DanaBabyBlog

2nd year memories!

2011-07-07T19:03:30-07:00

What a fun filled second year with Ryan! We really do not know where the time has gone. Ryan adds such excitement and joy to our lives. To see his development over the past year has been remarkable. His curiosity about the world, affection and genuine interest in people, and his passionate nature keeps us charged!

Below are some memories/thoughts from the past year…

2 year stats = tall and skinny – 35 inches (70%) and 27 lbs (35%)
“NOTNIES” = blankies = never leave home without.
In Ryan’s world there is only one way to drink milk and that is hot. “Hot milk” is to Ryan as coffee is to Mommy – the only way to start the day. He chugs about two sippy cups of hot milk every morning whether he is going to Harty’s or spending weekend mornings snuggling in bed with us… hot milk is always the first request of the day.
Ryan has a love for letters! Around 18 months he started to take great interest in his magnetic letter set on the fridge. By 20 months he could recognize and name all 26! He has also started to count to ten this past month.
Thank goodness for PBS kids. Super Why, Martha Speaks, and Sesame Street (particularly Elmo’s World) are Ryan’s favorites and have overtaken our DVR. We are not complaining though – it is very nice that he will sit on the couch and watch a show, giving mommy and daddy a few free seconds!
Eating is not one of Ryan’s favorite activities – you have to stay much too still for Ryan’s liking! Hotdogs seem to be the main source of calories for Ryan followed by oatmeal, ice-cream, breakfast sausage, cheddar cheese shreds, fruit snacks, and lollipops. I used to think that I would promote a very healthy diet for my child… at this point I am totally fine with McDonalds happy meals because at least I know he will eat!
Over the past year the “Colebourne Kids” contingent has gotten very close, both the toddlers (Ryan, Amelia, and Luke) and the parents. From summer BBQ’s to Halloween parties to trips to playground, sledding, New Years Eve parties, Super Bowl Sunday, we’ve shared many memories together. While our crew just met a year ago it seems that we’ve been friends for much longer. We are very sad that Amelia and her parents will be moving to Trumunsburg in a few weeks but we look forward to visits!
Harty and her family have continued to play a significant role in Ryan’s life. When I drop Ryan off in the morning I feel like I am leaving him with family. We would not want it any other way! In addition, it has been extra special for Ryan to have his best buddy Landon by his side, even if they do greet each other saying “mine” each morning.
Iron Giant gets recorded as Ryan’s first movie. It was a “Daddy and Ryan” afternoon when Matt introduced Ryan to Hogarth. Surprisingly, Ryan watched the entire movie with Matt and has probably watched it at least 25 times since! There was a point during the winter when Ryan would need a daily dose of the movie. Matt found Iron Giant figurines on Ebay which Ryan named “baby robot toys”. These robots are much like the “notnies,” do not leave home without!
Ryan took his first music class in the fall at Eastman’s Community School. MusicTIME was a weekend class for infants through toddlers. While Ryan enjoyed some parts of the class, he preferred to try to escape from the group circle and play the piano or work the stereo system. He seemed a little to advanced for clapping and patting, especially since he has wrote his first song on his ukelele “Robot Song.”
Potty training has begun only because Ryan seemed to initiate it! He has skipped the “sitting on the potty” stage and goes like “a big boy,” pushing his stool to the potty to pee pee. He is actually very good at this if I am able to let him be naked for hours at a time. The next step is getting him to wear undies which currently tantrums if we try. No need to push!
Ryan’s favorites include… play dates with cousins Brice and Brady and Aunt “Codie,” school buses (he actually got to go on Brice’s school bus one afternoon – a major event in his life), any type of water activity (bath, pool, Battenkill river, water table, kitchen sink, hose), “tiger toy” (from RIT), Elmo, “a boo daddy” (also known as hide and seek), playground trips, playing music with Uncle Sean and Aunt Ala’s, and animals (doggies, elephants, kitty cats, monkeys, horses).
Big events/trips this year… a Florida vacation in February to see Grandgrandpa Henry, lots of Saratoga and Shushan trips to see his Nana and Grandpa and Grandma and Poppy, Sesame Street Live, RIT visits to see Daddy and hockey games, Penfield High School sporting events, his first concert – ukulele phenom Jake Shimabukuro, trips to the Strong Museum.

