Here's a slide show of the baby shower pics

Ryan Bath Time

Here are some photos of Ryan in the bath in our old apartment:

Ryan Loves to Eat

Ryan loves to eat and sit in his high chair.He kicks and kicks away when we put him in it. He's been having fruit and cereal in the morning and veggies and fruit for lunch and either veggies and a dinner meal with a little dessert for dinner. He's been teething alot so sometimes he's a bit cranky but no tooth yet. He loves his swing and the animals above. At this stage everything goes in the mouth so we really keep a close eye on him. He loves to play on his activity mat and grab the toys hanging.

Ryan is 6 months

Well Ryan is 6 months old already and getting big. Their is so much that has been happening with him and I might forget to put some things on here. He likes to put his feet to his mouth and tries to bite his toes but we don't let him (Ha!!Ha!!). His legs are still going fast and we think he'll be a great swimmer when he grows up. We went to visit Grandma Romaine and went shopping with her. It's usually hard to get Ryan to smile for the camera but not this time, he was really enjoying himself. He is now 16 pounds and 26 3/4 inches and he's a good eater. he loves his carrots and prunes ( can you believe it). He is such a great baby and is full of laughter. We are in the middle of packing to move to our new house in a few weeks and we hope the transition will be good for Ryan, he will have his own room. We are excited about the "New House" and just waiting on the final date of the closing which will probably be the end of this week or next. Well i will end it here for now and finish posting at another time

Rolling Ryan

Jim and I were surprised this past Tuesday night when Ryan was playing on his Activity mat and he rolled over from his back to his left side, we couldn't believe it. He was too cute and was having so much fun. The next day we were doing tummy time and he rolled from his stomach onto his back to my surprise. It's so exciting to see him grow and see the first of many milestones he will reach. Now we have to be extra careful, especially when he is on the changing table, that he doesn't roll over. He loves to squirm when I'm changing his diaper and his feet go, go and go, like he's running a marathon.

Ryan's First Taste of Food

Well we started Ryan on squash and carrots this week and he loves both of them. He is adjusting very well to the both of them.We will post new pictures of him this week. I know we have been slow with getting pictures on the site here. It has been a busy summer and things are starting to wind down.

Party Time

On Saturday, Ryan went to his first kid's birthday party

(Party Boy Ryan)

as we attended our God Daughter's (Renee's cousin's daughter) Caelin Piper's

(Caelin getting ready to blow out her candles)


(Tyler: "I got my party hat on" Aedin: "Ummmm Cake" Caelin: "Don't take my picture with my messy hands")

birthday. While he isn't old enough to have any cake yet, he got to meet some more family and enjoy a lot of time outside.



Then on Sunday, Ryan got to go to another party as the Gurgui's daughter Jacqueline was celebrating her recent graduation from high school. It was unfortunate that a good portion of the day was rained out, but we had a good time (but again no cake for little Ryan ).

Forth of July Week, weekend...

Just catching up a bit...

I had a few days off this week being the Fourth and all, so I got to spend a little extra time with Ryan. We didn't have any big plans, but we did manage to fit in a visit to Grandma Romaine's and Aunt Patty's.

Today was a nice and relaxing day as mommy went to the spa in the earlier part of the afternoon after spending the morning running a few errands. Ryan got to spend a little time with Nana and Great Nana while we were out. Then he and I spent the afternoon watching the game and otherwise being lazy.

I actually got the chance to add a few posts here to catch up on some old entries as Ryan has been napping most of the afternoon.

Don't have a picture yet to post for this entry, but will update later (when...hhhmm???) Gotta go get a bottle now as he is just waking up a bit.

Shopping trip to the Mall

We took Ryan on another trip to the mall today and for the first time he was awake for most of it. Renee and I stopped in the mall to get an upgrade on our cell phones now that the contract was up. We both got picture phones so we will have more opportunities to get get candid shots of Ryan and although the photo with this post isn't one from the phone, I am hoping to be able to post a few more a little easier.

Ryan's First Cereal

First taste of Rice....mmmm yummmy....


Nana gave Ryan his first taste of rice cereal today.

