frustrated, I asked Andrew what we should do since we can't exactly call our service provider when our PHONES DON'T WORK. He quickly got online and was able to chat with a representative who was able to tell us there are "network problems in our area" (you think??) and that it is "undetermined when service will be restored". Great. Andrew told her he expects our bill to be adjusted accordingly, so we'll see what happens. In the meantime, shoot me an email if you want to talk. :)

Little Inchworm

It's official--Ryder is crawling! While he doesn't use the traditional hands-and-knees formation, he gets where he wants to go. I love how when I pick him up each afternoon from the sitter's house he inches his way from where he was playing (across the room) to greet me at the door. The smiling and growling that accompany his crawl just make it even more adorable. :)

Another development:
This morning I laid Ryder down for his nap, and he fussed and whined for a while. When he got quiet I checked the monitor, assuming he had finally fallen asleep. To my surprise, I saw him standing and gripping the side of his crib. I screamed, "He's standing!" and ran towards his room. Andrew wasn't far behind me, and when we opened Ryder's door he was still standing there with a big grin on his face kind of like, "Look what else I can do!" I plucked him out of the crib, and Andrew and I decided it was definitely time to lower the crib mattress--NOW. Ten minutes later, the crib was "baby-proofed" so our little inchworm won't be able to jump overboard.

A new trick

Ryder impressed us today with his ability to pull up to a standing position at the coffee table. Yikes! He's still a little unsteady, so I "hovered" nearby to prevent any major wipeouts; he was doing all the work himself! The only injury was to one of my magazines--he ripped the cover right off of it. Looks like I'll be finding a new place to store our reading material...and our T.V. remote. :)