I'm sure I've said it 100 times before and I'll say it a 1,000 times more - time has seriously flown by. How is it that my newborn baby has been with us for half a year already? It's unreal. I find myself getting more and more sentimental as the weeks and months pass by.
We watch our little guy learn and grow everyday and I'm amazed at the determination he has for things Scott and I take for granted; like grabbing with both hands and giving it an immediate taste test, watching the movements in his little legs as he squeals in the tub. He's even managed to find his thumb, Wednesday February 5th. He had been shoving his whole fist in his mouth for a few months, and then it went to just a couple fingers. But now, now it's the thumb. As awful as the habit is, it is so cute! I can't stand the thought of yanking his little finger outta his mouth. Hopefully it won't come back to haunt me in a few years!
Monday, February 3rd, Ryker started acting really fussy and stuffing everything he could get his hands on into his mouth, even our hands or shirts, and he would just bite down as hard as he could. We just wrote it off as teething and made sure to give him frozen washcloths (which he totally loves) and gave him some Tylenol before bed. Well Friday, it was so slow at work I just called it an early day and went to my mom's to hang out with her and Ryker. While I was there he was coughing. It's not out of the ordinary, as of late, that's how he'll get your attention. But it kept going on and on and sounded worse. That was just the beginning of everything. He's come down with a cold, equipped with congestion, a runny nose, cough, etc. The poor boy has been miserable and so tired. Over the weekend he got extra snuggles from Mom and Dad. I even stayed home with him on Monday, the 10th, just so I wouldn't have to drag him out in the elements. Sunday afternoon some time, Scott was holding him and he turned to look at dads face and coughed. Needless to say, daddy has picked up Ryk-baby's cold. I tried my best to stay hydrated and stay healthy, but it didn't work. I was sick the 15th-17th. And it even managed to linger around longer than that.
We've had small fights with teeth here and there, a few long nights, and a few screaming fits. Nothing that a little snuggle and Tylenol can't fix. Nothing has popped through yet, but you can sure tell when they are bothering him... Man, the kid has a set of lungs on him and refuses to sleep. I never fully understood "We were up all night with [a screaming/fussy] baby" until we were actually UP ALL NIGHT WITH A SCREAMING BABY. Luckily it's only been 3 nights since birth, and I can tell you exactly the nights and reasons. Basically, it puts life into perspective. I am so grateful Ryker is such a fantastic baby. I don't know how parents do it with colic-y babies. They have my deepest sympathy!
We've been putting him in his bouncy thing more and more lately; the kid loves it. He doesn't exactly bounce just yet, but he gets himself moving and just squeals. It's the cutest thing. He's so proud of himself. Like idiots, we didn't realize there were height settings till Scott started looking at it one day and noticed the '1, 2, 3'. He dropped it down to 1 and Ryk has been going to town. I guess that's what instructions are for, right?
As much as I love to maul the crap outta this kid, we also try to keep him on the floor a little more too. He's been scooting around, pushing himself backwards, and rolling around like a little rollie polly. He is growing so fast and it completely blows my mind how quickly he has changed.
Other than that, everything has been good for the Nelson family. I applied to Grad School a few weeks ago and was accepted, so I'll more than likely start my classes in the summer. I'm nervous and excited to get the ball rolling and graduate. There are some big changes about to happen in the department and I am worried for a number of reasons; new program director, possible merger of two programs, etc.. I would like to think everything will be alright and that I'm over reacting, but the politics of this place would blow your socks off. I'm praying things will hold out until I can finish my program and if possible get out before things get ugly. If not, I've considered changing positions or moving to a different department to work.
To close things up, here's a few pictures from recent happenings...
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| At the doctors office. Poor kid didn't know what he was in for :( |
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Mommy felt bad baby had to get poked, so as any girl would do,
I took him to do a little retail therapy. He LOVES these shades.
He just laughs and laughs |
Right after his 6 month appointment, we started started rice cereal. I was a little stressed out about starting anything too soon and I also wanted to consult his pedi to make sure we gave him the right stuff to start out with. Lucky for us, the cereal has been a hit (except when it gets too cool) and he loves sweet potatoes! He also loves grabbing the spoon and biting it, blowing bubbles in whatever he's eating - making a complete mess of himself and mom or dad!
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He is such a calm, relaxed baby. Here he is modeling his plaid button down, or as we say
"I'm just like daddy!!" |
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| Loves those toes! |
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| A little documented fit throwing |
These couple of shots were from Valentine's day. I made those wings and dressed him up as a little cupid. Thank you Pinterest for the photo opportunity!
