It's been ONE amazing year!!

So excited to be one! 

I have been anticipating writing this blog for some time. I should be doing work, but oh well...I'm so excited...on February 2, my sweet little Ryan will be 1!!!! I love it. When reflecting on this past year, I can honestly say that I feel that I have no regrets, and I feel like I have truly been able to soak up so many precious moments with my little man. I have LOVED mommy-hood, and yes, there are times that are tough (like the fact I rarely get 4 hours of sleep straight), but even those times I am so glad that I am able to be the mom that I need to be for Ryan. I thought that I would be more sad about Ryan's one year birthday coming up, but no way...I  am sooo excited!! I love the fact that my little baby is growing up, and he is seriously so much FUN!! I loved the baby stage, I have loved every stage, and it just seems to be getting better. There are so many new things that he is doing and I feel like he becomes more and more of a little person everyday. I love seeing his personality develop and what his likes/ dislikes are. I took some pictures of him for his birthday invitation in his cool 'birthday boy' shirt, and I have just have to share: 

'pointing' to the plane that he sees overhead

love those baby blues! 

I'm so big! 

There are so many fun things that he is doing right now:

- He is a fast, fast crawler! 

-One of our favorite games is when I get him ready for a bath, I put him down, get his bath started, and he crawls behind the rocking chair, and I go 'find him'

-He has taken about 2 steps on his own. 

-He squeals in delight for things that are fun: like watching Layla (our dog) run, and last weekend I let him crawl at a pretty empty restaurant, and he squealed in delight at all the new things to explore. 

-He loves to explore 

-He eats a lot! He has discovered the Italian cuisine: he loves spaghetti, vegetable lasagna, and pizza (there are times that he even eats more than me)

-He's a really good eater, he only spits out carrots....

-He says 'mama' and buh (book) and almost everything else is a ball :) 

-He loves his bible, and he says "buh buh" (I think he knows he's saying bible)

-He still nurses a lot! I am thankful for the cuddles and special time we have together. I never thought I would be nursing past a year, but it looks like we'll be going strong for a while...so thankful for that. 

-He always makes a little squeal when we say 'amen' after a prayer: excited about all that God has in store for our little man

-His favorite toys are: his cupboard full of tupperware, our dvd cupboard, books, and lately he has really enjoyed the diaper pail. 

-He does enjoy pushing his bike from Gma and Gpa: can't reach the ground yet. 

-Has been in 12 month clothes for a while, but they are still a little big. 

-Wants to put stuff in our mouths: when I get him out of bed, he 'shares' his binky with me, and loves to share his snacks with me. 

-Points to my eye when I ask: "where is mommy's eye" and he sticks out his tongue when we ask him where his tongue is. 

-Can sign more and all done. We are working on please and thank you. 

-Loves to be tickled

-Thinks its hilarious when dad throws balls at him. :) 

-He still wakes up a few times at night to nurse, but although it is tough at times, I decided that for now, if that's what he needs, I want to be able to treasure those cuddly moments and allow him the comfort of mom for the times that he will want it. I can't let him cry when I know all he wants is to nurse and go back to sleep. 

-puts his arms up when we say "so big"

-He has been enjoying making 'piggy' sounds with his nose, so cute! 

-He pulls himself on everything: chairs, dressers, tables

-started using his teeth to bite...he eats apricots and bananas whole now! 

-When mom is eating, he usually wants to sit on my lap and taste whatever it is I am having :)

-thankful that although he was pretty sick with RSV, he hasn't had a fever at all 

Ok, I feel like I can keep going, everything he does is just so fun. I love that I have a one year old and I am so excited to watch him grow and learn this next year. I am excited for him to talk a little more, take his first steps and eventually his first hair cut. Loving these moments and soaking it up! 

Love the cheesey smile! 

A busy little guy!

'playing' on the bookshelf

Ryan is sooo busy! When he is up...he is going! :) It's so fun to watch. :) He loves to explore and figure out anything that he can play with and 'taste' :). This week he was standing, holding onto a chair while momma was working, and then, he tried to 'taste' a leg of the chair, but he ended up falling and getting his first little owie on his face. He cried so hard, I wanted to cry. Dad is pretty proud of his mark...so we have to show it off:


Also, I just have to laugh when I walk through the house during the day, and I see a 'Ryan trail' left behind. I love that he plays with the most random things. Here are some pics of Ryan playing while mom was making dinner. Who needs baby toys when you have a kitchen full of exciting things to play with? :)

He loves trying to pull out all of the silverware from the dishwasher

One of his favorites: a spatula :) 

measuring cups are fun! 

or just turn a stool upside down....


Life is sooo fun! :)