Ryan's 10 month post!

So, I've decided better late than never right?!? I have a confession too these pictures were actually taken December 16th not the 6th. :-\ Sorry for the delay in Ryan's 10 month post. As the holiday season is upon us, we have been going, going, going, non stop ever since the first week of December hit!! As you can see from the above pictures, Ryan is a busy boy and keeps me on my toes. I've finally finished all the decorating, Christmas shopping, wrapping, etc that I was doing in my free time and am FINALLY taking some time out during Ryan's nap to write his 10 month post. Here it goes:

Ryan has such a cute personality. He certainly has his father's humor and good-natured personality with the added stubbornness/hard-headed/determined side which comes from me (as well as my parents, Mike's Mom, etc.- could be from many of us!!) He continues to look mostly like his Daddy, but definitely has some Roberts genes that are starting to shine through. :) Ryan did not have a 10 month well visit so we approximate his length to be almost 31 inches as he's been growing between 3/4"-1" each month to date.  He did have an appointment to check his ears on Dec. 17th and weighed 22lbs 4.5oz, so he was likely right at/around 22lbs when he turned 10 months old. (He does have his second ear infection to date- all have been in the right ear, although the left was starting to get infected the first time, but we caught it early.) Ryan wears size 12 month clothing and still size 3 diapers.  He is sleeping through the night without waking (7:45/8pm until 7:15/7:30am) It's generally between 11-11.5hrs of sleep! Yay! If he does wake it's usually between 5-6am and he fusses for 5 minutes or so and goes back to sleep. This generally only seems to happen around times when he is sick or getting sick.

This month I decided to start the weaning process with one bottle of formula a day (he's taking 2-4oz) in addition to still nursing 3 times a day. I nurse him when he wakes up in the morning and before bed and then one other time during the day either before lunch or mid-afternoon depending on which time is more convenient for a bottle feeding.  Ryan is eating 3 meals a day generally 6-8oz baby food plus bites of whatever we are having and one snack a day (unless he's up early in which case he sometimes has a small morning snack).

Ryan is becoming such a little "lover" as of recently.  He has never been very cuddly, in fact mostly the opposite, but is starting to give hugs and will hold on to me and lay his head on my shoulder now before nap time or bedtime which is so cute! I love all his precious hugs and wet kisses! I just soak in all these little moments because they are so precious to me!

Here is a list of some of Ryan's current "likes"/accomplishments:

• All finger foods especially if we are eating it!
• Waving bye bye (says "dye dah")
• Opening and closing doors (while I say HI and BYE- he will do this for a LONG time before getting bored)
• Reading books (he brings his favorites to me and says "diss" this or "buh" book) He also gets mad if I finish reading one and move on to another book if he's not finished. He will throw a little fit and if I start to read it again he smiles and grabs his hands and gets so excited! (uh oh!)
• Playing peek-a-boo. This past month (Nov. 13th weekend) he started hiding under the coffee table and popping up to play (which thrills him!!) and then the end of Nov he started covering his hands over his eyes when we say "where's Ryan?" and then doing them down when we say "peek-a-boo". Sometimes I see him grinning while hiding his eyes and he is just so cute because I know he is thoroughly enjoying himself.
• Still being assisted with walking. He has taken 2-3 steps on a few occasions to Mike or me and has great balance and can stand for awhile if he chooses too. Overall, he is still too nervous to walk on his own just yet, but will push around laundry baskets, boxes, etc. and walk on his own that way.
• Cruising furniture and even sometimes walls just balancing up against it as he walks sideways.
• Drinks independently from his sippy cup and loves to do it his "big self" without help from Mom. (sound like anyone we know??)
• Loves new noises with his mouth such as clicking his tongue, bbbb- lips buzzing, "Indian" wawawawa noises, but with his finger in his mouth or toothbrush moving up and down rather than his hand over his mouth.
• Loves naps and bed with his lovey bear and sleep sheep and generally goes down without a peep now. (2 hour nap around 9:30am, and 1hr nap around 2pm)
• Still shys away at first when seeing family/new people, but then looks up and smiles so I think he does it to get attention and flirt because he likes the reaction he gets from people.
• Vocabulary so far: Dada and even just Dad (he def knows who this is!!), Mama (never just Mom yet), "diss" (this), "at" (cat), "oof" (for the dogs), "buh" (book), "dye dah" (bye bye), yeah, "nana" (my mom). He is so interested in words and is quite the jabber box lately. I am amazed at how much he already understands and responds to.

Current dislikes:

• Being put in his highchair (about half the time- likes it once he's in, but throws a fit putting him in by arching his back and crying)
• Being put on the diaper changing table laying down- another fit throwing time, doesn't mind if I put him on it sitting up to change his clothes, just diaper changing time. I almost always have to have a toy or Mike there to distract him.
• Certain foods he still doesn't care for: mashed bananas, egg yolks, pees, and most tomato based things.

I know this has gotten long. I was keeping notes in my iPhone through the month and wanted to make sure I got everything. It is crazy how quickly I forget when he starts doing different things and I feel like it's been forever so I like to have these up to date with each month so I can look back on it and see when he started doing certain things. I hope to publish the blog after a year with all of his monthly updates. Thanks for stopping by to check it out!

Love to all of you from "The Campbells"

Tough November... Healthy December??

I'm happy that it is the first day of December and hope this month brings with it good health for our little boy as well as lots of wonderful times with friends and family.  November was really a pretty tough month for Ryan. From teething pain, a cold, his first real chest cough (from the cold), his first ear infection (probably also an aftermath of the cold), and his second (but longest) tummy virus. (2 sick visits and 1 well visit to the Dr- we've been busy!!) The poor little guy can't seem to catch a break!! Mommy's tired of the sicknesses and I'm sure Ryan is too. It's delayed my thoughts of switching to breastfeeding only part-time (twice) and formula (twice) a day because I feel like while he's sick is not the time to start something new.

