Cuteness

We are hitting the road tomorrow to go to Fayetteville for a wedding reception/pig roast. Don't you love the combo??? Should be fun. My girl, Becca, got married in March (in Vegas-I'm uber jealous I love Vegas) and she's having her wedding reception for those of us who couldn't make the trip. I love that girl, so happy for her. Also jealous that she got to stay in the Forrest Gump room at the Planet Hollywood Hotel. I would have been quoting that movie all week long if I stayed in there. Probably best I don't. I might get left in Vegas, not married there!

Little Rylan is on his fourth ear infection. It would seem that while he gained all of Rob's face, he has inherited my ears (on the inside). His airway is still a little fragile from his bout with RSV, and the doctor is toying with the idea of already starting him on some asthma therapy. I really hope that, with time, Rylan's airway and lungs can mature and grow out of this rough patch, but if not, its not the end of the world. He's a pretty good little boy when he has to have breathing treatments. 

Just posting pics of Rylan that I thought were funny. I've mentioned before that, as a new parent, I think my kid is the first to do everything, the funniest and cutest. I know this is PROBABLY not true. That's fine. 

Maybe he's a little big for the boppy? He seems perfectly comfortable nearly upside down.

A minute after this was taken, he threw up on Rob's head

Its a cocoon and soon he'll be a beautiful butterfly (doesn't he look soooo ticked?)

Don't you love baby pants with the stuff on the butt? Sorry, tushie.

Happy Easter

ROAD TRIP!!!!

Everybody loves Rylan. Or at least all his grandparents do!!! We took a tour de grandparent over Easter weekend and got to see both sides of the family. We had a yummy breakfast with Rob's parents (Grandma and Grandpa) in Batesville. Rob's mom is hysterical when she sees how big Rylan is cause it reminds her of Rob when he was the extra extra tall 5 month old, growing out of clothes left and right, making the left arm grow a giant bicep and such.

Then we jetted up to Mountain Home. We went out to Norfork by the White River to a nice dinner with a pretty view and good company (Grammy and Papa). 

On Easter Sunday, my parents hosted Easter brunch and had their church friends over. Rob and I hope that in our lifetime, we are able to make friends like my parents have with their "Breakfast Club". This group of people have been friends forever, some even lived in Hays, KS when we did. They are so kind to each other and hysterical when they get together and never seem to run out of things to talk about. I'm serious, some portion of this group has eaten breakfast together every Sunday after church for about 15 years. They also have Easter, Christmas and sometimes Oktoberfest parties. And they still like each other and have stuff to talk about!!!!! 

Here's Rylan and The Baby Whisperer aka Rex. Rylan never lays his head down.

Ready for church

Little helper

Poor Rob has been working 10-16 hour days lately. Rob works at a company that provides wound care products, so a good phone system is a requirement, and the new one that they installed last weekend is taking a lot of "tweaking." I wouldn't say Rob is 100% loving his job right now. I do have to keep reminding both of us that this is the same job that was totally supportive of Rob having to skirt off at a moments notice when I was on bedrest to take me to doctor's appointments and the occasional hospital visit. They even through us a shower and got us our carseat and stroller.

I have had to assume some un-Sara-like household chores during this period, like trash duty, lawn mowing, and one day I even had to plunger our fickle toilet! Where it used to be easy to pass Rylan off in an effort to get such household duties done, he is having to come along for all of them. He's a pretty good little trouper.

Helping ma with yardwork. Bumbo = baby prison

Helping with housework, he tries to eat everything I have in front of us. Rob thinks its hysterical when I have him in the Bjorn now because he's nearly half my height!  I was at WalMart with him like this and a guy said "that is one huge baby."

The shirt really does say it all. Eventually all good help must end.

Happy birthday, pink lines

This is how my memory works: I can remember what I wore to school on my first day of my sophomore year of high school. But, I have trouble remembering to make it to a hair appointment (even looking at the mop on my head in the mirror doesn't remind me). I can remember that on my 10-12th birthdays I had mexican food and a cherry chip cake, but I don't remember if I've already worn my red scrub pants earlier this week.  Random Memory Girl.

 So here's my newest: March 30, 2008. I stood in the doorway as Rob got groceries out of my car holding a stick with two pink lines. He came up to me wondering why my mouth was hanging open. It was the only time in our marriage I've ever been speechless. We proceeded to take two more tests. Surely 3 tests wouldn't be wrong. Once it sunk it, we just couldn't quit laughing.  Maybe we were giddy. Maybe the idea of us being grown up enough to be parents was laughable. Maybe, just maybe, we were a little nervous. I don't care if I'm crazy for remembering the day I took THE TEST or not. It will forever go down in my Random Memory Rolodex as the day our lives changed forever. And ever. And ever.

What a difference a year has made. Rylan is now 4 months 2 weeks old. His original hair has all fallen out. His head spent a few weeks looking as shiny as Mr. Clean, but now some blondish brown hair is growing back in. He is still trying to knaw his hand off in efforts to grow some teeth. He has taken to shouting in a high pitched voice the minute his bottle is done, then standing up during the burping process. Not sure what that's about. He had another rocky cold/asthma/post RSV illness that got him down for a little while. The doctor thinks the RSV in January upset his airway so that now everytime he gets a cold, he basically has an asthma situation. He was on antibiotics, steroids and albuterol updrafts. Poor thing. They are hoping he will grow out of it.

