Well, who says I have to wait until Rydee is 6 months old to update this here digital diary?  I have a few minutes now while Gus watches the silly Sunday football games so I may as well.  Ryder is upstairs taking his morning nap - thank G-D for naps!!!

Month 4 was awesome.  We took the baby to the doctor for his 4 month visit and we asked if it was ok to start him on solid foods.  He said we could.  Man, did that rock Ryder's world!  Rice cereal, then bananas, pears, peaches - even peas and carrots!  Baby loves his food just like we suspected.  He talks the whole time and grabs at the spoon to force it faster into his mouth.

We hoped that the introduction of something other than milk into Ryder's tummy would help him sleep through the night and we even moved him out of our bed and into his own crib.  It was amazing!  He slept reliably for three weeks from 9pm until 4pm, ate once and then slept until 6:30 or 7am.  We were sleeping!  Real sleep!  We were so happy.

Then, last Saturday, I opened my big mouth to brag about my wonderful sleeping baby to some friends.  That night, he woke up every 2 hours to eat.  And cry.  It has been a week of that now.  I am back to wearing ear plugs which is really mean but man, I'm so tired and busy at work that I just need to sleep a little.

Ryder has gone from being a very sweet, good natured boy to a whiny baby that is impossible to make happy.  He has about 20 minutes a day where he is smiley and calm (it seems like) and the rest of the time, he is whining.  Please, dear G-D, be just a phase!

When Ryder was inside (and oh so quiet, sigh), I thought of him as this quiet, sensitive, sorta introvert.  That's how I pictured him.  Boy, was I wrong!  He's definitely going to be a talker.  He's aggressive and expressive.  He is so bright!  Give him a day with a new challenge and he figures it out.  We are so impressed with how far he has come in the last couple of months.

For instance, he's almost sitting up on his own now.  He is so strong!  He figured out the rolling over thing in no time.  He still hates tummy time but he's starting to understand that being able to move around has its advantages and it will be soon that he starts being able to scoot himself places.  He's great at using those once useless little hands too.  He can pick up object and force them into his little drooling mouth and pass objects between his little drooly fists.  He can also grab at my hair (youch!) and nose and he hits his sleeping daddy in the face when he's ready for him to wake up.

He loves to jump - both in his "office" - the Fisher Price Jumperoo we bought used on Craigslist - and just in general when you're holding him.  His legs are so strong now and we think he will skip crawling and go strait to track and field.

Now that my mom is out of the hospital, she's back to being able to care for Ryder at the office a little which is so nice.  Ryder is a full time job now.  He naps three times a day (He's up now, by the way) and when he's not napping or eating, he needs constant attention and entertainment.

Strangely, we are considering doing this all over again and trying for a second baby soon.  Gus and I are both a little puzzled by this.  How can something so complicated and time consuming be so brilliant and addicting at the same time? 

From this I came up with our new Photo Collages.  They are just perfect for special events like a wedding or holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Customers can submit up to 50 of their favorite photos, either by mail or digital upload.  The photos can be printed in color, black and white or sepia.  We frame the finished 16 x 20" print in walnut, natural or black and it comes ready to hang.

They start at just $79.99 and they make the perfect gift!

About a week before Ryder was born, I was at a party and another mom asked me if I planned to return to work after the baby was born. I told her that I had no choice - if I wanted to be able to afford diapers for baby, I needed to keep working.  Then she asked how long I would take for maternity leave.

"Oh, yeah, I don't have maternity leave.  I'll have to be back at work as soon as physically possible." 

She looked at me like I was crazy.  "You won't be able to go back to work the day after you give birth!  You need at least six weeks off."

I tried to explain that as a small business owner, and wearer of many hats, I don't have the luxury of taking time off.  There are far too many tasks here at the boutique that require my handiwork.  I agonized over this for months before the baby came - how is this going to work?  How am I going to be able to take care of an infant while keeping things at work running smoothly? 

But, things have been working out well.  Ryder was born on a Wednesday and I was back at the office on Monday.  He has a pack-n-play crib to take naps in and play in and when he's not so happy, my mom and I take turns rocking him.  Dad's here too for guest appearances when only Dad's funny faces will do the trick.

Twice a day, I feed the baby in my office.  Gus brought in a super comfy lazy boy and I have a boppy pillow just for work.  I put on a program on Hulu and the baby nurses.

He's a happy baby and we're lucky that he rarely cries for anything other than his next meal. 

You don't have to be a working mom or a stay-at-home mom.  You can be a working mom with a kidlet attached to you all day.  It is possible to be a mommy and run a business - you just need a very supportive staff.  Oh - and having your mom there really helps!  (Thanks, Mom!)

As of last Wednesday, we have officially survived our first month of parenthood.  Here's what I have learned so far:

1) Caring for human babies is quite different than caring for puppies.  The most notable difference is that human babies need milk and puppies can eat Puppy Chow.  You can buy the human equivalent of Puppy Chow for your baby (formula) but all modern medical literature will make you feel like an utter failure as a mother if you succumb to using it to feed your infant. 

The second most notable difference - human babies have no teeth.

2) You can leave the house with a newborn baby and have a somewhat normal life.  You just have to bring a lot of stuff with you to do so.  The one thing you forget to bring that day (wipes, change of outfit, blanket, etc.) will be the one thing that you need more than anything.

3) While it is pretty much accepted that breast milk is the best possible food for babies, it is almost impossible to find a public place where you can comfortably feed your baby.  So far, Nordstroms and Babies R Us are the only two places I have found that have a nice set-up.  Macy's had a little converted storage closet for the job.  Most places don't so much as have a chair let alone a nice, quite comfortable place.

So, you need to get real used to breastfeeding in public if you plan on feeding your little one that way.  And yes, people stare.

4) Human babies come out of the womb very hungry (well, at least mine did.) When Ryder cries, it's because he's hungry.  When Ryder wakes up, he's hungry.  He eats all the time.  Luckily, he's really cute when he's hungry.  He does this little baby bird face where he waves his head around with his mouth open looking for something to stick in it.  It's adorable! 

So basically, as his mom, my primary job for the last month has been feeding him.  Everyone else in the family, runs back-up and supporting roles to feeding him.  I went the whole first week without changing a single diaper.  I think everyone sort of feels sorry for me because I spend so much time in bed feeding this little guy.

5) We have drawers and drawers full of baby clothes but we only dress Ryder in outfits that are easy to get on.  Why do they make so many baby clothes that piss babies off when you attempt to put them on?  Baby pants are just silly - they're hard to get on, fall off way too easily and when you need to change a diaper, they need to be pulled off every time.  Dumb.

6) Swaddling isn't just a nice thing to do and a cute word.  It is a necessity so it's a good idea to practice it a lot and get good at it.  It's the baby equivalent to a straight jacket for the mentally ill.  Babies have no control over their extremities and when they get worked up, they wave them in the air like crazy - which just works them up even more.  If you can get a good swaddle going, you can lock everything down and he will go to sleep.  A bad swaddle is like no swaddle - baby will fight his way out of it in no time.

Ok... I have learned more than this but Milky is hungry so I got to go.  More later.