Life right now

I'm loving this stage of life we're in right now. Ryan is at such a sweet and fun age where he interacts with us and smiles and sort of laughs (it's still mostly silent, but we're starting to get more sound with it!), but has not yet mastered the roll from his back to his tummy so he is still completely immobile... and content about it!

As a matter of fact, right now as I write this, he's chillin right beside me:

Love this boo.

I know we're most likely days away from him flipping to his tummy and then trying to crawl and everything will be a new kind of fun. But for now, I'm loving this sweet, simple stage.

Ever since we started solids, he hasn't tried a food he hasn't liked.

And Tally loves Ryan's new way of eating as well. :)

So far we've tried apple, sweet potato, edamame (he really just likes sucking on the shell although I have mashed up a couple of bites with his sweet potato), pear, banana, tomato, and watermelon.

I couldn't believe the way he bit right into the tomato and ate it like it was an apple. I don't even like tomato by itself!

This week, we're also going to try avocado and zucchini.

We've tried some things whole and some things with a spoon. I guess sweet potato has been the only thing he has preferred with a spoon so far. It's a little too mushy for him to grab with his hands and he ends up getting more in his mouth than he wants. So I started scooping some onto a spoon and laying it on the tray for him to grab. He's done a pretty good job with it!

He's also loving "chatting" with me after a meal. He's looks up at me and starts making noises and waits for me to copy them. :)

Reading in his crib before naps has become our new routine. He kicks his legs and flaps his arms while I read and turn the pages. We read (sing actually) Jesus Loves Me every nap and then do one or two others depending on how tired he is.

This stage has been great for Matt and me too. Last Friday we went on our first date where I felt like I was 100% present the entire time. I feel bad saying that, but every other time we've gone out, my mind has been so preoccupied with wondering how Ryan was doing and wondering if I would ever go out and not worry again! I'm sure there will still be plenty of preoccupied dates in our future, but it was nice to have one where I felt like my pre-mama self. :)

We're also embracing how ridiculous this stage can be. Last weekend, we went on a hike with Tally and Ryan and I forgot the gray, more masculine looking wrap (because a wrap in general is so masculine, right?!), so Matt with no-shame wore the bright yellow one. And then a good 40 minutes into our hike it dawned on me how ridiculous I probably looked to all of the people walking by wearing my hood. My ears were cold, so I pull I pulled it up, but it's not exactly a hoodie intended for practical purposes... because this is what it looks like if you actually wear it. So I said to Matt after a big group of people passed us, "Haha, I just realized I probably look ridiculous. Let's take a picture so I can get the full affect." Yep. We look awesome.

Another thing I'm loving about this stage is getting to be at home and having other friends who stay at home with their babies right now too. We usually spend a few mornings a week having "playdates" with one or more of my friends and their kids.

Yesterday, we spent the morning and afternoon with my sister-in-law Karen and her two kiddos, and Tally came along for the fun too! These pictures are the clearest, but they capture what our day looked like:

Tal didn't stop smiling or wagging his tail the whole time we were there, hah.

"repairing a problem" ;)

Jackson said we needed to run electricity and grabbed the rope. Love that boy!

It already feels like it was so long ago that Ryan was this tiny!

Sweet Riley girl :)

I know this time is going to fly by so quickly. I'm thankful for this space where I can capture some of what our "normal" looks like for now and look back on one day down the road. 

It's one day tip the weekend, friends! 

Hope your week has been a good one!