Ryan is 10 months old!

The phrase that best describes Ryan at this ten-month mark is “perpetual motion.” Ryan is a very proficient crawler. He’s determined, curious, and QUICK … especially when heading toward something he knows he’s not supposed to play with. The fake moss surrounding our fake tree in our living room is his favorite destination. :) Other obsessions include cords, cabinet doors, markers, and pens. Life has gotten very exciting as Ryan teaches us areas in our house that we need to re-baby proof. :)
 

A month ago, Ryan could only pull up on shorter objects. Now, he can easily pull up on just about anything and squat back down to reach something or resume crawling. He can walk along furniture “cruise” but still seems to prefer crawling to get from one place to another.

Right before his ten-month “birthday,” Ryan’s two bottom teeth emerged. He had seemed to be in pain for about a week leading up to that point – not wanting to nurse or eat as much/as often and not sleeping as well. He seems to be feeling much better now that his first teeth have popped through – and they look so cute!

Our littlest one no longer looks much like a baby at almost 23 pounds! Between all of his (ever-lightening) hair and his size, he definitely looks older than he is. He is very strong (especially if he’s arching during diaper change time or getting-ready-for-sleep time)! Ha! We transitioned him into his bigger, convertible car seat this month.

Ryan is getting much better at self-feeding. He delicately picks up food from his high chair tray using his pincer grasp, gets it into his mouth, and usually even swallows it without gagging! He definitely prefers bread, puffs, rice rusks, and yogurt melts. Since Ryan usually leaves behind the small pieces of fruit, veggie, or cheese we place on his tray, we still try to spoon feed him some pureed food each meal so he can get a varied diet. Momma and Daddy have to be quick at getting the spoon into Ryan’s mouth before he swats it away, though. We’ve found that having him hold another item (a sippy cup or spoon) usually distracts him enough to allow spoon feeding. :) He still loves his sippy cup – mostly so he can squeeze the spout to squirt water onto himself or his tray.

Ryan LOVED trying prunes for the first time this month!

 

Ryan still takes two 1-1.5 hour naps each day. He sleeps from about 7:30 p.m. until 6 or 6:30 a.m., waking once or twice per night to nurse. The “sleeps through the night” line in Ryan’s baby book is still blank, so we’re especially looking forward to a full night of sleep in the coming days/weeks/months. :)

Ryan continues to be very vocal. He babbles often and loudly and seems to say “momma” and “dada” correctly most of the time. He also is starting to try to repeat sounds or inflections that he hears us use. The other day, he kept trying to make puffs of air after Momma was blowing into his face. He has started to clap, too.

It has been fun to watch Ryan explore and to observe his interests and preferences as he’s more mobile. He’s very observant, whether looking in the sky for planes that he hears or noticing wherever Momma goes. He still loves looking for crumbs and other small objects on the floor. He loves to put toys or other objects inside of bins/baskets/boxes. Ryan would much rather be moving than cuddling, being held, or sitting still to look at a book.

Ryan thinks Ian is hilarious, and Ian loves making Ryan laugh. It has been fun to see the brothers’ play time develop, to see Ian’s care and concern for Ryan, and to see Ryan’s pure joy at having Ian’s attention.




Some of Ryan’s other favorites include toothbrushes (especially Ian’s Spinbrush), balloons, bath time, his activity table, Tupperware, kitchen gadgets, and whatever Ian is currently playing with. He still loves being outside, especially if he’s swinging, going down a slide with Ian, going on a walk in his stroller, or riding in the bike trailer with Ian (even with a helmet!).

 
A highlight of the month was going to San Antonio as a family since Matt had an administrators' conference there!

We continue to marvel at our Creator’s amazing handiwork as we observe Ryan’s growth and development. It’s amazing how much we can love a little guy that we didn’t even know 10 months ago. It’s a privilege to watch all of the learning that takes place during a baby’s first year of life. We thank our Lord for the blessing of being Ryan’s (and Ian’s) parents!

Interview with Ian

Each year around Ian's birthday, we like to interview him about his favorites.We think it'll be fun to look back to see what his favorite game was when he was 2 ... or what he thought he wanted to be when he grew up when he was 4.

