Do you remember.....

Top 10!

Happy Halloween!

Ryan had a busy first Halloween. He received a card from Aunt Karen and another card with a book from Grandma K. He enjoyed reading both cards, and then in true Ryan fashion, proceeded to chew on the cards. When I put the cards up on the mantle, he pointed at them until I gave them back to him. He really liked his Halloween cards. We took Ryan to our church's Trunk-or-Treat. Despite the drizzling rain, Ryan managed to have fun looking at all the craziness going on. He was a cute little tiger (and managed to score mom and dad lots of goodies!)

Reading his cards

At Trunk-or-Treat with friends

Mommy and a not-so-happy Ryan

Daddy and Ryan

To celebrate Ryan being 10 months old, here's Ryan's Top Ten List of Things He Loves:

10. Biting Daddy's nose.

9. Cheese, cheese, cheese. It can be mac-n-cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, or just a slice of cheese.

8. Tackling Tigger. He usually bounces with Tigger, but he now prefers to tackle him.

7. Splashing in the bath tub. He loves to make a huge mess.

6. Music, especially his Hymns for Children cd.

5. Footballs. Ryan knows which toys are his footballs and will go get them if you ask him "where's your football?"

4. Flirting with the pretty ladies. Dimples, need I say more.

3. Waffle day at Grandmommy and Papa's house. Especially now that he can enjoy eating some of the waffles.

2. Visits from Grandma and Grandpa K. He knows he gets spoiled when they visit.

1. Kissing mommy and daddy.

8 is Great!

Ryan's been quite busy for an 8 month old. About a week before his 8-month mark, I spotted Ryan's first tooth. Two days later, David spotted the second one. Ryan has two bottom teeth coming in at the same time. The bottom teeth haven't bothered him too much. Most of the pain comes from the top tooth coming in now. Here's a pic of Ryan's bottom teeth:

We also took a mini-vacation to Charleston and Clemson. I was leading a training session on a math program on Thursday, and David had a meeting in Clemson on Saturday, so we decided to take Ryan on a little trip. We visited the Isle of Palms beach for a little bit, strolled around Charleston, had dinner with Karen, Steve, and the kids (Ryan's cousins) at Seabrook Island, and then traveled on to Tiger Town. While David was at his meeting, Ryan and I strolled around campus (it was move-in day so boy was there excitement). Most of the time Ryan and I stayed in the student center. Ryan loved to be by the window just watching all the people going by.

Ryan also had his first official playdate. A group of my friends from school decided to get together with our kids shortly before school started up again. There was an 11-month old (Samantha), a 10-month old (Emerson), an almost 8-month old (Ryan) and a 3-month old(Jacob). All the babies did well playing together (well Jacob slept most of the time). Ryan was trying to get a few kisses in with the girls.

The big news is that Ryan is crawling now. The little man is everywhere. Turn your back for a minute and he's completely out of the living room and into something else. It's great exercise chasing after a crawler. After he mastered crawling, he quickly discovered how to pull himself up using the couch or coffee table. It won't be long before he's running all around the house.

Ryan was dedicated at our church on August 30. Lots of family and friends shared the day with us. Ryan flashed his dimples for the congregation and was mesmorized by the choir singing "Jesus Loves Me." It was a special day for all of us.

Ryan Takes Flight

Ryan and I recently returned from our quick visit to Virginia to see grandparents and friends. We left Charlotte on Thursday, July 16th. I managed to plan the flight to coincide with Ryan's morning nap. I did not however plan for Ryan to throw up on the flight. I brought a bottle for Ryan to have during takeoff because the swallowing would help with the pressure in his ears. I guess I gave him a little too much milk because shortly after he finished the bottle he had a little burp with a little spitup. As I went to wipe the spitup with his bib, well he just let loose with all the rest. Thankfully (or not) I had him curled up against me because he was falling asleep, so all the milk went on my shirt and lap and not all over the seat. Ryan quickly fell asleep after that event and stayed asleep during the landing of the flight. Needless to say we both had to change clothes the moment we got off the plane. Flying back was much easier, no spitup, but I did end up with a little boy who woke up 15 minutes before the flight ended and he wanted off. No, he didn't scream the entire way, but he did make a fuss here and there, especially when the plane landed and we had to wait before pulling up to the gate. Ryan and I just wanted off the plane already.

Grandma and Grandpa K enjoyed spending time with Ryan. He showed off his new skills of sitting up and using a sippy cup. Ryan also enjoyed a few new toys to play with while at his grandparents' house. Saturday we went to a cookout with Kimber and her son Jordan at Michelle, Rodney, and Kayla's house. Ryan loved all the attention, especially from Kayla.

Ryan can't wait to see his grandparents again next month when they come down for his dedication. *MWAH* Ryan gives a kiss to everyone!

