5 Months!

Ryan will be 5 months old tomorrow! We really can't believe how fast the time is going by! Ryan is taking his 10:00 am morning nap, and I am sadly packing up some of his clothes that don't fit and washing his 6 month outfits. It's always so sad to do that, but then he gets to wear all his new clothes, so that's exciting!

I feel like so many changes have taken place in the 4-5 month timeframe. He now rolls over from tummy to back and back again.... non stop! Changing his diaper is a task and a half because he tries to roll onto his tummy the second I lay him down. I have poop on my arm about twice a day! We had to stop swaddling him at night for bed because he rolls over and likes to sleep on his tummy now. That was a few nights of no sleep in this house. It took him a while to get used to not being wrapped up like a little mummy. He still wakes up a few times in the night to eat, that can end ANYTIME now :) I like to think he just misses his mommy and wakes up and cries for me.

Rice cereal didn't agree with his little tummy, so we switched to oatmeal. He likes it better and it doesn't bother his tummy, so that was a good swap. I don't give it to him everyday, since right now it's really just for practice anyway. Once he is 6 months we will try new things, but for now, it's pretty much just milk for this little guy.

Ryan is starting to notice Penny sooo much more now! He loves dogs and anytime we go to someone's house who has a dog, he is just fascinated by it. Joe bought him a dog piggy bank for Christmas (Ryan was still in my belly, but it was for his room) and the other night I was holding him and he was just smiling at something. I look over and he was smiling at the dog bank!!! It was hilarious. He was smiling and smirking at it like "I found you...." He has such a little personality.

I didn't think it would happen this quickly, but our little baby is getting his 2 bottom teeth. It's hard to see them because he doesn't want me in his mouth, but I can feel them and see 2 tiny slits when he does let me in. I don't think they will make their appearance for a while yet, but they sure do hurt him sometimes. Last night the poor little guy was up half the night crying because he was in pain. Thankfully teething tablets, baby orajel and baby tylenol help a bit. Mostly he just needs snuggles from mommy and daddy and he feels a little better.

He loves to stand now. Sometimes he will cry laying on the ground, I hold his hands and let him stand and he grins from ear to ear. He is so proud of all of his new skills. All he wants to do is roll around, scoot in circles and stand up. He even puts one foot in front of the other like he wants to walk. He's a little maniac! He wants to crawl so badly.... I hope he holds off for a while. He can get his knees underneath him, but then he doesn't know what to do, so he just scoots a little bit. It's pretty entertaining.

Ryan is getting another cousin!!!

MORE babies!!! My brother Robert and his wife Jen are expecting their first baby on March 29th! Our family couldn't be more thrilled about it! They are so good with Ryan, I can't wait to see them with their own baby. They will make amazing parents and we are so excited to meet this new little one :)

4 Months Old!

Ryan is 4 months old already! 4 Months!!! He is now 13 lbs 9 ozs and 25 inches long. How does the time go by so fast, I just can't even believe it! This boy is getting so big! Everyday I feel like he is learning something new and discovering new things, it's really exciting to watch. He still loves the bathtub, but now he splashes around like crazy. We are so glad he loves baths otherwise we would be in trouble because this kid drools SO much! I don't feel any teeth coming in yet, so I guess this will continue for a while!

We took him and his cousin Jackson to the pool for the first time and they both LOVED it! We thought we would be there for maybe 15 minutes and then have to leave due to crying babies, but we were there from like 10-2! Ryan was kicking his little legs like he just knew how to swim, it was adorable! I just can't get enough of him, I want to take him swimming everyday!

He had his 4 month appointment yesterday and got his second round of shots. It's so painful to see him cry as they prick his little legs :( But when we got him home, I cuddled with him for a while and then let him try eating cereal for the first time. He loved the cereal so much he didn't even feel me peeling off his band-aids! I was planning to wait until he was 6 months, but the pediatrician recommended trying in order to get him used to different textures, using a spoon and also to gain muscle control of his tongue that will be needed for talking. I thought the first time we tried he would push the spoon out of his mouth. Nope, not my Ryan. He opened his mouth wide and ate it right away. Then watched my hand like "where is it? I want more!" Needless to say, he finished the bowl and wanted more!

He loves to stand (with my help of course :)) and look at himself in the mirror, he just stares and smiles. He sits up by himself, he's such a big boy! And he just got a new jumper from grandma and grandpa Nelson and he has been spending a lot of time in it. I could watch him jump for hours! He has never loved a toy this much, its so cute!

And now, the best part of the blog... pictures! LOVE this boy!

Where is that spoon?? Give me more!
First time eating cereal
Family dinner at Grandma and Papa Derus's

First time at the pool :)


"I can sit all by myself!"
At Sara and Bill's Wedding. So cute in a suit!


Long day at the zoo

3 Months Old!!

I'm in awe of how quickly time flies by! Ryan is already 3 months old! About a year ago, I had just found out I was pregnant and now I get to cuddle with my little boy every day! What a difference a year can make.

