My boy is hitting the half a year mark. Everything cliche that they say about “enjoying them now…they grow up so fast” is absolutely, stinking true. The time is like a whisper, barely heard and disgracefully forgotten. Something I’m loving right now is hearing this little boo boo (sorry men…what you’ll find when you become a father is that you say ridiculous things that you would never say without a baby) wake up in the morning. He doesn’t enter daylight with a scream or frustration. He’s in there bouncing around, picking his legs up as high as he can and dropping them on the overly firm baby mattress. Do baby mattresses really need to be that hard? He doesn’t seem to mind though. He just coos and sees what he can accomplish. Can I get my pacifier? How about my foot? Oooh no…better plan. I’ll eat this nice piece of fuzz off of my blanky. Today is a good day.
Way too often we get stuck in a mode of trying not to miss the ball of parenting. I want to live in the place where I know I’m going I’m going to knock it out of the park, and try for some home run records.
Where is your sister Bubba?
Still in bed. I want to remember these times when she sneaks into our bedroom at 5 or 6am. At 3 and a half years old, she’s advanced in most categories. She can perform things on a laptop that I couldn’t as a teenager and she prefers her steak medium-rare. I love that little girl.
Last night Ava looked at Allison and said,
“You have pretty, pretty eyes Mama…can we go get slushies?”
Ice Cream did just fine though.
Wow, Ava sure knows how to ask for ice cream. Genius I say.
{reply}
Ryan – my baby boy is 14 months old and I know exactly what you mean by time going by like a whisper as well as wanting to be the best parent those kids can have. I love reading your posts about Ava and Finn. Keep ‘em coming! Stop by http://www.jenningsbaby.blogspot.com some time and say hello!
{reply}
Ava is a doll baby and that boy of yours is growing fast and is such a cutie
{reply}
This post and these photos brightened my day. Thank you, Ryan.
{reply}
oh my. those little perfect lips are gonna give some boy (and her father) a heart attack some day!
read this and thought of these pictures…a quick, easy way to capture and preserve what’s going on in your growing-up-all-too-fast children’s lives.
http://underthetuliptree.typepad.com/under-the-tulip-tree/2010/01/right-now-you.html
{reply}
These are the days, aren’t they? But it just gets better and better. Mine are 4, 7, and 10, and I still feel this way most days. Memories and anticipation are both great, but it’s a gift to enjoy where you are.
{reply}
My baby girl is 30! Talk about time is a whisper! Today I am 57 and I still love birthdays! I still feel like I’m only 18. Although my body doesn’t! Moral: enjoy life… it goes by in a whisper! P.S. Finn looks JUST like YOU!!
{reply}
In the last picture of Finn he really looks like a tiny man instead of a baby. Ava looks like a sleeping angel. You are really lucky, dude.
{reply}
Great post, great pics, love the sass!
{reply}
i told my husband something yesterday that has really stuck with me the last few days – when my kids randomly kiss me, smile when i squeeze them and probably over smother them with kisses they genuinely love every minute. when they tell you you’re the best dad or that they really really like you they mean it. no strings attached. i think this is beautiful and i wish time would slow the heck down.
you have a beautiful family. no strings attached, promise.
{reply}
Gah! This brought tears to my eyes. My son turns 18 years old in a couple of months, will graduate from high school and is off to college. Time does fly by so fast… hugs and kiss and sniff your babies while they’re small. hugs from HW
{reply}
Reading this post makes my maternal instinct kick in… It conjures up memories of my girl at 3 or 4 yrs old. Long story short, I don’t remember anything of her before 3.5 yrs old… Post post-partum depression was very severe. I only remember what I had in pictures. They’re all gone now… another LONG story… I only have a few memories of pictures. She’s 25 now. She has her own babies. Another long story short… I’ve never had a relationship with them. Please pray for my daughter!
{reply}
Precious, just precious.
{reply}
My husband is going to die when he hears that your little one likes her steak med rare!
{reply}
Love the pictures! Love those kiddos! Does Finn instantly get happy when you take his clothes off? Noah does. Gracie hates to be naked but Noah loves it. Just wondering if Finn and Noah have that in comman…..
