Ryder is nine months.

This blog has basically turned into a monthly Ryder update. Such is life with two kids I guess. This has taken a real backseat to everything else we have going on and all the sharing via social media makes me feel ok with that. But I do want to remember all the things that Ryder is learning and doing. So here we are...

At nine months:

- Ryder is __ and __

- He is one drooly baby. He's currently cutting his top middle teeth, one of them has broken the surface and the second one is right behind. He's still pleasant as pie.

- He loves to shake his head no no no and will do it on command.

- Ryder learned how to play peek-a-boo on his own and laughs so hard. 

- He will dive bomb out of your hands when he sets his eyes on something he wants. He also will try to scoot towards things on his bum but isn't quite there yet so he usually ends up face planting. Poor kid.

- Ryder is much more interesting in standing and walking than he is crawling. He loves to stand up and hold your fingers to walk. I still don't know how those tiny feet will ever hold up his big ole noggin. He's a bit top heavy.

- Ryder loves to clap his hands. He especially loves it when you say yay and good job when he's clapping his hands. If you don't he will say yay for you.

- He loves to point. His stubby little finger will point to exactly what he wants. He's also been known to demand food by banging his hand on his tray, pointing as his food, and then putting his finger in his mouth. He's one smart cookie.

- Speaking of food I started puree'ing his food myself and he loves it. His favorites seem to be anything with blueberries and anything with peaches. He also love ritz crackers.

- The only words he seems to use consistently and to get our attention is "mum" and "da" but he will look for Caiden if we say brother and he knows who Nixon is if we say dog.

- He's taken a liking balls and cars. Those are his favorite things to get his grabby hands on. He thinks everything belongs to him though and will not hesitate to grab whatever Caiden's playing with away. How do you teach sharing to a 9 month old? It riles Caiden's feathers which I think Ryder also likes. He's kind of a stinker.

- Ryder has mastered putting his arms out for people that he wants to hold him (i.e. me) and denying people he doesn't want by turning his body into me. 

- We had a little rough patch as far as sleeping goes for about 2 weeks while we were visiting my family in CT. It was torture. But we are back on track.

- Ryder got to see snow for the first time while we were in CT. He didn't seem to thrilled by it. 

Ryder is six months.

- at 6 months Ryder weighs 14lbs (<3%), is 24.3in tall (<3%) and his head is in the 89th percentile. Tiny body big ole noggin. He wears 6-12 month hats, 3-6 or 6 month shirts, 0-3 month pants and still won't fit in newborn shoes. He is my reverse triangle and I seriously find it so endearing.

- Ryder took his first trip to Disney World! He was a tad underwhelmed. He did enjoy all the lights and sounds though. He met Mickey Mouse and tried to chew on his nose.

- celebrated his first Halloween as Aquaman. It was a pretty chilly night. His little hands were popsicles but he never cried, never let it show. But once we got him wrapped in a blanket he was happy as a clam.

- took his 3rd trip to CT this month.

- Ryder is obsessed with his toes. He discovered them and hasn't left them alone since. 

- this kid is now a pro sitter. He can hold himself up for minutes at a time and catch himself when he starts to go down. I'm not sure I'd leave him completely unattended just yet, but he's got it down.

- he has 1 tooth (bottom left) fully popped up and is working on the bottom right tooth.

- Ryder loves to read books. He loves to hold them and touch all the pictures. 

- he is still a huge fan of Mozart. His symphonies totally soothe Ryder. But we've also found a new favorite song: Stay With Me covered by Madison Beer. He only likes her cover but he doesn't like her other songs. He will literally stop crying dead in his tracks as soon as he hears that song. It's magic.

- Ryder loves to stick out his tongue (and it is so pointy, it's hilarious) and will blow bubbles all day long.

- his newest sounds replicate a semi truck horn. It cracks us up.

- this kid loves toys. He loves to hold them, chew on them, squawk at them, and throw them.

- Ryder still sleeps so great. He takes a morning nap for 2 hours and an afternoon nap for 2 hours. He sleeps for 12 hours at night waking up once, sometimes twice to eat. He always wakes up around 6 to eat and goes back to sleep until 8, 8:30. If he wakes up a second time it always differs. 

- Ryder and Caiden are best buddies and it warms my heart in a way that I never imagined possible. They cannot get enough of one another. 

- he pet a horse for the first time and has taken a real interest in Nixon lately. He loves to feel his fur and when Nixon kisses him (I do not like the latter of the two, it grosses me out). 

Ryder is still the happiest baby with the biggest brown eyes I have ever met. He is so laid back and relaxed and just makes me feel so blessed.

 (This is Caiden when he wants to hold his brother, which is constantly. I love it. I needed to record it.)

Ryder is five months.

I could just melt into those chocolate eyes. And I do... every time he looks at me, especially when he's smiling, which is basically always. This boy is golden.

