Ryan, Lauren, Zach & Austin

Back in the Saddle

2010-12-23T09:54:00.009-06:00

I am very very very sorry for the long hiatus. A LOT has happened since my last post. I am seriously going to try and be so much better about posting. I will start with the birth of our second son and post everyday until I catch up.

We had our 2nd child, Austin, June 5. He was 3 weeks early. I had been having contractions on and off for weeks. I went shopping with a friend and Zach (up in Hendersonville, a good 45 minutes away from the hospital), Ryan was at work. I think was in denial that I was in labor. We went to lunch and she kept calling attention to my very regular contractions (she is a PA so knows what to look for). So she convinced me to go to the hospital to get checked and she went back to our house to watch Zach. I put my mom on standby and convinced Ryan I might actually be having a baby so he would come home from work and we headed to the hospital.

I got there and they got me all hooked up to the monitor. They put a call in to my doctor (who is the only one in her practice so she delivers all her babies) and did my obligatory mess of questions. I indeed was having contractions and was in labor. Dr. Nims called back and with my history and the fact that I was having regular contractions she said she would be there in an hour and we would be having a baby. I had a repeat c-section. We asked the nurse how long it would be after she got here to be in surgery and she said an hour, that Dr. Nims made it clear to have me prepped and ready and as soon as she got there we were having this baby. I think she had somewhere to be that night considering it was a Saturday.

We called my parents and they got on the road and we let Amanda know she was going to be there a bit longer with Zach since we were having a baby. This delivery was a whole lot smoother than with Zach, there was no rush, they were not as concerned about my safety as well as the baby's safety. They did a spinal this time which was so much better than my epidural and I was coherent the whole time. Austin James was born at 4:48pm, he was born on 6-5-2010 and was 6 pounds 5 ounces, 19 3/4 inches long. He looked so much bigger than Zach did but was actually smaller. He was a quiet baby from the second he came out which made me think something was wrong since Zach came out screaming at the top of his lungs.

All in all it was a very smooth delivery and Austin has been a very good, happy baby this far. Zach has adjusted well to being a big brother and aside from the jealousy sometimes he loves Austin a lot. He tried to give Austin fruit the first time he met him, not sure why but it was cute.

Flying by

2010-04-09T20:47:00.003-05:00

Zach turned 2 last month (I know I am bad about posting) He had a great birthday and we enjoyed spending it with him.

I officially put in my notice at work. My last day is May 28. I am very excited and nervous to be staying at home. I am thrilled to be able to spend this time with my boys.

This pregnancy seems to be flying by. I think I am as big as I was ever with Zach. All in all I am feeling pretty well. I have had a lot of braxton hicks contractions this time but hopefully they are not doing a thing and I don't get put on bedrest again. I have a doctor appointment Tuesday and we will see what she says.

Stress

2010-01-25T14:12:00.002-06:00

How is it possible to be stressed out about work when you are not even at work? I took the day off because Zach seemed under the weather this morning. He is now doing much better (of course). I think it was all a ploy to get some mommy time. Although he did take an almost 4 hour nap so he must have needed the sleep.

Anyway, back to the work thing. I have been trying to help out so they won't have so much to do there but I feel like I am walking on eggshells with every little thing I ask (it is like this when I am there too), even the tiniest of things. But when it is them they will leave me high and dry in a heartbeat. I am just so stressed out and don't know what to do about it. I come home most days and am so upset and on the verge of tears. Now I know pregnancy hormones have something to do with it but still. I know this can not be good for me and the baby. I had work stress last time with Zach (although not near as much as now) and I went into labor 8 weeks early, got put on bedrest with 6 weeks to go and had him two weeks later. Most of that was that I had pre-eclampsia and it had gotten so bad that I was risking my life keeping him in. I just don't want my blood pressure to go up at all. It has been good this far but my doctor is very no-nonsense and she will put me on bedrest in a heartbeat. I really don't want to do that because it is very hard to care for a 2 year old when you can't get up or lift anything. Putting this out there on paper helps and I know Ryan and my Mom are sick of hearing about it and I try to not talk about it but sometimes it is very hard.

I appreciate being able to vent here. Thanks for "listening"

Found it!

2010-01-24T11:26:00.002-06:00

I am 18 weeks pregnant today! It is amazing how fast it is flying by this time. I guess when you have a toddler to run after you don't really think about it as much as the first time. We bought Zach's big boy furniture. We ended up getting him a queen because it was the same price as the full. We will be moving his crib and furniture into the babies room. We did by a glider for the nursery. I am so excited because we did not have that with Zach, we just had a plain old Rocking chair. It served it's purpose but wasn't very comfortable.

Zach is doing well. His new thing is to get into things. He likes to climb into his toy box and play in there or into his book basket and play while sitting in there. He has gotten stuck more times than I can count. His hearing test went great. He passed with flying colors. I am sure he will talk eventually. He has been saying more words the last week or so. I am sure it will take off all at once. He was a month early and I have to keep telling myself that.

I have been having a rough time at work lately and am just ready to be done. Vacation in 2 weeks will help. I can't wait. Or last kid free vacation for awhile and Zach gets to go to his first Bunn Super Bowl. My parents are so excited.

We find out February 5 what the baby is. I can't wait. I have a feeling it is a girl but a boy would be just as great (we do have all the stuff for a boy) This baby is very active and I have been feeling baby kicks a lot the last week. It might be more active than Zach was. When I try and find the heartbeat with the doppler it will kick it and "run" I guess I am already being an annoying mom by bugging it.

18 weeks

2010-01-24T11:14:00.003-06:00

Wel I posted a whole long blog and somehow deleted it. So now I am frustrated and I just going to post these pics. Zach is 22 months old and I am 18 weeks pregnant. I will do another post soon.

Long time...Lots of Changes

2010-01-13T08:55:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I have been bad, very bad with blogging. Things have been so crazy and I just let it get away from me. Zach is 22 months old today. I can't believe my baby is almost 2. It has flown by. He is doing great and very active. He is finally getting his I-teeth so he has been a bit cranky lately an waking up super early. I just leave him in his crib and he plays for an hour or so (which is good at 5:15 in the morning) He is very curious about things and how they work and how to make them go together. I keep saying he is going to be an engineer one day. He is still not talking a whole lot. He babbles a ton but doesn't have a lot of real words. We are having his hearing checked Friday. Ryan thinks I am crazy but I say rather be safe than sorry.

In other news, we found out in October we are expecting baby #2. We are so excited and can't wait for the baby to be here. When we ask Zach where the baby is he runs over and lifts my shirt and sticks his finger in my belly button. It is very cute. I am sure he won't like the baby as much when it is not in my belly anymore but he will adjust. We find out February 5 what we are having. Hopefully the baby is not shy about it. I have a feeling (and Ryan agrees) it is a girl. I have been much sicker this time around than I was with Zach and just feeling different. I really don't have a preference on one or the other.

