16 months old

 

Look how big our little guy is getting! There's nothing like spending a week away to realize just how fast they grow up! 

While I was on my trip, Ryan (and Adam) made some videos for me and we also had a chance to Skype. When Ryan walked up to the camera and blew me a kiss without prompting, I couldn't help but tear up. He also told me everything he was eating for breakfast one day..."mana, atal, and mehlk" aka "banana, apple, and milk".  I am very glad to be home, though, since Ryan kept pointing to the computer screen and saying "Hi, Mommy."

Ryan has begun to show a bit of an independent streak which can make diapering and dressing a bit of a challenge. He is also particular about which toy he wants to play with or which book he wants to read. Some of the blessings of this new-found independence is his increasing ability to entertain himself whether it be shooting hoops, paging through books, or playing with cars.

His vocabulary increases every day and words we've added this month are: crackers, apple, banana (mana), juice, car, bus, bird, balloon, eyes, Elmo (they watch at daycare before nap time), cold, hot, baa (for lamb), and he sometimes repeats words that we say, such as the time he floored us by repeating very clearly "applesauce".

Ryan's favorite activities continue to be shooting baskets, bothering Nika, and playing in his tent/tunnel or in the bathtub. He likes to "help" with the laundry by taking all the clothes out of the baskets. Hopefully it will be warm enough to go sledding sometime soon. We're ready for outdoor activities (although he has fun in his Cozy Coupe inside too.)

Sometimes I think we take for granted how good of a sleeper Ryan is. He continues to go to bed at 8 and generally sleeps through the night until 6:45.  When at home or at my mom's, he's still taking 2 naps a day (1 at daycare because of the schedule).

Ryan continues to grow and learn everyday and we look forward to seeing his messy hair and smiling face every morning!