Toes!

Ryter's newest toy - toes.  They're in his mouth constantly, but it makes him so happy.

Roll Over, Roll Over

We've had an exciting few weeks in the Naslenas household. Let's see, where to begin.  Well Ryter has started laughing regularly now.  He's got some tickle spots on his ribs and right above his right knee.  He also gets a major kick out of kisses on his neck.

Ryter also started this week by recognizing NJ.  One second he and NJ were sitting on my lap and the next second he was going all in, both hands buried in kitty fur, grabbing chunks, and putting them straight in his mouth.  NJ just sat there and let him pull on her and just feel all of her soft fluffy hair.  It was so adorable!!! NJ doesn't have a very good track record with kids, or most people for that matter, so I was surprised to find her so patient with Ryter.  I'm so glad my Grandmother was there to capture the moment.  I know the picture is blurry, but I think it kind of represents just how fast he moved.

...and the word on his shirt is Trucks.

The biggest thing that happened though is that Ryter finally rolled over.  He's been on the verge of rolling over for about a month now, but hasn't really been super interested in trying.  It just seemed like he'd give it a try a time or two in a day and then be done with it, but yesterday he finally did it!  It was the s-l-o-w-e-s-t roll I've ever seen in my life.  I was lying on the floor with him when he did it and so we were face to face.  All of the muscles in his body were working from his eye brows to his toes.  He seems much more content to be on his belly now since he can get there by himself instead of me putting him in that position.

He's a talkin' fool and seems like he's ready for solid foods.  His tongue just rolls around in his mouth as he salivates while he watches Vain and I eat.  We did give him some banana a couple of times.  The first time Vain gave him some we could tell that he liked it a lot but I made Vain stop giving it to him because it made me nervous.  He's a little young yet.  The second time I gave him some and he grabbed the banana almost ripping it out of my hand and took a chunk out of it so fast I couldn't stop him.  By the time I did the finger sweep through his mouth the banana was gone and he was the happiest baby in the world.  I see rice cereal and banana in his near future.

Big News In Our House

Ryter is 3 months old now, 14 weeks tomorrow, and has finally graduated to his crib.  For the past 3 months he has been sleeping in his papasan swing.  If you remember, the first 3 weeks he would only sleep on my chest and after that only in the swing.  It couldn't get more exciting here.  I really thought it would be a fight, but it's clear that he was ready because he hasn't fought it at all.  I think we back tracked a little bit because he's not sleeping through the night right now, but it's close enough.  I figure as he gets more used to it, he'll continue in dream land for the entire night.

In addition to the crib sleeping, Ryter can now hold his head up while he's on his tummy although he prefers not to spend too much time there.  He's not a fan of the hard work.

and he's been making pretty good use of the Bumbo chair.  He's made a lot of progress in sitting on the floor, but I have to prop him up.  He tips right away, and on Sunday when he tipped over I laughed at him and he laughed back...FOR THE FIRST TIME...he laughed.  Of course I can't get him to do it again, but I know he did it.  It was so adorable!

We also went to Wisconsin the first weekend of October.  On the way there, Ryter and I traveled without Vain which wasn't too bad, but on the way back my Grandmother flew with us.   After the long long trip to Lithuania, the trip to Wisconsin was super fast!  We used the brand new stroller from Matt, Kelly, Teagan, and Sutter--thanks guys!--and he slept almost the whole trip.  We did my favorite Wisconsin activity...hanging out at my parents house.  Ryter was able to meet so many new family members and friends which was really great.  Thank you to everyone for stopping by on Saturday and thanks to Mary and Jeff for dinner and drinks with friends.

We drove all over God's creation on Sunday to an apple orchard to get my dad's favorite apples. I really have no idea where we were because we had taken so many turns driving the country side.  It was worth it because I also got a giant bag of Macintosh for Vain.  You can't get those very easily in Texas.

10 Weeks and Sleeping Through the Night

I wrote this a week ago and forgot to finish and post:

Well, for one full week Ryter slept through the night from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.  Some of those days I think he would have slept later, but I had to get him up and feed him so I could get to work.  Its amazing!  I don't think my body is used to the sleep.  Sometimes I actually feel more tired sleeping for more than 2 hours at a time.  Last night I wasn't so lucky, but its the weekend so its no big deal.

Ryter had his first round of shots last Thursday.  He's grown 3 inches and gained almost 4 pounds so he's 10 lbs 14 oz and 23 1/8 inches. He's a little guy, 25th percentile, but secretly (as long as he's healthy) I like it that way.  I don't want him to grow up.  He still feels so tiny in my arms, but yesterday I saw a new baby at the store and she was so so tiny.  Made me realize how much Ryter has grown even though he seems kind of the same to me because I spend every day with him.

I think he's pretty in line with where he's supposed to be at 10 weeks.  He's finding his thumb except most of the time it's his entire fist into the mouth. He's rolling to one side, but not completely over and enjoying tummy time a little bit more than he used to although he has decided its easier for him to just turn his head to the side and lay there than it is to lift it up.  Sometimes I think he's an older baby trapped in a younger body because he wants to sit up on his own and loves to try to stand on me, but he just can't yet so he gets frustrated.

I have to give my love to Vain because he has been an amazing dad!  This was his first week working from home in the mornings and taking care of Ryter at the same time while I went to the office.  I know its hard for you babe because you're not used to doing some of this baby stuff, but you're doing amazing!  He's happy, he has a full belly, and most of all he gets to spend 5 hours with daddy.  I love you!  This will go on for a couple more weeks and then Grammer will be back from Wisconsin to finish the job for the rest of the year.

More photos are on Shutterfly, but here are a couple 9 and 10 weekers.

9 Weeks
immunization day, see the cute thigh band-aids

9 Weeks

10 Weeks

10 Weeks

Ryter discovering his Octopus

I'm just testing out the YouTube video uploads.  The video is just a baby being a baby.

Back to Work

Well, yesterday was my first day back to work.  It was kind of like the first day of school.  You sit down at your desk and you know you have to be there but you're not sure what you're supposed to be doing. I'm only working half days now through December so the day went pretty fast.  Once the end of the year comes, if all goes well and everyone is trained, I will be leaving for good to be a full-time mom.  Scary and exciting!!

I left Ryter with my mom so I didn't have that guilty feeling or the fear of leaving him alone that I had thought I would.  Its nice to be back in contact with a group of adults, but I love my baby and miss him so much when I'm away!  Ryter seems to be doing fine with it though.  He's a little fussy at night and I think its probably just because things are different.  He's eating from a bottle a lot more than he has so far and his nap and sleep schedule is a little off because mom is here and we've been going shopping and stuff.  Tonight is bath night though so he should sleep soundly.

I finally got to dye my hair last night for the first time since before I was pregnant. I am so glad that the gray is gone and the 2-tone natural/old dye is gone.  I was starting to look pretty trashy!

Thursday is the big day-vaccinations.  I hope all goes well and Ryter doesn't cry too much.

Pictures

I posted more pictures of Ryter on his website RyterNaslenas.com

Lithuania; 6 weeks old