Can't believe he's 6 months already.

I can hardly believe Ray is almost 6.5 months old. I'll let you know what he is up to...

Ray is a rolling machine. He rolls everywhere. Also, when placed on his tummy he uses his arms to pull him self around. Usually it's just in a circle, hasn't really made any forward or backward movements but I'm sure he'll get there, eventually. If I set him down in a sitting position he can sit up, supporting himself. But he doesn't like it very much. He wants to be standing up so unless cleverly distracted, he kicks his legs and throws his head back in efforts to be completely vertical. He is always really ticked when he thinks these efforts will bring him to a standing position when it actually just lands him laying on his back on the floor. Ray eats sweet potatoes, rice, oatmeal, bananas, peaches, pears, applesauce, carrots. He spits out green beans and peas (Joey LOVED that) and had a minor allergic reaction to squash (rash) but we're not sure if he's actually allergic. After we get to San Antonio I'll feed him squash again and see if he gets a rash again. Then we'll know for sure :) Ray is down to nursing 1 or 2 times during the night and has formula or expressed milk out of a bottle any other time. He likes to drink it in his high chair/bumbo or sitting face out in Joey/my lap. Ray is so interested in the world around him he started self-weening. I was upset at first but now I'm okay with it. I'm happy he still wakes up to eat at night and that he lets me nurse him then or else we'd never get to snuggle. He takes 2-3 naps a day, anywhere between 45 mins-3 hours. The first two he usually takes in his crib but for the third one Daddy always snatches Ray and they take a nap together. I love it. It's really cute, especially when they wake up :) Pics below. I have a little jealousy, mostly because Ray wont nap with me, but it makes me happy that Joey gets to spend time with Ray :) And I get a lot done while they are sleeping. Ray is a big talker/singer. I love it. He loves his bouncey that my mom and dad gave him, especially the spinning frog. Another favorite thing to do is roll into his diaper bag or my purse and grab the handles for a good slobber/drool/chew. Speaking of drool, IT'S EVERYWHERE! He doesn't have any teeth yet but i can see two of them are about ready to poke out in the front on the bottom. I think it's the cause of the drool. Yesterday we were on a little walk and we saw my neighbor and her dog. Ray leaned over Joey's arms to get a good look and a landed a big puddle of drool on the dogs nose. Joey and I thought that was really funny. Joey said "The tables have turned! The dog is getting drooled on!"

So that's Just an update. I have a few pictures below. Some are right before church and the rest are some i took when Ray was waking up from a nap with Daddy. Enjoy :)

Ray loves touching our faces, especially our mouths!


I just LOVE these boys!!!

p.s. moving van comes on Monday and we're driving out to San Antonio next Saturday. Can't believe it's already here! I feel mostly excited but also sad. I hate the weather here but it's beautiful and we've met some really great people.

Things are back to normal :)

Hey everyone
Ray is back to his cute-ness self. All tests were normal and Dr. Simmers is going to report it as a possible side effect of the H1N1 vaccine.

Now i have different things to struggle with! This is me just venting. The topic is Breast Feeding and you can stop reading right now. If you want.

Okay. Ray is 6 months old and i've faithfully breast-fed him his whole life. We've started added some formula in, especially during the day. Because he is just so alert and wants to look at everything. i sit him in my lap, facing out, and follow his mouth around with the bottle. if you couldn't guess that doesn't work too well with breast feeding. But night times we were still nursing and i liked that schedule. But now at night when we're sitting in the dark after bath, pjs, book, prayers, singing, all those soothing things he just fights me and fights me! he strains his neck and doesn't want to be snuggled in the nursing position. if he does latch he just bits down hard and then jerks away. i've tried every position imaginable. He is just too nosey. he wants to be looking at everything. i'm losing my patients with it. Because breast-feeding is hard. Especially when i'm fighting him the whole time. But i don't want to stop yet! Breast milk is just so good for his little body. plus he still wakes up to eat in the middle of the night and i don't want to make a bottle when i'm dead asleep. (Arg. I just wish i didn't need to sleep. I think all my problems would be solved if i never got tired and could be busy 24/7. )
The saddest thing is when i can get him to breast feed he doesn't look me in the eyes any more :( :( he used to look up at me, straight in the eye and i could just feel that he loved me. Now he looks anywhere but at me :( He's just not a newborn anymore and it makes me really sad. It's just so silly but I feel like he won't love me as much if i don't give him mama-milk!

So anyway. this is a selfish post, all about me.