Ryan and I are going to the Bahamas in February as well. We leave the 7th. Zach gets to attend a fun Superbowl Part at his Gigi's and Grandpa's then my mom is bringing him back up to our house for the rest of the week. We are headed to Sandals with some friends so it should be lots of fun. I can't wait. Al you can eat food. Perfect for a pregnant lady and hopefully they have some virgin drinks I can sip on by the pool.

I promise to do my best in updating this from now on. Here are some pictures of the last few months.

First Haircut

2009-06-07T20:15:00.002-05:00

New Friends

2009-05-19T12:36:00.004-05:00

Zach got a new chair and he loves to sit in front of it and watch Baby Einsteins. I was just waiting for him to put his hand down his pants.

Zach also discovered the dog bones and made some new friends. I think the dogs got 10 bones each but they were all having fun so we let them do it.

14 months!

2009-05-17T08:30:00.003-05:00

Zach is 14 months. He is all over the place and is completely off the bottle. There have been a few meltdowns asking for it but overall he is doing well.

Videos of Zach

2009-04-06T20:38:00.003-05:00

Here are some videos of Zach. I have been bad about pictures. He won't stay still long enough. Ryan and I are looking forward to Hawaii in 2 weeks.

http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/lrickels/?action=view¤t=Uhoh.flv

http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/lrickels/?action=view&current=Zachgate.flv

http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/lrickels/?action=view&current=Zachthedogfood.flv

http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/lrickels/?action=view&current=Zachchattingupastorm.flv

1 year

2009-03-15T11:38:00.006-05:00

Zach is 1 year old. It is crazy how fast it has gone by and we have enjoyed it so much. http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/lrickels/1st%20Birthday/Zach%20growth/ We had a great time at his party and he loved the cake. http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/lrickels/1st%20Birthday/

Lauren & Ryan

2009-03-15T09:46:00.001-05:00

MIA

2009-03-10T10:00:00.003-05:00

Things have been a little crazy around here. Between work and chasing Zach around my life stays busy. Zach will be 1 on Friday. I can't believe it has been a year. I promise to post party pics. Here are a few pics from Harrison's party. Zach is stanind on his own but once he realizes you aren't holding onto him he drops. It is just a matter of time before he is walking.

A few videos

2009-02-17T08:53:00.001-06:00

Here are a few videos of Zach. He is trying to walk and loves to cruise the furniture. He will sometimes let go but I think that still scares him. The best part about the videos is when I was filming him walking I fell. I guess I need to work on my walking skills as well :) I will post some more pictures later.

http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/lrickels/?action=view&current=Allovertheplace.flv

http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/lrickels/?action=view&current=Walking.flv

http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/lrickels/?action=view&current=Laughing11months.flv

First Superbowl

2009-02-01T20:46:00.003-06:00

Zach had a great time at his first Superbowl party. He got loving from many people and got to hang out with Emerson. He had a blast with her.

Long time no post

2009-01-28T20:25:00.004-06:00

It has been a busy couple weeks. Here are some fun pictures of Zach. His new favorite place is in the built in bookshelf. We cleared one out for him to play in. I have also included some naked baby bathtime pics, his hair is getting to long we mohawked it.

Titans

2009-01-10T19:53:00.001-06:00

Well our Titans lost but we had good time watching the game.

Illness

2008-12-31T11:42:00.003-06:00

I have decided that 2 ER visits in the last month is enough for me. I know there will be broken bones and I can handle that but when your baby can't breathe it is a very scary thing. Zach has bronchiolitis and an ear infection. We had a visit to the walk-in clinic (our doctor had no appointments) and they said to watch him and agve him a heavy duty shot. Well about 4 or 5 in the morning he started getting worse so we headed up to Vnaderbilt Children's Hospital. They were so great with him. It was awful to watch some of the things they had to do to him to get him breathing better but after 7 hours in the ER we were able to go home. Zach is doing much better now and it is amazing the difference a caring doctor and hospital staff make. The doctor at the walk-in clinic was off yesterday but logged in to her computer to see if we brough Zach back in and how he was doing. She saw that he had been brought to the ER and called my cell phone to check on him and see how he was doing. It meant more than anything to us that she cared so much to call. You don't see that very often anymore.

Here are a few pictures of Zach before he got real sick. I love with the new camera that you can see the drool dripping down his chin :) Note, Ryan's slipper is almost the size of Zach.

Preemie Onesie Drive

2008-12-28T10:43:00.002-06:00

Everyone please check out this blog. I would love to get together and donate some onesies. Zach was a preemie but luckily not in the NICU but I know how hard it was to find close for him and know these babies could use some clothes especially since these parents are having to pay so many hospital bills. Maybe we can send them all together.
http://preemieonesiedrive.blogspot.com/

Christmas

2008-12-26T11:06:00.005-06:00

Zach had a very good first Christmas. He racked up on the toys. I did pretty good myself. I got a Canon 40d camera. I was so excited. I have been wanting one forever.

Zach meeting baby Emma

2008-12-23T09:42:00.002-06:00

Zach met baby Emma for the first time last week. He wasn't sure at first and after he tried to be rough and we told him be gentle he was very good with her. It seemed like he wanted to hold her hand. She is a very sweet baby and she slept almost the whole time we were there.

Little Monkey laughing

2008-12-22T08:12:00.002-06:00

Here is a video of Zach laughing. He is too funny when he laughs.

http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/lrickels/?action=view&current=MVI_0701.flv

Really crawling

2008-12-21T07:55:00.002-06:00

Zach is really moving now. He has his own way of crawling but it gets him places. I can't wait until Christmas to see him get into everything.

http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/lrickels/?action=view&current=Zachcrawling12-20-08.flv

Zach crawling & 9 months

2008-12-14T20:37:00.001-06:00

Zach turned 9 months Saturday. He started eating cheerios this weekend as well. This is a milestone because before now everytime we had given him solids he gagged. He loves cheerios. He crawled this weekend too. He only did it for a minute but I am sure he will be a pro by Christmas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4TOSB5-uZk

Trouble

2008-12-09T20:19:00.003-06:00

Zach has been sick since Friday. Today he was finally feeling a little better. We were doing the dishes after dinner and we turned around and he was opening the drawers, which is his new favorite thing. We really need to baby proof the cabinets but he is not crawling yet so we are good for now.

Thanksgiving weekend

2008-11-30T20:13:00.005-06:00

Here are some photos of Zach from the weekend. He had a good Thanksgiving, since he is still on baby food and gags on real food I gave him a jar of sweet potatoes and turkey. He loved it. Then when we ate dinner I thought he might like some real sweet potato casserole. When I gave it to him, true to form, he gagged and threw up on me. I start my new job on Monday. I am really excited but nervous at the same time. They invited us to a family party this weekend. We had a great time and Zach was a big hit.