Aunt Debbie & Uncle Frank visit

Deb & Frank visited Ryan for the first time this weekend. We stopped down to Aunt Patty's this weekend as Aunt Debbie and Uncle Frank were up visiting from Florida. This is the first visit from Debbie and Frank in a very long time. Debbie flew for the first time in a while just to get up here to see Ryan and she enjoyed the time with him very much. After a brief lunch at the Wallkill church, we visited the old Rectory and then had a barbeque over at Patty's.



Here's Ryan all bright-eyed and happy to be in Aunt Debbie's arms.

Ryan's First Girlfriend

Ryan's first Girl Friend Emily, who also shares the same birthday as Ryan, how sweet. Ryan visited with Emily Montfort today. They played a little while on the jungle mat where this picture was taken. The ever watchful big brother Ethan kept an eye on things as he is seen peeking in at the top of the picture.

Grandpa Romaine & Great Aunt Doris visit

Great Aunt Doris and Grandpa Romaine came to visit Ryan. This was Grandpa's and Aunt Doris' first visit.

Ryans's First Month

Well Ryan turned 1 month this past Sunday and it was a nice day out. We took Ryan to 8 am mass and we went out to our usual sunday breakfast at Elena's for Ryan's first time. We had an eventful day, we went to the Mall to do a little shopping and then over Aunt Michelle and Uncle Anthony's for dinner and then to Aunt Sue's for cake for Jodi & Shawn's anniversary. We are getting used to the late night feedings and we are enjoying every moment with Ryan. He is getting so big already. We( Nana and I) had to take him to the doctor's yesterday because he has been having a hard time with the formula. So we wanted to make sure that everything was ok and we've been trying different formulas until we find the right one for him. So we started him on a new one at dinner time last night and it seems to be agreeing with him so far, were crossing our fingers that this is the last one we have to try. He may be a little colicky at night but we think it's just his fussy time. He's good for me during the day for the most part, although he has his moments :) like all babies do. He was weighed in yesterday too he weighs 9lbs 4 ounces already "Wow" he's no longer our peanut. We aslo found out on Monday that my cousin Jodi is having a boy in Oct. were so excited and happy that everything is going well for them and healthy. It looks as though we'll have a run of boys now in the family. Were so thankful for our little guy Ryan.

Ryan's Baptism on Mother's Day

Today was Ryan's Baptism and we very fortunate to have wonderful weather and many family members able to attend. Renee and I were so very happy that all went well. We could not be any happier!!! Thank you everyone!

As for the event itself, Ryan was so quiet! I thought for sure he would wake up by the middle of the ceremony. But, as all who were there witnessed, he slept through the whole event and well into the reception we had at the park later. It took several of us to get him to finally eat!! I had a great time tossing the ball around, watching the girls cast some fishing lines, sitting around listening to the family conversation ( who's going to get set up first? ), watching everyone interact with Ryan. The food was just right (even though we initially forgot the soda...ooops) and although breezy in the shade, while in the sun it was perfect.

Renee, Ryan and I are a very fortunate family and we are thankful for everyone's contributions and sharing in our day for Ryan as well as for the other Mothers on Mother's Day.

First Day back to work

Well I headed back to work today. I missed the little guy, but had a good time showing off the photos of him that I had on my PDA.

Mommy said that Ryan was a bit fussy all day, so we are going to try a new formula as it has been several days now that it has taken longer for him to settle down after eating (it wasn't just the me going away all day).

First Sunday outing

Ryan had his first sunday outing today. He joined us at church where a lot of the 8 o'clock mass folks got to meet him for the first time.







We then went to the monthly fire house breakfast. Nana and Pepe, Auntie M, and Uncle Anthony joined us. Ryan slept the whole time (of course it was the middle of the night for him). Who looks more tired Ryan or Renee?

Friday afternoon in the park

With the weather getting nice and warm, we thought we'd bring Ryan down to the park for his first outdoor trip. While the day was pleasant, it was a bit breezy off of the water. We only stayed for a few moments and enough time to get a few pictures ( auto timers are great ).

Reading Dirt: Lavender and Tea Tree Oil: Estrogen Mimics

This is link to an article that describes part of the article I heard about in the TWIS review.