All the sickness also makes for such weird schedules for him at night, although I'm happy to report that overall Ryan is sleeping straight through the night about 11hrs of sleep a night and sometimes longer.  He  wakes up and fusses occasionally and puts himself back to sleep now, but while he was sick I went in to tend to him just to make sure he was ok. (which one time he wasn't-tummy bug... yuck!)

During the days his mood seems pretty good and mostly his familiar happy self.  I can always tell when he's tired or not feeling well because he becomes pretty fussy and very clingy to "Mommy". However, sometimes I can't even put him down because he just wants to be carried around and point to things and say "buh" (for me to tell him what it is or let him touch it). During this most recent tummy bug he has actually wanted to fall asleep in my arms which is very unusual for him. I enjoy some of the cuddle time while I can get it, but just wish he felt better!

Please pray for good health through the holidays for Ryan and our whole family!!! We also will have a houseguest staying with us for the month of December. Mrs. Annabelle Hendrix is staying with us during her rotation at Plaza Medical in Fort Worth (she's in med school to become a DO). We are very excited to have her in our home and hope she enjoys her stay!  ~Emily

Ryan is 9 months old!

I realized sometime this past week that I only have two more monthly blog posts until I will be announcing that my baby boy is one year old!!!?? How did that happen?? People always say that time flies, well it's amazing how true that really is.  This past month Ryan has kept us very busy, Mom especially, as Dad has had lots of commitments (work, guys weekend) that has taken some of his time away.  Hopefully November and December will be filled with lots of family time as we enjoy all the holidays. (Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite time of year!!)

Here is some of the latest with regards to Ryan:

• Dr's appt (11/8) stats: Weight: 21lb 14oz (75th%) Length: 30 in (95th%)
• He now has 6 teeth, 4 on top and 2 on bottom
• Wearing size 3 diapers, clothing: size 9 month (2 piece, pants) and 12 month (1 piece, pj's, and most Fall/Winter clothes)
• Fits size 4 shoe (although he hates wearing shoes, unfortunately)
• Nursing 4 times a day (pretty routine- 8am, noon, 4pm, 8pm- variances by like 30 min)
• Sleeping varies still need to work on this, but to bed around 8pm and up around 7:30am for the day with a random wakening usually around 4-5am, but sometimes 3:30am :-(
• Enjoys games such as peek-a-boo, where's Ryan, knocking over stacking cups, chasing after Dad and Toby crawling, throwing balls (or really any toy), and banging things together or against the wall 
• He recognizes and seems to understand many words including his name, no, out, up, more, eat, nap, goodnight, bye bye, hi, kitty, Dadda, Mamma- some phrases: "come here", "let's go", "where is...."
• He continues to love music
• He loves to turn off light switches (he gets very excited about this, except is hesitant when he knows he's turning it off for nap time)
• Waves hi and bye (whispers words as though saying hi and bye, but usually comes out dada)
• Gives high fives and low fives
• Giggles when he is pleased at something he has done
• Still LOVES the kitty! (Toby is so patient with the hitting, tail pulling, fur removal, and "tasting" I'm so glad!)
• Recently he hates having his clothes put on, but doesn't mind helping you take clothes OFF! Especially over his head. Hopefully this is just a phase
• Helps on laundry day by handing me clothes to put in the washer and pulls clothes out of the dryer (to the floor-not as helpful!) I like trying to get him involved. I think he enjoys learning and the approval of being a good helper to Mom.
• He is much more interested in books this month- and will actually sit or stand to listen and pay attention most of the time- some favorites include "Goodnight Gorilla", "Knuffle Bunny", "Brown Bear", "Opposites", "I Love you Through and Through" (and still old favorites the Monster and peek-a-who books)
• He walks around furniture and in the past few weeks has mastered going from the couch to the table and back which he finds great fun!
• He is standing for longer and longer periods of time. In the beginning he would just let go and stand a few seconds, but when the Campbells were over last week he stood for almost a full minute alone unassisted. He seems to have great balance already.
• He has taken two steps for Mike and I on two different occasions, but we're not pushing him along with the walking because it would be nice for him to wait another month or so. I'm thinking Christmas we'll be out of luck though- only time will tell!! :)

I think these are some of the highlights from the past month. Ryan has had a mild cold with some coughing which has kept him under the weather for about a week and with the addition of two more teeth last week it was challenging there for awhile. I know he wasn't feeling well, but it's always a balancing act trying to not over medicate, but make sure you're giving them what they need to feel better.  Ryan seems to be in happier spirits and back to his happy & silly self.  Some nights of sleep have been really good too, but others not so much. I am obviously hopeful that nighttime becomes more consistent with sleep for at least a little while before the next tooth presents itself. (please give us a break teeth!!) I'm also asked a lot about weaning and when I plan to do so.  I truly go back and forth about it, but everything has gone well so far although it is starting to be more tiring for me.  The AAP recommends going to 12 months, but I'm not sure I want to just start weaning in February. My thought right now is in the next month or so I will cut his nursing to twice a day so he is still getting the benefits of breast milk, but for me it's not quite as often and give him formula for the other two feedings, then slowly ease off maybe around Christmas time? If not, then at least pump and offer in sippy cup once or twice a day. Then in February switch him from formula to cows milk. I had hoped to go from nursing to cows milk, but just not sure I'm gonna make it. I'm proud of the amount of time that I've nursed and I think it's been beneficial for us both. We'll take it one day at a time and go from there. Sorry I've not been good at keeping up with the blog this month. Hopefully everyone can catch up with our family through facebook posts and pictures! Happy November everyone!

Ryan the Lion

Ryan was a cute little lion for his first Halloween! He had a cough and cold so he wasn't feeling 100%, but enjoyed trick or treating at Grammy and Granddaddy's before hanging out for the night with his Daddy while his Momma got to go to see the Rangers play in game 4 of the World Series. Ryan woke up in time for Mommy to come home from the game (11:30pm) due to him feeling under the weather and I was able to feed him and get him back to bed with Mike's help by 1am and he slept til 6am. Not his best sleeping night, but at least it was a night of uninterrupted sleep since I was home late from the game. The next night he surprised us with an 8pm to 7am uninterrupted sleep which we all needed! Enjoy the little boy's lion pictures!

