Halloween Pics

So, Ryan, who is the next president of the United States?

OBAMA!!! We actually got Ryan to say "bama" a few times and got it on video (someday I'll get that on here). Words cannot convey how completely happy I am about the fact that Ryan gets to live in a time when an African American has finally been selected to be president AND that we all get to see the end of the Bush years (please, Jeb, Jenna, and Barbara, don't try to add any more down the road). I have to admit that my own joy has been tempered a bit by the outcome of proposition 8; I am absolutely floored that my fellow Californians do not see the problem with amending the Constitution to take away rights from people, but perhaps this is the next civil rights battle that remains to be fought and won. I have hope that Ryan (and all of us) WILL live in a time when all people are respected and liberty and justice are truly for all.

On a lighter note, here is a list of things Ryan's up to these days:

• chattin' up a storm: he now says things like walk, sack (for his sleep sack or his PJ's), sock, milk, and rock (for either rocks on the ground or when he rocks out to Elvis Prestley's "Rock-a-Hula", which he seems to like for the strong downbeat and the fact that Elvis repeatedly says ROCK!). Then, there are the words he seems to have made up for things (he'll declare "B" when he sees an airplane, "SHA" when he sees a fan, "BEEDO
  WN" or he'll go "ooh ooh ahh ahh" like a monkey when he wants to watch TV, particularly Curious George) and then a whole bunch of gibberish that I don't understand but apparently has great meaning (it's the opening line of the next great American novel except that I don't speak babyese!).
• eating like there's no tomorrow: he seems to now like persimmons (as of today) and pumpkin is OK. He still likes things like pasta, cheese, and crackers. He was amused by his own ability to eat a peeled slice of apple but that amusement wore off after about 3 pieces.
• running, dancing, and pushing stuff: he likes to move fast, sometimes faster than he can really handle. At least he now catches himself with his hands (he used to just let his face hit the ground, which lead to 3 different boo-boos in about a week). He bounces and gets on his tiptoes when music plays and will sign and say "more" when the song ends. He likes to push chairs, his toys, the dog, boxes, the swiffer - anything that will move. Fairly recently, he and Steve met our friends Tim, Wendy, Jake, and Gia at Big Basin and they walked around the redwood trees for hours.

And on another happy note: My sister, Jeri, and her husband Ray are expecting a baby in May! Jeri and I both have May birthdays, but the baby is supposed to be born between our birthdays, although if she delivers late like me, the baby's bday could be closer to my bday. To see photos of the day she told my folks and Ryan's involvement in breaking the news, go to Jeri and Ray's blog at http://jeray08.blogspot.com/

Yes, photos are coming soon (I really stink at blogging!).

Happy Halloween!

We thought we could get out to one of the major pumpkin patches this year but ran out of time, so we just hit up a patch in Los Gatos for some photos and jack-o-lantern shopping.

This year, we dressed Ryan as a bee and we went as bee keepers. We actually worked on getting Ryan used to his costume for weeks; Grandma Ann frequently put the bee costume on Ryan as a jacket when she'd take him out for a stroller ride in the neighborhood. As we did last year, we went to Greg, Barbara, Brian, and Joe's house and roamed around their neighborhood. Ryan had a great time walking around at night, looking at the lights and decorations, and seeing people in costumes. He definitely was the busy bee and needed one of us to be constantly shepherding him down the road.

Ryan at 15 months

Ryan recently had his 15 month checkup. He's now a bit over 23 lbs, is 32" tall, and still has a big head (no new growth since last time but he's still in the 90th percentile for head size).

This photo was taken at a baby shower for our friends Rebecca and Patrick. You might notice the scrape on Ryan's face. He slid down a doorframe while standing in the hall; he didn't cry about it but then the scrape showed up.

Ryan is very active now; he likes to run around, stand up on the bed, lie down with Montie (our dog), and push stuff around. He's still very much a chatterbox and says things like "cracker" and roars like a lion/tiger when chasing ducks (and to which he also enthusiastically yells "DUCK!" when he sees them).

Ryan at 14 months

Photos will be posted soon, but as I'm getting ready to start teaching again, I figured I better jot down some comments now before I get too lost in the shuffle.

Ryan had his first real haircut by our friend, Melinda Cutillo. Ryan did NOT have fun, but I think it was because he hates having his hands held down. Melinda did a great job despite the bucking bronco she had to deal with. Before and after photos will be posted.

Ryan is walking/running around the house now. He has the occasional spill but is very happy to roam around on his own. He only insists on holding someone's hand when he wants to go down the steps into the living room, when he's getting wobbly because he's getting tired, when he's fallen, or when he's in a new place. He likes to chase Montie (our dog) and play hide and seek. He also likes to kick his mini-soccer ball or the adult sized ball when we're at Tornados games. He's learned how to give hugs to his stuffed animals, Montie, and us and will occasionally give you a squishy face and show off his teeth if you ask him to show you a funny face.

