Five Weeks

Ryder, Addisen and Brody welcomed Aunt Chrissy and Nanny this week.  Addisen was the only one that was able to go to the airport to get them.  It only took her a few minutes to warm right up to them - Aunt Chrissy became one of her favorite people!

Ryder tried out the playmat for the first time this week.  Addisen was excited to have her baby share it with him!  He seems to enjoy Toucan Sam just as much as the other two kids did.

While Aunt Chrissy and Nanny were here there was a lot of game play (you can tell Aunt Chrissy is pretty serious about winning!). 

The kids really loved all the time they got to spend with Aunt Chrissy and Nanny.  It seems like their time here went by so quickly - but they had to go on to meet Ryder's newest cousin Kylie (born 8 days before him).  The kids were sad to see them go - but luckily we can send videos and FaceTime with each other.

We tried for some good pictures before they left...and then settled on doing some goofy ones!

 

On their last day Ryder fnally had his eyes open for more than a few minutes.  He seemed to sleep a lot while they were here (but not too much during the nights!).


 

Addisen was excited to help Nanny take care of Ryder.

 

 While Nanny was here she celebrated her 50th Wedding Anniversary with Poppy.  We were sad that Poppy wasn't able to come and visit, but Jim took Nanny and Aunt Chrissy out to a nice dinner on Saturday to celebrate.

Ryder seems to have gotten into a routine now.  We are up in the morning around 6:30am and then he naps on and off during the day.  He still eats about every 2 hours and then around 7pm he decides to wake up for a few hours - and he isn't very happy about it!  He keeps us busy entertaining him until around 10-10:30pm and then we go upstairs to get him into bed.  On the good nights he makes it about 3 hours after the night feeding, and then we are up every 2 hours.  Hopefully the stretches of sleeping get a little longer during the next few weeks! 

Brody and Addisen were home with me today because of a snowstorm - so once again I didn't make it in to get Ryder weighed.  I am hoping to make it there tomorrow - I am sure he is over 10lbs now!

Next week we will be without daddy for the first time since Ryder was born.  I am so thankful that my mom has a break from school at the same time, so she is going to come and stay with us Monday - Wednesday.  I just hope I can make it through the nights by myself!

Four Weeks Old

Four Weeks - I cannot believe it.  This little guy has changed our lives so much...and we wouldn't ever want it to be different!  This week opened my eyes up to what life is going to be like with three kids!

This weekend we traveled to Charlotte so Ryder could meet my friend from high school, Barb and her family.  They spoiled him with gifts - Barb's mom made the blanket Ryder is laying on in these photos, and this is just one of the many outfits that they gave him.

Ryder is starting to change from a "newborn" to an infant - I was going to head in and weigh him today, but timing just didn't work out.  He has changed so much in such a short amount of time.  When he was born I didn't think he was going to have the cheeks like Addisen - but they are here now!

Brody had Monday and Tuesday off of school this week and Addisen's daycare was closed on Monday, so we were all home for four days straight!  I have even more admiration for all those stay at home moms of multiple kids - it is hard to juggle all of their needs!  Today Brody is back in school and Addisen is home with me - I decided to keep her home all week since Nanny and Aunt Chrissy are coming tomorrow.  I do have to say I think it is easier to have everyone home - Brody really is helpful. 

I wanted to get Ryder's one month pictures done today since we would be busy on Saturday - Addisen was insistent on being "helpful".  At the time she was making me so nervous jumping around Ryder, but thankfully she did because she made some of the best pictures!

Jim had a dinner meeting on Monday night, so it was my first glimpse at taking care of the three kids while he travels.  Luckily, he got Addisen in bed before he left.  Brody ended up in bed about a half hour late because Ryder decided he needed to eat (Brody was excited about this).  When we finally made it to Brody's room Ryder decided that he wanted to scream while I tried to read Brody's books - it was the fastest 3 chapters Brody has ever heard!  I thought I was in the clear, but then Brody came to the stairs to say he had to go to the bathroom, so I headed up to help him and he said to me "Mom, you care more about Ryder than me now" - my heart about broke!  I said "No, buddy I care about you too - why do you say that", he said "because he can't walk".  That made me feel a little better thinking that he really didn't mean what it sounded like...but it still makes me worry that one of them will feel that way one day.  It has been a hard transition for me - as I am still nursing Ryder, I really am with him the most and tending to him the most.  I am sleep deprived because of night feedings and always on a 2 hour feeding cycle - I am missing out on some things with the other two - I'm trying to keep things in perspective and realize this is only for a few months...but it still makes me worry they feel like they come in 2nd.

Last night was Brody's last soccer class.  We were brave enough to go as a family to watch!  It actually went much better than we expected - Jim and I were a little worried when Addisen started chanting "Addisen play soccer" on the way there.  To our surprise she actually listened to us pretty well and stayed on the sidelines for most of the game.  Brody did AMAZING!  I have never seen him so confident in playing a sport - he ran back and forth and showed no fear!  We were so proud of him for listening to the coaches and not being so shy.

Another one of my favorite photos of the day - Addisen really loves her little brother!

 

Looking back at Addisen's pictures - I think Ryder is going to look a lot more like her than Brody.

 

He still has his wrinkles!

 

Love those little hands - they won't be this small for long - I gotta hold on to these moments!

