Adventures of Brooke and Van

Ryan's Going Mobile

2012-02-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

Here's the evolution of Ryan's tricycle riding ability…

He got a Skuut in December, but has gotten limited riding time. As you can see, there's been little progression over the last two months….

Chinese New Years

2012-02-19T06:50:00.000-08:00

Snow Storm 2012

2012-02-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

During the snow storm in January, Brooke and Ryan were forced to stay home a couple of days….
and with their time, they built a snowman!

Hiking

2012-02-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

Discovery Park in December...

Little Si in January...

Christmas 2011

2012-01-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

I didn't feel very inspired this Christmas, so unfortunately these are all I have to post...

Pictures at the Redmond Town Center Mall

2011-12-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

Scary Santa

2011-12-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

Santa Brunch at the club. Ryan is still afraid of Santa....

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

For the first time since 1998, Brooke and I spent Thanksgiving in Seattle instead of Reno. But besides the change in location, all other activities stayed the same: watching football and eating....

On the weekend after Thanksgiving, while the girls went shopping, the boys went to the playground…

Katrina

2011-12-17T16:32:00.000-08:00

For two weeks, we had a house guest who was in town for a veterinarian internship. She had never been to Seattle before, so it was a good excuse for us to revisit some touristy destinations….

Halloween 2011

2011-12-17T16:25:00.001-08:00

Ryan's first potty in a potty!

2011-11-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

We purchased a potty for Ryan near his 2nd birthday. And since then, he's sat in it at most a total of 6 times. So it was a surprise when tonight, out of nowhere, Ryan said "try the potty". Brooke took off his diaper, Ryan sat down and said "read the book" (referring to the Potty book). We walked away for a couple minutes and came back to a pool of pee! Yay! I can't wait to be done with diapers.

Future Soccer Star?

2011-11-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

We had an uncooperative model who refused to look at the camera, so this is the best we could do...

2011-10-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

It was a bad football weekend for our Huskies, but Ryan still loves them...

We had a giggly baby during bath time, so Brooke couldn't help taking a few shots...

19 minutes at the dinner table with Ryan. The video is low on entertainment value, but I enjoy documenting how his language skills are developing...

Picking Fruit in Wenatchee, WA

2011-10-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Apple, pear, and nectarine picking on a 100 degree day at Stutzman Ranch. We got 40 lbs of fruit for $20….

It seems obvious now, but I realized what the two dents on top of nectarines were from. I used to avoid ones like this in the grocery store. Now I know it's the sign of a good tree-ripened nectarine….

Vancouver, BC

2011-10-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

We took a short trip to Vancouver for the Labor Day weekend. We were considering either a trip to Oregon wine country or a trip to Vancouver and decided that since it was a holiday weekend in the US, we would escape to Canada where it would be less busy. Did you know Canadians observe Labor Day too? We found out on Monday morning when many of the downtown restaurants were closed.

Day 1 - Queen Elizabeth Park

Day 1 - Fairmont Waterfront (Hotel) Pool.
The rooftop pool was a bit small, but the views of the city and harbor were fantastic. Ryan is still afraid of the water. I couldn't talk him into going beyond knee-deep.

Day 2 - We started our day with a nice breakfast on the waterfront, then drove up to Grouse Mountain. According to their website, a general admission ticket costs $39.99 CAD ($41 USD) and this includes a sky tram ride up the mountain, a live lumberjack show, a bird demonstration, and more. However, by talking to some locals, we found out that if you skip the tram ride and hike up the mountain, then all the other activities are free! Easy decision for us...hike up the mountain and save $82 USD.

It was a hard earned $82. Aptly named "The Grouse Grind", the trail gains 2800 feet in elevation in only 1.8 miles (29.5% grade). If it weren't for the fact that the trail is a one-way single-file path all the way up, I would have considered turning around.

One-way return tickets on the sky tram were $10, a reasonable price to pay for avoiding hiking down. We got an unfortunate middle spot in the crowded tram, so I couldn't get any decent video. From what I did capture, you can see the steepness of the mountain....

Day 3 - To spare you the unpleasant details, let's just say that Ryan must have caught some stomach bug. We had a quick picnic back at Queen Elizabeth Park, got some poutine for lunch, and headed home….

Hiking

2011-09-10T22:53:00.000-07:00

We had a great hike at Mt Rainier. At 2.5 hrs, it was a bit of a long drive for a hike, but totally worth it. We drove to Longmire on the southern side of Rainier, took the free shuttle up to Paradise, and hiked up the western side of the Skyline Trail to Panorama Point. The conditions were perfect: mid 70s, clear skies, and just enough snow on the trail to make it a bit challenging and fun.

We took a break at Glacier Vista (about 2/3 the way up) for a snack. Immediately afterward, we started up a long snowy slope to Panorama Point. We turned around at Panorama and descended the way we came up. We would have liked to continue on the trail and descend on the eastern half (completing the loop), but we were warned it still had too much snow. And good thing we heeded the warning. The descent on the snowy areas was fairly difficult with Ryan on my back....

Mt Rainier more than made up for our disappointing hike a few weeks earlier at Mt Washington. First, I had gotten lost and wasted half an hour finding the parking lot. Once I found the right area to park, the only directions offered was on a crummy hand-drawn map (with no distance scale). The map directed us up a gravel path for some unspecified distance and then make a left turn on some unmarked trailhead. We probably hiked to an elevation gain of 1200 ft and turned around. Afterwards, we stopped at a diner in North Bend made famous by the show Twin Peaks. On the show, the main character frequently commented on the diner's "damn fine cup of coffee" and cherry pie. We tried both and they were in fact damn fine.....

Taylor Shellfish Farms (Samish Bay)

2011-09-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

During my brother and his girlfriend's recent trip to Seattle, we drove up to Taylor Shellfish Farms. We got 3 dozen small oysters, and 2 freshly steamed crabs, 1 oyster knife, 1 lemon, and 2 mini Tabasco bottles all for around $60. There were charcoal grills available for us to use, but we all prefer our oysters raw.

KW Family Day

2011-09-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

We went to the KW Family Day so Brooke could see my work for the first time. There were many activities for the kids including bouncy houses, rock climbing, clowns, caricaturists, face painting, and train rides. But the only thing that Ryan wanted to do was play in the haystack....

Bite of Seattle 2011

2011-09-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

We felt like true Seattleites again after going to the Bite of Seattle despite the rain. We managed to eat at about 6 booths and watched a cooking demonstration with the chefs from Rovers and Tavolata.

The photos show a typical Ryan move:
If he likes what you're feeding him, he'll snatch the fork out of your hand.
If he doesn't like it, he'll snatch the fork out of your hand and feed you the offensive food. Clearly, he didn't like the gourmet sausage.

Ryan Update

2011-09-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

At his last pediatrician visit (25 months old), Ryan's stats were:
Height: 36.5 inches (85%) - this was the first time the measurement was taken while standing
Weight: 30 lbs 8 oz. (60%)
Head: 51 cm (90%)

Ryan knows his letters....

