8 Months by: Ryan

Man, my mom has been really bad at blogging! I decided I would let you know what's been going on since I've been back in South Carolina!

I turned 8 months at the end of January and I'm doing all sorts of cool things now. My new house has lots of places to explore. I love to run around in my walker and go into different rooms. I especially like to chase my doggie, Layla. She runs from me since I've charged her a few times! hehe....

I'm getting really heavy! I'm over 23 lbs and growing everyday. I'm eating really good too. I get 4 bottles a day and eat 3 meals. I eat my vegetables, but I love fruit! I say "MMMMMM" with every bite.

I got to see the snow and touch it. It was so cold, but I still wanted to taste it. I really have to bundle up here!

I love rolling around and playing. I'm even starting to crawl a little. My mom calls it scooting since I just pull myself to get where I want to go and I'm not on my knees yet. I really like to stand and hold myself on the ottoman. I feel so tall and brave!

I also learned to say mama! Everyone says I don't know what I'm saying, but I really do! I love my mommy so I call to her when I want her to hold me :)

I'll also wave or give you a kiss...if I'm in the mood for it.

I'm so excited to be back around my family! Come and see me anytime. Maybe if it's a nice day we can go to the playground! I like strolling around the neighborhood and the swings.

My mom will be better at updating pictures of me-she promises. It's getting harder to get clear ones since I'm always moving around.

That's it for now...I gotta take a nap. Being a baby is hard work!

WE'RE BACK!

Well....we made it! Ryan was a trooper for the 4 1/2 hour flight from San Francisco to Charlotte. He took a little snooze, and was entertained with the toys I brought to make it with minimal fussing. Our next flight (from Charlotte to Greenville) was cancelled so Andy had to come pick us up. Luckily, he knew about it before I even landed and was waiting on us trying to get my luggage rerouted. After a mere 2 hours of waiting we finally got my bags and headed home to beat the winter "storm". Now we're snowed in, and keeping busy unpacking and getting settled. I'm getting a little stir crazy to get out, but it was pretty good timing since I haven't been in my house for over 5 months and we've got a lot to get done!

I can't believe Ryan was this little when we got out there!

We'll miss you California....

And places like this...

(Taylor's Refresher)---acutally now it's called Gott's-so good!

And we'll definitely miss all our friends! Have a great off season guys!!!

Ryan's First Christmas

We were excited to celebrate Christmas this year since it was Ryan's first! It wasn't exactly like we would have wished (since Andy had to leave early Christmas morning for St. Louis for their game) but we made the best of it.

We woke up Ryan on Christmas morning with his Santa pjs on, and brought him down to the tree to tear into some presents. He really liked the bows and paper.

"Santa" brought some crinkle toys that sound like a bag of potato chips when you touch them. I think Ryan likes them :) He also really loved his books that play music, the race track set, his 49er doggie, and all his other little toys! Ryan even got me a new pair of sunglasses-what a sweetie!

The Urzi family was nice enough to have Ryan and I over for a wonderful Christmas dinner. It was so nice to be with a family for the holiday, especially with Andy out of town. Not to mention the food was delicious.

We were worn out when we got home, so I got Ryan ready for bed. Right as he finished his bottle he gave me a little snuggle and then he looked up and smiled at me, then let out a little giggle. It was one of those moments you wish you could freeze forever. That was the best Christmas present I could've asked for!

THANKFUL

Where to begin (and to follow up that last post! Major brownie points, Andy-how sweet)....

I am so very thankful for many things this year. My wonderful family, my loving husband, our amazing son, all our friends-east and west coast :), Andy's job, so many blessings I can't even count! We marked 5 years of spending our Thanksgiving in San Jose with one of Andy's teammate's family. They have treated us like their own family and even welcomed Andy's parents-Paula and Chester, and Andy's youngest brother, Nick, this year. As always, it was delicious! Turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, mac and cheese-just to name a few. Oh-and I can't forget the homemade raviolis-a special Italian treat!

Here' a picture of Ryan on his first Thanksgiving! These were taken on my phone--our computer is "sick" so I can't upload pictures like normal so these will have to do for now!

He tried sweet potatoes for the first time. I wonder if he liked them... haha...what do you think?

