'Night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite

Ryan is 2 weeks old today! He is so precious and we love having him around! It seems like he has been a part of our family for such a long time now - crazy that 2 weeks ago I was in the hospital delivering him.

He had his 2 week checkup today! He weighed 8 lbs 9.5 oz. He has gained almost a pound since he was born. He is either a good eater or my milk is like cream - perhaps it is both.

He did great at his checkup. Only a few fussy moments. Since then he has been one sleepy boy though. He will wake up just enough to eat (although he falls asleep half way through the feeding).

So far today he will fuss for a minute when he wakes up & I'll say, "Did you decide to finally wake up Ryan?" as I pick him up. Before I can even kiss him on the cheek he is back asleep again.

Do you suppose the nice little lab tech could have injected him with a dose of Ambien as she lanced his heel for the newborn screening?

Or perhaps he heard me ask Dr. Medina if it is ok to let him sleep longer than 4 hrs at night between feedings (some nights I have to wake him up to feed him). Maybe he is trying to prove me wrong just as I was thinking he is a great sleeper at night. :)


(He was supposed to be having tummy time).

Good thing tomorrow is Saturday - so Jeff can help tonight if he decides to have an all-nighter party.

Ryan Jeffrey

August 13th
7 lbs, 13 oz
20 inches

He has a little bit of strawberry blonde hair, chubby cheeks that are oh so fun to kiss, is a good eater, and he is so patient & sweet with his new parents. We sure do love him!

We know what you really want is pictures (& we don't blame you, because he is adorable!)...so we will post some more information later on regarding how we chose his name, the delivery, etc. So without further adieu...presenting Ryan Jeffrey



Healthy baby, happy parents!



The day we got home from the hospital (& no - you're never too young to choose sides) :)



Jeff will be such a good dad!



Grandma saves the day! My mom came in from Salt Lake on the 14th. I had just gotten home from the hospital about an hour before her flight landed. Jeff went to pick her up from the airport. I thought I would feed him and get him all ready to meet his grandma in style. As I was feeding him he had his first (of many- I'm sure) blowout. It was all over him, me, pillow case, bedding, etc. Needless to say, grandma was welcomed with a "help!" from the back bedroom. She has saved the day since she has been here as I've been trying to adjust to his newborn schedule and everything else.



Almost a smile...His face has changed SO much over the past 10 days!



He is so incredibly sweet!



First car trip



What do you mean it's not time to eat yet?!?



Enough with the pictures already!



This little monkey is ready for bed



Sleeping in with mom

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. We love all of you! Sometimes it is hard to be far from family and close friends. But we are giving our little Ryan lots of hugs and kisses on your behalf. :) You are always in our thoughts and prayers.

We are so happy and couldn't feel more blessed. Life is good! We hope all is well with all of you too.

Get ready...get set...wait!

No, no baby yet...which doesn't surprise me too much, especially since this is the first one. We are scheduled for an induction tomorrow evening, however. So you can probably expect the good news on Friday (yes, Friday the 13th - and no, it doesn't bother me at all).

I figured I would catch up on the blog now that I feel like almost everything is in order for his arrival. The honest truth is that I am trying to keep my mind off of the anxious anticipation of delivery, as well as the infrequent but uncomfortable Braxton Hicks contractions that come and go.

It is so ironic to me that I am a nurse and have had labor & delivery rotations - but am still quite nervous. I guess it is because even when you know something in theory, it is so different in practice. Maybe it is actually in part because I am so familiar with possible complications and things. Jeff told me the other day that I tend to think in worst case scenarios. And I do! Not that I would consider myself a negative person - I just always want to be prepared if particular situations were to occur. Not to mention the fact that I really don't handle pain well.

There are so many emotions and feelings right now. Excitement to meet the sweet little baby that has been growing inside of me the past 9 months, nervous about delivery. But mostly hope...hope that I will be able to teach him the gospel well and love him with all of my heart, hope that I will be patient enough and have enough energy, hope that I will be able to support Jeff wholeheartedly as he goes back to school and stays busy with work, callings, and house projects. And a feeling of deep gratitude that Heavenly Father is giving us the opportunity to be parents to one of His precious spirit children.

