He's famous!

Ryder is (sorta, but not really) famous! He's on the internet from our photographer. Here's the link, and just scroll down the page just a little and there is our family and pics of ryder.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpaulacharchenko.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fbaby-ryder-minneapolis-newborn.html&h=db5c5

A nanny for a day (and night!)

Since Joe is out of town for work this week, my mom came over yesterday evening to help. Originally the plan was that she was going to stay till his midnight feeding while I slept after the 9pm/10pm feeding. Ryder had different plans (maybe he just wanted to hang out with gma sharol??). He ended up sleeping till 140am by the time my mom woke me up to pump. So obviously I wasn't going to make my mom drive the 45 min home at twenty to two in the morning, but she insisted on just staying downstairs with him in between feedings so that I could get some sleep. After a (very) short period of debate, I agreed! So she would wake me up to pump here and there during the night, but she would feed ryder his bottle and do the burping, changing, and trying to get him to fall back asleep. I would pump and then go back to bed :) Probably the best sleep I had gotten since before ryder came! I feel so spoiled (wait, no...blessed) that I have the best mom and mother-in-law ever!!!! Not only was Grandma sharol down last night, but Grandma Amy came down in the morning yesterday too and watched Ryder all morning while I was gone at a funeral--she even did some cleaning while I was gone (as usual, of course!). You know, I kinda felt like a rich celebrity who has a bunch of nannies helping out 24/7..... except I don't believe in scientology, don't do pilates, I eat like a trucker and I havent done a stint in rehab. But other than that....

Newborn pics

If you're not on facebook, here is a link to check out Ryder's newborn pictures:

http://paulacharchenko.zenfolio.com/p536047315

then the password to get into the site is our last name: haskins

Here are just a couple of my favorites! (so hard to pick)

5 weeks

This week ryder turns five weeks old! Time flies when you're having fun...or when all the days blur together because you're tired. haha. kidding. Two days ago, I tried to put ryder in one of his newborn sized onsies...he was too long to fit in it anymore!! he still fits in the tshirts that snap at the crotch, but not the onsies with the little footies. he's getting so big. it's funny because I DO notice that he changes and is getting bigger, but not like other people who go a whole week without seeing him. For instance, Auntie Amy Grace came over last night to say hi quickly and she said she couldnt believe how much he had changed in a week. She thought Ryder was looking more like me. Uncle logan couldnt tell. I still can't either--i'm sure it will change all the time until he gets older.

At last!

It must be third times the charm because after TWO incredibly UNFUN nights with Ryder, last night was fantastic (relative to the situation, of course). Joe stayed up with Ryder till 1am while I went to sleep at 1030 and I slept until he came upstairs. Does anyone else realize that that means I got a straight 2 1/2 hours of sleep?!? woohoooooo!!! and then after that, ryder slept till 330, then again till 645. so, it was a pretty decent night of sleep! Let's cross our fingers for tonight again.

we also got our new couch delivered yesterday. we finally can seat more than 4 people in our living room! haha. yay! Happy mother's day to all the mommas out there ;)

what a fun night...oh wait

I knew I was screwed last night when Ryder was out cold for most of the evening. you know it's going to be bad when you can barely wake him up to eat and then he falls asleep again right away all evening. Joe and I have been trying this new tactic where joe stays up till 12-1am with ryder and does that feeding and I go to bed after his 9-10 feeding. that saves me so much because before I was staying awake too long after his 9/10 feeding and then by the time i was ready to go to bed, ryder was waking up less than an hour later. so this tactic seems to help me a TON. apparently though, with all of his sleeping in the evening, after his 330 feeding, ryder decided he wanted to stay awake and grunt/work a poop out and fuss till--oh, I dont know...we finally got out of bed at 8am. he never slept more than 20 minutes at a time. bah! dang babies and their randomness. It's a dang good thing he's so cute, otherwise he would be in trouble ;) so like I said, it's a good thing I slept for two hours before joe brought him upstairs at 1 last night, otherwise I would be dead.

Ryder's newborn pictures are in, look for postings with them later. Here's a cute one of him smiling that my mom caught! it's adorable and joe and I have noticed over the last two days that ryder seems to be smiling at us (not gas smiling, but actual smiling) when he's really awake and alert. so that's so exciting!!

Mom's birthday

I have discovered that when you have a 3 1/2 week old when your birthday roles around, it really doesnt get that exciting...you're kinda put on the back burner. Not that I care at all, it's just funny how fast things change when you have a kid :) Like every other year, you anticipate your birthday, go through with making all these plans, and you get all excited. I'm pretty sure as of two weeks ago when my mom mentioned my birthday, I had forgotten that it was even coming up so soon! I'm also not saying that I had a BAD birthday though, so dont get me wrong here. Friday, some of my girlfriends surprised me with a nice dinner and then came back to our house to have cake. It was really nice, especially considering I wouldn't have gotten together with my friends on my own otherwise for the bday. Then last night, Joe and I went out and had a really good time at dinner and then went shopping (at Best Buy, not real shopping...) while my parents watched Ryder, which was nice for both of us.

I was kinda nervous last night before we went to bed because Ryder seriously had been sleeping almost ALL day long without any long periods of time awake. I was so sure that he would be up all night long but the birthday fairy must have cast a spell on him and I only fed him at midnight, 330 and 7!! so that was great. Now if only the birthday fairy would come every night.....

oh, and I can't believe ryder will be one month old this wednesday. I have mixed emotions: a) excitement that we're getting closer to "better" times (i.e. sleep) and he's getting older and more alert and interactive, which is so fun to watch him grow BUT b) kinda sad because he's getting so big and I will miss his teeny tiny curled up body. I'm weird, I know.