On the 5th day of Ryder...

my true love gave to me....sitting up, 2 more teeth , zombie crawls, real crawls, standing up and super cuteness!!!

As you can see Ryders 8th month here on earth was incredible!!!
On January 20th, he rolled over and sat up all by himself!! It was such a fun thing to see him do for the first time. Exactly a week later, he started crawling backwards. Weird little child, I know this. But he would just scoot his little self backward. Very cute thing to see. Exactly one week later he started what I call a zombie crawl! He would lay on his tummy and just kinda pull himself around without using his legs. Again, weird little child. Almost exactly a week later, I don't know what's with him and learning things in a week, he started to really crawl! Then all bets were off. We had to get gates and bumpers and all that.
On February 7th, this happened.

Cam stood him up on his exersaucer, and he actually stood there and played! His balance was unbeleivable!

7 days later on the 14th, he pulled himself to standing all by himself!! WOW, my little boy was growing up so fast.
We also found out that he was little gymnast.

Getting ready to dismount. He got a 10.0 from all the judges. He won the competition hands down!
He also found out that his favorite snacks were baby cheetos. He loves them!! His hand-eye coordination was getting so much better day by day. And with the two additional teeth I found on January 25th, it was a lot of fun for him to crunch on them!

This is the month that he also started exhibiting mommy like tendencies during sleep. :) Cam says I'm a crazy sleeper...I don't think I am, but then again, I'm asleep so what do I know?

See that green blankie at the top he's cuddling? That's Softie 2.0. I have my Softie, he's yellow with stars. I've had him since I was a baby; my grandmothr gave him to me. And yes, I am a weirdo that needs to be studied because I still sleep with him every night. Ryder has his own softie, he's green with stars. My grandmother gave him to him...weird right? I swear she puts spells on blankets. He carries it everywhere he goes, just like I did. He has to have it to sleep, just like I did, and still do. :) It's very cute, and very frustrating. I know how my mom felt now.
And now for the crème de la crème of photos from this month.

On the 6th Day of Ryder....

my true love gave to me....Christmas, a road trip, and meeting a lot of family.

We are not Arizona natives. Well Cam kinda is, but we both are from California. Both of our families live in Northern California. We miss it. A lot. So for Christmas the three of us drove up there! Crazy right? Doing a 13 hour drive with a 6 month old? Nope. It was cake!! We broke the trip up into two days. The first day we drove to Riverside to stay with my sister for the night. Ryder met his aunt and his cousin for the first time. They were all very excited about this.

Isla, my neice, just made Ryder laugh and laugh. She's a cutie isn't she?

Then, we drove up to Sacramento, where we're from. We got to my parents house, and it was just like being "home." You know that feeling right? When you go back to your parents, and there's just this thing inside you repeatedly saying "home, home, home, home..."? Yeah, that's the feeling I got. And it was wonderful for Ryder to be around his family.
Christmas is always a big planning extravaganza, as I'm sure it is with anyone that has both sets of parents in one area, so you're obligated to go both! We usually do Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with my family, and Christmas afternoon and dinner with Cams family.
Being that it was Ryders first Christmas, it was especially special!!

He got some pretty cool new toys, that he still loves. And of course he had on his "babys first christmas" gown!!
The Kimball family is quite large! One daughter and 5 sons! Plus 10 grandkids! So obviously, there was a lot of people to meet.

Those are all the adults and four of the grandkids. Big family right?
Ryder also met my aunt, my uncle and his boyfriend. *No, you didn't misread that*

My uncle isn't much of a kid person, but let me tell you, I was scared I wasn't going to get Ryder back!!
And of course Ry had to meet Santa! I don't have that actual photo on the laptop, but I do have this one of us in the outfit he wore to meet the big guy.

Little gentleman he is. :)
But who needs to meet Santa when.....

you ARE Santa?! And who better to fly the sleigh than Ryder the Reindeer!?

Not only do I have Ryder The Reindeer on a coffee cup, but this was the holiday card last year. Who could deny that face?!
Ryder also had a few firsts this month. His first bath in a sink and his first splash!

And his first cookie thingy. Messiest things around, but he liked it.

I think the grandmas enjoyed our time in California more than anyone else on earth. Though this picture doesn't look like fun, it was. And I think this picture is classic so I have to share it!

And then there's this one, Ryder is "cooked" as we say. *Not like a chicken or anything, just meaning he's totally asleep so feel free to move about the cabin*

and since Cam got a new hat for Christmas, Ryder had to try it on just to make sure it was ok for dad

On the 13th day of Ryder my true love gave to me......ultrasounds, dozens of doctors appointments, a scary birth experience and a baby shower!!
On the 12th day of Ryder my true love gave to me......Ryder!
On the 11th day of Ryder my true love gave to me…funny faces and...nothing else. :)
On the 10th day of Ryder my true love gave to me.... colic and poop problems.
On the 9th day of Ryder my true love gave to me....strong arms, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa K and a broken foot.
On the 8th day of Ryder my true love gave to me....2 teeth, Halloween and first foods!!
On the 7th day of Ryder my true love gave to me....sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving and daddy time.
On the 6th day of Ryder my true love gave to me....Christmas, a road trip and meeting a lot of family

On the 7th day of Ryder....

my true love gave to me....sweet potatoes, first Thanksgiving and daddy time.

