Nap Time

Funny how sometimes a small child knows exactly what his mom needs - Ryan would not go down for a nap yesterday until I curled up with him on the guest bed, at which point he sacked out completely.


This also inspired Peter cat (black furball on the bed) and Casey dog (sprawled on the floor) to join us in the nap-fest:

Fun Times

Ryan has reached the 16 week mark (though, oddly enough, he won't be four months old until April 5, when he'll be 17 weeks...?) and has the developmental milestones to prove it. Here he is in his ExerSaucer:

He pretty much just looks at all the attachments right now, but he is able to sit up mostly unsupported.

We had breakfast at Le Peep this morning - Ryan managed to get his rattle into his mouth all on his own.

Finally, we decided to go swimming at the rec center again. Here he is just chillin' with Daddy... I see kayak pool sessions in the not-too-distant future!

This pool has a giant pirate ship in the middle with slides and tunnels and water cannons - I anticipate spending LOTS of time here in the coming years!

Snow Day!

Oh, how excited was I when I learned that my office is closed today, and I get to spend the whole day with Ryan?! It is snowing like crazy here (of course it is, it's March in Colorado).

Here's video I took before putting Ryan down for a nap at 9:30 (you can hear him fussing - either he's tired or he's saying, "Mommy, let's bust out the snowshoes!"):

And then here's a photo I took 30 minutes later - notice how much more snow is on the bushes:

Of course, neither snow nor rain nor sleet will keep Casey dog from his appointed post defending the back yard from squirrels - he just had to move to the blanket that is not getting covered in snow.

Until the snow blew up and covered both blankets (and the rest of the porch):

Here's the bush at 1 pm:

At 4:30 pm:

And finally, Friday morning. The blizzard has stopped, but my office is closed again today (oh, darn!). Maybe I'll start planning our vegetable garden...

Birthday Post Script

Not that I'm obsessed with Kauai or anything, but among my birthday presents were a subscription to Hawaii magazine, two bottles of Tahiti Sweetie body lotion from Bath & Body Works (could be called "Smells just like the Islands"), and this gorgeous Na Hoku pendant from my equally-Hawaii-obsessed husband.


Between that, the sushi, and the trip to the pool, I think it was the best birthday ever!

Happy Birthday to Me

Ryan has turned into a total chatterbox lately. This morning, I interpreted his comments to mean "Happy Birthday, Mommy! You don't look a day over 24..."

We had an awesome day - we went to the Link Rec Center to swim in the pool with our partners-in-crime, Sommer and Mackenzie. I bought a special floaty for the occasion, and Ryan loved it.

He's a little small for it still, but as long as I propped up his head or leaned him forward, he was perfectly fine. The water in the pool was about 92 degrees - perfect!

Kenzie had to taste-test the floaty

Ryan sporting his cool board shorts and surfer boy rash guard

Then we went to one of my favorite restaurants, The Oven at Belmar. The salad and pizza were just the niceties before we could dig into real purpose of going to that particular restaurant - the donut with chocolate & espresso mascarpone - oh, yum. Ryan was totally sacked out at this point, as was Kenz, so we took our time licking the sugar and chocolate off our fingers (what table manners?). The best part was I made a big deal about it being my birthday (naturally), so the donuts were FREE!

We then roamed around the shopping center- I found two pairs of pants at Ann Taylor Loft for a great deal (I have lost all the baby weight - and then some - so it's fun to shop again). Finally, since Ryan was still dead to the world, I decided to get a haircut - something I have been putting off for almost a month. The constant drone of hairdryers served to keep him asleep even longer - the swimming must have really taken it out of him!

Tonight Sam's parents are coming to put the Chunk to bed while we go out for sushi - this is turning out to be the best food day ever!

Sam's First Birthday Party

We drove out to Centennial, CO yesterday to celebrate my cousin's son Samuel's first birthday (ha - you thought I meant MY Sam!). Here he is, dressed in nothing but a diaper, ready to dig into his cake.

Samuel with dad Aaron, big sisters Hallie and Ana, and cousin Hailey

It was the first time Ryan met my uncle Ken, and my aunt Wanda and Uncle David.

He didn't mind being passed around, but was obviously most comfortable in Daddy's arms.

Tropical Dreams

This video was filmed on the North Shore of Kauai in Kilauea and Hanalei - gorgeous (and I'm not just talking about the surfer boy)!

Colbie Caillat :: The Little Things from LEVEL4 on Vimeo.

Rocky Mountain High

We took the Chunky Monkey (aka Ryan) up the hill for the first time last weekend to visit our friends Donna and Lou at their condo in Silverthorne, and we drove into Breckenridge to visit the staff at Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center. Sam and I have volunteered for this adaptive ski program for many years, and were excited to show off the program's newest future volunteer ski instructor. We were going to go skiing, but after realizing we'd have to pay $92 each for the privilege, we decided to just hang out in town.

Ryan being entertained by Grandma Dede

The Griffith Lodge, owned by BOEC, where Sam and I got married in September 2003

3 Months

Ryan is now three months old, and just cranking through the milestones. Here he is holding his head up while playing airplane with Daddy:

He has been wearing 3-6 month clothes for a couple of weeks now, and has started to organize his sleeping into recognizable patterns (none of which involve sleeping through the night, but that will come eventually!). Last week he weighed in at 14 lbs 4 oz, and is probably close to 25 inches long.

With the twelve week mark comes my return to work, which is bittersweet - I am looking forward to going back, but I will certainly miss the time Ryan and I have spent together.