20 Months Old

Don't think Ryan is embarrassed about turning the big 2-0 months (nor is he ashamed of his 3 ankles)--that's just the color his face turns after he runs around playing outside! And does he love playing outside! He has been known to wake up in the morning with the first word of "Ou-side!" It can be a chore getting him to come back in, but there's so much to do outside! Golf, tee-ball, big ball, stroller, big slide, cows...they're all on his list of requests. He also loves playng in sand and water in his water table. He can now open the screen door in the garage and go out by himself and he's getting much better at navigating the various thresholds, drop-offs, steps, and surfaces the outdoor presents.

Ryan continues to repeat just about everything you say, but will sometimes actually answer the question instead of just repeating the last word. He also takes it upon himself to scold Nika in a strangely familiar tone, "Oh no no no NO, Nika!" while waving his little pointer finger at her. He also tells the annoying bird that pecks my mom's sunroom windows "Go away bird!" using a swooshing motion of his arms.

He shows off his vocal range once in a while with various screeches and screams, just for fun. Sometimes after he lets out a particularly ear-piercing noise, he'll cover his own ears and declare, "Too loud!" He seems to pay more attention to other noises too. He'll announce when a "pickup" or "big truck" has gone by, and will freeze in place, put his finger to his ear and say "Bird!" or "Siren!" when he hears one of them.

Ryan has quite the running form, turning his hips from side-to-side and using his arms to propel his body in motion (but not usually in an efficient, straight-line,  here-to-there kind of way). However, he loves to run. He stands by a wall, says "Ready, Go!" and then runs and laughs to the other end of the room where he'll back up against the wall, wait for the signal, then race off again. I predict he may become a "social" member of the track team. That kid has "Jr. High discus" written all over him.

His favorite things to eat in the summer are  "greeps", "wah-tah-melly" and "jellybeans" which are actually grapes, watermelon and strawberries. He's also pretty easy to please with sandwiches although he insists on eating the meat, cheese, and bread separately. Spaghetti is still a favorite and he also likes brats.  Everyone morning he'll go through the list of things he wants for breakfast: "Yooo-gurt, Manas, Apple Sauce, Apple Jacks, Cheer-oes." He always says all of them so then we have to narrow down what he actually wants and can have that day.

He loves wearing a hat outside and will insist you put it back on if it blows off. He also likes wearing his sun-glasses, but will bend them into an oragami swan if left unsupervised. He has had fun at many different parks and prefers going up steps, going across bridges, and going down slides to swings or merry-go-rounds. I think he will have lots of fun this summer!