Yesterday was really fun. I got to go to the mall twice and play in the kids area. I had a chance to climb up a slide and even crawl over a butterfly. It was really fun. My mom and I went with her friend. I made a friend too because there was a 3 year old that went with us. He was fun to interact with. Oh I can't forget, a little girl gave me a hug and kiss when I was climbing around. She was just a little girl like me. She must have thought I was cute.

I like going shopping with my mom. She found a really nice Mickey Mouse dressed up as a pirate. I really like pirates. My dad says "arrghh!", "shiver me timbers!" and "walk the plank!" and I get really excited. People seem to get a kick out of it. I think that they are going to have a lot of fun doing a pirate room for me in a few years. They keep buying things for it. Boy they are crazy.

Speaking of the mall, I will probably be getting my picture taken this weekend. It had been a while since my last professional pictures. Last time I didn't do that well. I just wasn't in the mood. I have grown a lot since those pictures and now I can sit up and crawl. The pictures should definitely be interesting.

Today is my grandpa's birthday. Yesterday we celebrated it a bit and gave him his gift. He seemed really happy with it so that is good. My mom does a good job at picking out gifts. I remember getting some nice ones from her for Christmas. Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Oh one other thing that my dad wanted me to mention, today is the 300th post. That is a lot I think. Hopefully the next 300 are better than the first. I'm only kidding daddy.

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There are a bunch of websites out on the Internet dedicated to posting great advertisements. Televisions commercials that in one way or another get you to watch, over and over. Whether they be funny or informative, some commercials just do the job right.

My wife began noticing recently that Rylan seems to have his favorite commercials. Commercials that make him stop what he is doing and turn towards the television.

• Cox High Speed Internet
• Johnson's Soothing Natural
• Pull Ups Cool Alert
• Suave Invisible Mom

We are a bit curious on what exactly would turn these commercials into his favorites. Could it be the voices or the colors? Has anyone else noticed anything like this before?

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My wife and I were at the mall over the weekend and we started talking about how some women find men more attractive if they are holding a young child. I guess a child could be considered an icebreaker allowing the women to come up and begin talking. This could work for a women too. A terrible way to look at it but a child could be considered an accessory by some people. Here is how I see it.

Man holding a child
Pros from a woman's view:
A man holding a baby may mean that he is caring and takes responsibility for his actions. Men who publicly play with their child may be considered even more attractive as women seem to have a belief that men don't want to be fathers. A father who is playing with his child does not care what others think and is confident in his fathering.

Cons from a woman's view:
A child being taken care of by a man may be seen as a taken man. While this may not stop some women from continuing, many women don't want to step over that line. As much as they are attracted to an involved father, there is always a boundary.

Woman holding a child
Pros from a mans view:
One of the things that doctors will always tell you is that men look for women who are fertile. A mother holding a child would normally mean that she is in fact fertile. Subconsciously, this is what we want.

Cons from a mans view:
There are many men who dislike children so much that regardless of how beautiful the women is, the child will keep him away. Unfortunately, these are commonly the men who leave their pregnant girlfriend/wife soon after hearing.

The bottom line is that if you don't want a good looking girl to come up to your husband, don't leave his side. It is bound to happen otherwise.
Care to add anything?

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What do you do on a lazy weekend to keep the family entertained? You take them to the Science Center to check out gross things.

The Arizona Science Center has been showing an exhibit recently called Animal Grossology. The exhibit shows off odd animal facts that most people probably don't care to know but kids just love. Poop, we all do it including animals and while there, we learned what types of poop a few animals have. Ever want to see a tapeworm up close? We did. While the exhibit was small, it was entertaining.

We strolled around the rest of the science center which kept Rylan very entertained. The only time I recall him getting fussy was when we were looking at a wall full of beetles. Maybe he was getting worried. The rest of the center had fun things to try out. Rylan got to see how he was born in a small room which showed the stages of pregnancy. He looked at it with a very tight stare. He definitely seemed interested. In fact, he was interested in most all of it. He participated in a few events such as trying to build a house out of wood and putting together plastic sticks.