1st Trick or Treat

Ryan loves pumpkins

Ryan the lion

Ryan the lion loves pumpkins

Little lion with grandparents

Family photo with our little lion

Ryan the crawling lion



Ryan is 8 months old!

I'm about a week late in getting it together to even work on this post, but better late than never I suppose.  So, our little pumpkin is now 8 months old. Can you believe it? When people ask me in the store how old he is, I now find myself taking a minute and thinking, "how old is he now?" People say that when you are pregnant you have "pregnancy brain", well I think this extends into parenthood as a scatterbrained "mommy brain" as well. Anyways, Ryan is just as cute as ever and discovering his world in fun new ways everyday.  Not to say that he doesn't have bumps and ouchies, but so far nothing major from his new found love for independence. (Thank you, Jesus!) A day before Ryan turned 8 months Mike and I weighed him at his grandma's house and according to their scale he is exactly 22lbs. We tried to use a tape measure to figure out how long he is, but from what we could tell it still said 29 inches, so either we were off last month or off this month b/c I'm sure he's not the exact same. We'll get the official measure at his 9 month appt and update then! Ryan is still in size 3 diapers and is wearing 9 month and 12 month outfits with a few 6-9 two piece sets that still fit.  His pj's are all 12 month now and I finally bought a few two piece sets that hopefully last us a bit longer than the one piece footed pjs.  Now on to some of Ryan's latest accomplishments:

• Halfway through month 7 he finally decided crawling up on all 4's like a big boy is really fun!
• He is pulling up on EVERYTHING!! (couches, tables, chairs, bookcases, crib, window sills etc.)
• He's starting to cruise around furniture, primarily when there is something out of reach that he wants to get to. I'm still hesitant to let him do this much, bc I worry about him falling, but he seems to get stronger every day!
• As of 10/13 he now has 4 teeth with two more up top ready to come through anytime. We started brushing his teeth before bed at night this past month too which he seems to enjoy. (mostly sucking the water off the toothbrush, ha!)
• He loves to roar or make other loud noises, which my family (La especially) finds hilarious
• He jabbers often and tries new sound combinations that we love to hear
• He has learned he can talk into his plastic Halloween pumpkin and hear his voice louder/echo
• He enjoys feeding himself cheerios, Gerber puffs, yogurt bites, and cheese. I have been trying to find more things he can try that he can feed himself because for about 4 days I really couldn't get more than 2oz of food down him a day other than what he could put in his mouth himself. (grapes and bananas were rejected by him)
• The past few days he is back to his normal self with eating about 6-8oz of baby food a day plus some finger food snacks. Fav foods: sweet potatoes, squash, pears, apple/blueberry mixture and CHEESE! Dislikes: peas, bananas, sometimes yogurt
• His nursing schedule is now 8:30am (wake up), around 12:30pm, 4:30-5pm, then before bed at 8pm. He typically wakes up between 3:30-4am for a feeding then back to bed, but the past two nights has made it until 5am so we're crossing our fingers that sticks around!!
• He takes two naps a day, one about 2 hrs after waking up that is typically about two hours. The second one later in the afternoon (usually around 3-3:30) which is normally about an hour, but sometimes a little longer.
• He has varying days of separation anxiety being better/worse. He definitely likes when I am around and tends to look for me when I am out of sight. He's actually turned away from people wanting to take him from my arms a few times the past few weeks which is new. I am trying to give him opportunities to be away from me so that he knows he can play and have fun on his own and with others.

Last month we joined our church's MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group so Ryan goes to MOPPETS two Tuesdays a month from 9:30-11:30am.  He also spends Sundays in the nursery during the second service. It's a nice break for me and I feel like he is getting exposed to other children and adults. I have also joined a BUNCO group that meets the first Mondays of the month, so Mike and Ryan get some father/son time and Mike gets to bathe and put him to bed which I think is a good bonding time for them.  Mike has also joined a Men's Bible study through our church that meets on Tuesdays, which he is enjoying! Ryan absolutely loves other kids. We will be in a grocery store or shopping and he will hear a child's voice and turn in their direction and just grin and watch them everywhere they go. Sometimes he will even fuss when they get out of sight as though he wants to follow them! (He also does this with the cat) Ryan loves crawling around the house and chasing the cat and climbing up at window sills and banging on the windows.  He has a few books that are current favorites: Peek-a-Who?, That's not my Monster, Trucks, and before nap time- I Love you Through and Through. He used to never sit still for me to read to him, but when I read these books he jabbers along and pays attention excitedly and with the last book he actually let me put him in my lap and sat still to read!! Hopefully this continues, but maybe it was because it was before the last two nap times. He is such a sweet boy and loves his Mom and Dad and all his family around him! We sure love him too! We can't wait to see you as you grow and learn and become a wonderful loving Christian man! Stay sweet little boy!

Love, Mommy

Officially Fall

Well, as of today it is officially Fall. Does it feel like it? No. It is 92 degrees outside, but they are predicting a nice cool front (low 60's-mid 70's high) starting next week.  I'm crossing my fingers it makes it here!  Luckily, our area has had a few nice showers and large clouds lately keeping us cooler than the rest of DFW (like 88-89 ha!) Ryan has all kinds of Fall/Winter clothes in 9 month and 12 month sizes that I am anxious to get him into.  A few of the one piece 9 month outfits we will be cutting it close as the length on those says range up to 28.5" and he was 28 inches at 6 months so I'm thinking he's probably already there or past it by now.  I also have several cute Fall decorations that I'd like to put out, but I just can't bear the thought of it while it's so warm. 