All night-er at the ER

Well Ray had his 6 month shots, regular flu and H1N1 vaccine yesterday. He went to sleep at 6, like normal, but at few minutes before 8 he woke up suddenly and cried hard. i went to check on him, he was burning up which is normal after vaccines but his soft spot was bulging. So after talking to the pediatrician on call we decided to take him in the ER. Vaccines don't really cause baby soft spots to bulge. Blood tests, urine tests, antibiotics, spinal tap, CT scan all had normal immediate results but we're still waiting for cultures. Joey and I were just heart broken at the amount of pokes, pricks and pain Ray had to endure. He was exhausted and so sad. He just kept crying/moaning these terrible sad cries. The worst part of the whole ordeal was the spinal tap. A nurse had to crunch him up on the bed and restrain him for what seemed like an eternity while he screamed and screamed and choked and coughed and i thought he couldn't breath. Joey said he'll never forget Ray's little face. I was in the room too but feeling extremely woozy from being up all night without food or drink and also just the strain and having my baby so sad and not being able to comfort him. I didn't look at his face but i sat in a chair crying along with him. When it was finally over his little face was covered in red spots from broken blood vessels from all the crying :( :( Finally we left the ER at 3:15 and tried to get some sleep. I didn't want to let go of Ray so i tried to snuggle him in bed with me but he kept waking up screaming every 40 minutes so i finally let him be in his crib and he slept till 8:30am. He likes to sleep in his crib. Sleeping with me is too distracting but i just couldn't let him go at first. Finally i did and we all got a few hours of solid rest. Then we were off to see Ray's Dr. this morning. Dr. Simmers gave him another antibiotic shot and had a look at him. He said Ray looked good but it had still only been 11 hours since the spinal tap so we're going in again tomorrow and we'll hear the results of all the cultures.

My gut feeling is that they'll say, "well, we can't find anything wrong so just watch him" and although its nice if nothing is wrong i hate it when there is no name for whatever had gone wrong. Personally, i think its a reaction to the H1N1 shot but all the Dr.'s are skirting around that because of the numerous times I've been assured that this vaccine is almost exactly the same as the regular flu vaccine. But Dr. simmers listened to my theory and said he would do some research. Everyone was really nice and took care of us. Luckily Joey was able to take the day off of work. He has to go back in tomorrow but i have a friend who is taking me to the Dr.

what an ordeal. i feel so drained and missing our families :( thanks to everyone for the thoughts, prayers, love, comfort and support. Love you all.

Christmas Time :) :)

I love the holiday season :) we had a great Thanksgiving at our friends house. They deep fry their turkeys down here in the South and they are GOOD!

But once Turkey-day is done, its time to move on to CHRISTMAS! The moving van is coming to pick up all our stuff on December 14th and i realize its silly to decorate but i don't care! Joey was living in Texas for Christmas last year and its Ray first one so we are celebrating on the 12th and decorating our house anyway :)

On Black-Friday we went to pick out a tree. This place had ENORMOUS trees! our apartment is a little cramped for room but luckily we were able to find the cutest tree at the right size and price :) We decorated, put up lights and I even made a wreath out of the extra boughs we had to cut off. Let me tell you, I was so proud! It doesn't look as good as the ones in the store but that's okay :) Saturday we took family pictures in front of the tree and Ray was a little hysterical. I put some of his crying pics up :) and then when he was stripped down to just his white shirt and red socks I started singing the song from Risky Business and Ray looks better than Tom Cruise could ever hope to look! Enjoy the pics!!

Huge trees!

Little Ray was so cute :)


He was really tired and fell asleep on the way home. What a lovey!

This is Ray and our spoils from the day :)

The wreath I made :) It smells really good :)

The front of our house with the lights and wreath :)

Our cute little tree

The nativity set my Grandma Dot gave me when I was a little girl. I thought it looked really nice with the usual decor i have on our mini-bookshelf

And screaming Ray. He didn't like family pictures!

And here is some Risky Business :) Heehee! i know i should feel bad because Ray was just beyond tired but i can't help it! Ray is so cute! Look at those legs! Watch out Tom Cruise!!

Triumphant Baby!

Ray can finally reach the froggy on his bouncer with his mouth. he's waited long for this day! He's been salivating for it for MONTHS. love it. love him. love mommy-ness.

And i tried to get a picture of it but as soon as he saw the camera he gave me the blank stare, like always. but you can see the frog

See all the drool and spit up?

Disneyland!

While we were in California we made a trip to DISNEYLAND! And i'm positive Ray loved it. It's in his blood! Not only is Disneyland the Happiest Place on Earth, it's also mine and Joey's favorite place to vacation! Ray was really good the whole day! We were able to go with my parents, Grandma Dot, my sister Amy and her 4 kids. Such a blast! So here are a few pics from the day.