Ryan is a 2 yr old who thinks he's a 3 yr old....

Playing at Grass Lawn Park, Redmond....

Our Weekend

2011-07-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Redmond Derby Days Parade.
We had forgotten about the parade, but luckily for us, the parade route began just outside our front door....

On Sunday, we made another trip to Woodland Park Zoo. It was about a year ago that we let Ryan feed the giraffe and birds. Last year he was extremely afraid of both, so we were curious to see how he had developed.

Ryan enjoyed feeding the giraffes. He even wanted to hold the leaves himself....

Ryan enjoyed feeding the birds. We had to restrain him from petting the birds. I'm certain Brooke was more afraid than Ryan....

Oddly, he was afraid of the carousel horses. He cried and refused to sit on one. We finally gave up and let him sit in the carriage instead....

The dancing elephant. Ever since we saw this at the zoo, Ryan's has been saying "elephant" and trying to do the same dance. We're still trying to get it captured on tape....

Ryan loves penguins....

Rattlesnake Ledge

2011-07-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July, Brooke, Ryan and I hiked up to Rattlesnake Ledge and a little beyond. The total distance was about 5 miles with an elevation gain of 1300ft.

Here's an explanation of the slideshow below:
Slide 1: We arrived at 10am. Already the parking lot was full, so we parked along the road.
Slide 2-3: At Rattlesnake Lake, the start of the hike.
Slide 4: At Rattlesnake Lake, with Rattlesnake Mountain in the background.
Slide 6-10: At the first, largest, and most popular ledge. This ledge offered great views of the lake, Snoqualmie Valley, and Mt. Si.
Slide 11-12: Many people stopped for lunch at the first ledge, but it was far too dangerous to let Ryan loose. We chose to walk further up to find an open area, but finally settled on a small fallen tree to have our lunch.
Slide 13-16: At the second, smaller ledge. Same great views, plus you can look down and see the first ledge.
Slide 17: A video of Ryan singing his ABCs. Ryan would only sing while we were moving. Maybe it was the rhythm of the footsteps.

...and of course we had to replenish all those expended calories at the XXX Root Beer Drive-In...

Ryan's Birthday BBQ

2011-07-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

We held a little birthday party for Ryan at Marymoor Park....

Here are some videos of Ryan playing with his new toys. I love his ambitious Lego design....

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2011-07-02T17:30:00.000-07:00

Ryan turned 2 yrs old this week. Here are some facts about Ryan:

He's 36.0" inches tall and weighs 30.0 lbs.
He likes to mimic everything we say, including all the bad words.
He sleeps 10pm-7:00am and naps for 2 hrs starting around 2pm.
He's a really good eater, eating just about anything.
He loves all fruits. His current favorites are blueberries, nectarines, mangoes, strawberries, pears, and grapes.
He likes most vegetables, but especially broccoli, zuchinni, carrots, spinach, asparagus, and cauliflower (but only after telling him it's white broccoli).
He likes eating chicken, pork, and fish, but he's not able to chew beef yet. However, on occasion, we do feed him some ground beef.
His favorite toy is his Lego Duplo set.
He likes playing Angry Birds on my phone, but his birds always fly to the left.

We're seeing development in his imagination and creativity. For example, after taking a few bites out of his naan, Ryan noticed it resembled a horse and began walking it around the table like it was a horse....

There's no entertainment value to this set of videos. I just like to document how Ryan eats. The videos show him eating grapes and broccoli....

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

We had a good Father's Day hike at Wallace Falls. We followed the Woody Trail and made it to the Upper Falls (map) before turning around. The trail was too muddy for Ryan to walk, so we had to carry him the entire way....

Lunch in the Courtyard

2011-06-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

Memorial weekend in Santa Barbara

2011-06-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

First, I feel I need to apologize for my photos in this post. I accidentally grabbed the wrong camera bag, so I got to Santa Barbara with my old Nikon and the wrong lenses. This explains why nearly all the photos were shot using the same wide angle lens.

Our friends' wedding in Santa Barbara.
I wasn't in the photo-taking mood, so I managed to only get one photo of the newlyweds...

Ryan met Kira (the bride's niece) about a year ago. Here's a link to a few photos from their first play date and below is a video of Ryan and Kira at the wedding reception....

Annual I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival at the Santa Barbara Mission.
In the seven years that we lived in SB, we never once went to this festival. Now as tourists, we found it so interesting that we had to go twice. We went there on Saturday just as the artists were beginning and then again on Monday to see the finished product. It was pretty amazing what they were able to do with just chalk. The slideshow below contains two sets of before & after photos....

It was nice seeing A/C and the Twins again. It was nearly one year ago that we last went to the Santa Barbara marina and took photos of the three kids. I'm glad we were able to recreate the shots....

I introduced Ryan to my favorite Santa Barbara smoothie. I think he likes it too...

Here's Amelia now....
(link to Amelia and Ryan in March 2010. Check out Ryan's flat, pre-helmet head)

Goleta Beach....

Quarterly Report

2011-06-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been nearly 3 months since our last post. We've been extremely busy. In April, I started a new job and we moved into an apartment in Redmond. We would have preferred Seattle, but due to the location of Ryan's daycare (my aunt) and the additional $500 for a comparable Seattle apartment, we settled on Redmond. So far we've been quite happy with the location. We're one block from Trader Joes, two blocks from a phở restaurant and Starbucks, three blocks from a shopping mall, the Redmond farmer's market, and Gymboree. And though we haven't had time or nice weather to appreciate it, we're also only three blocks from 27 miles of continuous, car-free bike trails (Burke-Gilman Sammamish Trail).

Ryan saying ABCs (approx April 10th)....

Here's Ryan seeing the apartment for the first time....

Cherry Blossoms at the University of Washington (April 16th)....

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (April 17th)....

Easter brunch with Nanna and Gramps at the club....

We went to the Seattle Aquarium while Brooke's brother was in town (April 30th)....

Making pastries with my cousins in our new apartment....

Wine tasting, then beer tasting with Carol in Woodinville, WA (10 minute drive from our apartment)....

Ryan after bath...

Videos of Ryan

2011-03-10T22:55:00.000-08:00

Ryan loves watching videos of himself. He'll even request specific videos by name. For example, he'll say "bunny" to request the video in the last blog post, or he'll say "eyebrow" for the video before that. These new videos are more for Ryan than anybody else.

Reading with Nanna.....

Ryan's first taste of cà phê sữa đá. Since then, we've given him unsweetened Starbucks coffee and he likes that too...

Ryan doesn't make it easy to film him. He's ruined many videos by grabbing at the camera....

Ryan hanging on the monkey bars...

Ryan knows his shapes. He knows colors too, but on this night, he wasn't being cooperative....