Summer Fun

It's the middle of the summer and we've been having loads of fun.

Ryan attended his first Vacation Bible School at the end of June. Technically, VBS is for rising kindergartners through fifth graders. However, they have preschool and infant care for children of volunteers. Ryan came to church with me everyday and got to hang out with his Sunday School friends for the week. By Friday's closing assembly, Ryan was exhausted.

Ryan and I head to the library on Monday for Born Readers, a storytime program for babies. We recently started swim lessons on Wednesdays and Fridays. Ryan is learning to paddle and kick, but we all know who's doing most of the work. Ryan just likes to watch all the other kids in the pool. But he does look mighty cute in his swim trunks. After our first day at swim lessons, Ryan was worn out. I sat him down in our bedroom and after he fell over, he was so tired he just feel asleep.

For the Fourth of July, we went to the airport overlook to watch the planes take off and land. David and I had a picnic lunch. Ryan enjoyed watching planes with Daddy. We took a few pictures that I'll post in a slide show.

This Thursday, Ryan gets to take his first airplane trip. We are flying up to see Grandma and Grandpa K for a few days. Hopefully he won't mind the hour flight. I tried to schedule the flight time during his normal nap time, so I'm hoping he just sleeps the entire flight.

Ryan will be seven-months old on Thursday. At his six-months appointment he weighed 16 1/2 pounds. I honestly thought he would weigh a little more. He had to have two more shots which of course he was not happy about, but as usual, he quickly recovered after Mommy held him.

We've recently started trying out new foods. I have made sweet potatoes and carrots for Ryan. Next up is butternut squash. He also has applesauce with breakfast. He is such a great eater. We'll be introducing the green veggies next. Those are going to have to be store bought baby food because we all know my aversion to green vegetables, so there is no way I can puree green beans. Yuck.

Last item, I've been wanting to change the title of this blog. I'm tired of "The Price is Right." So if you have any new blog name ideas, please let me know. My creative juices are not working right now.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

It's My Birthday! It's My Birthday!

It's Ryan's half-birthday! He's six months old today! He's babbling more, beginning to say "da da" to anyone, recently discovered his feet, and is sitting up like a pro. A few teeth are threatening to make an appearance, which is turning my happy boy into the occasional fuss monster. And of course he is outgrowing everything. Ryan was wearing 6 months clothes at 4 1/2 months. Now that he is six months old anything that is labeled 6 months is too small. He can still fit into things that are in the 6 - 9 months range. It seems like every other day I am having to put aside another onesie or sleeper that he has outgrown. Ryan has his six-month checkup on Thursday, so we will find out how much he weighs and how tall he is then. Shhh, don't mention the shots that he'll get as well.

Ryan has had a busy few months. During Memorial Day weekend, all the Kenningtons got together and Ryan was able to meet his Great-Uncle Jim, Great-Uncle Jerry and Great-Aunt Jewel, and most importantly, his Great-Grandma Kennington. The slide show of pictures is posted above.

Ryan will be taking swim lessons in July. We recently bought him a little baby pool and tried it out one sunny Sunday afternoon. After whimpering for a bit (I think the water was a bit cooler than he is use to in his bathtub), he just sat there. He didn't move from his spot for the entire ten minutes we were outside. But the boy was styling in his swim wear.

We have begun baby-proofing the house (and that's not cheap!) Who knew we had 20+ outlets in the downstairs living space. The kitchen cabinets and drawers will be locked up this weekend. I'm not sure I'm ever going to be able to get back into a few of these drawers. Seriously, there is one double outlet with these individual covers that I cannot remove. Way too much dexterity and brain power involved to remove one of those. Ryan will be crawling soon and I'm sure he'll explore every nook and cranny in this house. I'll probably find new places to clean (oh joy!)

Be sure to check out below the video of Ryan laughing at a musical toy. Love the little boy's laugh!

Laughter is Contagious

Virginia Vacation Pictures

Food, Family, and Fighter Jets

A friend of mine titled this picture "The Horror of Rice Cereal." Who knew eating rice cereal could be this awful. I think the words "rice" and "cereal" should not be put together. I can't even say that rice cereal tastes bad because it has no taste at all. No wonder Ryan was unhappy. In truth, I think part of the problem was that he didn't really like being in his high chair.

Just in case you think all feedings are like this, here's proof that he actually does eat cereal, although now we've switched to oatmeal.

