Merry Christmas

From 2011_December

Feed Me!

Kari has been transitioning from formula to solid foods for Ryan. So far Ryan seems to like cereal and veggies, but not fruit! We manage to get about 50% of the food in his mouth, the rest is meant to decorate his bib.

Since moving to solid food, we have noticed that Ryan has an increased interest in eating anything that is solid. When he is really hungry he will start to eat the furniture. I don't mind it as long as he does not start pooping fabric.

From 2011_December

Gobble Gobble

From 2011_November_Ryan

The Holiday Season has officially started with Thanksgiving! We have plenty to be thankful for this year! Not only are we blessed to have Ryan, but we have all of his cousins that will be part of his life and influence him (good and bad) as he grows.

We wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Guess what happens next....

From 2011 Halloween

The odd couple were at it again posing for pictures and playing with each other. Ryan is learning a lot from Puddles...if you cooperate with Mom and Dad, the embarrassing photo shoot will end sooner. Puddles has been sharing a lot of advice with Ryan including drooling and snoring techniques. I must say, I think Ryan now drools more than Puddles. Aren't we lucky parents???

With Thanksgiving on the way, it means time for Christmas photos...and Grandma Duffy. God only knows what she has in store for Ryan and Puddles. Stay tuned.

Snap, Crackle and Pop's Birthday!

2011_10_23_Dad_Birthday

We spent this past weekend up at Windham with the whole family to celebrate Grandpa Duffy's birthday! It was nice to see the 3 grandchildren together. We actually had a boat load of kids up there this weekend, the Heffernan and Kaiser clans were on hand to make the weekend that much more enjoyable. Thanks to everyone for coming up and I hope this is a glimpse into the good times to be had at the Windham getaway! The ski season will be upon us soon!

There is a monkey in my pumpkin patch!

From 2011_October_Ryan_Pumpkin_Picking

This past Saturday Kari and I took our little monkey to Battleview pumpkin patch to pick some pumpkins. Ok, we went there to dress Ryan up in a monkey suit and take pictures of him in a tree! The pumpkin picking was just a cover.

I think Ryan has accepted the fact that this will be a regular occurrence and with the holiday season approaching there is a lot more costumes to be worn. I would actually feel bad if it wasn't so much damn fun to dress him up!! Oh well, he will forgive us when he is older.

Baptism

Ryan finally had his Baptism two weeks ago. Hurricane Irene delayed the event by a few weeks, but also allowed more family and friends to attend. Ryan was a little angel that day and gave us no problems at all.

We would like to thank everyone that came and celebrated this day with us. We would also like to thank Kellie and Paul for being Ryan's God Parents! We are truly blessed to have you guys be part of his life!!

As a side note, we think Ryan really likes church. The day of the Baptism, we had attended 2 masses and Ryan slept like an angel through both. We think that the church music and singing soothes him. So we are now playing organ music and constantly chanting in the house. While it keeps Ryan comfortable, the neighbors are starting to wonder what goes on in the Duffy's house. :)

Here are some pics from the Baptism:

2011 Baptism

We will see everyone again for Brian's Baptism this weekend!!!

Welcome to the Jungle

Ryan has been really growing and doing new things everyday. From discovering his hands and fingers to laughing out loud when we tickle him. Most recently, he has been showing more head control and we were able to have him sit up in his Jungle ExerSaucer.

We were excited to see that he was able to hold his head up, but I think we might of overstimulated him just a bit. Ryan just stared at the different animals that were making noise, lighting up and swinging over his head. He was simply overwhemled. He gave me the same stare when I explained that I was his father.

From 2011_September_Ryan

Irene vs Ryan

Irene has won for now! Ryan will not be baptized this Sunday and will have to remain our little evil son for a few more weeks. We will reschedule for September 18th.

I think Ryan knew this was going to happen, Aunt Wendy was talking about the hurricane and he just laughed!

We got some sleep!!!

The little bastard.....I mean adorable son was giving us some sleeping issues the last couple of weeks. We had moved him from his bassinet into his crib and that is when all the trouble started. He went from sleeping 5-6 hours a night to 2-3 hours a night!! It was not a good couple of days. Kari was exhausted and I was second guessing the decision to put him in the crib. We decided that we must stick it out and let him adjust. After about a week, Ryan started to increase the time he slept and now he is giving us 8-9 hours a night!! I realize that this could be short term, but we are enjoying every extra minute of sleep we can get.

Yesterday Ryan was 10 weeks old! We took him to the doctor and he weighed in at 13 pounds 12 ounces and 23 inches long. We are still hoping that he sets new family records and grows to a giant 5 foot 8 inches!!

2011_August_Ryan

Surprise Bill!

We celebrated Bill's 60th birthday in grand style by throwing him a surprise birthday party last weekend!! Thanks to everyone who came out to wish Bill Happy Birthday. It was a nice hot day and the new pool got plenty of use!

Back Yard Party 60th

One big happy family

From 02 Month - Ryan Second Month 2011 06 26

We spent this past Saturday at Lisa and Jason's beautiful home to visit Alexis. She was a tiny little person! We had all of the grand children in one place and it was great to see them all together. Emily has her work cut out for her, but she will always be the first!

