Ryder . 1 Year Pictures

Ryder is ONE.  Already.
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His birthday was on Saturday (07/17), and to celebrate we started out the day getting pictures taken by Heather Mickey!!!  She is the same one who took the maternity, birth, newborn, and 6 month pictures.  We LOVE her pictures!!!  And, because she knows just how much I anticipate seeing the finished result, she has already blogged a handful!.
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Heather Mickey Blog - Ryder 1 Year Pictures

Ryder . 12 Months

52 weeks ends the weekly emails, and 12 months starts the monthly ones.  I can't help it that it falls in the same week!

On Saturday, we celebrated Ryder's birthday ALL DAY!

We started out getting pictures taken by Heather Mickey (coming soon)!!!

Then, we headed to the Hogle Zoo.  It was HOT and SUNNY.  But, worth it.  Ryder enjoyed seeing the big animals, and had fun waving to all of them.  Some of the animals were a bit lazy, which caused Ryder to have no interest, since he couldn't really see them.

Waving to the elephants.

Looking at the rhinos.

Watching two little monkeys fight - he thought it was pretty entertaining.

The ostrich was interesting . . . until he saw the giant misting fan that some children were playing with.

I'm pretty sure Ryder thought he could reach the giraffes if he tried hard enough.

Posing with the jaguars.

The zoo has updated the gorilla size chart - Ryder is posing here in front of the "infant" size gorilla.  Patrick's parents have a picture of him standing in front of the old chart (it looks similar), so I had to be sure to get Ryder to stand in front of it too!

Ryder watching the elephant show - this is the oldest elephant in captivity.

Before we got to the zoo I told Patrick that we had to ride the carousel - I thought Ryder would enjoy it.

Ryder enjoyed holding on all by himself.

The zoo doesn't allow children to ride with adults, so Patrick stood next to him, Ryder thought it was pretty fun to be going up and down.

He seemed to enjoy the elephants quite a bit (the real ones!), so we chose for him to ride on an elephant character.

One last snapshot as we left.

Ryder sitting on a giant wooden carving elephant.

We stopped off at Gateway to walk around while he slept in his stroller - but, it didn't last long because he didn't want to miss any action.

Getting a bite of a mid-afternoon ice cream treat.

Finally, we went to dinner at TGIFridays, where the waitress brought him his own ice cream sundae, and they sang to him.  He loved the attention, and enjoyed the ice cream.

Good thing Ryder requested extra spoons - he shared with us.

Mid-bite.

Finally, we went to dinner at TGIFridays, where the waitress brought him his own ice cream sundae, and they sang to him.  He loved the attention, and enjoyed the ice cream.





I caught Ryder mid-laugh.  I love both of these pictures - Ryder thought that Patrick was hilarious - maybe being tickled had to do with it as well.

As you can tell, we had a great birthday with Ryder.  He's ONE.  I can't believe it.

His one year check up was yesterday.  He is in the 65th percentile for weight, and the 97th percentile (32 inches) for height.  I don't remember his head size this time, but it is right in the middle for percentile.  The doctor gave Ryder an excellent bill of health, but he still had to endure five, yes, FIVE shots.  He threw a bigger fit this time than any other.  Poor kid.

Ryder . 52 Weeks

52 weeks, ONE YEAR old; 24 pounds, 3 ounces.

ONE.  He is ONE YEAR old.  What a year . . . a well documented year, if I do say so myself!  Ryder seems to be in no big hurry to walk.  He cruises along the furniture when he feels like it, but is also quite content with crawling.

Ryder's favorite game . . . crawl into the bedroom from the Family Room before Patrick and I can grab him, and play with the bedroom door.

As you all know, Ryder is quite a scheduled baby.  Part of what makes his schedule work is following the same routine daily - part of his bedtime routine is to get changed into his jammies, turn the bathroom light on, brush his teeth, take flouride, and turn the bathroom light off.  He loves using the light switch!

Looking rather stylish while going for a wagon ride.

Playing with the wheel while being pulled . . . good thing his new wagon (thanks to great grandparents Verl & Saundra!) has a seatbelt!

Reading the instruction manual while on a ride with Grandpa Jim.

When Ryder is crawling fast (which, is most of the time), he puts his head down and just goes.  It is super funny!

Another new favorite game . . . stand at the windows and play with the blinds.

Playing with what is perhaps the loudest toy on earth . . . Ryder LOVES it!

