Ryan's First Christmas

We had a great Christmas this year. Celebrating with Ryan for the first time was really special. We started on Christmas eve to give him some practice with the wrapping paper. He got the hang of it (sort of).


On Christmas morning, all decked out in his holiday PJ's, Ryan led us all in some Christmas carols playing his new piano.


Here, he displays his true calling - showing off his Rock Hands while getting the hang of his drum.

This Ryan's soon-to-be-Aunt Nicole. They had met a few time before but this was the first time there was a camera around. Like I've told most of you, if you hold the kid, chances are you'll end up on the blog.

After a nap, we dressed Ryan in his real holiday outfit and gave him his new walker.


Shhhhh, don't tell anyone that he's too young to drive.

Four Generations of Zolandz Men

Being able to take these pictures made the weekend so special for me. The oldest generation, the youngest generation, and couple in between.....

Great-grandpa, Grandpa, Father and Son....

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

...and we've already had a memorable holiday. For Lisa and me, we made it back to New Jersey for the first time in a year. For Ryan, it was his first trip to where his dad grew up. I turned 30, but thankfully, very few people at my parent's house seemed to notice because they were too excited to meet Ryan for the first time. Everyone who came over are among the most loyal blog readers I have - so thank you all - for the welcome home, for your excitement over our son, and for being a part of his very first Christmas.

Here is my cousin Phyllis helping Ryan with one of his new toys....



My mom's sister, Jane, was thrilled to meet him too. We thought we'd get to see her a few weeks ago, but the weather had other plans....


My dad's sister Mary Ann spent equal amounts of time holding Ryan, and reminiscing about the days when her son's were that small....

I can't wait to see you all again soon.

Giving Solids a Try

Ryan's taken a huge interest in all of our food lately so we thought we'd make a run at some solid food. The banana was definitely a big hit. I am not sure if more of it ended up in his mouth, on his face or all over his outfit but he really did enjoy it.

Christmas comes Early

We got a great gift today - a membership to the Friends of the National Zoo. You can tell from earlier posts that animals are one of our favorite things. It looks like its being passed along to Ryan. the membership came with an adorable stuffed Panda. Ryan took to it right away :)

My Generation

Today was a really special day. For the first time, my brother and I were together as fathers, our children first met as cousins and the entire collection of the Zolandz family got together.

This is Ryan with his cousin Anna. She was born in April. We all think that there is definitely a family resemblance between them.

Both kids were a little sleepy having just woken up from naps but they got along really well. Ryan is a bit of an antagonist, but Anna kept him in line.

My brother's older daughter, Catherine, is excited to be the Big Cousin. She can't wait to be in charge.

Overall, Mike and I couldn't be happier with the families that we have. Poor Ryan, I am not sure he knows what he's in for being surrounded by all those women.

Never one to pass up being held, Ryan had no problem with Uncle Mike carrying him around.

Four months old

The little guy turned 4 months old today. At this point, his favorite hobbies are the jumperoo, sucking onhis fingers, lying on his stomach and back....and the most recent addition - playing with his feet.

New Clothes, New Toys

The Rainforest Jumperoo was waiting for us when we got here. It has since become one of Ryan's favorite pastimes. He spins and jumps and plays on all the different sides of it.

He also got this furry puppy dog coat. I suppose it's too keep him warm in the cold. It has matching pants too but we haven't tried out the entire outfit yet.

Happy Holidays

One week into his time in Virgina, Ryan has already worn his first pair of shoes, been in his first snow storm and been to his first real shopping mall. In another big first, he met the man in the red suit today. Lisa and I bought the package of photos that screams "first time parent" (plenty of wallet sized photos to go around).

We hope that everyone is having a happy, healthy holiday season.

Kelly and Ryan Get Together

It was great to see Courteney and Jim after such a long time. Our kids seemed to get along well too.

Ryan was clearly impressed with Kelly's crawling skills. Not to mention her ability to remove all the contents of a diaper bag in under a minute.

"My, Kelly, what a lovely shirt you're wearing."

A couple of happy kids meeting for the first time.

The First Uncle

It was fun for both Ryan and Tom to get to meet each other after we arrived. Being around a baby isn't exactly an everday experience for him, but he's definitely getting the hang of it.

A Hectic (but fun) First Weekend

Well, we made it through our first weekend back in VA. Ryan met all sorts of new people, and reconnected with some old ones. He got to spend time with all 4 grandparents, meet his Aunt Nicole and Uncle Tom and even make a new baby friend. Courteney and Jim came over today so Ryan and Kelly could get to know each other. Lisa and I were amazed with Kelly - it really made us look forward to all that's to come with Ryan.

This is the awesome studio apartment/nursery that Lisa's parents set up for us in their house. It is far and away better than anything we had in Emeryville.

We Made It!!!

Safe and sound - we're back in Virginia.

The airport was definitely an adventure. I went through the metal detector with Ryan in one arm and Igor in the other, Lisa followed behind with Mieko.

Most people thought we were joking when they came to see Ryan and we told them we had a dog and a cat too.

