Lil Ariza Monster

Can’t even begin to understand how half a year has gone by. Seems like just yesterday we were in the hospital staring into the face of our new little baby boy. Of course with a 3 year old that never sits still and a 6 month old that liked to cat nap, there is never a dull moment at our house. Luckily things have been getting better with Ryland in the sleep department. He is finally napping longer and now that that pesky tooth has made it’s way thru he is sleeping much better at night.

Other happenings:

- Babbling tons, loud shrieking noise also.

- Started solids. Made some sweet potatoes. So far it’s a no but it’s new still.

- Starting to sit better. As you can tell from the picture above he still topples over but he’s getting stronger.

- Using his hands much better. Grabs everything and it instantly goes into his mouth.

- Loves Elijah. No one can make Ryland laugh like Elijah can.

We are about to leave for our annual trip to Breckenridge. Can’t wait for Ryland to have his first, of many, visits. Elijah is super excited cause this year he gets to learn how to ski. He loves watching snowboard videos and always proclaims that he wants to do that. No worries lil buddy you will soon be shredding.

epic sleep for mama the past few days + happy boys = a good day

Boy is growing up.

Look at that belly

The past few days have been pretty rough. Teething has entered our house. After what seemed an eternity of drooling and gnawing on pretty much everything Ryland’s first tooth has broken through. Sharp and pearly white. The other bottom one doesn’t seem too far off. Hoping that he handles the rest of his teeth better than this first one. Poor little buddy is so uncomfortable.

So today through sleep deprivation we savored the peaceful moments.

These couple of shots I got were right after he woke from his nap.

little man is getting so big (5 months)

their bond grows stronger everyday

getting some exercise in the saucer.

Daniel and I got to attend the Hashrocket Christmas party again this year. This year was great since we knew everyone a bit better. (I even planned a Breaking Dawn movie night with a bunch of the Hashrocket wives!) Last year we had only been living here for about a month.

My Mom graciously drove up from Orlando to watch Elijah and Ryland. The boys were great. Baba and Elijah made a gingerbread house, that I might add looks pretty awesome. Especially since a 3 year old helped.

Here we are all gussied up. Isn’t Daniel handsome in his suit!

Ryland is already 4 months old. I can’t believe it. Time slips by. Having 2 kids is a lot and if one doesn’t need something the other does. Though it is very hard I still love being my boys Mom.

Here’s a bit of an update on Ryland:

He hates sleep. The kid fights it! He is a catnapper during the day and it makes him extremely tired at night and instead of just going to sleep from exhaustion he cries…and cries…and cries. After that he pretty much sleeps through the night with only one waking a night to feed.

He’s long and lean. Just above 75% for height and just above 25% for weight. Pediatrician asked if we had any tall people in our family, I just laughed. We’ve finally gotten over his fussy eating and he is doing well. Weight is starting to come on him. He is doing fine though and pediatrician is happy with his growth.

He is generally a very happy boy. Once he figures out how to get ahold of a toy with those hands of his he is going to be even happier.

He is a sweet boy. He literally smiles with his whole body. It is my favorite thing about him. Love seeing his cute little dimples show.

We are all hanging in there and trying to enjoy every moment we can with our sweet baby boy. They are only babies for a little while.

We celebrated Elijah turning…wait for it…3!!

I can’t believe it. My baby boy is 3.

We had a very small get together with just family and a few family friends. E wanted to rock out so we had a rock and roll birthday party. E dressed up punk rock style and his lil buddies came dressed in rock n roll gear. More pictures to come.

Thanks so all. We love you so much.

photo by Amanda Kern

Still not loving tummy time but he’s getting stronger.