Four Months Old

I'm way behind in updating for this month, but in my defense, I had a stomach virus for almost 5 days. It was miserable, and I pretty much didn't do anything including care for Ryder since I was so afraid of him getting sick too. So Ryder spent most of last week with Nana, Grandpa, and aunt Caitlyn much to his delight and mommy's relief! I missed my sweet boy terribly and cried when I had to send him off with Nana, but I knew he was in good hands, and I'm so grateful that they were able to help us out while I recuperated! It took a few days, but we are finally back up and running, so now that the decorations are down and put away, the house is cleaned and disinfected, and the laundry is finally caught up, well almost...let me catch you up on life for little Ryder-man this past month!

This month we busily prepared for Christmas as we went to pick out a Christmas tree,

 decorated the house,

bought Christmas presents, wrapped those presents, baked lots of goodies, and visited with lots of friends and family! It was a busy Christmas, but it was wonderful to spend it in our own home with Ryder for the first time!

 Ryder wasn't all that interested in opening presents, although he did like rattling the paper at times, but he loved all the attention from everyone, and he got a few new favorite toys like his taggie blanket, some teething rings (because yes folks, that's right, Ryder seems to be teething on anything and everything!), and his dog, Scout, that sings and lights up from Nana and Grandpa!

 He also met his great grandpa Harden and Audrey, and they seemed to like each other a whole lot! It was fun watching Ryder interact with Dave and Audrey, and I'm so thankful they were able to make the trip up to visit us!

Ryder has learned a few new tricks like rolling over! Now I know I said he had rolled over last month, but he has perfected it this month and can roll from his back to his stomach and his stomach to his back. He doesn't roll a lot, mainly because he hates being on his stomach and now he hates lying anywhere because he would rather sit up or stand, so that he can see what's going on! He has also learned to laugh, which might be mine and Tyler's favorite sound in the world! It's so contagious and can't help but bring a smile to your face even at 5am after little to no sleep! Ryder is very ticklish under his chin and right near his armpits. Sometimes when I'm trying to change his clothes I'll accidentally tickle him, and he just cackles! It's so much fun to listen to! The first time I heard his laugh it brought tears to my eyes. I can't believe how much I love this little guy!

Ryder has also discovered the exersaucer and absolutely loves it! He thinks he's such a big boy standing up in it and looking around everywhere. It keeps him entertained for long periods of time, and he's so happy spending time in it. He also likes sitting in his bumpo seat to play now. He's such a big boy and it's so fun to watch his curiosity as he takes in everything in the room. He also likes to explore textures and faces. He is constantly touching our faces and is especially fascinated with Tyler's beard! I think he's hoping to grow his own facial hair soon! He also loves playing with his feet and holds on to them as he rolls from side to side while cooing and talking, he's quite the talented little fella!

It has been a fun month of watching Ryder learn and explore, but the highlight has got to be hearing his little laugh! We are looking forward to what month five holds for us and hoping for a little snow and maybe a little slower pace of life and good health for everyone!! :)

New Year, New Goals

2011 was probably the most life-changing year of my life. I found out I was going to be a mommy, finished my last year of teaching, became a stay at home mom, gave birth to my sweet boy, and underwent so many hormonal changes, I don't even want to think about it!! But in the end, it was the best year of my life! I wouldn't trade a day of teaching for a the time I get to spend watching my little one grow, learn, and explore! It has been an incredible experience becoming a mommy, but as I have begun spending more time at home, I have come to realize that I need to make a few changes in my routine and my life to make things easier on all of us around here!

So for 2012 I have decided to set a few goals for myself, my home, and our family.

My first goal is for Tyler and I to sit at the dinner table for dinner more often. We used to be really good at this, but with the arrival of Ryder, some days I didn't even know if we were going to eat dinner, much less if we were going to be able to make it to a table. But after four months of running past each other trying to get everything done, we both realized that we desperately need our dinner time together in order to catch up on life and spend some time with one another. So Ryder is about to be introduced to the high chair as we prepare to dine together in 2012!

My next goal is to blog more frequently. Now that Ryder naps a little more consistently, I hope to be able to take some time for myself to write like I used to and get things out that are in my heart, but I also hope to catch our family up on what Ryder is doing and how he's doing. So hopefully you'll have a little more to read in this new year, I hope your New Year's resolution was to read more! :)

Another goal for me is to start working out again. I have missed taking time to exercise, and after having a baby, I could definitely use it! I don't care so much about losing weight as I do about getting my body back in shape and feeling good about myself again.

