Thought I'd post this for comparison.

Ryder @ 1 Year old


Zoe @ 1 Year old

Ryder is 1 Year Old!!!


Ryders Birthday was Feb. 26th. We celebrated it Feb. 27th.

Grandma came over to help celebrate.

Some notes:

• Ryder signed "Potty" the other day. I was trying to put him down for a nap and he wouldn't fall asleep. I'd give him his pacifier and leave the room and he'd take his pacifier and toss it out of his crib. This happened at least 7 times. Finally I went in to his room and he was laying down looking up at me signing "Potty". I looked and low and behold, he had gone potty.
  
• Ryder refers to his Sister Zoe as "Yaya". He'll scream out Yaya!!! When he wants to see her.
  
• We have Ryder and Zoe in daycare 1 day a week. Ryders "overseer" is a woman named Miss Fran. He seems to have taken to her well. It took a few weeks, but he seems to like her.
  
• Ryder has observed us all talking on the phone so much that he likes to imitate us talking on the phone. He'll grab his toy phone, put it up to his ear and start babbling into it.

Current Events:

• Kia and I went to see the movie Avatar today; we saw it in 3D/iMax. It was an incredible experience. The movie was fantastic and both Kia and I were blown away.
  
• The US lost to Canada in OT in the Olympic Hockey Gold medal match. Booo!!!
  
• A monster earthquake rocked the country of Chile. It was 8.9 on the Richter scale.

As I type this, I'm feeding Ryder his favorite thing in the world... Bananas.

He'll pretty much eat an entire banana. He's also a big fan of mac and cheese.

Ryder First Words
Ryder has been saying "dada" for a little while now. He has also said "Mama". Whether or not he is referring to US is up for debate. However, this past Saturday (the 13th of February) he said his first definitive word. Kia and Zoe were at Zoes ballet and me and Ryder were "kickin it" at home. I was practicing some sign language w/ him. I was trying to get him to sign "ball". So, he's watching me do the sign and I'm saying "ball". Rather than sign it, he said "ball".

Speaking of sign language, Ryder also signs for:

• Milk (when he wants mommys milk)
  
• More (when he wants more)
  
• All done (he signs this one frantically)

Current Events:

• We just survived one of the, if not THE worst snow storms in Washington DC area history. It was actually 2 snow storms, one after the other. 2 weeks ago, it snowed roughly 30 inches. A few days later, it snowed an additional 20". It was kind of cool actually because I had about 6 days off from work (paid).
  We did lose power one night. That wasn't so cool. Fortunately, it was only out for a few hours; although the temperature in our house got down to 58! We all huddled onto our couch to stay warm and slept that way.
  
• The New Orleans Saints won the Superbowl. They beat Peyton Manning and the Colts in a great game.
  
• There was a disastrous earthquake in Haiti about a month ago. Really bad.

One other newsworthy item:
2 Days ago, Ryder began to clap his hands. He'll pick up a ball and "throw it"; and by throw it I mean drop it, but after he throws it he looks at me and starts clapping.

A few updates:

• Last week, I was hanging with Zoe and Ryder in the playroom. All was going well. Out of nowhere, Zoe picks up a tool (I think it was a wrench) from the kid toolbox and throws it "to" Ryder. Well, it hit Ryder square in the face. Ryder, of course, immediately began to cry as I scooped Zoe up and punished her by sending her to her room for the rest of the morning.
  
• Ryder gave his 1st hug this past Thursday. Kia says to him "Ryder, give Zoe a hug!" And Ryder walked right over to Zoe and gave her a great big hug, with his head to the side and everything. He has since done it a few more times. Its the cutest thing ever. We'll have to get it on tape asap.
  
• Ryder has learend to wave to people.
  
• A few weeks ago, Zoes old friend Peyton was in town with our friends Beth and Mike. These are friends from Arizona. Peyton and Zoe were good friends when we lived there. It was great to see them. You wouldn't know it, but Beth is pregnant in this picture.
  
  
• Today we are going to Sophias 4th Birthday Party.
  

Ryders 11 Months old!

Last Saturday, Zoe had her 1st Ballet recital. It went well. She started out doing great, and then when she realized their was such a big audience she was overtaken by the moment and kind of "shut it down". Kia stepped in attempting to get Zoe to participate again and she eventually (by actually doing the ballet with the kids and talking to Zoe) got Zoe to re-engage. It was a great job by Kia and a super brave moment for Zoe.

Last Sunday, we went to the Baltimore Aquarium with Uncle Ray and his family. Here are some pics:






We have begun the "Sleep Lady Shuffle" with Ryder. He has been waking up at around 1am every night wanting to eat. For a while, we indulged him, but decided it's time for him to start sleeping through the night. So, we went out and bought an airbed and put it in his room. Kia has been staying in his room and implementing the "shuffle".
The 1st night (2 nighs ago) was rough. It seemed to me that he cried all night. But Kia said it wasn't that bad.
Last night was much improved. He only woke up once at 4:15ish.