- He started sitting up on his own. His personal record is 28 seconds. He's still a smidge wobbly though.
- Ryder has started teething his bottom front teeth. I seriously never would have known if it weren't for the excessive drool and his need to constantly chew on any and everything. His gums aren't swollen, he isn't fussy or clingy. It's amazing. He's just his happy, cheerful self. His left tooth has already poked it's way up and the right tooth is still playing the up/down game.
- awwwww sweet sleep. He has transformed into this incredibly reliable sleeper. I can lay him in his bed wide awake and he'll put himself to sleep. We're all happy and well rested!
- took his first trip to Disney World and actually loved the characters. He tried to eat Micky Mouse's nose. He went on lots of rides and was in awe. He even did well on the road trip there and back which is amazing considering how much he loathes being in the car.
- still loves his baths and his butterfly.
- he loves to take fist full's of my hair and suck on it. It's pretty gross.
- he started seeing a chiropractor a few months ago and we are happy to report that he is off his reflux medication completely and is doing so great! It's also really helped with his gas. I've started to gradually work some dairy back into my diet and he seems to be doing just fine.
- sucked on a pretzel and loved the salt. He also loves to drink water out of a straw.
- Ryder has been desperately trying to roll from his back to his belly but that big ole noggin has been giving him some trouble completing the turn. I usually have to lift it up for him. But it has aided him in totally mastering rolling from his belly to his back.
- he is the pivot king. He can get from one side of the rug to the other without me even realizing that he's moving. It's time to start really paying close attention!
- he is still seriously just the most easy going, chill, happy baby. Such a blessing!
- this kid took another trip to Connecticut and was a champ on the airplane. He got to meet his cousin and future bestie Allison. They are only 3 months apart.
- Ryder loves classical music. I'm talking Hayden, Bach, Boccherini, Beethoven, and his personal favorite: Mozart. Symphony No. 40 in Gminor will get him to calm down and stop crying every time, without fail.

Ryder is four months.

I can't believe this happy boy is 4 months old. This is such a mom cliche, but where has the time gone? Boy oh boy are we lucky to have him.

This month:
- Weighs 11lbs 12 oz, just a few oz shy of doubling his birth weight. He's 24.8" long. He's growing growing, but still so tiny. His noggin seems to be growing at a rapid rate but we love that big ole head of his.
- we started sleep training and this boy picked up real fast. He now naps 4 hours a day and sleeps 12-13 hours at night waking up once, sometimes twice, to eat. His regular schedule is wake up at 8, 8:30. Stay away for 2 hours, nap from 10:30-12:30. Be awake for 2 hours, sleep from 2:30-4:30, 5ish. He often will take a longer second nap. Then he goes to bed around 8. He wakes up around 5:30, 6 to eat and goes back to sleep until his morning wake up time.
- he is still nursing on demand and with a regular schedule I do not mind feeding him whenever he's hungry.
- Ryder has started to develop the cutest, happiest personality. I seriously hardly see him with any face other than a smile. It's amazing. He's so easy going and happy.
- this kid loves his play mat. He can lay on it for 30-60 minutes without getting upset. No one even needs to be near him. He will just happy squawk at his toys and smack them around. This has made dinner preparation so easy.
- loves the baby bjorn and his baby wrap. He loves to be snuggled close to my heart.
- took his first plane ride and trip to Connecticut and did swimmingly. Not that it's much of a surprise but he was happy the whole time.
- the one time you will see this kid upset is when you get him in the car. I do not know what it is about my kids but they hate driving.
- is starting to like tummy time a little more.
- had his first babysitter, did great. Mommy was anxious but he did just fine.
- Ryder loves his big brother. He laughs at everything Caiden does.
- his favorite toy is his butterfly.
- this kid loves his bath time. He will get in there and just kick and flail his arms.

He is seriously such a joy. I just melt into those big, chocolate eyes every time I see him. He has changed our family for the better and we feel so blessed to have him.

Ryder is three months.

It's hard to believe another month has passed. This boy just keeps getting cuter and cuter. Here's what he's been up to:

- gained another pound and grew another inch, I checked his stats a little over a week ago. He weighed roughly 10lbs (it's hard to weigh him on our scale at home) and was about 22.5in long. This kid is the tortoise of growing, slow and steady.

- started rolling from belly to back. This one surprised us. He's still not consistently doing it but he does not like to be on his belly so as soon as you put him down for tummy time he starts trying to roll.

- his hair is growing back in! Ahhh I'm so relieved about this. I did not have much hair until I was about 2, and then I had a mullet. Ryder looks so much like me as a baby I thought he was going to have the same fate, but it's growing back in! (thank you coconut and lavender oils)

- Ryder is the smiliest boy I've ever seen. He loves to smile. If he can catch your eye he smiles. If you kiss him he smiles. If you touch his belly he smiles. If you hold his hand, he smiles. 

- Caiden is the only one that has gotten him to belly laugh. He's done it twice and we were all mesmerized by the sound.

- speaking of laughter, he is definitely ticklish on his belly and sides. If you start to tickle him he grunts and smiles. He also loves it when you rub your nose side to side on his belly and give him belly kisses. 

- when you start kissing on his cheeks he turns his head and gives you a big, wet, open mouth kiss. He even tries to slip you a little tongue action from time to time. 

- he has the worlds tiniest feet. Newborn shoes are still incredibly big for him. He's still wearing newborn shorts/pants but he graduated from newborn diapers to size 1 and newborn shirts to 0-3 months. Tiniest peanut on the block.