This week there has been an addition to the Campbell Family.  Matt and Vivian (Mike's brother and sis-in-law) just gave birth to their son Charlie earlier this week.  He is so cute and we are excited that he and Ryan will be close in age so that they can play together at family get-togethers as they grow up.  He was 7lb 8oz and 20".  I was only a day off on my guess for his "birth date", but was way off on length (I guessed 22" bc that was Matt's birth length) and I'm not sure what I put for weight, but I think about 8 lbs.  Probably because Ryan was so big. I guessed Charlie would be a little smaller though. I went up to visit them in the hospital the day after he was born and enjoyed some along time with him and M&V while Ryan played at Grammy's house with cousin Naomi.  They have since gone home and had their first night alone with him.  Please keep them in your prayers as the first few weeks are always trying and tiring for new parents.

Finally made a trip to Babies 'R' Us today to buy more stuff for baby proofing our house.  Whew! That stuff sure adds up. It's always such an adventure to get out there and back. I love all the things they have there, but hate having to drive Cooper in Arlington- BLAH!!  Anyways, he now has crib guards which I love the one that I bought- so easy to install and looks nice!  Also, fireplace guards- still working on that and adding to the Daddy-do list will be the cabinet latches.  What a pain! I bought two 12pk containers and we'll see how far that gets us.  I decided against any of the toilet latches or door knob things b/c frankly I don't want to mess with them.  I think I'll be better about keeping an eye on my child where he is never unattended in a bathroom and it'll be awhile before he reaches door knobs. (We have the round ones too which I've heard is harder for them to figure out)  Also, I didn't have to buy any table corner guards b/c I thought ahead to babies being next in our lives and bought round coffee/dining tables! Yay me! :) Already have outlet covers in just about all the plugs. (maybe a few missing) Next on the list will be the gates. I'm still researching them and there is a coupon that will be good for 20% off starting next week so I didn't purchase them just yet. I need 2 to start with and we'll see if we need any others from there.

Oh yeah, Mom and Dad finally moved into their new house! Yay! It's a little less than 20 minutes from us, so saves us 20 minutes from the previous drive.  I will miss driving to Candleridge and knowing that area so well, but I'm happy they are close so it's easier to pop in for a visit every now and then.  Mom's already got a good handle on unpacking and decorating. It's neat to see their furniture in a new set up, and so far everything is looking great! I think that's all I have time for now and gets everyone caught up just a little bit.  Enjoy the first week of Fall.

Love, Emily

Ryan is 7 months old!

What a joy Ryan is each month as he grows and changes daily. Here are a few words that come to mind that describe his personality lately: happy, smiley, determined, loving, stubborn, funny and social. Ryan is becoming even more interested in the world around him and I can tell he is learning new things everyday. He is especially fond of his kitty, Toby and if the cat comes into a room you can be sure that Ryan will be coming after him rather quickly with a smile on his face and jabbering away. He continues to wear size 3 diapers and 6-9 month clothing. Most one piece outfits have to be 9 months for the length. He has a few 12 month onesies that fit already too. Shorts and pants that are 6 month still fit just fine. The past month has been full of new milestones. Here are a few of them:

• Sitting up unsupported- now gets to ride in grocery cart up front and high chairs at restaurants
• First two teeth on the bottom
• Starting to pull up on things like his bookcase, the couch, the coffee table underneath ledge, and especially people (we lowered the crib mattress)
• He is laughing more and more and sometimes at the most random things which we think is so funny
• His smile is really developing and just getting cuter! He smiles at anyone in a store who will smile back or pay attention to him
• He does get startled at strangers getting up in his face (lady at suzushii and G.O. nursery) and will cry when he gets scared- including extended family or friends he hasn't seen in awhile (sorry Lisa & Kacey)
• He attended his first TCU football game (out of the womb- he went to all of them last year too!) and his first visit to Dallas Cowboys Stadium. He had a good time for the most part (got sleepy and scared of the noise at times)
• He is scooting like crazy and can get places fast! He is getting up on all fours much more often and rocks back and forth with an occasional movement forward on all fours. I think he is just days from being considered truly crawling
• He is now combining consonants and vowels, some sounds we've heard lately: dada, baba, gaga, mama
• He had his first bath in the "big boy" tub Aug 13th and has done them that way ever since. He enjoys sucking the water out of the washrag and playing with toys
• He is pushing back when on his tummy and is able to push back to a sitting position from there. I actually found him sitting up in his crib the other day after a nap which surprised me since I've only seen him do it a handful of times.

Looks like we have more baby proofing needed soon. I have been intending to buy two gates (soon!) as well as foam stuff to cover the edge of the fireplace. Other than that just a few cabinet locks for harmful places and I think we'll be good. Ryan's feeding schedule is becoming much more routine, although we still have days that are an exception. His typical day consists of wake up-nurse 7:30-8am, play, saucer (while I eat), his solid foods-fruit and cereal around 9-9:30am, typically long nap 2 hrs shortly after that (while I clean the house and shower). Nurse around 11:30-noon, play and read books, jumper time, nap around 2:30pm for about an hour, nurse again around 3:30-4pm, then play again- sometimes TV (generally the news, but I try to put on a kid show every now and then such as Yo Gabba Gabba-recommended by cousin Leigh), occasionally I will get another 45 min nap out of him right before dinner times, but not always. He'll nurse again around 6-6:30pm then eat solid foods-veggie and fruit with us at dinner. Bath time is 8-8:30 then I nurse him to sleep- really more of a comfort thing for him than a necessary meal I think, so eventually I do think I should try to cut this out, but it works for us. He is still waking up once almost like clockwork between 4-5:30am. That's a typical day in the life of Ryan! When I say typical I mean for the last week or two because it seems he is always changing things up, but they follow the same routine just different hours. Favorite solid foods continue to be sweet potatoes, pears, peaches, apples, squash, and bananas. He is even starting to take cereal okay- not always great, but better. The only things I've found that he really hates are peas and plums. We are doing well with our introduction of the foods for 6-8 months. We still have pumpkin, mangoes, nectarines, zucchini, parsnips, turkey, tofu and barley. Then at 8 months he can start his first dairy with whole milk yogurt and mild cheeses! I really think he will love those!! Up to this point I've been making almost all of his baby foods, but I've recently started switching over to jars and store bought because it's easier when you're out running errands and saves a lot of mess in the kitchen. Some foods are still easy to make and definitely are economical (avocado, banana, carrots), but others are just as pricey to purchase (pears) and then prepare and for a few the preparation is a pain in the neck. (peaches, plums) I just keep my eyes peeled for coupons and price cuts and stock up that way! :) Hope you've enjoyed our Ryan update. We sure love him!!!

