Petting Zoo

Ryan loves animals. I just knew the petting zoo would be a hit! I'd say I was right!

We headed to Zoomer's, a great petting zoo around the corner in downtown San Juan Capistrano.

There were goats . .

There were more goats who loved Ryan back . . . And then there was the train . . .
It was a great afternoon at the petting zoo followed by lots of hand washing (actually, a soaking bath)!

Blake Family Christmas 2010

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First Word

Finally we have a real word! It's so exciting and heart melting!

For those who have seen Ryan eat, it's no surprise that his first "real" word is related to food. And for those who have seen Ryan eat a banana, you will certainly not be surprised that his first word is exactly that! "Nana". . . . it's simply heart melting. Every morning, we bring Ryan downstairs for breakfast, he raises his arms up to the counter where we keep the fruit and says, "nana". We try to diversify his diet, but how can you say no. At least he's not asking for cake, right? So, every day he eats at least one "nana". . . and there are many days where Ryan eats more that one "nana"!

Speaking of food, here are Ryan's current favorites:
- "nanas"
- tangerines (my grandpa would be so happy)
- strawberries (are you sensing a theme here?)
- cheerios
- wheat crackers (aka: "cookies")
- pumpkin (gross)
- peas
- yogurt
- cheese
- cauliflower (just like his mom!)
- chicken

Breakfast with Santa

Last weekend, we took Ryan to have breakfast with Santa at the Aliso Country Club. Ryan slept through the breakfast, but woke up in time to meet Santa. Please keep in mind this was Ryan's 3rd visit with Santa as I thought the more he visited the man with a white beard, the more comfortable he'd be. Wrong.

Santa is much better when viewed from behind the safety of a door.

14 Month Update

Ryan's 14 month update:

>> Ryan loves to read. I usually bathe Ryan at night, get him in his jammies, and then Paul and Ryan read a few stories together. It's quite cute! Ryan walks over to his bookshelf to pick a book (or 5), then walks it back over to Paul who sits on the floor. Ryan climbs into Paul's lap, and they read the stories. Sometimes Ryan has the attention span for 2 books, and sometimes he has the attention span for 1 page!

>> Ryan adores his "lovey". He chews on it, sleeps with it, snuggles with it and, when he has a cold, wipes his nose with it. Needless to say, it get washed regularly, but it is starting to turn from a bright baby blue to more of a dolphin grey.

>> Ryan is quite talkative. He babbles all the time. His understandable vocabulary includes, "Mama", "Dada", and "Ana". Ryan can point to a picture of his "abuela" (aka: GRANNY) and his "Abu". We have pictures of the grandparents above his changing table and Ana has taught him to point to everyone by name. He get's a little confused with 2 "grandpas".
>> Ryan can point to his nose and get's very excited when he can point to your nose (he tries to pull it off your face).

>> Ryan LOVES his chair. He likes to climb up on it, stand in it....basically he does everything except sit in it!

>> Ryan loves his various push cars. He climbs on them, hits the buttons and makes a racket. Then he pushes them until he hits something, abandons the car and goes to on to the next vehicle. Very southern...

>> Ryan is on the go! He has a tremendous amount of energy. Besides eating, sleeping and pooping, he has added exploring. He is ALL OVER THE PLACE and has learned to toddle quickly (aka run). This means anything within reach or that can be in reach with a climb is in danger (like a roll of toilet paper!). But he does everything with a smile and a laugh. Thankfully, we taught him early how to go up and DOWN stairs (with supervision of course!).

>> Ryan is quite fearless. He'll go into a dark room and close the door behind him, walk down a dark hallway, and explore new spaces without a moment of hesitation.

>> Ryan LOVES to wrestle and be tossed around. He is a true boy - digging in the dirt, eating rose petals (this is as close as we get to smelling so far) and playing with snails.

Over all Ryan has grown a TON in the last 14 months. I guess the concept of "time flies" really applies here. Check back for more updates!

All I want for Chirstmas is . . . . TOILET PAPER!