Ryan has been relatively illness-free since birth, but last weekend he had a severe fever and eye infection. We took him to the emergency room once his temperature hit 105F. The doctor's did the normal exams, plus a chest x-ray and took a urine sample, but all test results were normal. Finally tonight I think he's back to normal.

Ryan Update

2011-02-27T21:09:00.000-08:00

At a pediatrician visit on Feb. 15th (19 1/2 months old), Ryan's stats were:
Height: 35.5 inches (97%)
Weight: 27 lb. 1.8 oz (50%)
Head: 49 cm (76%)

He's wearing size 7.5 shoes.

New words:
yellow, button, bum (as in butt), snow,
star, orange, bunny, bottle

The weather has been cold but sunny so we spent some time at the Greenlake playground and then walked the 3 mile loop....

We were testing the Nikon D90's video recording and captured Ryan talking in the car....

Talking Ryan

2011-02-12T16:50:00.000-08:00

Ryan has advanced beyond calling everything "baba", but many of his words are still only understandable by those of us who speak "Ryan". He understands about 200 words and can speak the following words:

Words he spoke in October....
Dad = "dada"
Mom = "mama"
Grandpa = "bapa"
Grandma = "nanna"
Grandpa = "ah-ya" (Cantonese)
Telephone = "yaya"
Baby = "baby"

Words he learned since October....
Banana, Apple, Pear, Onion,
Eye, Eyebrow, Ear, Knee,
Bear, Elmo, Ball, Oval, Up, More ("ma")

Misc. Events

2011-02-10T21:36:00.000-08:00

My cousin Emily turned 6 yrs old. I was too busy eating to take photos, so all I got were a few shots of the cake cutting....

Chinese New Years is always uneventful. The only thing that's different from any other family gathering is the lucky money and a gambling game called "fish-shrimp-crab". The stakes are low, but it's still exciting. Even Brooke likes it and she doesn't like to gamble.
(In case you're wondering, Ryan has his shirt off because he's running nonstop and my grandparents always keep the house at 78 - 80 degrees.)

Hanging out at Gymboree....

Family Olympics

2011-02-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

Back in Oct 16th 2010, I came up with the idea to hold a Family Olympics to help motivate me to workout. It turns out that not even the fear of a humiliating defeat was enough motivation. I managed to workout only once (Oct 18th) in the 3-month period that I had to train.

The events and rules were simple...

Events: Pull Ups, Sit Ups (1 minute), Push Ups, 1-mile Run
Scoring per event: 5 points for 1st Place, then 3 points, 2 points, 1 point
The person with most total points wins!

Here are some photos from competition day....

My baby can jump!

2011-01-09T22:00:00.001-08:00

We've been working on jumping for several months and now look....both feet off the ground!

A couple of photos that Brooke took.....

December (Part 2)

2010-12-31T18:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning...

Hanging out with my brother and cousin....

Ryan making coffee....

Ryan helping with laundry....

Ryan dancing to Christmas music....

December

2010-12-25T22:19:00.000-08:00

Farrel McWhirter Farm. Ryan and I have been going to this (free) farm in Redmond about twice per week for the last couple of months. He likes all the animals, especially the rabbits....

Making gingerbread cookies with dad....

Christmas Party at "The Club". Ryan had his picture taken with Santa, we saw a puppet show, and we took a video of him eating cantaloupe with a fork....

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T13:19:00.000-08:00

November

2010-12-18T16:30:00.000-08:00

At a pediatrician visit on Nov. 16th (16 1/2 months old), Ryan's stats were:
Height: 34 inches (97%)
Weight: 25 lb. 9.4 oz (50%)
Head: 49 cm (90%)

More shots with the new 85mm lens at Gasworks Park....

Ryan is almost able to climb stairs without using his hands....

Climbing a ladder....

Pincer grasp. Here's a follow-up video to the one I took when he's was 11 months old....

At an Egyptian church fundraiser with our friend Carol, we got some good food and did a cheesy dress-up fake-backdrop photo. The organizers are supposed to send us a photo with us standing in front of a sphinx, but it hasn't arrived yet. That's no problem cause I can just photoshop my own....

Ryan and I were in a car accident. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, but our beloved Honda Accord was totaled. We replaced it with a 2011 Honda CR-V EX-L....

Snowing in Seattle. Just 2-3 inches of snow wreaked havoc on our roads. Brooke and her dad's commute home from work took 5.5 hrs and 9.5 hrs, respectively. Traffic wasn't a problem for me and Ryan because we were at home enjoying the snow....

Thanksgiving. Brooke couldn't get out of work until 3:15pm on Wednesday, so we had to drive overnight in order to get to Reno at 8am on Thanksgiving Day (too late to do our traditional Turkey Trot race). Maybe it was the exhausting drive, but I didn't feel like taking many photos. These three are all I have to show for the entire trip....

Misc. things from October

2010-12-13T22:12:00.000-08:00

For my birthday, I got the Nikon 85mm F/1.8 lens. Here are some test shots....

Is Ryan running...or just speed walking?

Words Ryan can say:
Dad = dada
Mom = mama
Grandpa = bapa
Grandma = nanna
Grandpa = ah-ya (Cantonese)
Telephone = yaya
Baby = bay-bay

Ryan calls everything else "baba". See for yourself....

Halloween Party

2010-10-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a little preview of Ryan's Halloween costume. We took these photos at a Halloween party we attended this weekend....

The weather is getting very cold and rainy lately. So on possibly the last sunny day of the fall last weekend, we took the opportunity to enjoy some time at Marymoor Park....

---------------------
Added 12/13/2010

Halloween party at a neighbor's house....

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin patch day at Dr. Maze's Farm in Redmond, WA.

Vancouver

2010-10-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

We went to Vancouver with our friends from California. There was nothing specific we wanted to see. We just wanted to hangout and see how the city had changed in the eight years since we've been there.

The 2010 Winter Olympic Flame cauldron and other photos along the waterfront.....

The hotel room had a lot of natural light, so we took the opportunity to take a bunch of photos of the kids....

On our second day, we took the ferry to North Vancouver where we discovered a nice market, Lonsdale Quay Market. We had a nice lunch, a crepe, a really good white chocolate-berry scone, and some coffee, then headed back to downtown Vancouver....

Stanley Park....

Our week

2010-10-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ryan got his second haircut. We think it looks better than the first....

Brooke and I got to have a "date" this week. We went a great Arcade Fire concert! We sat about 3/4 of the way back, but since only the lower level of the arena was used, we still had a very good view. We got reserved seating tickets rather than the general admission floor tickets. However, everyone chose to stand anyways, so we should have just gotten the floor tickets.

Here's the intro to their opening song, Ready to Start....

Yesterday we attended another UW volleyball game. Before the game we picked up some Ivar's and headed to Gasworks Park for a picnic. What a great day for it!

September

2010-10-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

Here's some of what we did in September.

