Hey everyone, just uploaded a few new pics. Here’s the link:
Enjoy!
10 Months
Sigh…Ryan’s first birthday is just around the corner.
By ten months, Ryan…SHOULD be able to:
-stand holding on to someone or something – You bet.
-pull up to standing position from sitting – yup.
-object if you take a toy away – yup.
-say “mama” or “dada” – yup.
-play peekaboo – yup.
-exchange back-and-forth gestures with you – yup. We take turns waving and clapping.
…will PROBABLY be able to:
-get into sitting position from stomach – yup, he’s finally starting sit on his own now too.
-play patty cake or wave – yup.
-pick up tiny objects – yup, we have to watch out for him now. Everything and anything is picked up and put in the mouth.
-cruise – yup.
-understand “no” – yup, although he cries everytime we tell him “no.”
…may POSSIBLY be able to:
-stand alone momentarily – I think he has for a brief second when he forgets he needs to hold onto the couch.
-point to something to get needs met – not yet, at least not that I’ve noticed.
…may even be able to:
-indicate wants in ways other than crying – not sure here.
-play ball – it’s more like roll to him and he chews it. Alex and him play this game all the time.
-drink from a cup independantly – he’s still on a bottle but he can hold that on his own.
-stand alone well – not yet.
-use immature jargoning – there’s been a couple times he’s said more than the “baba” and “mama” sounds, but it’s not frequent yet.
-respond to a one-step command with gestures – not yet.
-walk well – not yet.
Ryan Update
Okay, so the update for Ryan is probably going to be late. It’s pretty busy around here this week. Rob’s mom went into surgery yesterday (she’s okay). I’m on nights and the kids are spending about half the week at my Mom’s, so I’ve barely sat down for 5 minutes. I figure I will make the post this week-end, maybe, week-ends tend to be hectic sometimes too. It will get done though, I promise!
9 Months
Oops. A day late. But then I worked all day yesterday. So, anyway, let’s get to the update.
By nine months, Ryan…SHOULD be able to:
-work to get a toy that’s out of reach – Yup. He zooms to his toys now.
-look for a dropped object – yup.
…will PROBABLY be able to:
-pull up to standing position from sitting – he still doesn’t sit, but he can pull himself to standing from lying down.
-creep or crawl – yup.
-get into sitting position from stomach – nope.
-object if you try and take a toy away – yup.
-stand holding onto someone or something – ALL THE TIME! He doesn’t like lying down or sitting at all, he’s always standing now.
-pick up object with any part of thumb and finger – yup.
-say “mama” or “dada” indiscriminately – it’s still just “baba”
-play peekaboo – no.
…may POSSIBLY be able to:
-clap hands or wave bye-bye – both.
-walk holding on to furniture (cruise) – Yup. Back and forth along the couch all day.
-understand “no” – I don’t think so.
…may even be able to:
-“play ball” – haha. Alex rolls the ball to him, he just stares at it and laughs until Alex runs to get it back and do it over again.
-drink from a cup independently – haven’t tried.
-stand alone momentarily – nope. He let’s go of the couch, but it’s usually followed by a thunk and him falling to the ground.
-stand alone well – see above.
Ok and now for a little Alex update. I was coming out of the bedroom today and he looks at me and says, “Am I going to toot?” Before I can respond, he let’s one rip. He says, “Yup.” LOL. He doesn’t even need to hold his finger out to pull that joke!
Rock This Town Til The Sun Comes Up!
Did something tonight I haven’t done in months! Actually it’s probably been well over a year. I went out to karaoke. Brent, Miechele & I ventured out in the cold to The Bristol for an evening of karaoke. It was a blast! Brent, apparently a karaoke virgin popped his cherry tonight and let me tell ya – the guy has absolutely NO FUCKING FEAR! He’s up there belting out songs that I wouldn’t dream of trying. Miech, on the other hand, played the wallflower and refused to go up. Even after Brent’s offer he made. The deal was this: if she went up with him to sing Aqua’s Barbie Girl she could pick ANY song in the book and he would sing it. And she turned it down!!!! Man….even if I couldn’t carry a tune in a goddamn basket I’m not passing that one up just to hear him belt out The Divinyls I Touch Myself or Britney’s Hit Me Baby (One More Time)! She still seemed to have fun though in her role as audience member and cheerleader!
