Friday, September 9, 2011

Ryan Josiah's 3-month birthday

Caleb's first day of preschool was also Ryan's 3-month birthday. How is my baby so big already? My little Schnook is growing in leaps and bounds! He rolled from his back to his belly on August 31 for the first time (he previously rolled from his belly to his back as I posted about earlier). I'm not sure he's trying to roll but rather chasing his thumb to suck on when gravity helps him continue rolling. Ever since birth he's been able to roll to his side, but now he has rolled the whole way to the other side (depending on which one he's starting with). But, I'm not sure he can consciously roll back over. The night of August 31, he rolled to his belly and slept that way (that's how I found him when he woke up). He's done it several times since then. He seems to like sleeping on his belly (just like my other boys and their daddy) but I always start him on his back as the pediatrician suggests.
Since my little man scoots all over his crib, flipping both from back to belly and also which direction he's facing (I always start him head to the left of the crib but many mornings I find him his head is on my right), we realized it was time to remove the adorable crib bumper. It was a sad day for me since I know it will never go on again, but Shawn was thrilled. He always hated the bumper since they are supposed to be unsafe and they make it more difficult to change the crib sheets. But, I always thought they looked cute and were safe until that middle-of-the-road stage where the kids are moving but can't quite control themselves completely yet. So, while cute is great, safety is most important. Thus, away it went into our closet until we sell it or give it away when we're done with all the crib items. Right now my little man LOVES his froggy mobile, so it's still above the crib where it plays music and turns and Ryan giggles at it.
Speaking of Ryan giggling, I LOVE his laugh! He smiles, coos and laughs a lot. When he's really laughing, he sucks in air like the "Revenge of the Nerds" and it cracks me up! I love it! It makes me laugh, which makes him continue to laugh. He is such a sweet little guy. He also babbles all the time. He has a lot to say to us! He talks and talks away. He also loves his big brothers and smiles at them constantly. I love their interaction!
Ryan has been going longer in between feedings lately, which at times can make me nervous. Shawn reminds me that he's obviously heavy enough. But, I wonder how safe it is to go that long in between feeds. Is he not feeling well, I wonder? He's not pooping nearly as often either. We're getting about once a day (which I realize is not great to discuss, but I SO wish I would have talked about it with Caleb especially so I could compare to see if this is normal at this age). As long as he has wet diapers, I won't worry about him not eating as much, but I'm anxious for his 4-month well-visit to ask them about what's "normal." My little guys always keep me wondering!
Ryan has been sleeping better, too, for the most part. He gets up typically about once a night, unless it's a night after I've been at school - then he seems to get up a little more often. But, in general, Shawn & I are very pleased with how well he's doing. I need to get him on a typical nap schedule now. He's been just cat-napping here and there when he's tired, but I think a schedule will help him get into a groove, as well as the rest of the family now that school is back in session.
When I'm at school, Ryan has done great with taking a bottle from Shawn. I am SO glad because Caleb was never a big fan. But Shawn said he has no problems drinking from the bottle of expressed milk that he gives him.
Ryan no longer will take a pacifier from us. At first I was a little upset about this. (It's so nice to be able to make a baby happy when they are sad by something that not only soothes them but also makes them quiet!) But, I've found that he's getting better at finding his own thumb. We have friends that told us that they were waking up all the time at night to give their baby his pacifier again at a certain stage. If Ryan can get his own fingers to suck on, maybe this is better so that he has more control over it. He now can find his thumb with ease and LOVES it! Neither of my other boys were huge fans of their thumb like my little Schnook. You can see in the picture above that he's sucking away on it as he sleeps. He and his thumb have a special relationship and until he's older and has teeth, I'm okay with that!

Ryan is about is fitting pretty well into 6-9 month clothing already. I'm guessing he's around 16 pounds-ish based on Shawn weighing him the other night (stepping on the scale himself then grabbing the Schnook and stepping back on). Each stage that he outgrows makes me a little nostalgic as I realize this is the last time I'll ever see these outfits. I have officially given away all my 0-3 month clothing. My friend Tara just had her baby Hudson and I gave her all Ryan's summer outfits since she said she had nothing for warmer months. My friend Karisten who is due in December with her little Ethan didn't have any winter clothing for newborns, so I've loaded up all our winter things that are up to three months and have them waiting for her. I'm happy to see other sweet families be able to use these things that we no longer need. It makes it easier to part with them. They are just 'things' as Shawn tells me. It's my memories of my kids in them that make them special, which is true.

The only things I've kept are the outfits I brought my kids home from the hospital in. I don't know how long I'll keep them either, but for now they don't take up a lot of space and they remind me of how little my 'big' boys used to be. I love my sons dearly, and feel so blessed to have special memories of them and lots of pictures and, even better, the opportunity to make even more memories with them as they continue to grow.

Happy 3-month birthday, my little Ryan Josiah!

No comments: