Does This Officially Count as Walking?

Please don't listen to my horribly cheesy laugh at the end......  :)

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!!  

Ryan wants to wish everyone out there a happy belated Valentine's Day (belated mostly because Mommy didn't have time to blog)!  

Since the grandparents are in town, Steven and I got to spend Valentine's Day out on the town.  We haven't had a real Valentine's Day in a long time considering that we came home from the hospital on Valentine's Day last year and the years before were marred by busy season.  We went to the Alamo Drafthouse.  I know, I know, we went there for my birthday back in December, but it's such a great idea.  You get to watch a movie AND have a decent dinner, not to mention that we get home at a decent time (lame, I know).  Seriously, two birds with one stone.  We saw Fool's Gold.  I thought it would be a total chick flick, but it really wasn't.  It was more of an action comedy chick flick.  It's been the best movie I've seen in a long time, which wouldn't mean much except for the fact that I have Netflix and so that is a credible statement.  :)  If you're even the slightest bit into Matthew McConaughey, this is the movie for you.  One of my favorite parts was when he made a longhorn sign when saying the number two.  It was fabulous.  

Happy Belated Birthdays to Judy and Bristol!!

On Wednesday, February 13th, we surprised Judy with a party to celebrate her 28th birthday.  It was my first surprise party, and I have to say, it was a lot of fun.  Judy is 8 months pregnant, so we were a bit worried about what the surprise would do to her, but thankfully she didn't go into labor, although I don't think that she would have minded!  Thanks to G for organizing a fun event and of course, Vicente, who actually did all of the work.  :)  Judy and Bristol both share Valentine's Day as their birthdays.  The first pic is of the two of them blowing out the candle on the cake and the second pic is of Miss N enjoying the cake.  

Capital 10K

I've signed us up to walk the Capital 10K on March 30th.  Yay!  It's something that Steven and I have talked about doing again since we walked it almost 3 years ago right before our wedding.  We missed 2006 due to work and unfitness (is that word?  I know it's a bad excuse!), we missed 2007 due to Ryan's newness, so we're back on track for 2008.  Wish us good luck in getting back in shape enough to walk a 10K.  We've got like 40 something days left.  The last time we walked it, I felt like we were walking forever.  Let's also hope that Ryan can sit still in his stroller for that long!  

Some Pics from Saturday

The first pic is of Ryan Lion and his friend Ryan playing with Ryan's Radio Flyer walker.  I gotta say, they are too cute together!  The next pic is of the birthday boy and his birthday present from us.  It's a climbing castle.  We thought that he'd love it since he LOVES climbing, but guess what?  He doesn't even go near it!  Oh well.  That continues my tread of picking out toys that Ryan just thinks is okay.  He was sliding down the slide with Auntie Al on Sunday, so there's still hope.  The slide is a bit steep, but I think that he enjoyed it.  The next pic is of Ryan's giant cupcake.  It didn't turn out as well as the trial run, but Ryan seemed to enjoy it.  I definitely have tips for anyone who wants to make one.  The last picture is of Ryan digging into his giant cupcake.  He seemed to like the icing better than the actual cake, he even fed me some of his birthday cake.  Isn't he a sweetie?  :)  

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY RYAN LION!!!

My little guy is now officially one year old.  I'm actually handling it a lot better than I thought I would.  :)  

Birthday festivities started out on Saturday with a birthday bash including all of Ryan's play group friends and our friends from high school, college and work.  Thanks to everyone who made the trip to celebrate with us.  It was nice to have all of the people that we love here to celebrate our little guy's big day.  We had guitar hero going on and a scrapbook station.  Despite everyone's comments about having to scrapbook a page for Ryan's birthday scrapbook, I think everyone really enjoyed it.  I think we definitely have some scrapbook talent in our little group of friends.  

Today we celebrated by having lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.  Kudos to our host who brought out a bread and banana tray for Ryan to munch on while we waited for our waitress.  We ended the meal with a fresh banana cheesecake.  It was really good, but can you really go wrong with a Cheesecake Factory cheesecake?  

