Two Months Old!!

Well, once again I am amazed at how quickly time is passing! Ryder is now 2 months old, and I feel like it was just yesterday that I was at the check out line in Target in tears because I had just left the doctors office and had been told it could possibly be another week until Ryder arrived, and I was so disappointed (that poor cashier, I can't imagine what she was thinking). Boy was my doctor wrong! My water broke that night and I had a beautiful baby boy in my arms 24 hours later!

This month has been full of even more changes! Ryder is growing and trying all kinds of new things and visiting lots of new places! We couldn't love him more!!

This month he had his first bottle.

Visited the apple orchard to go apple picking.

Cheered on Aunt Caitlyn at several volleyball games.

Went to homecoming at LU.

And went to the pumpkin patch with friends.

We aso added some new toys to his list of favorite things like his swing,

his bouncy seat that he sometimes falls asleep in,

and his bumpo seat.

We braved Ryder's first cold and learned how to use the suction bulb. Thankfully, after two weeks, the congestion is gone and we have a happy, healthy baby once again! Ryder is also learning to sleep much better! He sleeps at least 6-8 hours per night but now takes several naps throughout the day to keep him growing strong! He's still taking medicine for his acid reflux, but he seems to be eating much better and feeling better. Mommy and daddy are so glad to see our little man feeling better and sleeping well!

He has also learned to coo and smile, and especially when he's playing with his favorite toy, his mobile!

 We're also working on tummy time, but Ryder's not a huge fan of it yet!

We can't wait to see what's in store for us this next month!!

Football Fields & Pumpkin Patches

The last two weekends have been busy ones for our little family. Two weekends ago, we headed up to Lynchburg for Liberty University's homecoming! We had a lot of fun reminiscing about our college days and the early days of our dating relationship. Liberty has changed so much since we both graduated and it was amazing to see the growth and development that's taken place there! It was also nice to see several of my former students at the game and hear about the memories they're now making at LU. 

We met up with some good friends and had a good time watching the football game with them! Ryder was fascinated by the stadium lights but not all that interested in the game, which is fine with mommy since she would prefer him not to be a football player! :)

It was quite the adventure to pack up for a day away from home with a newborn. Gone are the days where a purse and waterbottle would be sufficient to hop in the car with and head out of town for the day. No sir, we needed lots of diapers, a change of clothes just in case there was a wardrobe malfunction, bottles, a stroller, the baby bjorn carrier, toys, blankets, and the list goes on. Despite the loaded down car, we had a great time seeing friends and reminiscing!

This past weekend, we packed up and headed out once again, but this time not quite as far away and not for as long, so a little less packing (a little less). This time we went to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins!

We saw farm animals.

Took a long hayride.

Manuevered our way through the corn maze.

And caught up with some sweet friends!

It was a fun day, and Ryder was even awake for some of it!! :)

Our sweet little pumpkin!

Coming up this weekend, Ryder and mommy will be travelling to the beach with Nana and aunt Caitlyn and some other family friends and then coming home to meet Ryder's great-grandparents from Massachusetts. :)

Apple Picking

Last weekend, we decided to go apple picking as a fun, fall family outing.

Being from New England, Tyler has memories of going to the orchard and picking his own apples, so we decided to begin the same tradition with Ryder. The only problem was finding an orchard that actually allowed you to go out and pick the apples yourself. We tried to go last year, but the orchard we visited said it was too late in the season and that all the apples had already been picked, so we went earlier this year and tried a different orchard and once again arrived to find that all the apples were in bins rather than on the trees to be picked. So we hopped back in the car and headed back down the road to a sign that said, "pick your own apples here" with an arrow pointing down a back country road. To be honest, I was skeptical and a little wary, but we took a chance and headed down the road. We were not at all disappointed! :)

We found a nice little orchard with lots of apples! It was a great outing for our little family!

Ryder was pretty excited about going!

Some highlights from the trip included getting to taste the apples before picking them to take home!

Feeding the horses in the nearby field. Tyler was a novice at this and did not know he was supposed to feed them with his palm flat . Luckily, no one was injured! :)

And of course, being out in nature on a beautiful fall day!

Ryder had a great time! :)

One of the best naps of his life!!

It was a fun day for our family!! I think it will become a tradition for us!