{reply}
Lovely!!!!
{reply}
Thank you for this post, Ryan. I have a son, Liam, who will be 2 on Feb. 18th. (BTW, we almost named him Finn…) I cannot believe how FAST the time has gone by! My husband has been traveling like crazy since Jan. 5th, he is away now. Liam did not want to go down for a nap and I am exhausted. He is napping now, but 2 hours later than usual. Your post reminded me that I need to cherish this time with him. He’s a great little boy.
{reply}
Ditto. I wish I could slow down time somehow. It sort of works out that way when we hit a Saturday with absolutely nothing planned except family togetherness. The day goes by nicely and doesn’t seem to fly by. Keep taking the pictures. That’s what you will hold dear when they are older. My third baby (addison) is a little over 7 months and she just cut her first teeth this week. Agh. I’m sad. But there is a lot of cool stuff about them growing up too. I can’t wait to see what kind of great teenager my almost 8 year old son will grow into. And if you have any cool guy hobbies your heart will swell when you take Finn along with you (to whatever it is). For my husband and son they have special bonding time at the driving range and watching sports together.
{reply}
And the beat goes on. Grandson, 18, twice as tall as I was visiting us with his family. There were a few dishes that were missed after dinner and he was at the sink washing them. His mom came by and said ‘Son, you don’t do the dishes at home!’ His reply was to bend down and put his arm around me and say, “But, she’s my Nana!” If you don’t think that I melted with that one. Out of nine grandkids, does that make him my favorite? Possibly! Enjoy your kids they will surprise you around every corner.
{reply}
You are blessed.
{reply}
Your boy is so cute! Mine is just a couple months older and he is quiet and contented and just wants to see what is going on and have a wee look about and giggle and play with his sister, although she won’t always let him. She is the most opiniated 2 year old ever! But you are right, sometimes I get so caught up in being mum (I’m a single mum) that I forget to snuggle up and watch movies, play dress up, sing nursery ryhmes and all the other things they will grow out of
{reply}
And then one day you blink and your baby has two loose teeth! My sweet baby girl is only 5.5 and has two of them. I hate that they grow up so fast, but I also love the new and exciting things my children are doing.
My 3.5 year old told me this week that God made him. I told him that mama and dad helped and he asked how…..I’m so not ready for that yet!
{reply}
It sounds like you definitely know it, but you are greatly blessed! What a precious family you have. Cherish them!
{reply}
Such a nice post! It’s nice to see a man be wildly in love with his family.
{reply}
Good job Ryno. You’re a man.
{reply}
I can’t believe how big he is getting. It just seemed like yesterday that he was a tiny baby. Oh that Ava…beautiful I tell ya.
{reply}
That picture of Ava brought tears to my eyes. There is something so amazing about sleeping children.
And Finn…he’s so chubby and cute.
I would love to have had a baby that woke up happy. None of mine did. Now I have a very cheerful nine year old, which is nice, but the other two (and myself I should say) are crabs in the morning.
{reply}
You have the cutest kids. And one of my favorite ice cream brands. Now I know your secret
{reply}
You’re making me even more impatient for my little one to get here! Beautiful kids, Ryan. Beautiful pictures. Beautiful morning.
{reply}
My gosh, he just gets cuter and cuter every time you take pics of him!! Congrats and having two gorgeous children!!
{reply}
Sweet, little Lovies! I find it amazing that Finn looks exactly like you in some pics, and then so much like Ava in others. I never thought of Ava as looking like you, but I suppose she must!
{reply}
Awww, he’s just sooooooooooo cute!! And getting so chubby, keeewt!!
{reply}
Wow! You have two very beautiful babies Ryan. What a blessing! Let me ditto previous posters and say that Finn looks so much like you in these pictures!
{reply}
Also, these photos make me want a bazillion more kiddos. Thanks!
{reply}
Your children are STUNNING!!! Just georgeous!! My boys are 5 & 7 now and i miss them being so little!! ~sigh~
The pic of your girl sleeping makes me wish I had a girl, but my boys are the BOMB!! lol!
We are Blessed!!
{reply}