Ryder . 2 1/4 Years Old

Ryder is officially 2 1/4 years old!  Despite growing out of clothes quickly, he hasn't gained any weight, and remains steady at just over 32 pounds.

Ryder is an awesome big brother!  At first he was pretty disinterested in his brothers - he never really showed signs of jealousy, but he didn't seem to care that they were here.  He would give them kisses when we would encourage it, but in the past few months, he has really enjoyed interacting with them.  Most evenings Harvick and Jarrett will sit on the table (first in their Nap Nannys, and now in Bumbos) while we eat dinner - after dinner, we turn them to face the kitchen while Patrick and I get dishes done, and things ready for the next day.  During this time, Ryder is often in charge of helping his brothers - he turns one of the dining chairs so the back is against the table, and will kneel on the chair in front of them, giving them toys (over and over, since they are often dropped!).

His understanding of vocabulary is immense; however, he remains primarily non-verbal.  He definitely has (and uses frequently) a handful of words, but he finds other ways of communicating.  His repertoire of sign language grows daily (check the right column for some of the most commonly used signs).

Ryder continues to love his babysitter, but has really enjoyed school - I am told by his "after-care" teacher that he is the only child to be sad to leave school.  We get a good report of his behavior daily, with the only area of struggling being Circle Time - he's just too excited to be excused for snack (they have to wait their turn, while a song is sung excusing each child individually).

And - now, here's the problem with a quarterly update dedicated to Ryder - I have entirely too many pictures.  But, let's analyze this - for weekly posts there were 6 pictures  most of the time; monthly posts had about 25 - it's not my fault that I have a hard time narrowing them down . . .

Happy boy.

Ryder loves reading!

Cheesy smile during breakfast.

 

Ryder really loved playing at parks this summer.

Bathtime (different nights . . . although, you can't really tell)

Ryder loves walking around in Patrick's shoes - he gets them on correct to start with, but they get turned around as he walks.

Ryder's teacher told us problem solving is Ryder's favorite activity at school . . . we could have told her that!

Watering the plants by himself - he loved when he was in control.

 

Why do we even have expensive toys when a box does the trick?!

Eating breakfast before school (yogurt with flaxseed and banana; oatmeal with berries)

Ryder is always willing to share his bed with his brothers - this time when getting ready for a bath.
(Jarrett on the left, Harvick on the right)

Ryder walks the whole mile himself when we walk in the evenings - he loves when geese or airplanes fly over us.

Could he be more stylish?!  When he wears his hat, he is in charge of how it sits - he doesn't like it getting touched.

Showing off more hat days!

An annoying habit Ryder has started - climbing on Patrick or my back while we change his brothers' diapers.
(Harvick on his tummy, Jarrett on his back)

Ryder loves to be outside, but the noise of the lawn mower is intimidating . . . we pulled out a carrier, and he thought it was super fun to ride on Patrick's back!

Bathtime with brothers.
(Harvick on the left getting washed, Jarrett on the right getting a kiss)

 

Again with the problem solving!

 

Loving the slide - now that he will go down it on his own!

Entertaining his brothers with a ball.
(Harvick in the light blue, Jarrett in the dark blue)

Such a cute boy!!!

Ryder knows the routine - when we walk in the house, he takes off his shoes and washes is hands . . . but, he is convinced he should lay down to take of his shoes.  And, he takes one off, puts it away, and then lays back down to take the second one off . . . such a silly kid!

Ryder is fascinated by the stacking cups with holes.

 

Ending on a cute picture.  This day, Ryder picked out his outfit completely on his own - I wanted to be sure to get a picture of the shirt . . . and after a few failed attempts at a smiling picture, Patrick captured this one - the pose is all Ryder's doing!