Mini Milestones

I can not believe I'm still up at 12:30 at night!!! Rylee took a 5 hour nap from 6-11 so she has decided she's not tired now even though I'm exhausted bc she woke up at 5am and decided to stay up!! Although I can't complain to much because she was absolutely adorable. . . she just talked up a storm!! Ok so it's late and i'm rambling and not getting to the whole point of why I'm on here this late. Yesterday Rylee was on her belly on a blanket on the living room floor. I was in the kitchen (most likely washing bottles. . . story of my life) when Chris yelled at me to come to the living room. There was my little sumo wrestler doing push ups!! She had pushed her chest up off the floor using her arms!! It was so cute! I think she was proud of herself too because she had a big smile on her face as she was doing it. So of course when I looked at the "milestone chart" that I get in my weekly baby emails it says that if she's able to do that already she's "advanced"!!! Yay!! I foresee a Harvard graduate. . . She is just changing so much and so fast! I didn't think she was supposed to be changing quite this fast. She's only 6 weeks and I found myself going through her clothes the other day and actually putting the clothes that didn't fit anymore in a tote! Okay now I know that this is happening way too fast! Not only that but daddy had to adjust her car seat straps AGAIN!! This time though we had to actually take the straps out of the bottom slots and lace them through the top ones. I knew it was time for this when I tried to put her in there the other day and was actually having to push her down in the seat to be able to get the straps over her shoulders!! Ok, well I think my little monster has finally passed out so I'm headed to do the same. GOODNIGHT!

Busy Weekend

This picture is so funny. If you look at her left hand she's got her finger pointed and it looks like she was giving somebody a stern talking to!! hahaha

This was what she wore to her first ever church outing. She looked absolutely adorable.

This is just a random picture I took. Sometimes she just acts so happy and is talking up a storm that I can't help but try to capture the moment.

This of course was another one of those moments. She just looked so peaceful I couldn't help myself.

This weekend was Rylee's first cookout/get together. Some old friends of ours from Chris's old ship invited us over for a cookout Saturday night. It was alot of fun. We saw a few people that we haven't seen since Chris left the ship almost two years ago. It was nice to catch up and see what has happened in everyone's lives since we last saw them. One of the guys is now married with an adorable 9 month old little boy who kept everyone entertained throughout the evening. The couple that was hosting the cookout are old friends of ours that actually used to live in the same apartments as we do now. They made the decision to move out just shortly before Lloyd shipped out for a 6 month deployment. His wife Brooke moved home to North Carolina while he was gone. Upon his return they moved into a new apartment at a different location.

Sunday we made our first trip to church as a family. It was so nice to be back in church again. I've definitely missed the "connection" to the Lord I feel when there. I was so miserable throughout my pregnancy that I just didn't feel like going anywhere or doing anything. Then with the arrival of Rylee brought about many sleepless nights and I just didn't have the energy. Now that we're adjusting and she's sleeping a little better I felt this was as good a time as any to make our first trip to church. Rylee stayed in the sanctuary with us through the service. Daddy was too nervous to let her stay in the nursery with "strangers"(hahaha). It was kind of weird because the preachers son and daughter-in-law had just had a baby no to long ago and were there for a dedication service. It was super sweet. They showed a little slide show of pictures of the baby while the family was all gathering on the stage. Of course it brought back precious memories for me of Rylee's birth and just gave me a minute to reflect on the weeks since then and just how happy I am to have such a beautiful little girl. She definitely filled a void in our lives that we never knew we had till she came along. And yes you guessed it. . . I cried like a big baby. I'm sure the people around me were wondering what the heck I was crying about. But hey I wasn't the only one crying. . . the proud grandpa (our preacher) was crying too (hahaha)!! Goodness the way I was acting you would've thought I was part of their family or something!!!

