Ryder: 17 months

So I've been Lazy (with a huge capital L!) when it comes to blogging lately. I chalk it up to the combination of chasing a toddler around, being pregnant, and approaching the end of the school year. It's definitely not due to Ryder not giving me enough material to write about! :) I'm going to do my best to remember all of the new things he's doing/saying and put it all in this one post.  Here goes!

A dictionary of Ryder's frequently-used words:
Arr! Arr! = dog barking
Booooo = Mooooo (when he sees the picture of a cow)
Chee = cheese
Cuh = cup
Daddy = doggy
Daddy-O = Daddy
Go! = the action of leaving; any vehicle within sight
Gul = gulp (when the dogs drink water from their bowl)
Hi!
Momma :) :)
Qua Qua = duck quacking
She = shoe
Tee = tree
Too Too = bird chirping

Weee! = when he spins in circles or sees something fast

Weh = wet (if he sees water on the floor or puddles outside)

Favorite foods:
cheese, yogurt, bananas, applesauce, spaghetti, rice and beans, black olives, and anything he sees Mommy and Daddy eating

Likes:
jumping on trampolines, pretending to sneeze, climbing anything and everything, playing outside, sweeping with a broom, cuddling with blankets and stuffed animals, reading books, doing "cheers" with our cups at dinner

Dislikes:
being told "no", going inside, sitting in his high chair too long

Developments:

• points to his head, ears, nose, eyes, mouth, toes, tummy, and belly button
• points to Daddy, Mommy, and Ryder if we ask "Where's _______?"
• finds shoes and brings them to us; it doesn't matter if we're already wearing some or if they "coordinate" with our clothes  ("Yes, Mommy, these dressy black sandals look perfect with your t-shirt and pajama pants!")
• covers his eyes with his hands and then pulls them away and says, "Boo!"

being a snuggle-bug on the couch

practicing his soccer skills

Our hydrangeas are beautiful this year!

Waiting patiently... 

to stomp on and blow out the bubbles!

loading sticks into his tricycle's "trunk"

taking a walk around the yard

Our little secret...

is a secret no more! 

Ryder's little brother or sister is due November 30th! 

12 weeks--little legs already propped up!

A Trip to Maymont

Last Saturday, after seeing a forecast for perfect weather, Andrew and I decided to take Ryder to Maymont Park in Richmond. We were also able to meet up with some friends that we hadn't seen since Ryder was three weeks old, so it was definitely well worth the trip. Ryder loved seeing the animals, and he either barked or mooed at all of them, no matter what they were. :)

covered in sunscreen and ready to go

peeking at the goats

Tim and Rylan

peeking through yet another fence at some little baby goats

Rylan was ready to feed the animals

on the go

The bear was floating in the water, trying to keep cool. Ryder was excited to see him and probably thought of his brown bear pillow that he loves so much! :)

Baby-proofing with bungee cords?

Never in a million years would I have put those two terms together in the same sentence.  Enter Ryder. Now that he is strong enough to pull the benches away from the table, he treats them as balance beams or stepping stones to get up onto the table. We will let him climb onto the bench as long as he sits on his bottom, but that only lasts so long because he wants to be able to stand and "dance" on the bench. When we say "Sit down, please", he will sit and smile until he thinks we've forgotten what we just told him to do; he then pops right back up, grinning and bouncing. Since he has no concept of gravity, we have to watch him like a hawk. And let's face it: at the end of the day, it's nice to be able to just sit down while he plays rather than telling him "no" millions of times. Andrew came up with a brilliant solution that didn't involve us taking the benches out of the room completely, since we do like to have somewhere to sit for meal times. He grabbed one of the bungee cords that he keeps in his truck for securing heavy loads and used it to strap the two benches to the base at the center of the table. Voila! Now when Ryder tries to pull out a bench, it moves a little before being tugged away from him. Needless to say he gets frustrated, but if we ignore his whines and screams for a few minutes he gives up and looks for something else to do. Success!

Ryder's 16-month stats

It's funny to see how much Ryder changes between scheduled well-visits based on what entertains him in the doctor's office. In January he was content to sit on my lap, eat some Kix, and smile at everyone else in the room. Today he was fascinated not by the pet lizard/iguana thing in the waiting room, but the empty water jugs kept below the terrarium that I assume are used to water the plants. He would hand them to me and Andrew, take them back, put them away, and then repeat--dozens of times. Once we got into the exam room, his fascination involved moving the chairs from one wall to another. And he didn't bother so much with the fancy stool-on-wheels that the doctor sits on, but the stiff plastic chairs that make a wonderful SCREECH! when shoved across a tile floor. He cooperated for the exam and then got two more shots--he quickly forgot about the shots when the nurse put a Cars band-aid on his leg. Perfect distraction! We then had to go next door so he could have some blood drawn for a routine check of his iron level and any lead exposure. He has had many shots over the past 16 months, but this was his first real needle experience. Andrew held Ryder tightly on his lap to restrict any movement as the technician looked for the best vein. By the time he felt the prick of the needle, he was red-faced and screaming because he was basically tied down and had no idea what was going on. I just kept talking to him so he would watch me and hopefully sit still. I don't know who felt worse-->Ryder (the pin-cushion) or Andrew, who felt like he was "letting" his little boy get hurt. :( Within minutes, it was over and Ryder was calmed down. The technician offered him a puppy dog sticker on our way out, but he wasn't interested. Instead he pointed towards the door and said "Go". He clearly just wanted us to keep moving and get out of there as soon as possible!

height: 33 1/2 inches (93rd percentile)-- 3 inches taller since January!
weight: 26 lbs. 12 oz. (72nd percentile)-- up 4 lbs. since January

Snip, Snip!

Ryder's first haircut was a success! He sat by himself in the chair with a look on his face like, "What in the world is going on?" I think he liked that he could look in the mirror and see what was happening all around him. From start to finish, the entire cut lasted less than three minutes.  She didn't have to take anything off the top; she just trimmed his baby mullet. :) It's amazing how much more he looks like a little boy now instead of a baby.

"Hmmm...I'm not sure how I feel about this."

sporting the colorful fish cape

"I'm a big boy now!"

Ryder: 16 months

enjoying his new lawn mower

collecting rocks

He spotted some ants crawling on the steps.

Ryder has a "date" with his pediatrician next week, so we'll see then how much he has grown over the past few months. It amazes me how many new things he has started doing just over the past two weeks. Here are a few highlights:

• climbing up EVERYTHING! (couches, coffee tables, and most recently--the kitchen table!)
• walking on top of our dining room table's bench like it's a balance beam
• opening kitchen drawers (not just the cupboards) and pulling out whatever is in reach (markers, notepads, Ziploc bags)
• standing up in his high chair and trying to climb out
• lifting his hands and saying "Go? or "Where go?" when he's looking for something
• building towers as tall as he is with his Megablocks
• snuggling with pillows--he LOVES to throw the couch pillows on the floor and lay on them
• wrestling with Daddy--if Andrew gets down on the floor, it's "Game On"!

Some new favorite foods:

peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, black olives, yogurt, cereal bars, animal crackers

Clothing:

quickly outgrowing 18-month shirts; we will need to do some shopping soon!

*Ryder's first haircut (sniff, sniff) is scheduled for later this week, so hopefully he'll cooperate and I can get some good pictures!