First baby picture

We wanted to share this "first" picture of our new baby (although it looks like a blob in this image)! Yes, we're expecting our second child in June! We had an ultrasound in early November to determine my due date. This image was taken when the baby measured 7 weeks 1 day. I'm now 12 weeks. I had my second doctor's appointment yesterday and heard a very strong, steady heartbeat - the most wonderful sound!

So far, things are going very well, except for the fact that I've been very sick. I was sick with Ryan, but nothing like what I've experienced with this pregnancy. I feel like I missed the whole month of November. I know it was probably even tougher since I had Ryan around and he wasn't thrilled with the idea of mommy lying on the couch for seven weeks! I'm still not 100%, but feeling much better. I'm so thankful that Mike is such a supportive and involved husband and daddy. He helped me out so much with Ryan and keeping the house clean and functioning - all while having a smile on his face.

So, my official due date is June 26th, but I'm hoping this little one makes an early appearance like his/her big brother! Mike graduates from his MBA program on June 16th and then has a couple of weeks off, so the timing works out perfectly. Once again, we're going to wait until the birth to find out the sex of the baby. With Ryan, I had a feeling I was having a boy, but I don't have any feelings one way or another with this baby. We'll see!!

First Christmas Gift

Ryan received an early Christmas present over the weekend - a "Ryan-sized" rocking easy chair with matching ottoman! It's a hit at our house. He really enjoys reading books, so we put it in our living room, right next to his baskets of books. He likes to sit in the chair, snuggle up with his blanket made by Great-Grandma Yates and look at his books.

You can see from the pictures, he enjoys using the chair for other things - like testing limits. As I'm taking the picture, I'm reminding him that he must sit down on his bottom. By the defiant look on his face, you can obviously tell we need to work on his listening skills!! I'm sure I'm reinforcing bad behavior by taking pictures, but I couldn't resist.

Ryan also discovered this evening how to use boxes to climb onto things he can't reach on his own. I walked into the kitchen and he was just hanging out in one of our wicker chairs. There was a cookie jar box sitting suspiciously on the floor in front of the chair. I'm hoping he'll forget how he did that - otherwise, he'll be climbing all over everything!

SNOW!

You're not imagining things...that is snow in Central California! Every year, they pump snow into Caledonia Park in Pacific Grove. Ryan wasn't too sure of the cold, wet stuff, but it was fun to take him down to check it out. We realized he has no snow gear, but he was fine, he just came home with a wet bottom! There was also a petting zoo, jump houses, Santa Claus arrived, and carolers. It was a great kick-off to the holiday season.

Gotta go - the Huskies are playing Gonzaga and it's actually on TV here! Go Dawgs!

New 'Do

After much deliberation, we decided to take Ryan for his first professional haircut today. I was nervous about doing it myself...and I was even more nervous thinking about Mike trying to do it! About a month ago, I cut the hair around his ears, but because of that, little Ryan had a mullet (business in the front, party in the back!). We didn't want our chic little guy looking like he was from rural Idaho (no offense to anyone from that part of the U.S.)! It almost broke my heart to watch my baby turn into a little boy with a few clips of the shears. He was an all-star - he freaked out when the SuperCuts lady tried to shave his sideburns (what sideburns does a 13-month old have??) and also when she brought out the hair dryer. Ryan has an aversion to small appliances that make big noises - vacuuming is difficult at our house! Anyway, I'm rambling!

I'll end with this funny tidbit: The best part of the whole haircut experience was when the receptionist looked at Ryan and asked us, "Will Ryan be needing a shampoo or color treatment today?" We almost burst out laughing! We thought we'd skip the highlights and just go for a weave!!

Droppin' Back for a Pass

Ryan is exceeding Mike's expectations as far as his interest in sports! We were at Target this weekend and Mike pointed out a set of mini sports balls to Ryan and of course, Ryan frantically signed, "MORE!" So, in order to avoid a scene in Target, Ryan got the set of balls! (Yes, we're suckers for the little guy!) There was a football, basketball and soccer ball. Over the past few days, Ryan has one of the balls in his possession at all times. In fact, I realized this afternoon, that as long as Ryan has his football, he's very cooperative. He even made it in his stroller (without protest) for an hour this afternoon, gripping his football tightly. He takes it in the car, to the park, and walks around the house holding it. We're teaching him to throw the football, bounce the basketball, and kick the soccer ball. He's doing pretty well!