I wonder what he will look like and what his little personality will be like.

At my appointment with the doctor on Monday I started to cry a little while she was talking to me about the induction. I was so embarrassed! I'm not usually this emotional, but she was so understanding. She was really sweet about it...handed me a box of Kleenex, put her hand on my arm and said, "You know - I understand. When my first baby was born it was the first time in my life that I felt like I had hit a wall. I had never had to face anything that hard before that I couldn't take a break and walk away from and then go back to it." She is a very competent doctor and is also compassionate and has great bedside manners. She is actually a member of the church and is in our stake (there is only 1 stake for Corpus Christi). She told me at the appointment, "Just remember - you won't be alone. I will be there and the nurses will be there. Your baby will be monitored the whole time...You just have to cast your fear aside."

Yesterday while trying to stay busy I decided to clean out the office closet while Jeff was working on my car. I came across a scripture that I had laminated and memorized a few years ago:

"Fear not thou; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10

The words came to life and felt so specific to me and my needs at this time. I am so thankful for a Heavenly Father who knows us, loves us, and shows us His tender mercies regularly. I have thought about the words of the scripture over and over since last night, and it has helped to calm my fears and remember that I won't be facing this next phase of my life alone.

Well...this post has been a little lengthy & maybe kind of like a journal entry for me. But it helps me to write it down (or type it or whatever). But here are some pictures - of us getting ready for the baby...

A baby shower that our ward threw for me. They are amazing! They don't call them "ward families" for nothing.



The sweet member that hosted it is a recent convert & is such a good friend. She calls to check on me all of the time. She thought of everything for the shower! Including blue flowers & a baby video (that her husband made!!!).













I don't think my tummy can get much bigger. The OB thinks he will weigh about 8 lbs when born...I guess we'll see.





Jeff was feeling a little left out:



The darling nursery:



I know it looks a little plain right now - but hey, that is fresh paint on the walls (we finally finished painting - thanks Jeff!). And we are planning on getting some vinyl lettering to go on the wall & add some color. (sorry about the bright window in the background)



Closet fully stocked with adorable baby clothes (thanks everyone!!!). I even have his 72 hour kit sitting in the closet in case of hurricane evacuation (told you we're ready).



His own little book basket! I hope he loves stories...because I sure do & can't wait to start reading to him!


Well, I hope this post will do for now, until our little guy is born and then we will post dozens of pictures of the handsome little guy, I'm sure. And by then he will have a name. :)

You know you're in south Texas when...

Green fences are cool - why else would everyone have them?



You find fuzzy critters like this one hanging out in your garage. I think he loved Rojita (the red civic) as much as I do...Ok, ok, the truth is that our garage is actually quite clean and we rarely find bugs in there. This spider was determined to spend a week spinning a web on my car however...Jeff got to drive the car that week. :)



The only time you don't wear flip flops is to church on Sunday.



You use soaker hoses to water your foundation so your walls and ceiling don't crack.





Going to the temple is the best! You don't get to go often, but you cherish it when you do go...This is the Houston temple. We got to go and do a session together when Jeff went there for a business trip. I got to go twice while we were there. Loved it!!!



There are fields of windmills. They are amazing! I can't believe that they weren't fenced off and that we could drive right up to them. I can't believe how big they are - and they are small in comparison to most windmills apparently.





You venture to do your own car work the week before the baby is due. I'm not sure if that has to do with south Texas or not...but if we were in Utah we probably would've taken it to Vince, our favorite car mechanic, who never over-charges. Jeff did a great job - I just can't believe how complicated cars can be! Especially when it seems that it should be something so simple, but instead it ends up being several simple things - making it pretty frustrating! Jeff worked on the car for hours to get the window to work (it was only rolling down, but then wouldn't roll up).

We really love south Texas, even though I still think it is a bit quirky in some ways. We just wish that all of you could live in south Texas too! We miss all of you...especially as the baby is coming - but we promise to post lots of pictures and give him plenty of hugs and kisses on your behalf. :)