10 Weeks With Our Sweet Ryder

     Tomorrow celebrates 10 weeks with our little Ryder.  And what an amazing 10 weeks it has been.  We have loved getting to know our son.  It is quite the understatement to say we are head over heels in love.  He is a delight.  And we couldn’t ask for a better baby.  From the start Ryder has proved to be mellow, easy going, and a great eater and sleeper.  Jesse had the first month off from work and most days found us going for walks, cuddling on the couch, surprisingly going on many dates (with our little guy tagging along :-), and having lots of wonderful visitors (and amazing food delivered!  Thank you all!). 

     Over the past month we have noticed a lot of changes as Ryder is more alert, smiling and cooing, and just seeming to interact with his surroundings a lot more.  And oh that smile.  That sweet little dimple in his cheek.  Amazing.  

Some of the other highlights of the past two months were:

A trip to Portland at 2.5 weeks to meet Ryder’s cousin 
Alex (born 2 days after Ryder) - see blog post below. 

Ryder’s first ferryboat ride and a trip to Whidbey Island 

(where Jesse was a speaker at a retreat). 

Ryder's first Halloween - see blog post below.

And lots of wonderful visits from family and friends 
(Picture:  Ryder and Grandpa Rice).

     We finally understand what parents mean when they say it goes by too quickly.  Last week we packed up Ryder’s newborn clothes and moved him into his bedroom (as he has already outgrown the bassinet in our room).  Our little boy is growing up so fast.  But we are loving every day, every moment, every smile.  We can't wait to see what he'll do next.

Our Little Monkey

     For Halloween Ryder dressed up as a monkey.  And boy was he the cutest monkey we’d ever seen!  After getting our little monkey dressed, we headed out to our neighborhood Halloween parade.  There were tons of kids (and parents) dressed up, and even a dog costume contest.  We paraded into town where games, treats, and even the mayor and fire department were waiting to celebrate.  Sure, Ryder slept through the whole thing, but mom and dad had fun!

 On Halloween, Ryder donned costume number 2 so he and Katie could be “mummys!”

mummys!