Nona & Papa were here!

My parents came to visit for a long weekend and arrived on Ryker's 3 mo. birthday! It was fun for them to see how Ryker has changed since their last visit. We had a nice time! However, Jeff ended up getting very sick during their entire time here. We think it was the flu. Yuck! He had a major fever (at one point it hit 103.6), body ached all over (felt like he got hit by a bus), nasty congestion, sore throat, horrible cough that hurt deep down, etc. Thankfully, my parents, Ryker, and I have shown no signs of getting it. Just to be safe, we tried to disinfect all the doorknobs, handles, phones, remotes, etc. He took a couple of days off of work, but still isn't feeling back to his normal self. A lot of the guys at his work have been sick too. The flu is hitting the Kansas City area and surrounding towns pretty hard. Not fun!

Ryker is enjoying playing a game with Nona & Papa!

Whatcha starin' at, little man?

This is his 1st time sitting in the Bumbo seat! He can't keep himself upright, so now he has a seat that can help him out!

What a sweet drooling face!

Yes, your Mommy loves you very much!

Happy Valentine's Day, Daddy!

"HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, DADDY! We miss you while you're at work! Hey, I like that heart!"

"I'm going to give this to you when you get home! I can't wait!"

"Dear Lord...please let my Daddy come home safely. Amen."

"I'm being shy right now. But look, Daddy, I'm sitting in your BIG chair! By the way, sorry about the little bit of drool on your card. Oops!"

"Look at me, I'm a Little Loverboy for Valentine's Day! hehe"

WE LOVE YOU, DADDY!

~Mommy, Me, & Tippy~

Picture Happy As Always!

"I'm like a deer in headlights!"

"I'm...trying...to...reach...my...shirt...ugh."

"Yeah, I'm pretty strong. Check these out!"

"Daddy, you're so silly!" *giggle giggle*

TOPIC: Giggles

FOR ALL OF THE MOMMIES OUT THERE, please leave a response... (or even if you aren't a mommy!)

Quick question:
When did your baby 1st giggle?

I thought I'd ask, because I swear I've heard some giggles in the last couple of weeks! Am I just thinking I hear them? Or is Ryker really starting to learn how to giggle? He's going to be 3 months old on the 15th, and I thought babies don't giggle until about 4 months or later. Maybe I have a fast learner! Or again, am I an excited mommy just hearing things? :)

Proud Parents!

Quite the sleepy boy after a LONG EPISODE of crying! We finally got him to fall asleep during Grandma's birthday celebration yesterday. Thank goodness!

He woke up from his nap!

Looks like he's still tired...big yawn!

Such a happy baby now!

The smiles keep coming!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Great-Grandma D.!

Ryker loves spending time with his Great-Grandparents!

HAPPY 79th BIRTHDAY, Grandma D.! We hope you enjoyed your birthday celebration yesterday, even though Ryker was a bit overtired and fussy. Good thing we took this picture before all of his crying episodes, and at least he got a nice long nap. We love you both!

Picture update!

"I like to suck on my fingers!"

Looking so cute in Sarah's hat that she made Ryker! He definitely stays warm & cozy in the carseat cover that Carrie's mom made! Thanks, ladies!

Gotta love baby smiles!!!

Practicing how to stand on two feet...what a strong little boy!

Time for bed, little one! Ryker says, "Will they ever stop taking pictures of me?" Mommy says, "Sorry sweetie, no we can't stop. We love to capture your cuteness!" :)

The Joy of Explosive Diapers!

Yes, Ryker has had numerous poopy diapers...that's the life of a newborn baby. However, today's diaper pretty much went to the top of the charts for the most explosive! He's taking a nap right now, so I decided to sit down and tell you all about it. Aren't you excited to read about baby poop?! I thought so! ;)

Here's how the day has gone so far: This morning I gave Ryker a bath around 10:30 am. He loved hangin' out in the warm water and getting all clean! I put him in a cute new 3-6 mo. outfit that he hasn't worn yet. This rainy afternoon we headed out to grab a quick bite to eat, go vote, stop by our church for baptism info., and then buy a few groceries. He slept for a while and then woke up to smile at me and the strangers he saw. Once we got home, the obvious smell was coming from his carseat. I quickly let Tippy outside, put the cold groceries in the fridge, and brought Ryker to his changing station. My reaction: OH BOY! Oh yes, there was poop coming through one side of his pants. As I took his pants off, it got on his socks. As I took his socks off, it got all over his bare legs. As I took his onsie off, it got all over his back. As I was trying to clean him up with MANY wet wipes, his moving hands were getting a bit too close to the lower parts of his body. (I'm saying, "Please don't put those fists in your mouth right now even though I know you'd love to!") THE JOY OF EXPLOSIVE DIAPERS! The funny part about all of this is that Ryker kept smiling at me during that whole poopy time! So of course, I had to smile right along with him as I got crap all over my hands.

Off we went to take a SECOND BATH. Once again, he enjoyed getting in the warm water and being clean. After I put his clothes on, I layed him down on his play gym mat, and off I went to wash all the poopy clothes. After that got done, what did I see at my deck door? Oh yes, a super wet and muddy dog. (Remember, it was raining outside!) Just great! Off I went with a dirty puppy held in my outstretched hands away from my clothes and into the tub. Let's see, that's a THIRD BATH for the day! Thankfully, Ryker was still content at that time hangin' out on his play gym while I had to bathe Tippy.

