Ryan's First Wedding

This past weekend we took a family road-trip to Princeton, NJ.  We were off to see Jeff's cousin, Liz, get married.  The wedding was beautiful!  We had a truly wonderful time and got to show off Ryan to all kinds of great new people.  

Ryan stayed outside of the church during the ceremony as he was quite tired and we did not want to interrupt the service.  Ryan was a trooper during the reception and even got a few dances in on the dance floor with Mommy.  We had such a wonderful time with family and new friends.  

I didn't realize until after the wedding that I did not take a single picture of the bride.  Liz was absolutely breath-taking.  Her dress was beautiful and she was glowing.  The church was lovely and the reception was great fun.  Here are a few of the pictures we managed to take during the day.  

Ryan told us on the way home that he wants to attend Princeton University in the fall of 2026!

Here is a family pic...we took about 10 but we can't all look at the camera at once! darn it. 

My boys with Grandma Penni..

Just the guys...

I can't believe he was sleeping at the reception like this! 

Daddy, this thing is so cool!!  

Here is the only picture I got of the happy couple.  Congrats to Liz and Andrew, we are so happy for you both! 

High Stylin'

My Aunt Jenn bought me this suit so I could be the second best-dressed at her wedding.  My Mommy wasn't sure if it was going to fit me or not.  Mommy squeezed me into the shirt and told me that we had to take pictures in the outfit because there was no way it would fit me in three more weeks.   The buttons were about to pop and my tummy was sticking out of the bottom.  I was not really comfortable but decided to smile for Mommy while she took my picture.  Mommy says that I am a heartbreaker in the making.  

Texas Again...

We were in Texas last weekend.  I just wanted to share some of the pictures from our trip...

Dad, Grandmother, Brandon, Me, Ryan

My cousin, Kristin and us...

Ryan fell asleep on the couch and then got comfy with Grandpa..

Uncle Scott with my family...

Mmmmm...Squash

Are you Ready for Some Football?

Thanks to Grandpa Jerry, Ryan has his first football jersey (it is a tad big but hopefully will fit all the way til Superbowl Sunday!!!).  I grew up in a family of big Cowboys fans so it is fitting that Ryan would be brought up cheering on the 'Boys.  

Ryan fell asleep before kickoff, but I told him all about how the Cowboys won this morning.  

Thanks Grandpa J for my cool shirt!!!  Go Romo!

He already loves the remote...

Ryan's favorite toy...

6 Months

Wow.  A half-year has flown by.  I can't believe that 6 months ago today we were just bringing Ryan home from the hospital.  Jeff and I were both very excited and very nervous at the same time.  What were we going to do if he cried?  How would we know when he was hungry, how would we know when it was gas?  How exactly was I supposed to breast feed?  We had never had any experience with newborns before and I can say that we were both hoping that the hospital would keep us just one more day. 

The first few weeks were challenging, mainly due to a lack of sleep and a baby that needed to eat every 2-3 hours around the clock.  Some days felt like they lasted forever.  I remember telling Jeff one night that I felt like I was never going to sleep again.  Those days that felt like they would last forever actually flew by at an incredible speed.  My little baby used to curl up into a tiny ball on my chest to sleep.  Now he takes up a lot more surface area and weighs a ton more.  :)

It is incredibly amazing to watch Ryan change on a daily basis.  Each day he discovers something new or does something different.  The speed at which babies learn is mind-boggling.  I have so much excitement about the future, but at the same time I am trying to soak in every single moment right now.  There is no way of getting any of this time back.  I am sure that the next 6 months will fly by as fast as the first 6 have.  I am looking forward to watching Ryan continue to surprise and amaze us both.  

Our lives have changed so much in the past six months. It is fascinating how the birth of Ryan brought me closer to God.  Through Ryan I have seen the power, beauty and love of God all over again.  My priorities have changed, I know why I was put on this earth, I have discovered a love that I never knew existed and I have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up.  

Here are a few pictures of our little boy growing up way too fast....

Welcome to the world Ryan...

One week old:

1 Month:

2 Months:

3 Months (one of my favorite pictures still)...

4 Months:

5 Months:

This isn't my bottle...

This afternoon I decided to let Ryan try out his sippy cup.  We had given it to him once before about a month or so ago but he wasn't really interested in it so we put it away.  This time the sippy cup went directly into Ryan's mouth.  Although he wasn't really too sure about the water that was inside or why water came out when he put the top of the cup into his mouth.  We will keep practicing with the sippy cup ...but for now just with water.  

Another chew toy...

What is in that cup?

I can do this!

Drinking water sure is funny...

As you can see, most of the water ended up on his shirt...

Swimming Class!

Most of the rec centers in our area offer swim classes for kids as young as 6 months.  Since Ryan is turning 6 months old on Sunday, we decided to go ahead and enroll him in a class to see how he would like it.  Our friends, the Powell's, are taking the swim class with us.  We had no idea what to expect out of our first class, or how Ryan would react to being in a pool for a good while.  His maximum time in a pool was probably about 15 minutes before yesterday.  