So all this brings up another topic that's really weighing on our little family at the moment. Since Chris has been off the ship due to his shoulder problems he has been on limited duty. Well to keep it simple (because nothing with the Navy is ever simple) the Navy only allows you to be on limited duty for so long. Well Chris has EXCEEDED his limit so now some "big wigs" in Washington are in the process of deciding his fate with the Navy and in turn mine and Rylee's fate as well because wherever he goes we go. A couple of things can happen now. . . "they" can decide to find him fit for full duty or they can decide to separate/discharge him. If they find him fit for full duty he will be picking orders to a new ship. This could mean a number of things. . .if he's able to get on a ship here then this is where'd we'd stay. If not here then we'll be relocated to wherever his new ship would be. This also means that he could be "deployed" really really soon depending on the ship he gets on schedule. If he is separated or discharged then we would be moving home!!! YAY!! Well kinda YAY. . . we would be moving to a place where we have no home (at least not one of our own) and no jobs in an economy that's not real job friendly at the moment. He should be finding out what they decided any day now. In the mean time we're also waiting to hear if he made 2nd class. Which won't really matter if he did or not if he gets separated. . . kinda weird timing. Anyway, please pray for us! We know God has a plan for our family and that no matter what that is or where it takes us He'll make sure we're taken care of. But we want so bad to be home where Rylee can grow up around family and in the same small town atmosphere we did. Not this big city where kids get shot while riding their bicycles and schools lock down on a weekly basis due to drug busts or gun threats!!!

On a more positive note. . . I'm testing my baking skills today. I am going to attempt to make a milky way cake. This is huge for me because I've never made anything from scratch in my life. If it doesn't come in a box I don't make it! Be sure to tune in later to see how it turned out!

4 DAYS. . . INDIANA HERE WE COME!!!

Rylee Marie. . . A.K.A: Our little Sumo Wrestler

Rocky couldn't stand not to be a part of this!! He's slightly jealous.

I love these little headbands, but her heads really to big for them. We discovered that the other day when we took this one off and it left little indentions in her head!!

I'm such a bad mommy. . . make her wear headbands that are too small. . .let formula drain down the side of her face to where it dries in the side of her neck rolls!!!

See what I mean. . . you can actually kinda see her little fat ringlets in this pic!

We were sitting outside on the patio watching the storm roll in. Rylee got tired of waiting on it to get here.

She loves her swing! When all else fails she'll sleep in her swing!

So here's what's been happening since my last post. . .

Rylee has a nickname now. . . "Our little Sumo Wrestler." You're probably wondering how she got that nickname right?? Well here's how. . .

A few weeks ago I'm in our bedroom taking a much needed nap when Chris comes rushing in with Rylee in his arms saying "She's got something wrong with her neck!!" I'm slightly panicking, but trying to keep my cool until I figure out what he's talking about. So he puts her in my arms and points out this "area" on her neck. Oh my gosh it was a raw area where her skin had broke down!! So now you're probably wondering how the heck something like that happens and you're probably thinking that only happens when babies get diaper rash right? Well not when you have a miniature sumo wrestler for a newborn!!!! Not only was this area on her neck red and raw it had all kinds of gunk stuck to it. Turns out all this was from where her formula runs out of her mouth down the side of her face and down her neck (guess thats what they make bibs and burp clothes for huh!). Who knows how long it had been like this. Since she's got so many fat ringlets (hence the nickname Sumo Wrestler) you couldn't see it unless she turned her head and stretched her neck out. Now I swear i bathe my child, but once again she's got so many little fat ringlets that it's hard to get in between all of them.

Rylee turned 1 month this past Thursday! It's amazing how fast it goes! She's growing more and more everyday. Just this week we had to adjust her car seat straps. We were getting ready to leave and I put her in it but couldn't get her arms through the straps they were so tight (this could be because she eats like a sumo wrestler. . . hahaha). She's taking 5 oz every 3 hours now. Sometimes she'd eat sooner than that if we'd let her. It was kind of a sentimental moment for mommy knowing that my little baby is growing so fast. I've noticed alot of other changes that have come with her turning 1 month. She's awake for longer stretches through the day. I wish I could say that while she's awake longer through the day that she's sleeping for longer stretches through the night, but unfortunately that's not the case!!