As a kid, I used to go to the Science Center in Seattle. I recall a lot of great memories from these trips and I am certainly hoping that Rylan enjoys it as much as I used too. I can only imagine he will looking at his reaction this time. I can definitely see a yearly trip at the least.

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Holy cow! We have been going swimming every day this week. It has been so much fun. There have been other kids there so I like to watch them and see what they are up to. Sometimes I get bummed because I can't go under water but after dad puts me way up into the air and then dips me into the water real fast, I forget about it all. He sure is fun. My mom is too. She will twirl me around in the water until I get dizzy. Boy do I get dizzy!

Father's day was a success. My daddy was surprised when he saw his gifts. I think that he really liked my drawing. I do need to ask him why he hasn't put it on the wall yet. I guess he is a busy guy. My daddy wished for a quiet meal and I decided I would give that to him. He got about 15 minutes of quiet meal with mommy. I didn't think he needed any more than that. I mean come on, I deserve all of the attention. Everyday is Rylan day!

Father's day was also when I turned 8 months old. I remember months ago saying that I was a big boy but now, I really am a big boy. I am just aching to walk. I know daddy is looking forward to it too. Mommy is going to start training me to pickup my food. We are going to start with tiny apple pieces. I am really looking forward to that. Hey, just 4 more months and I will be 1 years old. I continue to hear news about a Disneyland trip for my birthday. Yippee!

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*Notice* I understand that some people do not feel it is right to have a child in front of a television all day. My wife and I do not in any way let the TV babysit Rylan. If you are against children watching television, find another post of mine to read.

In the past week or so, Rylan has begun noticing things on television. Jay Jay the Jet Plane is his new best friend it seems. My wife has first hand experience with Rylan stopping in his tracks to watch the show. This is not normal for Rylan as normally he would just disregard the television being on. What he enjoys about it is anyone's guess.

I imagine that many parents attempt to keep their children away from toys and television shows that are simply annoying. My wife and I have discussed not introducing Elmo into the picture as well as some other characters. Jay Jay was never mentioned but now it seems Rylan is hooked. Everyday, he will sit patiently while the show is on.

We were hoping to get Rylan introduced to the Baby Einstein movie series but he doesn't seem to keep entertained by them. A large collection of old classic cartoons and other children DVDs have also been purchased that for the time being, are not what Rylan is interested in.

Does anyone have any opinions on Jay Jay the Jet Plane?

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What a difference a month makes. Here in Arizona, it has been reaching 110-115F on a daily basis resulting in a lot of extra fun rides in the car. Like most people, we try to keep outside as little as possible but there are times when it is necessary. The result is an entire family baking in the car. At least Rylan has shade unlike my wife and I.

The last couple of nights we have taken Rylan to the swimming pool. We stopped going for a while because the water was still too cold. How it can be 100F outside and the pool still cold is beyond me. The last couple of nights though have been great. Swimming in a pool that is around 80F+ is perfect. There is no initial shock when ya get in and you don't have to cry like a baby when your chest gets cold.

Rylan has really enjoyed swimming lately. The warmer water allows him to relax much more and we are able to take him out of his floaty toy and walk him around the pool. He just can't get enough of the water now. The face he gets when he splashes himself is classic. In fact, he seems to like it when big waves come crashing on him. He is definitely a born swimmer.

The next thing is deciding when we want Rylan to learn how to swim. Kids at the age of 6 months are capable of swimming from what I understand but it all comes down to trust. Do you trust a stranger with your 8 month old in a pool? I would be watching like a hawk.

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Father's day, what a great idea someone had thought of years ago. I think that we should celebrate more than one Father's day. Of course, Mothers day would need to be more often as well.