A typical evening - going for a walk.  Notice how Ryder holds on to the cup holders.  He doesn't enjoy reclining back against the seat (even when it is fully upright) - he has great posture!

Saturday was the official birthday (a separate email will follow).  We had a great day!

I had yesterday off (!!) due to the State Holiday (Pioneer Day, for those of you out of state) landing on a Saturday.  Our agency isn't allowed to be closed on a Thursday unless the actual holiday is that day, so all employees have to rotate taking different days off during the week.

Summer seems to be going quickly.  We have a few more busy weekends that we are looking forward to, but are also looking forward to the end of August when our schedules seem to slow down a bit.

And, just so you know - emails will now be monthly.

Ryder . 51 Weeks

51 weeks; 24 pounds, 3 ounces.
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No big developmental news with Ryder this week.  He did; however, take 3 independent steps at his party on Saturday.  Previously, 2 was his maximum.  I'm certain he'll be walking in no time, but I'm in no hurry!
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Reading a book together before I leave for work in the morning.

Ryder doesn't sleep well in the car, but on the way back from a baby shower this week, he fell sound asleep.

Yes - I know, this picture is a bit blurry, but getting pictures at the pool is a bit hard.  The teacher has the "bigger" kids (it is a class for ages 3 and under) practice jumping off of the ledge - Ryder doesn't want to be left out, so I set him on the ledge and at the count of 3 he will lean forward to fall in.  Every single time, and even sometimes if I'm not counting.  He really leans in, he doesn't just accidentally happen to fall forward.  He thinks it is hilarious!

"Patty cake" is a favorite game in our house.

Ryder loves reading - even if the book is upside down!

Bath time.

Saturday was the day of the big party!  It was lots of fun to see so many family and friends come over.  Ryder did well, and even ate his entire dinner as usual!  He wasn't a huge fan of having his own cupcake, but we hadn't expected him to tear into it - he doesn't enjoy getting messy.  I have a separate email with a handful of pictures that will follow this one.
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Sunday we took the day to relax!  Some neighbors came over to help us eat up some of the leftovers, and Ryder took an extra long nap in the afternoon.  The party was lots of fun, but it was also nice to have a day "off" to just rest!
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This weekend my baby officially turns one.  ONE.  We are meeting up with our photographer for some pictures, and going to spend the day as a family!  Time sure flies, and I'm pretty sure it goes by even quicker when in regards to children!

Ryder . 50 Weeks

50 weeks; 24 pounds, 3 ounces.
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What am I going to do when he is a year old?!?!  Weekly emails of a kid that is 74, 89, 123 weeks old just seems odd.  Maybe just monthly?!?
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The top teeth have finally broken through!  They aren't all the way out, but at least they have broken through his gums!  Ryder has become quite the independent little guy over the past few weeks, and seemed to exhibit this more this weekend than before.  He is all about figuring things out for himself, but when he is stuck, will gladly accept help.
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Ryder's favorite game.  Dropping things behind his back.  No matter where he is - standing/sitting and playing, or sitting in his highchair.  It drives me nuts, especially when he is in his highchair - he gets so frustrated when he has not toys to play with - they are all behind his back.

Reading his book.  Since I have moved more books to the bottom bookcase shelf (you can kind of see it in the background), Ryder has taken an even bigger interest in looking through books on his own, and not just when we are reading with him.

A new favorite snack - blueberries.  He will stuff his cheeks full of them if we let him.

Licking his first beater - homemade whipped cream at the Harris Grandparent's house!

Walking around the house.

Playing with his TONKA truck - he figured out this weekend how to put a toy in the bucket part of the truck, so that he can move it around the room.

Climbing the playset at the park.  Ryder has become a stair climbing expert, and loved crawling/climbing through the playset at the playground last night.

We had a great holiday weekend (minus my sinus infection).  We were able to spend time with all the grandparents - the Harris' and Hansen's on Saturday and the Sianez' on Sunday. 
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Saturday night we woke Ryder up to see the fireworks - they are viewable from a park that is within walking distance from our home!  He was totally mesmerized by them - had we been at the park, I'm not sure that he would have loved the loudness of them, but since he couldn't really hear the roar, he just loved watching them (and sneaking in a few bites of ice cream too!).
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Patrick and I loved having a day off together yesterday, and just spending time around the house (and the park) together.  Patrick built me a new desk for my Craft Room, and we got things ready for Saturday's party.  We hope to see you all there!