I like to play with my gym from the side with one sock off

He keeps tricking us into thinking he's got the sleeping all night down. One night of seven hours in a row is followed by a couple nights of 2am eating and smiling. Smiling and eating for him, grunting with half slit eyes for mom or dad.

Thanks for the football, Aunt Tam and the bumbo, Zoe. Now I can hang with this fruit bowl.

 A post bottle meltdown

We are totally loving this cooky, crazy, crate of cuteness. He seems to have inherited mom's chattiness, still 100% dad in looks.  

I supported my friend, Parker, at the Heart Walk 5k. 

Top 'o' the mornin' to ya

Poor Rylan. Before he was here his mom used to buy outfits and hats for the dogs.  The dogs would fight tooth and nail to get away from the Costume Lady.  As much as they don't care for the attention that is given the baby, I'm sure they were grateful to give this bit of attention to Rylan.  So, now Rylan is the holiday superstar. He had a santa hat, reindeer outfit and a Christmas present t-shirt for Christmas, he'll have bunny ears on Easter and for St. Pats, we got this cute little leprechaun. 

A friend of my sister has a blog and she commented on her Christmas blog that everything seems so much more important now that the baby is here. From decorating a tree to ringing in the new year to that first road trip to Grammy and Papa's. I feel the same way. Maybe its selfish because Rylan won't remember his first tree, his Valentine's presents, his color coordinated outfits to match his eyes, but Rob and I will. So, even though my poor boy looks like the poster boy for Costume City, his dad and I will remember this first year of his life and know that we savored every moment.

To close I'll add some pics of yester year, before Rylan, when the dogs were still subject to my holiday dressup fascination.

Road Trip

The Qualls fam packed up and headed north for a much needed weekend getaway to see Papa and Grammy Rohr. Tammy and Angie and Angie's kids met us there.It was wonderful. Lots of games, family time, and a tiny bit of bargain shopping for the girls. Fishing for the boys.

Ry's grammy and cousin Zoe

The last time they saw Rylan, he was a little baby in the hospital. Less than two months later, they barely recognized the tall, spunky, 17lb (that's right, I said 17lbs) doll that we brought with us. Rylan has shot up to 26 inches. All 0-3 month clothing has been put away and we are, sadly, putting some 3-6 month clothing away already. It would seem that Ry is trying to be eye-to-eye with his daddy by his 2nd birthday!

Anthony is such a good cousin

I am fully aware that I'm about to sound like a dope. But, nobody warns you about how sad it is to put baby clothes away. All the little pants and shirts and onesies. I look at each one and an immediate memory of something cute he did in that outfit comes to me. I totally miss his little puppy dog onesie he wore at the hospital. And last weekend, I realized his baby-khaki pants were ending somewhere near his kneecaps. Those little khaki pants were so sweet on my little bumkin! Oh, the sadness!!!

Gimme a knuckle

Either Rylan really enjoys a yummy knuckle or we've got teeth coming to a baby's mouth very soon. Its not just knuckles he enjoys: bibs, his blankie, his fist, your shirt, your collarbone. Really anything but those nice teethers you stick in the fridge. Those bother him.  

I thought teething didn't start for a few more months. Considering Rylan tried to come out 9 weeks early, had 2 growth spurts by the time he was 4 weeks old and has already had a fun trip in an ambulance, it would seem he's in a hurry to get things done. Figures the son of two procrastinators would have a major to-do list! But, once again, I find he's merely a normal baby, maybe just a tad ahead of the norm. Dr. Google says anywhere from 3 months to 6 months. 

May I just add that being a pediatric nurse doesn't help you with a mundane new baby information if you only worked ICU and gastroenterology.  Trauma and constipation-not helpful. I'll stick with Google.

You caught me!

Who knew?

Who knew a 3-month old could be this much fun. If I could freeze Rylan at this age for the next six months, I would. He is so super cute and fun. And he still wants to be held, which I hear goes away before I know it.

We've both been around kids our whole lives. We've got neices and nephews, both baby-sat, and I've worked with at the Children's Hopsital since I was 21. But, we've never experienced that feeling that your child might just be the cutest, smartest, and sweetest baby on earth. I always think he's the only baby that does this or that, then I go to work at the hospital and I notice babies doing the same thing and I'm reminded that mine is just a normal kid.  For instance, Rylan is a bit of a stretcher. You get him out of bed and he spends a good five minutes with his face contorted and all four limbs in different stretching poses.  I thought he was the only one that did this.  I actually asked Rob "do you think he gets the stretching from me?"  What happens when you are a first time parent?  All logic goes out the window, that's what. 

So, here's some pics of our super tall, super cute, super sassy, happy, hungry, sack of love at 3 months. Its been a fabulous month (minus another cold and a stomach flu for all, but compared to that hospital stint, we're doing just fine!). 

With all his jungle friends

A sleepy frog


Not 100% loving tummy time


Oh, by the way I can stand now


Business casual day at the office