Hesselblogger: Ryan Update

We just had Ryan’s 15 month checkup at the doctor, so I thought it would be a good time to put up some pics and do a little Ryan recap. SO much has happened over the last few months and he is growing and learning every day. It is seriously incredible to watch him change from a baby into a little boy. He is so fun, loving, smart, curious, and funny and we are enjoying every new milestone with him. First, some stats:

He has 8 full teeth (4 top, 4 bottom,) and just broke through with 2 new ones this last week.
His favorite color is Yellow. Any time he colors or has to pick from the same toy in multiple colors (like balls, cars, etc.) he will pick the yellow one.
He now weighs in at close to 25 pounds! In the last 3 months, he has gained 5 pounds which was a happy surprise to us after a year of only gaining ounces in between appointments.
He also grew 2 inches taller in the last 3 months and has grown out of two sizes of shoes. No wonder kids are so expensive!
His head is (and has always been) in the 98th percentile for size. Smart like his parents :)

Some fun stories and development milestones:

A few months ago, he started making the connection between books and real life things. So every time we would see a puppy in a book, he would get really excited and run off to find Jordan so he could pet her. He loves to read, so we make sure to get to at least a small stack of books each day. His favorites are his Thomas the Train set, anything with animals, and anything with pop-up or moveable parts. On each page, we will ask him where things are, and he is great at finding and pointing out all of the people and things he knows.
Speaking of Jordan, the love continues to grow between the two of them. Ryan loves to hand her toys, play keep-away with her stuffed animals, pet her and give her sweet kisses on her head. Jordan loves that Ryan is flush with treats that he is often willing to share.

He likes to dance to music – sometimes “real” music that we play on Pandora for him, but mostly just to the songs that his kid toys play. Dancing is a little bounce of the knees to the rhythm, but we will sometimes twirl around the kitchen together too.
His vocabulary is continuously expanding. He now says (in context!) Momma, Dada, Dordan (Jordan), Up, Hop (when he sees bunnies, kangaroos, wants to hop,) Baba (bottle,) Hi, Bye-Bye (complete with wave,) More (for more food,) Hide (when he wants to play hide and seek) and Oh No/Uh Oh (for when toys fall over.)
He loves food and is willing to try pretty much anything. And, man, can he eat. While he used to have maybe 15-25% of whatever I was having, he will now match me bite for bite on some meals. His favorites are Trader Joe’s macaroni & cheese, grapes, potatoes of any sort, yogurt and applesauce. He will even bite through the foil lid of his yogurt and applesauce and slurp the whole thing down without even needing a spoon.
He loves to play, and plays hard every day. I try to get him outside, although the hot weather makes that difficult for most of the day. He likes to dig in the soil, play in the pool, play with the hose, pick out rocks and pull leaves from the trees. He also loves to play a modified Hide and go Seek where he and I will hide under a blanket while Matt runs and hides himself somewhere around the playroom. Ryan will emerge from under the blanket and look for Matt, and when he finds him, he squeals with glee and races back to me as fast as he can saying “Hide! Hide!” Then I quickly throw the blanket over our heads so Matt can’t get us, and we start all over again. He would play this all day if we let him!

Fun at the Library

Very busy at the i.d.e.a. museum

Although it is too hot to go to the actual zoo, he has been practicing his zoo animals so he can be a pro when the fall comes and we are able to go back. He now has a Little People zoo set that will tell you the animal’s names and what sounds they make, which he loves. He also has multiple zoo books that he likes to read, and a few YouTube videos of zoo animals that he likes to watch. He knows quite a few animal noises too, including elephant, lion, monkey, and rhino.