A trip to Kelsey Creek Park in Bellevue, Washington....

Going to the University District Farmers Market and the Seattle Tilth Harvest Fair....

We've been cooking a lot at home and trying new recipes. Here's one for a pear tart that's really easy and really good....

Peel, core and cut into sixths, or eighths:
2 or 3 ripe juicy pears

Cream together:
1 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add to butter mixture:
2 eggs, one at a time

Combine together, then add to butter mixture:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Spray an 8" spring form pan with Pam. Spread the batter in it.
In a pinwheel pattern, press the slices of pear halfway into the batter.
Bake at 350o F until a toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes. If you have any doubts, UNDERBAKE. It should taste creamy. If overcooked, it’ll taste like a normal cake.

Wine Tasting. These photos were taken at Chateau Ste. Michelle....

Hanging out with family....

Playing at the park...

Our weekend

2010-09-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

We attended the UW Women's Volleyball season opener. UW easily beat Mercer University in three straight sets (25-13, 25-10, 25-15).....

We also attended the neighborhood block party....

Ryan started out playing nicely. Then he (accidentally?) tackled the other kid and made him cry....

Brooke and I took part in a water balloon toss competition. We didn't win as you can tell by the big wet spot on Brooke's shirt....

Washington Apple Country

2010-08-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

This week we went on a trip to Washington apple country and had a great time. After a beautiful drive through the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, our first destination was Leavenworth. For our California readers, this is Washington's Solvang, except it's a Bavarian Village rather than Danish. It was miserably hot, so we didn't spend much time in town before we headed for a park along the Wenatchee river.

Leavenworth....

Waterfront Park....

An unplanned stop at the Aplets and Cotlet factory. I love those little overly-sweet candies....

Our final destination was Stutzman Ranch in Wenatchee....

We were really excited to visit a U-pick apple orchard. It was something I had done with my family as a kid and I wanted to bring Ryan. When we arrived at Stutzman Ranch, we were greeted by the owners, Floyd and Betsy Stutzman. It was obvious they were very busy handling a pear harvest and sales at their fruit stand, but they generously gave us a tour of their ranch and answered a hundred of my questions.

They warned us that the apples were a few weeks away from being ripe, but we couldn't resist and picked about a dozen anyways. They weren't very sweet, so I'll have to use them in a pie. Fortunately, they also had plenty of deliciously ripe pears, nectarines and peaches to pick....

We expected to just get apples, but we got so much more. There were a variety of fruits, a bunch of farm animals (goats, chickens, and a pig), and really nice farmers. Plus, they have a large pneumatic pumpkin cannon that they'll start firing in October. This will definitely be a new family tradition!

Here are just a few reasons to visit a U-pick farm:
(1) Best fruit available (ripe, fresh, no bruises)
(2) Saves money (apples & pears were only $.50/lb.)
(3) Helps out a family-owned farmer
(4) It's fun to pick your own fruit
(5) No annoying stickers to remove from the fruit

Ryan update

2010-08-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

Ryan is almost 14 months old. He weighs 24 lbs and is 32" tall.
He's transitioning from 2 naps to 1 nap per day.
He has 11 teeth (the one on the lower right hasn't popped out yet)
He all of a sudden started refusing a pacifier and he hasn't used one in over a week.

Ryan is so much more fun now that he's really communicating. He consistently signs for "milk", "eat" and "more". He'll shake his head to do "no". He'll snort and point at any dog he sees. He'll twist at the torso and point to the TV whenever he wants to watch the Wiggles.
He understands when we say "dance", "dog", "high-5", "jump", "head", and "ear". See for yourself....

His stacking skills have improved....

He's climbing up and down on the couch. He's trying to climb up the dining room chairs. I'm expecting to see him standing on top of the table any day now....

Woodland Park Zoo

2010-08-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

We took Ryan to the zoo for the first time yesterday. We got there at the perfect time and were second in line to feed the giraffes. For an additional $5 per person, we were each given a leafy branch to feed them with. Ryan was a bit afraid, but so was I. Their tongues were huge!

Ryan wanted to climb into the animal cages....

Feeding the birds....

Seattle Danskin Triathlon 2010

2010-08-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

Brooke and her mom did the Seattle Danskin Triathlon together for the third time. For only training for a month, they did relatively well. They beat their first Danskin time, but not their second.
(Can you spot them in the photo below?)

Bremerton Ferry

2010-08-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, we took the 1 hr long ferry ride to Bremerton. The destination wasn't important; we just wanted to take a ferry anywhere. The views from the ferry are great, and at only $7 per adults (round trip) and kids free, the value is unbeatable....

Priority #1: Once on board, get a hot chocolate in the galley....

Ryan's molars are coming in, so he's drooling more than ever....

Photo Booth

2010-08-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

Brooke and I used to visit the same photo booth at least once per year when we lived in Seattle. There's been a seven year gap, but now that we're back, we'll need to restart the tradition....

Rediscovering Seattle

2010-08-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

We've been very busy since returning to Seattle and haven't had time to post. We're finally settling into a routine so hopefully we'll be posting more often. In the meantime, here's a summary of some of our activities thus far.

Our first week back in Seattle we visited Pike Place Market and had lunch at Matt's in the Market.....

Playing at Gymboree. Of course Ryan refused to join in the group activity....

Climbing the water tower at Volunteer Park for the great views of Mt Rainier and the Seattle skyline....

Overeating at the Bite of Seattle.

We had a piroshky, coconut shrimp, lemonade, corned beef slider, fried mac & cheese, and strawberry shortcake....

Ballard Locks and the fish ladder.
By the way, Ryan is still not wearing normal shoes. He will only wear Robeez slippers.

Hanging out with Auntie R, who was in Seattle on business.
We had a couple nice dinners, one on Pier 70, the location of our wedding. It got pretty cold once the sun had set, so the waiters brought out blankets....

Ryan's first haircut....

Brooke's parents got Ryan a highchair for his birthday. Thank goodness, because we were so tired of chasing after Ryan with his food....

Our day at the Seattle Art Museum began with a nice lunch at a sidewalk cafe. The two main museum exhibits were (1) Kurt Cobain-themed art and (2) art by Andy Warhol. At the Warhol exhibit, visitors were encouraged to have their photos taken in a photo booth and then attach one on the wall.....

The remaining 3 photos from the photo booth....

I heard that another child from our birthing class was stacking blocks at the age of 11 months and I've had "stacking envy" ever since. At 13 months, Ryan has started to become interested in stacking blocks. He's not very good at it yet, but I'm excited that he's trying....

Ryan in the play area of Bellevue Square Mall....

Misc. Videos of Ryan

2010-07-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

Ryan walking in Reno at just under 12 months old.....

Ryan loves durian (the stinky fruit)....

Ryan on a rocker toy....

At around 9 months old, Ryan was able to climb 2 or 3 steps. At 12 months, he's climbing a whole flight of stairs....

