Ryan's Second Christmas

Ryan's second Christmas was so much fun! He finally understood that under the wrapping paper was a toy. He was so patient and took his time with each toy before moving on to the next one. He was a little out of it right after he woke up, but ran right to his cozy coupe and jumped right in. I figured that would be one of his favorite gifts since he loves to play with it at his friend's houses. His tricycle is a little too big for him still, but 1-2 more inches and he will be able to reach the pedals.

After we opened presents and ate breakfast we got on the web cam with Rob's family and enjoyed a little bit of Christmas with them. Then we got ready and went to Grandma Bobbi's house for the remainder of the day. Ryan received a few more gifts over there and loved to watch his cousins play. We had a delicious dinner and came home very full and very tired. Ryan was a trooper through out the day and remained our happy and curious kid!

Santa came!

"I finally got my own cozy coupe!"

Found his stocking

He loves his Elmo stamp and asks for one every day.

Lots of Books (his all time favorite thing)

"kitty"

"doggy"

Opening a present on the web cam

His second favorite toy

Picnic bench from Grandma Bobbi. We put it together inside at first and he wanted to sit there for all of his meals and to read his books. It has an umbrella for the center of the table, so it should make for a great outdoor toy!

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we decided to let Ryan open his presents from us. We thought he might get overwhelmed if he had too many to open on Christmas. This worked out very well and he loved his new presents, especially his Gymbo the clown. My mom and Grandparents were here to enjoy the fun (and Chinese food).

"It's really him!!!"

A couple of items for school (he starts in 2 weeks).

In his pj's ready for Santa to come

Ryan is getting excited about Christmas!

Fun at the Zoo

We took Ryan to the zoo while his Auntie was in town. He wasn't 100% well, but still seemed to have a great time. The weather was amazing which made the day that much better.

Yes, I crawled through the prairie dog tunnel 6 months pregnant.

Auntie Ella and a Mohawk

Auntie Ella flew in last week. We had a great time with her, despite Ryan's stomach virus. She was still able to take him to the park and the zoo since he was acting relatively normal. He loved having the extra attention and sure misses her not being here. While she was here we gave Ryan a mohawk. Based on the pictures, I think he liked it.

18 months!

Ryan had his 18 month check up yesterday and he is getting tall! He is now 70th percentile in height and only 25 percentile in weight. He had a nasty stomach virus for 3 days prior to his appointment, so we are pretty sure that was the cause of the lower weight. He has all of his teeth! I can't believe it. He was late getting his teeth and about a month ago we noticed tons of teeth coming in. Well they have all arrived. He was always a great teether, so it isn't too much of a relief to have them all here. He still isn't using understandable words very much. The doctor isn't worried since he can understand complicated tasks and he "talks" and babbles so much. He said that some children that babble like Ryan does won't really start talking until 2-2 1/2 years. I hope it doesn't take that long. He has a few words and I heard tell me "thank you" the other day after I gave him some water. We are also starting to "introduce" him to a potty chair. We aren't pushing it, just letting him see it and sit on it. Overall he is progressing very well and we still think that he is the funniest kid around!

Holiday Pictures

Grandma and Grandpa Reckers Visit

Grandma and Grandpa Reckers flew in for a visit last week. To say that Ryan loved them would be an understatement. He was obsessed with them! When they left he was super sad. At one point he was holding a picture of them and was staring at it for a couple of minutes (for Ryan that is a very long time) he then turned to me and started crying giant elephant tears. It was so sad to see his realization that they left. We were holding out for some nice weather while they were in town, but it never came our way, so we bundled up and enjoyed a soggy park Sunday afternoon anyway.