3 Year Anniversary

We are pleased to be celebrating three years of marriage today! We are so grateful for all of the Lord's blessings on our life and our marriage thus far. It is hard to believe how quickly time has passed and that we are already celebrating three years together. I could never have asked for a better husband than the Lord has blessed me with and I am so thankful for him every day! To Michael- Thank you for being such a loving and supportive husband even when I am being stubborn and "hard to love"! Thank you for your sacrifices for our family and for supporting us financially, spiritually and emotionally. The past three years have been full of fun travels and fun times together, as well as the start of our family. I can only pray that the Lord continues to pour his blessings out on us as he has done so faithfully thus far. I love you Michael!



1 Chronicles 16:34

"Give Thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Ryan has two teeth!!

Well, after all that chewing and drooling, Ryan finally cut his first two teeth. They are both on the bottom front. His left came first 8/16, and right came second 8/18. I have attempted to photograph these cute little pearly whites, but have yet to be successful. He is happy to have you stick your hand in and touch them, but try to open his mouth or pull down the lower lip to show them off "NO THANKS!!"

This past weekend, he also said "dada" for the first time. He happened to be looking right at Mike at the time (which I know he didn't necessarily associate it, but how cute!!) He has since repeated dadas, babas, and a few gagas, but still no mama yet :( Hopefully soon!!

Minus one night, the past two weeks we are finally back to our sleeping from 8pm-3:30 or 4am, then nursing and back to sleep till around 7:30am. Knock on wood!! I'll take it though! Much better than the 12:30-1:30am THEN 4:30-5am that we were stuck with for almost a month. My little guy is also being a big boy napper and most mornings is up for 2 hrs and then naps for 2 hrs first thing, followed by 2 more naps during the day of appx an hour each. If we're out running errands then they are much shorter and typically on Mondays I only get two naps and they are both about two hours. Not sure why he always seems more tired on Mondays. I'm fine with it!

New foods lately, green beans-loves, plums-dislikes. Going to have pears and squash next. I think that's it for now! Just sharing a brief update on our little cutie pie :)

Road trip- San Antonio, TX

Well, this past weekend Ryan experienced his first long road trip to San Antonio, TX. He did wonderfully!! We kept him very busy and it was very hot, but he was a trooper and although he had his tired times in the evenings he did about as well as we could've hoped for.

Day 1: Friday, Mike took a vacation day from work and we left our home around 8:30am. Ryan had woken up that morning at 7:45. I fed him, got him dressed, let him play for about 10 minutes, then loaded him up in the car seat to go. He played with toys in his car seat for the first half hour or so then was out and slept for two hours! (YAY!) When he woke up it was about time for him to eat, but he was happy after I climbed back in the back next to him and played with a few toys and gave him some juice. We stopped just north of San Antonio before Loop 1604 so I could feed him about 12:15pm then continued on to our destination at La Cantera, where we arrived at 1:15pm. We met up with our friends the Turners for lunch at Grimaldis pizzeria. It was delicious! They had just built it before we left last year, but had limited hours and we never were able to try it out before we moved. The Turners have a little girl, Emma, who just turned 1 at the beginning of the summer. She is such a cutie and has grown so much since we saw her last! We went back to the Turner's house after lunch to play for a couple hours so Ryan could stretch and be out of his car seat. It was also just too hot to be outside. The little ones enjoyed playing for about an hour then Emma went down for a nap and Ryan ate and we left. Following our visit with the Turners we went to see a former sorority sister, Jenna Rose, and her two new twin girls- Katelynn and Leah. SO CUTE!! They are one month old and soooo tiny! I think one of the girls is about 5 lbs an the other is a little over 7 lbs at one month. It was nice to see Jenna and meet her precious little angels. After this visit we finally went to the Wood's home where we were staying for the weekend to get all our stuff unpacked and set up for the night. Unfortunately, Ryan didn't get any other naps other than the first long one and a couple 10 minutes between places that afternoon so he was pretty tired. He ate and then we headed out to one of our fav Mexican food restaurants in San Antonio, La Fogata! It was just as good as we remembered (minus being over 100 degrees and sitting outside). While we were there Ryan had a little bit of a meltdown which I think was a mixture of the heat and the fact that he was TIRED!! So, we took turns walking him around, ate then headed home for the night. Ryan had his first big boy bath sitting up in a tub at the Wood's house that night and then went straight to sleep about 9:30pm. The adults stayed up and watched a movie, Bounty Hunter, then turned in for the night around midnight. (long day!) Ryan did great sleeping in his pack 'n play for the first time and slept until 5am, woke up to nurse, then went back to sleep until about 8am.



Day 2: Began after Ryan was up for the morning at 8am. John had gone out and bought various pastries for breakfast from Broadway bakery (yummy!). We had kolaches, muffins, and scones- all delicious. After taking it easy in the morning and letting Ryan play and get in his long morning nap, we got ready for the day and Kristy went to a baby shower while John, Mike, Ryan and I went to Pam's Patio for lunch. I enjoyed their Spinach, strawberry and chicken salad and a strawberry lemonade! After lunch we met back up with Kristy at the house and let Ryan get in a nap. Then, we went to the Shops at La Cantera for a little shopping and Piccomolo gelato. To get out of the heat we headed back to the house and cleaned up, fed Ryan then went to Paesano's for dinner. We had planned to go to the River walk, but figured with the heat and tourists, since it is the end of the summer, we'd rather steer clear. Ryan will have to get his picture with the Alamo and River walk on our next trip. After dinner, bath and bed for Ryan- the adults enjoyed a friendly game of Yahtzee that EMILY won!! (finally!! Mike always wins!) It was lots of fun, then we all turned in for the night since we were pretty tired.