This last one CRACKS me up. This is what Ray did the ENTIRE Nemo ride haha. A few times he leaned forward and held on to each side of the porthole. He didn't take his eyes off the window!

Grandpa Lou Passes on

On October 28th 2009 my Grandpa Louis Gene Taylor passed away. I haven't blogged about it yet because I wasn't sure what to say. Luckily, Ray and I were able to be there for the funeral. Grandpa Lou had been sick for quite a while. I think he was able to stay as long as he did because of the loving care my Grandma Dot gave him. She was by his side till the end. Their intense love and devotion is hard for me to put in words. I love him. I miss him. I'm so happy I was able to be there and spend the week with Grandma.
The words I want to share to properly explain the feelings I have inside still haven't come. It's been a few weeks and I still don't know what to say. All I can do is share these pictures.

Grandpa was a Marine and honored accordingly.

After they folded the flag they presented it to my Grandma Dot with their thanks for Grandpa's service. This photo expresses so much meaning to me.

Each grandchild was given a rose to place on the casket before it was lowered down. As I waited behind my other cousins and siblings I looked at the beautiful, simple white rose in my hand. The pure whiteness reminded me of many things. I thought of my Grandpa's white hair, the white clothes he was dressed in as he was placed to rest. I thought of the temple, its white walled exterior. But I also thought of things like white, vanilla ice cream and frosting on my wedding cake. I thought of my sweet son, Ray, when he's wearing just a white onzie and how cute he looks. When it was my turn I kissed my rose before i placed it on top and lightly patted the casket. I am so grateful for that moment. It is what I normally would have done when saying good-bye at the end of a visit; A simple kiss, a loving embrace and a soft pat on the arm.



And this last picture is to remind myself and those who are reading that Grandpa Lou lived a full happy life. My son, Raymond Louis, named for his great-grandfathers, is living proof of the wonderful legacy Grandpa Louis Gene Taylor left behind. Although I miss him, I felt peace at his funeral and still do when I think about it now.

Halloween Party :)

Ray was just so cute! He was a Dinosaur and Joey and me were Paleontologists. Get it? This was at the ward party :) I'm not going to lie, i was sad that we didn't win the "family costume" contest :( :( But Ray was the cutest baby there!

Early bird doesn't catch the worm...

Ray likes to wake up to "eat" sometime around 5am. Sometimes it's 4:30, others its 5:30. But then he doesn't go back to sleep!! So he either cries in his crib or i bring him in bed with me and he kicks and punches and sings and talks. I can tell he's still tired because he's extremely sensitive to where he is positioned. Then he is really cranky all morning, and will only take a 20-40 minute nap around 9am. its really frustrating because i know he he tired but just wont sleep. I've been reading that book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, which has been helpful at bed time. But other than that i feel like i am doing something wrong because I can hardly get Ray to nap during the day. Yesterday he woke up at 5, took a 20 minute nap at 9, took another 90 minutes nap at noon and then was down for the night at 5:30pm. I thought babies Ray's age were suppose to take 2 long naps or 3 shorter naps?
This is mostly just venting but i wish babies had an "on/off" switch sometimes!!!

Here are some cute pictures we're taken recently.
Ray was trying to eat the camera! and also a cute outfit Grandma Starrs sent :) :)

"Hair Wars"-My dad

After years of living in a house of many pre-teen and teenage daughters, my dad appointed the title "Hair Wars" to all issues of deciding hair.
So here I am. Preparing for another battle in the life long "War of Hairs". Recently I cut off 13 inches and donated it to Locks of Love. Now I have this short cut, which while very cute and easy, started looking like a shaggy dog about 4 weeks after it was cut. Now I am passed the "shaggy-dog" state and wondering what to do. I know myself well and I KNOW I wont get my hair cut every month. But it's so much easier to do when it's short. Then on the other hand, truth be told, I don't actually like how it looks on me. Its all out of conveinence. Am I really to that state in my life where I care more about what's easier than feeling my best beautiful self? This cut is 100% different than anything I've ever had. But I can't help but feel like a middle-age soccer mom when I look in the mirror. Another family quote comes to mind. My mom used to say, "Oh Dan (my dad), this pregnancy has really aged me." Which is exactly how I feel about this hair cut! I am only 21 and when I look in the mirror I swear a 40-yr-old is staring back at me. So do I pull it back in a pony tail, letting it do its own thing, growing long, or do I go to the salon and cut it short and easy again?

