Growing

Ryan is growing like a weed. I can't believe how fast he has grown. I have been looking back at some of his newborn pictures and it amazes me that he was that small. He is doing really well so far. He eats well; which has been a blessing as I have heard horror stories about breast feeding so I am very thankful that this is still going smooth for us. He has been sleeping 7 to 8 hours every night since he was 7 1/2 weeks old; again, a huge blessing for me. I do love my sleep so this has been so nice and has made for a much happier Mommy. And his naps are starting to get better but we are still working hard on those. We are working on keeping a constant schedule right now so that when he starts daycare on the 26th everyone will know what he is doing every day. Being back at work and away from Ryan has been so hard; much harder than I ever thought before he was here. I still cry some and I am hoping it gets easier to leave him but so far it hasn't been. I never thought before that I would actually consider staying at home with him but since his arrival I have really wished it was a possibility. If only money grew on trees. Last week he was staying awake in the mornings to see me more and I was struggling to get him to go back to sleep (no one wants a baby to be awake at 4:30 in the morning). But this week he has been a little better about that. Although the evenings have gotten a little more difficult. He has not wanted me to put him down anywhere. It just breaks my heart to see him get upset. He usually loves his swing but every time I have tried to put him in it during the evening he cries until I get him out. He will sit on the couch with me though while I eat dinner but I have to be touching him. Jonathan is staying home with him this week and next week and they are having a great time. Ryan seems to be enjoying his time with his Daddy. But when I get home Ryan is ready for some Mommy time and gets very clingy. And both of them had a bad night on Monday. Some how Jonathan scared Ryan, not even on purpose, and Ryan clung to me for a good 30 minutes before he would let me do anything. Poor guys were both so upset by it. Ryan has been smiling a lot more and we are getting some out loud laughs and giggles. Its amazing how your heart just melts when you hear that and the whole world stops. Then you spend the rest of the day trying to get him to do it again. We haven't really done anything lately since I have been back at work. The weekends are spent just getting normal errands done and spending some family time together. I am kind of looking forward to Ryan going to daycare so we can start getting a normal routine going. And I mean normal as in this is what it is going to be like for quit sometime. Jonathan and I are hoping to take Ryan to the zoo soon. We wanted to go tomorrow; unfortunately the weather had other plans. Hopefully next Friday will be sunny and warm so we can go. While Ryan won't really care much about the animals or anything, Jonathan and I love the zoo and are really looking forward to taking Ryan. That's it for now. Here are some random photos from the last two weeks.

Ryan loves taking walks when the weather is nice. He will spend some time looking around and then about half way into it he is asleep.

He is such a happy morning baby.

Our first trip to church with Ryan. I got him all dressed up and looking cute and then he slept through the whole thing. It was good he did though because the next week he didn't and while he didn't cry he was quit the destraction for our Sunday school class.

Mommy and a sleepy baby.

Daddy and a sleepy baby.

He is getting much better at tummy time.

He loves when someone plays with him.

Story time. Ryan does pretty good for story time but some times we can only get through half a story before he gets restless.

Cookie monster ate the baby!

Chubby baby!

2 months!

It is so hard to believe that two months ago today Ryan was born. Time has flown by and he has grown so much. Our lives have changed so much in the last two months and I can't (nor do I want to) imagine my life without our little guy in it. We had his two month check up today and wow was I surprised to see how much he had grown. He weighed in at 12 lbs 1 oz and was 22 and 3/4 inches long. I knew he had put on a lot of weight (you can just look at him and tell) but wasn't expecting over 4 lbs in two months! The first thing Dr. Gillispie said when he came in the room was "well, we know breastfeeding is going well and don't have to worry about that" since Ryan had gained so much weight. He also had his first round of vaccines today. He did cry but only for a couple of minutes. Once they were done with them and I was able to pick him up he calmed down rather quickly. And thankfully he hasn't seemed to have had any reaction to them at all so far. This week was also my first week back at work. I did not want to leave him at all. Going to work on Monday was one of the hardest things I have had to do. I, of course, cried several times throughout the week. I was hoping it would get easier but it didn't. Maybe over time it will but I would still rather be at home with him. I don't want to miss anything and they change so much this early. I really miss getting to spend time with him in the morning. He is such a happy baby in the morning. I am glad that he is at least getting to spend sometime with his Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Kenny and his cousins though since Jennifer is watching him for these first two weeks. They all seem to be enjoying it and Ryan is transitioning well. I am sure putting him in daycare in a couple of weeks will be hard as well. Last night Ryan slept for 8 straight hours!! It was so nice and here is to hoping it wasn't a fluke and that it continues. Overall, Ryan is a great baby and we couldn't ask for anything more. He smiles all the time. He coos and will carry on a conversation with you by cooing back at you. He focuses really well on objects and is getting very good with his head control. He is starting to do better at his naps but if that is the only thing we have problems with then we can't complain. He is a very healthy, strong baby and we feel so blessed. Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Still so precious when he is sleeping.

