Ryder . 20 Weeks

20 weeks; 18 pounds, 6 ounces. 

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No "big" developments this past week, although the tongue fascination continues - he has started sticking it out when he coughs, which, typically then makes him laugh, or at least smile.

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We are letting him wear all of his 3-6 month clothes one more time (there are about 10 onesies left to wear) before putting them in a storage bin.  He is officially in the 6-9 month size, and is just about able to wear 9-12 month.

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A big smile, while playing.

Ryder loves to practice his standing skills.  Here he is, with Patrick.

Ryder does not like the thought of getting packed in a box, like all of our things!  He was okay with it at first, but he quickly realized he didn't like it.

Practicing sitting up.  It doesn't last long, though.  I can get one or two shots, and then I have to catch him.

Spending some time on his stomach.  He likes it best when we get on the floor and play with him.

Ryder is not a fan of Patrick and I packing/getting the house ready - he wants our constant attention.  Last night, we put him in the carrier while Patrick took down the shelving brackets.  He was very interested in the drill!  Hopefully, he will learn handyman skills from Patrick!

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As I type this email, Patrick (and his dad, Jim) are at the new house with the Contractor/Superintendent doing the final walk through.  We have compiled quite a punch list of things needing repair, and hopefully, all will be well received!  We are moving in just 6 days - the next time the weekly Ryder email is sent, we will be in our new home!  We have a lot of work ahead of us this next week, but it will be worth it!

Ryder . 19 Weeks

19 weeks; 17 pounds, 13 ounces. 

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This past week Ryder is still fascinated with his tongue, but not quite as much as the week previous.  However, he is constantly pulling his bottom lip in to suck on it - which causes him to be quite the drooly baby.

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Ryder and me at the M&M Store in Vegas.  I have the same picture of just me standing there in March, when I was pregnant with him!  He seemed to like all the bright colors in the store, but became quite sleepy - perhaps since he hadn't really slept the night before.

Patrick and Ryder on Thanksgiving - Ryder is sporting his Thanksgiving shirt!

Smiling after a shower.

Playing with Patrick.

We took advantage of the swimming pool's warm water, and took Ryder swimming.  Here he is in his swimming suite - it is too big (it was a gift when he was born - we looked for a smaller size at a store while we were there, but the smallest was the same size as this one).

Sitting on Patrick's lap at my favorite fast food place - In N Out!!!

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Ryder did okay for his first road trip.  On the way down, he slept a good portion, and was happy and playful when he was awake.  However, once there, it was a different story - the kid had no interest in sleeping through the night like he does at home.  The first two nights were pretty sleepless, the third was better, but still not as good as normal.  The ride home was no fun at all.  Between his tiredness, and the snowstorm we encountered, it was a long drive.  Even with the lack of sleep, Ryder seemed to be in okay spirits while we were in Vegas, but definitely not his usual easy-going self.  It was good to visit with family, both on my dad's side, and meeting up with Patrick's uncle.  Everyone, as expected, loved Ryder!

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The countdown to moving day is on - just 13 days from today.  We have the final walk through for the house in 7 days, and closing in 10 days.  The past month and a half has gone by so quickly.

Ryder . 18 Weeks

18 weeks, and officially 4 months old.  After holding steady with his weight for 3 weeks, he gain a record 1 pound this past week - 17 pounds, 13 ounces.  At the doctor's office on Friday (for his 4 month check up), he measured in at 27 inches long - yep, you read that right 27 inches.  The nurse couldn't believe it, so we measured him again and came up with the exact same length.  She said that is the average length for more of an 8/9 month old.

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This past week Ryder seemed to re-discover his tongue.  He is constantly sticking it out when he laughs and smiles.  He has also discovered that he can pull his bottom lip in to suck on it.

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A picture to show off the tile work in the shower (only 1/2 of what we (really, more Patrick) did - the tub was also tiled).  And, since you all like pictures where Ryder is included best, you will find him sitting in the corner of the shower playing with the drawstring on his pants - too distracted to look up at me!

Ryder hanging out in our new Master Bath.  Luckily, for him, he doesn't quite have enough strength to turn the faucet on!

Sitting on the couch in his Bumbo.  I know I say it most weeks, but he absolutely loves that thing - I think he likes that he is sitting up without us holding him.

