Sentimental

A wave of sentiment hit me hard today.

My baby boy, my newborn squish turned 7 months old and started eating food. This was a difficult milestone for me with Charlotte, and seems almost more difficult this time around. Though he has only eaten mere bites, this is the first step toward weaning. And not just from breastmilk, but from me. Food symbolizes his very first step toward independence. For the past 16 months, from those tiny 2 cells to the 16 pound boy he is today, Ryder has been completely dependent on me. In no way do I want to hinder or impede his journey toward independence, or any of my kids for that matter, I just wish I could slow the clock down. I want to taste and smell and memorize every moment. Savor the blessing of babies.

As my heart wrestled these sappy feelings of overwhelming love for my babies, Jeremy decided to cap off the evening by serenading Charlotte with this:

And the tears wouldn't stop flowing. 

Blessed. 

Ryder Michael 7 Months

We are officially closer to 1 year than we are to newborn :'(

Ryder is such a joy and light in this house. My dear friend said it best this weekend, "It's like he feels obligated to smile. Even if he's sad, when you look at him he has to smile at you." I have next to no pictures of him not smiling, because anytime I point the camera at him, he flashes that huge gummy grin.

He is a sitting pro now and will sit and play with his basket of toys for up to 30 minutes. He is incredibly content to dig through the toys, chew on them, examine them, watch his sister run around like a crazy woman. He can roll well, but has yet to use rolling as a mode of transportation. Generally speaking, he is still stationary.

This week was a big milestone week, he finally started eating a little bit of food! Never in a million years would I have guessed my baby girl would be the food lover and my boy would be the bird eater! At 7 months old, he has maybe eaten 5 bites of food. But, he tried yogurt yesterday and was over the moon! I think over the next 2 months he will realize the magic behind food!

He nurses every 2-3 hours and 1-2 times at night. He slept through the night a handful of times, then decided that was for the birds. He is finally starting to nap better, and I think I can safely say he is down to 2 naps a day. Every once in a while he sneaks that 3rd cat nap in, but for the most part, he takes a morning and afternoon nap, anywhere from 1.5-2.5 hours each.

He continues to be my snuggle bug and I continue to exploit every opportunity to snuggle him. After having a non-snuggly baby, I am taking full advantage! He loves to nuzzle his face into the crook of my neck and drape his arms around my shoulders. The best 5 minutes of my day are spent rocking him before bed. Clean jammies and freshly washed hair, I rock and memorize his sweet baby smell, his warm breath on my neck, his heavy arms around me.

Cute beyond words. I am always telling Jeremy, "It hurts me to look at him because he is so cute!"

Ryder, you have blessed this family immeasurably with your presence. We love you and are thankful daily that you are part of us. Please stop growing...

Sleep Status

I mentioned in Ryder's 6 month update that he is not the best sleeper. Not bad, but not good. He's no Charlotte...

This has been a source of frustration for me. I keep telling myself:
I am doing everything the exact same way I did with Charlotte (if not better, since I have more experience)
He has very healthy sleep habits: great schedule, predictable routine, puts himself to sleep, etc. etc.

So why is he not sleeping through the night?

And then, out of nowhere...he did!

Part of me feels vindicated. All my hard work finally paid off! I did this!  But then I got real.

Ryder has taught me a invaluable lesson: All babies are different. There is no cookie-cuter way formula to follow that will guarantee 12 hours of sleep by 12 weeks old. And that is great! Babies know what they need and they let you know. They will sleep through the night when they are ready.

Now, don't get me wrong. I still see a lot of value in teaching healthy sleep habits and maintaining a predictable routine. These are lessons that will last a lifetime. But, now when giving sleep advice, I will be sure to add the caveat, "not all babies sleep through the night at 8 weeks, no matter what you do."

This is just one example of how Ryder is teaching me that people are their own little people from day one. Charlotte and Ryder have been raised in the exact same way, by the exact same parents, and are already so incredibly different. And for this I am so thankful.

Thank you Ryder for showing me the beauty of individuality. We love you to death and can't wait to learn all of your little quirks!