Walking is fun!

Ryanna took her first real step about 5 or 6 weeks ago but only liked to move very short distances on her own. Little by little she has gained more confidence and now walking is her favorite game! You heard me right, she thinks of it like a game more than a mode of transportation. She loves our new home and so do Brian and I. I'll get pictures up as soon as I'm done painting, etc.

So I wanted to note a few other funny things that Ryanna has been doing lately.

#1. Most babies and toddlers grow attached to an object like a blanket, stuffed animal, or a binkie. Well, Ryanna has a fettish for lanyards. You know the things you hang around your neck to attach keys or whatever else to. The blue thing around her neck in the video is a lanyard that our friend Mary let her play with one day. Ryanna has always loved when Mary would hold her and she could yank on, suck on, or try to break whatever large necklace Mary had on that day. Most the time she would tug pretty hard and of course Mary would say "OWIE, please stop that" or "OWIE, please be nice." Ryanna also likes to grab onto my necklace and gets about the same reaction. Well the day that Mary let her play with the lanyard was the day our lives changed. She named it "OWIE" and it has become the item in this world she is most attached to. We've had several near drownings at bath time because I take away her OWIE and she then proceeds to fight heart and soul, screaming OWIE OWIE OWIE. The neighbors are probably calling social services since this has happened more than once. I learned a few days ago to hide the OWIE sometime in the afternoon to avoid such near death experiences. So my child has finally found a comfort object(other than glow baby which she is only allowed to have in her bed) and as luck would have it the object of her choice is a serious choking hazard....is this a sign of things to come. ;)

#2. Ryanna has taken the next step in her language development and repeats many things that I say. She has done this off and on in the past but with little comprehension of what she is saying. Now, however, it is evident that she understands because once she says it she then uses it to communicate with me. This last week she has learned and uses new words like cracker, drink, bed, car, etc. It is easier to know what she wants that is for sure. We have to be careful what we say now more than before because she'll try to repeat us. When we were at the apartment cleaning I opened the fridge and exclaimed "Gross!" The next thing out of her mouth was gross...GROSS!

#3. For a few weeks when it is time to pray we'll tell Ryanna to fold her arms and most of the time she will by tucking both fist up to her chin and sometimes even closing her eyes. The last three or four days though when we say a prayer she'll even make a sound at the end: mmmenn. What a sweet girl.

Well I'm sorry we haven't had much on the blog lately and that we've been bad about returning phone calls and emails. The whole buying a house, renovating it, and moving has been pretty overwhelming but we are almost all settled in now and should be back to normal here soon. HOPEFULLY this is the last move for at least a few years. Did you know we have been married about 4 1/2 years and this is our sixth place! Yeah, we've been insanely transient. It's time to try and plant some roots for a while.