Ryan: Month 4

Ryan month 4 - what a treat!  I think I sense a theme here - every new age of his is my new favorite age.  It is so fun to watch him grow and learn and become more aware of the world around him.  A few highlights for the month:

• We took Ryan into the pool at home for the first time all summer and he had a blast!  Splashing and kicking his feet and just generally enjoying moving around in the water.  He liked it so much that we decided to sign him up for a swim class so he would be more comfortable with things like getting his face wet.  He was a baby champ in his class - never crying and just going with the flow whether he was practicing floating on his back or doing tummy time on a raft.  We ended up dropping the swim school since it was far away and too close to his bedtime, but now we know what to work on with him in our home pool besides blowing bubbles and making him laugh :)

• Speaking of blowing bubbles, his trick of the month became blowing "raspberries" with his mouth.  He would stick his little tongue out and thought the noise it made was hilarious.  His extreme drooling picked up this month, so between that and the raspberries, we were going through burp cloths pretty quickly.
• This month was the dreaded month when I had to return to work after my maternity leave.  Fortunately for us, it coincided with my sister Kim getting off work for summer break.  So she packed up her bags and moved on over to our side of town to watch Ryan in the mornings while I was in the office.  It was wonderful - I never had to worry a bit about whether or not he was safe or loved, which made my days at work a lot easier and more productive.  Plus I think it was great for him to form a strong bond with his Auntie and learn that people other than Mom are capable of caring for him.  Kim came up with fun games and silly songs that Ryan just loved, and taught me a lot of tricks for calming him.  After 8 glorious weeks, she had to go back to her real job and real life, but I am forever grateful for the time she spent watching him and loving him like he was her own.

• In the vocalizing department, Ryan took it upon himself to start growling like a wild animal when he wanted some attention.  Matt thought it sounded like a mix of an angry badger and a Tazmanian devil.  Funny, funny!

• And in the milestone department, he found his toes in month 4.  Now at every chance he has, he grabs his feet and holds onto them or sticks them in his mouth.  When he wears his pajamas with monkeys on the feet, he likes to play with them too.

Playing with the handsome baby in the mirror

Ryan: Month Three

Our 3rd month with Ryan proved to be a great one in many ways.  He started becoming less of a newborn and more of a baby in that he began interacting more with us and with the world around him.  Some of our highlights for the month:

• Cuteness overload: Ryan began sticking out tongue at us!  This ended up being a short-lived phase but it was a hilarious one.  Matt or I would start the game by sticking out our tongues and smiling and making a big production of it.  And Ryan caught on quickly and started to stick his out to elicit laughs from us.  Glad we got pictures of this one!

• This month was the first time he was able to grasp and shake his toys.  I still had to help physically guide the toy to his hand, but once there he could keep a hold of it and rattle it around a bit.  The first step towards amusing himself!
• Watching TV.  Oh boy.  One day, he suddenly became aware of and fascinated by the television.  We thought it was cute, the way he was zoning out like a little zombie to it, so we let him watch a few minutes of The Simpsons with us.  BIG mistake!  It wound him up so badly that he refused to sleep that night at all.  From then on, TV is limited to quick glances when we are trying to get him to stop crying and we've exhausted all other methods.  He just needs a couple of seconds of watching before he forgets why he was worked up to begin with, and we can all move on with our day! 
• Last month was the development of smiles and THIS month brought the start of Ryan's sweet baby laughs.  He is ticklish around his arms and giggles when we try to change him out of his outfits, but cuter still is that he laughs at belly kisses.  That will never get old for me and Matt - we just take turns smooching his stomach or neck and making funny chomping noises that are big hits with the baby.  His laugh is so sweet and so sincere.  It is wonderful to find new ways to delight him so we can hear those giggles as often as possible.
• In a nice change from waking up crying, now Ryan wakes up in the mornings with a big ol' smile on his face.  The morning really is the best time of day for him.  He is happy to see us and start the day playing and interacting.  It has made Matt and me (typically not morning people) look forward to waking up so much more.

• And in a fun developmental milestone, Ryan began propping himself up on his forearms during tummy time.  He seems to like that time so much better now that his face isn't mashed into the floor :) This puts us one tiny step closer to a mobile baby, which is exciting and terrifying at the same time.  Let the baby-proofing begin!

That's it for month 3 - I already have notes for 4 in the books, so stay tuned...