Ryan loves to pull things. He's been caught pulling normal pull toys, but it's most entertaining when he becomes attached to pulling things like strands of New Orleans beads, spools of unrolled ribbon, and most recently . . . . ROLLS OF UNWOUND TOILET PAPER! Last week, Ryan was playing while I was getting ready. Suddenly I noticed it got very QUIET, so I went to find Ryan. I walked into a 1 year old GRINNING little boy who had a full roll of toilet paper spread all over the upstairs (from his room to the bathroom to our room to the bonus room).

And now Paul wonders why he has to use the toilet paper that's folded nicely on top of the toilet rather than on a roll. What, the toilet paper is as good as new! Just call me "environmentally friendly"! :)

Ryan's First Haircut

If you been following photos of Ryan, you will notice that he was beginning to become a little scruffy. So Paul and I decided it was time to take Ryan for his first haircut! He was a very good boy and did not cry or fuss. Although the cool car chair and the cartoons helped "ease his mind".

>>Initial Shock...perhaps a little denial..

>> Shock and denial wears off...anger sets in

>> Bribes are provided...

>> Acceptance is achieved

Happy Halloween!

I've always loved the holidays. Now with Ryan, the holidays are even better! We started celebrating Halloween a good week prior to the 31st. Ryan wore his costume more than he's worn some of his clothes! Yes, I love the holidays and this Halloween couldn't have been better! Here's a breakdown of our 2010 Halloween:

Gymboree Halloween Party: What's a holiday without celebrating with a special Gymboree party? Ryan's been going to Gymboree since he was just 6 weeks old. As a new Mom, I found Gymobree to be a great way to (1) meet other new moms, (2) get Ryan out of the house, and most importantly, (3) a guarantee that I'd actually get dressed the day of our scheduled class (I'd like to say "ensure I'd shower", but that would have been a lie!)! Normally Ryan loves Gymboree, but with only a 30 minute nap that day, our LION became quite untamed and unruly. We stayed for the party (and managed to have a little fun) and then went home and crashed!

Mom's Club Halloween Party: I met my first "Mommy friend" (Andie) at the 2009 Mom's club outing when our boys were just 8 weeks old. One of the 2 Mom's Clubs were in hosted a fantastic Halloween party. I took a few hours of VP time from work and my little LION and I met Andie and Logan at the party! There was a photographer, pumpkins, food, candy and lots of other kids (something like 40 kids). Most of the other children sat the entire time, but NOT Ryan! He ran from one thing to the next including running into the arms of other mothers! I left the party sweating and ready for a nap, but went back to work with a big smile!

Pumpkin Carving Party: Brian, Kristy and Riley had their annual pumpkin carving party! Here's sweet Riley hugging Ryan.

Neighborhood Costume Party: The Zoo Keepers took the untamed LION to the costume party. Our neighbors hosted a costume party Saturday night. We were the only family there with just one child, which tells you just how many kids were at the party! The party was complete with cookie decorating, apple bobbing, a "boo-box", photographer, drinks and lots of fun! Ryan had fun "playing" with a 2-year old neighbor boy!

Halloween Trick-of-Treating: Ryan and his friend Noah (The Wizard) had fun Halloween night trick-or-treating at a few houses. Ryan didn't really get the concept of putting candy in his bag, but he LOVED carrying his bag/pumpkin. He was also caught entering a few homes uninvited (WHERE ARE THIS KID'S PARENTS)? Maggie dressed as a bee, too! Yes, I love Halloween!

Great Grandma Turns 90!

What a weekend! Ryan's Aunt Andrea and Great Grandma Meister flew into O.C. on Saturday to surprise Paul's parents for their 60th birthday party luncheon hosted at our house on Saturday afternoon.



We wrapped up the lunch and headed straight to Arcadia to celebrate my special Grandma's 90th birthday! We had a nice family dinner with aunts and cousins, complete with crowns and tiaras for the Birthday Girl!!

My 1st Birthday!

