Happy 1st Birthday, Amalia!

It's so hard to believe the little cutie's already one! I remember how tiny she was at the Wilson's wedding when she was only a little more than a month old. I stole this 11-month picture from the Ward's blog.

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy birthday, Mom! Thanks for being such a good mom (and grandma). What other mom would keep a very detailed log about every single event in her son's life? Who else would constantly yell, "Think PINK!"? Jack will appreciate being able to read about the (not so) exciting adventures of his father, and, God willing, he will be able to be a good big brother to several sisters.
It is unfortunate that we're not closer so that Jack can spend more time with his grandma -- something I really appreciated growing up. He will be able to see his grandmother and meet his great-grandmother later this summer though. We're all looking forward to seeing you when we come out to visit this summer as well as when you visit us.
Happy birthday!

We love you Mom/Grandma Ryan...:P

Dr. Jack

I just thought this picture was hilarious-- probably because I know how enthusiastically I was calling out his name and making ridiculous noises to try to get him to look at the camera. By the way he is concentrating and digging through the fabric, it looks like he's giving Sheepie an examination, perhaps for wool-lice. I think he found something (and is contemplating putting it in his mouth).

Three months!

It was a little challenging to get an in-focus picture today, as Jack was rather wiggly, and he just wanted to get Sheepie (and the little turtle on his outfit) into his mouth. That's the story of his life today. Sometimes, I wonder if he might be teething already. One of these days, he will get his entire fist into his mouth. He does love those fingers.

Happy 20th Birthday, Ashlee!

It's sad to think that when the Hoffmanns return from their summer in Wyoming, we won't be their housemates anymore (though we are excited about buying our own house!). It was fun spending our first year of marriage with another Christian married couple, and fun for me to have someone to sympathize with who also doesn't really understand all of the computer lingo from her husband. I'll never forget the time when Ashlee came up from the basement (Todd and Mike's computer lair) and said that she'd heard enough 'Ubuntinese.' Those of you who know computers would understand. And I know I'll miss the times we stayed up for hours playing MarioKart, the only video game you can get me close to. This was actually what I was doing the night before we went to the hospital to have Jack, while, for once, Mike had gone to bed early. We truly will miss sharing a house with the Hoffmanns!
Have a happy birthday, Ashlee!

A Father's Day wedding

In the past two weeks, I have doubled the number of weddings I have been to in my life, including my own). Tyler and Lindsay's wedding was yesterday. We ran into our old friend from IV, Eli Marsh (below with Mike and Jack) and got a funny family charicature-- resemblance? Jack appreciated his full head of yellow hair. I seem to have a pixie nose. Dad had to make a diaper-run while at the reception, but other than that, we all had a very good time dancing with Jack between us and catching up with friends.
Jen (pictured with me and Jack below) is getting married in two weeks, and I get to be a bridesmaid. We're hoping to have some time to get Jack in the pool at the hotel we're staying at in Somerset.

Happy Father's Day to our dads!

Thanks to the dads who helped mold the people we are today. Thanks for teaching us life's hard lessons, even though we were reluctant to learn, for disciplining us when we were naughty as children or headstrong as teenagers, for supporting us in life's big decisions, and for being great friends (and grandfathers!) now. We have been so blessed to have fathers who were never too busy for us. They have invested their lives in us and taught us about faith by example.

And Mike, happy first Father's Day! You are an outstanding dad to Jack. I know it probably sounds cliche by now, but all of the things you do-- the way you play with Jack and want to love on him up the moment you get home from work, how you talk to him so sweetly, and even how you are constantly asking me if there's anything you can do to help out around the house (the countless loads of soiled laundry and cloth diapers!)-- make it so evident that you are going to be (and are!) an amazing dad.

We love our dads!

Sleep is for the weak

I have become a sleep junkie. It's true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Whenever Jack falls asleep, I hop into bed to try to catch some shut eye myself, but my body has switched over to "I don't need sleep to function" mode, and often, I will lie in bed for one to two hours awake. I can't nap during his daytime naps because these only last five or ten minutes (and occur very frequently throughout the day). Durings these short breaks, I have begun packing, or squeezing in other chores that have been accumulating. And now, whenever anyone suggests an activity other than sleep, I can't help but think it inferior to what I would rather be doing. Don't get me wrong-- Jack is sleeping pretty well at night, but it just takes me forever to fall asleep, and my sleep is so interrupted (I awake at any grunt or sleep murmer from the monitor) that it lacks any quality or satisfaction. (He's been going to bed around 8:30 or 9 pm and waking up every 3-5 hours to nurse until he finally arouses himself for good around 7:30 or 8 am.) I'm sure every mother has experienced this at one point or another, and I know his cat naps will clump together eventually. And as good as sleep is, there is really nothing I would rather be doing than taking care of and playing with Jack.

Happy 1st Birthday, Bea!

Gabe and Lisa's (and Jack's first) wedding

Our friends Gabe and Lisa (one of my bridesmaids last year) were married yesterday afternoon in Murrysville. We were supposed to come home between the ceremony and reception to drop Jack off with the Wilsons, who were going to be his first babysitters, but Pittsburgh had other plans. It took us less than a half hour to get to the wedding, but we couldn't even get half-way home in two. We tried to manuever our way back on side roads with our Pittsburgh map, but no matter which way we drove, traffic came to a stand-still. We found out later this was probably due to the opening game for Steelers and the Kenny Chesney concert. Needless to say, we had to make a choice, since we wouldn't be able to make the reception if we took Jack home, but it was an adults-only reception. We turned around, hoping to at least just stop in to say hello. When we pulled up to the Hyeholde restaurant (which looks like a small castle) in Moon Township, there was only valet parking. So Mike stayed with Jack in the car while I went in to congratulate
the newlyweds and tell them we wouldn't be able to stay. I told the bride's mother our situation also, and she said we had to stay for at least a little bit and that Jack would be just fine if he didn't cry. I really didn't want to be the people who brought their baby to an adults-only reception, but considering our circumstance and the fact that the bride and her mother were insisting that we stay, I thought it would be okay. I found myself explaning ourselves to everyone who came to tell us how cute our baby was. And even strangers at our table had to have their turn holding our wide-eyed guy (who was finally all tuckered out by the end of the evening). He didn't make a peep the whole time (as I told him we'd have to leave the nice restaurant and our friends if he cried). We're glad we got to be there without having to wonder every minute what Jack was up to-- the reception (and bride!) was beautiful, and the dinner and dessert were amazing. Congratulations, Gabe and Lisa! Have a great time in Italy!

A visit with family- Happy graduation, Tay!

The three of us had an exciting few days visiting family and celebrating my brother's high school graduation in Maryland the past few days. Jack got to meet his great

grandparents, Honey and Nathan and his great aunt, Weegie for the first time. His other relatives were shocked by how much he had grown. He played hard every day, smiling at everyone he saw, and he couldn't get enough of kicking plastic bags at his feet.
We headed back to Pittsburgh immediately following Tay's graduation, which ended at 9:30 pm, so we had a long night, but fortunately, Jack slept the

entire ride. He was awake for the whole 2 1/2-hour graduation, fascinated by the sea of red and black hats- the view from our high seats.
Congratulations, Tay, on your graduation (even though it was really at the end of last semester!)

Picnic (and random moments of Jack)

Today, we enjoyed Mike's Intel work picnic at Schenley Park. Jack met Ada, who is 2 1/2 weeks his junior. He was very fascinated at this tiny human being. His head did seem to be about twice the size of her's. Now here are some random pictures of the little fellow. He's smiling more and more at people, especially when they talk sweetly to him.