This Day Last Year - Ryad

Ryad,our first born (well, technically speaking he is a minute older to his brother, so there!) is the more serious of the two. He has an attention span I thought babies could never have. I know this because when he was 2 months he would be able to just look at his musical mobile for 30 minutes at a stretch. He has always loved observing things.

He might have been the second one to roll over, crawl, walk and talk. But when he did, he was amazingly meticulous! I guess his philosophy is to keep watching until he gets it right in his brain and then one day take you by surprise by sitting up perfectly after getting up from a nap. 

At birth he was under weight and other complications didn't help help him pick up right away. I would read that it took preemies 2-3 years to get back on track with their peers, but Ryad's growth rate was off the charts when we went to the pediatrician for his 1 year check up! The Doctor was amazed at how fast he not only caught up but surpassed over 99% percent of babies in his age group! If he were a normal baby I wouldn't have bothered about statistics so much, but for my boys it is a big achievement amongst many more to come. Ameen!

Reedu Peedu

Ryad and his musical mobile, he just loved it!

Ryad, taking a break on the glider

This day last year Ryad was 4 months and week old, these pictures are from around that time.

This Day Last Year

Nael and Ryad have turned 15 months old. I will not say that time has flown and that I didn't realize when they got this far, no. My mind can place every milestone (that I so looked forward to) in an accurate time line. All the diaper changes, the hours of breastfeeding, the piles of bottles, the sleepless nights and drowsy days that followed. No dreamy nostalgia here.

What I will truly miss and remember are all the smiles, all the countless and cute babbling that have now morphed into legible words. All the fun traveling to new places and visiting family. All the tickles, all the discovering, all the learning. The first smile, the first steps, the first tooth I will fondly remember all of these moments. All our joys were doubled, every happiness was twice as nice since they came in our lives.

This very day last year they were 3 months old.

 

Nael and Ryad @ 3 months old

  

Two very serious 3 month olds

  

Not so serious at 15 months, are we?

 

Playing on the billiards table

Babies At Home

Thirteen days after birth everybody was at home together for the first time (except for the 3 hours we bought Ryad and rushed him back to the hospital again).
Elated and overwhelmed we were trying not to desperately take pictures of their every move. Here are a few of us doting over them with our camera.

Brothers in their matching sweaters.

Note How Ryad is holding his paci all by himself. For that moment I had thought I might just have independent babies!

 

Shhh, babies at sleep

  

This has got be Ryad's first pic at home. He had lost a little weight but it was awesome to have him sleep in his own crib

 

One of my favorites. Dad (exhausted but not stirred) with Ryad (sleepy but not asleep)

Let’s Start From the Start

The start of new life, or lives I should say.

Mr R was born into this world on November 22nd 2008. He weighed 4 lbs and came four weeks before he was supposed to.

Mr N followed his brother into the world a minute later. He weighed 4 lbs and 14 oz







That is the hospital building they spent the first week of their lives in. They spent their days being fed, changed, monitored and basking in their toasty incubators.
We got lots of comments on their small size. But they were the most beautiful things that I had ever seen! And honestly they didn't look that small to me (although now I realize that they were *sheepish grin*)
Below is a picture of them in their incubators. Mr R is on the left and Mr N on the right.