Afterwards, we headed over to Ryan's first year doctor's appointment.  He weighed 22 pounds and 6 ounces (50th percentile) and was 30 3/4 inches tall (80th percentile).  He's turning out to be a big boy!  Ryan really did well with the doctor.  He let the doctor examine him on the table and didn't fuss too much.  The shots were a different issue.  He did the whole holding his breath thing, but started crying when he finally started to breathe.  We gave him tylenol before his shots and again before he went to bed so hopefully he'll be okay in the morning.  It seems like with each round of shots, his recovery time has gotten longer and longer, but he did do well with his flu shots, so we'll see.  

I'm still trying to figure out flickr to post pictures, so stay tuned for birthday pictures!  

Blah, Blah, Blah

Sometimes when I talk to Ryan he responds with "blah, blah, blah."  I try to not take it personally, but it sure makes me feel like one of the adults on Peanuts!  

Superbowl Sunday

Since it was the superbowl this past Sunday, we decided to take some football jersey pictures.  We know the superbowl isn't longhorn related, but being from Austin, this is all we had.  :)  Here's a pic of Steven and the jersey I got him for Christmas, Ryan's longhorn jersey and of course Button's good luck longhorn jersey.  If you're wondering, yes, that is Ryan sticking Button's paw into his mouth.  He is non-discriminatory when it comes to sticking things into his mouth!  

Butt Up?  

Okay, I've heard of sleeping on your back, side and tummy, but what about sleeping butt up?  Silly baby!  

Austin Children's Museum

After over a year of driving past and pointing out the Austin Children's Museum, we finally went between Christmas and New Year's with Miss N and Heather.  It was a lot bigger than I originally thought.  There was a ton of things to see and do (and put into your mouth as Ryan can attest to).  The first pic is of Ryan and Steven playing with some gears.  Ryan really seemed to like it, so we got him a gear toy for his birthday.  He's played with it at My Gym before, so hopefully he'll like playing with it at home too.  That's the bad thing about My Gym, it's such a source of toy ideas for Ryan!  The second pic is of Miss N playing the drums in the Austin Kiddie Limits exhibit.  She had fun jumping up and down and as a knitter, I adored her very cute knitted dress.  I actually have a pattern for a similar style knitted dress, now I just need a baby girl.  :)  The third pic is of Ryan and Miss N both playing with the guitar.  Ryan is still very ego-centric, so he just grabbed the stick from Natalie.  I can't wait to actually see him playing with other little kiddos.  

Ryan Reading the Sunday Paper

During a trip to Houston for Xin Xin and John's combined bachelorette/bachelor parties, we found out that Ryan has an interest in reading the Sunday paper.  It was neatly stacked on the couch and the next thing you know, he's read through everything and the paper's on the floor!  

Ryan is really funny when it comes to reading.  He loves flipping through his books, going through newspapers, etc, but he's not a big fan of being read to.  I try to place him on my lap and read a book to him, but he squirms around until he's standing on the floor.  He really enjoys turning the pages of a book and even chewing on the book, but not so much with the reading thing.  I guess it's just something we have to work on!  

Ryan Lion at 11 Months

Here's just a few pics of some daily Ryan Lion activities.  

The first picture was taken after Ryan learned how to open the kitchen cabinets (yeah, we *still* need to babyproof).  He got into his snack cabinet and pulled out a container of what I like to call baby cheetos.  They have the same texture of cheetos, but presumably they're better for you.  It's part of Gerber's finger food toddler line.  Anyways, he managed to open up the tin with his teeth and dug right in.  Of course, he got really excited and ended up dumping most of the baby cheetos on the ground where Carrie very graciously decided to help him clean it up.  It was a proud mom moment seeing her baby and dog both eating off of the floor together!  