Simply speaking, the day went well. I woke up to Rylan waving to me and in a good mood. A couple of diaper changes later, we were out doing normal errands. I was surprised to have people say Happy Father's day to me. That was nice. Definitely makes you feel more important when random strangers essentially thank me for being an active father.

So what were my gifts? Apparently Rylan picked out a #1 Dad Mickey Mouse during our last Disneyland visit. My wife tells me that he made the choice himself but of course my wife had to pay. We have yet to put Rylan to work so he isn't able to make any money for himself just yet. My other big gift was an original drawing by Rylan. Framed and everything. I am definitely keeping it as someday it may be worth something. In fact, I definitely see it worth something. Who wouldn't want a painting or drawing from the one and only Rylan? I'll be taking preorders shortly.

One of my requests I mentioned last week was eating a nice steak dinner without having to hold Rylan. Magically, this happened. Well almost. We ordered some meals from El Paso BBQ and took them home to eat. During the ride to the restaurant, he fell asleep and I was successful at getting him out of the seat into our home without waking him up. He laid asleep for about 15 minutes while we had a nice dinner. It was a great gift from Rylan.

When can we have our next Father's Day?

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My wife forwarded me this clip and felt that I had to make a comment on it publicly. Rylan, just like all other babies have some pretty bad poops. In no way do they warrant nearly throwing up.

As I have said before, I would do anything for Rylan and that includes taking care of a massive nasty poop. Regardless of how bad it may smell or look, it is your child's and you need to take care of it. Suck it up and deal with it!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads around the world.

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When is my mom going to stop? She really impresses me every day. Just the other day, she finished up knitting a blanket for me. This thing is great. I didn't even know she knew how to knit. She really is turning into a great mommy.

Books and more books. Mommy and daddy have really gone nuts when it comes to my book collection. They have begun raiding Goodwill stores in hopes of finding some great books for dad to read to me. Boy have they found some. In fact, they probably have found nearly 100 in the past couple of days. I think I may have one of the largest libraries for an 8 month old. I guess I can be proud of that.

So I can't forget about the kitties. I sure like them a lot. The big fat orange one doesn't seem to like me very much. He always wants to run away. It's not like I'm a big scary monster like he is. The other kitty is really nice and she will lay down next to me and let me rough her up. Mommy has to make sure I don't poke her in the eye because my hand/eye coordination isn't that great. I really like to drag the kitty around.

*Late Breaking News! *
My mom waved to me this morning and I waved back. This was the first time that I really had done it back to her. She was amazed. Maybe I will wave to daddy when he comes home today. I bet that will give him a big smile.

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This time last year, I was just a regular Joe Smoe. My wife was nearly half way through the pregnancy and I could not yet call myself a father. Now, I am a father. A father that shows it off by taking care of his son in public and behind closed doors. Am I ashamed to be a father? Certainly not. Do I do funny things in public that others may find embarrassing? Sure. But that is what a father does. That is why there is a day dedicated to men like me.

What is the most purchased item for Fathers Day? I can only imagine its a tie. What did I ask for this year? A tie. Have I ever wanted a tie before? No I have not. Heck, I haven't even worn a tie very many times in my life. I am just following in the footsteps of all fathers that came before me.

What do I really want for Father's Day? Here is a short list.

- Rylan to serve me breakfast in bed.
- Rylan to take his first steps.
- Rylan to say daddy for the first time.
- Rylan to crawl to me and give me a big hug.
- Eat a nice steak dinner without Rylan needing me to hold him.

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Most people seem to have troubles from time to time trying to find their electronic remotes. People even go as far as buying devices that allow them to help find a hidden remote. Most of the time when we lose ours, its lost behind the couch cushion. The rest of the time, it is resting on top of the cushion in plain view of Rylan.

There is very little keeping Rylan away from a remote control. Once he locks on, he is dedicated to getting it. There is very little stopping him and his quest towards controller domination. What is the price of taking the remote away or even hiding it? A crying baby.