Ryan Laughing

I never thought I would be entertained by a baby laughing, but I am!  Enjoy.

Happy Happy Birthday

This past weekend, I celebrated my 34th birthday in grand fashion. To start off the day, I got a phone call from my mother telling me that Lisa was going into labor. After about 12 hours of Labor, she gave birth to my new niece Alexis Nicole Reckner! She was 6 lb. 4 oz. and 20 in. Go to www.recknerfamily.com for more details and pictures.


Alexis
My weekend then continued with a visit to my Uncle Tom's to celebrate Karissa's graduation.  It was a beautiful day and a great party.  Congratulations to Karissa!!

I ended the weekend with some dinner and cake with my parents.  Of course all of this was done with Ryan, the best gift I could ask for!

From 02 Month - Ryan Second Month 2011 06 26

1 month down, 30 years to go

Ryan Second Month 2011

Ryan is now entering his 2nd month and is getting bigger each and every day. We just spent the 4th of July at a BBQ with close friends and their children. It is amazing how times have changed.

Happy Birthday Bill!

Dinner 60th Birthday Big Bill

Bill turned 60 and we had the family over for a nice pasta dinner and finished it off with a nice helping of ice cream cake. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Father's Day

2011 Fathers Day

Sunday was my first father's day and we had the entire family over.  Both Grandpa's, Marc and myself celebrated Father's day with some BBQ on a nice sunny Sunday.

Ryan is growing each day and looks a little different every time I look at him.  

Ryan was also able to land a job at Richmond Elevator, he will be the official check cryer.  Every time my father writes a check, Ryan will cry for him.  This will save my father some time as his tears sometimes smear the ink on the check.

Cousins

Cousins

This week Ryan was able to meet his two older cousins: Nicholas and Emily!

Since Kari and I come from such big families, cousins are just like siblings.  So it was really nice to see Emily and Nicholas with Ryan.  This is just the beginning as there are a slew of new 2nd and 3rd cousins to meet...most recently, we welcome Brian James to world.  He was born on Thursday, June 9th.  He was 8lbs 1oz and 22 inches long.  All the best to Liz, Sean and Liam!

Cry if you want to

Ryan's First Bath

It has been an interesting week trying to figure out Ryan's feeding patterns and more importantly his sleeping patterns.  For the most part Ryan is giving us a solid 3 hours of sleep at night.  We had 1 or 2 nights where he woke us up, but otherwise has been great.

We decided it was time to give Ryan a little sponge bath and see how he liked that.  To sum it up, he hated it.  I captured some nice photos of him really testing his vocal range and came close to popping a few blood vessels.
  

Ryan's First Week Home

Ryan First Month 2011

We are home with Ryan and things are going very well, so far. He is feeding like an animal...we just got him up to 3 ounces and he was ready for more. He started to chew the pillow in the swing. Other than that, he has been great. We had family over on Monday and he hammed it up for the camera.

We took him for his first dog walk. Ryan was in the carriage and Puddles on the leash. Puddles did not seem to mind the extra guest on her walk. Both pooped.

We took him to the doctor today and he weighed in at 8lbs 3 ounces, no issues to report. Nice to have the Doctor down the block!!

Ryan met the neighbors today. Our neighbors sent us a card, which was very nice of them.

Will keep photos from this week posted here.

Mom and Ryan

Ryan had to be put "under the lights" to reduce the build up of Bilirubin and avoid Jaundice. Nothing of major concern, but means little (kinda big actually) Ryan has to spend most of his times in a little incubator with IV and lamps on him. Mom has not had been able to spend too much alone time with him until today. She was able to feed him for the first time and he did a great job. He finally had a chance to take a long look at the face of the voice he has been listening to for the last 9 months.

We are also keeping all of Ryan's pictures on Picasa, click here to view them.  We will keep updating Picasa and not bombard everyone with emails and/or Facebook updates.

Ryan James Duffy

Date of Birth: 5/26/2011 4:53pm
Weight: 8 pounds 7 ounces
Length: 20 inches

I can't find the right words to describe this yet.

The train has left the station....

Wednesday, May 25th 7:15pm:

Kari has been admitted to the hospital today and they have started the process of induction. This will be a long process, but should result in a healthy delivery. The first step has started and we wait 12 hours before the next step. Kari is doing great and trying to rest.

More updates to come...

Thursday, May 26th 1:30am:

Kari is doing well and things are progressing as planned. Next phase of induction to start in 30 minutes.

Thursday, May 26th 7:30am:

Kari continues to move along, doctor came in and did a quick exam. Things are looking good. Still expect a few more hours until Kari goes into "active" labor.

Puddles called us this morning...we forgot to feed her! Grandma Duffy is on her way over to feed her....the neglect of Puddles has begun, poor Puddles.

Thursday, May 26th 12:40pm:

Kari is still hanging in there. The next 2-3 hours will dictate how the baby is delivered.

Thursday, May 26th 4:53pm:

The Doctor did their last examination and Kari had not progressed as should should of. The decision was made to perform a c-section. Before we could really take it all in, Kari was in the operating room. About 20 minutes later Ryan was born. Amazing.

