Learning to Be 31: Obadiah Ryker

Wow, what a month can do!! I was so worried this kid was "behind" a month ago. We have come leaps and bounds over the past few weeks. I don't think I will ever stop being amazed at how quickly babies change and develop. He is like a whole new person now, definitely coming into his own.

Unreal. Can I just rewind for a few minutes??

How am I growing?
I don't have any measurements this time around. But he is definitely growing. Onsies and pants are all of a sudden too short and some outfits just don't fit the same. Plus, I think his hair has come in quite a bit since last time.

How am I sleeping?
They say things get worse before they get better, right?? One night, a day or two before he was officially 7 months, I woke up with him at 3:15 and never went back to sleep. To be fair - he fell asleep at 5:45...but his sister woke up at 6. I dealt with her and talked her back into bed by a quarter after, only to have him wake for the day at 6:30.

It. Was. Rough.

So, hard core sleep training began very shortly after that. And it worked well because I ended up work two days back-to-back, leaving me almost 5 days of being home in a row, which really helped I think. Consistency is key... We'll see how it all pans out next month I suppose. ;)

What's new?
He's crawling!! Well...scootching... He figured it out just about a month ago now. One morning he just woke up and decided he would go after his sister's toys. He hasn't slowed down since. With all of the scootching and crawling around, he finally did master sitting up well too.

The very first day of all the excitement!!

He also figured out how to blow raspberries and I think he might be giving kisses...but I can't quite decide how intentional his slobbering all over my face is. haha. Every day is something new - it's quite an adventure right now!!

This picture holds a lot of weight. This picture represents the days I started really feeling normal again. I struggled a bit with Post-Partum Depression. Nothing major, but enough that it was hard to love this little guy (or anyone else for that matter). I resented him for how I felt, for how numb I was. But sometime in this past month, it started to get better. I could see the light. And even when he was upset, I could just enjoy him, appreciate him, and love him. And it felt so good! Right before I took this picture, he fought sleep big time. And when he finally fell asleep I didn't want to put him down, I didn't want to run away, I didn't feel exasperated or exhausted. I felt peace. It was a turning point. I still have bad days...but I'm definitely on the other side of the battle.