The July 1 2006 issue of Science News carried an article about the newly-discovered feminizing effects of lavender and tea tree oil in young boys, and appear to be responsible for a rise in breast development in pre-pubescent boys.

Reading Dirt: Lavender and Tea Tree Oil: Estrogen Mimics

A bit more of a medical read on the topic is here.

Baby Shower pics

I don't think I included this link previously, but here's a link to a photo album of the baby shower.

So far a very good boy

"The happiest baby on the block" parenting tips have worked wonders so far. The 5 s have worked like a charm and Ryan's been very responsive to them. He slept through a good 4 hours last night (or I was completely out of it to notice any differently, but Renee didn't seem to notice either.) I got my fingers crossed that he continues to be this good.

Some Pictures of Baby Ryan

Here are a few pictures of Ryan to share.

1. Ryan in the bassinet at the hospital, just a few hours old.





2.Ryan close up without hat






3. Ryan's going home outfit

Ryan's Here!

After a lot of hard work for Renee, Ryan has finally made it!!!!


All is well, baby and Mommy are fine. Ryan gets to share his birthday with Emily.

We will have at least one photo here soon...probably sunday night or monday.

Water Broke

About a half hour ago, Renee got a surprise....Although its happening at 3 am, it is otherwise not as surprising as I thought. No torrents of water everywhere. Renee was just caught a little off guard. Renee has already been on the phone with her Mom 3 times. the doctor's office, the doctor (not her regular obgyn....), and she is now on the phone with her friend discussing their pregnancy. I guess a need a to be a little awake so Iam making this post.

Will post again as the news comes....Maybe I'll try to close my eyes for a few minutes...

Thank you HRI IS department.

My friends and co-workers at work gave me a nice baby shower to help welcome Ryan. We received some nice gifts and had a very good lunch out.

Thanks again for the well wishes.

Bags are packed...

Hello...All is well with Renee and we are patiently waiting for Ryan's arrival.

Our bags are all packed and we are as ready as can be to head to the birthing center when the time comes (although we are are not scheduled for another 12 days yet). Renee would like to go early, while I don't think we will be heading any time soon it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Thank You

As you can see Jim already posted about the Baby Shower, so I'll add what I would like to say. I first would like to Thank some very special people for all their help on making that day very special and memorable for us. I would like to start with my Mom and my Sister Michelle for all their hard work and time that went into to preparing it all, I really appreciate it and will never forget what a beautiful shower it was, I Love You Both Very Much. Also my sister in law Joanie ( Jim's Sister)who was right there helping out from afar with everything, it meant alot to me Joanie, so I thank you and Love you for all that you did. I would like to Thank my sister in law Pamela for helping me at the shower and keeping me in line with all the gifts, Love ya Sis. A Thank you to my cousin Jodi for helping us getting the gifts back to our house. Also Kim Denise Barnett for making my beautiful shower cake. I would like to Thank everyone for coming to my Shower, I will remember this day always as Jim and I have waited a long time for this Blessed occassion and it was great to be able to share it with Family and Friends who are dear to us. If I have forgotten to Thank anybody please let me know. Well Ryan James will be here in about 6 weeks, so we'll have lot's to do to prepare his long awaited arrival. As I sit here I still can't believe Our Dream is about to come true and I pray everyday and Thank God for this Miracle.

Blankets, bibs, books, binkies, batteries, bottles...Yes, it's the Baby Shower!!

Well, we had the Baby Shower this weekend and Renee and I were overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. We were both so happy to get so many wonderful gifts. I was a little concerned that I wouldn't have much to read Ryan at first, but when I first saw the bookcase filled up that idea immediately evaporated. Ryan will be a well dressed little boy once we get him home. Renee will be busy writing the thank you notes soon(hey I had to put the stuff together and make room for everything!), but I wanted to post a quick thank you to those that are following this. It was a wonderful day!

THANK YOU!!!

Blogthings - Would You Be a Cool Parent?

Jim's Parenting test results...Blogthings - Would You Be a Cool Parent?

Warning, the preface to the test is "...suppose you're a parent in your 40's with a teenager..." uummm just a little off, but I still like the results. Let's see Renee's results...

