Cousin Love

Annika adores Ryker. Whenever he visits, she insists that he sit on her lap. She also likes to help feed him. She'll even change his diaper!

Big Guy

Ryker's cousin, Jonas, is always saying that he's a "big guy" and Ryker wants to be just like him. They were rolling around on the carpet having a good laugh.

Cookie Monster

We went to see AVO and she had a Cookie Monster who sang "It will be a blue Christmas without you" to Ryker. He wasn't sure what to make of it...

Stokke

Ryker has begun using his Stokke high chair. It makes it so much easier to feed him and he LOVES food!

Mama's Boy

Christmas Morning

While Andrew made waffles, Ryker managed to find his new soccer ball.

Winter Squash

Ryker is an adventurous eater so far. He isn't always sure about the first few bites, but then seems to really enjoy it - whatever it is. Here he is eating winter squash for the first time.

Midnight Mass

We woke Ryker up and, wearing his Christmas p.j.s, wrapped him up and took him to St. Matthew's Cathedral for midnight mass. He was in awe of the beautiful lights and music. Finally he fell asleep in mommy's arms.

Bubble Boy

Daddy puts LOTS of bubbles in Ryker's bath. Mommy doesn't use any. Obviously, it is a lot more fun when Daddy bathes him.

Farley's Rusks

Ryker tries his first teething biscuit. He wasn't sure about it at first, but then loved it!

River Poppa stops by

My dad was in town and decided to drop by - what a lovely surprise!

Mark is a natural!

We went to dinner at Mark & Djinnie's last night. Mark is a great cook (individual apple pies with ice cream for dessert - yummy!!!). Ryker slept through dinner, then got up to hang out with us. He liked sitting on Mark's lap, playing with his giraffe and eating the placemat.

6 months old!

Ryker will be 6 months old this Saturday. Hard to believe how fast the time goes... We went to the doctor and he is 26 1/2 inches long and weighs 16.4 lbs.

He eats 1/2 cup of cereal twice a day. He is easily distracted so it's sometimes difficult to get him to focus. Today it was by his own shadow. It looked as if it connected for him because he would move his arms and legs and stare at the shadow, not his body.

He is very interested in what I'm eating and sometimes turns his nose up at the bottle. I suppose formula would get pretty boring. We'll start some vegetables over Christmas when Andrew comes.

He is getting very ticklish. It used to be just his thighs/knees, now it is under his arms too. He isn't quite crawling, but when on his tummy can roll over and change direction to get an object or to try to follow me to another room.

Overalls by AVO

When I was about 5 or 6 years old, my mom (AVO) embroidered a pair of overalls for me. I wore them all of the time. They were my favorite pants. It's a little hard to see, but I am wearing them as Mom tickles either Seth or Tara. Now, Annika wears them. AVO made a pair for Ryker too. He wore them for his 6 month doctor's visit. I showed them/him off so proudly!

Most Excellent Toy

Ryker is loving his Lamaze flowers. It plays music! It has lights! He can chew it! I figured out how to wedge it between his legs so he doesn't keep pushing it aside.

Shenandoah

We went to see River Poppa and Charlotte over the weekend. They couldn't believe how much he'd grown. They gave him two toys: soft blocks for stacking that make sounds and a Lamaze toy of flowers that make noise and light up when you touch it. He quickly got the idea and loves to grab it and put it in his mouth toy. BIG success with these toys!

Learning to Sit

Ryker is desperate to sit by himself. Since he keeps tipping over, this chair helps him to sit up.

Fondue

Abby moved into Maureen's apartment when she went to Jakarta. She decorated it beautifully. Abby invited Louisa and I for a fondue dinner. Yummy! Ryker was great, lying on the blanket from Abby's parents, Barbara and Chip, watching the fire. Avo sent a Christmas stocking she made for him and we stuck it on his head!

First Snow

Overnight the snow finally began to stick and when we woke up about two inches of snow was on the ground. I called Annika for her birthday and she said that Ryker would wonder where all of the colors in the world had gone and I should just brush away the snow to show him that they were still there. What a lovely way to view the world. We went for a walk in the zoo and he wore the snow suit Avo got for him.

Good Morning

Normally he goes back to sleep after his first bottle at 6:30 am, but today we put him in the baby bjorn for a walk through the zoo. Sandra carried him and I'm sure her back will hurt later. It was a little cold and windy, but he loves to go outside and see the world.

Tummy Time

He is beginning to outgrow his play mat since he likes to roll over so much and rolls right off. Sometimes he likes to lie there and just look at himself in the mirror. He's a pretty boy and he knows it.

He can sit!

Ryker is always trying to sit on his own. Of course, the only time he's succeeded is in the tub - a dangerous place but he's very insistent. I stay VERY close in case he topples over.