This year, we chose to start a tradition of asking other, random questions at the half-a-year mark, questions that would show us the way that Ian thinks and reasons. The questions are mainly things that Matt just thought of off the top of his head.

Ian turned 3.5 a while back, and we did his interview in a bunch of 30-second clips. So, it's only now that we had the chance to re-listen to those interviews and record what he said. We think some of his responses are pretty funny ...

Why are there lots of colors in a rainbow?

I think that rainbows have lots of colors. Lots of colors do have lots of colors.

Why do trees have leaves?

Because I think that keeps them warm.

How big is the earth?

Bigger than a tree.

How old do you think Grammy is?

As old as a tree.

Why do we need to go to the grocery store?

Because we don’t have any more stuff.

Where do babies come from?

They come from tummies.

How does a light bulb work?

If it still works, we know it works.

Why do we wear shoes on our feet?

Because I think dirty stuff will get on our feet and we don’t want that.

Why did Noah have to go onto the ark?

I think it was going to rain.

Why are stars lit up at night?

I think those are the lanterns.

Why do we have to cut our grass?

I think it’s going to get too long if we don’t.

What causes a flower to grow?

A bee.

How old is Papa?

Papa is as old as Grammy.

How old is Uncle Jon and Aunt Chelsea’s dog named Ace?

He is as old as this hook.  (pointing to a hook laying on the table)

And how old is that hook?

He is as old as this. (pointing to a toy)

And how old is that?

It is as old as the hook.

Why are there lots of colors in a rainbow?

I think it’s a gully babboo. And gully babboos have lots and lots of colors.

What does the word patient mean?

It means make no noise.

How tall is the tallest tree in the world?

The tallest tree is as tall as this (pointing to a toy crane).

How tall is that?

It’s as tall as a tree is.

What do cats do when they go into alleys?

They eat food because there’s a lot of food around.

What is the best swimming pool in the world?

The swimming pool is my best swimming pool.

How old do you have to be to drive a car?

Six.

What is the most important rule?

The most important rule about my pool is no jumping in!  

What happens when two people love each other?

They be excited!

Where do rainbows come from?

They come from God!

How old do you have to be before you can go to a swimming pool by yourself?

You have to be old enough to be six. You have to be six.

What’s the difference between a bad guy and a good guy?

A bad guy and a good guy means bad and good.

How old do you need to be before you can vote?

Vote means six. We need to be six to vote.

How do you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?

We can make it. Get bread and put peanut butter and jelly on. That’s how we make it.

How do you know when two people love each other?

Because I know when they don’t love each other and love each other. That’s what I know about.

What roads do we take to drive to church?

We take Spring Cypress.

Why do toenails grow?

Because I think we need to cut them.

But why do they grow in the first place?

We need to cut them  before they grow because I think they get too long before they grow more.

What is a cephalopod?
I don’t know what a cephalopod is.

How do you make a drum?

I don’t know.

How do you make a lemon-lime lollipop?

We get lemons and limes and spin it into the blender and blend it up and that makes a lollipop.

What makes strawberries grow?

Strawberries are filled with water so we need lots of water.

What does the word exuberance mean?

What does it really mean?

Yeah, that’s what I’m asking you. What does the word exuberance mean?

I don’t know what it really means.

Well, what do you think it means?

I think it means gooshy sashoo. That’s what I think it means.

How do you use chopsticks?

I don’t know what chopsticks really are.

Fun in February

We (again!) saw a super fun project hanging in the hallway of the ECE where Ian has Sunday School. Ian was thrilled to cut out the circles, punch holes for snow, add a face, and glue everything down! Thanks for the great idea, Carrie!

Ryan started the month by just being able to pull up onto very short surfaces, like stools.

It has been fun to watch Ryan get more comfortable with pulling himself to a standing position throughout this month. Now, he can pull up on just about anything, as well as get himself back down to the floor!

Ryan loves to "cruise" along to wherever Big Brother is standing. Ian enjoys having "Little" hold onto him and will stand there patiently until Ryan moves.

It must mean that we're doing something wrong as gardeners, but all of our "fall garden" vegetables are just NOW getting ripe. We have some broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and peas growing. Ian gets very excited to pick things and wants to eat them immediately!