One of the things that I like to think makes Rylan like me is that he is attracted to electronics. When we flip open our laptop, he immediately wants to play on it. He has watched us use the laptop and key on it numerous times. He now wants to get his hands on the keys and type away. An enjoyable part of this is when I am at work and he sends me a nice instant message.

Were kids always so interested in computers/electronics or is this something that is happening now that they are in our lives so much? Something interesting to look into.

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Now that Rylan has become mobile, we have certainly seen him change. He now wants to explore everything that he can get his hands onto. Most of the things that he grabs for are harmless but there are sometimes things he grabs that we would prefer that he didn't. We are certainly not a big fan of him eating on paper which he seems to find in mysterious places.

A few weeks ago, my wife had an issue while feeding Rylan in which he decided to clamp down. My wife gave him a firm "no" in which case he immediately stopped and began showing a pouty face. When he went back and did it again, she said "no" once more. We have begun using the word no more around Rylan when we want him to know that what he is doing is wrong.

We understand that at nearly 8 months old, he may not understand what the word means but he certainly responds to it. "No" is just another word to him right now but the tone in your voice is what he responds to. As most parents can agree with, it is the most difficult thing to tell your child no but the pouty face that they give you is so extremely funny. It really makes you want to say it more just so that you get to see that face once more.

We are really curious to see how Rylan acts years from now and whether or not it is possible to deter a child from being "bad" before they get too old. I imagine this is something that all parents try to do. I guess we will just follow along until one of us parents figures out the golden rule.

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Ya know, my dad sure complains a lot. Just yesterday he told the whole world how much of a cry baby I was. I mean, come on. He had to grow his teeth as well. It doesn't feel good and I need to let people know somehow. Maybe he will get off my case. I think that he is the whiner!

Earlier this week I began seeing some kitties running around our house. I sure like them a lot. One of them lets me touch her and even drag her around. What silly little kitties. It's nice to have friends at the same height I am at. They are much faster crawlers than I am though so they run away sometimes. I wish that I could be that fast.

Lets see, what did I do this week? Not much I tell ya. I did however go to the IKEA store twice over the weekend. Boy was that fun. There are so many things to look at and with my European taste, I fit in perfectly. I can't wait to see what bed that my old folks pick out for me.

I guess that's the wrap up of my boring week. I hope dad packs this weekend with endless fun. Anything better than last weekend. Maybe we can go swimming!

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My wife and I have been pretty spoiled when it comes to Rylan. He sleeps through the night, eats well and is overall a great baby. Teething has thrown us a curve ball though. Rylan already has 2 teeth and a third one now about to pop out any day. These past few days have resulted in a very fussy baby compared to what we are used too.

When it is my turn to feed him rice cereal, he seems to like to make grunting noises after each swallow. We can only imagine that this is either him telling us that his tooth hurts or that maybe its all a game to him. Regardless of what it is, its not normal for him.

Playtime, also known as the entire day, consist of fussiness as well. There is always a new toy to catch Rylan's attention but when he is being fussy, its a challenge sometimes trying to find it. It seems though that playing with toys in unconventional ways (such as waving them around) seems to focus his attention. This provides temporary relief from baby whining.

Night time sleeping remains about normal however. He continues to sleep through the night for about 9 hours. He then wakes up, feeds and normally goes back down for a few more hours. Day time naps though are a different story. It is not uncommon now for Rylan to go the entire day without a nap except when I get home and we are out running errands in the car. As expected, he seems tired but just can't get himself to go to sleep. An unfortunate event.

Relief for teething is minimal. We have tried the children's tylenol with little success. Teething toys do not keep him entertained or provide him with relief it seems. Hopefully that tooth will pop out soon.

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Before Rylan was born, my wife and I had worked on preparing our 3 cats for a new baby. This included the crib tent and allowing the cats to get used to baby related items before we actually needed them. This worked pretty well and we had very few troubles with the cats.