What do you mean no real turkey

Loving my dinner

Happy & full

Hanging out on dad

Watching the fire

Ava sitting on the sofa table

Pictures

2008-11-19T16:11:00.003-06:00

8 months

2008-11-09T20:00:00.001-06:00

Here is Zach's 8 month picture (and a few others)

Baby Idol

2008-11-05T12:02:00.003-06:00

Please vote for Zach in Baby Idol. I entered him in the contest. You can only vote for his group today and the top 3 in his group go on to the finals. It is a $500 grand prize!! It doesn't cost any money and you don't have to sign up to receive any magazines or all that junk. You just have to create a username so they can track who votes (so there aren't doubles) Please vote today. He is Baby #110. Copy and paste the link:
http://www.1075theriver.com/pages/babyidol2008.html.

Spread the word so as many people vote for him that can. If he makes it to the finals I will let you know.

Halloween & UT game with the Luzinskis

2008-11-04T09:53:00.001-06:00

Who knew it could happen to me

2008-10-29T09:11:00.002-05:00

Things have been a bit crazy the last month to say the least. between finding out my office was closing and I would be without a job to trying to sell the Honda because Ryan got a company car. We had even more fun yesterday and Zach had his first time with a police officer (not the last I am sure). We had the Honda listed in the Tennessean and on cars.com. Well a guy called Monday and said he was interested. We talked for about 45 minutes and he said he would come up on Tuesday to look at the car. If he liked it we had a deal. I was so excited. Well he came up Tuesday. He looked at the car and said he wanted to take it for a test drive. I completely understood. I wouldn't want to buy a car I had never drive either. He said he was going to run by Regions bank and get the money and would be back with the car in about 45 minutes to an hour. Well that went by then another hour. Finally I called Regions but they were closed. So now it is 5:00, Ryan is out of town and I have no car. I called the cops and reported it stolen. When they came to get my statement they ran the plates and VIN on the truck he drove up in and it was stolen with plates from another car. The car is still gone and I am sure we won't ever see it again. Now I have to figure out with insurance what happens. This is the kind of stuff you see in the movies and I can not believe it happened to me. I keep thinking what if I did this... but I figure it probably would have happened no matter what. I was not going to get in the car with him to test drive it so I knew I was taking a risk. A word to the wise. Be VERY careful when trying to sell you car to an individual. Insist you follow them while they test drive it :)

7.5 months

2008-10-26T20:15:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-19T20:21:00.002-05:00

Today we went to the pumpkin patch and got Zach his first pumpkin. He also saw cows, sheep and pigs. He wasn't too impressed.

Zach's new football

2008-10-17T09:57:00.002-05:00

Leila bought Zach a football. He LOVES it. Maybe one day he will be a quarterback or something.

7 months

2008-10-13T10:16:00.001-05:00

Zach is 7 months today. It has flown by so fast.

Vote for Zach

2008-10-09T10:52:00.001-05:00

Please vote for Zach in the great American Photo Contest. I know he should be running for President, it might be better than the 2 that are running:)

https://www.greatamericanphotocontest.com/voter1/index.aspx?referid=EmailFriends&p=790730&x=.jpg

Changes

2008-10-06T20:03:00.002-05:00

We have had a busy week. Ryan got his company car so we are trying to sell the Honda. I also got word that my office might be closing due to lack of business, so I am currently job hunting. If I don't find anything in the next few weeks I will be taking Zach out of daycare and staying at home with him. I would love to find something part time so I can have the best of both worlds.

We went to Atlanta this weekend to see my parents. My mom bought him a cute Ga Tech outfit to take him to the tailgate. He had all kinds of treats he doesn't normally get. He got a chip (not from us) and some soup and icecream. He was in heaven. He is doing very well with sleeping. He is pretty much consistently sleeping from 7:00-6:30 or so. It is very nice.

Hapy Birthday!!!

2008-09-30T10:29:00.001-05:00

I am not above wishing myself Happy Birthday. I got the best birthday present ever. Zach slept until 4:30 this morning. So we are making progress. It is amazing what a few more hours of continuous sleep will do for you.

6.5 months

2008-09-28T19:13:00.002-05:00

Zach is standing all the time. He had a big night out last night. Ryan and I went out for my birthday and he spent the night at Tammy's. He had a great time and of course slept through the night. We got a good nights sleep too so it was a good night.

Baby Pictures

2008-09-25T12:39:00.001-05:00

I found a few baby pictures of me (i don't have any of Ryan) but it is funny how Zach looks a LOT like me. We definitely have the same body type.

Update

2008-09-24T20:00:00.005-05:00

Zach had his 6 month appointment yesterday. He is 16 pounds (17th%) and 28.5 inches (89th%) The doctor said he looked good. Zach also has a new friend. Amber bought him a tigger in Disney World. He LOVES it. He has also started to love to bounce in the jumper.

videos

2008-09-14T17:07:00.005-05:00

Here are a few videos we took today. Zach was very talkative and in a great mood.

6 months

2008-09-14T17:02:00.002-05:00

Zach turned 6 months this weekend. He is growing like a weed. He has his appointment on the 23rd. I can't wait to see how much he has grown. He has also become a tummy sleep

er. He puts his butt up in the air. It is too cute.

First UT Game

2008-09-02T09:13:00.004-05:00

We went to Jeff and Amy's house for the UT game. It was Zach's first game. We had him all decked out in orange. He fell asleep before it started but he didn't miss much. Maybe we will win the next one.

Fun weekend

2008-08-31T20:38:00.002-05:00

Ryan and I went to a wedding this weekend and Zach stayed with my parents. It was nice to get away but we missed him like crazy. The only bad thing was Zach got me sick so I didn't sleep well my one night away from him. Oh well. Such is life.

Random pictures

2008-08-26T09:43:00.000-05:00

Zach's first visit to Knoxville

2008-08-21T19:49:00.001-05:00

5 Months

2008-08-13T19:43:00.002-05:00

Can you believe Zach is 5 months old today???!!! He is growing leaps and bounds and doing so much more everyday. We bought him his big boy car seat. It is a convertible one so he is rear facing now and forward facing when he grows out of that. He was close to being out of his other carseat by length.

Growth picture

2008-08-10T20:45:00.001-05:00

Here is Zach's 5 month picture. He is growing like a weed.

Long week and tailgating

2008-08-09T20:48:00.005-05:00

It has been a long time since I last posted. Zach came home from daycare on Friday with a note from his teacher saying there had been a few cases of a virus in his class. Well, Saturday he had some very bad diapers. Needless to say it is just now getting better. He was at work a majority of the week with me and Ryan took Monday and Friday off. The doctor said he had rotavirus. He never got dehydrated but the poor little guy was miserable. He has diaper rash so I put him on a towel with no diaper to let him "air" out.

We went to the Titans tailgate party tonight for Ryan's work. Zach had a great. He also got his pictures taken with the cheerleaders. I think Ryan liked it more than he did.

Kicks

2008-07-30T20:40:00.002-05:00

Zach was in a great mood tonight and I got a video of him laughing. Can you tell I remembered we had a video camera :)

Growth Picture

2008-07-29T20:19:00.001-05:00

Here is Zach's newest growth picture and a short video of him chatting in the morning. We are trying cereal again but he is still not sleeping great. Hopefully it will get better soon.