What a special birthday!
A few months ago, my colleague invited Paul, Ryan and me to join his family in a "box suite" at the circus! How a 10 month old would react to the circus, I didn't know. But seeing the circus in a "box suite" was certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity that we were not going to miss. Much to our surprise, Ryan was literally mesmerized by the circus. He loved the lights, animals, and music! That night, the theme for Ryan's first birthday was born!
On Sunday, 10/3 from 12-3pm, we celebrated Ryan's the big day with family and friends during circus themed extravaganza! I love party planning, but hadn't ever had the opportunity to plan a child's birthday party. SO MUCH FUN! We held the party at our local neighborhood park with wide open grassy space and beautiful views. We hired a "taco man" for ease (and FUN!). We had a parachute, riding toys, a ball pit, big balls, small balls, cupcakes, candy apples, cotton candy, popcorn, and most importantly, lots of friends and family to help celebrate the big milestone! Here are a few pictures from the special day.

Ryan loves his ball pit!

The parachute was popular!

It's my birthday and I can cry if I want to! Mom, I told you I don't like wearing the hat. Why did you put it on me?

Cupcakes! Chocolate, vanilla and coconut for Christy (I don't dare disappoint the pregnant woman) and my mom.

My cute little man! Makes my heart smile! P.S. I totally realize Ryan's pants are too small. . .you mean high waters aren't in style? Maybe he'll wear pants that fit for his next birthday party!

BIG DAY - I'M ONE!!

I'm O-N-E!

Today we celebrate a very special milestone! Our little man is one! As I awoke to Ryan fussing in his crib at 6:30am this morning, I laid there remembering what I was doing exactly one year ago. . . . showering and putting on make-up nervously getting ready to head to the hospital for our induction! Paul and I were both pretty anxious and a little nervous, but I remember neither of us said anything. We just drove wide-eyed to the hospital really "prepared" for an event we'd never ever be prepared for! We had just no idea what to expect! After a pretty uneventful labor (as labors go, that is), out "popped" our very little special delivery! 6 pounds of joy, Ryan Andrew Blake. I'd never seen a baby so little.From the beginning, our little man was calm, low key, and pretty happy. Now, just one year later, while "little" would definitely NOT be what I'd use to describe him ("porker" would be more appropriate), our little man is still the most calm, low key, and happy guy.

We have a great day planned to celebrate this special milestone! Here it is:


I woke-up at my normal time of 7am. I got to come into bed with mommy and daddy to have my milk! My last bottle of formula.

Doesn't everyone text message these days? Ryan LOVES my phone.

My new favorite activity: playing in the pillows!
Mommy and Daddy worked while I played with Ana. At 3pm, we headed to Pretend City in Irvine. First, I went fishing!

I rode in a fire truck complete with a hat!

I share my dad's love for cars. Look at my face!


After Pretend City, we headed home where we had a birthday dinner with my Grandparents! I got to "water ski" with my G-pa!

Time for cake! My Granny made me my very own chocolate cake!
I'd say I liked it!
So did Maggie (she had to be pulled away so as not to get sick)!

Time for gifts! I have no idea how lucky I am!

I love my new chair! But most of all, I love spending my birthday with the people I love! I'm one lucky little man!

Let's PARTY!

Today marks the two week look-out before our little man's big #1 birthday! On his actual birthday, we will have a nice family celebration, just the 4 of us (including Maggie, of course). Then, a few days later, we will party it up with a circus theme extravaganza! We can't wait to celebrate this milestone with family and close friends!

No Clowning Around!!

Apparently, Ryan doesn't like clown wigs. Should we surprised? Probably not! Still fun though!!

Labor Day in Mammoth

Last weekend we went to Mammoth with some friends. Paul got to mountain bike (his favorite)

We went hiking with our backpack for the first time. Ryan loved it!


Ryan got to play with friends.


We also got to take a trolley ride to visit the Mammoth lakes. Here's Ryan with Granny and G-pa on the trolley.


And, there was lots of time for relaxing and sleeping in . . . for some of us, that is!

Overall, it was another great trip!!