13 almost 14 months old

We went to California when Ryker turned 13 months and month 14 is just around the corner. I have been slacking in updating you all on Ryker. Here are some of the exciting things Ryker has learned over the past couple months.

1. Ryker just received his 5th tooth this week

2. He has learned new words such as: ball, car, go, bye, papa (grandpa), dog, eat, boo, done, and repeats MORE even more clearly than before along with the sign. He always tries to repeat words that we say and usually gets really close or right on.

3. Ryker has been using his imagination. He will sit and play with the oddest items for long periods of time jabbering and carrying on in his own world. The past week he has been carrying around a bucket or a basket and will put random items inside. He love to play with blankets, towels, clothes anything that he can put around his neck (similar to a cape) or over his head to play peek-a-boo. He is more content to play alone than before but LOVES when other kids are around to watch and learn from.

4. Ryker laughs at himself ALL the time. Sometimes I can hear him playing in the next room and then I hear bursts of laughter. I go to investigate what he is doing and most of the time it is nothing specific that I can see that is making him laugh. Ryker will also start to laugh when anyone around him is laughing. He has the cutest fake laugh, which of course makes Dave and I chuckle.

5. Ryker has gotten really tall and skinny. When I put him on the scale the other day it registered 20.6 lbs. He is still doesn't weigh as much as he did when he was 8 months. He has lost most of his baby look and is more like a toddler each day.

6. Ryker has become more of a picky eater. His favorite foods over the past few months have been Raisins, chicken nuggets, cherries, watermelon, pineapple, pears, otter pops, Cheese, yogurt, pretzels, and most kinds of meat. There are too many items that he likes to list them all in. He still will try most items but will spit them out if he doesn't like the taste or texture. I guess I should list some of his dislikes; bread (I don't think he likes the texture but loves banana or zucchini), penne pasta (but he loves angel hair), cantaloupe, lettuce, hot dogs, chips, and will only eat his eggs with cheese. It is funny to me that he has developed some strong dislikes so young. He is a really good eater contrary to his weight.

7. He is still an early bird. No matter what time he gets to bed he is up between 6:45 and 7. He likes to have a sippy cup of milk and just lay next to me on the couch until he is finished. This is a time that I cherish everyday. It is about the only 15 minutes that he will just sit still with me. It reminds me of those times when I would feed him after he got up, it reminds me of those times when he was little. It also helps me get perspective on how fast time is moving and how quickly he is growing up. Ryker is down to one nap a day. There are some days when he is really tired that he goes down for two.

8. Ryker LOVES to be outside. The weather here has not been the best even though it is June. On the rainy days he still wants to go out on our porch and watch the rain. He will wander around our back yard for hours and enjoys watching Dave and I work on the yard. Unfortunately he doesn't know not to go in the road. This always scares me, he is really quick on his feet, all it takes is just turning my back for 30 seconds and I look to find him headed straight for the road. I can usually catch him before he gets there but there have been some close calls. We don't live on the busiest street but we do get some traffic. I love to see how happy he is outdoors. He will sit and laugh at just about anything and cries every time he has to come inside.

Ryker is a great kid, I love being his mom. There are times that he tries my patience but that is part of the learning process for both of us. Ryker is smart, healthy, determined, handsome, busy, creative, sweet, loving, and enjoys being the center of attention. I love watching Ryker grow and learn to do things on his own. When he does something that he is proud of he will look to me for praise, which is usually right there waiting for him.

Words can not express how a mother feels about her children, there just aren't any big enough or powerful enough. I am so blessed to have this little boy as a part of my life.