Buff Baby

Lastnight I tried Ryder's bathing suit on him to make sure it fit, since we're going to a Pool Party on Saturday!! He was so cute, I had to make Alan come in and take some pictures of our buff baby looking like a little man!

5 Months Old!!

I bet everyone knows how I’m going to start this post…5 months already???  Where has the time gone?  Well we’ve done lots of growing and developing in the last month, even though it seems to have flown by, Ryder has used the time wisely!  Our 5 month photo shoot:

    

Ryder’s Five Month Fun Facts:

• He ate his first “real” food – PEAS – and he loved them!
• His 3 month clothes fit him perfectly, 3-6 month are baggy.
• He drools excessively and chews on everything, we’re just waiting for that 1st tooth to show up.
• He holds his head like a pro now, and enjoys sitting in his Bumbo seat, his high chair, or his Jumperoo.
• He stands when supported and locks his legs.
• He loves to talk, and has started using D, G, and M syllables in his babbling  (come on MA-MA). His voice has gotten much louder this month!
• He’s officially a tummy sleeper now and is sleeping on average 7 hours at night. 
• His kidneys are growing and have shown major improvement – Yayyy! 
• He still takes a daily antibiotic to prevent kidney infections and Zantac for silent reflux.
• He loves to play with chew on his toys, roll around on the floor, reach for things on his activity gym, talk to Mommy, and laugh at Daddy.

Each month that passes, Ryder becomes more and more alert and active.  He notices a lot more things now, and you can see the wheels turning in his head when he’s trying to make sense of something.  He loves when we read him books and actually watches the book and listens now.  His favorite thing is when Mommy and Daddy “tell him secrets”, that always gets a laugh out of him.  His laugh melts my heart, I will never get tired of hearing that sweet sound.  Ahhh the joy this baby brings to our life, I just can’t even put it into words. 

One Word Wednesday

*DISCOVERY*

The Day That Changed My Life Forever

It was a Monday, the date was August 18th, 2008, this was the first time that the words “I’m Pregnant!” came out of my mouth.  First to Alan who was sitting on the kitchen counter patiently anxiously awaiting the results.  We both busted out laughing, not exactly sure what to think, or what emotions people are supposed to have – but that is how we reacted, laughing and hugging.  I picked up the phone and called my Mom who was shocked and SUPER excited!  He called his Dad saying “umm, I think Brandy might be pregnant, she took a pregnancy test and it’s positive” to which his Dad responds “if she took a pregnancy test, and it is positive, then she IS pregnant” and he was right.  There was no maybe about it, I definitely WAS pregnant.  He passed the phone to Cindy so that I could share the news with her. 

I had no clue on that day how much my life would change, from that very moment forward.  It wasn’t all about ME anymore, or all about Alan, suddenly there was this other life, one that we were in charge of, never again would a decision be made without first thinking of the “baby”.  My favorite quote that I read while I was pregnant that rang so true for me was:

~A Mother’s joy begins when new life is stirring inside, when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone.~ 

Here is my pregnancy in pictures:

  

At my baby shower, above with my bridesmaids (minus 1)

The date stamp on the one below cracks me up.  They threw my baby shower March 1st so that I would have almost a complete 2 months to get ready for the baby – who knew 2 months would turn into 2 weeks!

 

And here is how baby Ryder progressed:

  

Fun Facts:

• 1st Doctor Appt 8/22/08
• First sonogram 9/8/08
• First time hearing baby’s heartbeat10/8/08
• Felt First Kick during Week 17
• Found out we were having a boy 12/1/08
• Glucose Screening Test 1/27/09 (I failed!)
• Sonogram during Week 30 revealed Kidney Swelling
• Baby Shower March 1st (we also got a foot of snow this day!)
• 3/19/09 Dr. sent us straight for Emergency C-Section
• Ryder born at 2:26 pm weighing 6 pounds 2 ounces – 18.5 inches long.

I can’t say that I loved everything about being pregnant, I complained about all my little aches and pains, I did not enjoy pricking my finger 4 times a day to check blood levels, or needing Alan’s help getting my boots off because I just couldn’t reach, or the frequent nightly trips to the bathroom.  But the end result made it all so worth it.  I said it 5 minutes after he was born and I’ll say it again now – I would do it all over in a heartbeat!  Stay tuned…..not any time soon….but one day :)

Weekend Review

Saturday we woke up smiling:

Daddy and Uncle Gregg made breakfast!

Ryder played with toys…

We went to Madeline’s birthday party.  The birthday girl was all over the place so we didn’t get a picture, but here’s Ryder playing with his Cousin Aaron.  So adorable!

And we finally got to meet Adam (A friend’s baby that is 2 months older than Ryder)

Adam is so big for his age, and Ryder is tiny for his age, so we thought this picture of their legs was hilarious!

WHY CAN’T EVERY DAY BE SATURDAY???

Sunday’s are great too!  We woke up smiling, as always…

Chewed on more toys…

       

Got in the car and went to Church

Then to Grandma’s.  It was a beautiful day so we sat outside, enjoying the breeze and all of  Memew’s Love!

 

But the coolest thing of all, the best part of the whole weekend was…..

RYDER FOUND HIS FEET!!!

When the week starts to get stressful and overwhelming, I’m going to look back at the pictures above to remind myself of the simplest pleasures that life has to offer…like a baby being completely fascinated with his toes :)

First Time Behind the Wheel

Look how tiny he is compared to the steering wheel!!  We decided to let Ryder test out his driving skills around the neighborhood yesterday…no, not really, we were parked.  But we pretend really well .-)  I thought it was so cute how he was holding onto the wheel, looking like such a big boy.   

  

Feeding - It's a Success!

We finally have an eater! Ryder has been working very hard to learn how to eat from a spoon, and actually swallow his food instead of spitting it out. Each day this week he has shown improvement, and lastnight he ate his whole bowl of oatmeal! I'm going to stick with oatmeal for a while and then slowly start introducing some other foods.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com