Weekend in Saratoga/Shushan

2011-06-29T09:31:09-07:00

We were back east two weekends ago but we forgot to post photos. For Ryan, the weekend was all about water – playing in the Battenkill at Steph’s parents’ house and in my parents’ pool.

A very busy boy!

2011-06-05T19:19:54-07:00

Now that the weather is finally nice Ryan wants to spend every free second outside! Between his kiddie pool, water table, sand box, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and various sports equipment (balls, lacrosse sticks, baseball gloves, golf), Ryan has an endless number of activities to keep him busy. He also likes cruising through the neighborhood in his “coupe,” visiting Amelia or Luke. The more time we spend outside, the better since Ryan has now learned to hide things. This weekend the remote control and Daddy’s glasses went missing. We eventually found both, the remote control was buried in his toy box and Daddy’s glasses were found in the cockpit of his Little People airplane!

A day at the beach (ok, more like an hour)

2011-05-29T10:07:56-07:00

Happy Memorial Day! We’ve been laying low and taking it easy this weekend; no ambitious plans allowed. Yesterday our one outing was to Ontario Beach Park – originally we were going to hit the Roc City Rib Fest at the park but we decided at the last minute just to go to the beach instead – Ryan doesn’t have much use for BBQ or big crowds (the event was mobbed) so the festival wouldn’t have been his thing. We relaxed for a little while as Ryan splashed in the water, but then he fell all the way into the water, which for him was an Extremely Traumatic Experience, so that was the end of beach time. Ryan’s been feeling a little under the weather with a cold and a bit of a fever, so his tolerance for such things is pretty low right now.

We’re off to a BBQ this afternoon once Ryan arises from his nap. Have a great weekend y’all. Here are a few photos from beach time (more on Flickr):

Four Firsts

2011-05-04T19:06:45-07:00

The past few days have been pretty significant in Ryanland. Not only did he experience his first live theatre performance, Sesame Street Live, but he also did four things that we’ve never seen him do before:

He counted to nine! The previous record was five. He was sitting in bed with us on Sunday morning drinking his “hot milk” and out of nowhere he started counting to himself. The moment he got to six, Steph and I looked at each other, and by the time he hit nine both of our jaws had hit the floor.
“Thank you Dada” – he actually thanked his mama like this a few days ago, but it was still pretty crazy to hear him say it to me after I gave him some apple slices.
He watched a movie with me! Like, a whole one! He usually can’t sit still for more than 30 seconds, but he immediately fell in love with The Iron Giant, one of my personal faves and a movie I’ve always looked forward to watching with him. That was on Saturday while Steph was at the Penfield prom (more on that below) and he’s been asking to watch the movie again every day since. He calls it No-no Robot. We’ve already watched it all the way through again in bits and pieces.
He peed in the potty. Yes really. Steph has been working on that with him, with Daddy the naysayer telling her it was way too early, and sure enough he proved me wrong tonight.

What’s that? You’d like some photos from the past few days, you say?

Steph and Angela ran their half-marathon on Sunday morning.

Ryan and I were proud of both of them.

Sesame Street Live: Ryan was amazed, entertained, and eventually overwhelmed - he fell asleep near the end.

Ryan wore an Elmo shirt to Sesame Street Live. I didn't have the heart to tell him that he was "that guy."

At $10 a balloon, it doesn't take much to make a killing off of a theatre full of toddlers.

Ryan got all dressed up to see Anna off to the prom. He wasn't a big fan of wearing a tie, but he toughed it out.

A smooch from Mama before the prom!

Ryan’s Easter Weekend

2011-04-24T18:44:33-07:00

Ryan had tons of fun this weekend hunting for Easter eggs, playing with trains, and hanging out with family and friends.

Basket #1

Basket #2

The microphone was one of Ryan's favorites!

A quick drive before Easter breakfast.

Spotting the golden egg!

Cruising down Colebourne...

Where's my basket?

A great April break!