Tall boy rolling over

2008-07-21T18:34:00.008-05:00

Zach had his 4 month checkup today. He did really well. He weighs 13 pounds 7 ounces (16th percentile) and he was 26 1/2 inches long (88th percentile). He has grown 5 inches in 2 months!! I guess this is why we had to keep buying new onesies. Everytime we turned around they were too short. Because he is so tall to his weight he is in the 0th percentile still for that. He got shots and he got MAD at the nurse. The boy has a temper. That will be fun when he gets older.

Zach has been trying to roll over for a few weeks now. Yesterday I had him on his belly and the next thing I knew he was on his back. He did it a few more times. He is still working on back to tummy but we are getting there. He is still chatty as ever and we have "conversations" all the time.

Zach also has a favorite animal already. It is a blue elephant lovie. Ryan named him Elpho. I am not sure who got this for him but THANK YOU! I have tried other animals but he won't have anything to do with them. He gets a huge smile on his face when we bring him Elpho.

4 Months

2008-07-13T20:02:00.002-05:00

Zach is 4 months old today. It is hard to think of a time when he was not here. His cough is getting much better and he is doing great unswaddled. I think he likes it much better. It just took a few days for him to get used to it and not wake himself up. I think it helps his cough that he can roll to his side. I hope I don't jinx it but he has been sleeping well lately. Pretty much through the night. I am sure that will change many times. We took a few days break from cereal and picked it back up today. He ate a little bit from the spoon then we put some in a bottle and he gobbled it up. We are mostly going to try and stick to it in a bowl but we will go back and forth. Zach went to Jack's first birthday party this weekend. He wasn't really sure what was going on and slept through most of it. But we had a good time. We put him in the jumper this weekend he liked it but could not figure out how to jump by himself. I am sure after a few more times he will bounce like crazy. WHen I bounced it for him. He loved it.

First Solid Food

2008-07-09T20:01:00.002-05:00

We fed Zach cereal for the first time yesterday. He was not sure at first but we tried again today and he was opening his mouth for it.

We also took Zach to the doctor for an ongoing night cough. He weighs 12 pounds 14 ounces. He will be 4 months on Sunday so he is doing pretty good. I am not sure what percentile that is since it was a sick visit. They had to do chest x-rays. We are thinking it is reflux but the doctor wanted to make sure. Please pray the cough goes away. He

has not been sleeping well so consequently neither have we. Sometimes it seems he has a hard time catching his breath. It seems to be getting a bit better day by day.

More Pics

2008-07-06T19:54:00.003-05:00

Zach helped us wash cars today. It was very exhausting for him.

Kenny Chesney and random pics

2008-07-06T18:20:00.004-05:00

Stacy got 2 tickets for her birthday to go see Kenny Chesney and she took me! We had a great time. It was a long night but a lot of fun topped off with late night Waffle House.

Baptism

2008-07-01T09:44:00.003-05:00

We had Zach Baptized this weekend. It went well. He was cranky when we went up there and as soon as I handed him to the Pastor he screamed his head off. I thought it was hilarious. He is usually such a calm baby and doesn't cry much. True to form whenever it s a big event he screams. Oh well. My grandmother made his gown out of my wedding dress. I am so glad we had something so special to put him in. We had a very good time though and got to see a lot of family and it was very nice to spend some time with them. I will post a few pictures with more to follow from my mom's camera.

As far as the unswaddling, we have gone back to swaddling him. He did not do so well the 2nd night and kept waking himself up. With that and the cough he has, we figured it was best to keep doing it for a while longer. He doesn't seem to mind it.

Unswaddled

2008-06-28T07:52:00.003-05:00

We FINALLY put Zach to bed unswaddled last night. We have been swaddling him since we brought him home. He always seemed to wake himself up when he wasn't swaddled. I figured since he was so close to rolling over it was about time to give it a try and I wanted to do it on a weekend in case the sleep was less then usual. It was. He wouldn't go to sleep until 9:00 because he napped from 5:00 until 7:30. I tried to wake him up but he wouldn't do it. SO he slept from 9:00 to 1:00 then Ryan went up and he slept on Ryan until 6:30 (he has another little cough from daycare that he is at the back end of, I also think Ryan wanted to cuddle with him). I got a picture of Zach in his new footed sleep PJs. He looks like a little boy it was cute but sad at the same time.

I also finally got a picture of Carmilla with Zach. I think she is finally getting used to him and excepting him.

Good weekend

2008-06-22T20:13:00.004-05:00

We had a good weekend. Except for Ryan having inventory we had a good time. Zach and I went over to Stacy's on Friday night to celebrate her birthday and to see Mary and Brett. It was a lot of fun. On Saturday Zach and I watched 27 Dresses (very cute by the way) and I cleaned the house for next weekend (Zach is being Baptised and we are having family in). Saturday night Ryan and Zach had a boys night and I went out with the girls. We went to Virago and had yummy food (everyone had sushi but I could just not do it and had beef stir fry). I can not wait to go there again. Then we went to Cabana and had some drinks. It was a lot of fun and I got home about 1:30. It was a long night and I was exhausted today but it was worth it. Today we went to church and then had lunch with Stacy, Amber, Mary & Brett. Zach was very good at the restaurant and just sat there and chilled. He wore his Robees and looked very cute. He is fitting into his 6 month clothes already. He is so long the 3 month just don't fit very well. It was a long weekend and I am tired and about to go to bed even though it is 8:15. I just can't stay out late and get up at 5:30 with a baby and function :)

Random Pictures

2008-06-16T20:19:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures. Zach sitting in his Bumbo. In his new khaki shorts and orange shirt. Enjoying the swing, which he is almost too big for. Sitting in his Babee Tenda (like a high chair), he wanted to be on our level at dinner. We put some toys on it and he grabbed on all on his own and shook it for a minute.

Father's Day

2008-06-15T20:27:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful first father's day. We got up early in the morning, Zach was being a stinker and didn't want to sleep so Ryan brought him out to the couch and laid with him there. I made breakfast, cinnamon rolls and bacon, and then we opened gifts. We got Ryan a 90 minute massage and a shirt and pair of shorts. We went to lunch at Jersey Mike's and then to Target (to exchange the shirt and shorts for a different size). The rest of the day we just hung out at home. Tonight we did some tummy time and Zach did great. He had his head up high and was pushing up on his arms. I was very impressed. Well I called Ryan over and as soon as I did that the dogs thought it would be a good idea to join in the celebration and started playing with each other. One of them got too close and landed on Zach's foot. Which ever one it was barely got him but he started screaming. I looked and there was a little scratch that wasn't even bleeding. So he screamed for a few minutes then he realized he was fine but was getting attention, so he started to smile then cry then smile then cry. I started laughing because he knew what he was doing. Then he got this huge grin on his face and he started laughing. It was a real belly laugh. I was the cutest thing we had heard. So because we were encouraging him he laughed for about 5 minutes. I hope he continues to laugh from here on out. We put him to bed and now we are sitting here relaxing enjoying a glass of wine. I am sure we will go to bed early since we got up so early. All in all it was a great father's day with lots of wonderful surprises from Zach.