Day 3: Sunday morning we got up around 7:30am after Ryan woke to nurse (he was also up at 4am). We let him play on a blanket downstairs while we ate breakfast and then he napped while we got ready for church. We went to Crossbridge Community Bible Church, which was where Mike and I attended for a little over a year while we lived in San Antonio. We saw a few familiar faces, but many new ones. It was neat to go back and see the service. A few things have changed and they have built a Community Center on their land that they were paying off when we attended. Also, in April 2011 they are going to start meeting in a new sanctuary on their property. (They currently meet at Ronald Reagan HS) It is neat to see the growth of the church and Ryan got to go to BZ-A during service, which is where I used to serve on the 1st Sundays of the month. He had fun for the first half hour or so, then I got a page over the screen which I knew I would because we were past a feeding and I was hoping to enjoy some of the service. However, since he ate during service, we were able to go straight to lunch from church. We went to lunch at Perico's where everyone else had breakfast tacos and I got their enchiladas verdes. Yum! I miss fresh homemade flour tortillas everywhere you go in San Antonio and sooo good! After lunch we went back to the Wood's and packed up our stuff and loaded up the car for the trip home. I'll just give a brief summary on the long trip that we had going home because it's tiring just to think about. Left Woods home @ 1:15pm I-10/DeZavala. Accident/traffic 1604 to get onto I-35N (45min). Nursed Ryan in San Marcos, shopped Ann Taylor store (30min), crazy traffic to leave outlets- 45 min (just to get out of parking lot onto freeway!!), stand-still traffic just north of SM to Buda (1hr+), Another slow-up Lorena, Waco for Subway dinner and nurse Ryan, slow-down in Hillsboro, finally home @ a little after 8pm... Whew! Definitely don't miss the traffic on I-35 and I remember why we always traveled 281 when we lived in SA.

We hated that the trip ended on such a sour note, because it really was a great trip and Ryan did so well. He was pretty fussy by the end of the day Sunday, but can you blame him?!? We were too!! Also, we realized the next day when Ryan had his first tooth come through (8/16) that some of the fussing could've been related to that, but I do think he was bored/tired of being in his car seat. I think that's the summary of our trip! It was great to go back and we hope to go again when it is cooler and show Ryan some of the "historic/touristy" side of San Antonio. You'll see most of our trip revolved around friends and food! That's the way it should be, right? :) Hope you enjoy some of our photos below. I tried to take a few, but didn't get any with the other babies. I hope to steal some the Turners took eventually of Ryan and Emma. Enjoy!

Playtime in the morning on his tweety blanket

Ryan loves his hosts- Kristy and John Wood

Our other gracious hostesses- Ida and Deja

Thanks for opening your home to us!! We miss you two

Naked baby hanging out with Dad before bath time- Deja checking out baby

Our fav- La Fogata, margaritas and tacos al pastor

Tasty food, great company- but HOT HOT HOT outside!

Ryan enjoys ice and water during dinner to keep him cool

Excited about his first day in San Antonio

Ryan is 6 months!

Our little boy is now six months old! He is such a sweetie and growing fast! It is amazing that he's already halfway to a year. Where has the time gone? We have a busy August ahead of us and really most of the Fall months ahead as well so I'll try to be better about blogging to keep you up to speed with what's going on with the Campbells.

Here's Ryan's 6 month update:

-We're on to size 3 diapers and hopefully stick with this size through the rest of the year

-He wears 6-9 month clothing, but 9 month for one piece outfits

-At his 6 month checkup he weighed 18lbs. 15oz 75th% and was 28 inches long 90th%

-He can now sit up on his own for long periods of time to play although we still supervise b/c he will look up or get excited and lose his balance and fall backwards or sideways occasionally. (he's bonked his head a couple times which surprises him and makes him 'and Mom' sad)

-He's not technically on all 4's and crawling yet, but he's certainly getting around. He "creeps" all over the place especially to get a toy out of reach

-He is laughing more and more at funny things Mike and I do or say and we enjoy making him laugh

-He splashes like crazy during bathtime and sometimes you would think that I had taken a bath with him for how soaked I get

-He does get mad and throw a small tantrum when I take a toy he's not done playing with

-He has many favorite toys, but during car rides it's his lovey bear or his blue bear


-He doesn't have much to say with vowel-consonant combinations (mama, dada, etc), it's still mostly vowel sounds, but all his "talks" and vocalizations are so funny and we love hearing what he has to say

-He enjoys playing with/touching his ears and head. The pediatrician says this is because he is learning about "object permanence"- anyways it's cute to watch!

-He seems to recognize his grandparents pretty well now and responds positively to them

-He is not as startled or scared of the Campbells dogs barking when we go to visit which is good!

-He is now starting to have solids twice a day instead of just once as advised by our pediatrician. Current favorites are sweet potatoes, carrots, and apples (I'm sure he still loves peaches and bananas, he just hasn't had them in awhile)

-He was nursing 6-7 times a day depending on night time, but we are now cutting back to 5-6 as we are working hard to break him of the night feeding he's become so dependent on the past month or so. (this is still a work in progress)

-He has gotten much better at napping and has one two hour nap a day (if we're at home) and generally two other appx 1 hr naps which is great!! If we are out and about it's usually just the to and from in the car (so 30 minutes each way from FW)


I think that's about it for now. Hope you enjoy his 6 month picture posts below. It is becoming more and more of a challenge to pose him with that sign. It gets destroyed by the end of each session now. We have a very busy little guy on our hands!
Love, Emily

I am 6 months old!