He is starting to enjoy his play gym.

But his favorite is still the swing, he loves it!

Daddy and Ryan

Enjoying his swing, he loves looking at the mobile on top. His first friends!

Thankfully he is strapped in to the swing because he has learned how to kick the tray open.

Ryan and his new buddy, Sadie.

Jennifer got a really good smile out of him here.

Cousin Shelby bonding with Ryan.

Ryan at two months old.

6 weeks!

Ryan is doing great and is growing like a weed. Last week we took a trip to Frankfort to visit family and friends. While visiting my Aunt Anja at her work we weighed Ryan on a UPS scale (only my Aunt Anja would think of this) and he weighed 10lbs 4oz (this is with his clothes and diaper on so take a little off that). I couldn't believe he had gained that much. But happy to know that I am feeding him well and that he is growing. Ryan also went to see where his Daddy and Mommy work and meet the people we work with. Everyone kept commenting on how cute he is. And more and more people are commenting on how he looks like Jonathan. That's fine, he acts like his Mommy though. We feel so blessed to have gotten such a wonderful baby. Yesterday we went to my niece Jessica's soccer game. My family was so excited to see him and couldn't believe how much he has grown. Ryan also had his first bottle last week and did very well at it. We are trying to get him used to them for when I go back to work. He is sleeping much better at night. The last two nights he has slept for 6 hours before waking up to eat. This has been so nice for me and such good news. I really hope it continues and gets even better as I prepare to go back to work in two weeks. We are still working on the naps though. He is not very good at naps at all. He fights them and wants to stay up, doesn't want to miss anything. But Mommy knows he needs to sleep so we struggle through them and finally get him to sleep. Generally if we start the day out good then the rest of it goes smooth so it's important to get a good start. I am not looking forward to going back to work and am very worried about being away from him. I don't know how I will manage. Hopefully once I get used to it things will get better and I will enjoy feeling like an adult again and working, we will see though. Ryan spends a lot more time awake than he used to. He smiles a lot and grunts/coos at you. Its so neat seeing him change and grow. He is very strong and can hold his head up very well. He is really enjoy his swing more and more, he loves the little mobile on it. He is always trying to get the animals on it, it's too funny.

Ryan getting his first bottle from Daddy. He did so well. Wasn't for sure what to do with it at first but didn't care after he realized he was getting milk. He is a slow eater though, just like Mommy.

Yummy thumb.

Chunky monkey. He is getting so big!! Watching tv with Daddy acting like a big boy (this only lasted for a couple of seconds, short attention span).

He is really thinking about the best way to get the mobile. Lately he has been swinging his arms and trying to get them; however, he gets a little aggravated after awhile when he can't get them.

A huge grin while in his swing.

Another smile, love them. This one was one I got while talking to him.

Both of these are at Jessica's soccer game. His cousin Brandon and Aunt Jennifer can't get enough of him.

And one of Mommy and baby. Ryan is 6 weeks old in this picture.