Currently, he and Kia are in his room napping.

As I type this, Zoe is playing a game on one of our laptops, and I'm typing on the other. I just jinxed myself. No sooner than I typed that last sentence, Zoe swallowed a whole potato chip and it freaked her out (you know... the feeling of a hard potato chip in your throat).

Current Events:

• Dallas lost to the Vikings in the NFL playoffs. Daddy and Ryder were bummed.
  
• There was a massive earthquake in Port-au-prince, the capital of Haiti. It was absolutely devastating; especially to a country that was already on the verge of devastation.

A few updates:
Last Wednesday Jan. 6th, we took the kids to their 1st day of daycare. It was not easy.

Last night, Zoe and Mom were watching TV and somehow, the topic of "Talking" came up. Zoe looked up at mom and asked "What makes me talk?".

Yesterday, we spent the day at the Baltimore Aquarium. We met Uncle Ray and Aunt Leah. Zoe and Jaden had a blast playing together the entire time. It was fun (but exhausting) for the parents as well.

Last night, Ryder came down with a fever. He started crying at around 1:30ish so I went to check on him and he was a furnace!

So Zoe is at the dinner table, playing with her stickers while Corey and I finish dinner. She's doing her usual yacking and singing while playing. I looked at her and just really saw my girl in all her wonderfulness, with her creamy skin glowing in the light and her curls and her total immersion in her sticker project, singing Dora and Backyardigan songs. I said, "Zoe, can I give you a big hug because I love you?". Miss Smarty Pants goes, "no.", then without missing a beat, says, "Okay, just one. Okay, maybe two." I give her the first big squeeze of a bear hug and she says "or maybe three" while smiling. So we hugged three times and we loved it.

Ryders 10 month Picture!
technically, Dec. 25th (Christmas 2009), but close enough... We've been busy.


Ryders 9 month Picture!
and incidentally, Thanksgiving 2009 which we spent at Uncle Ray & Aunt Leahs House.

Ryder can walk!!!
You began walking about 2 weeks ago, but it was only baby steps, and few of them at a time. Well, those baby steps have developed into full on walking. For the most part, you can walk as far as you want to with an occassional fall to your butt.

Unfortunately, it's hard to pinponit the exact day because it was a gradual process. Whereas with Zoe, she just put it all together in one day and began to tear it up.

So, Ryder, you officially started walking at 9 months old. In case you are wondering, Zoe began walking at 11 or 12 months old. It's documented in this blog somewhere. NOT that its a competition or anything...

Dad... not so much.
So... This weekend, mom and Zoe are at Zoes Ballet class. You (Ryder) and I are home doing "man stuff". I decide to let Lucky out to use the bathroom. Because it's cold outside, I stand in the mud room with you in my arms. As I'm watching Lucky, he begins to use the bathroom in our main yard (we don't let him go there). So I yell at him and simultaneously step down to the next step.
Well, I miss the step altogether and completely loose control. I fell forward down the next 2 steps (3 steps in all); somehow I managed to partially twist my body so that my side made impact with the ground 1st, allthewhile keeping you safely cradled in my arms. As I made impact with the ground, I took out 4 or the "Candy Cane" Christmas lights we put up rolled over once and then stopped.

I immediately got to my knees and looked you over having no idea what to expect. It all happened so quickly! Did I land on one of your arms and break it? Did your face or head make contact with the ground? Did my body weight crush you??? All of these things raced through my head. As I looked you over, amazingly I could see no visible signs of damage. You cried for about 15 seconds because the fall scared you (probably not as much as it did me) and then you were fine.

I could not believe it and was sooooo relieved that you were OK. Sorry about that son. Dad will be more careful from now on.

A few bits of info on Ryder:

• You have begun blowing "raspberries". They generate a ton of drool.
  
• You have begun to play in Zoes playroom. Your favorite activity is opening and closing the doors to her kitchen play set ovens.
  
• In addition to the fact that you can walk, you've also begun to crawl. You are officially mobile. Much to moms chagrin.
  
• Mom took you to the doctor for your 9 month checkup last week. You were 20.3 pounds and 27 inches tall.
  
• This morning, you and Zoe got in your first fight! Mom left you and Zoe in the playroom for a moment. She heard a thump and then you crying. She investigated and Zoe confessed to pushing you down. She got sent to her room for a while.
  
• Zoe and Ryder saw their 1st snow a few weekends ago. We got a few inches and went out and played in it. Here are Zoe and Mom having a snowball fight:
  

Ryder: You have learned to stand up in your crib!


Current Events:

• Tiger Woods was caught cheating on his wife
  
• Obama has decided to send 30k more troops to Afghanistan.