Six month check up

17 pounds, 8 ounces    22nd percentile

27 3/4 inches    67th precentile

45.5 cm head circumfrence    77th percentile

As you can see, he is long, skinny and has a big head! hah

Ryders 6th month was pretty dull actually. There aren't even a whole lot of pictures. He did roll over by himself!

For Thanksgiving, we went to Camerons brothers house. Ryder had his first actual real food, not that icky rice stuff. He had sweet potatoes! And he loved them!!!

We also had a Thanksgiving at home. I actually made the turkey and everything. That was a tangant.

Being that it was November, Daddy wasn't traveling anymore!! So little man got to spend lots more time with him. Look how cute they are lookin at each other just chiliin on the bed watchin TV

Ok...Daddy's actually watching the game...but they were looking at each other before I had to run and get the camera!!

On the 13th day of Ryder my true love gave to me......ultrasounds, dozens of doctors appointments, a scary birth experience and a baby shower!!
On the 12th day of Ryder my true love gave to me......Ryder!
On the 11th day of Ryder my true love gave to me…funny faces and...nothing else. :) 
On the 10th day of Ryder my true love gave to me.... colic and poop problems.
On the 9th day of Ryder my true love gave to me....strong arms, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa K and a broken foot. 
On the 8th day of Ryder my true love gave to me....2 teeth, Halloween and first foods!!
On the 7th day of Ryder my true love gave to me....sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving and daddy time. 

This is a big deal!!

I lost 4 pounds! Okay...so four pounds isn't actually that much...but for a mother of a one year old...it is. Especially when you don't work out, or try especially hard!!

I'm normal!!!! I'm not overweight anymore!!! OMG! That is exciting. I actually feel comfortable in a bikini...granted, I'm not ripped or have beautiful abs, but I am comfortable! Even before seeing this Wii Fit conclusion! i do not, however, recommend my method of weight loss. I rarely eat, and it's not because I have a psychological disorder, it's because I'm so busy that I don't even think about it. BUT, we have been eating a lot healthier...so that might be a factor.
Anywho...I must be getting back to hubby, as I leave tomorrow!!!
I'm so excited....and I just can't hide it!!!
My wonderful friend Vanessa from The Life of NesJas will be looking over the blog...to make sure the scheduled posts go up, and go up well.


Please feel free to leave comments, I will respond to each and every one when I get settled in at my parents house. Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the 13 days of Ryder!!!

Giveaways! 2.0

Six Cherries on Top - Gaddy Nippers Crayon Giveaway
Seriously, if you have kids, check this out. These crayons are AH-MAZE-ING!!

The Ethertons - New Dad Clothing Co Giveaway
If you're expecting, or have a new baby, check this giveaway out. Super freaking cute!!

And don't forget to check out my other posts about Giveaways here and here


This particular post may be updated throughout the night. :)

On the 8th Day of Ryder

my true love gave to me....2 teeth, Halloween and first foods!!

See, I told you if you stuck around it would get more exciting!!

On October 15th I saw this...

That, my friends, is a tooth! In my sons mouth! WHAT? It can't be. That means he's growing up. Those were my thoughts at the time, now that he has 8 fully grown teeth, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. He was a great teether. He rarely cried, he mostly just whined about the pain. If you have a little one that will be teething soon, get some baby Orajel and baby Orajel nighttime. It's a lifesaver. Not only did he get one tooth, he got two teeth!! Both teeth I didn't even know he was breaking until he opened his mouth in front of my face.

Another milestone this month, was his first Halloween!! My little man had two costumes: a pirate and a giraffe. We went to two parties, one at the Kinghams and one at the Hedgpeths. Unfortunatley, we have no photos from the Kinghams, but he was dressed as a pirate for that one. Here is my little giraffe:

I was a strawberry daiquiri. :) Isn't he the cutest little giraffe ever??! Cam was sick so was MIA most of the party, but I did get a few photos of them together. I know the focus is off in this photo, but Ryders face is so freaking cute I don't care.

Since my little giraffe had teeth we could start feeding him "real" food. I don't know why anyone would want to eat that runny white rice stuff. It looks gross, smells gross, and I only fed him that for a week or so. He has always been a good eater. The first time we gave him that glue textured crap, he was unsure of it, but still ate it up.

Notice all the receiving blankets around him. That's thanks to Cams OCD about Ryder being clean. :)

This month was full of milestones, and it was a lot of fun. We were able to dress him in some cute clothes because he was finally big enough!

This was a cute little outfit. You could unsnap the legs so it was just a gown, which is better for warmer weather. It had built in mittens, little booties and the hat.

