And yet another (forgotten post, that is): 2 months

Here's another.  This time, January 2009, 11 days after Ryan turned 2 months, and 10 days before being admitted to the hospital for RSV.  I have no idea why I didn't publish this.  Maybe I'd planned to add more to it, who knows.  It's so strange picturing Ryan in this little baby stage, especially now that he's becoming such an independent toddler.  I realize it may seem ridiculous that I'm bothering to post this now, 2 years later, but for journaling purposes I'm going to anyway.  Don't worry, there aren't too many more of these posts left.

Originally written 20 January 2009

I can't even believe Ryan's 2 months. Gosh, he turned 2 months a week and a half ago! Where oh where does the time go? Why can't it slow down just a little when you have a baby? I look at pictures of him from only a month ago and he looks entirely different now. I think like most moms, a part of me yearns for those first weeks again. There's just something so indescribably precious about a newborn baby. A newborn baby whose head flops around; whose limbs are so scrawny that if his older sister pulled hard enough she could probably yank them right out of their sockets; whose cry is so distinct that it turns heads while out in public; whose scent is so new and perfect; whose warmth and softness make one feel as though s/he's in the presence of an angel. While I'm sad to see this stage disappear, I will have to say I am loving the fun and interactive little guy Ryan's becoming. He had his 2 month check-up Friday morning and he's doing really well. At 11 pounds, 15 ounces, and 23 inches, he's measuring in the 58th percentile for weight and 55th for height. It's hard to believe he's already gained 4 pounds and grown 2 inches since birth! He likes to eat though, so it's really no wonder!

Ryan is such a smiley boy! If only I could capture more of those smiles on camera! He loves eye contact and close interaction. While he can't talk, his expressions speak volumes! They are so animated and sweet. He reacts dramatically to the sound of my voice: raising his eye brows as I tell him stories or sing to him, opening his mouth and making movements with his lips as if to talk back, squealing and cooing with enthusiasm as he jerks his tiny limbs all over the place, and as always, gleaming with smiles. When he and I are able to find one on one time together, everything else around us disappears. He is so easy to love.

I'll be honest. These last two months have been far from easy. Part of that is the transition from having one child to suddenly having two, I'm sure.  But looking back, Chloe was a much easier newborn than Ryan has been. I don't know that I'd go so far as to say Ryan had colic, but it was most certainly something like it. Yes, he knows how to scream, and has had a handful of good long screaming sessions like any other newborn baby. But the greatest challenge I've faced with Ryan hasn't been so much the screaming and crying but the constant uneasiness. For the first 8 weeks of his life the boy wouldn't sit still. He was always squirming around and seeming uncomfortable and on the verge of crying.  In the beginning I suspected he had reflux. He's the gassiest kid ever, not to mention an impressive spitter-upper - 2 common side effects of reflux.  Unfortunately I was never really able to pin-point the culprit. In an attempt to do so, I tried removing several things from my diet temporarily.  While I still haven't figured it out, he seems to finally be growing out of the uneasy stage, and the sweet and happy boy Ryan's wanted to be from day 1 is finally becoming a regular thing!

Seems like I had more to say, but I couldn't tell ya what it was now.  Oh, look at those fat cheeks!  I could just reach into these pictures and kiss on him for hours!  They grow way too fast.  Way. Too. Fast.