2011-04-23T07:43:18-07:00

It has been an awesome “Ma Ma and Ry Ry” week! It was so nice not traveling anywhere and instead spending lots of quality time together. I basically turned off being a school counselor for the week and turned on being a stay at home mom. This is the first experience that I have had when I am left feeling “maybe I could be a stay at home mom!” Ryan is at a great age… his language is flourishing and his curiosity is endless, which makes for endless hours of fun! A few highlights from our week off:

Morning time in mom and dad’s big bed. Ryan would wake up around 8 and we would spend about an hour in bed watching Elmo, reading books, and drinking “hot” milk. While Ryan has been done with the bottle since 15 months he still likes “hot” milk in his sippy cup every morning! If it is not hot enough he says, “No… hot milk” and hands it back.
Binky weaning! The beginning of the week was tough but I wanted to get to a point where Ryan only has it at night. It is amazing – he has stopped asking during the day and says “bye bye” to it in the morning, leaving it in the crib. As with many transitions, Matt and I were expecting the worst. We have been quite surprised at how easy it has been to eliminate during the day.
Becoming regulars at the “Discovery Zone” at the Brighton Library. They have a great playroom and Ryan LOVED playing trucks, dinosaurs, and ABC’s on the magnetic board (except for one mega meltdown when a baby was playing with the grocery cart that Ryan wanted). We also checked out tons of books his favorite being a selection of non-fiction books about school buses, tractors, and fire trucks. I think we’ve read the School Bus book at least 40 times this break. His favorite page is a little boy getting on the bus with his lunch box. We talk about what is in the lunch box for quite some time! Ryan cannot wait until he is 5!
Having lunch dates with Daddy at RIT. Ryan thinks that RIT is the best place and roars like a tiger whenever we are there! We also took him to the bookstore to pick out a new RIT shirt. We were surprised when he instead wanted a baseball hat, something that he has always refused to wear. Since he picked out his hat he happily wears it!
A special music lesson with Uncle Sean while Aunt “A La” and Ma Ma went running. Sean and Ryan had a plethora of instruments (banjo, guitar, ukuleles, and drums) and created the Ryan song. We also had a special lunch with Sean and “A La” at Balsam Bagel.
Attending the Children’s Film Festival at the Child Care Council of Rochester. This was such a fun event with about 5 different short (5 – 10 min) films. I enjoyed the movies and Ryan enjoyed the other children (more than the movies) walking up to viewers and saying “hello”! His friend’s Amelia and Tessa also attended.
A trip to the Strong Museum (wrong choice during break week – so crowded!), many visits to the playground, sandbox/outside time when it was not too windy or rainy!

I am already looking forward to summer, let the count down begin

"The best part of waking up..."

Ryan is a sand monster, much like I was when I was a kid. He cannot get enough of it!

Fishy face.

An artist in the making... sidewalk chalk = so much fun!

Ryan anxiously awaiting Uncle Sean's arrival. You had to be there... he was so excited watching Sean come to the door!

So happy to see Uncle Sean, the music man!

Ryan sporting his new RIT hat. He loves the tigers enough to actually smile and pose!

Learning to play catch

2011-04-04T18:55:19-07:00

Happy Birthday Poppy Greg!

2011-03-30T05:00:49-07:00

Poppy Greg is 60 today! Ryan made him this special video to wish Poppy a very special day!

Sending lots of love from Rochester…

Meeting Great Grandpa Pamper!

2011-03-20T08:12:26-07:00

Last weekend Ryan got the opportunity to meet his Great Grandfather “Pamper” who has returned to the East coast! We are very excited that Pamper has moved home from Indio, California. He has been very, very missed. Ryan loved meeting Pamper and especially Pamper’s “baby dog dog” (as Ryan says).

Great Grandpa Pamper getting to meet Ryan for the first time!

4 generations!

Indio - Pamper's side kick who also made the journey from CA! It has been quite the adjustment, going from sun to snow. Ryan LOVED chasing Indio all over the house.

Kitchen fun with Grandma Dawn! Ryan loves dancing to his nursery rhymes on Grandma Dawn's boombox!

Helping to make breakfast!

The boys enjoying pancakes with Shushan syrup!

Cracking up with Poppy Greg!

A cute shot with Grandma Dawn and Poppy Greg!