The last weekend in April we piled everything we owned into the car and headed up to Virginia to visit family. Grandma and Grandpa K were very excited to see Ryan again. Ryan also got to meet his Uncle Jimmy for the first time. James wasn't quite sure what to do with Ryan, but Ryan definitely knew how to flash those dimples at Tiffany and Patti. We spent Saturday at the Langley AFB Air Show. Ryan slept through the first half of the flight demonstrations and then Ryan, mom, and I left shortly after he woke up. We had family pictures taken on Sunday and Ryan got to visit with my friend Michelle, Rodney, and Kayla (again, Ryan was more than happy to flirt with pretty girl Kayla). On the way back to Gastonia, we stopped by David's Uncle Buster and Aunt Betty B's house in Oxford. It was a long trip back but well worth it.

Ryan is growing every day. We've already packed away most of the 3 - 6 months clothes because he no longer fits in them. He is beginning to laugh more, which is the greatest thing to hear. Of course he still continues to talk up a storm to anyone who will listen, or in the early mornings, he just talks to himself.

Memorial Day weekend brings Grandma and Grandpa K, Uncle Jimmy and Tiffany, and my Uncle Jim all to Gastonia. We will be traveling down to Atlanta to visit my Grandmother. She'll get to meet her great-grandson for the first time.

Ryan gives slobbery kisses to everyone (and I do mean slobbery)!

The Big 4-Oh!

Ryan is four months old today! It was a busy day for us. Ryan had his four month well visit with the doctor. He now weighs 14 1/2 pounds and is 25 3/4 inches long. Ryan is growing up strong. He also had 2 shots today. Poor little guy, he screamed during the shots but quieted down after I picked him up. He has whimpered off and on today, but overall I think he handled the shots pretty well.

Ryan has a new toy. I finally got around to using a Babies-R-Us gift card Ryan's Grandmommy and Papa gave us for Christmas. We purchased an exersaucer for Ryan to sit in and play with the attached toys. Right now he just wants to put whatever he can into his mouth. That includes the dragon puppet on the exersaucer. Except Ryan gets frustrated when the dragon puppet won't cooperate and bend far enough for Ryan to get his mouth around it.


The Easter Bunny came to visit Ryan. Good thing the Easter Bunny knows what kind of candy Mommy and Daddy like :) Ryan enjoyed his first Easter at church and had lunch with our friends.

Next weekend we are off to Virginia to visit Ryan's Grandma and Grandpa K, as well as Uncle Jimmy! We can't wait to see everyone again.

Good Friday

The best part of today........was that Ryan laughed for the first time!

The moment was both weird and glorious. Since we've never heard him laugh before it was definitely a new sound. Ryan's been squealing here and there, and of course he'll talk up a storm. Ryan and I were "talking" on the couch. I was smiling and calling him cute when he laughed out loud. It was the best thing! I had to keep talking cute with him to get him to laugh many more times. Hearing him laugh was just the best sound. Makes your heart grow that much bigger.

Earlier in the day Ryan was asleep in his swing. I walked up to check on him when I realized he's no longer a baby. And by baby, I mean those tiny little newborns. I looked at Ryan and saw a little boy who's outgrowing clothes two days after I buy them. Time does fly, I know he's still a "baby" but goodness he's not a teeny tiny little one anymore.

We just love our little boy.

Where's Ryan?

I took this picture this morning for two reasons.

Obviously Ryan's pajamas seriously clash with the sheets on his crib mattress. It was pretty funny to walk into his room this morning and see this sight. Reminded me of the Where's Waldo books.

The second reason I took the picture is because it shows how Ryan has definitely outgrown these pajamas. I thought when I put them on last night that they might be a little tight. But when you've got a fussy baby (okay, crying baby) the last thing you want to do is take off a pair of pajamas to redress him in a new pair. Trust me, I wasn't going there. Somehow Ryan managed to get his feet out of the footies. Ahhh freedom! Didn't even phase him. Guess I'll be packing away these pajamas.

A Year Ago Today

It was this time last year when David and I found out I was pregnant. Now we have a wonderful little boy. It's hard to believe a year has passed by that quickly. In celebration of today, Ryan rolled over from his back to his belly and then promptly rolled to his back again. He has also learned to squeal. Loudly. At first Ryan's squealing was funny because it was geared towards his animals on the play gym. However the squealing continued throughout the day at a very high pitch. I might need earplugs soon.

Ryan continues his flirtation with the ladies. Church is a great time for Ryan because there are plenty of lovely ladies for Ryan to charm. He will be fussing at me one minute and then smiling at the girls who come to say hello to him. The onesie below says it all:

Ryan loves to spend time with his Grandmommy and Papa, especially on Fridays when it's waffle day for breakfast. Unfortunately for Ryan he can't have the waffles just yet. We are also looking forward to our trip to Virginia at the end of the month so that Ryan can see his Grandma and Grandpa K. Ryan recently received a package from Grandma K with a blanket she stitched for him. I think the package was just about as big as Ryan.