Ryan dances like this every time he hears music....

Ryan playing with one of his new birthday toys (Plan Toys Baby Walker)....

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2010-07-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

Today Ryan turns 13 months old, but we still haven't posted about his 1-year birthday. Better late than never, right?

On the morning of Ryan's first birthday, he got his first fever. He ran a temperature of over 102 for two days, but recovered quickly. Brooke and I weren't so lucky. We were both sick soon after Ryan and it took us a week to get better. With so much sickness going around, Ryan's birthday didn't get as much fanfare as it otherwise would have.

My family did throw him a birthday party. (yes, I know the sign is missing an "R")....

My cousins helping Ryan unwrap his presents....

We were so disappointed that Ryan didn't immediately dive into the cake at the Birthing Class Birthday Party, we decided to give him another chance. We thought that without all the other babies around, Ryan would be more brave. Ryan is normally so aggressive with his toys and so messy with his food, we thought he'd certainly have fun making a mess with the cake. Wrong. Ryan was curious about the cake, but he would never touch it with more than one finger. After 10 minutes of watching him pace around the cake and poking at it, we decided to push his entire hand into the cake. And when that didn't get him more engaged, he finally gave him a spoon. Finally, he ate two bites and lost interest....

Birthday photos....

West Coast Tour - part 5

2010-07-15T23:36:00.000-07:00

We woke up early on Day 8 to start our self-guided wineries tour. We wanted to hit all three major Oregon AVAs along I-5 within 2 days: Rogue, Umpqua, and Willamette Valley. Our first planned stop was to the perfect trio of shops in the Rogue Valley. All next door to each other was a winery, cheese shop, and a chocolate shop. Our plan was spoiled when we arrived at the wine tasting room, Daisy Creek, at 11am and it wasn't open yet. I guess some Oregonians don't drink before noon. At the chocolate shop, Lille Belle Farms Chocolate, we purchased an assortment of chocolate truffles with our favorite being the Smokey Blue Cheese. We were a bit skeptical about the blue cheese and chocolate combination, but WOW! It was really good. We liked it so much we're already planning a return trip.

I don't know why we ended up skipping the cheese shop, Rogue Creamery. I think it had something to do with the warm weather, the long road trip, and no refrigeration. Now that we have more time and can research a bit more, we're disappointed we skipped a place that gets such glowing reviews in so many food blogs. Plus, I think every Oregon winery we stopped at afterward said something like "if you haven't been, you need to go to Rogue Creamery". Our only consolation is that we were able to try their blue cheese in the Lille Belle truffles.

Driving further north, we stopped at two wineries: Del Rio winery, in the Rogue Valley AVA and Henry Estate winery in the Umpqua Valley AVA, before finding a hotel in the Willamette Valley (~20 miles south of Portland)....

Day 9 was a Monday and it turns out that Mondays, as a winery host put it, are the "winemakers holiday". Fortunately, we found that not all the wineries were closed. The first winery we went to was Archery Summit. The tasting fee was a whopping $15 for only four pours (and no souvenir wine glass), but it was worth every penny. The wines are amazing. However, at around $100 per bottle, they were a bit pricey for our budget.

Views from Archery Summit....

The next stop was Winderlea (also in the Willamette Valley). The wine was good, but the ultra-modern tasting room and views were even better. The place looked like a Mac store....

We couldn't pass up visiting Argyle Winery. It's not everyday that you get to do a "champagne" tasting. There was a room at the winery filled with framed letters from the White House showing that the wines had been served to every president since the first Bush to Obama.

There's been a lot of buzz lately about the Portland food cart scene. Check out this map to see how many there are. We were so excited to try some of the more popular ones only to find out that like the wineries, a lot of the food carts are closed on Mondays. We ended up getting some very good spicy green papaya salad with grilled chicken and a crêpe....

Multnomah Falls (~30 miles east of Portland)....

The Vista House in Crown Point State Park. It offered great views of the Columbia River Gorge, especially with the cool clouds. Oh, and on the other side of the river, that's Washington State!

For dinner, we drove back to Portland for McMenamins Kennedy School. This place is an old elementary school converted into a hotel, restaurants, bars, movie theater, and live music venue. If you've been following the blog, you may remember my post titled "Table for One". What I didn't mention in that post was that I had driven to the Kennedy School two nights in a row, I walked inside, and both times I was too embarrassed to eat there alone. Instead, I drove back to the crappy hotel diner. Needless to say, I felt like I had some unfinished business. With Brooke and Ryan with me, I finally had my chance to eat at the Kennedy School....

Crossing into Washington! After dinner, we made the 175 mile drive back to Seattle!

West Coast Tour - part 4

2010-07-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

On Day 6, we drove with Brooke's grandparents from Reno to Virginia City. Once a mining boomtown, Virginia City is now a tourist town with an abnormally high concentration of souvenir and ice creams shops....

We took a guided tour which took us 300 ft into a mine shaft....

It took Ryan a while, but he finally warmed up to his great-grandparents....

Day 7. Ryan woke up with some wild hair....

Later on Day 7, we drove to Lake Tahoe...

The water really lived up to its reputation for being crystal clear and blue. The only two things I didn't like about the Tahoe area is that:
(1) there were too few free public beaches. We finally found one at Kings Beach on the northern side of the lake.
(2) the photos don't show it, but the beaches are very rocky.

After Tahoe, we made a beeline for Medford, Oregon. Why Medford? It's the start of Oregon wine country along Interstate 5.

West Coast Tour - part 3

2010-06-30T23:30:00.000-07:00

Day 4 and 5
On the morning of Day 4, we drove 170 miles from San Jose to our hotel in Oakhurst, just outside the southern entrance of Yosemite National Park. We immediately made the drive up to Glacier Point for views overlooking the Yosemite Valley....

On our way out of the park, we made a quick stop at the Mariposa Grove to see the giant sequoias....

The Fallen Monarch....

On Day 5, we drove through the Yosemite Valley and Tioga Road on our way to Reno, NV.

Here are maps of our travels so far...

West Coast Tour - part 2

2010-06-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

Day 2 and 3
On Day 2, we drove 200 miles from San Luis Obispo to San Jose. We chose to take the slower, more scenic Highway 1 instead of Highway 101.

Lunch in Monterey, CA

Pool day with our friends in San Jose.
In all of our time living in Santa Barbara, and even having a pool at our last place, Ryan had never been in a pool. It was exciting to finally let him have his first "swimming" experience.

Sporting a swim diaper and getting slathered with sunscreen....

Dressed in swimwear on loan from his 2 year old pal DT...

Ryan cried for a couple of minutes when he first got in the pool, but after that, he really enjoyed floating on the water....

Great dinner at Yuki Sushi. Ryan loves noodles....

Bedtime story....