- if he is awake his eyes are wide open. He is just soaking in the world. And he's awake a lot.

- his sleep has been sporadic this month. I tried taking him off his medication for acid reflux for a few weeks and it did not go so well. He was waking up every 2 hours to eat all night long and was having the hardest time napping. I put him back on the meds this week and his sleeping has improved. Currently sleep pattern: goes to bed at 7, 7:30, sleeps for 8 hours; wakes up and eats, sleeps for another 3 hours; wakes up and eats, sleeps for another 1-2 hours depending on how quiet Caiden is. He usually takes a morning nap for about 1.5 hours but wakes up half way through to eat and takes an afternoon nap for about 2-3 hours waking up once or twice to eat. 

- this child must have my dad's metabolism. He eats constantly and my milk is very creamy. I have no idea how he is not the michelin tire man by now. Lucky boy, I always wanted that Greer metabolism.

- he discovered his tongue and his feet this month. He loves to stick his tongue out at me and tries to mimic the faces you make at him. He holds on to his toes and just smiles.

- this boy loves loves loves bath time and swimming at the pool. He loves to kick and splash around in the water.

- he loves his play mat and his butterfly toy. He loves to hold on to things. There's a turtle on his play mat that's tummy lights up if you touch the turtle and it plays a little song. He adores it. He also love the octopus on the play mat. His butterfly toy makes that wrapper crinkle sound when you touch it and he loves that. 

I had to include these last pictures with Caiden because that big brother cannot get enough of his baby. He constantly needs to be touching and kissing him. The affection is definitely not one sided either, Ryder loves his big brother. His eyes just light up when Caiden gives him his undivided attention. It makes me love the both so much more. 

Blueberry Picking.

At the beginning for summer we sat down for an FHE and planned out our summer bucket list. A few weeks ago we realized we hadn't checked a single thing off. That's not to say we hadn't had any fun together because we most definitely have, but just not anything off our list. But we decided to remedy that. First on the list: peach picking. We had so much fun last year we wanted to do it again. Unfortunately we went too late in the season and the place told us we could only pick blueberries and blackberries. So we rallied our young migrant workers and picked some blueberries. I ate all the Heidorn pickings, by myself, in one week. They were that good. We had so much fun with the Edelman's. Caiden and Avery are the cutest little friends. You are looking at the next Mr. and Mrs. Heidorn circa 2034.

Ryder is two months.

A little bit about Ryder William in his second month of life...

- has silent reflux that transformed my sweet baby into a bit of a monster. We tried a whole slew of natural solutions before the pediatrician told us we should really start him on some meds so that his esophageal lining doesn't get damaged. Within 24 hours I had my sweet and smiley baby back. He still spits up but he isn't in pain. 

- at his 2 month appointment today he weighed 9lbs 2oz and is 21.5in long. He's in the 3% and 5% respectively and his noggin is 40cm in the 50%. Average size head on a tiny body I suppose. 

- still in newborn clothes and diapers. 

- because of the medication he's on and because he's feeling better this child is hungry all the time! I went from getting up twice at night to getting up every 2 hours. I'll take it, he's growing and he's happy! Hopefully the need to eat constantly will taper down a bit soon.

- his naps are still pretty sporadic but I think I've figured out a few trends. If he "sleeps in" until 7am he'll be up for an hour or two and then go down for a two hour nap. If he gets up at 6am he'll come eat and snuggle with me in bed (because I'm not ready to get up) and he'll usually sleep until 9am if I'm near him. He's a snuggle bug and I love it! He almost always has the same afternoon nap, from about 2-5pm but wakes up to eat half way through.

- this boy loves to be held. He would sleep all day if I would hold him. He loves skin to skin contact and he loves eye contact. He will make the sweetest noises to get your attention and once he has he just starts smiling like crazy.

- his little baby noises resemble actual words. His favorite noises are "hi" and "yeah" and when he's hungry he says "mum" I swear sometimes he is actually talking to me. Caiden loves it.

- his big brother definitely smothers him with love, to the point where I have to intervene sometimes. 

- Ryder celebrated his first 4th of July and he was pretty indifferent about it. Miles was out of town the whole week leading up to the 4th and the rest of the weekend so we were pretty low-key. No fireworks, but we did have sparklers. He didn't seem to care either way about them. 

-  he still loves to be on the move. If I can't get him down for a morning nap I either get him in the stroller or in my wrap and we go for walks. He always falls asleep. I love that I can get him to go to sleep pretty much anywhere, it's a nice change from Caiden who would only sleep in his bed.

- Ryder was blessed in church this month. We started going to church for the full 3 hour block around 5 weeks. He started out going to Young Women's. It lasted one week. After being sweetly mauled and passed around by all the girls he started going to Priesthood every week. 

- HIS HAIR STARTED GROWING BACK IN! In his first month of life he started losing the hair on top of his head. I was kind of devastated. He looked like a little old man. But it has started growing back in already. 

- we sure love this smiley, handsome boy. His big beautiful eyes light up when he sees us and it makes my heart just swell.