That goal also leads into another goal for me this year which is to take some time for myself more frequently. After having Ryder, me-time has become a thing of the past, and some days it wears on me and everyone else around me, so starting this year, I'm going to allow myself to have some downtime more frequently to do things that I enjoy like reading or cooking, or even watching a movie. I've come to realize that I'll be a much better mommy and wife if I take a few minutes a day for myself to feel refreshed and renewed.

My hope for this year is that Tyler and I grow closer to one another and God as we spend time daily sharing our lives and praying with one another over dinner. I also hope that we as a family are able to minister to others because God has blessed us so much, and we have a responsibility to share that blessing with others. And finally, I hope that we remain happy and healthy.

I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us in 2012!! :)

Rolling with Laughter!

Well everyone it's official! We have ourselves a rolling baby!! :)

Ryder is also quite the talker and full of smiles and laughter! We love this little guy so much!!

Month Number 3!

Well this month has been quite busy, as you can probably tell from my lack of posts this month. I apologize for being so behind on updating things here, but I will try to fill you all in on everything we have been up to this month right now!

We started the month with a trip to Myrtle Beach, and by "we" I mean Ryder, me, my mom, and sister along with several of my sister's friends from school and their lovely moms. Ryder was the center of attention from the start of the trip and he loved being the only boy on an all girls' trip!

He also loved the sound of the ocean and slept for a great deal of the trip in the arms of whoever was willing to hold him, which was pretty much everyone! :) But we definitely missed daddy!

When we returned home from the beach, we got a visit from Tyler's grandparents and Ryder's great-grandparents as they made their way to Florida for the winter.  I'm so glad they were able to stop in and that Ryder was in such a good mood to meet them!

The day after their visit, we celebrated Halloween with our little cowboy, Ryder! We went trick or treating at Nana and Grandpa's house, and grandpa was thrilled to spend some time with Ryder-man since mom and Caitlyn had already spent four straight days with us!

Ryder has become quite the little talker this month. He coos and smiles almost comstantly while awake, and squeals with delight when anyone talks to him. He lights up every day when daddy gets home from work, and that little smile just melts your heart!! He is quite taken with his Aunt Caitlyn and keeps his eye on her whenever she's in the room!

Daddy dressed me :)

The biggest accomplishments for us this month are that Ryder is now on a schedule and sleeps without being held during naptimes, and even more fun, Ryder is learning to roll over! It took us about 3 weeks to get Ryder on a sleep schedule, but it was very necessary and has made for a much happier baby and mommy!!

Ryder's two favorite things now are his blankie and paci, and we don't go anywhere without them!

 

Ryder now rolls onto his side with ease and then with a little more coaching and coaxing can move to his stomach! It takes time, but it won't be long before we won't be able to let Ryder lie on our bed or the ottoman anymore without someone being right there beside him!

We ended the month with one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving! We are truly thankful for our special little blessing! He has changed our lives forever, but in such a wonderful and happy way!!

Up next month, Christmas, parades, presents, and lots of pretty lights!! :)

No Naps for Ryder

So it appears that I am significantly behind on updating my blog, but I blame this on a certain two and a half month old thay I have nicknamed "No Nap" Ryder-man. Ryder has been going through a new phase the past three weeks of not napping more than 45 minutes at a time during the day for three nap periods. He is still a good sleeper at night, although the past three mornings he's started rousing between 4:30 and 6am. Thankfully, he sleeps until 7, but after that all bets are off on getting him to sleep more. Ryder talks, plays, and smiles for hours on end. When he gets sleepy I feed him and put him down for what I hope will be a solid hour or longer nap, but in the end it usually only ends up lasting about 45 minutes. While I am extremely happy for a happy baby who sleeps through the night, his lack of sleeping during the day is tiring and trying since I can't seem to get much done around my house. It's also complicated with the onset of the holidays and my need to do some Christmas shopping, but with a baby who hates being in his car seat, shopping is not really possible. As for now, the only guaranteed way to get Ryder to sleep is to let him lie on my lap, so that's exactly where he is right now, and hopefully where he'll remain for another hour or so. It's not ideal, but if it helps him to get the rest he needs, then it's what we'll do.