West Coast Tour

2010-06-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

We've had a very busy month of June...
Brooke defended her dissertation and got her PhD,
We had family in town for graduation,
We sold my beloved Subaru so that we'd only have one car for the drive back to Seattle,
We hired professional movers and rented a storage facility in the Seattle area,
We hosted a birthday party for Ryan and other birthing class babies,
We had Ryan's 1-year pediatrician appointment and Ryan's final helmet appointment (that's right...no more helmet)
We boxed-up all of our things,
and on Saturday June 19th, the movers came to take away all of our things, we returned the keys to our apartment, and we officially became homeless.

So here's a summary our migration back to Seattle....

Day 0 - Moving Day
We had to pull an all-nighter, and even then we weren't ready when the professional movers arrived at 7:30am. We ended up haphazardly stuffing random boxes with the remaining items, so unpacking will be difficult.

This pic shows our apartment just hours before the movers were scheduled to arrive....

It was evening before we finished cleaning the apartment and turned in the keys, so we decided to stay in a Santa Barbara hotel that night.

Day 1
Staying an extra day worked out well because it allowed us to say goodbye to a few friends one last time. That morning we had breakfast with A/C and the Twins at the East Beach Grill. It was nice to hang out in an area that holds so many memories for us from triathlons, to hundreds (maybe even thousands) of games of volleyball.

Later in the day, we went through our regular Sunday morning routine of going to the farmer's market and getting coffee at Starbucks. We also met up with the wine crew for what else but drinks at Hollister Brewing Company. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any photos.

We managed to drive only 100 miles north before deciding to stop at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.

The main dinner room. Frightening, huh?

We figured that if we're going to stay at the Madonna Inn, with its over-priced rates and gaudy decor, we might as well select the most extreme and memorable room: The Caveman.
The room is built into the side of the hill and is covered with rock from ceiling to floor.

The room was equipped with a pair of caveman clubs....

The room was completely impractical and even dangerous for a child that's learning to walk,(we made Ryan wear his helmet) but it was definitely a memorable experience.

For a guided tour, click here....

1st Birthday Party

2010-06-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday we hosted a birthday party for ten babies from our birthing class. We were excited for Ryan to play with his old friends; however, from the start, it was obvious he didn't enjoy being in such a large group. All the other babies seemed to handle it fine, but Ryan was grumpy the entire time.

Of the ten babies, four were able to walk. Nobody could tell that Ryan was a part of this group because he refused to be put down.

One mom had the idea to place all the babies around the birthday cake and allow them to attack it. The result was a bit more tame than what I had expected. Most babies were indifferent to the cake, but a few brave girls finally got their hands into it, and one of these girls managed to collect all the strawberries. As expected, Ryan just became hysterical when we set him down.

Graduation Weekend

2010-06-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

Does this gown make my butt look big?

---- Update 6/22/2010 ----

Graduation weekend was really busy, but a lot of fun. Brooke's parents, grandparents, and brother were in town. Having relatives in town gave us an excuse to do a few more Santa Barbara tourist things before we go.

Photos from the SB courthouse....

Hanging out by the pool...

Drinks at The Brewhouse...

Commencement ceremony...

Our weekend

2010-06-09T00:28:00.000-07:00

Dinner with R&A at our place. They brought the special bubbly to celebrate Brooke's graduation...

Dinner with A/C & The Twins at Brophy Brothers on the Santa Barbara Marina....

Playground

2010-06-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Because the ground of most playgrounds around here are lined with wood chips and Ryan doesn't wear shoes yet, our normal playground trips have consisted of me carrying him in my arms so that he can watch the other kids, playing on the swings, and going down the slide.

Last week I took Ryan to the playground again, but this time fitted with new shoes. I was hoping he'd just jump right in, start climbing on things and playing with the other kids. Instead, I was shocked to see how shy he was. He started to cry as soon as I pulled him out of the stroller, he didn't pay any attention to the other kids, and he definitely wouldn't walk. I thought the problem was the new shoes at first, but even when I took them off, he wouldn't walk or play....

I continued to take Ryan to the playground everyday for the remainder of the week...and with each day he became more brave and more social. By the fourth day, he'd immediately walk up to to other kids and begin interacting....

This car belonged to a much older boy, but Ryan was able to bully his way into it. He seemed to understand that it was Flintstone-powered, but he was only able to make it go backwards....

Ryan really likes the slide. After sliding down, he'll immediately head back up the stairs. It takes him several minutes, but he's been able to climb all the way up without any assistance....

Beach picnic with A/C and the twins....

This picture doesn't fit with the "playground" theme. I just like it because I think he looks like me....

PhD

2010-06-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

Brooke is the proud owner of three new letters after her name: PhD!
She successfully defended her dissertation in a department-wide presentation.

Brooke wouldn't allow me to film the presentation otherwise you'd be able to watch it right now. Instead, I was only able to take one photo of Brooke and her adviser before the audience arrived....

A small celebration with champagne and snacks afterward....

Happy 11 Month Birthday!

2010-05-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

I think an update on Ryan's development is long overdue:

Ryan's weight is 22.5 lbs.

Ryan is still eating 4 times per day (approx. at 7am, noon, 5pm, 9pm). Each meal is 6-7 oz of milk plus 2-3 oz of puree. The foods he's eaten are (in order of when they're first eaten):
Breast milk
Powdered rice and oat cereal
Bananas
Apples
Pears
Butternut squash
Rice
Chicken
Avocado
Yam & sweet potatoes
Carrots
Peas
Cauliflower
Blueberries
Egg yolk
Teething biscuits (barley)
Mango
Kiwi
Yogurt
Salmon
Watermelon
Broccoli
Starbucks iced americano (just a sip)
...and last night...Chicken Tikka Masala (he was initially shocked by the spice, but he kept eating more)

Ryan gets a bath every night around 8 pm. At around 10 months old, his eczema started flaring up again, so we've been sure to follow every bath with a heavy application of either vaseline or shea butter.

Ryan's fine motor skills are improving. He's feeding himself small bites of dried
yogurt and teething biscuits. He doesn't quite have the pincer grasp
perfected but he's close. This video was taken last weekend (5/23)....

He's very curious and gets into everything. He loves to open drawers and cabinet doors and then pull everything out. He puts everything in mouth.

Ryan now has severe separation anxiety. It started at approx 9 months old and has gotten worse since. Now he'll cry even if I walk 20 ft away, staying within sight. Or he might even cry while being held by one parent and the other parent leaves the room.

He constantly does this funny yoga-like pose. Is this normal?

He used to sit quietly in his car seat or stroller in restaurants while Brooke and I ate. Now he'll cry if he's not at the table, in a highchair, and eating while we're eating.

There's been no major breakthroughs in Ryan's speech over the last few months. He is making the "dada" and "mama" sounds, though he's not really referring to dad
or mom. He hasn't yet strung together different-sounding syllables.

He thinks the word "no" is really funny. Is it possible the "terrible twos" has started early?