You Will Be a Cool Parent

You seem to naturally know a lot about parenting, and you know what kids need. You can tell when it's time to let kids off the hook, and when it's time to lay down the law. While your parenting is modern and hip, it's not over the top. You know that there's nothing cool about a parent who acts like a teenager... or a drill sergeant!

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

Child Birth Classes started

This week we went to our first child birth class. It was an interesting experience. No, it is not a breathing class. The session was rather relaxed and informative. So I got to learn some of the terms that will be tossed around as the delivery date gets closer and closer: pelvic station, dilation, effaction (sp?). That positive numbers and upwards of 10 cm are the ball park totals. That there is no exact science to the birth experience, meaning that specific numbers and measurements are not total predictors of when the baby will come.

We've done a little nesting in the past few days. Renee has had me rearrange the bedroom to make for a better location of where we will put the bassinet. I've started putting together various pieces of furniture and getting that stuff ready.



Renee has been trying several different products to help her sleep: belts, cushions, occasional Tylenol, but nothing seems to work 100%, not even the nightly foot and leg massages. I believe that it is just part of the preparation of needing to be awake after the baby arrives, but I've heard that that is not to sensible either: to treat a need for no sleep by not sleeping?

Renee is visiting the pediatrician this week to ask some initial questions, so I helped put together a short list of things to follow up on, so we should be pretty much set there.

Each week gets a closer...I need to get some of those short video clips here...

Sonogram visit today

We just got home a short while ago and all is going well. According to the Ultrasound readings, Ryan is now at 3.9 Lbs and 16 inches (a hint for anyone trying to guess the birth weight, so far he's very average).

I have just finished review the vcr copy of the sonogram and their isn't a lot to look at for an untrained eye.
(read: I can't make anything out of it)

I hope I will be able to get maybe a minute off of it into a new video file. I should have a new picture pulled from it shortly. (Image now posted)

How to Talk to Your Baby in Utero

Babies are capable of hearing even before they are born, and many people believe that talking or singing to a baby in-utero is a great way to begin the parent-child bonding relationship, and perhaps even to stimulate a baby's intellect before birth. Whether or not this is true, many parents enjoy talking to their babies-to-be.
Instructions
STEP 1: Get into the habit of talking out loud, even before it is possible for your baby to hear you. Talk (to yourself or others), sing and play music as you go about your daily activities; you may eventually find that changes in your baby's patterns of movement correspond to the type of music you are playing, or to the level of your conversation.
STEP 2: Give your baby a pet name, or use the name you have chosen if you know what sex your baby will be. Many parents continue to use in-utero nicknames like "peanut" or "sprout" long after their baby arrives.
STEP 3: Get both parents to talk to the baby, if possible ' this is often an excellent way for fathers to begin bonding with their babies.
STEP 4: Read books out loud to your baby ' these can be children's books, or they can just be whatever you happen to be reading for your own enjoyment. Some parents choose to read a bedtime story to their unborn babies every evening, while others take a more casual approach.
STEP 5: Set a little time aside every day just to communicate with your baby, perhaps just before you go to sleep. Your baby won't understand the words you are using, but will certainly become familiar with your vocal patterns. This can also help you to relax and focus on your pregnancy, your body, and the hopes and dreams you have for your baby.

RSS, Feeds, Blogs

Ok, you might be thinking what is this techie stuff doing on the Family Blog???

I just wanted to add a quick note to those that might be reading these to have a little helper. I am not going to go into any great detail about the stuff but just going to make a recommendation and point out some links (If you need some technical reading on this see here) .

RSS, feeds, blogs are some of the current big news for the past few years and for those of you that aren't taking advantage of Feed Readers / Aggregators, don't let the names distract you, they will make your discovery of new information that matters to you much more easy.

Once you have a reader set up (recommendation below), as you are surfing around various sites that you find interesting look for the subscription link (and no, money is not always, in fact hardly ever, exchanged with these subscriptions...you're not buying a magazine although the article's you read may influence you to buy a magazine, but thats not what I'm talking about). Sometimes it'll point to various websites that feed the information: Google, Yahoo, etc (there are dozens...)


