Personal Challenge Continued

I guess I should talk about my plan.
One of my New Years Resolutions was to successfully complete P90X.
I did it for about a week-and-a-half... and then stopped.
Before you jump to conclusions about how I broke my resolution, hear me out.
When doing P90X, you really gain muscle.
For me, I would like to lose the extra fat first; and then gain the muscle.
So what do I do now? I run, walk, and focus solemnly on Cardio.

And let me tell you, this has been 'working out' for me.
I am 12 pounds lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight.
And I am also 48 pounds lighter than my last weigh-in before I had Ryker.
I plan on losing about 18 more pounds to be at my ideal weight.
I can do it. I am motivated.
Like I said here, my goal is to feel good again. And I have already been feeling better than ever!

Now, Ryker is a different story.
He is trying to gain weight.
Ryker is a few days shy of three months and is finally fitting into his three month old clothes... length-wise that is.

All of his new clothes are super baggy on him.

He is not real skinny, [look at those legs] but he is not a super chunk either.

So, we have him mainly wearing his smaller clothes.

He can even still fit into his newborn outfits!

Oh, do we love this boy.

Oh yes, I almost forgot!

On Saturday, I went shopping with my mom and sister at Costco and guess who came along and had a jolly good-ol' time?

Ryker slept the whole shopping trip!
The last picture was what I had the privilege of looking at for about an hour.
He was just too precious!

A Weekend of Firsts

Ryker has had a very big weekend so far. Let me explain.

Because of his extreme acid reflux problem, we decided to go ahead and begin Ryker on solids. When I say solids,  I mean rice cereal. This was the best decision we have ever made! So yesterday, we fed him three ounces of his formula, then mixed about another ounce of milk into the rice cereal for a perfect combination! He loved it!

Of course he voluntarily spit some out at first, but he ended up eating most of the bowl! The best part was that he did not spit up ONCE after the feeding. Plus, he only spit up one more time that night. This was definitely a good decision.

Another big event for our little guy occurred earlier today. 

Every morning, Ryker loves to sit in his Bumbo and watch Mommy get ready for the day. He always watches very intensely... I know he is learning with everything I do. Anyways, the electric toothbrush is continually intriguing for him because of the sound it makes. He always gets a smile on his face when we brush our teeth in front of him. So Austin and I decided to buy him a small toothbrush! And this morning, Ryker experienced brushing his teeth gums for the first time!

We are so proud of our little guy! He is just growing up so fast. Where have the days gone?? Next thing we know, he will be walking! 

Be a Hero

My dad is the one who organizes the blood drive every couple of months for our stake. The next donation date will be February 5, 2010. Every time this opportunity comes around, Austin and I join in on the fun! So this time, we are asking you to join in with us! It is very simple, really.

We will lay it out step-by-step for you:

• Click on this link.
• Find an appointment time that works best for you.
• Once you have found a time, click on "Schedule." It will guide you to a different page.
• You will then be asked to login or register. If you already have an account, then go ahead and login. If not, at the bottom of the login page you will see, "Not yet a United Blood Services Donor?" Click on it and register!

We promise, it is really worth it to register! When you donate, you build up points and can redeem them for movie tickets and such! We were able to do that after only donating two times.

Really, it is very worth it.

...

Any-who, we did our taxes last night. All we can say is that we sure do love our little bundle of joy. :]

Today, we are planning on finishing the rest of the list.
I also need to add shopping to that list. Because it is what we girls in my family do best.
[Oh, and Ryker always joins in on the fun also.]

This is Ryker having some fun with Mommy at Hobby Lobby!

This Weekend

Weekends are a time to relax get things done.

[However, Sunday is our only day of rest...]

Especially during the school semester, there is no time to just lay around.

For example, today my thoughts are occupied by our planned activities for the weekend:

-Homework

-Scholarship essays and applications

-Visiting Teaching

-Home Teaching

-More homework

-Planning for a baby shower

-Taxes

-FAFSA

-More homework

-More deep cleaning

-Taking care of a sick baby

-More homework

Yep, no time for a movie night. All of these things need to be done this weekend.

No question about it.

And yes, Ryker has a cold. But alas, he is still a happy boy!

Even though we will be very busy, we are still looking forward to this weekend.

Because it means that we will be together. Finally.

Decisions

Life throws so many decisions at you. Each and every moment of the day, you are forced to make them; whether they have a huge effect on you or just a small one. Now, the question comes to how you make these decisions.

The reason I bring this up is because I have made a very big decision. I have decided to go back to work as a nanny. This was a very hard choice for me. I thought, prayed, and discussed it with my husband for weeks. This decision was not taken lightly. I have come to the conclusion that it is what is best for us at this time. One reason I have decided that it is alright to go back is because I will be able to bring Ryker with me. If it were not for this, I would not go back. He is partner; my daily companion. I will not give that up for anything.

Do you want to know what also makes it easy for me to nanny again? It just might be that I will have the opportunity to play with these girls all day long again.

They are so very cute and so very fun to play with! I know that Ryker would have a blast with them [starting in March, that is].

This was a decision that has had a very big effect. Now, there are some daily choices that I have to also make. These ones have a very little effect, but are still essential in life. For instance:

• Do I go to the mall today or tomorrow to pick up a much-needed gift?
• When should I go grocery shopping?
• Should I get some cleaning done or finish folding the laundry while Ryker is sleeping?
• Taylor Swift or Rascal Flatts? Only one can be playing while I am cleaning or folding laundry.
• What color should I paint my nails?
• Should I really sign up for Amazon Mom?
• What meal should I make my sweet husband for dinner?
• What store do I need to go to in order to get the cheapest price for printing pictures?

Of course, some of these are very minuscule choices. But think about it... you even had to make a choice as to whether you should read my post or not. It is true.

