Two Months

Sweet little Ryan is two months old today. Isn't he cute??? :) Two months has flown by, but we've enjoyed having this little guy here every second of it. He gives us lots of smiles and is starting to have 'conversations' with me, cooing when I talk to him. I never want these babies to grow up, but how can I complain when they get more cute and fun by the day?

I ran across a picture of me when I was pregnant, and it seemed like so long ago. (Funny how that is....some days I honestly thought it would never end...) I love to sit and just take this baby in. I can't believe he's mine. He seems so familiar to me, like I've known him forever. Maybe it's because he looks a little like each of my other babies, but I wonder also if it's because I spent so many hours laying in bed thinking about him. I imagined how he'd look (more like Daddy than Mommy), his personality (sweet and happy), that he'd love to snuggle (especially with me!), and of course how much I'd love him. He's just how I imagined him to be. So handsome, so sweet, so snuggly, and I just can't get enough of him. What a lucky mommy I am...

Happy two-month birthday, Ryan...

Flu Shots and Other Fun Stuff

Last week we took advantage of Ryan's well check and took the whole family to the doctor's office for Flu Shots. Fun stuff, let me tell you! The girls knew what was in store and were dreading the whole ordeal, but Nathan woke up that morning SO excited to go get his shots (he had to get a couple more because we missed his 4-year well check...oops!) The nurse took them oldest to youngest, but she probably should've started with Nathan. Anna wasn't too bad...she's our quiet one. But when the nurse stuck that needle in Aimee's arm, she let out an "Ouch!" and her eyes teared up immediately. We tried to downplay it since Nathan was sitting there waiting for his turn. His excitement was starting to fade a little. Aimee got up and came over to where I was standing and said "That really hurt!" I gave her one of 'those' looks and she corrected herself. "That was cool!" she said, looking over at Nathan. I think at this point he may have been doubting her sincerity. Anyway, he got his three shots, and then three suckers (one for each!) and he was a happy camper. Now I wonder how I'm going to get him back in for those Kindergarten shots in April! Lucky little Ryan got to go last with his shots. Poor little guy. He really wasn't happy about that. He was 22-1/2 inches and weighed 10 lbs. exactly....a pretty big growth spurt from 6 lbs. just six weeks earlier. Here we are, showing off our "Badges of Courage" (our band-aids...)

I love Nathan's face in this one:

Now on to happier things....little Ryan has been giving smiles out like crazy lately. I got my first real smile out of him at about five weeks (September 25 at 10:14 am, to be exact!). I was talking to him and he just looked up and gave me a huge smile...it was the sweetest thing. We had a few more over the next couple of weeks, but at seven weeks he started smiling all over the place. This little boy is way too cute. Here he is getting ready for his first bike ride. We love to go on rides as a family and have had this trailer since the girls were little! It's gotten a lot of use. Now it's Ryan's turn. He slept most of the time, but I'm sure he loved the parts he was awake for...

Here is one of those great smiles:

and another...

isn't he the sweetest?

The kids were so excited to take him out for his first ride...

We also had to record his height on the family chart....22-1/2 inches already!

He thought he was hot stuff getting measured like his big sisters and brother...

We love you, little Ry-Ry....just don't grow up on us too fast! :)

Brothers

I can't tell you how much Nathan loves being a big brother. He is so sweet with Ryan, always giving him kisses, telling him he loves him, and trying to make him feel better when he cries. Today Scott was holding Ryan and Nathan said "Daddy, aren't you SO glad we have baby Ry-Ry?" Too sweet. A little later we were all having some M&M's, and he wondered if we could give Ryan "a teeny, tiny" piece so he wouldn't be left out. Here he is, so proud that he got Ryan to sleep with the binkie:

and my boys looking too handsome in their "Sunday Best"

I have the feeling these two will be great friends...

Change is in the air...

Ahhh.....a new blog address calls for a new background, don't you think? The girls couldn't believe I didn't have a "cute" background for this blog, so they hooked me up. (Honestly, I tried to put one on a year ago and couldn't figure out how. It took a seven-year-old, who figured it out herself, to show me how.) We'll try it out....although I'm kind of partial to my old plain white one. I do love fall though, so I might as well be a little festive, right?

One Month Old!

Sweet baby Ryan is one month old today! Where has the time gone??? (It sure didn't go by this quickly when he was inside of me!:)) I love the fact that I can barely even remember what our family was like without him. How lucky are we?!

So, we decided to celebrate this monumental day with a "Happy One-Month-Old Birthday" party. Nathan picked out a carrot cake (?) at the store for him (I think he liked the carrots made of frosting on top...which was pretty much the only part of the cake he ended up eating.) We even had a candle they all took turns blowing out.

Here is our cute little man in his "Sunday Outfit." I love the onesie with the tie sewn onto it. We had to go find some newborn size cords to match!

The other day I read this quote...

"I truly believe that as low as you go, you bounce back up that much higher."

...and I really think it's true. The physical and emotional lows I experience while carrying these sweeties are amazingly low. It's kind of scary. But the high I feel when I hold them in my arms for the first time, and thousands of times after, is the most amazing and wonderful feeling. I am so happy and so grateful to be enjoying this special, unexpected season of my life. I'm soaking it in and loving every minute.

Four Weeks

Our little Ryan is four weeks old today. I'm a little sad to have him "growing up," but it is so fun to watch his sweet personality emerge. He is such a good baby, and loves to be snuggled (good thing, because we all love to snuggle him!) He's starting to get on somewhat of a schedule, but none of our kids have been very good sleepers, so I'm not expecting much sleep for the next several months! And, we are venturing into new territory...Ryan may be the first one of our babies to actually take a binkie. Which is WONDERFUL right now, but then again I've never had to wean one of my kids from a binkie, so I don't know if I should push it. (Any thoughts?) He also seems to enjoy our morning and afternoon walks to school, which is good because we have nine months of them ahead of us! :)

These are a few more of the pictures Christie took. They are so sweet, I just can't stop looking at them! She captured this special time for our family perfectly. Do you think this little guy is loved? I think he's going to be spoiled like no other...

First Day

Our first day of school went off without a hitch. The girls love their teachers, and are excited about their classes. Whew! This was our first "first day" without any tears of anxiety. When we got to school the girls both went off to find their class lines, and that was it! It was too easy...I guess they are getting older and much more independent. We are lucky to be at such a great school with amazing teachers and good friends. The combination made for a smooth transition to 3rd(!) and 5th(!) grade.

Daddy even stayed home long enough to see the girls off for their first day. Here they all are, walking to school (we've got quite the entourage now...)

Anna and Aimee on the blacktop.


My sweet 5th(!) grader...


My cute little 3rd(!) grader.



It really feels good to get back to school this year. Usually I dread the new year...the end of summer, my kids another grade older, etc. But this year I'm loving it. I think it's probably due to the fact that I'm feeling back to my old self (I can actually eat without feeling sick...I'm so happy!!!) I love the structure our family is settling back into, and I love that the girls are at school with their wonderful teachers. Ahhh, back to productivity. It's been a while since things have felt "normal" around here, and it is a good feeling. I'm so excited for everything we have coming up in the next few months. Stay tuned...we'll keep you posted on the fun. :)