Merry Christmas

From our house to yours

I absolutely love receiving Christmas cards and displaying them in our house throughout the holiday season.  Ours have been mailed out and I wanted to share on the blog as well.  Click below to see our cards from years past!

2010 Christmas Card

2009 Christmas Card

One Month...

Henry Ryan.... you are officially one month old!

These past few weeks have gone quickly and every night I go to bed wondering how the day went by so fast.  Being a mommy is definitely hard work but it's worth every second.  At your one month appointment you weighed 8 pounds 11 ounces and were almost 22 inches long.  Definitely a growing boy which is great.  You are still wearing some newborn clothes but are able to fit in 0-3 month outfits now.  While we love you to pieces you've been somewhat of a fussy baby lately.  You have a hard time feeling content and seem to cry most of the day when you are not sleeping.  We found out you have reflux and the pediatrician prescribed us some medicine to help with this.  We're hoping it kicks in soon so you feel better and we're all able to get some rest around here!

A recap of your first month...

The first week and a half that you were home we were lucky to have your dad with us.  During that time we celebrated your first Thanksgiving.  We have a lot to be thankful for this year!

That evening you watched the Aggie game in your Dad's lap but unfortunately the outcome wasn't in our favor.  We're hoping we'll have better luck in the SEC next year.

I've taken hundreds of pictures of you this last month and only a few have turned out really cute.  You are a squirmy little baby but I do love this one I was able to capture below.

We've started putting you on your tummy to help build your neck muscles and you seem very strong.  You kick and lift your head up.  This only lasts a few minutes and then you let us know when you are done :)

You watched your first OU game and unfortunately this did not end in our favor as well.  At least you looked cute!

You've really started to enjoy bath time now that we are actually able to put you in the tub.  We usually give you a bath every night as part of your bed time routine.

Lately you have a bad case of baby acne and it makes me so sad!  I know it doesn't bother you and that it is pretty common among babies but I'm hoping it clears up soon.

Usually your dad will give you a bottle around 8 pm and then we'll lay you in your crib for bed.  We started swaddling you with blankets at first but you quickly learned how to get out of those.  We've had much more luck with the velcro swaddle me blankets. Typically you sleep until 11 or 12 at night and then are up again around 3 and then 6 in the morning.  You are up fairly often in the night but you usually go right back to sleep after you eat and we change your diaper.  We're looking forward to when you sleep longer but I know this phase will pass soon enough.

During the day you are very alert and like to be held or in your Bjorn.  You normally take a nap in the morning and then again later in the afternoon.  Sometimes you nap in your crib, in my lap or your seat.  You always seem to have your hands up when you sleep which is pretty cute :)

In the afternoons we try to get out and go for a walk with Benny.  You love to ride in your stroller and lately you've been loving your Wubba Nub pacifier.

We attempted your one month pictures in the cute onesies Nicole made for you but our photo session didn't go so well.  You had a hard time sitting still and I could never get a good picture.  You then proceeded to spit up on your shirt which made the sticker soggy and it tore.  Hopefully our two month picture will go a little better :)

Happy one month Henry!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Well, it's not beginning to look like Christmas at our house since we are moving in 14 days (woohoo!!) but it is at my parents house!  It makes me sad that I do not have a tree or decorations up for Henry's first Christmas but we have enjoyed the lights at their house.  We spent the night last Saturday for my mom's birthday and took a few pics of Henry in front of the tree.  He had the most adorable outfit on and we had to snap a few.  We even tried to get a picture with his brother but neither one of them seemed to cooperate :)

Check out the back of his pj's!

Annual Christmas Dinner

Last Sunday we had our annual Christmas dinner with friends and we had a blast!  This is our third year to continue the tradition and this year Nicole & Aaron hosted at their house.  Their house looked beautiful and they went over the top with yummy appetizers, drinks, and dinner.  It is so nice to get together at this time of year with friends and celebrate this joyous season.  It's also nice when you add a sweet baby to the group :)

Click here to see dinners from years past!  2009, 2010

Sneak Peek

Last week we had newborn pictures taken by a talented photographer and she sent me a sneak peak this afternoon.  I'm in love with this photo and had to share my sweet baby boy.  Henry did so well during the session and allowed her to take a ton of shots.  I can't wait to see more!

Bennett meets Henry

Ryan's mom kept Bennett while we were in the hospital and the first night we were at home.  Bennett has always been our first baby and you could say he is a little spoiled.  We were nervous how he would react when we brought Henry home but honestly he has been great.  He really didn't pay much attention to him until he heard him cry for the first time and then he was a little curious of who this extra person was in his house.  He sniffed him and has tried to lick him on several occasions.  It's also funny how Henry doesn't react when he hears Bennett bark but I assume he was used to hearing this sound while in my belly.  

