Saturday morning stroll

Full of beans

Ryan loves to squeak and squawk and growl and roar these days. He's so cute. We took a walk on wed 17th and he could not get enough of these beautiful petals on the ground. He dug right in and threw them all around and was just in ecstasy. It is contagious. I love being around his happy little spirit. Everything is new and exciting and it is inspiring to see the world anew like that. I have learned so much from being his mom- to be thankful and positive and love life bc it is a gift. He waves hello and goodbye to everyone now. Sarah watched him Tuesday night when we had to do our talk. First time we both have EVER been away from him at night. It was terrifying for me. He went to sleep ok after I put him down and left but he woke 20 min later and fussed so sarah went in and he just lay in his crib as she sang him a song and stroked his back and he went back to sleep. I am so thankful he has her (and we have her) in his life and that she is comforting to him. He has a great attachment to her which is so lovely.

The poop fairy

Is who I am I guess. The other day at dinner Ryan, who now requests all kinds of games and toys and such, looked over and asked me for a hug (non verbally). I gave him one and he would not let go. Finally I undid his booster seat and just hugged him and sang him his current fav song-little boy blue. It was so sweet and then I realised he wanted comfort while he pooped! Too funny. Poor guy was a little blocked up and needed a cuddle to get things going. Ah mommies...we do it all. We are snot wipers, diaper bag holders, snack dispensers, cows, boo boo kisses and poop charmers. Wouldn't have it any other way. How amazing to be everything to a little sprite. At dinner he plays the sneeze game and asks for peekaboo around the chair back and wants to hold his own bowl and spoon and fork. He finger feeds very well now and wants bites of all of our food, no exceptions. We eat one pot meals more now bc of that. No drinks allowed or it becomes a battle. He asks for kiss after kiss and hug after hug from first mom and then dad and back and forth. He loves it. And he loves Eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses and we'll just about anything that strikes him as amusing. And he'll ask for it again and again and day after day. He also asks to kiss each of his stuffed animals in his room after he is changed. Kiss koala, wombat, doggie and snail. Koala is his favorite right now though and he gets a gigantic hug. So cute. He has tons of words now too both spoken and sign. Sign: more, on, off, up, hot, thank you, hello, goodbye, no, music, again, eat, drink, milk, fan, and so much more!! Spoken: dog, duck, woof, horses neigh, up, down, moon, mama, dada, bottle, ball, boing, airplane (baba), and so much more. They are all approximations of course but he used those reliably for these words. Pretty incredible.

Sea world on Valentine's Day

Yep so after our awesome day and lunch Ryan had a short nap and we headed to sea world for a quick shamu show before dinner and bedtime. He loved it of course and is getting more and more into these activities. He kept asking for more and more when the whales would jump out of the water. I had the next day off too which was lovely. Sadly I ended up getting sick that weekend and gave it to Ryan too so most of the time we spent feeling crappy and I didn't get as much done as planned. Ryan has just had a horrible stuffy nose. Then of course a few days later jose gets sick and gets it worse than us...or is it man flu striking again?! Hmmm. Anyways it's been full on at our house lately bc of being sick and all that. Also this week we gave a talk at adventure 16 in solana beach! We talked about trekking off the beaten path in peru and it went very well. We were nervous but 18 people came and were quite engaged. I guess maybe now I should feel grown up since I am married with a child and own a business but I admit I still feel like I am playing dress up. Weird. Most days I still find it amazing that I am a mom!

My two valentines

What a lucky lady I am to have had two handsome valentines this year! To celebrate we went out to a new sushi place by our house and had some awesome sushi, veg tempura, miso soup and lots of ginger. Ryan has his own prepacked lunch from home of course but today he sampled (and loved!) miso soup, veg tempura and even sushi! He tried it all and asked for more which is very cute. No raw fish for him of course but we gave him the cooked items. It was a lovely outing after our regular farmers market round. He's so good at restaurants too. He is quiet and observant. He loves to play with items but doesn't make a fuss or too big of a mess. He's such a lovely gentle kind soul. On the way out we saw this amazing fountain with a rotating sparkly ball on top with fish in the fountain. He was captivated of course and I'm sure we'll be back there again :) he got to use his new grown up straw cup which he didn't let go of all day. His back molars-the last four- are starting to move and he's been chewing like mad on his fingers and anything else he can stuff into his mouth.

Long weekend fun in the sun

Chiro, grandma, and swim with mama

Well another beautiful and super hot day! Ryan and I went to Chiro on Monday and took a photo on the kids giraffe table. Then pic of Ryan with grandma and then pics of me in the pool with Ryan. He loves swimming so much. He's such a strong kicker and can hold himself up on the edge of the pool. He's getting more confident and skilled in all the areas they cover and he has the biggest smile on his face when he swims. It is such a pleasure to be in the water with him. He also loves swings and grins during that activity too. Today he got to re-meet Mary Jane (close family friend) and he played shy and coy with her, standing close to me and tucking his head into me and onto my shoulder. It was soooo sweet. And then he began flirting and chatting and squealing with delight as he showed off for her. It is so cute.  

