New Developments

Okay, I've been putting this off because I've wanted to include some amazingly cute pictures of Ryker.  Mommy's been a slacker in the picture-taking dept. though.  So, I think I'm just going to blog about Ryker's recent developments and either add pics to this post later, or just leave it photo-less and include pics in my next blog about Ryker.  OR...maybe I'll leave this entry photo-less and my next entry will be nothing but photos.  Hmmmm...in any event, there will be recent developments and then there will be recents photos!

So, Ryker has officially rolled BOTH from his tummy to his back AND from his back to his tummy.  He's only done it a few times, but he's done it!  Now, since he's only done it a few times, it might be awhile before I can furnish video proof of this, but I'm sure you all trust that this advanced li'l 4 month old can do it!  ;)   Yes, you heard me right -- 4 months old!  Well, technically not 'til tomorrow, but today is close enough.  He's pretty tall/long too.  I "stood" him up next to his cousin, Ashlyn, who is 2 1/2 years old, over the weekend and he's only about a foot shorter.  HOLY COW!  I know, I know...It could just mean that Ashlyn is short for her age, but he was pretty long to begin with when he was born, so I'm sticking to the thinking that he's tall for his age.

He's also at the point where he prefers to be "held" by sitting, Koala baby-style, on the side of my hip.  He's got pretty good neck control for it, and I think that maybe it's because it makes him feel like he's more at everyone else's level.  It's pretty damned cute, but a little terrifying at the same time because it's continued proof that he's growing up so fast already and will be going through many independent phases.  Actually, he's already fighting me on some things.  For instance, he LOVES taking his Mr. Binks out of his mouth, but hasn't quite figured out how to put it back in.  About half the time, when I try to put it back in for him, he's already moved on to sucking his hands, so he fights me on taking his hand out of his mouth and replacing it with Mr. Binks.  He doesn't throw a fit or anything, but he definitely exercises his little arm muscles in attempting to fend me off.  LOL!

He's smiling TONS nowadays too.  There are certain things that make him smile more than others and I SERIOUSLY need to get his adorable smile on video and pictures, so I can post 'em.  He hasn't quite learned how to laugh, but you can tell when he would because he looks like a laughing mime (which I need to get on camera to illustrate properly). 

Ryker is also starting to get super-smelly gas.  A lot of it is because I don't produce much milk anymore, so he's on formula most of the time.  I've been struggling with it for the past couple of months.  At first, I was supplementing due to his sensitive tummy, AND general stress affecting my milk production.  As time has gone on, it's been harder to keep the production up.  I attribute it mostly to stress, but I'm sure that supplementing had some to do with it as well.  It seems that, even now that I'm usually getting 8 hours of sleep, I'm still constantly tired and stressing over finances and a few other things in my life.  Ryker has his 4 month checkup this week, so I think I'll ask his doctor whether or not I should give up nursing altogether.  You see, Ryker STILL gets bouts of gas and tummy aches, so it may not have been attributed to him being sensitive to my milk, but just being sensitive altogether.  I miss nursing him more often and, believe me, his diapers were WAY less stinky when he was mostly on breast milk!

Ryker is also going back to the Opthamologist this week.  His eyes have gotten better, but they still have bouts of looking down really low and googly-like (if that even makes sense).  He focuses better now than he used to, but he doesn't seem to follow objects.  One of the doctors, either his Pediatrician or the Opthamologist, had said before that if there IS an issue, it wouldn't likely be with his eyes themselves, but with his brain's communication to his eyes.  My sitter said that, if that's the case, they'd probably have brain-to-eye exercises for us to practice on Ryker.  I'm not sure how she knows this, but it made me hopeful to hear so I didn't question her on it. 

In general, I'm not super-worried about his eyes.  Every baby develops differently, in different areas, and at different rates.  What Ryker might be ahead in, another baby his age might be behind in, and vice versa.  Only time will tell.  In the meantime, I enjoy our moments together more and more each day, and love his cute personality and making him smile. He's my FAVORITE person in the whole world.  *sigh*  :)  :)