The link I usually look for is: (Some browsers like Firefox have this immediately in the address bar to subscribe to the site)


I am currently using Google's: Google Reader and really like it.
( Warning tech note: I like the Ajax scrolling to get new articles and how to easily it is post article links to a blog)

So please try one of these out and remember to add us to your reader to keep up on any new posts.

How to Keep a Baby Entertained - WikiHow

Another parenting tip. This site is the second one that I've linked to. Its based on a Wiki, which is gets my geek side up...pretty cool stuff, it enables everyone to join into the conversation on making recommendations, additions, subtractions to the greater knowledge....
How to Keep a Baby Entertained - WikiHow: "
Tips
* When making faces you want to be careful as to what faces you make, you don't want to scare the baby and have them crying. Also when talking to him you want to talk in a nice soothing and calming voice, nothing to alarming for them.
* If the baby does start to cry, blow a stream of air towards his or her face, gently like you were trying to cool a bowl of soup. This will calm the baby and he or she will usually stop for a deep breath; this is your chance to amuse.
* Babies respond better when you talk in a voice that is a little higher pitched than its normal register.
* Be creative. A lot of everyday objects and situations can become a source of entertainment for a baby.


Warnings

* Make sure you play gently - babies are delicate creatures!
* Keep your eyes on the baby at all times (or make sure someone else in the room is watching).
* Avoid objects that are sharp. Avoid playing in areas where a baby could easily bump his/her head and furniture with sharp corners.
* Babies need their own space also. They like to be left alone with books to check it out. Watch your child, but also allow them to have time alone. Do not think you have to entertain them all the time!"

How to Soothe a Baby - WikiHow

A good parenting how-to article. I'll post more as I find them...

How to Soothe a Baby - WikiHow: "If you are calm, the baby will be calm also, as a baby senses his caretaker's anxiety."

Our First Snowstorm

Wow!!! What a Valentine's day to remember and our First Snowstorm of the winter season. Well Jim is working from home today, which was for the best. I am taking it easy and not doing a whole lot. I'm taking advantage of being snowed in and having Jim at home, even though he is working. I feel much better knowing that he isn't taking any risks driving in this storm. The baby has been alot more active lately and Jim has felt him kick alot. I'm starting to feel uncomfortable sleeping at night but I guess it's preparing me for all of those sleepless nights ahead. We had our tour this past monday night at the Northern Dutchess Birthing Center where we will have our baby and we are looking forward to the big day, it's starting to feel more real everyday with the upcoming decisions we have to make. All is going great here and my diabetes is under excellent control the doctor says. We are truly Blessed that everything is going great with this pregnancy.

Sonogram Pictures from 01.31.07

Here are the latest pictures from the sonogram taken on January 31, 2007. The first shows Ryan sucking on his index finger. The second image was taken from the 4D scan. Renee thinks he looks a bit more like me at this stage around the eyes and cheeks. Although she thinks he has her smaller upper lip. Looking at it again, I think he might also have Renee's chin? (We should put up some comparison photos and have a vote....)

Everything's OK

We spent the evening Tuesday at the Hospital(got home Wednesday morning @ 2:30 AM) as Renee was not feeling well. After getting everything checked out, Baby and Mommy are doing fine. (Now to get a little rest)

20 Week Sonogram Picture

This is one of the sonogram pictures taken during the 20th week. We will post some others shortly.

Renee's First Post

Ok this is my first blogging attempt. I hope this will be a way to let family and friend's know what's happening in our lives

First Entry @ the our new blog

Hey this is Jim, finally set up my family blog here. Renee & I struggled with the name (quite a stimulating name huh ! :) ) . I was thinking along the lines of combining some of different words: relax, comfortable, random, thoughts, mindful, bliss, but we chickened out went for the mundane title "Jim & Renee's Family Blog".

About the intent of this blog....I've recently gotten into a lot of blogging at work and am starting to get hooked on it. Being the tech geek that I am, and after just enjoying the week at Lotusphere2007, I am hoping to translate some of the inertia to write about things on the family side. I have been writing a bunch of journal entries to share in the future with our soon to be born son, but have decided to hold of on transferring them here( I would have to edit it too much currently).

Once I get a little more comfortable with the use of this new tool, I will be encouraging Renee to also post her thoughts. So for now, I just want to say WELCOME.