The Facts on Ryder

There are so many little details I want to remember about Ryder right now. And since I pretty much stopped writing in the kids' baby book the day I began blogging, I'm going to have to record it all here. So here's a little list:

-Sometimes after Ryder sneezes, he'll make this funny, slightly forceful "uhhh!" noise. Like he just had a little bit of a leftover sneeze or something. I don't get it, but it makes me laugh.

-His neck is a little stiff on one side, so he gets to do physical therapy! Apparently we're lucky the doctor spotted it right away, because lots of babies with this condition have to wear little helmets so their heads don't end up misshapen. Ryder's head seems just fine to me so far, though... The physical therapy involves stretching his head from side to side and then tipping his ear towards his shoulder. Nothing too strenuous, but trying to find the time to do it has forced me to notice just how busy I am all day long.

-The fastest way to make him smile is to clap his hands together and say, "Rah, rah, rah..." and then lift them above his head and shout, "... Ryder!" Works every time.

-I've finally trained Bentley to only kiss his feet, and not his face or anywhere else. Thanks to our pediatrician for that idea. Bentley wants to look at Ryder all the time, he loves him so much. Kendra occasionally wants to look at Ryder and tell me how cute he is.

-His hair is gradually growing longer and now you can see it most of the time. Unless the lighting is really bad. It's still über-blonde. I call him my Blondie Bear, which is a reference to Buffy for all you fans out there. (Bonus points if you can name the episode or who calls who that!)

-He absolutely loves watching his mobile. When I read him a story before bedtime, his eyes invariably wander to the mobile dangling over his crib, which he stares at longingly until I finish with story time. Then, when I wind it up, he'll be completely enthralled and talk to the animals even after the music has run out.

-He's a great sleeper. He usually wakes up one time during the night, but there are times when he'll wake up twice or sleep through the night, so I never really know what to expect. He always goes right back to sleep as soon as he's done nursing, though, so that's lovely.

-When he does get up in the night, as I carry him to bed to feed him, he invariably will try to nibble on my shoulder and then get more and more upset, making little R2D2-esque squeals of frustration, as he fails to find food there.

-Sometimes when he's starting to get upset, but hasn't worked himself up to actually crying yet, his yowling will begin to sound like an angry cat. It makes me laugh.

-Recently after he finishes his (ahem) first course, rather than move on to the second, he'll just lay there and smile at me. It's one of those things that manages to be so sweet, but kind of annoying, too, since I'd usually like to just be done feeding him! Oh, well. I have to take whatever loving I can get.

-His baby blessing will be on March 13th. Come if you can!