He's also chatting up a storm and says things like dog, ball, lights, shoes, keys, juice, fish, mama, dada/daddy, teddy, meow (for cat), mmm (when he sees someone eating something or when he's hungry), ba (for his water or milk sippy cup), bee (for when he wants to push on your nose - beep is what he's going for), wee (for the swing or fun things like spinning in a chair), wow, oooh, whoa, yeah? yeah? (for the phone - apparently we must say this a lot when we're on the phone), down, wawa (water), bird, baby (for any child), baby baby (accompanied by a swaying to mean he wants to see Baby Signing Time -- the song goes "Baby, Baby, Baby Signing Time"), and da fills in for all other things he doesn't know or wants. Of course, many of the words are missing the final consonant, so we probably understand him better than most people might. He knows some sign language (dog, bird, milk, more, all done) and seems to understand things you tell him to do (e.g. sit down to put on your shoes, give to me, let's go etc.).

He's also rather mischievous, as he wants to feed the dog and get into her water dish ALL of the time. He's also a bit of a drama king sometimes with vocalizing and showing displeasure with something, particularly when people leave the house, but then he can be easily distracted (and the tears/fake pout turned off) with toys or play. I guess that's a good thing, though, especially since I'll be back at work soon!

more pics and Disneymania!

Here's Ryan enjoying gyoza (Japanese dumplings) at the San Jose Obon Festival (July). He REALLY mowed them down! He also like watching all of the dancers in their colorful kimonos and happi coats. Maybe we'll dance for real (instead of just shuffling along) with Grandma Ann and Jichan next year!

At the Pajaro Dunes beach house - reading the Taboo gamecards (end of July). What you don't see is the big pile of cards accumulating on the ground just below him.

While we were down in Irvine for a soccer tournament, we decided to go to Disneyland with Ryan for a few hours. He enjoyed people watching, watching the Dumbo ride as we waited in line, semi-enjoyed the ride itself, and also went on the Casey Jr. train. He got to see a few characters (the White Rabbit, Alice, the Mad Hatter, and a few other random characters I don't even know) as they went out of the "employee only" entrance/exit, and he also thoroughly loved going into one of the shops and seeing the wall of plush toys, like Tigger here who I think reminds him of our cat, Marbles.

Walkin' in LA!

Ryan is now walking on his own (for the most part)! He decided to venture out during our trip to LA for a soccer tournament (at just about 13 months old - what a textbook baby!). Now, he can't seem to get enough of walking around, although sometimes he still has a deathgrip on someone's finger.

Pics from Tornado Beach House

July update

Ryan turned 1 on 6/27! We celebrated Ryan's first birthday with a big party at a neighborhood park. Thank you to all who attended and gave such fantastic gifts! At first, Ryan was hesitant about trying his birthday cake, but then it was full steam ahead and frosting everywhere (including on me). At his 1 year appointment, he weighed in at almost 22 lbs (30th percentile), measured 29" (50th percentile), and still has a big head (90something percentile) but his doctor wasn't concerned since he's always had a big noggin.

After the 4th of July, we went to Aptos to spend a few days with the Giffins, Coles, Hays, and Rosenthals; the men are all Steve's pals from highschool. There were 11 kids total! We had fun on the beach, although Ryan was not happy about the sand and surf until we put some sandals on him (and was very unhappy when a wave hit him).

For his birthday, we got him an Ibert bike seat (thanks, Melissa, for the recommendation!). He's not a big fan of the helmet and cried the first time we had him on the bike (it was the end of the day so he was just cranky, I think). He whimpered a bit when riding away from me, but then would break out in a smile when riding towards me. Unfortunately, I'm too short to ride with him, so Steve is the one to pedal around while I walk the dog. He now seems to feel more comfortable about feeling the wind on his face and riding around the neighborhood.

Four teeth are coming in; the top left was the first to cut through and surprised me because I was keeping an eye on the bottom nubs. He's actually been fine about teething; of course, there's lots of drool, but he doesn't fuss or cry about it. He is definitely going through a "mommy" phase although he's still pretty good with grandmas and grandpas taking care of him. He likes to eat a lot of different things, but I found that spaghetti with sauce is preferred over plain noodles. Spaghetti night also means bath night due to sauce EVERYWHERE!

We're getting ready for some fun with the Tornados at Pajaro Dunes (Steve's training/team building camp) and in Orange County (soccer tournament). We thought we might try to take Ryan to Disneyland, but since he cried the ENTIRE time I had him on the carousel at Oak Meadow park, I think we'll pass this year and try when he's older.

more pics!

