Swimming Lessons

So excited for his first day of swimming lessons!

He got to pick out a new swim towel...he chose Super Mario Brothers.

Brody had his first swimming lesson yesterday. In February he asked to go swimming and so we decided to go to the Herriman Rec Center. Last summer he wanted nothing to do with swimming, so when he actually asked to go, we weren't going to say no. After going a second time within a week we decided to sign him up for private swimming lessons. My Uncle and Aunt signed their children up and so we got the number of the same girl who gave their kids lessons. It was really funny because when Jayson called he found out it was one of his old friends he used to hang out with. It's nice that we know her..she is super nice.

I was a little nervous that Brody wouldn't warm up to her and that he would be upset that neither Jayson or I would be in the water with him. He did great though! He was so excited to show her that he wasn't afraid to go under the water and hold his breath without plugging his nose. I think he's super excited to learn how to swim so he can go into the deep end of the pool. (And he's excited to learn how to swim under the water too.) I love to see him this excited about something and it will be so good for him too. It was fun to watch him from the spectator seats up above. Jayson and I were so proud of him for being brave and we could tell that he was trying to do everything Nicole asked him to do. I think with a little more work and practice he'll be an expert swimmer. :)

By the end of his first lesson he was really close to floating on his back on his own and he was pushing himself off the side of the pool really well too. I think he really likes Nicole and is so excited to go back for his next lesson! I can't wait for warmer weather so we can swim everyday at our neighborhood pool!

11 Months Old

He acts so shy...
Perma-smile!


Big boy!

I love these boys...
Here is Ryker signing, "more." He loves to eat cinnamon toast for breakfast.
He REALLY loves cinnamon toast. Haha!

I've been so bad at putting updates on our blog. It's already been a month...time is just flying by! Ryker is already 11 months old! I can't believe my baby is almost a year old! He is starting to act more and more like a toddler than a baby and it is so fun to watch, but also makes me a little sad. Why can't babies stay little for just a little longer? He is still my little cuddle bug and I love it! He also loves to give kisses!

Ryker is such a little stud! He thinks he's so big now and every time he does something he knows he'll get praise for, he'll start clapping and wait for you to join in. He is also putting his arms above his head a lot more to show us that he's a "big boy" now. It's so cute! His dancing is becoming way more frequent and is so cute/hilarious to watch! He absolutely loves music. He dances to Super Mario Brothers music while Brody is playing, he dances when we have music on, he dances to all of our noisy toys, he'll even dance when any of us sing a song. Maybe he'll be our little musician. I need to keep reminding myself to post a video because I think everyone would get a good laugh.

Some other things Ryker loves to do are: cuddle with his blanket, read books, watch Brody play the Wii, climb the stairs, eat, be thrown into the air, play in the basement and play in the playroom. I can tell that Ryker is going to be an observer. He is definitely soaking up so many things and so fast! He is learning everyday. He loves to watch what people are doing...especially Brody. He's starting to copy certain things that his brother does. For example...Brody is going to be starting swimming lessons soon and we've taken him the Herriman Rec Center a couple of times to get him comfortable in the water. He has loved it! He's very proud of himself that he can hold his breath under the water without plugging his nose. He practices in the bath and sticks his whole face under the water. (He can hold his breath surprisingly long for a three year old.) Anyway...Ryker has now started putting his face in the water. Talk about scary! He just wants to be like his brother. He also tries to imitate Brody's yells/screams. Brody thinks it's hilarious... Brody will scream and Ryker doesn't hesitate in screaming right back. I guess this is only the beginning, right?

Ryker is still totally in love with Dexter. In the morning he loves to crawl over to Dexter's kennel before we've let him out and stick his little fingers through the front and Dex will lick them. That's usually followed by a giggle. He loves to pet him and watch him eat his food. He also gets really excited when I get Dexter's leash and loves to help me take him outside to go to the bathroom. I think Dex really likes Ryker too.

Something else that Ryker is doing right now is having little "conversations." He obviously isn't talking yet, but he thinks he knows what he's saying. He'll jabber something and wait for me to respond and then he says something back like he totally knows and like I know what he's saying. For example...he is still really interested in Dexter's food, but knows he's not allowed to touch. One day after lunch, he was crawling around the kitchen and stopped at Dex's bowl and pointed and jabbered to me. I responded by saying, "Yep, that's Dex's food, but it's yucky and we don't touch. It's a no, no." He then pointed again and jabbered a little more forcefully like he was upset he couldn't touch, and almost like he was asking permission. I said "no" again. He then signed "eat" to me and shook his head no. He surprises me sometimes and I think I'll miss these baby conversations.

I love my baby so much and I'm trying to enjoy these last few months of him being an actual baby. Because, honestly he'll always be my baby, even when he's all grown up. He brings so much joy into our family and we all love his smile and demeanor. He makes us all so happy and his permanent smile makes our home a happy one. We love you, Ryker!