She also smiles alot more when you talk to her. Yesterday she was laying on the floor on a blanket sucking on her pacifier and I was sitting at the computer when she kept spitting her pacifier out and fussing because she'd spit it out. She was spitting it out about every 5-10 minutes and I'd turn around and put it back in. After doing this SEVERAL times I started talking to her and was telling her in a silly "baby talk" voice that I'd about had enough of this. It was perfect timing because right as I said that she looked at me and smiled the biggest smile I've ever seen. Like she was telling me she could really care less if I'd had enough or not!

With Mother's Day being this weekend Chris surprised me by asking me if I wanted to go to the Olive Garden Friday evening for the other half of my Mother's Day present. This was another pacifier moment. . . I held Rylee's pacifier in her mouth with one hand and ate with the other! I also had big plans for us for the weekend. More than anything else I wanted to go to church Sunday especially since it was Mother's Day and this would've been our first trip to church as a family. What a better time than Mother's Day for a first church outing. Well, little did I know that the boss of the family had other plans in store for us. For some reason Rylee decided she did not want to go to sleep last night. It took 4 hours of trips back and forth from her room back to ours before she decided to go to sleep!!! I tried everything. . . changed her, fed her, held her, rocked her, talked to her, rubbed on her all to no avail. She was not having anything to do with going to sleep. She didn't want to eat either. She just wanted to snack all night which led to her waking up every hour wanting to eat!!! Needless to say we didn't make it to church. I guess there's always another Sunday.

This weekend was also a weekend of more "firsts." Since giving birth to this mini sumo wrestler I can't fit into any of my clothes. I literally have nothing but tshirts and maternity clothes that fit. So I decided to treat myself to an afternoon out doing a little shopping. So this was my first outing without Rylee and it was Rylee's first time home alone with just her daddy. I don't think I've ever dreaded shopping as much as I did this time. Probably for more than one reason. One being when I tried on my first pair of pants and discovered I've gone up 2 pant sizes!! Two being I missed my little girl and felt kinda guilty for wanting to get away for awhile. I don't think she missed me near as much as I missed her.

Random Thoughts. . .

It's been a few days since I've posted anything so I finally found the energy and the time to post a few pics and a few random thoughts. It's been an exhausting week and I've never been so grateful for the weekend to get here. Rylee chose not to sleep three nights in a row and had me so exhausted I couldn't function. Thankfully the weekend got here and Chris was able to take over. I slept till 11am on Saturday and then 10am on Sunday. I definitely got some much needed rest. It was so nice to hear the words "I got it go back to sleep." So Rylee has switched beds again. She started out sleeping in her bassinet and within just a couple of weeks had outgrown it so we moved the pack n play into the bedroom and she slept in there for a few nights. It didn't last long though and she wasn't happy sleeping there either so reluctantly we moved her to her crib. I think she was more ready for this transition than I was. I just couldn't imagine her being so far away at night, but I was willing to do whatever would get me the most sleep. So the first night with her in her crib was a sleepless night for me. I kept waking up every so often thinking she wasn't crying or fussing so I would get out of bed and go check on her. By the time I got back to sleep it was time for her to eat and she was actually fussing. Needless to say after the first night her and I both slept much better. Chris and I have been talking since before we were ever discharged from the hospital about coming home for a visit. Now that we're home and settled in we finally decided on a date. We're planning on coming home May 21st-June 1st and I'm counting down the days! I just keep thinking coming home equals rest for an exhausted mommy because Rylee will have more than enough people willing to keep her for a few hours so mommy can catch up on some much needed sleep. I'm excited too for all the family and friends that haven't seen her yet. Oh and of course the best part of it all is I GET A MASSAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Chris told me the other day that my mother's day present is a gift certificate for a massage when we come home. Wow. . . i couldn't ask for a better vacation. . . sleep and a massage all in one week!!! INDIANA HERE I COME!!!! :)

Don't ask me what she was doing in this picture. I don't remember where we were going. I just happened to come across this picture in Chris's phone and thought it was adorable.

Rylee has become quite the couch potato. She loves to lay on the couch all bundled up in her swaddle.