Then we have farmer Ryder. I <3 overalls on kids! Please excuse his left shoe not being completely on, they didn't fit. The "newborn" size was way too small for my big footed child. :)
Yet again, my mother made him some diaper covers, and they were way too big. This was my attempt at making them look good even though they were huge. *By the way, they are just NOW fitting him. :)*

Ryder also started interacting with his toys more. He even had a favorite. Introducing, the dragonfly

He loved him so much he slept with him like his binkie. So cute. It was fun to see him starting to interact and get some coordination. And of course, his personality was coming out even more. Look at this mohawk and him looking at his daddy going, What are you talking about?!

Meet And Greet Monday

Good morning world! Welcome to the beginning of the week. At my house, we're just hoping this week will be better than last week! Although, with a 16 hour (total) road trip with a one year old doesn't really sound appealing to me anymore, we're still leaving to do it tomorrow.
This week, we will continue the 13 days of Ryder, but I probably won't post much else. :)

Welcome to my new followers! I'm excited to have you hear, so pull up a seat, make yourself comfortable and stick around a while. You never know what you might find.







Be sure to check this Meet and Greet Monday blog hop out; to celebrate their first ever blog hop, they are going a giveaway! And you know how I love my giveaways!!


Speaking of giveaways....I just got some exciting news!! I will be hosting a giveaway of my own. When you ask? Well...not till I reach 100 followers. We're only at 29 right now. :( So tell your friends about the blog so you can get a chance to win some super cool stuff. Not telling you what yet, that's surprise!!

Getting to know you Sunday

Since I have a lot of new followers, I figured I would do Getting To Know You Sunday so ya'll could...ya know....get to know me! So each Sunday I will answer the questions set up by Keely over at MannLand5.
Also, if there is something particular you'd like to know, head on over to the side bar and find the formspring box and you can ask me anything you're heart desires.

1. If a person has a booger in their nose. and you can see it, do you tell them?
Of course!! I don't care if I know you or not, I gotta tell you! Unless i don't like you..
2. What are you passionate about?
Ryder. My Family. Cooking. Becoming an oncology nurse. 
3. How long have you been blogging?
Off and on since my teenage years. I've been really trying to put effort into it this past week. 
4. What is your favorite "summer" drink?
Water. Then beer. See my previous post!
5. What is your favorite type of music?
Jack Johnson, yes he is a type of music. :) Country. I've been loving some of the new "pop" radio songs lately...
6. Something I do before I go to bed is......?
Drink a lot of water. Every night. I check on my baby and cover him up so he's not cold. 
7. My Summer vacation plans are...?
No vacation in our world. Though, Ryder and I are leaving to go home to California on Tuesday for a month!!
8. My favorite must have, can't live without, beauty product is?
Moisturizer. Drives me mad if i don't put it on as soon as I get out of the shower. 

On the 9th Day of Ryder....

my true love gave to me.....strong arms, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa K and a broken foot.

Four Month Check Up:
14 pounds 1 ounce  22nd percentile
25 3/4 inches long   71st percentile
42.5 cm head circumference  48th percentile

After the all out hell of the third month, I can honostly say that the fourth month was better. minus my broken foot. :( Don't even ask how that happened, it just did. It was horrible timing too, Cam's parents came just a few days later. It is not fun wobbling around to restaurants and such on crutches.
Back to the man of the hour. Here he is with Grandpa K.
Grandpa K is in love with this child. They "have something special going on" as he says. And they do. Ryder loves him just as much as he loves Ryder. And, thats a lot! Grandpa K might love him more than we do--and he has 9 other grandchildren, and two more on the way later this year!!

This is Grandma K with the little man. He is incredibly loved by his grandparents (on both sides). He is also spoiled but all of them.

He gained a lot of strength in his arms this month. Look at him holding himself up! He would pull himself up there like a zombie and zombie crawl across it. He was, and is, a very active child, but still very independent. It's a wonderful mix of personality.

This picture was the first sign of teething, which you'll hear all about tomorrow. This picture has got to be one of the cutest pictures of him. For some reason I always think of Bugs Bunny when I see this, I have no idea why.

As you can see, my child is a very happy child. We were so grateful for a nice mellow fourth month. His personality started coming out more, and he is proving to have a big personality. He is strong, independent, wonderful and just all around amazing. He started sticking his tongue out at us when we did silly things to him. This month was also one of the months where he actually looked like a chubby baby, so cute. Look at that neck! 


On the 13th day of Ryder my true love gave to me......ultrasounds, dozens of doctors appointments, a scary birth experience and a baby shower!!
On the 12th day of Ryder my true love gave to me......Ryder!
On the 11th day of Ryder my true love gave to me…funny faces and...nothing else. :) 
On the 10th day of Ryder my true love gave to me.... colic and poop problems.
On the 9th day of Ryder my true love gave to me....strong arms, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa K and a broken foot. 

Giveaways!

So I've become a little obsessed with entering giveaways from fellow bloggers. Here are a couple that are still going on:

Baby Loving Mama - VW Routan Road Trip Survival Pack Also check out the VW Routan

Deal Seeking Mom - Eye-Fi SD Memory Card