For those that care, here was my setlist:
- Stray Cats – Rock This Town – This is my usual warm-up opening song
- The Knack – My Sharona – Haven’t sang that one in years not counting Rock Band
- Prince РWhen Doves Cry РI always think of Aim̩e when I sing this
- Garth Brooks – Ain’t Goin’ Down (Til The Sun Comes Up) – Yes. Garth-freakin’-Brooks. This song is kinda like rap but with steel guitars and cowboy boots.
I was also gonna put up Wonderwall by Oasis but it was getting late and we decided to call it a night. Miech seems to think that karaoke should become a semi-regular kinda thing. I’m all for that. There were actually a TON of songs I wanted to try tonight.
We used to go there a few years back. By we I mean Steve, Carrie, Sabrina, Alicia, Kevin, Teresa, Peacock and others that I know I’m forgetting and I’m really sorry! Some things just don’t change. Karaoke is still Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. It’s still hosted by Maggie! And it’s still an awesome way to spend an evening!
On a semi-related note, albeit a geeky one – Microsoft’s surface computing in restaurants will revolutionize the karaoke industry. Just picture it – you choose your song right from your table and you’re automatically entered into the rotation. You can view where you are in line, what songs are coming up, etc. Also, as each song is playing the lyrics scroll at each table. No need to have monitors throughout the bar! Get movin’ M$. I want me some surface karaoke goodness!
8 Months
He’s sooooooo big!! Ryan does something new every day it seems. Sigh…
Well, here’s the update. I’m doing it early because I can 🙂
By 8 months, Ryan… SHOULD be able to:
-bear some weight on legs when held upright – yes.
-feed self cracker – yes.
-rake with fingers an object and pick it up in fist – yes.
-turn in the direction of a voice – yes.
-look for a dropped object – yes.
…will PROBABLY be able to:
-pass a cube or other object from one hand to the other – yes.
-stand holding on to someone or something – he can do this a little bit. He can maybe stay up for about 3-5 seconds before his legs give out on him.
-object if you try to take a toy away – OH YES!
-work to get a toy that’s out of reach – Yes! He’s quite ont he move now a days.
-play peekaboo – nope.
-get into sitting position from stomach – no. No sitting on his own yet. 🙁
…may POSSIBLY be able to:
-creep or crawl – He is the master of the creep.
-pull up to standing position from sitting – no sitting so no standing.
-say “mama” or “dada” indiscriminately – no, but he loves to say “baba”
…may even be able to:
-play patty cake or wave hands – He claps and he waves at himself, but it’s not in response to us.
-cruise – no.
-stand alone momentarily – no.
-understand “no” but not always obey it – I don’t think so.
It’s Twitteriffic!
If you look over to the right you can now follow my Twitter updates!
Christmas 2008 & New Additions to the Fam…
Christmas this year was a blast. Alex was more aware of the Santa concept and the backstory to it. Here are some pictures from this year:
I surprised Nikki with a couple goldfish for a present. She’d made an offhand comment a month or so ago and it sorta sat there in the noggin’ gestating. You’ll see a couple pics of Poseidon and Neptune and the little goldfish bowl I got for them. Then at the end of the pics you’ll see today’s update and upgrade…
Ryan, while far more into it than Alex was for his first Christmas, still wasn’t too excited. He would grab at the paper and rip it but it wasn’t anything structured or thought out – more like reaching out to grab and pulling back.
7 Month Update
Let’s see how Ryan is doing this month.