Lisa's parents out together a beautiful room for all of us. Once I wrap my head around Eastern Standard Time I'll put up the pictures.

Last but not least, Ryan met his Uncle Tom tonight too. All in all, a tiring day, but well worth it.

We're home.

So Long CA

Well, it's been an interesting ride to say the least. We had our ups and downs, but in the end, it will always hold a special place for us as the birthplace of our son. Thanks to all of you who had a positive influence on our time out here. You were the first ones to meet our son and the ones who were there when times were tough. I'm sure we'll remain in touch.

For the East Coast folks - we're coming home. Can't wait to see you all and introduce you to the little one.

So here's one last shot from here. We'll be back online after our traveling circus navigates the airport.

Ready for Winter

We know that it's going to be quite a bit colder once we get back to Virginia. So we decided to get Ryan prepared with a nice knit hat. He's not quite sure what to think of it yet.

Packing is Hard Work

We've had a ton of packing to do over the last week or so. As you can see, Ryan has done his best to pitch in and help...



I think the worst influences on him have been the pets. If anyone can teach him how to nap, they are the pros.

Happy Thanksgivng

Hi Everyone,

I apologize for the lack of new pictures, but packing for a cross-country move limits my time behind the camera. I hope you all had a great holiday. We can't wait to be back east for Christmas.

These are three of the funniest videos I have seen in a really long time. I wish i was creative enough to come up with them. Parents with Bumbos and anyone else with a pomeranian will especially appreciate them.

I'll try to put something together before we move.

ACSO-ver

So Friday was my last day at the lab. A few of us went out after work to let off some steam. This was the frist time we have been to a restaurant since Ryan was born. We figured we'd leave around 7 when his melt down usually starts. Turns out that he was having too much fun to go. We stayed for another couple hours and he had a blast being passed around the table where he found tons of new fingers to chew on.

Thanks to the Crime Lab folks for a great time....

Daddy's Turn

I swear, I had nothing to do with Ryan wearing this bib today. Lisa had it on him the whole time I was at work. There was just no way I could take it off without a couple pictures.

An Extra Day Off

We had a nice long weekend so I got to spend a little time behind the camera...he are a few of my favorites
I really wonder what he's think when he looks at me like this. The hand on the chin just cracked me up.

We all spent some time relaxing in bed today. Both of Ryan's furry friends were around for a while. Only the dog was too lazy to move when the camera came out. Mieko was long gone.

This one I just love. Not anything I can really explain, just the right shot at the right time.

If you look back in the blog archive, you'll find the pictures I took of Ryan in the glider when he was about 4 weeks old. Tuesday will be 14 weeks and you can see he takes up a bit more space now.

3 Months Old

Ryan is 3 months old now, and celebrated his last "birthday" in California.

He wasn't all that cooperative for his photoshoot today. Contrary to popular belief, he does not smile all the time.

In the end, I did manage to squeeze out a couple of interesting shots.

On the Road Again

OK, so I thought about all of the creative ways to put this out here....movies, photos, etc...but in the end, I decided to just tell you all....

WE ARE MOVING BACK TO VIRGINIA!!!

Even better, Ryan will be with family for his first Christmas, some of you can ridicule me in person when I turn 30 and we'll be back in a market where we can actually afford a house.

My last day of work here is November 16. We'll probably fly in shortly after Thanksgiving.

Its been an incredible adventure out here, but we're all (Ryan included) really excited to be heading back East.

We'll see you soon.....

Fun Faces

Just a few from the other night that I put together. Enjoy!!

Down by the Sea

We went down to Carmel today to give Ryan his first look at a beach and the Pacific Ocean. It wasn't exactly warm (note the hat) and it was pretty windy.

For the golf fans, that's Pebble Beach in the background. As if the course itself isn't difficult enough, that whole peninsula was fogged in.

Rocking Horse

This little horse is a great gift that was sent to Ryan. He is still a bit tiny for it but enjoyed it well enough. He can actually reach the handles and hang on but can't quite keep his balance.

A First for Ryan...a First for the Blog

For the first time, We have actual video of the little guy - complete with some of his favortie noises.

The main point, though, is to show off a new skill...




Rollin' from Tim Zolandz on Vimeo.

Ryan Sleeps Through His First Big Earthquake

You may have heard that we had a little rumbler out here tonight. It was a 5.6 centered about 45 minutes south of here. No damage, no injuries but its getting a ton of press. Go figure.

The whole time Ryan remained safe and sound in his crib and didn't make a sound.

Boo at the Zoo - Part II

One of the great things about the Bay Area is that between Oakland and San Francisco, you get two of a lot of things.  Today, we went to our second Boo at the Zoo festival at the Oakland Zoo.  It was our first time there and were really impressed.  For elephant feeding time, they set out pumpkins like and Easter egg hunt.  They did a great job of finding them.

It was a lot warmer in the East Bay today than in SF.  So this is as close as we came to actually wearing the peacock suit today.

So we decided to improvise a bit and gave Ryan a chance to explore grass up close and personal.

Here's a bonus picture from yesterday for another look at our son the bird.  The rest are up on Smugmug.