Not Mama

Ryan has been saying "namama" a lot these days to our befuddlement. What the heck is "namama"? Turns out he's referring to Justin. He went through a phase when he was calling both of us "Mama". And I would say "That's not mama, that's dada." Of course, being new to the English language, he doesn't quite get the negative. So he thinks I'm calling Justin "not mama". Hehe.

Despite the minor health setbacks Ryan's had recently, he's still a tremendously happy kid. Check out his new smile with all those teeth! (Photo credit: Rachel Summers).


Ryan's 2 favorite activities these days are building a pile of pillows to fall on and riding on his Sesame Street ride-a-long toy with Zach while Aunt Rachel pushes them. The funny part is when only of them gets to ride, the other follows behind crying. Ok, well it's not funny to them, but it's kinda amusing to us. Here they are enjoying the ride:

15 Month Appointment

Ryan had his 15 month check up this morning and passed with flying colors! We're still watching the wheezing and ear infections, but otherwise Ryan is perfectly healthy and developmentally on track. He walks and talks like normal 15 month olds and is still on his way to becoming a very tall and skinny boy. Here are the stats:

Height: 32.75 inches
Weight: 22 lb 5 oz
Head: 46 cm

One thing I found interesting was that the doctor told us we can start disciplining Ryan when he misbehaves. We're just supposed to put him in the crib for a 1 minute "time out" and walk away. 1 minute doesn't seem like a long time, but it still seemed kinda harsh for a 15 month old. We'll see if and when we implement the doctor's advice. I was thinking we'd start with the time outs around 18 months.

A Bad Week Gets Worse...

We all have our ups and downs, but unfortunately for Ryan his are all happening at the same time. So we all know about the ear infection and molars. Now let's add potential head trauma. (Ok, not really, he seems totally fine.)

Yesterday morning, I was getting Ryan ready for day care as we do every other morning. He was sitting on the changing table and playing "let's drop the clothes on the floor and watch Mommy pick them up" game. This went on for a while, he drops the clothes, I pick them up, he drops them again and laughs hysterically. On the 4th or 5th drop, I bent down and he leaned forward to see but lost his balance and came tumbling off the changing table. It felt like it was happening in slow motion, but at the same time, it happened so fast I can't really remember. I think I got my arm in there a bit, but really he fell and landed half in the open bottom drawer of his dresser and half on the floor. It looked awful. He was on his back (somehow twisting in mid air) with his head hitting the floor and his back hitting the edge of the drawer. I picked him up to comfort him (he's screaming his head off) and literally 10 seconds later he's forgotten all about it and playing with his toys. Thank goodness kids are resilient and flexible. I on the other hand am totally freaked out and can't get the image of my son being tossed about like a ragdoll out of my mind.

Anyway, he's fine thankfully and I'm trying my best to forget it. I think from now on I'll be getting him dressed on the floor, he's just a little too big and unruly for the changing table. And major kudos go to Justin for not yelling at me which I'm pretty sure would have happened if it was him instead of me. So I've learned a lesson in how fast these kids are, and Ryan has discovered gravity.

Another Month, Another Ear Infection

This was not a good weekend for poor Ryan. On top of being sick and having another ear infection, all 4 of his molars seem to be pushing through at once. I don't think I've ever seen him so miserable in his short little life. The good news though is that hopefully he's getting it over with all at once.

Quick development update: Ryan has added "yeah" and "all done" to his vocabulary and can go up and down the stairs easily. He's also pretty good at obeying commands like "wash your hands" and "go to your high chair". The best one though is Ryan getting our slippers. Now I know what you're thinking, no our son is not our dog, but given Ryan's penchant for shoes, it was inevitable that he would happily pick up this trick. All you have to do is sit on the couch, put your feet in the air, and say "Ryan what's missing?" He will then go get your slippers and try to put them on your feet. And he distinguishes between my slippers and Justin's. Pretty cool party trick - we'll have to get it on video one of these days!