1 Year Old

Too tired for pictures...
Really tired, yet still trying to smile.




Cinnamon beard.

This is what happens when Brody takes toys away. Then, Brody will make the same face after I take it away from him. Oh the joy...
Big boy!
He's a goofball...he forces himself to laugh and already has a cheesy little grin.
Tickling Daddy's leg...

Today is such a bittersweet one for me. My baby is 1 year old. I love seeing him grow and learn, and he is so much fun, but I'm sad at the same time. He is becoming more of a toddler and less of a baby, and part of me just wants him to be brand new again...so tiny and sweet. BUT, he is becoming more and more fun!

Ryker is still so sweet and happy and, for the most part, easy-going. As he's getting older, he's learning he has to compete with his older brother a little bit if he's going to get his way. Ryker has learned that his older brother doesn't really like to share anything with him. He'll have something that he's playing with and if Brody comes anywhere near him, he immediately holds tight to the toy and pulls it away from his direction. Poor Ryker. We're working on sharing. Even though that part of brotherhood has been hard for them, they really do get along very well. One of the sweetest things that has been going on lately between them is when Brody is finally ready for breakfast, Ryker has already eaten and is getting ready for his nap. But almost every morning Ryker will crawl over to Brody at the table and sign "eat" to him. Brody is very sweet and bites off a piece of his toast or bagel and will give it to him and say, "here you go brother." It melts my heart.

They've already started wrestling each other and I know it's just the beginning. Brody is careful for the most part and Ryker usually just laughs the whole time, but other times it ends badly. I think Ryker just gets mad when Brody won't let him sit up. Haha. Ryker loves Brody so much and visa versa.

Ryker has been taking steps and I think it's safe to say that he is officially a walking baby now. My job just got ten times harder. He is so cute walking around. I love watching him concentrate so hard on balancing and taking each step and then wondering what to do when he wants to switch directions or turn around. He is so cute. He also makes the cutest face while he's walking. He kind of makes an "o" with his mouth and hums a little bit. I love his little face! Pretty soon he'll be running around...

Some other new things he's doing are: brushing his hair with a brush, or anything that resembles one; he opens all of the cupboards and likes to climb inside, he likes to "help" put things away, and he gives hugs and kisses without us even asking. He now can sign: eat, more, please, cereal, milk and fish. Some things he loves to do are: be outside, (when I ask Dexter if he's ready to be taken outside, Ryker gets even more excited than Dex and rushes to the door to be "let out" too. haha.) He loves to drive cars with Brody, stir play food in bowls with a spoon, destroy Brody's lego towers, read books and point at the pictures, take wagon rides, (he cries when it's time to get out.) And he also loves to look out our front windows.

Ryker still loves to eat. I'm afraid he has a condition where he doesn't ever get full. (Half joking, half not.) A typical meal for him would include: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a whole orange, a yogurt and some crackers...all washed down with a huge glass of water. And I'm never surprised when he's signing "eat" to me 20 minutes later. Some of his favorite foods are: strawberries, mango, bananas, kiwi, apples, pb & j sandwiches, cream of wheat pancakes and nutria grain bars. He's doing well adjusting to cows milk, but he'd still prefer to just drink water. The only food I've come across that he won't eat is green beans. He gags...bad. But other than that, he'll pretty much eat anything I give him.

Ryker always lights up my day. I love him so much! I love that he's still a mama's boy and that he'll give me big hugs and kisses and cuddle with me. I know it's not going to last, so I'm trying to enjoy it while I can. I love my little man!