Getting some good "tummy time" in with Patrick in the morning.

A shot of Ryder I am sure he won't like in the future.  A great one of that tongue action I referenced above - at the same time the flash caught him off guard.

Another shot of the tongue action, this time with a smile!

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Well, we will be closing on our current home tonight.  While we are both excited to be moving, it seems a bit sad too - the house we are in was our first house, and we have lots and lots of memories associated with it.  The new house will have those too, with time, but it is finally becoming real.

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The next several weekends will be quite busy for us.  This weekend we will be heading to Las Vegas (Ryder's first road trip) to spend Thanksgiving with my family, and part of my dad's side of the family.  Next weekend we will be working hard to get as much as we possibly can packed.  The following weekend we will close (12/10), take possession (12/11), paint Ryder's room, and move (12/13).  The following is our anniversary - 5 years!  The next is Christmas, followed by New Years.

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For the local family - we are planning on moving Sunday, December 13.  We want to start first thing that morning, so that we have time to clean the old house, and unpack at least the essentials at the new one.  We would appreciate any help!

Ryder . 17 Weeks

17 weeks old, and still holding steady at 16 pounds, 13 ounces.

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Ryder's hand-eye coordination is improving quickly.  Several times now, he has put the pacifier in his own mouth - typically, after he has pulled it out.  He is also able to focus better on objects, and purposefully grab/play with things (as evidenced in a later picture).

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Ryder talking to me while I am getting him dressed after a shower.

Playing together on Friday.

The picture I mentioned above - Patrick was holding Ryder, and he kept reaching up and grabbing Patrick's nose.  It looked to me like he was aiming for the glasses, but wasn't able to reach them - when I told Patrick to put his face a little closer, Ryder grabbed the glasses, and pulled them right off of Patrick's face!  While I thought it was funny, Patrick didn't see quite as much humor as I did . . . that's okay, Ryder is also getting good at grabbing my necklaces and earrings - so, we both have to deal with his new skill.

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We spent quite a bit of time this past week at our new house, working on tiling the Master Bath (thanks to Jim & Martha for your help!), and cleaning the house (thanks to my parents and Rory!).  The tile looks great, and the house (especially the floors and vents) are clean!  This week we will be going back to do the finishing touches to the tub/shower.  As of yesterday, the base coat of stucco was complete, along with some various spots for the final coat.  The siding and brick are completed.  The kitchen base cabinets and bathroom vanities are installed.  And, nearly all of the light fixtures are in place.  It seems to be coming together, and we are getting so excited.  We should close on our current house next Monday, and hopefully move into our new house in just under 4 weeks.  It has happened so fast!

Ryder . 16 Weeks

16 weeks old, and holding steady at 16 pounds, 13 ounces.

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No new developments this week; although, he is spending more and more time in his Bumbo.  He can sit up for a few seconds on his own, but he tends to still fall forward quite quickly.

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Ryder was tired, and not really wanting to smile at me.

Ryder showing off his cute shirt, blue eyes, and staticy hair.

Spending some time on his tummy.  He is starting to pull his arms under himself (almost in a "crawling" posture), but isn't able to get the legs under him yet.

Playing on Sunday morning.

Lastly, Ryder watching Patrick make breakfast on Sunday morning.  The Bumbo is so nice - it fits on the counter easily (not taking up too much space!), and Ryder loves to be included with what we are doing.

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This past weekend was full of meeting new family for Ryder.  He was introduced to 2 great aunts (and a great uncle, and 2 long-time family friends of my mom's), and I am pretty sure he loved them all!

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The Craft Fair was successful!  Ryder was super good both days, but I am sure it will be a completely different story next year - when he is 15 months, and won't be as happy about everyone holding him.

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Finally, things are moving along well with the house.  On Saturday, the brick was up, one side (of siding) was completed, and the rest was prepped for siding or stucco.  The paint has been completed, and they were working on the tile for the bathrooms and kitchen.  Tomorrow, Patrick and I will be tiling the shower!  We still aren't sure on the closing date, but for those of you who are local, pencil in December 12 and 13 (Saturday/Sunday) as moving dates!