Ryan is growing so fast and changing so much. I love when he wakes up in the morning and I go in his room to get him. I unswaddle him and he stretches so big like he is rediscovering all his limbs, then he looks at me and smiles as big as he can. It's the best!

He loves playing on his playmat, its the first thing he plays with in the morning. He can grab the toys now, pull on them and put them in his mouth. The toy has a mirror on it and when he spots himself he smiles, its really cute! He lies on his back and scoots himself either up or down. He just loves kicking his little legs.

His tummy time must be paying off, he can now lift his head to about 90 degrees. He's getting really strong. Usually he is lazy during tummy time and he just tries to eat the blanket he is lying on, but when he is lying on his tummy on my chest, he lifts his head all the way up to look at my face.

He is laughing and cooing and he smiles back at you if you smile at him. He loves to be sung to and loves when his daddy reads to him at night.

This boy has so much energy, he's a little mini Joe. Joe and I both agree that we are really in for it when he starts to walk. Actually, I think he will skip crawling and walking all together and just start running! We will see!

I'm a Stay at Home Mom!!!

After weeks and weeks of the dreaded first day of work... Joe and I decided that I was not going to go back. It was a really hard decision and will definitely take a lot of sacrifice on both ends, but we are totally willing to do whatever it takes. The thought of leaving him was awful! I feel so blessed to be able to stay home every day with my sweet boy! He gets bigger everyday and is doing new things every time I turn around. He smiles and coos all the time, its the most adorable thing I have ever seen!

I packed up all of his newborn outfits that no longer fit him. Then shortly after I packed them up, I took them all back out and put them back in Ryan's closet. If thats not denial that this boy is getting bigger, I don't know what is! I know, I am insane! My favorite outfit of his no longer fits, so what do I do? I go to Macy's and I buy it in the 3 month size... and 6 month. Yup, crazy.

I can honestly say that I have never been happier in my whole life. God's blessings are just surrounding me each day and I couldn't be more thankful!

Father's Day!

On day 2 of our family vacation, Joe walked out on the pier and Ryan was wearing a Cub's onesie. He commented on how cute he looked, which I knew he would. I then said, "well I wanted to make sure his outfit fit him for the Cub's game on Saturday". Joe was so excited to take Ryan to his very first game.

On Saturday morning, Joe woke up excited at about 5:00 am and started packing to leave Wisconsin and head straight to Wrigley Field.

It was a lot of fun to have Ryan there with us. He looked adorable! Slept through a lot of the game, but I think he enjoyed the rest :)

On Sunday, actual Father's day, we just relaxed and hung out at home enjoying time together. We spent a lot of time just playing with Ryan and enjoying the sunshine!

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This is Joe now with a chance to contribute to this wonderful baby boy's blog.......

Well.....it's Fathers Day and it has been way too long since my last contribution (as Teresa so eloquently reminds me :)

Teresa gave me the BEST Fathers Day gift ever! A true moment that I will cherish forever......

My time with Ryan at Wrigley Field, a place where I grew up idolizing a childhood dream, was just incredible. It didn't matter at all that the Cubs got absolutely dominated (12-0)!! All that mattered was that my son was enjoying his very first ball game with his Dad.

As far as our week on vacation........I had such a good time. It was great to spend time with all of Teresa's family and of course my amazing wife, but I must say that the highlights of my trip were the countless hours that I got to spend with my little baby boy. I truly feel like I just got to know him. He was smiling all the time and definitely wanted to laugh, we could just sense it!

Any time someone else was holding him and I started talking, Ryan immediately turned his head trying to locate my whereabouts. It is so cool to know how much he loves me......if he only knew just how much MORE I love him.

Just like the very last line in his favorite book, "Guess How Much I Love You" says (which I read to him every night at bed time)........"I love you to the moon and back"

Ryan's 1st Vacation!

We just returned from a vacation on Power's Lake with my family. It was so enjoyable for me Joe and Ryan to spend a whole week with my family. It was nice to have so much help with Ryan and for Joe and I to sit out on the pier and enjoy an afternoon without crying or diaper changes :) It was such a perfect week! Ryan seemed to develop more and more each day. We are SOOOO close to a giggle out of this boy, I can just feel it! Joe works long hours so it was wonderful to watch them interact and play all week.

Ryan loved watching all the tall trees outside and taking long walks around the lake. I wish we were still there! Partially because I miss waking up with my whole family each day and partially because my parents bought out Costco and I loved eating like a pig and making cookies everyday (sometimes BY THE BOOK with Richard and sometimes just throwing it all in with Robert, then making Jen stir :))

Ryan misses fishing with Grandpa, pooping on Auntie Jen, playing pattycake with Grandma, walking with Uncle Richard, being quiet with Uncle Robert, and of course loves everything with mommy and daddy :)