Ryan's next doctor's appointment is on the 16th. He'll be getting a few shots again. We'll also find out how much this little guy weighs. David weighed Ryan on the UPS scales at the plant two weeks ago. At that point Ryan weighed 13 1/2 pounds. He's definitely getting heavier and outgrowing some clothes. Although when I look at the 6-9 month clothes hanging in his closet, I can't imagine he'll be that big one day. And that day will be here before we know it.

Ryan squeals HI to all!

Look Who's Three Months Old!

I know, I know, he's the cutest thing you've ever seen. Feel free to gush as much as you like. I know his grandparents just love on this little boy as much as possible. There's a sneaking suspicion that he's going to be spoiled by both sets of grandparents. In all fairness, who can blame them with those dimples coming at you.

Ryan is a growing little boy. I had to finally put away all his newborn and 0-3 months clothes. He's just too long for some onesies, and on other onesies, I can't get his head through the opening. We've moved into 3-6 months clothes. Some fit pretty well, while others are still a bit baggy.

We went for pictures at Olan Mills today. Before you think I'm a photo freak (oh wait I am), Olan Mills has this Watch Me Grow program where you can basically have pictures taken whenever and always get a free 8x10. Then of course I get other sheets with wallets, 5x7, etc at a discounted price. I love it because I can take Ryan to get pictures taken every other month. He changes so much. Just know that most of you will be the recipients of these photos. But seriously, who can resist the dimples!

Ryan smiles all the time and has begun to "talk" more frequently. Sometimes he has alot to say. He likes to talk to his daddy on the phone. We put David on speaker so Ryan can hear him. At first Ryan would just stare at the phone in confusion. Now he begins to talk to dad. It's the cutest thing. Here's a picture of Ryan trying to "talk" to his daddy.

Ryan also has a new acrobatic trick. One night after we had put him to bed in his crib, we heard him crying not long after. David went to check on him and then called me into Ryan's room. It seems our little boy managed to roll over onto his tummy for the first time and got his hands pinned under him. Plus he was now up against the crib rail. Ryan was not happy about this new trick. After calming him down and putting him back to bed, he ended up doing it again in a matter of minutes. I swear the kid does flips in his crib. We'll put him down in the middle of the crib and by morning he's down near the corner of the crib completely turned around. So far he hasn't repeated this trick of rolling onto his tummy. He can roll from tummy to back with no problem.

My sleepy little guy has awoken so I must go rescue my prince with lots of kisses. Ryan says "Hi" to everyone!

Sweetest Snowbunny

Our area of North Carolina, as well as most of the East Coast, received a fresh blanket of snow recently. We turned Ryan into a snowbunny and ventured outside for a few minutes. Untouched snow laying out in your front yard is a beautiful sight. As well as blinding. Ryan didn't seem to mind the cold too much. He didn't know what to make of all that white stuff either. It will probably be another three years before we get a snowfall like this in our area. By that time Ryan will most definitely want to be outside playing in it all day long. Perhaps we'll get a snowman built at that time. Right now, we're ready for Spring!

Here's a few more pictures of our snowbunny:

The Busy Life of a Two Month Old

Ryan is now two months old. He has changed so much in the last few weeks. It's amazing how much bigger he is compared to his one month portraits.

Ryan and I keep pretty busy most weeks. There were a few wonderfully warm days in North Carolina, so we took some family outings to the park for a stroll. He loves being outdoors and looking around. Ryan gets to hang out in the church nursery on Sundays and Thursdays (while I'm at Moms group). Of course he's the cutest baby there!

Ryan celebrated Daddy's birthday on February 13th. We went to Grandmommy and Papa's for dinner and birthday cake. Ryan had a small taste of icing, though no word on whether he liked the icing or not. Ryan also received a few valentines the next day, not to mention a huge teddy bear. Seriously I think the bear is bigger than Ryan. Grandma and Grandpa K came to visit Valentine's Day weekend. He had a wonderful time chit chatting with his grandparents. He was showing off his new social skills of cooing and smiling.

At his two month check up, the peditrician told us that Ryan was doing great. He now weighs 10lbs 14oz and is 23 1/2 inches long. He also had to get two shots. Ryan did very well with the first shot, cried a little but calmed right back down. The second shot was not kind to Ryan. He howled and his face was many shades of red. He calmed down once we got to cuddle with him again. Poor guy slept most of the day. Getting shots can wear you out.

Overall, Ryan is a great baby. He loves to cuddle and talk, swing in his swing and play on the floor with his play gym. He's a pretty good sleeper as well. We love the nights where Ryan will get 4 - 5 hours of sleep.

I'm working on a few more videos (I have tech issues I can solve, it just takes time, which I don't have alot of these days). Hopefully I will update the blog a bit more as well.