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Oh - and one last thing, thanks to my parents, Jim, and Martha for getting boxes.  At this point, we are thinking we have nearly enough; however, if any of you (locally) run across some paper boxes (that the reams come in), or super sturdy boxes, please get them for us.  As we get more things packed, we will have a better idea of how many we still need.  Thanks!

Ryder . 15 Weeks

15 weeks old, and almost 17 pounds. . . 16 pounds, 13 ounces.
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I have pulled out the 6-9 month clothing, although he still fits comfortably in 3-6 onesies.  The 3-6 month pants are at the "perfect" length right now, but he will quickly grow out of them.
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A serious face.  Ryder was sitting on Patrick's lap when we were in the office reviewing house stuff.  He wasn't in the mood to smile - he was ready to eat, and go to bed!

Ryder wore his blue M&M shirt on Halloween.  Here he is outside in a pile of leaves.  He loved kicking the leaves - he loved the rustling noise it would make.

Another one of Ryder spending time in his “Bumbo” – he loves sitting up on his own.  And, it is great that we can have him on the counter with us when we are getting dinner ready.

Ryder LOVES to have his diaper changed and his clothes changed.  Last night, he was having a great time getting ready for bed! . . .

The house I talked about is officially going to be ours!  We are praying/hoping/keeping our fingers crossed that it will be finished NO LATER than 12/07, so that there is adequate time for walk throughs/repairs, closing, etc.  However, the Developer is saying it will be finished by 12/11.  So, while we know we have family we could stay with for a few days if necessary, it would be awful to have to move our stuff more than once.  With this said, keep us in your thoughts/prayers/wishes/whatever else that the house can get done a little early!
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This week Patrick and I are finishing getting ready for the Craft Fair . . . come see us - Friday 10:00-8:00, Saturday 10:00-5:00!
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And, I am back to work . . . full-time.  And, in case you were curious - at this time, I have been asked to be the Lead for 2 offices - I will be in each office 2 days/week.

Ryder . 14 Weeks

14 weeks old, and over the 16 pound mark . . . 16 pounds, 3 ounces.

He is now able to fit into size 3 diapers.  Luckily, he can still fit in size 2 for a little while longer since we still have several left, but SIZE THREE.  That's the size of diapers that most one year olds fit in (the pound range is 16-28).

Smiling!

More smiling!

No matter how hard we try, Ryder enjoys sucking on his hands.  He has even mastered the skill of pulling on the pacifier ribbon so that the pacifier comes out of his mouth, making his mouth available for his hand.

Ryder is spending more time in his “Bumbo” – it helps him to sit up on his own!

Lastly, a picture of Ryder and myself in front of our NEW home (see more below).  It isn’t super flattering, and you really can’t see Ryder – the wind gusted when Patrick took the picture so my eyes are closed, and Ryder turned his face toward me – but, you can see the house!

Last week I said that we had listed our house for sale the middle of the previous week . . . well, it officially went "on the market" on 10/17, and Patrick and I signed the acceptance paperwork for an offer made on 10/22!  Just FIVE days later!!!  Patrick and I spent several hours on Saturday looking at houses, and have one that we REALLY like, and 2 others that we think would be okay.  We have been negotiating back and forth this morning on the house we really like, and have made a preliminary offer that has been accepted (the Realtor for the developer is out of town).  We meet with our Realtor, as well as the developer's Realtor on Thursday evening to make it official! Patrick and I have never been big on taking a long time to do something once we made the decision.  And, this is no exception!  I went from being worried that our house would take a long time to sell, and worrying about the timing of buying a new house, to having sold ours, and making an offer on another in less than two weeks.  And, because I am REALLY excited about the possibility of getting this house . . . some fun information:
- It will be finished by 11/30 (perfect timing, since we become homeless at 12:01am on 12/14).
- It is 3,727 square feet.  Only the main floor (it is a rambler) will be finished - 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms.  The basement will be completely unfinished - when we finish it (and, really, it will be several years from now), the designers planned it to be 1 bed, 1 bath, cold storage, and a HUGE HUGE family room.  But, really, we could have 3 beds, 1 bath, cold storage, and still have a large family room.
So . . . those of you who I send this to that are in Utah, mark your calendars for the first two weekends of December (5th, 6th, 12, and 13th) as possible dates to help us move!  And, note that it was to HELP US MOVE - not to just come over and hold Ryder.  Really, we have a lot of stuff, and could use the help!

