Letter to my Baby: Week 23 & 24

Monday, February 28, 2011 & Sunday, March 6, 2011

Dear Ryder,

Momma is now counting down the days until I get to be home with you full-time again.  I am really excited, although will miss my co-workers and clients.

You are starting to really understand the concept of toys and are more readily reaching for things that interest you.  You are also just starting to get some object permanence and will watch when you drop a toy.  Sometimes you will even try to pick it up again.  You sometimes get a little frustrated when you can’t quite hold onto what you want, or if something is too far away for you to get.  When you do happen to succeed at getting something you bounce and wiggle because you are so excited.  You also have discovered how much fun it is to drop things and have momma, daddy or granni pick them up for you over and over and over again!  

More and more you recognize and want to be with the people you know.  Sometimes you even are picky about which person that is!  Today I took you from daddy so he could do something and you complained and yelled until daddy took you back again!  When I come home from work and you see me you get really excited and reach for me.  It doesn’t make you very happy when I have to go wash my hands before I pick you up.  You also get very annoyed if you wake up at night and we leave you in the crib for even a minute so we can go get your bottle ready.  

I think your favorite place to be is outside.  Granni takes you out almost every day to lie under the tree and watch the leaves play in the wind.  You talk and screech at them.  You also really love to go for walks.  This weekend we went to the zoo.  Most of the animals are still too hard for you to see, but when something, like an ostrich, catches your eye, you are fascinated!  You also like the zoo because there are lots of little people for you to look at and talk to.

You keep trying more and more new foods.  So far you eat sweet potatoes, pears, and bananas along with your oatmeal.  You tried peas but weren’t very impressed!  You are very good at opening your mouth for swallows, but get very impatient if we don’t shovel it in quickly enough.  It is fun to watch you discover the taste of new things.  

Yesterday as I was laying you down to sleep your eyes popped open for a minute and you smiled at me before drifting back to sleep.  Sometimes you study my face and gaze into my eyes while you coo at me and tell me about your day.  I love these short tender moments with you.

Love always,

Momma

Letter to my Baby: Week 22

Week 22:  Sunday, February 20, 2011

Dear Ryder,

Today you are 5 months old!  Wow.  To celebrate we let you have your first taste of sweet potatoes.  Like all the other foods you have tried, you love them.  It is fun to be able to introduce you to new things and watch as you figure out that this is something to like.  It is also amusing when you don’t like something.  Yesterday I made your oatmeal with water instead of formula.  You kept taking bites and then wrinkling your nose and giving me a look that said ‘this doesn’t taste right.’  You wouldn’t even finish the bowl, which for you is a big deal!

You have been looking bigger in the last week or so.  Tonight, after Momma got you undressed and into a clean diaper, I stepped onto the scale with you.  According to that you now weigh 15 lbs.  No wonder you feel heavier.  Your cute blond hair is also getting longer and it is starting to fill in.  It hasn’t gotten any darker, so it looks like you will be a true tow-head.  Momma also loves your big, bright blue eyes, and perfectly chubby and kissable cheeks.

I know I have said this before, but you are a very social baby.  When you are awake you want to be held pretty much all the time, and even if you are playing in your jumparoo or sitting in your chair you want someone to be in the room talking to you.  You have even had a couple of days this week where you wouldn’t take a nap unless someone was holding you.  It is very fun that you want so much to interact with us, but it is also sometimes tiring when Momma, Daddy, or Granni need to take a break!  When that happens I just remind myself that you will only be this small for a little longer and to try to enjoy all these great baby snuggles.

You have been having good times with Granni these last couple of weeks.  Momma misses you so much when she is at work, but I am grateful that Granni is here to love you and that you and I get to play when I come home and on the weekends.  I love how when you realize I am home you smile and reach for me.  Momma is excited for when she gets to be home with you more.

Every day you continue to amaze us with your new skills and how you are obviously learning and remembering.  You recognize bottles and your cereal, and will stop crying as soon as you see we are making your food.  You are getting better at grabbing and holding onto your toys, although you still don’t have object permanence: once you drop them they are gone until you accidently rediscover them.  You know when we are eating something and can communicate very clearly when you want something too.  You love to play games, especially peek-a-boo and dancing games.  You recognize music and like to sing.  You are really good about having conversations with Momma and tell me all kinds of stories about your day.  

You bring so much sunshine and joy to my life.  Thank you for choosing me.

I love you.

Momma

Letter to my Baby: Week 21

Week 21:  Tuesday, February 15

Dear Ryder,

It seems like much of this week has been all about food.  We started feeding you oatmeal in the mornings and you also really like it.  Happily, your tummy seems to like to better too, so hopefully we can let you eat some every day.  Momma also made some butternut squash this week for a meal the grown-ups were having and she let you taste a little bit off her finger.  You kept biting my finger harder and harder, I think because you were hoping you would get more!  Momma also let you taste some apple through a baby mesh strainer.  Because you are still working on holding on to things you kept dropping the strainer and then would squeal loudly at us until we picked it up for you and held it to your mouth.  I think you are going to be a foodie, just like your daddy!