As it's warming up, the neighborhood park has been a favorite destination. Ian loves riding his tricycle all the way there. Both boys enjoy swinging the best.

Despite how his appearance in this picture, Ryan really likes going down the slide with Ian. One day, they slid together about 15 times in a row!

A few weeks ago, we went to Meyer Park to feed the ducks. Ian thought it was SO fun to have the ducks gather all around him.

Momma was a little freaked out by the (apparently tame) rodents called "nutria" that also wanted some of Ian's bread. Eek!

Ian absolutely LOVES all of the Daddy time he gets on weekends. He proudly calls himself Daddy's "little helper" and will cheerfully do just about anything Matt asks him to do. Here, he's helping Matt to set up a new computer desk.

Now that the weather is warm and Ryan is old enough, we've been able to resume our family tradition of weekly bike rides. We've gone biking a few Sundays in a row now. Ryan and Ian both seem to love it!

We've been a little disappointed that there aren't as many turtles in the gulley to feed as there have been in past years. Maybe there will be more as spring progresses ...

Ryan loves pushing and walking behind objects (like this table). Ian will start chanting something like, "I'm pretending you to walk" (whatever THAT means!) and Ryan will just giggle and giggle as he makes his way toward Ian.

 

Ian was excited to go to his friend Caleb B's 5th birthday party. Our dear friend, Kati (Caleb's Mom) did an amazingly creative job thinking of activities for the kids. Here they're all digging for bones in the sandbox.

Here, they're going on a dinosaur hunt with their "binoculars."

Ryan has been very interested in kitchen pots and pans lately.  They make LOTS of noise! :)

After reading my sister's blog and seeing her good idea of giving her boys snow to explore, I figure I'd do the next best, Texas-ified thing ... giving Ryan ice to play with. He thought ice was fantastic and loved touching, tasting, moving, and banging it.

Touch a Truck

We were excited to be able to attend our community's annual Touch a Truck event again this year! It was especially fun to see how much more excited and confident Ian was this time around! This time, Matt and Kim actually know the names of all of the vehicles, too. (Amazing what reading hundreds of vehicle books to your interested preschooler can teach you!)

driving a digger

sanitation truck -- a European style that they're currently testing out. We were able to watch the Lifelight Helicopter land while our family hung out inside the cab.

a tractor - the driver even showed Ian how to adjust the steering wheel up and down! The tow truck driver showed Ian how the horn worked.

Matt & Kim's favorite vehicle -- the Department of Homeland Security coach bus ... complete with work stations, a smart board, computers, and 2 jail cells!

Ian was thrilled to see the firemen raise their ladder

Ryan was fascinated by the fireman hat

This year, Ian was not scared about going into the back of the ambulance. :)

police SUV

golf cart

Playing in the HUGE sand pile was almost as much fun as all of the vehicles!

Digging with good friend, Christopher

Doesn't this monster truck have HUGE wheels??

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Ian enjoyed making and mailing Valentines to some beloved family members and friends. Ian and Ryan worked together to make thumbprints on flower petals, and Momma wrote, "God made you THUMBbody special!" (Thanks, Pinterest!)

 We also got together with some local friends for a Valentine's Day party. Ian loved decorating paper hearts with paint in the salad spinner and giving his work of (h)art to his friends. Ha! Ian was most excited about his "mailbox" we made by wrapping a shoebox in wrapping paper and covering it with Diego stickers. He also loved delivering "mail" to his friends' mailboxes.

 At the party, the kids enjoyed some yummy heart-shaped cupcakes and fruit. Of course, there was also lots of play-time, too!

 We got a group shot before the party was over, though we took it after Anna had already gone home. And, Baby Samuel must've been sleeping.  Pictured here: Brooke, Ian, Caleb L. (back row) and Cameron, Zane, Carson, Ryan, and Sommer (first row)

We enjoyed another fun Pinterest project this month, too (thanks for finding it for me, Mom!). We did a "heart attack" on Ryan and Ian's doors. Each day for the first part of the month, we taped a heart with a compliment for each boy on their door. Ian wanted to (re)read ALL of the other hearts each day, too.  What a fun idea! We'll have to try to remember it for years to come as well.

We thank God for showing us what true love is when He sent Jesus!