3 Months

2008-06-15T08:40:00.002-05:00

Our little man is 3 months old. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by. It is hard to wrap my mind around the fact that he is 3 months since he is only supposed 2 months old. Things are great and he is growing like a weed. We got his 3 month pictures taken yesterday. They turned out really good.

Panama City Beach

2008-06-09T10:40:00.007-05:00

Ryan, Zach and I went to the beach this weekend. It was a short, quick trip but we had a great time. We mainly went down there so Ryan could dive. We also thought it would be good for Zach to gets some fresh air and sun (and me too). We left on Friday and it took about 8.5 hours to get there. We hit traffic and when we got to PCB Ryan's navigation took us the wrong way to the hotel :) Zach did great in the car and woke up like every 2 hours to eat. He was definitely growing this weekend.

Saturday we got up and had breakfast. The Ryan helped us get to the pool (there was no way I was taking a baby to the beach by myself) and then he went diving. We hung out for a few hours and got in the pool once. I took him inside about 12:00 since it was getting really hot. We both took a nap and then went and got some lunch. We went back out to the pool around 3:30 or so and hung out for another hour and Ryan joined us when he got back from diving. We went to dinner with the scuba group that night and went for a walk on the beach to watch the sunset and let Zach have his first feel of the sand and ocean. He really seemed to like it.
Stop taking pictures and take me to the pool

Asleep in the sundome

This sun thing is tiring

In the pool

Resting after my swim

Passed out from the sun

First time my toes hit the sand

Dad and me walking the beach

Mom and me

First feel of the ocean (I liked it)

Family photo on the beach

Sunday Ryan went diving at 6:00. Zach and I slept in until 8:00 got some breakfast and then went to the pool for an hour. It was much hotter on Sunday and I was burnt on my back from where I missed with the lotion on Saturday. He really seemed to enjoy the pool Sunday. Ryan came back from diving and we left to head home about 12:30. We ended up getting back about 8:30. Zach slept the whole way in the car only eating a few times. He was going through the sleeping stage of growing, which means we are going to need some new clothes soon, he is getting so long.

Chillin in the pool

Happy as can be!

I don't want to go home

All in all is was a great trip and nice to get away. I think I am somewhat rested and relaxed. It was nice to get out of Tennessee even for a short weekend.

Bad Colds and Baby Pictures

2008-06-05T08:40:00.005-05:00

Zach got his first cold from daycare. It was a pretty bad one too. He was sneezing and had a little cough for about a week. Then the cough got worse. Right about that time I started to feel bad. I think it is the worst cold I have had in a long time. We took him to the doctor to rule out anything other than a cold. Ryan was the one that took him. It was his first trip to the doctor since Zach's week check up and the first time by himself. He did great. Zach weighed, as of last Friday, 10 pounds 15 ounces, so he is right on track with weight gain. The doctor said since he had not really had a fever and his lungs sounded good it was just a cold. Ryan really stepped up to the plate, not that I thought he wouldn't, and let me get some rest this weekend so I could get better and he took all the late night feedings. It was the best thing I could have asked for. We are on the mend now and both of our coughs are almost gone and we are both just a little bit stuffed up. Hopefully going to Panama City Beach this weekend will help it go away completely.

On another note. Here are the much asked for baby pictures of Ryan and I and an updated picture of Zach. I think he goes back in forth between looking like one or the other. He is a good mix. I can't believe he is 12 weeks today!! It has gone by so fast so far.

Waiting on a phone call

Why did you take my phone away?

It's for me

Lauren baby

Lauren baby(20 weeks)

Ryan baby

Ryan baby (3 weeks)

Memorial Weekend

2008-05-26T15:08:00.006-05:00

We had a nice relaxing Memorial weekend. We just hung around the house and did nothing. Here are some pictures of Zach. His 2.5 month growth picture and a few of him smiling. He is geting so big. We weighed him unofficially on our scale and he is 11 plus pounds.

Smiling

Smiling Bigger

Loving outside

Trying out my Sundome before the beach

2.5 months with my sheep (see Amber, I like it)

Don't wake me, I'll wake you

Busy weekend

2008-05-18T19:07:00.002-05:00

We had a busy weekend. Friday night we went to a Japanese cook in front of you restaurant. Zach did really well and slept almost the whole time. Saturday we went up to the scuba shop. Saturday night we went to Mandy's and Zach met Harrison and saw Jack again. I can't wait until he is a little older and can participate in all the play. He was a little fussy but did pretty well. Then today we went to Caroline's birthday party and saw family. It was a big weekend for Zach and he slept for a 6 hour stretch both nights. Hopefully he will continue this trend. I think school and getting on a routine is helping.

First Week

2008-05-17T08:41:00.003-05:00

I got through my first week back to work. All in all it was a good week. It was nice to get back in the swing of things. Zach did really well at school. He had his moments but they said he is a good boy and is usually happy. That makes me feel good because that is how he is at home. Everyone is great and knows who he is and who I am when I am there. I picked him up early everyday and brought him over to the office. He worked late with Sharon and me on Thursday. I bought him a play gym for work so he has something to do while he is there and I can get some work done. He seems to really like it.

In other news, Zach pretty much slept through the night last night!!!! He is only napping 2-3 hours during the day so I know he is tired at night. Well, we went to dinner and he was up the whole time. When we got home we fed him at 8:00 and he was up until 10:00. He slept from 10:00 until 4:30 then again until 7:30! We woke up and Ryan said "did you get up?" and I said no, and he said he didn't either. So we turned on the video monitor and he was sleeping peacefully, I heard him make a noise so I knew he was ok. We have a busy weekend so hopefully he will sleep all night tonight too :)

First Day back at work

2008-05-13T08:58:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my first day back at work and Zach's first day at daycare. I got up at the butt crack of dawn to get both of us ready which took about an hour and a half. I am used to getting up staying in my pj's until 10 or 11 and then showering and getting him ready at my leisure. Since I actually had to be somewhere early in the morning and on time I no longer get that luxury. We drove through rush hour and Zach did really well in the car in stop and go traffic. The only thing that made him upset was the sun was in his eyes half the time from the back window. I am going to have to buy a shade for that window so he does not suffer every morning. We got to daycare at about 8:15 (which is across the street from my office). I took him in and got his bottles in the fridge and took him out of his carseat. He fussed a little bit but then he calmed down. I was reluctant about putting him down and just leaving so I stayed for about 10 minutes then one of the girls took him from me. I was glad to see he was being held and loved on when I left. I pretty much cried the whole way out the door and when I got to the office and sporadically throughout the day. It was nice to be back at the office and to be in the adult world again. I missed it and jumped right back into where I left off. It was kind of strange at first and I felt a bit lost but after the first few hours I got the hang of it again. I am not totally back in the swing of things but I know that will take time. I went and picked Zach up at 2:00 (I couldn't take it anymore) and brought him over to the office. It was nice having him here but kind of a pain. Once I put him in his bouncy seat he was happy and just sat there and kicked his legs until the end of the day. All in all my first day went well.