Finally, this is my last "part-time" week.  I return to work full-time next week.  Ryder seems to like his CC provider, and we know for sure that she enjoys him.  As much as I have enjoyed being home with him, I'm okay going back to full-time.  And, luckily for me, I still get to have Fridays off with him every week . . . so long as Governor Herbert doesn't decide to switch state employees back to 5-day work weeks.

Ryder . 13 Weeks

13 weeks old, and officially 3 months old.  He has almost reached 16 pounds . . . 15 pounds, 13 ounces.

No new "developments" this week.  He is more and more vocal every day!

Ryder telling me stories about his day . . .

Walking at the park, no matter how hard I try, Ryder just loves his first.  He will even pull the pacifier out, so that his fingers have room.

Ryder LOVES these rattles that Patrick bought for him.  He will hold on to them for a long time - they help calm him down when he is upset (he has something to grab), and provide lots of laughs when he shakes them around.

Lastly, a picture of Ryder upset.  He had just been smiling, and talking to me, but when I pulled out the camera he wasn't thrilled.  Notice the lower lip . . . classic!

Some things, unrelated to Ryder:

I applied for two Supervisor positions last week.  I should (hopefully) hear back today or tomorrow if I have been selected for an interview, with interviews being conducted soon.  So, wish me luck!

As most of you know, we listed our house up for sale the middle of last week.  Now, begins the juggling act of the timing of selling our house, and buying a new one.  The realtor had a photographer come by this morning and take pictures so that they can be posted with the house listing.  If you know of anyone wanting to buy a home in Roy, send them our way!!!  If you are interested - the MLS for our home is 919738.  The picture posted right now is just a temporary one - there will be a much better one of the front, plus lots of the inside and backyard added later this week!

Ryder . 12 Weeks

12 weeks old.  He will be 3 MONTHS on Saturday.  The time has gone by quickly.  He is weighing in at 15 pounds, 6 ounces.

Ryder has now discovered that he can rub his eyes with his fist, along with using his fist as a pacifier.

Sometimes Ryder will be super smiley and laughing, but when I pull out the camera, it all comes to a hault.  Here he is looking at me, confused why I have the camera in his face.

Another look of bewilderment . . . just moments before he was smiling and laughing while in his swing.

This one isn't of Ryder - but, it is a picture of the pretty flowers he and Patrick sent me on my first day back to work.

Ryder likes to make a fist so often, that Patrick has decided to teach him how to fist bump . . . or, as we call it at our house the "terrorist fist bump" - like FOX called the fist bump between President and Michelle Obama the night of a victory speech.

Lastly, a picture of Ryder just out of the shower.  He loves taking a shower, and is always so happy during and after it (notice his fist . . . he is just practicing!).

My first week back to work went well.  Ryder has enjoyed going to Robina's house - he has two new friends there, Lily and Jackson.  You should ask him about them, I'm sure he would love to tell you some stories!

Ryder . 11 Weeks

11 weeks old, and now weiging in at 15 pounds, 3 ounces.

Ryder continues to become more efficient at using his hand as a pacifier.  We try to replace it with the actual pacifier, but he is just so proud of himself that he can use his own hand.

Ryder showing off his skills of using his hand as a pacifier.

The cold weather isn't going to stop us from walking.  Ryder just gets all bundled up . . . long sleeves, pants, socks, a blanket, all wrapped up in a car seat blanket (kind of like a sleeping bag), and topped off with a hat!

This past week, we purchased a carrier/sling, and Saturday morning Patrick and Ryder played Rock Band together!  Ryder enjoys this method better than being held facing away from the TV.

Ryder wearing a new shirt (a recycling one . . . so, naturally, one of Patick's favorites), with a goofy expression!

Lastly, a picture of Ryder at 3 weeks old.  I was going through the pictures, and this one makes me laugh.  Ryder fell asleep on Patrick's lap, and naturally put himself in this position - luckily, the camera was close!

I return to work tomorrow.  We took Ryder to meet his child care provider (Robina) last week.  He, of course, liked her - I don't think he has met anyone he doesn't like yet.