By seven months, Ryan…SHOULD be able to:
-feed self a cracker – I’ve given him an arrowroot cookie and he can do pretty well with those.
-razz – yup.
-coo or babble when happy – yup.
-smile often when interacting with you – yup.
…will PROBABLY be able to:
-sit without support – He still can’t do this.
-bear some weight on legs when held upright – yup.
-object if you try to take a toy away – oh yeah, big time.
-work to get a toy that’s out of reach – yup.
-look for dropped object – yup.
-rake with fingers and object and pick it up in fist – yup.
-turn in the direction of a voice – yup.
-babble – yup.
-play peekaboo – not yet.
…may POSSIBLY be able to:
-creep or crawl – yup. The baby gates are back up.
-pass a cube or other object fron hand to the other – yup.
-stand holding on to someone or something – he’s very close. Rob keeps trying to get him to do this. He can do it for maybe a second or less.
…may even be able to:
-pull up to standing position from sitting – no.
-get into a sitting position from stomach – no.
-play patty-cake or wave bye-bye – no.
-walk holding on to furniture – no.
-say “mama” or “dada” – no.
Hooray!!! More Pictures!!!
Hey everyone, just uploaded some more pics. Here’s the link to view them:
Enjoy!!!
6 Months
It’s another month and Ryan is a little bit older. The progression seems to be so much faster with him than it was with Alex. It’s probably because I know what to expect this time around.
Well, here’s the update.
By six months, Ryan…SHOULD be able to:
-keep head level with body when pulled to sitting – yes.
-say “ah-goo” – yes.
…will PROBABLY be able to:
-bear some weight on legs when held upright – yes.
-sit without support – not yet. He has a habit of pushing with his legs and rocking which knocks him off balance.
-turn in a direction of a voice – he responds to his name and always looks at Alex when he’s talking.
-razz – yes.
…may POSSIBLY be able to:
-stand holding on to someone or something – no.
-object if you take a toy away – maybe. He does cry when a toy he is playing with falls out of his reach.
-work to get a toy that’s out of reach – yes.
-pass a cube or other object from one hand to the other – yes.
-look for a dropped object – yes.
-rake with fingers a tiny object and pick it up – yes.
-babble – not yet.
-feed self cracker or other finger food – no.
…may even be able to:
-creep or crawl – no.
-pull up to standing position from sitting – he can’t sit yet, so no.
-get into sitting postion from stomach – nope.
-say “mama” or “dada” – nope.
The Return of Games Night!
So last night saw the long-awaited, VERY long overdue of games night at Case de Rob & Nikki. Brent, Miechele, and Tim joined us for a rousing game of Risk 2210. Sadly, there wasn’t enough backstabbing on deals to make the game very cutthroat. Although it was fun correcting their style of play based on Tony’s fantasy rules that he was preaching as gospel! 🙂 In the end, Brent’s decision to come to the moon and fuck with me may have cost him. Nikki ended up winning the show with a last turn partial run at the board, securing enough points for a win but quitting short of fucking the others over and propelling me into 2nd place. Tim, unfortunately, got a bad initial drop and wallowed in South America and the Western Water territories unable to gain any traction. Miech not only took Europe but actually held it through the game – largely due to the fact that Brent was too much of a chicken to attack her. (He’ll claim they had a deal not to attack each other. I say he was chicken.) 🙂
Last night was definitely the first of many in the future. We’ve got Zombies queued up for the next time and hope to get a couple games of various versions or Risk running at the same time.
Zack & Miri
Went to the drive-in tonight to see Zack & Miri Make A Porno, Kevin Smith’s new movie. To say that it was awesome is an understatement. Okay, sure, I’m a huge Kevin Smith fanboi but this was still an awesome movie! The other movie was “Haunting of Molly Hartley”. It sucked. Save your money. But go see Zack & Miri! There is NOTHING bad about this movie. Even seeing Mewes’ cock isn’t a put-off!
