Roly Poly

Today was a very exciting day at the Ryan house...and thankfully, both Dave and I were home for it!  Jack rolled over (he is 4 months and 2 days old)!!  He has been teetering from his back to his side for a while but those movements were greatly intensified today.  He had his whole body going...all the way from the tip of his toes to the top of his head.  Then, all of the sudden he rolled from his back to his tummy!  Dave gave me a Kodak Play Sport video camera for Christmas and since Jack had been wiggling a lot today I had it recording...I was able to get his first roll on camera!

I was worried that he would be scared after he rolled (as he doesn't care for tummy time at all) but he seemed very content and proud of himself after this big accomplishment.  Since the initial roll, he has rolled over another time (phew...it wasn't a fluke) and at dinner he tried to roll out of his infant rocker.  Dave and I have quickly learned that we officially can't take our eyes off of him (but he's so darn cute we hardly take our eyes off of him in the first place).  The road to mobility was paved today...so exciting, terrifying, and sad all at the same time...our baby boy is growing up!

Beach Baby, Beach Baby

Jack and Mommy enjoying the Emerald Isle sun and sand!

Jack and Lollie on the beach!

The sun and sand were calling...we answered!  Dave, Jack, and I packed up our new car (yes, that's right, our new car!!  On Monday we drove off the car lot with a 2012 Hyundai SantaFe!!) and headed east.  We are in Emerald Isle for the week with my family.  Puzzles have come out, movies are playing, and yummy food abounds.

Our family continues to trickle in but by this weekend there will be 21 and a half of us here (the newest cousin is due May 11).  We have been doing this annual beach trip for 20 years!  It is such a great time to enjoy family...we are so blessed.

Sweet Jack is the only baby here right now and he is being spoiled rotten by all of his cousins, aunts, and uncles.  He is the star of the show until his cousins Henry (20 months) and Isaiah (19 months) arrive!  It will be so fun to see the big boys in action...I can only imagine our trip next year when all three of them are running around!

Say Cheese!

This past Saturday we were fortunate enough to spend the afternoon with a talented photographer friend, Hayley Juliet Brafford.  Hayley's speciality is to photograph families and young children at their homes in their daily lives.  We were thrilled to have her come to Greenville (all the way from Charlotte) to capture moments and memories of our daily life with Jack.  Hayley spent over two hours with us and watched our everyday interactions...we enjoyed a beautiful January afternoon and were able to go for a walk in the neighborhood and hang out in the hammock (one of Jack's favorite activities).  Hayley also caught bathtime and Jack's post bath massage!  Yes, our sweet baby boy gets a massage after every bath!  Jack's new favorite thing is to play in the mirror...Hayley got some wonderful pictures of this special time as well.  All the snuggling and playing with Mom and Dad wore Jack out so Hayley was also able to get a few snapshots of naptime.  Please check out her blog (http://blog.hayleyjuliet.com/2012/01/09/baby-jack-3-months/) to see our wonderful photos and her amazing work!  Thanks Hayley!!

2011 In Review

Picturesque Jackson Hole, WY 

Residency graduation...The graduating chiefs and the incoming chiefs

Packing up our Raleigh home...Greenville Bound

Pregnant at Camp

Dave's first day of work

What a wonderful year 2011 was!  As the new year begins I am thinking about what a special and memorable 2011 we had.  We traveled with great friends to the wild west spending a week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  We celebrated Dave's residency graduation...four long years in the making and we are finished!!  What a blessing!  We said goodbye to our friends in Raleigh, NC and hello to new friends and adventures in Greenville, NC.  We enjoyed our annual week of relaxation in Bear Mountain, NY with Dave's family and childhood friends.  Dave started his first "real" job (no more residency hours...Yay!) at Greenville Women's Clinic on August 1.  And, this whole time, I was pregnant and was able to share these experiences and adventures with our baby boy to be!

On September 21, 2011 at 3:39am our little family of two grew by one precious baby boy.  Weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces and measuring 20 inches long, Jack Hallmark Ryan entered our world and changed our lives forever.  We are so happy to be "Mommy" and "Daddy" to this amazing baby boy.  We honestly can't remember life without him.

Our first family photo!

Tomorrow Jack will be 15 weeks old...what an incredible 15 weeks these have been.  I am learning so much about this precious angel and about myself as a mom.  My type A personality has become a little more relaxed as I let the dishes pile up in the sink and the dust bunnies collect in the corner...reading to Jack, playing peek-a-boo, and dancing around the living room with my new love are top priority now.  I am working on that whole time management thing with a new baby.  Who would have thought running to the post office for stamps would be so time consuming!  Thankfully, Jack goes with the flow nicely and seems to enjoy getting out and about.

Each day is a new adventure as Jack is starting to explore the world around him.  Recently he found his hands and he LOVES them!  It's so funny to me that something as simple as your hands can bring one little baby so much joy.  He has the most fun eating them, looking at them, and using them to hold his favorite toys.  I love those precious, chubby little hands and can't wait for the mischief they will get in in the months and years to come.

Well, my sweet little one is calling...nap time isn't quite long enough for my never-ending "to-do"list but again...the list isn't the important thing these days.  Gotta go give that precious boy some love!