Ryder Michael:6 Months

A very merry un-birthday to you, sweet boy! Unbelievable, 6 months old already! Why must these baby days fly by so quickly?

Ryder, you are the sweetest, happiest little man. You started smiling at 2 months, and haven't stopped since. You smile at any person that makes eye contact with you.  You eyes are bright blue like dad and sister, but your hair and eyebrows are dark, giving you the most striking smile. And how I love your fluffy hair! You have my square mouth and squinty smile. And the cheeks...oh the kissable cheeks! So far, you seem pretty laid back. You spend the majority of your day in the carrier, tagging along on mom's errands or sister's activities. You are content to watch and learn. It won't be long until you are down there running around with her!

Speaking of mobility: you are proficient at rolling both directions, but still haven't quite figured out how to string the rolls together to get from point A to point B. Just this week I noticed you spinning while on your tummy to try and reach a toy. You can't sit unassisted yet, but you're getting close!

Sleeping. Well, you aren't winning any sleeping awards, but I can't complain too much. You definitely had a hard act to follow. You go to bed around 6:30 PM and sleep until 6:30 or 7 AM. On a "good" night, you will get up to eat somewhere between 1 and 3 and then go right back to sleep. This week, you came down with your first cold/ear infection which led to multiple night wakings. You are starting to feel better, but still eating two times a night. Naps: I thought you were ready to move down to 2 naps a day, but I was WRONG! You do much better on 3, shorter naps. Not my favorite, but you are much happier this way. You usually take three 1-1.5 hour naps a day. Getting you to sleep is a total cinch, in fact, I have never fought with you a single time. But staying asleep, that's a different story. If you wake up too early from your nap, I usually try to pat/rock you back to sleep. Sometimes it works, sometimes no. I can usually tell by the amount of vigor you put behind your arm flapping when you see me come in the room. I finally accepted the fact that your sister won't be giving up her crib anytime soon (and actually read quite a few articles that suggest waiting until 3 anyway, which makes me feel better, of course) so we luckily were able to borrow a crib for you. No more Pack 'n Play!

Eating: I believe in exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, so you haven't had any food yet. We also don't really do baby food, just soft whole food. This week I had you taste applesauce, banana, and avocado. You are completely unimpressed and uninterested. Anytime something is put in your mouth you gag and choke.  And the few attempts at bottle feeding have also been rejected. This is where being a second time mom is helpful for me. I'm not the least bit concerned. You will eat in your own time, and I'm in no rush for you to nurse less. You are pretty consistent with the nursing, every 3 hours. Though it will be nice when you poop less and sleep more :)

Stats:
16 lbs 13 oz (37%)
25.5 inches (10 %)

So you aren't the biggest baby... Hopefully that height will catch up to you :)

We love you more than we ever dreamed possible and can't imagine our little family without you.

Reminder

Hi Kelly,

Today is January 22.Your baby boy is 4 days away from 6 months old and tomorrow, your sweet little girl will 27 months. Right now, you feel like Ryder will never sleep through the night and Charlotte will never be potty-trained or sleep in a bed.

In a year, when all those things have happened, come back and read this. And cry that your babies aren't babies anymore.

Mother, O' Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth.

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due,

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek - peekaboo.

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew,

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo.

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow,

But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Charlotte-isms

I could probably fill this entire blog with adorable things Charlotte says and I would never run out of posts. Although I might run out of readers. (Readers?)

Anyway, here are a few highlights from the last few days:

After spending 10 minutes signing "Happy Birthday" to all the inanimate objects in our car, per her request, (Ryder's carseat, pacis, Ryder's mirror, etc.) she tells me, "That's enough mom, I'm taking a little break."

We hung a new wall organizer while she was asleep, when she woke up she noticed it immidiately. "That's new right there? Wow, it's amazing!"

She likes to make up songs:

"Ryder....is the cutest baby!"

or her own verses to "Wheels on the Bus"

"The Advent Calendar on the bus goes, 'open the presents...' all through the town!"

and

"The giraffe on the bus goes, 'I have a long neck...' all through the town!"

She spilled some water and said, "Oh darn it! My shirt's all wet, I need to be naked!"

She often tells me, "Mama, don't be so silly!"

Her favorite food is "Mac and Roni and Cheese"

This girl is full of life and brings immeasurable joy to this home. We love her more than we ever thought possible.

The Chair

Tonight, as any other night, we got Charlotte ready for bed. We put on her jammies, brushed her teeth, and read her her stories. As I approached her crib, tears filled her eyes. "Sing songs in the chair, mama." So we grabbed a paci, and taggie, and snuggled into our beloved rocking chair. The chair that I sat in, hugely pregnant, and day dreamed about my soon-to-arrive baby girl. The chair that, in those first weeks, I spent 8 hours a day nursing. The chair that I slept in when her fever spiked above 103. The chair.

Tonight, as she melted into my body, her breathing becoming heavy, her arms limp; my heart overflowed with emotion. Now, it was my turn for tears. Tears of gratitude, and honor, and love.

Love is such a vulnerable state. I wanted to sit in that chair forever. To hold my baby girl as close to my heart as I could. To keep her safe physically and emotionally for the rest of her life.

I rocked and cried and rocked some more. I thanked God for the incredible gift, and I kissed her sweet, sleepy head. As I lifted her into her crib, and tucked her blankets in, she pulled out her paci and whispered, "I love you, mama."

And my heart was full.

Goodbye Swaddle

I think this is the very last newborn-y thing that has all too quickly disappeared. Ryder is officially done with his swaddle. Around 4 months, I started considering weaning him out of it. That was the age Charlotte was done, so I thought I'd give it a try. Big, fat fail.  So back in the swaddle he went.  Fast forward one month, and his sleeping was spiraling fast. He went from his once-a-night-feeding-in-12-hours to waking up every 2-3 hours to be held (wiggle). So we decided to make the plunge. And the plunge wasn't nearly as bad as I was dreading anticipating. First night was a little rough, up every few hours, but back to sleep pretty easily. Second night=amazing! He went right down, ate once around 3, then back to sleep.  And the rest is history. His night sleeping has been a dream ever since.

Naps is a different animal...

What used to be 3 solid 1.5-2 hour naps has turned into 3 30-45 minute naps (that sometimes extend and extra hour, after a serious battle).  I think one major contributing factor is he is getting ready to move down to 2 naps a day.

I keep telling myself, this is a phase (just like everything is a phase!) and before I know it, he will be taking 2 strong naps a day.

I appreciate perspective. This time around I am soaking up every second (not to say I don't get frustrated at times) but holding my sleepy baby a little extra is a joyful frustration.

Last night, I cried myself to sleep after reading to world's most horrific blog about a family that lost their 3 year old. Love brings so much vulnerability. And tragedy, perspective.  I never need to be reminded to love my children. But being reminded to not sweat the little things is always helpful.

I love their love for each other

First wagon ride!