Mike turned to me yesterday and said, "Abbey, I'm so glad that Ryan likes his football." I just smiled, but to be completely honest, I'm thrilled that Ryan is showing an interest in sports at such a young age!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I intended to get some better pictures on Thanksgiving Day, but this all I ended up with - still pretty cute, if you ask me! We spent Thanksgiving with our good friends, the Drapers and the Nelsons. We potlucked and had more than enough food. We've been enjoying leftovers all week!

One of the awesome opportunities we have being a military family is making friends all across the country. We are so thankful for the friends we've made throughout Mike's career. We've been just as blessed here in Pacific Grove with many new friendships. I'm already thinking about how hard it is going to be to move next September. This is Ryan's first real "home" - his nursery, his buddies, where he has experienced many "firsts." Pacific Grove will always be a special place to our family.

Summer has arrived!

Yes, it's November 20th and we're just pulling out Ryan's summer clothes! It's been in the 70s and 80s this past week - unbelievable! Our local friends told us that summer would eventually come - little did we know that it would arrive just in time for Thanksgiving! We are very happy to trade in five months of fog and brisk temperatures for a couple of weeks of sunshine and warmth!

Here's a picture of Ryan with his best buddy, Mallard.

Mr. Attitude

This picture is an accurate representation of Ryan's attitude lately - rebellious and strong-willed. He is definitely beginning to exert his opinions - usually with a small tantrum thrown on the floor because we're trying to feed him, or clothe him, or bathe him!

Ryan has always been a picky eater, but it seems to be getting worse. I'll take any suggestions on how to get him to eat people food. He rejects everything except pureed baby food, bananas, crackers, and toast. We continually try new things, but he throws a fit and acts like we're trying to poison him! Our pediatrician isn't concerned, so I'm not either, but it's getting old. I wish we could just feed him what we eat, but no, it's sweet potatoes and bananas with mixed berries for Ryan!

Another Saturday, another pool day!

We had Ryan's second swimming class today. I'm not too sure how thrilled he is to be in the water. He was very upset when Mike "dunked" him and he gets a very irritated look on his face whenever he is splashed! He still loves jumping off the side of the pool into Daddy's arms. I think his favorite part of today's class was waving to Mommy. He was way more into that than anything related to the swimming. We're going to continue with classes because I really want him to be comfortable in the pool.

I was so afraid of the water when I was little. I vividly remember wanting to go in the pool so badly, but being deathly afraid of the water. Luckily, I overcame that fear - and even swam on swim team for many, many years! I'm sure Ryan will turn into a little fish very soon!

Starfish class

Ryan had his first swimming lesson this weekend at the Sports Center. Ryan is a "Starfish" which is the introductory class for kids ages 6 -36 months. The class provides a great opportunity to familiarize the kiddos to the water. He didn't do much swimming, instead he did a lot of clinging on to daddy. He was a little upset at the beginning, but once they started jumping off the side, he perked up a little. We just need to convince him that it is one gigantic bathtub and I think he'll be good to go!

Grandpa comes to visit

We had a fun visit with Grandpa Fred last weekend. We spent lots of time at Ryan's favorite parks. The highlight of the weekend was a birthday dinner at Benihana's. Ryan enjoyed watching the chef cook our dinner at the table - and he loved watching the servers sing "Happy Birthday," since they used drums and tambourines!

We live in a very sleepy town, so it's fun to have visitors. Ryan loves seeing new faces too!

Welcome to our blog!

So, I've finally got around to creating a blog - something I've been meaning to do since Ryan's birth! I was going to do a family website, but this seems easier and less overwhelming to maintain. I'm looking forward to sharing news about our family, and of course, current photos (and stories) of the little guy that rules the roost! I'll try and refrain from inundating your personal email accounts with pictures and post them to this site instead. Please check back every couple of days for "new" news!