UPDATES:
Zoe, over the weekend you and I put up Christmas lights this past Sunday morning. We had a great time doing it and you were a big help. However there was one point where I was working on a particularly difficult strand of lights (they only worked if you shook them for a moment and then gently set them down). Anyway, I'm getting frustrated with the lights and you are talking and touching the lights, so in my frustration I blurt out "ZOE! DON'T. TOUCH. ANYTHING!!!"
Shortly after that, realizing that I am probably ruining the moment, I look at you and say "Having fun yet?" to which you replied "yes daddy". The incident reminded me of a scene from the classis Christmas movie "A Christmas Story".

Zoe, Grandma took you and mom to see the Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center. You had an "amazing" time. I was worried that you'd lose interest after 10 minutes, but you were enthralled throughout the show! You have been talking about it since you went. In fact, when you got home you showed us some of the ballet moves you picked up while watching the performance!

In previous posts I stated that Ryder was beginning to take steps. You continue to take steps and you're getting better by the day. A new development now emerging (since this morning) is that you have found a new method of transport, crawling.

Some updates on Ryder:

• You can now easily prop himself up into a sitting postion
  
• You can site up all by yourself
  
• You are currently waking up twice a night. Once at around 11:30 and once around 3:30 (that is the painful one). Mommy gets up to feed you and then you go back to sleep (most of the time)
  
• Your 2 top, front teeth are now coming in. Your mouth is like a fountain of slobber as a result
  
• You LOVE to walk! Mommy and I set a few feet apart from eachother and you walk back and forth between us. For the most part, you take a few steps and then collapse into our arms, but every now and then you'll get on a roll and walk the entire way. It shouldn't be long before you're walking on your own.
  
• You are a bruiser! You've taken a few spills resulting in you bumping your head or face and you are not even phased!
  
• Last night, I was giving you a bath and you reached for my nose. You grabbed on, hooking one of your fingers inside of my nostril and causing my nose to bleed. Thanks.
  
• You almost always greet us with a big smile when either mommy or me enters the room.
  
• You use a pacifier; when we put you to sleep, we give you your pacifier. If you are not ready to sleep you'll screw around in your crib, occassionally tossing your pacifier over the top onto the ground. We then have to come in and get it, as soon as you see us you crack that grin of yours....

We got together with Aunt Leah, Uncle Ray and your cousins Riley and Jaydon. We went to a pumpkin patch.





This is just a cute picture of Zoe and Ryder in their Halloween shirts that Nina got for them; Thanks Nina!!!:
A couple of other picture of the kids:



We went to Sydneys 4th Birthday Party:

Zoe and Jason "Throwin it up!"

Zoe and Sydney fought over this phone which allows the kids to "talk" directly to Chuck E. Cheese himself:


The Birthday Girl:



For Halloween, we went to Uncle Ray and Aunt Leahs house. Zoe had been talking about Halloween for the past 6 months and how she was going to be Dorothy, Mommy was going to be the Good Witch, Ryder would be the cowardly lion and I would be the scarecrow. Kia went out and got all the costumes. We had dinner and then spent a half hour putting on our costumes and getting ready to trick-or-treat. We finally went out; the kids lasted about 20 minutes before melting down. We called it a night.

A few pics:



A few bonus pics of Zoe as Dorothy:




Zoe with Miss Sarah; her Ballet instructor/hero:

Kia and Zoe made Halloween cookies:

Zoe:
This morning, we were in your bedroom getting you dressed and as I was putting your socks on, you said: "My feet are too big", to which I replied: "The only thing that is too big is your mouth", to which you replied: "The only thing too big is your head".
After that, you and momma gave eachother a high five.

We got you the movie "Up" yesterday. You refer to it as "Up and Down".

Ryder:
Yesterday, as Mom and I were video taping you attempting to walk, you surprised us with a new milestone... you sat yourself up for the 1st time!

Also, last night when we put you to bed, you went down "kicking and screaming". Using your newfound ability to sit yourself up, you just kept on sitting up and falling back. Finally, you were able to pull yourself up to a standing position in your crib!!! Seeing this, we had to lower your crib to be sure you didn't pull yourself completely up and over the edge.

Also, you are now able to sign "Milk" when you are hungry for milk. Its very cute.

Ryders 8 Month Picture

A few updates I want to write down before they slip my mind:
Ryder:

• About 1.5 weeks ago Ryders teeth broke through. He has been teething for a long time and finally the 2 bottom fronts broke! Here are Pix:
  
  
• Ryder, you love to stand and balance by yourself. Yeserday mom and I were recording you and you stood for the longest time yet! Way to step up under pressure.
  
• Related to the above, Ryder, you also began trying to take steps yesterday. In fact you took 1 step forward while maintaining your balance... so that counts as your 1st step!