Look! There's my sign! Let me grab that Mom

Sweet happy smiling boy! We love you so much! :)

Summertime

Here are a few updated July photos of our precious little boy. He looks so good in blue and I really like finding cute blue outfits! Only one week until he will be 6 months old. Below are a few photos of playtime with his cousin, Naomi and his grandmother, Melodye. This summer is hot hot hot so we enjoy mostly playing indoors. Earlier this week we had some cooler (high 70's) weather due to rain and we enjoyed family walks around the neighborhood. One night Ryan rode in his front carrier, the other night in his big-boy stroller. He really seemed to enjoy our time out walking and Mike and I enjoyed the exercise and nice breeze. That's all for now :)

~Emily

Cutie pie hanging out in the Boppy

Precious blue eyes

Cousins playtime

Ryan hanging out with Grammy

Ryan's latest fascinations

Sorry I've been so bad at updating lately. It's been a busy few weeks and going to continue to be that way for a little while. Also, I recently got Mike's old iPhone since he got the iPhone 4 and so I check everyone else's blogs and all other Internet related things that way. I tried to start a blog post from the phone, but it just wasn't working out so now that Ryan is happily napping I thought I'd provide a quick update.

Lately, one of our favorite things to watch is Ryan's fascination with the 'waving/turning' of his hands. He discovered his hands quite awhile ago, but just recently has I guess noticed that he can rotate his wrist so at various times during the day I will see him intently studying his hand as he turns it each direction (think pageant beauty wave ladies). It is really adorable and I always ask him if he's waving to me and when I mimic the movement with my hand he watches and will reach out to grab my hand or smile. Perhaps our little guy is going to be a music conductor like his great-grandaddy Bob.

Another recent fun thing for him is loud grunting/growling or otherwise what I call his "man noises". He will be so loud sometimes practicing all his different noises and you get some high pitched mixed in there as well. It is really funny and we can't help but laugh at his growling, etc. He seems so pleased with himself as he tries out these new vocalizations.

In the world of solid foods, he's had avocados, bananas & peaches. He liked the avocados pretty good the first time, but wasn't as thrilled the next two. Doesn't seem to care much for bananas, but generally likes peaches pretty well. I've tried mixing with cereal to get him to like cereal, but still no success quite yet. I have tried that stuff and I can see why he wouldn't be a big fan. He's had rice and oatmeal baby cereals and I just switch back and forth every couple of days now. So, we'll just keep trying- I believe peas are on the menu this week.

Other news, I enjoyed visiting with some old college friends last weekend at Elizabeth's bridal shower and luncheon in Dallas. Mike got to stay home with Ryan for over 3 hours (so far the longest I've been away from him). We also enjoyed entertaining our friend Kristy Wood from San Antonio and look forward to visiting she and her husband John in San Antonio in August. Lastly, I am excited for Vivian's baby shower that is coming up this weekend and happy for some more girl-time. I think that's it for now, hopefully I'll update again soon with pictures! :)
~Emily

Ryan is 5 months old!

The only picture I got before he saw the sign

Hmmm... what is this??

It sure looks tasty!!

Picture- post sign crumpling (couldn't get him to smile for this)

Where did my sign go??

Our little precious boy is growing with each day and is now 5 months old! I am amazed at the changes and growth he's made just from month 4 to 5. Here are some of the highlights:

• He is now in size 2 diapers and will quickly be moving to size 3
  
• He weighs about 17 lbs now and is almost 27 inches long

• He is wearing mostly 6-9 mo clothing now, although some 3-6 outfits still fit- particularly the two piece ones. His footed sleepers now are 9 months though b/c he's so long!

• He is now scooting to get to toys on a blanket. I have to watch him constantly b/c he goes from one side of the blanket to off the blanket across the room quickly if he wants something (aka the cat)

• He rolls both ways- esp loves rolling from his back onto his tummy so he can move around better
  
• Turns in circles on his tummy especially in the direction of a voice or the TV

• Loves to grab at our faces especially nose, mouth, and ears. He giggles when you pretend to "munch/eat" on his fingers
  
• He has the most precious laugh I can't get enough of it
  
• He likes when we blow on his belly or kiss his belly and giggles when we tickle him- he is sooo ticklish!!

• Sometimes he will giggle or smile after he sneezes when I say "Bless you"

• He is trying out new higher pitched sounds that make US laugh b/c they sound so funny

• He has a new smile that he does sometimes with his lips pursed that we call his "grandpa" smile- I'll try to get it on film to show you it's too funny

• He is still having some 1am feedings to add to his 4:30-5am feeding, but we're slowly seeing more days where he is back to going down around 8:30pm at night and sleeping until around 5am which I obviously like much better! When he wakes up he just eats and goes back to sleep and is up for the day between 8-8:30am

• Ryan is still breastfeeding every three hours during the day, 4 hours in the morning due to his long nap, but last month I let him start trying rice cereal and oatmeal a handful of times. I plan to gradually start a few fruits and veggies during his 5th month to be ready to eat solids a little more regularly when he turns 6 months old. This is something I keep going back and forth on b/c the pediatrician recommended starting him on solids at his 4 month visit, but the AAP recommends no solids until 6 months. However, at 6 months babies iron stores start depleting so I figured starting a little cereal and teaching him how to take something other than nursing wouldn't be too bad. I plan to make his foods because I think it will be fun and it is a cost effective and nutritious choice for him. So, for this month I am planning apples, peaches, avocados and sweet potatoes. One new thing each week.

Ryan is such a joy and we love him so much. We feel so blessed to have such a happy, energetic and busy little boy! He has his fussy moments and definitely seems to have an idea about what he wants and the way things should be (Can we say type A personality shining through already??!) I know he'll keep us running after him in no time at all. We love you, Ryan!!