So as you make your big or small decisions today, I wish you luck.

Motherhood and Daily Duties

My heart is full. As I hold my sweet baby boy in my arms, I look into his loving face and think, "He is mine." He is a part of me. I am responsible for him. His dependency is so great that makes me feel tremendously needed. Motherhood is like nothing that I have ever experienced before. To love someone so much, so different, than you have ever loved before, is extremely powerful. Words cannot even begin to express what I feel.

I have already learned a great deal by being a mother. Each and every day brings new experiences that I would have never learned if I hadn't of brought my precious baby into this world. I am looking forward to the many years that I have to spend with Ryker; and the many other little blessings that I will have the opportunity to bring into this life as well.

...

As I think about my role as a mother today, I will be quite a busy bee getting many things done.

I love lists. Ask my husband. Lists are my absolute favorite; as I make them daily.

So today consists of [in order]:

• Bathe Ryker
• Make Austin Lunch
• Deep clean bedroom [Spring cleaning is upon us.]
• Play with Ryker
• Complete two pages of Ryker's baby book
• Shopping at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and Ross to get things ready for Kristell's baby shower
• Play with Ryker
• Visiting teaching
• Make dinner
• Play with Ryker

Of course, this list does not include my complete 'Ryker duties;' for that is a whole other one.
But I am very excited for today! It shall be a good one.

Here are some pictures to hopefully brighten your day. I know they did mine.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Tuesday.

Today, I am doing laundry. I have a huge pile to get through.
My theory is: the longer you wait, the larger the load will be, and the more time you will save... eventually.

Any-who, did I ever tell you that we have three pregnant sisters?
Before you jump to conclusions... no, my 18 year-old sister is not pregnant.

My older sister, Kristel, is pregnant.
Our sister-in-law, Kristell, is pregnant.
Austin's younger sister, Natalee, is pregnant.

Can you believe that? I am so excited to be an aunt. And Austin is so excited to be an uncle.
This means that Ryker will have cousins to play with that are very close in age.
This also means that he won't just have to play with his Mommy all day long and be forced into taking a bunch of pictures...

I do believe that my computer is at its storage max... oops!
That is what happens when you have hundreds of pictures of your son.

Oh, and can you see that white camera on the side of the crib in the first picture??
This thing is amazing.

The video image can be accessed through our iPhone anywhere! 

Of course, we don't leave Ryker home and just watch him from the camera...

But, it can act as a baby monitor if we have to leave the room while he is napping.

AND, Austin can watch the video image while at school!

Isn't that just delightful?

It is the best invention.
We definitely recommend one!

Now, to my point... today is definitely a special day!

Happy Birthday, Kristell!!!

Kristell is:

• our sister-in-law,
• such a cute pregnant lady,
• having a baby in a little over a month,
• so sweet to everyone,
• wonderful at making everyone feel loved,
• the perfect fit into our family,
• going to be an amazing mom,
• a great cook,
• very sturdy in her testimony of the gospel,
• so beautiful,
• lovely in every way.

We love you, Kristell, and are so happy that you are a part of our family!

Journal

I think a lot about this blog.

I also think a lot about other blogs... especially after this article.

Then I think about why I even have a blog.

My reason is for 'journal purposes.'

Then I think that I should really journal in my blog more.

Like really keep track of details.

So, this is what I am going to do.

Starting today.

I will use this blog as I would any other journal.

With more words.

Alright? Alright.

.....................

Today, I am turning in my Dental Hygiene application. It is all ready to go. I look back at the requirements now and really feel that I did my best and worked hard. The list consisted of: classes [check], letter of recommendation [check], fingerprint clearance card [check], observation hours [check], transcripts [check], background check [check], meetings with my counselor [check]. Phew! So, as soon as I have my last meeting with the counselor today, it will then be time to just wait. I will definitely keep you posted on that.

Also, Austin is now back in school as a full-time student. His class load this semester is pretty big , but he is determined to really excel. Last semester he came out with a GPA of 4.07 and plans on doing even better this time around. All we can hope for is a decent scholarship next year... :] Oh, and I am pretty proud of myself for keeping my resolution of making Austin lunch to bring to school everyday. I have not missed a day yet this semester.

As for Ryker, he is just taking life one day at a time. He was almost on a set schedule until we had to go and switch his milk again. The taste is different than the last milk, so he is eating less, but more often. Our plan is to get him back on a strict schedule in the next few weeks. We look forward to eventually getting to the 6:00, 10:00, 2:00 routine, and have high hopes that it will happen. The one thing that did not changed when introducing new formula, are his nights. Thankfully, he has learned that: dark outside = bedtime. He goes down at about 7:00pm or 8:00pm, will have a feeding at 11:00pm or 12:00am, and then have his next feeding at about 6:00am or 7:00am. Make sense? All I can say is, we are grateful for the sleep.

Well, I guess this turned into more of a summary of our lives right now... That's okay.
Good way to start. :]

Oh, and these pictures are from this morning when Mommy was playing with Ryker. 

Love journaling with pictures!

 

Have a great day!

Changes

How Ryker's life has changed with his new formula.

• No more bloody stools.
• He now has black/green stools that smell like eggs... I am not even joking.
• Diaper rash is finally gone! Until now, he has had a horrible, continued rash since he was born. Desitin was our bestest friend.
• Facial rash is history!
• Not as many sudden, death-hurtling cries.
• He cries less between feedings now because his sensitive tummy is feeling better.
• The spitting-up has gone done to a minimum.
• Eating is becoming more enjoyable.
• He is finally starting to eat more.

And there we have it! We love his new milk. 

Ryker's tummy is finally able to handle something. Took us long enough to find it!

Look at his beautiful skin now... I never posted a picture of his rash because it was just too sad to see.