Happy three-month birthday, Ryan!

Where did this past month go?!? Ryan is now three months old and getting more fun and interactive by the day. His big grins (especially right after a feeding or long nap :)) make our hearts melt. He coos a lot and gets a very serious expression on his face when having a back-and-forth “conversation” with someone. He makes a funny laughing sound, especially when his tummy or neck is tickled.

Now that he’s three months old, Ryan can mainly hold his neck up on his own. He’d much prefer to sit up in someone’s lap or be held upright so that he can see what’s going on. Often when we’re laying him back, he’ll attempt to sit up. He drools a lot and likes to blow spit bubbles, too. Ryan loves putting his fists into his mouth and bringing his hands together.

Ryan continues to be a good sleeper, though he’s awake much more of the day than he was in the first two months of his life. He usually takes his 3-4 naps a day in a moving swing or in someone’s arms. As soon as he starts his tired cry, we’ll swaddle him up, give him a pacifier, and hold him until he falls asleep … almost instantly! J His nighttime sleep is stretching out more and more. He goes to bed at 8:00 and generally wakes up twice – around 2:00 and 5:00 – and then is up for the morning around 7:00. Momma is looking forward to getting an uninterrupted night of sleep in the months to come but is thankful that Ryan is such an efficient nurser. Sometimes the nighttime feeding sessions are only 20 minutes long! During the day, Ryan still is hungry about every three hours.

We’d still definitely describe Ryan as being easygoing, mellow, and just plain “easy.” Though he does have fussy evenings here and there, he’s generally predictable and content. He does have SOME opinions, though. Ryan doesn’t always like being in the car, particularly since he will NOT fall asleep in the car anymore. So, if we’re driving during a typical naptime, he’ll cry until we reach our destination (making for some very LONG-feeling car rides :)). And tummy time is only okay for a short period of time … after that, he’ll let us know he wants to be turned over to his back. :)

The biggest highlight of the month was seeing ALL of our family in Billings, MT – including Ryan and Ian’s new (twin) cousins, Jaden and Cody. Ryan took many naps in the loving arms of aunts, uncles, and grandparents! What a treat!

Ryan enjoys to spend some time each day in his bouncy seat (with his legs kicking!), on a blanket on the floor (with his legs kicking!), and outside.  Most of all, he loves being held … and we love holding and cuddling our little blessing.

Below are some pics taken just before Ryan's three-month "birthday." All photos are courtesy of Tanya Alexandra Photography. (See more pics on her website.)

What about the others in the family?

Matt started school last Wednesday. His faculty is thanking the Lord for a record-high enrollment this year. He has been enjoying getting to know the new faculty members. Earlier this week, he went to the freshman retreat at a nearby camp so he could get acquainted with the new freshmen as well. He especially loved watching the students navigate a challenge course together. Matt (and Kim, too) loved watching all of the Olympics on TV during the past few weeks.

Kim has resumed tutoring for the fall.  It has been fun to get back into this role, although she’s still trying to learn how to juggle everything. She will work with 10 students (grades 4-9) this year, primarily in math. She’ll tutor three hours each night on three nights a week. She and Matt planned in a strategic 30-minute break in between sessions so that Kim and Matt can work together to bathe both boys and put them to bed. So far, Matt has been doing an excellent job of watching both boys while Kim tutors. Kim has gotten braver about taking both boys to playdates during the day – as well as hosting some playdates at our home. Kim has been enjoying reading The Hunger Games trilogy and is looking forward to renting the movie now that it’s out on DVD.

Ian has a newfound interest in puzzles and is getting better about putting them together by himself. Lately, he’s also been enjoying throwing and catching a ball with Daddy or Momma … and he’s getting much better with aiming AND with catching the ball most of the time. Shooting baskets is also fun for Ian … especially if he can “use the backboard”! We can get Ian to do most anything (wash his hands, come to the table, get his shoes on, etc.) by making it a race. Ian loves to ask questions … especially “Why?” questions. We like asking him “why?” questions, too, and crack up at some of his complicated explanations. Sometimes he’s right on. “I think the acorns on the street are squished because the garbage truck has strong wheels and they ran over the acorns and squished them.” Sometimes he’s way off. “The pick-up truck has those red lines on the back because a train went through the water in the gully and the water was red and it splashed up onto the back of the truck.” He still absolutely adores Ryan. One day, while Kim and Ian were reading a story about two friends, Kim asked Ian who one of HIS good friends was. Without hesitation, Ian said, “One of my good friends is Ryan.” So stinkin’ cute!