Bold Predictions

First it was the end of the world...that didn't happen, now it is the due date. We are now 1 day past the due date and Kari is feeling and looking so good, you would not think she is past her due date. We are anxiously awaiting for the delivery of the baby with a nice mixture of excitement and anxiety. I have to say that Kari is quite a trooper! I am more anxious that I thought I would be. But it is Puddles that we are worried about.

We broke the news to her that Kari was not getting fat, but was actually pregnant. Puddles took the news quite hard. She had taken comfort in the fact that she was not the only fat one in the house. Personal appearance is something that Puddles has struggled with for a long time. She knows that there is nothing she can do about her smooched face, but has really worked to manage her weight. Now that she knows there will be another family member competing for attention, she has been a bit more depressed than usual.

We promised her that we will only decrease paying attention to her by 35%, which is a step up from the typical 60-70% of attention drop off in a 1 dog family. In addition, we also committed to a 50% increase in dog biscuits and treats. This seemed to make her feel better, for now. Hopefully she will not eat the baby when it comes, as babies are high in fat and will not help with her weight.

We will keep you posted on the baby and Puddles progress!

1 Week to Go!

The baby room is all ready to go! We only have 1 week until the due date....will Kari go early or hold out and keep us all in suspense??!! :)

Jim grapples with life

I entered my first grappling tournament this past weekend at NAGA and had a great time.  I went along with 3 other guys from the MMA school.  Everyone had a great time.  Although I lost my 2 fights, I had a blast and am looking to sign up for the next tournament.  The video below was my second fight.

Kari's Baby Shower

Last Sunday we had Kari's Baby Shower and it was a huge turn out.  Kari and I would like to thank each and everyone person that came in to celebrate our new child and for your generous gifts. 

Special thanks to both Mom's (Carol and Cathy), Thea, Joanna and Kellie!  You made this a very special day for Kari.  All the games. decorations, food ,etc turned out great.

Thanks again to all.  7 more weeks to go!!

We are getting closer...and bigger. Baby is now about 4lbs. The doctor was nice enough to do another sonogram. If you look closely enough, you can see the baby's mouth, nose and eyes. In the picture above, the baby's face is horizontal meaning the baby's chin is on the left side of the sonogram. The right, bigger, side of the picture is all head. This baby will have a big dome no matter what genes it takes....poor Kari.

Emily walking in a diaper

Look at Emily go!! She is getting so big.

Windham 2011 Presidents Day Weekend

The crew was back up at Windham. We had some windy conditions on Saturday and some great conditions on Sunday. Everyone did well. Enjoy the video.

Windham - Presidents Day Weekend 2011

We had a great weekend up at Windham. We have not been up there since New Years and, as always, it was a ton of fun. We had Kari's cousin John going snowboarding for the first time and he did great. Jon and Michelle also come up for the first time with their son Andrew. It was great to have them up there....Puddles misses kissing Andrew!! The usual suspects where there: Mike, Gina and Jim Sr.

We had a power outage on Saturday, but no one got stuck on the lift. The wind was so bad on Saturday, that it actually pushed Mike UP the hill about 50 feet.

We also had full video coverage (perhaps too much), with two helmet cams and a Flip camera. I will try to complie the footage and keep it to a few minutes!!

Lastly, we had our annual injury for 2011.  Gina took a crash and hurt her knee.  The ski patrol had to take her all the way down to the medical center.  Fortunately, nothing was broken and Gina is going well.  We thank her for taking one for the team and allowing the rest of us to enjoy the rest of the season injury free.  She joins the ranks for some injury greats:

2009 - Jim Sr. - broken collar bone
2010 - Kari - broken wrist
2011 - Gina - knee injury

Look forward to seeing everyone up there again soon.

Baby Room

Boy? Girl? Yellow works! Painted, replaced modling and closet doors. The room is now all ready to go!

25 Weeks

We went for our regualr visit and was treated to another sonogram. The picture looks a little bit scary, but the baby look great on the screen and you can see it's hands very clear. You can actually see fingers over the nose area. The baby is really moving around now and we can really start to see Kari's belly moving!!

We are in the process of painting the baby room, will put some pics up soon.

Emily 1st_Birthday

Emily's 1st Birthday!
Everyone came down to Lisa and Jason's house to celebrate Emily's first birthday. It was a great turn out and everyone had a blast.

It's in 3-D!

This was way better than Avatar! We went for yet another sonogram, but this time they pulled out the 3-D technology and it was....well, wierd. The picture looks like a fossil of our kid! As always, the picture does it no justice. When it was on the screen, it was better. Regardless, the baby is moving around like crazy and I can feel it on Kari's belly. Very exciting.

We had our 20 week visit today, the baby is looking good. The baby was moving around, putting it's hands on it's face, it is amazing what you can see. Half way there.

New Years 2011 at Windham

The Windham crew got together up at Windham for another great New Years party!

New Year 2011

New Years at Windham! Everyone came up and we had a great time! Thanks to everyone for coming up and making this an annual celebration. It is always great seeing everyone!