5 Months
Time for another monthly milestone.
By five months, Ryan…SHOULD be able to:
-hold head steady when upright – yup.
-on stomach, raise chest, supported by arms – he can push up a little bit, but not for very long.
-pay attention to an object as small as a raisin – yup.
-squeal in delight – yes and quite often.
-reach for an object – yup.
-smile spontaneously – yup.
-smile back when you smile – yup.
-grasp a rattle – yup.
-keep head level with body when pulled to sitting – yup.
…will PROBABLY be able to:
-roll over – not yet, but he’s trying.
-bear some weight on legs – yup.
-say “ah-goo” – yup.
-razz – yup.
-turn in the direction of a voice – yup.
…may POSSIBLY be able to:
-sit without support – he’s very close. He can go a few seconds before he topples.
…may even be able to :
-pull up to standing position from sitting – nope.
-stand holding on to something – nope.
-object if you try to take a toy away – nope.
-pass an object from one hand to the other – yup.
-look for dropped object – nope.
-rake with fingers a tiny object and pick it up in fist – nope.
-babble – nope.
Knight Rider on NBC (the new one)
Okay. I watched the movie earlier this year and was somewhat impressed. Then I heard they were actually going to bring back the series. Cool. Then they brought in a different director. Then I saw a promo. Now I’ve watched the first episode.
I was going to write a huge scathing review a la my Ratner rant. Instead I will just sum it up with this:
What. The. Fuck?
Four Months
Ryan is officially four months old today. He keeps getting bigger and bigger. I’ll have to go through his clothes again soon to get out the bigger sizes for him.
Anyway, here are the updates.
By four months, Ryan…SHOULD be able to:
-on stomach lift head 90 degrees – yup
-laugh out loud – he’s a giggly boy.
-follow and object in an arc 180 degrees – yup.
…will PROBABLY be able to:
-hold head steady while upright – yup.
-on stomach, raise chest, supported by arms – not yet.
-grasp a rattle – yup.
-reach for an object – He has a hanging frog on his car seat, he has started reaching out for it.
-squeal in delight – you bet.
…may POSSIBLY be able to:
-keep head level with body when pulled to sitting – yup.
-roll over (one way) – yup.
-turn in a direction of a voice – He always and turns and looks at Alex when he talks.
-say “ah-goo” – Sort of. He makes noises, but they are more like moans or hums.
-razz – yup.
…may even be able to:
-bear some weight on legs when held upright – Rob says he does, I haven’t noticed it.
-sit without support – he’s trying, but not yet.
-object if you take a toy away – nope.
African Lion Safari pics
Are being posted as I type this. Should be available by about 2:00pm.
New pictures
I know, I know. It’s been a while. I’ve decided to change the way I store the pictures online. Part of it has to do with convenience, part of it has to do with lack of storage space on my host’s site. Anyhoo, pictures are now going to up on Picasa. I’ll provide links here whenever I upload new pictures.
To start with – Here are the most recent pictures taken over the past week. We start with Alex’s actual birthday, followed by his little party on Saturday and then wrap up with our trip to the fair yesterday.
Enjoy the pictures. If you want, you can leave comments on individual pictures!
The fair was most awesome! We we got up in the morning it was pouring rain so we were more than a little doubtful we’d be going but by 1:00 or so it had stopped raining and started to clear up so off we went! Alex had a blast! He went on a couple rides with Nikki in Kiddie Land and also went on a couple rides by himself. He also really liked the demolition derby. We’re thinking about going back next Sunday for the finals since we have $5 admission coupons.
Alex’s birthday part was loads of fun too! Nikki’s folks picked up his first GeoTrax set for him. Must. Get. More! Soooo much fun. Alex likes it too! My Mom got him his first Lite Brite and we got him his first Etch-A-Sketch so between the two of those he’s got a couple of the childhood staples covered! He also got a couple Diego things and some Cars stuff which he also loves.