 

Three Weeks Old

In some ways I can't believe Ryder is three weeks old already, but in other ways it seems that he has been part of our family for a lot longer.  Addisen and Brody are still in love with him and he receives a lot of kisses and pats on the head each morning and night.

Our sleeping pattern has worsened in the last week.  Just like you forget the pain of labor, I think you must forget the sleepless nights - otherwise you wouldn't sign up to do it again!  While I know that it only lasts a few months - the nights seem to last FOREVER!  We were up every hour last night - Ryder is lucky he is so cute!

Our little man is continuing to grow.  His little cheeks are starting to fill out and he is starting to look less and less like a newborn.  He is awake for a few hours a day, but still likes to take quite a few naps during the day.  The amount of time we spend together on the couch is getting to be less as he is realizing there are more comfortable places to sleep.

We are looking forward to a visit by Nanny (Jim's mom) and Aunt Chrissy next week!  It will be great to see them - I can't believe it has been a year!  I know the kids will really enjoy having them here and showing off their new little brother.

Last weekend we went out for our first real family adventure.  On Saturday the weather was pretty nice and the sun was out, so we decided to venture out to the Ice Festival in Rockford.  It was nice for me to get out of the house and see some adult faces and get a little fresh air.  Ryder slept the whole time while Brody and Addisen enjoyed walking around town and looking at the ice sculptures.  Jim and I were just talking about how we hadn't been out to eat in weeks -I think it will be awhile before we venture out to a dinner with the three kids!  I guess one bonus is that we are saving money!

Two Weeks

This week we celebrated Ryder's due date with a little photo shoot.  I had a great idea to put him in the back of one of Brody's dump trucks - the photo shoot didn't go quite as planned, but there were a few good photos.
 

I love the wrinkles that show up on his forehead!

 

 

Couldn't resist putting in one crying photo.

 

Look at those little feet - nothing better!

 

This is probably my favorite of the morning - he is just so sweet!

Addisen loves Ryder's car seat - it is kind of funny to see a two year old sitting in there!

My mom and dad came to visit on Friday night and then my mom stayed on Saturday while my dad worked.  It was great to have Grandma here - Addisen and Brody were excited to have another ipad to play on!

Ryder had his first bath on Monday night - he wasn't the biggest fan of the water!  But being wrapped up in the towel afterwards was pretty good.

 

Last Wednesday night was Ryder's first outing.  We went to watch Brody in his first school concert.  He did such a good job singing songs!  I was impressed that he wasn't nervous in front of all the people!

My mom and dad were able to come and watch the concert.  It was so nice to have them there on our first outing with three kids - Jim and I were a little overwhelmed with the whole night! 

Things have gone pretty well this week.  Ryder started sleeping in the bassinet in our room - while it is nice to sleep in bed again, he only sleeps 2 hours at a time now.  The sleep deprivation is definitely catching up with Jim and I this week.  I took Ryder into work today to see how much he had grown - to my surprise he weighs 8lbs 4oz now - he has gained 1lb since being born!  He still has some jaundice, but that seems to be improving. Ryder continues to be pretty laidback - which is making it nice for everyone to transition to a family of 5.  Addisen continues to love her little brother (a little too much at times!) and calls him her "little sister" - I wonder how long it will take for her to realize he is her brother :)

 

One Week Old

I can't believe that it has already been one week since this little man entered our lives.  In some ways it feels like a month, but everything is still so vivid in my mind - I could probably recount every minute of what happened last Wednesday afternoon. 

Ryder James - you are the perfect completion to our family.   We didn't know what to expect - a boy or a girl (I was secretly hoping to be able to reuse the girl clothes) - but God knew better - you are exactly what we need.  I can't imagine our family any other way  now -  Addisen is quite the dominant little lady, I'm not sure a sister would have survived!  Brody is a sensitive older brother, who will always look out for you and make sure you are okay.  I think you will be able to give him a lot - reassure him of the right decisions and boost his confidence - it will be great for him to have a boy to relate to.

You are our little guy.  We were at the doctor on Monday and you were 20 inches long (51st percentile), 6lb 15.5oz (26th percentile) and your head circumference was large like the rest of the family 36.5cm (88th percentile).

When you were growing inside me I thought for sure that you were going to be that "crazy third child".  You were always on the move - we didn't have one ultrasound that you made it easy for the technician to get their measurements.  But then you were born and you are so laid back and content.  You have been so good to mommy - you sleep from about 12am - 4am each night (we are sleeping in a chair...but it is still sleep).  I told Jim that you are lucky you are the third child, because otherwise everything would have been by the book and you would be screaming in your bassinet before I would ever sleep in a chair with you!  I really don't mind - because I know you are the last of my little babies - and I just can't hold you enough!

I cannot wait to see what you become.  It is funny - when Brody was born all I could do was focus on the present - how was it going to be going home, would we make it through the nights.  Addisen was born and I wondered how she was going to get along with her older brother and worried she would be the last of my babies.  You were born and the first thing I thought that night is "What will this little guy become".  This is probably because I look at your older brother and see such a personality, and I can't believe that he is 5 years old - I know now how fast everything will go.

 

I can't believe how much love and joy you have brought into our family...after just one week!  I know that before I know it I will be looking back at this post and updating the blog for your first birthday - so I am going to continue to hold onto all the minutes I have to just hold you in my arms!