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...