Ryder turns 10 months old tomorrow. He will be taking a flight back to Port Vila after spending a few days in Tanna and getting constant attention from the villagers there.
Brainwashing Ry with travel magazines on Air Vanuatu
He is a special boy. I couldn’t be more proud of him. He loves everyone he meets and in turn, everyone can’t help but love him back.
A Walesian woman from New Caledonia holds Ryder at a Vanuatu beach
He has discovered how to clap his hands. He does this with huge grins, as well as direct a beat in the air, when we sing to him.
Confession: he still comes and sleeps with his dad and I in the middle of the night for a feeding. He flops over onto his back when he’s done and conks out between us and I just let him stay. He’s just too warm and cuddly.
While I read my novel du jour, he totters around me and I absent-mindedly feed him peas, which he loves to sog up and then spew out when I offer him another. We don’t know if he has ever actually swallowed the pea.
He is a smart boy. He can figure out how to open anything. I’ve realized that he’s not just playing with the items around the house, he is figuring out how to get inside. Once opened, he puts it in his mouth. It’s his current life mission.
He has four teeth, two below and two up top. He was very hot when teething, but it only lasted a day or two. It looks like he’s going to have a gap like his dad’s.
It’s a wonder this cat did not scratch Ryder at his mistreatment
Everyone always comments how strong he is. In fact, it is a combination of strength as well as determination that makes it nearly impossible to hold him in your arms. When he fixates on something, he does everything in his power to grab it.
I thought having a child follow you around would be exhausting or annoying, but to be honest I love it. (Well, as long as he’s not sobbing and clingy and bored.) I love having a little shadow. When I’m putting my make up on in the morning he’s sitting at my feet examining my hairbrush. When I’m hanging the laundry up on the line he’s crawling behind me banging the washtub. When I’m sitting to lunch at a café he’s in the stroller sharing bites with me. It’s fun to have a companion, and he’s so popular he makes me friends. In fact, he has already made a friend on Skype! Little Junior from Anabru Lodge in Port Vila wants to chat with him.
He is so much fun to travel with. I wish, wish, wish that everyone back home could hold him and see what an affectionate and happy boy he is!