Today was much easier dropping him off. I only cried when I got in the car after dropping him off and when I first got to the office. So much better. I am sure my hormones are still all out of whack so that does not help :) When I left he was in the bouncy seat over there and happy. The teachers over there are great and really seem to care. Which makes it a whole lot easier. When I was leaving today they told me I could call anytime or just drop by to check on him. They were surprised I didn't call yesterday. I might try and call today or go over during lunch just to see him.

Who knew leaving your child would be so hard. But it had to happen sometime :)

Smiles

2008-05-08T17:30:00.003-05:00

As promised, here are 2 smiling pictures of Zach. He is so cute, he sticks his tongue out when he smiles. It was the only way I could get a picture. He does smile without doing this but it is hard to get pictures because he wants to smile for me but not the camera.

2 months

2008-05-07T20:14:00.004-05:00

Zach is 2 months next Tuesday. I can not believe how fast it has gone by. He is growing like a weed and getting much more alert. We had his 2 month doctor appointment today. He is 9 pounds 8 ounces and 22 1/2 inches long. The doctor said he looked good. He got his first shots. He did really well. He cried when he got them but calmed down pretty well afterwards. He has slept most of the day since then. He had a rough hour when we got home but is passed out again.
My little baby is starting to look like a little boy. He is getting so much better about holding his head and can turn over onto his side from his back. He has really started to smile over the last two days (he started a few weeks ago but when he got sick he stopped). I will get a picture of it soon. I was looking at him in the mirror in the car and I could see him practicing in the backseat. It was so cute. He has started to look more like me over the last few weeks. I will post some of our baby pictures to compare next week when I am at work and can scan the pictures in.

I start back to work on Monday. I am excited and nervous. It has been 10 weeks since I have been at work. I am worried I will have forgotten things or that lack of sleep will make me forget things and I am sad to leave Zach at daycare. I am looking forward to being back in the adult world and I have missed the girls I work with. I know he will be fine and my boss is being great about it. She has offered for him to come to the office instead of daycare. I might bring him a day or two if we are not busy but I think I will get more done if he is not there a majority of the time.
Zach has been doing really well at night. Since he is less congested he has been sleeping for about 5 hours and then again for about 3. It is very nice to just get up once a night. I know his tummy is getting bigger so he can sleep for longer stretches. It was rough for the last few weeks when he was sick. He was getting up every hour or so. Ryan has been so great and we have been sharing the nighttime feedings.

Here are a few updated pictures.

Ryan, Zach & Ava sleeping

First time sitting like a big boy in the stroller

Trying to eat my fingers

Half smile

No sleep

2008-04-29T20:30:00.003-05:00

Poor Zach is still sick. He is so congested so he has not been sleeping very well. Ryan and I have been taking turns staying up with him and holding him upright so he will sleep. It has been rough but hopefully will get better soon. He feels like he is gaining a ton of weight. I am definitely working out my biceps by lifting him.

Only 2 weeks until I go back to work. It is bittersweet. I am ready to get back but I am going to miss him like crazy. The good news is I can go over and see him whenever I want but that might make it harder. I am sure he will be fine and I will always worry. I know I have to put him in school sooner or later and I will never think that anyone will take care of him like I do. It will be good for him to not be so spoiled (I admit it, we spoil him like crazy and I love to hold him all day and cuddle, but what mom doesn't)

1.5 months

We survived

2008-04-25T02:24:00.002-05:00

We survived our babies first cold and fever. I woke up on Wednesday night to Zach wanting to eat, when I went in there he felt really hot. So I took his temperature and it was 100.4 which is very high in a 6 week old. I ended up sleeping with him on the couch and cuddling him all night because that was the only way he would sleep. You could tell he was uncomfortable. I called the doctor and they called back and had me give him some Tylenol. The good thing was he was smiling and eating really well and not acting sick at all the following morning just still the high fever. Yesterday we spent all day sleeping, since I too am getting the cold he had. Ryan took over when he got home from work. He is feeling much better and sleeping great tonight but now I feel like I have been hit by a truck. I am glad we took care of our baby and made it through it all. Now I need someone to take care of me. Once you become a mom you don't think about the fact that no matter how you feel you have to suck it up and be there for your child before anything else.

First Cold

2008-04-23T16:30:00.004-05:00

Zach has his first cold. He sounded kind of weird last night and has been more fussy the last 2 days, when we woke up this morning I went and checked on him and he had a runny nose. Other than that and a little cough he has no other symptoms. You can tell he doesn't feel good though. I took him to the doctor and he said we just have to ride it out. Ryan was sick last week so I am sure that is where he picked it up. I am hoping I don't get it.

Sleeping in the Crib and Smiles

2008-04-22T10:03:00.003-05:00

Last night was a great night for us. Zach slept in his crib for the first time all night. We tried to start a bed time routine. When he got sleepy (still too early for a set time) I took him upstairs, we had an impromptu bath because he peed on himself when I was changing his diaper, I fed him, swaddled him and then read him a few books. Once he was asleep I put him in his sleep positioner in the crib and we left. He did really well. He slept from 9:00-12:00 and then again until 3:00 and then Ryan fed him at 5:30 when he got up for work. The swaddler worked well, I put his arms in which he had previously fought me on, I did it when he was half asleep, and he slept great because I think he was waking himself up when his arms moved at night. The only issue I had with the sleep positioner was that when he did move he worked himself down to the bottom of it so when I went in the feed him he was off of it. So we might try not putting him in that tonight. It was nice to have our room back and even though I had the monitor to hear him I slept better because I did not hear every little noise.

In other news, Zach has been smiling for the last few days. We got his first good one on Sunday and he has been slowly doing it ever since. I can not seem to get a picture because he 1) does not want to perform for the camera and 2) he is still unsure on how to totally do it so most of the time I get a half smile and those are not great pictures. He is really starting to recognize things and his little personality is coming out. He loves the mirror and looking at the baby in the mirror, he also "talks" to the baby. It is very cute. He has also gotten mad at us twice. Once we put him in his car seat and he did not want to go and the other time we put him in the swing and he was unhappy about it and just pouted. I have put a picture of that below.

Asleep with the pacifier hanging out

With Creedon and Caddie

Pissed about being in the swing

In my play gym

Professional Pictures and Doctor

2008-04-16T15:35:00.003-05:00

We had Zach's 1 month pictures taken yesterday. He was really fussy at first and then he did really well.

We went to the doctor today for his recheck from when he was spitting up all the time. The doctor is very happy with his progress. He has not been spitting up as much and is eating better. He is really only fussy in the afternoon so we just try and give him Mylicon and use Happi Tummi before he gets really bad. This seems to be helping. I am glad it is a very mild amount of colic. It would be very hard if it was really bad. He weighs 8 pounds 2 ounces and is 22 inches long!! It is crazy since last visit 2 weeks ago he was 6 pounds 11 ounces. We must be doing something right for him to be growing so much. His weight to height is in the zero percentile. The doctor said it was because he had stretched out so much but it is fine as long as it is going up on the curve and not down. I am so glad he is doing well. It makes you worry a little less, not much but a little bit :)

I have finally felt like cooking again and really cleaning the house. I guess I am going through my nesting now since I never got to do it before he came and then was recovering from the c-section. I am still a little sore but not too bad.