The second picture is of Ryan helping out with his laundry.  We're still doing his laundry separately from our own because I like washing his clothes in baby scented laundry detergent.  :)  When it's time to do his laundry, he helps by pushing the laundry basket from his room to the laundry room.  Once the laundry is done, he pushes the basket to where we're going to fold his clothes and then pushes it back to his room to be put away.  Ever since grandpa got him a walker, he's really been into pushing things.  He likes to push all of his toys around his play room and he tries to push the furniture, etc.  It's been really cute until he started pushing his superyard xt baby gate out of shape!  

The third picture is of Ryan playing with his favorite toy of all time, the learning home from Fisher Price.  He plays with it every single day and he's finally learned how to put the balls down the chimney to make it sing!  He's clutching the lion that he got from Auntie Xin Xin's wedding.  He loves that lion.  He's got a ton of elephants, but this is his first lion and he absolutely loves it.  Whenever he sees it, he dives for it and stuffs it into his mouth.  Yes, those are baby leg warmers on Ryan and yes, I do know that he's a boy.  They're called baby legs and they make changing him a lot easier since you don't have to take off his pants.  I tried to get masculine colors, but for some reason, these look rather Richard Simmons-ish.  :)  It'll just be one of those things he probably won't forgive me for, oh well.  

The last picture is of Ryan Lion and Carrie.  The dogs' favorite place in the house is underneath Ryan's high chair when he's eating.  It's really quite amazing what they'll eat these days from broccoli to blueberries!  What's great about having dogs is that we NEVER have to clean up the floor after a meal, but it's a different story when we go out to eat.  :)  What's also nice is that you can always tell when Ryan is done eating because he'll just start throwing his food over the tray to feed the dogs.  I just don't know how people have babies without dogs!  He has recently started feeding the dogs and then laughing afterwards.  Silly baby!  

Hello Miss Aubrey Lynn

It only took two months, but we finally got a chance to hang out with little Miss Aubrey Lynn and her mama Jessica last Wednesday. Mom and baby are happy and well. I just can't believe that Ryan was ever that little and Aubrey is a big two month old! It's cliche, but they just grow up so fast. Aubrey has already started to outgrow her 0-3 month clothes! She is so cute, I can understand why Jessica is such a proud mama. :) Now, we need to plan a way to hook Ryan and Aubrey up and start planning the wedding! J/K!!!

Overloaded

Hi everyone! I know it's been awhile since I've blogged (1.5 months to be exact). :) I've thought a lot about updating here and on the Picasaweb Album site, but unfortunately, we have run out of space on the Picasaweb Album site. We're exploring other options, so we'll let you know what we decide on so you can get your fill of Ryan Lion! In the posts below, you'll see that some of the pictures are sideways, but I can't figure out how to flip them. If anyone knows, please, do tell. Our desktop where I usually blog directly from Picasa is having hard disk issues, so it won't pull up Picasa for me, so I'm blogging directly from blogger. Anyways, I just thought I'd share my computer troubles.

On to other things, Ryan Lion is turning the big 1 next week. I have to say, I'm really sad that my baby is officially no longer my baby and is now considered a toddler. He has amazed me every single day for the past year and has never failed to make me smile. He's turned into quite the jokester by blowing raspberries on my belly to make me laugh! His smile and laugh are infectious and I count my blessings every day since he's come into my life. I have to admit that right before I found out I was pregnant, I was in a low place in my life. If I even started talking or thinking about work, I would find myself in tears and that's just not me. I knew that something had to change and the next thing I knew, I found out that I was pregnant. Being pregnant wasn't exactly what I hoped and wished it would be, but after 8.5 months, I finally got to meet my little lion cub. He was so perfect then and now. I just can't express how much I love my little man and how much he means to me. So, I am excited that he's reached this huge milestone, but I'll always think of him as the little swaddled baby who always wanted to be held.

Congratulations to Xin Xin and John!!!

Aren't they just a stunning couple? :) On January 26th, my best friend since freshman year in high school got married to one of the nicest guys ever. I am so happy for them! The wedding was perfect, you really couldn't ask for it to go any better. The tea ceremony took place at Xin Xin's parent's home in the morning and the wedding took place at the Petroleum Club on top of one of downtown Houston's tallest buildings. They got married by John's father, who is a Justice of the Peace, while the sun set behind them. It was such a picturesque sight to match the beautiful wedding.