My first Easter

These pictures were taken just 2 days after Rylee and I came home from the hospital. She was supposed to have pictures taken at the hospital, but when the picture lady arrived the day after she was born we had to turn her away because all the outfits we brought for her to wear were too small!! The picture lady was supposed to come back early the next day. We were so excited to have her pictures taken. We had the package we wanted all picked out and the lady never showed up again. I wanted her to have professional pictures taken so badly so as soon as we got home from the hospital I set about calling all the photography places around trying to get her an appointment. We ended up getting her an appointment at the Kmart in VA Beach at the Olan Mills Studio. Since we had literally just gotten home from the hospital I chose not to go while she got her pictures. So daddy, nanna, and pappy took her and i stayed home and slept. Needless to say I've been counting down the days till we could pick up the pictures. I was kinda worried about how they would turn out since she had that newborn rash and neonatal acne, but much to my surprise they turned out wonderfully!! I was thrilled once I saw them. She definitely does not take after her mom when it comes to picture taking because I take horrible pictures. She's quite photogenic.

Bad Habits and Nighttime Schedules

BAD HABITS Ok, so you hear all the time about kids watching too much tv or how some kids get in the bad habit of having to have the tv on to fall asleep and how this affects their quality of sleep. Well Rylee is probably going to be one of those kids. Chris and I discovered the other night that Rylee sleeps like a rock when the tv is on, but once the tv goes off it's all downhill from there. So we decided to test the waters the other night and leave the tv on all night without setting the sleep timer. Sure enough it worked! Especially if we lay her down and she wakes up, she just watches the tv till she falls back asleep. I hope that she's young enough that this doesn't become a habit. If it does it's all her daddy's fault (hahaha)!! He is the reason this bad habit started. . . he also has to have the tv on to fall asleep. I'm to the point at the moment that whatever gets us the most sleep is what we'll do. NIGHTTIME SCHEDULE So, it's taken us almost 3 weeks but I think the three of us have finally figured each other out and what works and what doesn't. Things seem to be more relaxed than what they were the first week or two. At least I feel more relaxed and less anxious. But I am the worrier of the family so if you were to ask Chris he'd probably say he's been fine from day one. Chris is like the glue that holds us (or at least me) together I think. I know he was during the first week of Rylee's life when the stupid doctors we're flipping out over Rylee losing a pound and had me in a panic. Anyway, back to the point. . . we've started a schedule with Rylee of the evening. Starting about 7pm she gets a bath (which i think she's starting to like). Those of you who were here the first week or two know what a challenge it was when it came to bathing. To say the least she DID NOT enjoy her baths. Then after her bath Daddy gives her a bottle w cereal and within 20-30 minutes she's out cold and off to "bed" she goes. This schedule makes it nice for Chris and I because we get a little bit of time to ourselves. I never would've thought a "schedule" would really work with newborn, but trust me it does. We actually found out the hard way Friday night that Rylee likes to stick to the schedule. We had some friends come to visit at the last minute and they didnt get here till almost 8pm, so Rylee didn't get her bath. Well by the time they left we were kind of in a rush to get her fed and off to bed. It was just kind of chaotic. Needless to say we paid for veering away from the schedule. It took us almost 5 LONG hours to get her to fall asleep and even once she fell asleep she woke almost every hour. Needless to say it was a long night. We have definitely learned our lesson. We now plan our schedule around her schedule. We even rushed through our meal at Olive Garden the other night just to make sure we made it home in time for her bath. Gee. . . I was kinda windy today. Guess I had a lot to talk about.

2 weeks and already changing

I can't believe how much Rylee has changed in just the last week. She's starting to stay awake more during the day. And I've also noticed that she recognizes mine and Chris's voices. The other night I was giving her a bottle and Chris was talking to her. She couldn't see him only hear him and she was straining to turn around and find daddy. She even lost interest in her bottle, which for miss piggy is quite an ordeal! Rylee loves to sit up like a big girl so i got her dressed up and decided to have a photo session! Poor child. . . hahaha!

TUMMY TIME!!!!

Don't let this picture fool you she was not a happy camper on her belly. This happy look was shortlived.