The Giraffe!

Ryker's favorite toy these days is a little rubber giraffe from Mark and Djinni. It is great for teething AND it squeeks! He likes to either put it in his mouth or bang it against his leg to make noise.

My, How He's Grown!

The first time we took Ryker to NY, Annika had him take a nap on her green pillow. We put him back on the same pillow at Thanksgiving. Look how much he grew in four months!

Santa Claus

We took Ryker to see Santa Claus. He didn't really know who he was, but I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough!

1st Date

Andrew and I had our first date without Ryker since he was born. We bathed him and put him to bed before we went out and Anker and Monica watched him. Like a good baby, he never woke up. We went to Dressler and had a lovely meal.

Annika and Ryker

His cousin, Annika, is almost 7 years old. She loves to take care of him and is very good at it. She was playing with him and then he threw up all over her. It was pretty gross and she did NOT like it one bit, but she still loves to make him laugh.

Mommy and Ryker

Marvin and Ryker

Andrew's very good friend, Marvin, is working in New York. He came for Thanksgiving and met Ryker for the first time.

Daddy and Ryker

Andrew came from Dublin. He bathed, fed and played with Ryker. It was so nice to have an extra set of hands because I have bad tendonitis from holding Ryker all of the time. Andrew couldn't believe how much Ryker grew in just a couple of weeks!

Monica and Ryker

We went to visit Anker and his family in New York for Thanksgiving. Ryker was full of smiles for everyone.

In the Bean Bag!

Ryker loved to hang out on the bean bag chair in the living room. He could sit up or lay on his tummy and see all of the action.

On Children

From: The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children.
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Giddie Ap (sp?)

Ryker had his first shoulder ride on Joanne's shoulders. We went to visit Steve and Joanne at their beach house in Lewes, DE. They have a horse farm right behind the house. Ryker is going to love that once he gets a bit bigger!

Toes and Teeth

Ryker insists on grabbing his left foot with his left hand while I feed him. He's really discovered his limbs recently. Sometimes he'll sit and stare at his hand while he moves it this way and that. He is also teething. He doesn't complain about it, but he does like to bite down on things - his hands, my fingers, a chew toy. Pretty much everything gets into his mouth these days.

Marybeth and Ella

Marybeth visited from Bogota. We took the kids to the zoo. Ella was still happy at this point. Later she wanted her mommy to carry her, but it was too far. So, we got to listen to her complain. Oh well, that's what kids do, eh?

Joan D!

I've known Joan D. forever! She came to see Ryker and he gave her lots of big smiles. She brought an awesome gift - a Stokke high chair that we'll use very soon! She has a new granddaughter from Vietnam. I guess it's time for the next generation to begin...

More Shots - Ouch!

I took Ryker for his 4 month visit. He weighs 14 lbs (25%) and is 26 inches long (75%). I'm only just beginning to understand this percentile thing. Basically, he's on the tall and skinny side. We had to wait awhile, so we played. Dr. Sepe said that babies usually don't laugh so much when they come to see him, but I have the "happy baby."

Working Mom

Marilu takes wonderful care of Ryker while I go to work. They seem to have so much fun together. One day I came home and he was still swaddled from his nap. He gives me big smiles when I come home!

Ryker's a Swinging Kind of Guy

We went to Kalorama Park where I used to play as a child. He really enjoyed the swing!

Rover Roll Over

Ryker is rolling over - front to back and back to front. If you don't watch him, he'll roll himself over again and again until he gets stuck against something.

He's not interested in crawling because he prefers to stand (with you supporting him under his arms or holding your fingers). He may very well go straight to walking and skip the crawling.

He started eating rice cereal a couple of weeks ago since he was drinking 10-12 ounces at a time! I feed him cereal once in the evening. Perhaps this is why he sleeps 12 hours STRAIGHT every night. And, no, that doesn't mean he's up all day. He still takes 2 naps of 2-4 hours each.

Ryker is also becoming more ticklish. I give him a massage after his bath and he laughs so much when I do it. I bathe him in the big bath in a couple of inches of water. He lies on his back and has learned not to turn his head or he'll get a big mouthful of water. He splashes around a lot.

Dublin Beach

We went for a long walk on the beach the day before Ryker and I returned to Washington. Andrew carried Ryker and we were all sad that we'd be separated for awhile.

Eating Carrots

My mother, AVO (Ancient Venerable One) made Ryker a carrot hat. Any time I put it on his head, he managed to take it off and try to eat the carrots.

Guinness

Ryker tried (just a tiny little bit of foam!) his first Guinness at Ryan's in Dublin. Rumour has it that they have a hose feeding directly from the Guinness Brewery down the street. It was a fine pint indeed.