I wish we could have a weekly Thanksgiving. Not just for all the food, although I love all those carbs! But instead, just to have a reminder to be grateful for all that we have. It seems that today we "expect" so much-just the usual things like dinner on the table and a warm shower- instead of being thankful for what we have. It's easy to have our blinders on and not think about how lucky we are to have those luxuries. Entitlement is the word that comes to mind when I think about our generation-and I'm so guilty of it! It motivates me as a parent to instill an attitude of gratefulness in Ryan.

As Christmas approaches, I'm so thankful for the great gift of Jesus Christ to the world- the true reason for the season! Let's be gracious to one another, thankful for what we have, and celebrate all that we've been given.

I'm so thankful for this little guy and the joy that fills my heart when I hear him laugh!!

Now... let's see Ryan in the bath!!

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

A Letter To My Wife

I (Andy) have never posted anything on this blog and thought I would take time to let you guys know how wonderful my wife Rachel is. First of all I could not have a better person to share my life with. She is always there for me and is the best mother to our son Ryan. I know at times things can get tough for her being out here in CA alone without family and trying to take care of Ryan while I am away at practice and games...but she does it without any complaints and with a loving smile on her face. She is a great woman of God and helps to keep me on track when I go astray. She is always there to lift me up when I am down and is my biggest fan which makes me feel so great. I could go on and on about how beautiful she is but everyone knows that by just looking at her but the most amazing thing is how beautiful she is on the inside. She is always thinking of what she can do for others when sometimes she needs to just pamper herself. She has one of the biggest hearts I know. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am the luckiest man in the world for having her as my wife and I hope you too have someone as wonderful as her in your life to love you and share your life with! God Bless!

Just Like Dad

As most of you probably know already, Ryan had to be put in a helmet a couple of weeks ago. It was for a flat spot that was forming on the back of his head and causing his skull bones to grow wider than they should. It's mostly cosmetic and can prevent it from getting worse. Andy and I were really stressed out about it because we didn't want it to bother Ryan, and of course for selfish reasons (like wanting to kiss his sweet little head and snuggle him without that hard helmet in the way). However, he transitioned great into the helmet and really didn't seem to mind it too much. We think he just likes to be like his dad and wear a helmet like the cool football players :)

Thanks for everyone's support of our decision to put him in the helmet, and for the prayers that it will correct the flat spot quickly! We had our first check-up yesterday and Ryan is already making great improvements!

Here's a few pics of Ryan in his helmet! I picked blue to bring out his eyes....

Seantel Comes to Visit!

This weekend, Seantel, my best friend from back home came to visit! It's so nice to spend time together and catch up face to face instead of on the phone. She arrived on Sunday late morning, so we picked up a quick lunch and we scooted on back to get ready for the game. This was my first game leaving Ryan with a sitter. He did really well and I did too. I just wish the Niners could have pulled out the win for us :( It was really exciting at the end, but that's how a lot of our games have been going lately. Seantel and I still had a fun time cheering them on!

On Monday, Seantel and I went to our team Bible study, had lunch, got frozen yogurt, and came back to hang out with baby Ryan for a while. Then it was Andy's turn to be the babysitter so Seantel and I could do what girls do best-SHOP :)

We did a little damage, then had dinner at Santana Row. It was a nice, warm evening so we sat outside at El Jardin. It's such a cute atmosphere with the trees and lights, and good food too!

Tuesday we headed down to Half Moon Bay to take Ryan to pick out a pumpkin. It was pretty hot, but we had to put him in some fall clothes for a minute to take a few pictures.

He didn't seem to mind the heat. We propped him up and he was really into this one! I love my little pumpkin!

We had such a great time visiting with Seantel! I know Ryan really enjoyed seeing her too! If he ever got fussy Seantel just talked sweet to him, and then he'd start to flirt! He really did light up when he saw her.

On another note, Ryan had a little bit of a cold the last few days so I took him to the doctor this morning just to be sure everything was alright. He doesn't have any bad congestion and there are no ear problems so we are really thankful it's just a typical stuffy nose. While I was there I had the nurse weigh and measure him again to see how much he's grown in two weeks and here are the stats:

Weight:

9/28/10 -17 lbs 15 oz (95th percentile)

10/14/10- 18 lbs 2 oz (95th percentile)

Length:

9/28/10- 26" (86th percentile)

10/14/10- 27" (94th percentile)

Isn't it funny how babies grow! I don't like going to the doctor for shots and all that, but I do love going to see how he's growing! I just hope my little snuggle bug gets all better soon!

Please keep Ryan in your prayers!