Visit from grandma and the zoo

Grandma came down again for a visit. Only two weeks since her last visit and Ryan has already grown and changed so much. He gives her big smiles and squeals and asks to be picked up by her which he doesn't do to everyone. Grandma came Sunday and then Monday afternoon after his second nap we all went to the zoo. It was a very hot day so the gondola ride was extra nice bc of the breeze! Ryan said bababa for gondola clearly with three syllables. He kept pointing and jabbering about it. He pointed out all the lights and animals and chatted away :) he's getting so vocal and using so many signs. He has the sign for drink now and thank you. He uses milk sign for milk and for want. He is saying mama now to me!!! And asking for me when I'm gone. And when I come home he screams with delight! What a pleasure!! Best thin ever. He's getting so many teeth right now. Last of the first four molars is pushing through and all four canines are coming in too. After that just the last four molars to go! Poor baby

Sarahs Sunday brunch!

So Sunday after Ryan's long and late nap we raced over to Sarah Cs house for Sunday brunch! It happened to be super bowl Sunday so I'm pretty sure we were the only ones not watching. Anyway Ryan was full of beans after sleeping all night and having that great nap too. He stole the show and was flirting with everyone and giggling and shrieking. He played with the doggies there and are with us and even tried lime for the first time! He made a little face but then kept asking for more which I thought was so cute! So adventurous :) he explored the entire house and I was that mom that I used to roll my eyes at when I was younger...the one who can't or won't shut up about her kid. I swear I tried but my mouth wouldn't stop moving. Anyway it was lovely and we made some new friends. And Z was there and she just adored him and Ryan loved her too :) they played a lot together and he was showing off for everyone and communicating like crazy with signs and words and sounds :)

Sunny walk in down jackets

My sweet boy and I took an early morning stroll outside in the very chilly air this Sunday. We wore our brightly coloured down jackets and got some great snaps! I couldn't pick bw them so I attached a ton. Ryan should be the next Patagonia model if you as me :) he is the real thing! Already a hiker and climber and guide in training! And we were both feeling pretty amazing after he slept all night for the first time ever!!! We had a wonderful day that day too which I'll write about in the next post. He had a late and very long nap so we were late to our midday event and then he stole the show there!!

Fun day at the park Saturday

Early Saturday Ryan was on the couch (his favourite jungle gym these days) and he wanted me to read him a book. I got on the couch with him and sat next to him. He looked up at me and put his arm around my lower back, kept looking in my eyes, and then tucked his head into my side to give me a big hug. We stayed there for quite a while and it was hard for me not to cry. It was the sweetest thing ever. I feel so bad for being away from him every day and worry so much that I am missing things and that he won't feel the same about me. Well this alleviated all my fears. And we proceeded to read the book several times and he even stayed in my lap for a long time. What a blessing. Pics are from the park outing we took. We had so much fun going on the slides and the swings and running in the sand and grass in the sunshine. A beautiful day! Then I even got to meet a friend at a cafe for a bit during his second nap! How luxurious! Amazing how great sleep is when you finally get it.

Mommys little helper

Today (Saturday 6th) was so much fun! Ryan had the most amazing night ever since he was born! I'm afraid to even talk about it. He slept from 6:30 to 4:50! I nursed him and he even went back to sleep (after a while of rolling around) for another 45 minutes. First uninterrupted 7 hour stretch I've had since he was born 15 months ago. Hallelujah! Here's hoping it wasn't a fluke. So I was full of beans today! Did laundry and tidied up a bit started a chicken in the crock pot to prep for an easy dinner tonight. Ryan turned 15 months this Thursday. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone and how much he's changed in such a short time. He is a constant joy and so funny. He reminds me to just laugh at life because it can't be all that bad when I'm lucky enough to be his mommy. We took a fun walk outside in the freezing cold morning air. Ryan chased the birds and waved to everyone. He pointed out his favourite things and sniffed the flowers. And we played dancing games in the street, amusing pedestrians. He loves to swing around with mommy. And he loves to drape himself over daddy's arms. A lovely morning. Then he had s great nap and we got to have a two hour business meeting with our partner. Then we did errands and went to the local library and to the park for lunch and slides and swing time! Ryan adores the slides and swings.

Ryan and mommy at Gymboree

Another wonderful class with miss Karen at Gymboree. Ryan is getting ready for the older class. He loves the obstacle courses but he's getting tired of the parachute time. He goes up and slides down the ramps over and over. And tackles the ladders and steps. He was all over the place that class and stomping on the bridges and kept handing toys to other kids. He kept trying to trade them for another toy. It was so sweet. He was captivated by an older girl of 3 after the class was over. He wanted to do what she could do on the obstacles. It was cute to watch him thinking in his head "I want to do that. How can I do that. Hkmmmm. "

Funny little munchkin

Oh yes. Ryan is definitely a toddler. He is so active and alive and alert and insistent on being in charge. He's started getting on all fours and looking between his legs and under his arms. It's hilarious and he thinks it is so funny. He tried on some Aussie flip flops and loved them, running around all over town in them. Had a pensive moment at the store with mommy on our extremely rainy and windy and stormy day. He was all cuddled up in his chariot of course. He begs to be taken for rides now in his stroller and cries when he is taken out. It's very cute. Last pic is of me and Ryan at Baja betties for Mexican food Monday night. It was so much fun. Ryan kept trying to get out of his high chair by slumping down.