The cats never really seemed interested in Rylan as a newborn so we simply kept them away from each other. This all changed yesterday when we reintroduced Rylan to the cats. Simply put, he was amazed. He loves crawling towards a laying cat and pulling on it's hair. The cat just lays their purring happily as it gets abused. Our other cat still does not seem too interested in him, in fact he seems scared. All in time though.

It appears that Rylan is interested in anything that moves now. We dropped into a pet store last night and Rylan enjoyed staring at the rabbits. I can see why parents get dragged into pet stores now. There is no stopping Rylan from finding a way to look at them. He will bend himself in all possible directions to be able to get just one more glimpse.

We are happy to see Rylan enjoying the cats and having a good time watching all the new animals that he comes across. He has really seemed to open his eyes and noticed new things recently. Its great progress.

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The internet has worked out great for us when it comes to purchasing toys for Rylan. A few months back, I took advantage of a great deal at Amazon to pickup the Fisher-Price Roll-a-Rounds Swirlin' Surprise Gumballs. This toy is an award winner and certainly has won Rylan's heart.

The gumball unit includes 4 balls that are put into the top and after a lever is pushed, they come out the bottom. Lights and sounds (volume adjustable) also play while the ball comes rolling down. A small click knob in the middle can also be played with.

It took a while before Rylan got the hang of this toy but he really seems to enjoy it. In fact he has always enjoyed trying to eat it. We are still working with him to learn to put the balls back in the top but you can definitely see his progress. He certainly knows that by pressing the lever, sounds and lights will play and a ball will come rolling out. The clicking knob does not seem to entertain him at all unless one of us are doing it for him.

One of the best things that Rylan has seemed to find about this toy is that he can use it to stand up. I think that Rylan would certainly suggest this toy to other families. He sure can't get enough of it.

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This week has been a pretty good one. As my dad mentioned, my grandma came to town and we had a whole bunch of fun. That doggy toy that she got for me is great. I really like it a lot. I was really bummed out though when she had to leave. Even my dad could tell that I wasn't in a great mood. My daddy shows me pictures of her though and I get happy again.

Can you believe that my mom has already started planning for my first birthday party? I think that she is a bit cuckoo but I still love her. I hear that it may be Mickey themed so I am really excited about that. In fact, I heard that we may even be going to Disneyland for my first birthday as well. Oh boy Oh Boy.

For those interested, Daddy has begun taking bets on when I will take my first step. He still is a firm believer that within the next couple weeks I will do so. Anyone care to place a wager? Leave a comment. *smile*

Speaking of smiles, I have a bunch to go around. Mommy and daddy cannot get enough of them. Every time my dad does something goofy I just cant hold back. I need to smile or laugh! He is just so funny. I bet the people around us think so too. He is my daddy though and he can do whatever he wants in public. That's just what good fathers do.

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It had been quite a few months since Rylan last saw his Grandma from Las Vegas. It was to our surprise when we picked her up at the airport and Rylan immediately took to her. The entire weekend was playtime with Grandma and Grandson.

Rylan has been known to get shy with people he rarely sees. In fact, lately he gets fussy when people other than my wife or I hold him. Grandma though was different. He seemed to immediately feel comforted when around her. A huge change over the past couple of visits when he would just stare at her. Is it a requirement for Grandmas to give a gift to their grandchildren when they see them? Definitely not but Rylan was thrilled when he got to pick out a toy from the toy store. A small stuffed dog that fits perfectly in his hands.

It's great to see that Rylan seems to know who his grandparents are even though he may not see them very often. My father and stepmother have been known to get on the floor with Rylan and play with him which he really enjoys. My wife's father always has a compliment for Rylan which quickly turns into a smile.

There is no doubt that grandparents are important. Some of the best memories I have are when I went to my grandparents houses. I would hate to deprive memories like these from Rylan.

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