Busy weekend

2008-04-14T10:08:00.002-05:00

We had a busy weekend. We went to Atlanta for my last shower and for everyone to meet Zach. He did great in the car and slept pretty much the whole way. The dogs did not bother him at all in the car, I was very impressed. Friday we went to see Ryan's grandmother. She loved meeting Zach. Saturday was the shower and Zach did really well. He was awake for half of it. We got lots of clothes and a play gym and door bouncer. It was really wonderful to see everyone. Zach did really well going to different people. You could tell by the end of the day he was tired. That night he slept for 5 hours!! Sunday Zach turned 1 month old. He is starting to smile back at us, be more active during the day and when he spit his pacifier out he had it in his hand and you could see he was trying really hard to get it back in his mouth. It is amazing how much difference a month makes. I can not believe it has been a month already. It has flown by. I only have a month until I go back to work. I am excited but am nervous leaving him all day. I know it will be fine but it is going to be very hard to do.

The park

2008-04-08T17:43:00.004-05:00

Today we went to the park with Marci and Jack and went for a nice walk. It was a nice day out, kind of overcast but warm. Zach was pretty much passed out the whole time but seemed to like it. I am hoping we can walk everyday it is nice so I can get back in shape and he can be outside.

At the end of the walk, both boys passed out

Zach & me

In my crib

Happi Tummi

2008-04-07T10:32:00.002-05:00

I have to give a shout out to Happi Tummi. It is this herbal wrap that you heat up and put on baby's belly when they are getting fussy or colicky and it is supposed to calm them down. This is the best thing ever. As soon as I put it on him he calms down and makes this cute face and you can tell it helps. It has also made him pass out. So it is beneficial to get him to sleep as well.
Speaking of sleep we had a GREAT night last night. He went from 9-12:30 and then did not get up again until 4:30. I didn't even realize. I woke up expecting to see 3:00 on the clock and was pleasantly surprised.
He is still sleeping in our room but yesterday and today I put him down in his crib and he seemed to just love it. So I think I will start putting him in there for naps and we will slowly transition him in there at night. We still have to set up the monitor so he won't be in there until then. Maybe we can do that tonight.
Here are some pictures of him awake. He is definitely becoming more alert each day and I hope that with him being up more during the day he is getting his nights and days on track.

In my ducky towel

Zach and me

With Ava

Daddy's Little Wingman

Body Parts Pictures

2008-04-04T11:48:00.002-05:00

Here are Zach's body parts pictures. He did a great job!!

Making Progress

2008-04-04T09:25:00.003-05:00

I am convinced that since we switched bottles, even though it has only been 2 days, it has made a world of difference. He is still a little fussy and you can tell his belly gets really tight but it seems easier to work it out and he is sleeping better. he actually went for a 4 hour stretch at one point last night, granted that was from 3:30-7:30 but it is something. Now he is passed out in the swing and I am getting a break :)

In other random news. Can you believe New Kids on the Block are coming back???!!! I went to their concert when I was 12. It is so random and I bet they will sell out their concerts.

Here are some updated Zach pictures.

In the sling!!

Passed out on Leila

Smiling away

Almost 3 weeks

2008-04-02T18:14:00.002-05:00

Zach is almost 3 weeks old. It is flying by. He has been very fussy the last few days and nights. He is not sleeping very well and that makes it very hard on us. He has been wanting to eat all the time but not eating as much and then he is spitting up a lot more. I called the doctor and they called me back and wanted to see him today. So we went just to get him checked out. He is up to 6 pounds 11 ounces from his appointment a week ago. He ended up peeing all over the place and I think he peed in his own mouth. He did not like it one bit and screamed when he did it. I felt so bad for him. The doctor checked him out and does not think anything is wrong with him but thinks that he might be colicky. I am hoping it is just because he is growing. We also tried switching his bottles so hopefully that will help.

Zach and I went to lunch with Ryan today and showed him off around his office. He was a big hit. We had a good lunch and it was nice to get out of the house. It was the first time I had driven in 4 weeks. I know people were getting frustrated with me because I was going slower than normal, probably because it has been awhile and because I had Zach in the car. Better safe than sorry.

First time at church

2008-03-31T19:17:00.002-05:00

In the car about to go into church

In the doggie "bunkbed"

Yesterday we went to church for the first time with Zach. He did really well. We sat in the cry room because he makes so many noises I didn't want to take the chance of being in the middle of a prayer and he start making his baby sounds. He ended up sleeping through the whole thing. I was very impressed. It is kind of funny since whenever we went to church when I was pregnant he was always very active, kicking me and moving.

Things are going well just the three (well actually five of us). Zach is still eating like crazy the last few days. He is definitely getting heavier. It is so crazy to watch him grow. His newborn clothes are starting to fit him which is great so he finally has more than three outfits to wear.

Growing

2008-03-28T13:40:00.003-05:00

Zach must be growing. He did not sleep at all last night. He was up and wide awake from 5:30 when Ryan got home last night and did not go to sleep until 2:30. He was starving too and kept wanting to eat. He ended up eating like 4 ounces of food in 3 hours. He never eats that much. Today he has slept much better but has been very restless. He looks like he is getting bigger. I am so glad he is growing and it means we are doing something right :)

2 weeks picture with my growth stuffed animal

2nd Rickels family photo

Sleeping in the Moses Basket (he loves this thing!)

First Bath and some more pictures

2008-03-27T16:37:00.002-05:00

Zach had his first bath the other day and was not a big fan!! He cried pretty much the whole way through it. He does not like to be naked. I am sure it is because he is cold.

2 weeks

2008-03-26T17:36:00.002-05:00

Zach will be 2 weeks tomorrow. It has flown by so far. We had a very busy day today. We had our 2 week doctor appointment today. He is up to 6 pounds 5 ounces. The doctor said he is looking good and will see us back at his 2 month appointment. His cord fell off today and we don't have to use gauze on his circumcision anymore!!!! This makes diaper changes much easier. We stopped by my office and let everyone see him. I don't think they wanted to give him back.

We also had his body parts pictures taken today. They are going to be so cute. They did his ear and feet and nose and mouth. Zach was so good during all of this. He is really good in the car.

That is about all we have going on. He is sleeping much better at night and since we go to bed so early we are only getting up 2 times a night which is pretty good. I have my doctor appointment tomorrow to get my incision checked. I am feeling good so hopefully she will give me clearance to drive and carry things again.

Making progress

2008-03-24T11:15:00.004-05:00

Last night was great. We went to bed at 8:00, Ryan had to go back to work today so he needed to get some sleep and I was exhausted. We fed Zach at 9:30, then he woke up at 11:30, then he slept until 2:45 and again until 5:30. It was so nice to get some sleep! Hopefully he is getting on a schedule somewhat. He is such a good baby so far. He rarely cries and just makes noises when he wants to be changed. I know things could change but I am counting my blessings so far. Ryan went back to work today and it is going well so far with just the two of us here. My mom is coming back today to help me this week with doctor appointments and things. I still am not able to drive or lift more than 10 pounds so that makes it a bit hard, good thing I only had a 6 1/2 pound baby.

