So what if I like my bowl on my head, and my Cheerios on the floor?

What, you don’t put your strings in your mouth?

And for my next trick I will proudly stand up in my crib.

Mom… don’t put my swing up yet, I can use it like this.

I can see you.

Can this be my veggie of the week?

(*all captions are not the actual thougths of Ryland)

Ryland had his first zoological experience this past Tuesday (3/27/07). We got to see some interesting animals like the Cavy which is in the rodent family and resembles a very large rabbit. We also saw a peacock, a sleeping leopard, some bison, and even a few very stinky llamas (Ryan named one of them Tina). 

Patagonian Cavy

After seeing the animals Ryland had his first park experience. Salisbury City Park is located at the west entrance to the Salisbury Zoo. He rode Ben’s Red Swings and seemed to enjoy it. At first he and I swang together, but soon my adventurous son was ready to swing alone. Ben’s Red Swings is a playground reconstruction effort at the Salisbury City Park, in memory of Benjamin Layton who passed away in 2003 at age 4 following a two-year battle with cancer. Ben’s final wish was that he would receive angel wings when he arrived in Heaven in his favorite color—red. The Ben’s Red Swings project memorializes that wish by providing a safe place for other children to play. This park not only has amazing red swings but has castles, forts, and ships that Ryland will be able to explore as he gets older. It is a great place for the imagination to go wild.

It is wonderful to live in a place that has so much to offer families. Salisbury is a community where Ryland can have a vast array of experiences and countless opportunities to grow physically, mentally, and spititually. I am so thankful that God has brought us to the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

8 down 4 to go till chico reaches the big uno!

Ryland has become very mobile within the last few days. He began crawling officially on 3/17/07. He goes back and forth across the living room within moments. He’s got Ryan and I jumpin’ around moving things out of reach. A few of his favorite no-no items include an acoustic guitar, Ryan’s cell phone, my laptop, the TV controller, and anything resembling a string or a chord. Ryland does respond to “No”, but he forgets quickly what he wasn’t supposed to be doing. Which is to be expected at this stage in his journey.

Chico also started pulling up and doing some cruising on 3/20/07.  Rylz is also climbing up on the couch, and on Ryan and I whenever he has the chance. This, of course, has made life so much fun, and little nerve racking at times. Our son is so close to toddling around… I feel like my baby is no longer a baby. I know I have got a long way to go, and I cherish each moment of his adventure, but those calm cuddly moments are greatly missed.

We have finally found a Pediatrician for Ryland after a very frustrating search. Ryland’s first appointment with Dr. Cooper was on 3/19. He is a woderful Doctor. He engaged and interacted with Ryland with great compassion and understanding. We are very pleased with his knowledge and delivery of information to us. Though we are saddened to have left Dr. Kalil, God has guided us to a man who will care for our son just a well.

At the visit Ryland got his third round of shots. His wieght was 20 lbs & 11 oz (he is in the 70th percentile… meaning he wieghs more the 7 out of 10 kids his age). His hieght is 28 3/4 inches (this puts him in the 90th percentile… taller than 9 out of 10 kids his age). Dr. Cooper described him as “tall and skinny, but strong as an ox”. He also discovered that Rylands front/bottom/left tooth is ready and will break through in a couple of weeks. We are definately seeing the effects of teething. Ryland has been waking up around midnight wanting a bottle and his dose of tylenol. Hopefully we’ll see that pearly white  very soon.

Thanks to all of you have been praying for Ryland as he crawls, cruises, and climbs through these exciting days of his adventure.