He's still a really bad sleeper. We need to rock him in our arms for about 10 minutes before he'll sleep. He doesn't like his crib so he always eventually ends up in our bed between us. For fear of him suffocating, I've been sleeping without a pillow. He wakes up at least 5 times per night, usually requiring further rocking to go back to sleep. He naps twice in the day for about an hour each, although he never wants to go down for his nap. Also, he's a sleep-crawler. About three weeks ago, we woke up to Ryan crying after he crawled between us and down off the foot of the bed.

Last weekend we purchased 2 pairs of shoes for him. Size 6.
So far he's only worn them for a total of 15 minutes, but it seems like
he's refusing to walk with shoes. See for yourself....

Walking 3.0

2010-05-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

It's official...Ryan is a walker. He's given up crawling and is now walking throughout the entire apartment. He's still a bit wobbly and falls often, but we're seeing improvements everyday. Here's a video taken last Saturday night....

Walking 2.0

2010-05-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting more often. The hard drive on our primary computer died on us, so we're down to just one computer....and that one computer is always being used by Brooke to write her dissertation. I finally convinced her to take a break, so that I could get this post up.

We've discovered a better way to get Ryan to walk. Instead of luring him with a cellphone, it's better to let him hold it, thereby occupying his hands and hindering his ability to crawl. Here's a video showing Ryan's current walking ability....

Happy Koninginnedag (Queen's Day)!!

2010-04-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today is Koninginnedag!
We took this photo a little bit early (back in Oct 2009 when his orange onesie still fit). Ryan will be celebrating Koninginnedag by selling his old toys on the street :-)

Happy 10 Month Birthday!

2010-04-29T22:49:00.001-07:00

Birthday photos plus a few more from the past couple of days....

Dancing?

2010-04-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

We filmed this 2.5 weeks ago. He hates sleeping in his crib, but he loves to dance in it....

Here are a few photos of Ryan in his crib today....

Baby Steps

2010-04-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

For the last week or so, we've seen Ryan trying to walk without the support of furniture. Last night we encouraged this development by enticing him with a couple of his favorite things: bottles and cellphones.

No, he's not going after the beer. He likes every type of bottle.
Yes, he really does like Michael Jackson. Especially the earlier, "Off The Wall" years.

Holga

2010-04-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago, Brooke and I each got a Holga 120N camera. It's an inexpensive, plastic, medium format film, "toy" camera that takes fuzzy old-fashioned-looking photos. And despite its German sounding name, according to the manual, "Holga" is derived from the Cantonese term "ho gwong" which means "very bright".

We each shot one roll of film...and of the 28 total shots taken, only 6 were worth keeping. Since neither one of us has used a completely manual camera in over 10 years, the most common mistake we made was forgetting to wind the film and ending up with double exposures. We don't have a photo or film scanner, so I just took digital shots of the prints. Here are a few of our favorites....

I don't think I'll be giving up my digital SLR anytime soon, but the little Holgas are a lot of fun...and I just bought another 4 rolls of film.

Our weekend

2010-04-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with A/C and the twins...

It was our turn to host a wine tasting event. We provided all the ingredients and our guests made their own Vietnamese spring rolls. It was messy, but a lot of fun.

The wine varietal was Riesling. We've done Riesling before, but it was in Feb 2009, back when Brooke was pregnant. Although it wasn't planned, we had one repeat from our previous Riesling event: a Chateau Ste Michelle. Both times the Chateau Ste Michelle (~$7) beat out the much pricier competition....

Other miscellaneous photos from the weekend...

Portraits

2010-04-12T23:57:00.000-07:00

We had some friends take photos of us around SB on Easter weekend (Thanks S&J)

Cruising

2010-04-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

For the past 2 months, Ryan has been pulling himself up to standing....and finally this weekend a light went off in his head and he figured out how to get around while standing. Also, he can now stand unassisted for up to 30 seconds.....

Mommy's Touch

2010-04-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

Even though I give a lot of input into the pictures we post on the blog, Van gets final say on most of the photo editing. This is fine with me because he is the one who takes most of the photos and the one who gets them uploaded onto the site. Van likes photos to look pretty much like they did straight out of camera, with a few tweaks to contrast or the occasional removal of drool from around Ryan's mouth.
I, on the other hand, am a Photoshop addict. I love to drastically change photos, increase the contrast dramatically, add vignetting, etc., all that cheesy wedding photography moody-type stuff. Normally, my photo edits don't make it on the blog. They become the wallpaper on my computer desktop for only me to enjoy. Today, I decided to put some of my edits up. The first, is one of the shots I took during his birthday shoot and the second one is one of Van's photos. Compare my edits to Van's in the birthday post below....

Okay, so my changes may be a bit cheesy and over-the-top, but that's what mommies are for!

-Brooke

Happy 9 Month Birthday!

2010-04-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ryan enjoys jumping off the couch....

Postponed

2010-03-31T23:10:00.000-07:00

Today was supposed to be our final day as California residents. We were being forced to move out of our student-housing-apartment due to UCSB Housing's 6-year maximum limit. Instead of finding another apartment for just 3 months while Brooke finishes her dissertation, we had planned on moving to Seattle and flying back down for Brooke's defense. So a month ago, I gave my employer 1-month notice and started making arrangements for professional movers. My coworkers immediately started planning a going-away picnic for me, but two weeks later my employer made me an offer that made it worthwhile to stick around for a few more months.

Last week we signed a 3-month lease for a new apartment (which is only a mile away from the old place) and today we're finally done moving. Here's a photo (taken with my phone) of our final moment in the old apartment....

Photos from last week's anti-climactic going-away picnic at Goleta Beach.
The hat belonged to a coworker's 5 year old son, but it fit perfectly over Ryan's helmet....

A familiar sight: Me with a camera and beer in hand....

Mmmmm....carne asada....

At an adjacent picnic area, we saw a group of people slacklining, and of course I had to try. I made about 4 attempts, but managed to get no more than a couple steps away from the tree....

Ryan update

2010-03-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

At Ryan's 9-month pediatric appointment on Monday, he got another set of vaccination shots. His stats were:
20 lbs. 9 oz. (50th percentile)
29.75" long (90th percentile)
18.25" head circumference (75th percentile)

The pediatrician said Ryan's slow weight gain was normal due to his high level of physical activity, but she also suggested that we feed him an additional 300 calories per day. Ryan had already been eating 4 times per day, with every meal consisting of 3 ounces of pureed fruits or vegetables mixed with 1 tbsp of oatmeal cereal, then followed by 5 to 6 ounces of breast milk....all of which add up to about 700 calories. To incorporate 300 more calories to Ryan's diet, we've added calorie-dense foods like hard-boiled egg yolks and pureed chicken.

Ryan has become a good eater, eating just about anything, but he still has his likes and dislikes. I categorize his foods into 3 levels of preference...