Ava and me passed out

Thinking about if I want to eat or not

Such an angel

One step back

2008-03-22T11:03:00.004-05:00

Last night was a bit rough. We kind of got off our "schedule" yesterday and so we were off when we went to bed. Zach did not want to go to sleep. I checked him and he wasn't wet and we tried to feed him and he wasn't hungry. So we would rock him, he would fall asleep and then we would put him down and he would scream. I think we held him too much yesterday. Today he is spending more time in the pack n play sleeping. He was waking up every hour. Finally I let him cry off and on for 30 minutes, then I picked him up, changed his diaper, rocked him and he fell right asleep. I am sure he was exhausted from crying. Then we had 2 stretches of 3 hours of sleep. It is so frustrating when you can't figure out what is wrong with them and you are tired and you feel so bad because you can't help them. I am hoping tonight is better.

One week and 1 day old

2008-03-21T20:41:00.003-05:00

Today was a good day. We just hung out around the house and watched the game. It was not pretty but at least we won. We went and visited the scuba shop and showed Zach the pool and all the fun stuff he would one day have :) My mom left today but is coming back next week as well. Since I still can't drive it is very helpful to have her here. Not to mention everything else she is doing and has done. It means a lot to us. Here are some pics of Zach and Ryan watching the game and just chillin.

Sleeping like a champ

Dad and I watching TV

This game is hard to watch

Dad and I watching the game

One more thing

2008-03-20T17:13:00.002-05:00

I wanted to add the last preggo pic of me my mom took at

the hospital. This is me at 36 weeks.

Our first outing

2008-03-20T16:54:00.004-05:00

Ryan and I had our first excursion out of the house without Zach. We went to lunch and then went to Babies R Us. We had to buy preemie diapers and some clothes, since everything we have is huge on him. It was very quiet without him.

Things are good here. Nights are getting better and we are sleeping during the day as much as we can. Last night I went to change his diaper and opened it up and got sprayed. He peed on my new shirt, his head and clothes. I guess that is part of having a boy. I just about died laughing.

Here are some more pictures.

Just Chillin'

Diaper Change, Ava watching over

Ava guarding Zach

Sleeping away

More pics

2008-03-19T08:26:00.005-05:00

Last night was even better. He actually went from 4-7 without waking up. It was so nice. We are still trying to figure out the diaper issue so we are not changing wet clothes 3 times a night but we will get it. Here are a few more pictures

In Jack's swing (thanks Jack!)

Sleeping on Gigi

I am so tired

Me too!

Day 2 at home

2008-03-18T20:20:00.003-05:00

Day 2 went much better. Zach slept much better last night getting up about every 2 hours. So we are making progress. We had diaper issues last night and he kept wetting himself so we had 3 outfit changes.
We went to the Dr. for a weight check and he has gained 2 ounces from Sunday. Since he lost so much weight in the hospital. He is now up to 5 pounds 12 ounces. The Dr. said he was looking good and we go back in a week.
Zach is much more alert today. I am feeling much better and healing nicely. We went to the Dr., then to Jersey Mike's for lunch, and then to Babies R Us to buy some formula. We have definitely decided to bottle feed. My milk has not really come in so it is not worth worrying about. Having my mom here is such a big help. I really appreciate it.
Here are some more pictures we took today.

More pictures

2008-03-17T07:52:00.002-05:00

Our first night

2008-03-17T07:32:00.002-05:00

Our first night home was a long one. We got home around 6:30. The dogs smelled Zach and were a little confused. They kept licking him which we are going to have to figure out how to stop but at least they are loving him and not trying to bite him. When he cries they get more excited but I am sure that is because it is new and hopefully they will get used to it. I know we are not used to it yet :)

We went to bed around 11:00. Zach woke up pretty much every hour. I know he is still in some pain from his circumcision every time he goes to the bathroom so that was hard. My milk is not coming in as well as we would like so we have started giving him a bottle and I am trying to pump to see if there is anything there. If not we will be using formula, whatever makes sure he is getting fed is what is important. Both of us are exhausted and I know we will make it through the next few nights. It will be much easier when I feel better too. I am healing nicely but am very swollen. That should go down soon.

We hope everyone is well. We will post some more pics and can't wait for ya'll to meet him.

Our first few days

2008-03-15T20:09:00.003-05:00

Our first few days have been good. I was a little out of it for day one and two due to the c-section but I am recovering well. Zach is doing great and is too precious for words. We love him more than we can ever imagine. My pre-eclampsia is pretty much gone. I am back down to normal levels with my blood work and my blood pressure is down. We get to go home tomorrow!!! I am excited and nervous but very ready. Here are some pictures of our first few days with many more to come.

Zachary Allen Rickels

2008-03-13T21:48:00.002-05:00

Well today was a long and exciting day for Rickels Family. Wednesday, Lauren went to the doctor and everything looked good. The doctor thought we could make it another two weeks. Then on Thursday, Lauren's blood work can back and her mild toxemia had turned into a more serious condition. The toxemia was attacking her liver and the only cure was to deliver. The doctor decided that she would perform a c-section. Lauren and I went into the OR at 5 and Zach was born at 5:24 PM. Zach was 6 lbs 6 oz and was 19-1/2" long. Mom and Zach are doing fine. We will post pictures soon.
Thanks to everyone for helping us and keeping us in their prayers.

Ryan

Update

2008-03-12T12:56:00.002-05:00

I had my Dr. appointment today. She said I am looking good. My blood pressure is still slightly elevated. So consequently I am still on bedrest. She is really happy I have not delivered yet. She said he has weak white boy syndrome, male Caucasians are the last for their lungs to develop so she wants him to go to 38 weeks so he does not have to be under the vent in the NICU.

I am now going twice a week to the Dr. so she can keep and eye on the pre-eclampsia since now is when it could get worse and if it gets that way she wants to deliver right away. If he is not here by 38 weeks she is going to induce assuming he is ready.

As far as the home front, the dogs are being very bad when I leave. Anything they can get their teeth on they are eating. Today they ate a book. I am going to have to start crating them again because I am afraid they will destroy all of Zach's stuff.

What we do all day

2008-03-11T15:02:00.002-05:00

I thought I would post some pictures of what my life is like on bedrest. Hope you enjoy them!!!

New week

2008-03-10T13:49:00.002-05:00

Well, it is a new week. I had a very good shower yesterday. I had a lot of fun and it was nice to see family. Zach got some cute clothes and fun stuff!

I had a lot of sporadic contractions yesteraday but nothing consistent. My tummy was very sore last night so sleeping was bit of a challenge and Ryan was snoring all night so it was hard to fall back asleep.

My mom is coming tomorrow just to hang out and to make some food for us. I am excited. Maybe he will come while she is here.