Belated Father's Day post

This is a little late getting posted, but wanted to share a little bit of Mike's first Father's Day. Last year on Fathers Day was when we revealed to our families that we were expecting little Ryan. So, we had a mini-celebration with just Mike and me last year. However, this year was technically Mike's first Father's Day. Ryan and I (okay, really just me this year) made breakfast in bed for Mike of French toast, bacon, and grapes. We also let Mike order the new iPhone for his Father's Day gift. But we wanted to get something for him to be able to open that morning, so Ryan and I picked out a new pair of sunglasses to replace the ones Mike lost at the Ranger's game and a new pair of swim trunks since he's had only one pair for the last couple of years. I think Mike was pleased with his gifts and we're still waiting for that iPhone (should be here soon). He seemed to enjoy relaxing in bed and Ryan even slept in a little bit that Sunday so he didn't get Mike up too early. After breakfast we got ready for church and then came home for lunch. I offered to take Mike out for lunch, but he said eating at home was fine. In the evening we went with my family to Concerts in the Garden in Fort Worth to see the "Big Bands" show. I love going out to the gardens every summer and having a picnic and enjoying a show. Also, it wasn't nearly as hot as I imagined it would be since there was a really nice breeze going on, but Ryan didn't do so well at it. I think it was a mixture of the heat, being tired (since it started around 7:30 which is typically the start of his bedtime routine), and the loud music. Ryan seems to love music in general, but we were sitting pretty close to the speakers and even moved back to try to get away from the loud noise. Overall, at a little after 9pm we called it quits and loaded up for home. It was sad to not be able to stay for the fireworks, but Mike and I actually got to see them after we picked up our car at my Aunt's house and headed home. I think the Concert in the Gardens will be more fun next year once Ryan is a little bit older and hopefully can sleep through some of the noise if he gets tired. Oh well, it was a busy day and we were glad to spend some time with just the three of us and some time with the rest of the family. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures from the Gardens (I don't think anyone took any), but I do have some from Father's Day morning. Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day- Daddy!

My two sweet boys!

Mike's breakfast in bed

The tasty breakfast!

Video issues

Mike and I have been taking several 2 minute and less little videos of Ryan with our camera. However, I can't seem to get any videos to upload anymore to my blog. Any suggestions? I'm not sure what the problem is. Perhaps with our new camera the size comes across too large?? Anyways, after about a half hour of waiting each, I got a few uploaded on facebook- so I'm letting everyone know so they can go and check them out on my profile page. I'm just not patient enough to wait over two hours and it still not work on the blog. Hope you can enjoy him there! :)
Love,
Emily

Ryan is 4 months old

Slumping over!

He got really excited for this one, but fuzzy camera!

Something is funny!

What's going on over there??

Our little man is now officially 4 months old!! At his well child visit he checked in at 26 inches (90th%) and 16 lbs (75th%).  He is growing like a weed! He got his shots again which was sad like last time, but at least I didn't cry this time! :) The Dr gave him the okay to start baby rice cereal and oatmeal anytime between 4-6 months. I went and bought some at the grocery store yesterday, but haven't fed it to him yet.  I keep going back and forth about waiting a little bit longer. On one hand I get excited to see how he would do and try it out with him.  On the other, I've read several things about the benefits to baby of breastfeeding exclusively for the first 6 months. I have friends that have started cereals at 4 months and those that have started at 6 months. I am torn about what is right for us (him).  When I do start all the baby foods I'd like to make them on my own because I have heard it is very easy to do and can save you a lot of money in the long run as well as giving baby fresh veggies and fruits which means less preservatives.  What has Ryan been up to this month? Well, he loves his feet! He holds them and sometimes even puts his toes in his mouth. His new thing is also standing. He wants you to hold him standing so he can bounce and look at you right in the face all the time.  He is also consistently rolling from tummy to back in his crib and sometimes on his play mat.  He is getting so close to rolling from his back to his tummy and gets all the way on his side and you can tell he's trying to get it, but hasn't accomplished it yet.  He is wearing size two diapers and Pampers brand continues to be our favorites! He is wearing some 3-6 month outfits, but mostly getting into 6 months for the one piece outfits.  He laughs when being tickled (and he is VERY ticklish!!) and sometimes laughs in response to Mom or Dad doing something he thinks is funny! He got to go swimming on Memorial Day for the first time in the Roberts' pool.  He liked to splash, but was really only interested in the water for about 10-15 minutes then he was ready to get out. Could have also had to do with the fact that he needed a nap and was close to a feeding during his two different pool times.  I have yet to see any of his swimming pictures because I forgot my camera and so Mike took them all on my Moms and she's not yet uploaded them to her computer or Shutterfly for me to steal! :)  Ryan's sleeping much better in general approx 8:30pm-4:30/5am, feeding then generally up by 7am. The past few nights he's been a little off and I'm not sure why, but hopefully he gets back to his steady routine soon.  His eating schedule is much better too and ranging from every 3 hrs-4hrs during the day (if he gets a good nap he occasionally goes the longer time, but when he's awake it's right at 3 hrs).  He is also a little drooler for sure.  Some of this could be due to the fact that he is upright a lot more than he used to be, but we keep burp rags nearby for constant "drool-catching".  I don't think he's teething yet, but he does love munching on my fingers and puts EVERYTHING in his mouth.  He likes to play with people's faces and touch their mouth (sometimes inside), nose, cheeks, and facial hair. I'm trying to think of more of his accomplishments this month, but overall he's just becoming much more alert and active and enjoys interacting with other people.  He does get startled by loud noises sometimes after which a very sad crying spell will ensue.  I know babies are more sensitive to noise, but hopefully as we introduce him to loud things he will get more adjusted and not so scared.  He is still getting nighttime baths (almost) every night, but doesn't always get Bible stories anymore because he has started anticipated the feeding after bath time and gets very anxious and basically throws a tantrum until I go ahead and feed him and put him to bed.  I play a lullaby CD while he nurses before bed and he typically goes to sleep without a cry and when he does cry it's only for a few minutes. He has a blue bear he loves to have in his car seat with him when we go places and he also loves holding his burp cloth.  I change it everyday so it's not a specific one, just holding on to it is comforting. Attached are some of the attempts at a 4 month picture.  I have a feeling this is only going to get more and more challenging as each month passes. He is already starting to notice the "sign" and wanted to touch it when I put it down, but I distracted him from it for long enough to get a few pictures.  None of them are just perfect, but they are pretty cute. I think that's all for this month's post- Enjoy the pictures!

Ryan photos

Loving some tummy time on the Boppy pillow

Mommy's so funny- our little smiley boy

Mmm yummy fingers

Mommy trying to catch a picture of me holding my toes (a new favorite thing to do)

I love playtime!