Henry & Bennett meeting

Already protective of his little brother

My boys :)

Henry's Friends and Family

While in the hospital we had so many friends and family come visit us and welcome Henry into this world.  We are truly grateful for their support, love and help these last two weeks.  I wanted to post a few pictures from our time in the hospital and when we first came home.  We really appreciate all you have done for us!

As soon as Henry was born my Mom updated the wreath with his name and numbers and immediately posted on our door.  I absolutely love it and it's now hanging on the door to his room

Henry with my parents

Henry with Ryan's parents

Henry with his cousins and Aunt Becca & Uncle John

Henry with his cousins and Aunt Rhonda & Uncle Danny

Henry with Aunt Courtney & Uncle Ryan

Henry with Nicole and Aaron

Alison & Mark

Dad getting Henry dressed to head home

About to head home!

First car ride

With Leslie, Kim & Erich

Thanks again for all your love and support!

Henry's Birthday - November 15, 2011

Last Tuesday, November15th, we celebrated Henry's birthday.  We welcomed him into the world at 12:25 pm and our lives have forever changed and our hearts are filled with love we didn't know possible. Henry has been with us a little over a week and I can't believe how fast the time has gone.  I wanted to post his birth story so I can document all the events of the day....

Ryan and I had gone to the doctor the Friday before and the decision was made to go ahead and induce labor for the following Tuesday.  Everything was fine and I had progressed enough that we felt comfortable with induction.  It was weird knowing we had only a few days left as a family of two but enjoyed our time by eating at our favorite restaurants, sleeping in, spending time with Bennett and taking care of a few last minute things. We also had several house showings on Saturday and an open house so we were busy preparing for that.  Our house had been on the market nearly six months with only one offer and that one weekend we received two offers.  The timing couldn't have worked out better even though we were busy negotiating the sale and working through all the paperwork.  That Monday night Ryan and I went out to eat, finished packing our bags and tried to get some sleep.  I think I slept only 3 hours that night as I was anxious and nervous about the next morning.  We had to be at the hospital by 5 am and my alarm was set for 3:15 am.  The alarm went off and I jumped in the shower and then woke Ryan up so he could get ready.  We managed to get out the door by 4:20 with everything we could possible need for the next few days :)

Once we arrived at the hospital everything happened very quickly.  We were checked in, comfortable in our room, and had the Pitocin in by 5:45. The first few hours went quickly as nurses were in every 15 minutes or so checking on us and increasing the dosage.

At this point I was having contractions but wasn't in much pain.  My doctor came in at 7:30 to break my water and checked my cervix.  At that time I was 1-2 cm dilated and 90% effaced.  We settled in for what we thought would be a long day as she said typically you would dilate 1-2 cm every 2 hours.  Around 8:30 the contractions really started to pick up and I was feeling them more in my back.  At 9:20 the nurse checked my cervix again and said I was almost 4 cm dilated and was progressing very quickly.  I was actually in quite a bit of pain and asked for the epidural.  There were several other women in labor at the same time and I was about 4th on the list to receive the epidural.  My nurse slowed down the pitocin as she wanted to make sure I received the epidural before progressing much more.  They brought in another doctor to give epidurals and I was able to receive mine at 10 am.  I was a little nervous about this but honestly it wasn't bad at all.  I started to feel relief instantly but still felt contractions on my right side. The nurse checked me again and I was still almost 4 cm dilated.  The nurse said they wouldn't check me again for awhile and we started to relax.  My mom was there at this point and we all chatted for the next hour and a half.  Around 11:15 Ryan was getting hungry and decided to walk over to a nearby Whataburger to grab a quick lunch.  I felt sure that this baby wouldn't be here until late afternoon at the earliest.  The nurse came back in at 11:45 to check me again and surprisingly announced that I was 10 cm dilated and that I was ready to push!  She then asked where my husband was.  Of course I panicked and said he had gone to lunch.  My mom called him and he rushed back just in time.  They were trying to get a hold of my doctor so we had a little time thankfully.  I couldn't believe how fast I had progressed from a 4 to a 10 and I think all the nurses were surprised as well.

I was feeling all sorts of emotions but was more excited than anything else as we were about to meet our baby boy.  The doctor came in shortly after Ryan got back and we began pushing.  Henry Ryan was born only 15 minutes later at 12:25 pm weighing 6 pounds 9 ounces and 19 inches long.  He was healthy and absolutely perfect :)

 
The whole experience was amazing and I can't even describe the love I felt for this child when I held him for the first time.

I was very fortunate to have a great experience and a fairly easy labor and delivery.  Throughout the next few days we had quite a few visitors and feel so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.  I'll save that for another post :)

And one more of our sweet boy.  I have a feeling you'll be seeing him a whole lot more on this blog :)