The Last Grandparent

Ryan has now met all four of his grandparents. Grandpa Zolandz arrived in the East Bay this afternoon and quickly managed to get a hold off the baby. After a diaper change and a quick snack Ryan settled in for a nap. According to Mom, it was his first of the day.

Stare Down

It's pretty tough getting a 3 week old (which Ryan is today) to look directly at a camera. Maybe its the shiny reflective glass. Anyhoo, enjoy him staring at you.

Maybe It's Too Soon

Our pediatrician told us that we could start putting Ryan on his stomach to let him build up his neck muscles and such.  Something tells me it may be a little too soon.

Grandma Zolandz Comes to the East Bay

Grandma Zolandz came into Emeryville last night to spend some time with us. She is definitely excited about her first grandson. It's great to have her here. Grandpa will be here in a few days.

True Story

There are a couple things you need to know for this story to make sense.  First, I am a sucker for really good song lyrics.  Second, Lisa detests about 99.5% of all the music that I keep on my iPod.

That being said.....A few weeks before Ryan was born, we were driving around the Bay Area doing some shopping.  Lisa spent the better part of the trip with my iPod in her hand skipping pretty much every song that came on.  Fed up, she went to the menu, picked one of the 5 or so artists that she could tolerate and hit play.  This song came on and I was hooked.  I hadn't heard it in a long time and with Ryan on the way it really hit me.

A couple days later, with the iPod back on shuffle, this song came on again out of the blue.  It was fate, I told her and tried to convince her to change the baby's name to Dylan.  Lisa politely :) informed me that there's was no way an iPod would dictate our son's name. So, I came home, printed the lyrics and hung them inside my closet door.

I think of Ryan every time I hear this now.  I think we can all relate to the song and occasionally wish that life would return to its simpler days.  But those of you who have had children - watched them sleep, watched them grow, held their hands - you'll see where I am coming from.

This blog is starting to become Ryan's digital baby book.  When he's old enough to read it, I hope he understands.

Mommy's Two Babies

If you can't beat them, join them. I think that's become Igor's position on the whole baby thing. He's resigned himself to the fact that this tiny little "thing" that kinda smells like a person isn't going anywhere any time soon. He's also figured out that the best way to 1) still have mommy pet him, and 2) get to sniff and lick this little "thing" is to kill two birds with one stone and climb into mom's lap when Ryan is there. Just wait until Ryan drops his first Cheerio. They'll be friends for life.

A Real Bath

We decided to give Ryan a real bath in the tub tonight.  He absolutely loved the water.  Probably reminded him of his old hangout.  Enjoy!

When Dad Goes Shopping

As you may have noticed, Ryan is a pretty well dressed kid. That is, again, a credit to his mother and all of the generous people who have given us clothes.

The pictures here show what happens when I get sent out to run errands. I think I am now banned from going to Target and babies r us by myself.

i think my reasoning for the outfits is pretty much speak for themselves.

First Doctor's Appointment

So we took Ryan in for his two week check-up today - he passed with flying colors. The nurse looked at me funny when I pulled out a camera, but I don't really mind. Ryan made his mark by blessing the wall of the office when they got him naked for his weigh in. I think he's marked his territory far more than the dog or cat ever have. But - on to the important stuff. He weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. That's an ounce more than his birth weight. Even more impressive is that he gained 11 oz. in one week since his last visit to the lactation consultant. He's also grown to 20 1/2 inches. When we told the nurse that he was 19 3/4 at birth she measured him again to make sure she hadn't made a mistake. So, overall we have a very happy, healthy, well fed, growing baby. Although I'd like to think it's due to my uncanny ability to "bounce and pat" while singing Led Zeppelin songs, the credit really goes to Lisa who has been an absolutely amazing mother who goes to great lengths to give Ryan all the milk he needs. Trust me, that's no small feat with this little guy.

I'M TWO...weeks old

So we've survived the first two weeks of parenthood.  Many thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Parmentier for helping us through.  Tonight is our first night at home with just the three of us, the Zolandz family.  Pretty damn cool.

 I figured I'd give you a then and now look at Ryan.  Yeah, I know, two weeks isn't exactly a long time, but but if there's one thing all of you that are parents have told me it's to enjoy these days while you have them.

I actually think there's a decent amount of difference between two minute old Ryan and two week old Ryan.

Ryan, meet Igor

Igor finally decided to stop pouting over our new arrival today. I think he's realizing that the two of them can be great friends once Ryan starts dropping food.

Baby Wearing 101

I am not really sure about the East Coast, but it seems like everyone here in the Bay likes to "wear" their babies.  So, when in Rome....

Lisa has the stylish sling that you see above while I wear this contraption called the Ergo.  Both of these devices ensure that 1.) no one will ever see your baby while you're out in public and 2.) He'll have roughly the same amount of wiggle room that he had in the womb.  At least Lisa can pull off the stealth breastfeeding.

Everbody needs a nap

I really believe that these are the types of moments every dad waits for. I wonder what Ryan dreams about. For me, it's another chance to see places like this....

A Day of Firsts

I told you I'd come back to some of the older stuff....

Taken at about 2:33, this is the first picture ever taken of Ryan. Not too bad for a new father who's hands were shaking incredibly.
These two are Lisa's first few minutes with Ryan and our first few minutes as a family. Giving credit where it's due, I turned my camera over to our wonderful anesthesiologist, Dr. Hunt, to capture these moments.

Making New Friends

Ryan met his first non-family member today. Dad brought his friend David over from the Crime Lab to meet the baby. As you can see, Dave is pretty excited about the little guy.

We'll Come Back to It

Ok, so we've skipped from his ultrasound pics, to one week old. Trust me, the first week of his life gave my camera quite a workout. I'll get back to some of those soon. I just wanted to get this blog up and running. Enjoy!

One Week Old

Ryan turned one week old today. We celebrated, of course, with a wonderful sponge bath.

Living the Dream

It must be tough to be Ryan these days. He spends most of his time eating (which Lisa would never let me post) and sleeping. Don't we all wish life was that simple.

Before We Even Met Him

Our first look at the little guy at around 9 weeks. Ryan is the little blob in the middle.

He started taking shape here around 14 weeks.

These shots at 22 weeks were the last good look we got before he was born.

The Gene Pool

Some people think that Ryan looks a lot like his dad, but you can make up your own mind.


Here's a picture of mom at one month old.

This one is his dad at 3 weeks.