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.