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.

Ryan Matthew

Ryan's first night was not what I thought it would be. Since I had to have a c-section and had to take a lot more medicine than I wanted to or thought I would have to; I was very out of it. I didn't react very well to the meds and was getting sick from it. Since I was still out of it for quite some time after the surgery we went ahead and had Ryan stay in the nursery for the night. They brought him back to feed though. I was a little upset about not keeping him but I was able to spend some time with him before they put him in the nursery and realized for myself that I was just not going to be able to do it. Some time during the night, at one of his feedings, I could feel myself slowly coming around and the meds wearing off. However, I was still not able to keep anything down (and I was only allowed to have water and ice chips but I couldn't keep those down). The next morning after seeing the pediatrician Ryan came back to the room and we kept him the rest of the day. The pediatrician came in and said Ryan was doing great. He had ran a little bit of a fever right after birth but was doing great now. Jonathan and I spent the morning staring at him and loving on him. Guests started arriving shortly after 10 and kept coming for most of the day. Ryan did really well with seeing everyone. He spent the next day doing pretty much the same thing. He slept pretty well and the nurses in the nursery just loved him. There was one in particular that really adored him. We were able to leave the hospital on Wednesday to go home since we were both doing well. It was so nice to be able to go home and we were excited to show our baby his new home. The first night was rough, he didn't seem to want to sleep unless he was being held. So, against my better judgement and the need for at least a little sleep, he did sleep with me in bed for a little bit. The next night he did a little better but still has at least one fit a night. The days have been pretty good and overall I think he is going to be a great baby. He is eating well and for the most part has only one bad crying fit a day were we can't seem to figure out what he wants (I just wish it was during the day and not at night). He had his first doctor's visit on Thursday since his billirupen levels (that causes jaundice) were a little high on Wednesday. They were the same on Thursday; which the doctor said was good and meant that the jaundice would go down now (he said it levels off and then goes down). Ryan weighed in at 6lbs 13oz so he had lost some weight but that is normal and they weren't worried about it. They don't need to see him back until his two week visit next Friday. So, overall everything is going really well. Jonathan and I are starting to get the hang of things and trying to get in to some sort of a routine.

Visits from family.

Jennifer wanted to change his clothes; just had to get him in something cute.

Long night, they fell asleep together.

Jonathan had to change most of the diapers at the hospital since I couldn't move very well due to the c-section.



Just looking at him.

Loving on him.

Dr. Steele and Ryan: My OB and the doctor who delivered Ryan.

Getting all our paperwork to leave.

Car ride home.