Since I'm starting to teach summer school, I thought I better post these now:

1) smooshie face (sometimes he just makes this face when I take out the camera) 2) standing up and cruising! 3) snacking with the Rosens 4) checking each other out (Gia Eichenseer on left)

Congratulations, Jeri and Ray!

My sister, Jeri, got married to Ray King on Saturday, 6/7 in San Francisco. What a great couple and a fun celebration! Ryan was a party animal, danced with his mom, and then proceeded to stay awake in the hotel room until 11:30 PM!

more pics

finally some photos!

Crazy Professor?

I love cookies!

Easter Bunny

Update

I've been back to work since late January, as you might be able to tell from the lack of postings. Steve is currently in week 5 (or so) of his 7-week FMLA leave and I think he's enjoying his time off. He finished the floors and is about to cut down the jungle in the backyard (thanks, Dad Saito, for helping with the front!).

Ryan is now almost 10 months old! His list of experienced food now includes rice cereal, mixed grain cereal, yo baby yogurt, peaches, pears, apples, mangos, avocado, peas, green beans, sweet potato, squash, regular potato, cheerios, happy baby chick chick (yes, this is the name of the meal - it includes chicken, spinach, butternut squash, and green beans. It's actually not that bad), bagel, tofu, ground beef, zwieback toast (holy cow, what a mess!), orzo, shredded cheese (but he doesn't really like the last two). He often crams a bunch of food in his mouth and then gnashes for awhile or cries when he realizes he has to try to swallow all of the bits. He is a very good eater...wonder where he gets that from? No teeth yet, but lots of drool, which has pretty much been the case since he was 2 months old. He's weighing in at about 21-22 lbs. and is about 29" (when we went to the dr., he's average weight and length); his big ol' noggin continues to register in the 9oish percentile.

He's gone on a few outings to places like the SF Zoo (he found the ducks and goats very funny), SJ Earthquakes game (where he managed to fall asleep until I started yelling with excitement), Santana Row, and various friends' houses for get-togethers.

Yesterday he finally starting to do a forward crawl. Up until now, he's been rolling about, backward scooting (and getting really angry about not getting where he wants to go), and doing a drunk man's stagger by holding on to the fingers of whomever is willing to hunch over and take him around the house. He's fascinated and entertained by the animals and has given Montie and Kobee (Grandma Pat and Yeh-yeh's dog) a few snacks (intentionally or not). He still is a very happy little guy and has lots to say to anyone who will listen. Photos coming soon!

First "Airplane"

Here's Ryan zooming around in his first pretend airplane, compliments of Grandma Ann.
Sometimes it's the least expensive toys that bring the most pleasure; in this case, it's the free toy that does the trick (we get our organic veggies/fruit delivered in this box). Ready for takeoff!

Water baby

We just got this picture from the Stachnic's. They invited us over for the last BBQ of the summer and Ryan got a chance to swim (skinnydip!) for the first time. He's about 3 months old in this picture. He didn't cry or anything. To him, it was probably just like one big bathtub. No cannonballs yet, but by next year, lookout!

Coach of the Year

The girls on the Tornados showed up to the award ceremony for CYSA coach of the year. I was so happy to have them there. I think they were happy to get all the free loot from the Soccer Expo ;-).

It felt very weird to get an award for something that I love to do. In fact, I cannot imagine my life without Tornado Soccer. I want you all to know that I'm so very grateful to have you all (past and present) as part of my life. You girls mean more to me than you know. Thank you for changing my life. And remember! We did this together!

Sittin' Up!

Ryan's able to pretty much sit up now, but not for long. We caught him here early enough that he's still smiling. That bib is lookin' pretty soggy too. I think we'll see a tooth soon!

Fixin' Up the House

So now that Steve has a break from coaching soccer, here's what he's doing to keep busy! The true "before" picture of the living room would contain a pool table and a bunch of random stuff (weight bench, dart board, dog kennel) and the true "after" picture would have all of the furnishings (foosball, couches, tv etc.) but at least you can see a bit of Steve's handiwork with the floor. We're currently working on painting the dining/living room area and have ripped up the old floor down to the subfloor. Soon, I'll be preparing to go back to work (semester starts at end of this month) so the house projects will need to be finished by then.

Ryan at 6 months old

Here's a photo of Ryan in his activity center (AKA playthingy, circle of neglect, ring of fun, command station). He enjoys standing in it and moving around to play with the various toys. As you can see from this picture, he likes to try to eat everything now. At 6 months, he's now 27 1/4" long (75th percentile), weighs 18 lbs. 5 oz. (63rd percentile - his weight tapered off a bit), and has a 45.5 cm noggin (89th percentile). He enjoys eating rice cereal and oatmeal cereal but isn't quite groovy with carrots yet. He's currently battling a cold but still has lots of smiles and giggles for us.