Ryan is two months!

Our sweet baby is already two months old (plus two weeks!). :)  Ryan continues to amaze us with his easygoing, mellow personality. Not much fazes him! He spends most of his days happily, whether awake or sleeping.

We’re thankful that Ryan is starting to stretch his nighttime sleep out a little bit. He’ll generally sleep one five hour stretch before returning back to eating every 2.5-3 hours! Unfortunately, that longer stretch usually starts at 8:00 (much before our bedtime!), so Momma is still getting up a few times every night for feedings. At least we’re seeing improvement! :) Ryan is overall a good sleeper. He takes 3 or 4 longer naps each day (if he’s being held or in a moving swing). He sleeps best if he’s swaddled up tightly. Ryan continues to be a good eater. He nurses well, most often with one hand (or both!) clutching his hair. At his two-month check-up, Ryan weighed 15 lb. 6 oz. (97^th percentile) and was 24.75 inches long (92^nd percentile). Considering these stats, it’s not surprising that many size 6-month clothes fit him already!

Ryan’s most fun milestone of the past month was learning to smile! What a treat it is to get huge grins from Ryan, especially right after a feeding or a long nap! :) This month, Ryan also learned to make some fun cooing sounds. He seems to like having “conversations,” and his favorite “word” to say is “ohhh!” Ryan is also more easily able to hold his head up by himself for short periods of time and loves to make eye contact with others.

Ryan continues to get lots of attention from big brother Ian. Ian gives Ryan countless kisses each day and wants to play an active role in caring for Ryan. Ryan also gets plenty of attention when we’re out-and-about. His most-frequently-received compliment is about his pretty/long/curly/abundant hair which looks either like Justin Bieber or the Beatles, depending on who you’re talking to. And, no, we don’t have plans to cut his hair anytime soon. :)

Ryan took his first plane flight this month on a trip to Denver. He was a great traveler!  He also took many shorter “trips” to church, friends’ houses, stores, the library, and around the neighborhood on family walks. We went to a nearby church’s Fourth of July celebration, and Ryan slept through the entire fireworks display.  It’s a blessing that Ryan is agreeable and easily transportable!

Some of Ryan’s favorites seem to be his bouncer (He loves to kick his legs and get the bouncer rocking up and down!), his pacifier, and the Moby Wrap. He also likes bathtime and being outside. He’s still not a huge fan of tummy time. After a few minutes of tolerating having his face up against a blanket, he’ll start crying – but will not make much effort to lift his head up. It’s funny!

We love our two-month-old and can’t wait to continue getting to know him in the months to come! 

 

Here's a video of Ryan "talking." He doesn't really start up until a few seconds into the video, so keep watching ... :)

And, what’s the lastest with big brother? Ian continues to thrive on routine and consistency. Though he still often tests limits to see what he can get away with, Ian is generally obedient and wants to follow the rules. (He also wants everyone else to follow the rules and will happily tell friends that come over what they can and cannot do!)

After a seven-month hiatus from taking naps, he fallen asleep during all but three rest times in the past 2 ½ weeks. It’s one of those puzzling things that makes us scratch our head as parents … but we won’t complain about what a happy, sweet boy he is with the extra sleep! :)

 

Ian’s fascination with having us tell him stories continues. His latest obsession is about “a girl named Sally who is a bad listener __at the pool/Sunday school/outside/you name it__.” Poor Sally makes all the wrong decisions and gets reprimanded by her parents for not listening. Ian loves to come up with stunts that Sally tries to get herself into trouble.

Another unfortunate obsession of the last few weeks is nose picking. Ugh. Little red marks below his nostrils show his fascination with having his finger inside or right near his nose. We’re constantly reminding him to keep his fingers down. His latest techniques include asking us to look the other way or go get him a Kleenex so he can continue his digging around.

Ian continues to love being independent and doing as many things as possible by himself. After eventually liking swimming lessons, he has become much more independent in the water and loves to go to the neighborhood pool with Daddy. Ian also continues to enjoy Sunday school and seems very comfortable with going to the class without Momma or Daddy along. 

The “big brother” role continues to suit Ian well. He has gotten very good at deciphering Ryan’s cries and tuning in to his needs. Ian’s favorite ways to help are unswaddling Ryan after nap time and picking out new clothes for Ryan to wear. He’s also protective of Ryan out in public. While we were in Denver, a little girl around Ian’s age was admiring Ryan. Ian looked at her and said, “He’s MY baby!” Most days Ian seems relatively adjusted to having another person in our family. There are definitely fewer tantrums now than a few weeks ago, though we still have challenging days with lots of tears over seemingly minor issues. After talking with other mothers of three-year-olds, though, this seems to be par for the course.

Trains, sandboxes, outdoor toys, vehicles, and books continue to top Ian’s list of favorite toys. But recently his Little People figures have grown in popularity. He especially loves to have one of the Little People play the part of doctor and have other little people visit. He usually has Momma or Daddy act as Dr. BlueHat, diagnosing the ailments of his peers. Ian’s favorite resolution to any tummy problem is to have the doctor suggest that the little person begin pooping in the potty (instead of in a PullUp). Ian loves to be the one to explain to the patient how to do this properly, although he himself continues to wait until nap or bedtime to poop in his Pull-up. When we talk with him about it, he always suggests a day or time in the future when he’ll begin doing this himself. We’re still waiting … :)

As Ian is able to verbalize more and more, we continue to be amazed at how well a three-year-old can remember events! He’ll often mention places we’ve gone or things we’ve done months prior! His latest interest is figures of speech. He laughs about things we’ll say, like “This hits the spot!” and wants to know what new words and phrases mean. It’s fun to be able to carry out longer and longer conversations with our little man!

We thank God for the blessing of these two wonderful boys!