So there you have it. At this moment, Ryker is sitting on the couch with me (awake from his nap), and Tippy is laying on the floor by my feet tired from getting a bath. Both are clean! WAIT A MINUTE...do I smell something coming from Ryker?? Oh yes, off we go to change another poopy diaper! Hopefully there will be no need for a 4th bath! :)

Jeff's new toy!

As I mentioned in the last post, we had quite the frustration with Jeff's truck earlier this month. We ended up spending over $900 in trying to fix it at 2 different shop visits, and during the last visit they told Jeff that he needed a new engine. The heck with that! Why would we want to spend another $4000 on a truck that we knew wouldn't last much longer. Well, that same week, the truck died and wouldn't start until my dad called AAA towing for us (when they were still in town). Long story short, it was a stressful time. A few days later, after A LOT of going over our budget and trying to figure out what to do, we brought home a 2008 Toyota Tacoma that had a great sale! We got the double-cab, which will help taking Ryker in his carseat. Even though it's Jeff's new "baby", he still lets me drive it every once in a while. :)

Where have the days of January gone?!

"Grandpa spiked my hair with gel! Now I'm a cool dude!"

Ryker likes to randomly stick out his tongue...too cute!

Sleepy boy taking a nap

Hangin' out in his pjs and swingin' away!

It's already January 31st! Let's see, what all happened this month?

• Our baby boy turned 2 months and gets even cuter as the days go by! :)
• Ryker LOVES to smile and talk to Mommy & Daddy! (I've taken some videos, so once I learn how to attach them I'll share them with y'all.)
• He moved into size 2 diapers!
• He's starting to wear some 3-6 mo. clothes, even though a lot of them are still quite big. The onsies fit much better than the 0-3 mo.!
• In the last couple of weeks, he has found his fists to suck on! (I'll have to take a pic of the baby slobber to show you.)
• One major event at the beginning of the month is the time that Jeff's 1996 Ford Ranger broke down and died. Yeah, it wasn't a fun time. (I'll explain more in the next post.)
• Jeff got his Professional Engineer's license in the mail this week, because he passed his PE exam that he took back in November!!!! We're so proud!
• This past week I thought I ended up somehow with strep throat with a major sore throat for days, coughing, nasal congestion, sneezing, and then loss of voice. I went to the dr. on Mon., and luckily it wasn't strep. She said I have laryngitis and probably a mixture of a cold. I've been really worried about Ryker getting sick, but THANKFULLY he hasn't shown any signs of being sick. Jeff has said he's had a bit of a sore throat in the last couple of days though. Uh oh!

I'm looking forward to the fabulous month of February! Not only is it my birthday month and that our boy will turn 3 months old, but we're also going to celebrate having MN visiters coming to KC! My parents are coming over President's Day weekend, and then Carrie, Liz, Kat, and Kat's 6 month old baby girl, Annie, are coming the last weekend of February. I CAN'T WAIT!! Mom & dad will be able to see how much Ryker's grown in 1 month and the girls will be able to meet him for the 1st time! His chubby cheeks are waiting for kisses!! :)

Happy 2 Month Birthday, Ryker!

Happy to be heading to OshKosh College!

Today our baby boy turned 2 months old! He also had his 2 month pediatrician visit this morning. Poor little guy had 4 shots taken (2 in each leg)...he's a tough one! Yes he cried, but only for about 20 seconds after the shots and then in went the pacifier to calm him down...it worked! :) He definitely wanted to be held by his mommy during the rest of the day which made us both feel better.

• Weight: 12 lbs. 3 oz. (55 percentile) Now he's going into size 2 diapers!
• Height: 23 1/2 in. (75 %)
• Head: 39.1 cm. (25 %)
• He's doing great overall with all measurements!

Talkin' To Mommy

"Hello, Mommy!"

"I'm trying to talk like you talk to me!"

Hee hee..."That tickles my tummy!"

"Let's sing the ABC song again!"

The Pictures Keep Coming...

"I love you, Great-Grandma D.!"

What a happy little boy!

"I love you too, Grandma!"

"It's fun when everyone tries to get me to smile, because I get all of the attention!"

More visiters from Minnesota!

We love out-of-town visiters! A good friend from high school, Bobbie, came to KC a week ago from Duluth with her husband, Aaron, and 2 kids, Dakota & Sierra. It was a very quick visit but lots of fun! It's sweet, because Ryker & Sierra have the same birthday (Nov. 15) and are exactly 1 year apart. We'll never forget their birthdays! Hopefully someday they can have a little birthday party celebration together! THANKS FOR COMING, BOBBIE!!!

Ryker loves looking in the mirror!

Such a gigglin' cutie and a new best friend to Tippy!

Just hangin' around!

Visiting with Ryker's Nona & Papa

"Papa's got me!"

Mom and dad have been visiting us for 2 weeks and head back up north to MN tomorrow morning. They're not looking forward to the time away from Ryker. They had lots of fun with their little grandson and were able to see how much he changed since the week he was born and even the changes within the 2 weeks they were here! Changes include how he's more alert, staying awake longer, focusing on objects & people, smiling more often, recognizing his Mommy & Daddy, eye color changing a tad, getting chubbier, being a bit more vocal with baby coos, getting stronger in his movements, more control with his head, etc.

"Nona's trying to get me to go to sleep...it worked!"

"Time for another nap...zzzzzzz."

Papa's little grandson

We Love You Both!