Momma had to go to IKEA this week to get a few things.  You came along in the stroller.  When we got to the light department you started squealing and kicking, you were so excited to see that many bright lights all in one place!  It made Momma laugh to watch you examine all the different colors and patterns

This week at mommy and me group I put you down on your tummy next to a couple of little girls who are starting to crawl.  You got a very intense look on your little face as you watched them move and I could almost see the thought ‘how are they doing that?  I want to do it too!’  You were fascinated for nearly half an hour.  Pretty soon, little man, you will be able to put it all together and then there will be no stopping you!

You and Daddy are starting to speak in your own special language.  Mostly this language consists of lots of tongue noises and belly blows.  It is so fun to watch the two if you together.  Daddy makes you laugh better than anyone else.

I’m so grateful that you are a pretty good sleeper.  You are still really only waking up once a night, usually around 4:00am to eat something and then you are good about going back to sleep.  This week, you have been waking up, but instead of crying, you have been cooing and squealing to yourself.  It is so cute to hear your ‘talk’ and happy little noises.

I love you baby bug.

Momma

Letter to my Baby: Week 20

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Dear Ryder,

Wow, 20 weeks.  Somehow that seems like a pretty big number.

This week you had another growth spurt.  You have been eating lots, one day you had 10 oz at one sitting!  I don’t know how your little tummy held it all.  You also have been sleeping more.  We all love to watch you sleep.  You look so focused and that you are concentrating so hard on getting the rest you need.

We also had to stop feeding you rice cereal.  Even though you love it, it was making your tummy hurt.  We called the pediatrician and this week you will get to try oatmeal instead.  I’m excited to see the look on your face when we try another new food.

Because you are so interested at what’s going on at the table, one day I offered you some water from my glass.  You now open your mouth wide and get squirmy and excited any time someone drinks around you because you want some.  The problem is that we aren’t always drinking water and you get so frustrated when we won’t share!

My favorite moment from the week happened at our mommy and me group.  I was playing a game with you.  You were lying on your back and I would bend down to catch your eye and say ‘what’s so funny?’  You giggled and giggled.

You are much more aware of the things around you, little man.  Lately you have been much more aware of the kitties and get excited when they come close and you can touch their fur.  They are pretty patient with you considering that you get so excited that you grab handfuls of fur and pull really hard.  They are still a little wary of you overall, but you seem to now have an uneasy truce that I hope will one day become a fun friendship.  

More and more you recognize momma, daddy and granny.  It makes me so happy to see your face light up when one of us comes near.

I love you my growing boy.

Momma

Letter to my Baby: Week 18 & 19

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Dear Ryder,

Somehow working makes everything so much busier.  When I have a few minutes, I would rather be spending time with you than sitting down to write a letter.  You are growing and hitting new milestones every day.

You had your 4 month dr. visit on your 4 month birthday (January 20).  Momma was at work so Daddy took you.   You were 13 lbs 5 oz, and in the 50% percentile for height (Daddy forgot to get the actual number).  You also got your shots, which you were not very happy about at all.  We are a bit worried about the flat spot on your head and asked the doctor about it.  She gave us a referral to get an assessment done, but said she wasn’t really worried about it and we didn’t have to go.  After discussing things your daddy and I decided to wait a couple months and then see how things look.  Hopefully you will hair to cover up any funny spots!

Your days have fallen into a pretty nice routine.  You wake up between 6-7 and are very smiley and happy.  You take a nap mid-morning, play for a couple hours, take another nap mid-day, play some more, and take a short evening nap.  The only nap you really wake up grumpy from is the evening nap, probably because you are almost ready to be done with the day.  You still like to shower, so you take one with Daddy when he comes home from the gym, then we read a bedtime story, sing some songs, and then you fall asleep while drinking your last bottle.

For the last couple of weeks you have been eyeing our food, trying to grab at the things we are eating, and mimicking us when we eat.  We decided to try a little bit of rice cereal, just to see how it would go.  You LOVED it.  You ate every last bite and hardly even got any of it on your face.  You gave us a look that said, “see, I got this, what were you waiting for anyway?”  You still get a little upset when we strap you into high chair, but quickly realize that you get to have food soon and start looking hopeful.  The high chair is still so big for you we can’t use the tray because it goes up to your shoulders!

We also bought you a Jumparoo that rewards you with music when you bounce and has lots of bright toys all the way around.  You give big grins when you play with the toys.  We put away your swing to make room for the Jumparoo because you weren’t really using it anymore.  One more way that you are getting a little bigger.

You have also started to reach for Momma and Daddy when you see them after they have been gone for a while.  You grin and reach out your arms.  The other night when Daddy came home you reached for him and started to giggle.  It was truly enchanting.

You are also such a social baby and don’t like to be left alone for any reason.  There are just times when we need to set you down for a moment.  You are okay with being in your Jumparoo or on your playmat if we are sitting right next to you, but if we get up and start to walk away you immediately start to cry!  Of course we love being with you, but you do make it a bit hard to get anything done!  

Life is good, little one.  Momma can’t wait to be a little less busy and have more time with you, but I am grateful that Daddy and Granni can care for you while I’m away.

Love you, Ryder- bug.

Momma