Dear Ryder,
You are seven months old now, and such a big boy!
It seems like every day you are learning or trying something new, and it's so much fun to watch you change before our eyes.
At this month's doctor's visit you clocked in at 26.58 inches and a whopping 18 pounds, 7 ounces. Maybe that's why Mommy's back hurts all the time now.
You love to reach out and grasp anything within your reach, especially electronics like remote controls and cell phones. You can transfer objects from one hand to the other and seem to enjoy throwing objects to the ground (so that we will retrieve them for you). The sounds you constantly make are hilarious, ranging from laughs, babbles, grunts, and shrieks. We sing and talk to you all the time.
You seem like you want to crawl, but can't figure it out yet, so instead you either roll back and forth or lay on your stomach and wave your arms and legs like Superman.
Since I go to work most days, you spend most of your time with Daddy. As far as I can tell, the two of you just play together all day long, and frankly it makes me kind of jealous!
We have our fun together, too... It just rarely gets caught on camera.
Besides rice cereal, you've now tried carrots, pears, sweet potatoes, prunes, and mango. You're still not a fan of the cereal, but you absolutely loved the sweet potatoes and they continue to be your favorite.
You also seemed to like prunes pretty well, but don't plan on having them again any time soon. The aftermath consisted of what we now refer to as Poopocalypse. I never knew so much poop could come out of a human so tiny. It was everywhere, Ryder... everywhere. We honestly didn't know what to do, so we simply stripped you down, put you in a garbage bag up to your armpits, and carried you upstairs where you were deposited directly into the bathtub. You owe us one, buddy.
I was hoping that the introduction of more solid foods would help you sleep through the night, but no such luck so far. You're still getting up every two or three hours, wanting to nurse and be rocked back to sleep, and I just can't make myself let you cry it out (although many have advocated this to me as a successful solution). Please don't make me do it...
Your first Thanksgiving was super fun!
Daddy and I planned a small Thanksgiving dinner at home this year, but we actually ended up seeing more relatives than we anticipated, which was a welcome surprise. And most importantly, the Seahawks beat the 49ers in San Francisco!
On the day after Thanksgiving, we packed up and headed down to Nana and Papa's house for the weekend, where you got to spend time with your cousins, Sophia and Aubrey. They like you much more now that you can play with them instead of just laying there like a blob.
You can sit up for extended periods all by yourself now, which makes play time much more fun.
Papa is always teaching you something new...
Everyone who spends time with you just can't believe what a good baby you are, and of course they always comment on your ridiculous good looks. Your eyes are still ridiculously baby blue, and I'm really starting to hope that they stay that way, although there is still the possibility that they could change. We'll see...
And now we're headed into the Christmas holiday!
Our first step was to get lights put up on the outside of the house, and to go out and cut down a Christmas tree! This is something Daddy and I had never done together before you were born, but we both did as kids with our own families, so we wanted to start that same tradition with you. So we went to a tree farm on a cold, snowy winter afternoon and picked out the perfect tree.
Someday you'll appreciate this adventure.
It was a sad month for Mommy and Daddy, because we lost two very important people in our lives -- Liesbeth and Doug. You are a very small boy to have already attended two funerals, but having your sweet smiling face in our lives has helped make the losses more bearable.
The last time I was this excited about Christmas, I think I was probably a kid myself. I know that you won't remember anything about this year, but it has been so fun to create traditions and memories for our little family. I honestly think I had kind of forgotten about the magic of Christmas, but having you around makes everything special again.
Happy Holidays, little munchkin!
It seems like every day you are learning or trying something new, and it's so much fun to watch you change before our eyes.
At this month's doctor's visit you clocked in at 26.58 inches and a whopping 18 pounds, 7 ounces. Maybe that's why Mommy's back hurts all the time now.
You love to reach out and grasp anything within your reach, especially electronics like remote controls and cell phones. You can transfer objects from one hand to the other and seem to enjoy throwing objects to the ground (so that we will retrieve them for you). The sounds you constantly make are hilarious, ranging from laughs, babbles, grunts, and shrieks. We sing and talk to you all the time.
You seem like you want to crawl, but can't figure it out yet, so instead you either roll back and forth or lay on your stomach and wave your arms and legs like Superman.
Since I go to work most days, you spend most of your time with Daddy. As far as I can tell, the two of you just play together all day long, and frankly it makes me kind of jealous!
We have our fun together, too... It just rarely gets caught on camera.
Besides rice cereal, you've now tried carrots, pears, sweet potatoes, prunes, and mango. You're still not a fan of the cereal, but you absolutely loved the sweet potatoes and they continue to be your favorite.
You also seemed to like prunes pretty well, but don't plan on having them again any time soon. The aftermath consisted of what we now refer to as Poopocalypse. I never knew so much poop could come out of a human so tiny. It was everywhere, Ryder... everywhere. We honestly didn't know what to do, so we simply stripped you down, put you in a garbage bag up to your armpits, and carried you upstairs where you were deposited directly into the bathtub. You owe us one, buddy.
I was hoping that the introduction of more solid foods would help you sleep through the night, but no such luck so far. You're still getting up every two or three hours, wanting to nurse and be rocked back to sleep, and I just can't make myself let you cry it out (although many have advocated this to me as a successful solution). Please don't make me do it...
Your first Thanksgiving was super fun!
Daddy and I planned a small Thanksgiving dinner at home this year, but we actually ended up seeing more relatives than we anticipated, which was a welcome surprise. And most importantly, the Seahawks beat the 49ers in San Francisco!
On the day after Thanksgiving, we packed up and headed down to Nana and Papa's house for the weekend, where you got to spend time with your cousins, Sophia and Aubrey. They like you much more now that you can play with them instead of just laying there like a blob.
You can sit up for extended periods all by yourself now, which makes play time much more fun.
Papa is always teaching you something new...
Everyone who spends time with you just can't believe what a good baby you are, and of course they always comment on your ridiculous good looks. Your eyes are still ridiculously baby blue, and I'm really starting to hope that they stay that way, although there is still the possibility that they could change. We'll see...
And now we're headed into the Christmas holiday!
Our first step was to get lights put up on the outside of the house, and to go out and cut down a Christmas tree! This is something Daddy and I had never done together before you were born, but we both did as kids with our own families, so we wanted to start that same tradition with you. So we went to a tree farm on a cold, snowy winter afternoon and picked out the perfect tree.
Someday you'll appreciate this adventure.
It was a sad month for Mommy and Daddy, because we lost two very important people in our lives -- Liesbeth and Doug. You are a very small boy to have already attended two funerals, but having your sweet smiling face in our lives has helped make the losses more bearable.
The last time I was this excited about Christmas, I think I was probably a kid myself. I know that you won't remember anything about this year, but it has been so fun to create traditions and memories for our little family. I honestly think I had kind of forgotten about the magic of Christmas, but having you around makes everything special again.
Happy Holidays, little munchkin!