The reception was a blast! The candy buffet was a complete hit and the DJ was really good. The food was excellent and the rose petal send off was really fun. I have to say that Xin Xin and John did a great job of picking their vendors. I really liked their photographer too.

Congrats again to the happy couple!

Congratulations to G Man and Judy!

On Sunday, January 27th, I had the honor of hosting a baby shower for one of my dear friends, Judy and the soon to be hot papa, G Man. The first pic is of the hostesses and the hot mama to be; from left to right: Lesley (also preggers, congratulations!), Heather (thanks for having it at your house, now I know why you live all the way out there), Heather, Holly, Judy (the gorgeous mama to be), me and Jenny. After driving in from Houston on the same day, I thought that I'd be completely wiped out, but I had a great time catching up with everyone and drinking some really good sangria! :) We're expecting little Valeria in March, we all can't wait to meet her!

Happy Birthday to Miss Natalie!!

Ryan attended his first birthday party on Saturday for the Divine Miss N. It was at My Gym, Ryan's favorite place ever! He had a really good time taking his first bite of cake and drinking juice out of his very first juice box. :) It was a bit of a marathon play session for Ryan though since it lasted 1.5 hours, but overall, I think he did really well. There was only one episode of crying when he was pushing around a truck and he fell. He liked playing in the cylinders and practicing his walking. Maybe he'll be lucky enough to have his second birthday party at My Gym next year!

Giant Cupcake Trial Run

For Ryan's first birthday, I decided that I'd make him a giant cupcake for his birthday "cake." Here's a pic of the trial run. It's not too shabby if you ask me. :) I bought a giant cupcake pan from Wilton and decorated it myself. It was my first foray into decorating. What do you think? I don't think it looks that bad and it helps that it's for Ryan who doesn't care what it looks like! I think that I'm just going to put icing on the top and not on the sides, it looks a little too messy. The cake above is red velvet with cream cheese frosting and red sugar sprinkles. Trust me, it sounds a lot better than it tastes! I got the recipe from recipezaar. The cupcake was really dry because we had to bake it for a longer time since it's so thick. Anyways, let's hope that the one we make for Saturday turns out a little better!

Saddest Christmas Song Ever...

Every time I hear this song it nearly brings me to tears especially after having Ryan Lion.

The Christmas Shoes
by Bob Carlisle

It was almost Christmas time, there I stood in another line
Tryin' to buy that last gift or two, not really in the Christmas mood
Standing right in front of me was a little boy waiting anxiously
Pacing 'round like little boys do
And in his hands he held a pair of shoes

His clothes were worn and old, he was dirty from head to toe
And when it came his time to pay
I couldn't believe what I heard him say

[Chorus:]
Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

He counted pennies for what seemed like years
Then the cashier said, "Son, there's not enough here"
He searched his pockets frantically
Then he turned and he looked at me
He said Mama made Christmas good at our house Though most years she just did without
Tell me Sir, what am I going to do,
Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes

So I laid the money down, I just had to help him out
I'll never forget the look on his face when he said
Mama's gonna look so great

Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

[Bridge:]
I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's love
As he thanked me and ran out
I knew that God had sent that little boy
To remind me just what Christmas is all about.

EY Ladies (Past and Present)

We had our first annual holiday happy hour this past Wednesday at Malaga in the warehouse district.  It was so nice to be out at night (I know, gasp!), but I have to say that I don't miss being in downtown traffic!  We also did a gift exchange and I got some pretty awesome scrapbook paper, stickers, rubber stamps and a gift card to Seattle's Best.  Coffee and scrapbooking, nothing can make this girl happier.  :)  From left to right, we have: Judy, Heather, Peggy, Diana, Holly, Leigh, Heather, Lesley, me and Meg.  Thanks Heather for organizing!