Ryan and Emily were the only babies in the class, the other children were toddlers.  As soon as Ryan and I got into the water, he started splashing like crazy.  He was having such a wonderful time.  Ryan was splashing me and all of the other kids in class.  We sang songs, played with balls and basically just got them comfortable being in the water.   

The unfortunate part was that they do not allow photography!  Jeff was able to snap a couple of pictures before he was told to put his camera away.  The angle is really not all that great because the parents not in the water have to stay on these bleachers over on the side.  

I am so glad that we signed up for these classes!  Ryan really enjoyed himself.  We came home and gave him a quick rinse (to get the chlorine off) and he conked out.  

Here are a couple of the not-so-great pictures that Jeff was able to snap...

The Cutest. Ever.

Right before dinner tonight I came down with a terrible case of the hiccups.  Each time I would hiccup, Ryan would start cracking up.  Then Jeff discovered Ryan cracked up when he made the pig sound.  The video below is my attempt at faking hiccups and oinking like a pig.  The camera angle is not the best because Ryan likes to stop being cute and just stare at the camera when we take videos.  I hope this video makes you laugh as much as it made us laugh.  

Pictures

When we got back from the park this afternoon, I decided to start snapping a few pictures of Ryan during his tummy time.  There were lots of great pictures.  These pictures make it look like I actually know how to use my camera.  All of the pictures below are unedited.  Every single picture I took was great (mainly because the subject is just so darn cute).  Enjoy. 

Picture overload coming....

Park Swing

Today was the perfect day to be outdoors!  Jeff and I took Ryan for a walk this morning and on our way back to the house we decided to stop by the park.  Ryan got to ride the slide again and this time we decided to let him try out the swing.  The swing made my big baby look tiny!  Ryan really seemed to enjoy his time in the swing.  I am sure that in the next few years the swings and slide at the park will get lots of great use.  

Ryan's First Car

On Friday evening, Jeff and I ventured to Toys R Us for some new baby toys for Ryan.  Jeff and I found some cute little Tonka cars and knew that we just had to get them for Ryan.  They are a 12 month + toy, so I didn't really expect him to do much with them.  Once we got those cars on the ground Ryan started rolling them all over.  The only problem was that Ryan isn't really crawling yet so when he rolled the cars out of his reach he got a little frustrated.  

Yes! New cars!!

Playing with the fire truck...

I think we are going to have to work on sharing in the future...he is claiming the car!

Just because it is cute, here is Ryan doing his two favorite things --- standing and gnawing on his fingers (we think he is actually teething now though).  

Adventures in Baby Food...

As previously mentioned, I am making an attempt at making Ryan's food myself.  Last week my wonderful Sister-in-Law, Jenn, recommended that I purchase a magic bullet for blending up the food.  I ventured to Target today for the so-called Magic Bullet.  If you don't have one, you should get one.  I had tried using the food processor and the blender and could not quite get the right consistency with the baby food.  However with the Magic Bullet the purees come out perfect every single time.  

In my excitement, I went on a baby food making tear.  I made sweet potatoes, sweet peas, green beans, carrots, mango, peaches and applesauce!  Wow!  Everything was EASY and even tastes good.  I know that Ryan will gobble everything up.  The best part is all the veggies are organic and I know exactly what Ryan is getting!  

Next up...a margarita in the Magic Bullet.  For me though, not Ryan.  

Sunday Paper

Every Sunday I flip through all of the weekly ads and sale flyers that come in the paper.  I will occasionally clip a few coupons but mainly look to see if any stores are having great deals.  Ryan decided that he wanted to help me look for good deals.  He loved playing with the paper and later trying to eat it.  Sometimes the best toys are not really toys at all.  

Now For My Next Trick...

Uh-Oh!  A picture is worth a thousand words.

Ryan's New Ride...

For the past month or so I have been contemplating getting a jogging stroller for Ryan.  Jeff and I like to go for walks around our area and there are tons of walking trails but the terrain is a bit rough for our Chicco.  Last week I found out that the stroller I really wanted was on sale for a great price so I bit the bullet and bought it.  

Ryan really seems to enjoy cruising in his new stroller.  As it is a jogging stroller, I have decided to start jogging again.  Trust me I need the extra cardio!  So far so good.  Ryan is a great jogging buddy and seems to really enjoy the slightly faster pace.  

Ok Mommy...enough with the camera, let's go!

Slide

This weekend we took Ryan to the park that is up the street from our house.  We wanted to let him play in the swing, but the metal parts on the swing had been soaking up the heat from the sun and were way too hot so instead we decided to just try out the slide.  

Ryan seemed really focused and curious while we were at the park.  He was trying to figure out exactly what was going on and had a very serious face the entire time we were playing on the slides.  He seemed to enjoy the slide after we had gone down it a couple of times and he knew what to expect.  

Ryan's first slide ever...

Now Daddy's turn..