Most Preferred:
Apples, pureed
Pears, pureed
Butternut Squash and chicken broth

2nd Most Preferred:
Congee with pureed chicken
Carrots
Cauliflower
Sweet Potatoes
Yams
Bananas

Least Preferred:
Avocado
Peas
Hard-boiled egg yolk

According to the pediatrician, Ryan has a mild case of carotenosis, the yellow-orange discoloration of the skin, due to eating so many carrots and sweet potatoes. The condition is completely harmless and should be considered a sign of good nutrition.
I think the yellow tint is noticeable throughout his body, but it's most obvious in the nose....

Ryan has 8 teeth....

Ryan's cranial remolding helmet is working great. We noticed improvements after 2 weeks of wearing it. Now at 4.5 weeks, the lab measurements show that the problem is 25% corrected, but visually it appears much better.

Beach Day with A/C and the Twins

2010-03-22T23:08:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, we had lunch at The Beach Grill at Padaro....

A walk to the beach....

Ryan didn't enjoy having his feet in the frigid ocean water....

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Babble

2010-03-16T23:54:00.000-07:00

Singing at 8 months old. I think he's got a future in the Chinese opera....

Now at 8.5 months old, he's given up the high pitch singing for more normal baby babbling....

Standing (almost)

2010-03-09T11:40:00.000-08:00

Birthing Class Reunion

2010-03-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is a girl's blanket wrapped around Ryan. We were caught unprepared for the much colder weather just two towns away. We had Ryan dressed in short sleeves and shorts and didn't have any jacket for him. Luckily, we had some extra pants to put him in, but we had to borrow a blanket from the other parents there (Ryan was the only boy in the group).

He didn't like the swings at 3 months old, but he loves them now....

Ryan and Friends

2010-03-02T23:50:00.000-08:00

Hanging out with Amelia....

Hanging out with the wine crew for homemade pizzas....

Hanging out with Leah....

Hanging out with R&A for a gourmet brunch. The meal included the following homemade items....
- Endless mimosas and bellinis
- Brioche
- Duck prosciutto and chicken liver pâté
- Little gem lettuce salad
- Quiche Lorraine
- Cappuccino semifreddo with donuts

Look at what I can do now....

2010-02-28T23:45:00.000-08:00

Happy 8 Month Birthday!

2010-02-28T20:45:00.000-08:00

It's impossible to keep Ryan stationary any more. He wanted to either crawl off the chair or pull the lamp down....

Helmets: No longer just for bikers

2010-02-20T12:01:00.000-08:00

When Ryan was around 2 months old, we noticed he had developed a flat spot on the back right side of his head (plagiocephaly). The pediatrician said a mild case of torticollis made Ryan favor laying on the right side of his head. Since the diagnosis, we've stepped up our efforts to get Ryan crawling and we've been repositioning him to sleep on his left side. With no improvement by a age of 6 months, the pediatrician recommended we see a specialist treating plagiocephaly.

Here are some photos from our first visit with the Orthomerica lab about 2 weeks ago....

The two most abnormal measurements were:
1) As viewed from above, Ryan's diagonal length differential is 10mm. The nurse said that they recommend cranial remolding helmets for anyone above 5mm.
2) As viewed from above, Ryan's width to length ratio is 95%. 75-80% is normal and they recommend helmets for anyone above 90%.

From the scan of Ryan's head, they were able to make a foam mold. A technician adds plaster to the flat areas in order to make the head symmetric. Then a helmet is made using the modified foam mold...

Last Friday we finally got the helmet. Here's the orthopedist making some final adjustments....

We're now in a 5 day ramp up period, after which Ryan will need to wear the helmet 24 hours a day for the next 4 months. So far, Ryan has worn the helmet for four 1-hour sessions and he's handled it very well. No crying.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2010-02-14T13:35:00.000-08:00

It's the year of the tiger!
Ryan's great grandmother got him this outfit for Chinese New Year....

Ryan - 7.5 months

2010-02-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

At 7.5 months old, Ryan's stats are:
20 lbs. 0 oz. (65th percentile)
29.75" long (98th percentile)
17.75" head circumference (64th percentile)

Ryan eats every 4 hours in the daytime and makes it through the night without feeding. It took about a month of trying, but Ryan is finally accepting foods besides breast milk. For 2 meals per day, we feed him about 1 oz of pears, apples, sweet potatoes, or rice cereal at the beginning of the meal, then finish him off with 6 - 6.5 ounces of breast milk.

Prune toes....

Out on a walk at Shoreline Park....

These two videos were taken last weekend. In the early evenings, Ryan is usually extra playful and giggly....

For over a month now, Ryan has been able to push himself into a true crawling position (supporting his upper body with hands, not elbows). But whenever he'd want to move, he'd drop down into a belly crawl. Finally last week, he started to do a real crawl. Now he does half belly crawl and half real crawl....

Sunset at UCSB

2010-02-13T12:49:00.000-08:00

Since our time in California is soon coming to an end, we've been trying to take more photos of the area. We took these at the UCSB campus about two weeks ago....

Cross pattern crawling!!!

2010-02-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

I realize you may be bored with all the crawling videos, but I think every little milestone counts (and should be memorialized). Ryan is starting to do a cross pattern crawl and climb up on things. I haven't been able to capture it on film, but Ryan is also pushing up from a crawling position to a sitting position.

Crawling....AND Sitting!

2010-01-31T20:01:00.000-08:00

A little bit wobbly, but Ryan's slowly getting the hang of sitting....

Happy 7 Month Birthday!

2010-01-29T23:11:00.000-08:00

Advancements in Crawling

2010-01-29T23:07:00.000-08:00

Mohawk

2010-01-20T22:23:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken directly after his bath tonight....

Ryan @ 29 weeks

2010-01-17T23:55:00.000-08:00

At Ryan's recent pediatrician appointment, his stats were:
19 lbs. 4 oz. (75th percentile)
28.5" long (95th percentile)
17.25" head circumference

He still doesn't like eating any solid foods. So far we've tried feeding him rice cereal, bananas, sweet potatoes, pears, and congee (rice porridge).

Like all babies, his nails grow at a rapid pace. Brooke has to undertake Operation Nail Trim every two nights while Ryan sleeps....

Ryan's crawl has developed in the past few weeks. He now does a combination of the belly crawl and the leapfrog crawl. Click on the picture below to play the video clip....

Beach Volleyball Day with our birthing class friends (I didn't take these photos)....

Other random photos....

Ryan update

2010-01-06T21:45:00.000-08:00

We tried feeding Ryan some mashed up banana, his second solid food. He was curious enough to take two bites, but it was obvious he hated everything about it....

With how much he loves playing with his feet and putting things in his mouth, I knew it was only a matter of time....

Ryan had his first tooth pop through the gums. I think it's the lower central incisor....

Ryan's new verbal skills

2010-01-04T23:04:00.000-08:00

Ryan started doing this just before Christmas vacation. Now it's his favorite mode of communication....