One month old

Yesterday Ryan turned one month old. It's hard to believe that he was born a month ago. We have enjoyed him so much. He is overall a really good baby and such a joy. He is starting to play more and spend more time awake. At times you can get him to smile; which is amazing (I think he is smiling at me even if people really think it's just gas). We are getting used to the no sleep and his fussy time (which is at night). While he still loves being held he is doing better about spending time by himself (sleeping in his pack-n-play, in his swing, etc.). It's amazing watching him grow and change so much already just over this last month. While we are still adjusting, I think we are doing well at it and are enjoying being a family of 3. I have attached some pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Ryan with his great-grandmother Rodgers.

Ryan and his Grandpa who made a surprise visit from Illinois to see him.




Chilling in his bouncey seat.

Enjoying his swing.

Playing with his activity gym.

Sitting in his boppy pillow.

Tummy time got interrupted because he found his hand and started chewing on it.

So adorable while sleeping.

Not the greatest picture due to the flash coming on. The camera is suppose to only use the flash when needed but here is a quick shot I got of him smiling.

Trying to get the hang of things

Ryan is doing well and is growing every day. Last Friday at his doctor's appointment he had gained back to his birth weight and then some, weighed in at 7lbs 13oz. They said he was doing really well. He does have a blocked tear duct though so we have to massage his eye a couple of times a day. This past weekend Chris, Nikki, Aubrey and Hayden came down to see Ryan. It was great to see them and for them to see Ryan. Hopefully now that he is here they will have to come visit more often. Jonathan went back to work on Monday so it was my first week by myself with Ryan. Ryan and I are trying to get into a routine and figure things out. He has his nights and days mixed up a little bit so we are trying to fix that right now. It's no easy task trying to keep a newborn up when he wants to sleep and even harder to try to get him to sleep when he wants to be awake. But we are enjoying our time together. Ryan is such a blessing and I wonder if I will ever not be so overwhelmed with love when I look at him. We took him on the 11th for his newborn pictures and they are now online for viewing. Go to http://carlislephotography.smugmug.com/Proofs and search for Johnson R. Newborn, password is johnson. They turned out so well and I am so happy about them. Now comes the hard part of trying to decide which ones to buy. That's it for now. There are some pictures below of the past week and a half.

Ryan in his swing, he is starting to enjoy it more.

Sleeping on Daddy.

Tummy time. He didn't really enjoy it but he is getting better at it.

Uncle Chris holding his nephew.

Aunt Nikki showing Aubrey and Hayden their new cousin Ryan.

His umbilical cord fell off on Saturday so he can now take real baths. He likes them better than the sponge baths but still doesn't love them. I am sure as he gets older and can play in the water he will.

Swing time, notice how his hair is standing up.

Mommy and baby taking a nap. Despite this picture, he is getting better about sleeping in his pack-n-play instead of with me.

Ryan's first week

Things are going well. The first night at home was rough but I guess that is to be expected. We are starting to get into a routine and learn what he likes and dislikes. Sleeping is hit or miss. He doesn't seem to really like to sleep by himself at night but we are working on that. He is eating really well; which I am so thankful for. We had our first outing yesterday and went to see his cousin Shelby be baptized. Everyone really enjoyed getting to see him and love on him. We are getting some professional pictures taken tomorrow and I am so excited about that. And he has a doctor's appointment on Friday for a normal 2 week check-up. Hopefully he has put on some weight and is doing well. Then this weekend Ryan will get to meet his Uncle Chris, Aunt Nikki and his cousins Aubrey and Hayden when they come down for a visit. Jonathan has all this week off to help me out but I need to start getting used to doing things on my own for when he goes back to work. Hopefully we will have a good week.

Big crib, little baby.

Sleeping in his pack-n-play. He loves the vibration on this.

First doctor's appointment. Poor little guy had to have blood drawn to check his jaundice levels. I cried more than he did. If you pay close attention to the paper sheet you can see the wet spots next to him are my tears; pathetic, I know.

Playing in his bouncy seat and he is awake.

Deep in thought.

First bath. He did pretty well, cried through most of it but not too much were you couldn't get anything done.

All clean and ready for bed.

First walk. He slept through all of his walk, it was a short walk though since I am still rather sore from the c-section.

Daddy pushing Ryan's stroller.

Daddy and Ryan playing.

Mommy and Ryan. Hard to believe my little baby is one week old in this picture.