Oh the pains of Hair Wars! I am not ready for this epic battle!!!

May seem boring, but we had a blast :)

Our 2nd wedding anniversary was on a Tuesday night so we decided to go out for dinner this weekend. But we did a little celebrating anyway! We exchanged gifts, Joey gave me this really funny "pretend" magazine cover with out picture on it (so cute!) and also brought me beautiful flowers! (see below!) We had steaks for dinner then put together a puzzle we got for our wedding (finally lol) It was really simple but I just loved it!

Here are the beautiful flowers and the fun puzzle we did!

I think we should save the puzzle and maybe frame it and put it in Ray's room so I can always remember what fun and simple night it was :) Being married may not be full of glitter and glory but it is full of fun and love.

Anniversary

Today is our Anniversary. We're celebrating two years of marriage!!! I love Joey. He is my best friend and my love. He is the cutest, sweetest, most amazing man I've ever met!!! Here are a few stories I want to share about his amazing-ness. (Hope I don't embarrass him!!)

Something that Joey and I do together is read. Well, actually, I read to him and he listens. We started this when I convinced him he would LOVE Harry Potter (which he did!) and I read all seven books to him! (with a few exceptions, during road trips we'd listen to it on CD because I get car sick, especially when i read) So the other day Joey watched Twilight with me. We've had a few failed attempts of me trying to read Twilight to him because he can't get into it and he falls asleep, every time. (can't blame him, it's a little slow at first) So I've been telling him how New Moon is coming out soon and I'm excited to see it and everything. Then he asked me if I would read New Moon to him, because he liked the movie of Twilight, maybe he would be able to get into the books. I was a little skeptical at first because I expected him to just fall asleep but I am surprised and happy to say that he is staying fully alert, making comments, guessing at what comes next and seeming to really enjoy it! He also tells me when he is getting drowsy so he doesn't miss any of it. This story just warms my heart. I don't even know why. It just makes me happy that my husband is so sweet.

Here is another story about church on Sunday. We were waiting by the Bishop's office because we had interviews scheduled. Joey was playing with Ray and had him set up sitting in a chair. Ray was being cute, as always, and smiling and giggling at his Daddy. Ray especially loves it when we smile at him and coo and give him lots of kisses, with plenty of animation. So there was Joey, kneeling down in his nice church clothes so his face was closer to Ray's, making big kisses and tickles and playing with Ray. Ray was giggling and chirping like a bird and making all sorts of noise and Joey was laughing too. Joey never has to act like a "tough guy". He just loves his family and doesn't care what anyone else thinks of him. Even if that means making a fool of yourself, just to get your baby to laugh.

This story happened the other week at a dinner party, of sorts. We had been invited over to a member of our Wards house for dinner with another couple and the missionaries. The only bad part was that dinner was at 6 which is exactly when we put Ray down to sleep at night. During the whole visit, with a short break to nurse, Joey held and played with Ray so I could eat, chat with the other ladies there, and really enjoy myself. We share a car right now and I spend all my days cooped up in our apartment. So getting out was so nice and I just love chatting. Ray was getting cranky so Joey rocked and bounced him to sleep. He woke up and spit up everywhere and I didn't even notice because Joey just went and changed Ray's clothes without skipping a beat. I really had a nice time being social and enjoying our night out.

And the last reason I am going to share, because this post could go on for DAYS of all the stories of Joey's wonderful-ness happened last night. We played Uno, just the two of us, and Joey let me win. This seems sort of silly but it just reminds me of when people first start dating and the guy is all nice, letting the girl do better at everything etc. This made me feel like Joey still wants me to be happy and feel good and win at everything :)

I LOVE JOEY!!!!

New Favorite picture

He looks so grown up!!! I love this picture :)

More Changes....

Well Joey's assignment has changed, again. So as of right now we are going to San Antonio, TX around the first of the year. I've known this for a few days but haven't really soaked it in yet. I was really looking forward to Las Vegas. It seemed like the perfect place for us to be but obviously not or else we'd be going there! I'm sure it'll be great where ever we go, I just really got my hopes up for Vegas which was a mistake! So anyway, this is where we'll be. Close to Laura and Noah possibly? How long does it take to get to Houston anyway? We'll also be there when Phil goes to Basic Training, same base and everything. That will be really fun for us to go to his graduation and see all the family that comes :)

Here are some pictures of Ray's cute room! We've had it set up for a while but i never got around to posting about it. The cute! bedding set is from Grandma and Grandpa Starrs. The crib/mattress/changing table are from Grandma and Grandpa Taylor. In the third picture you can see a blanket hanging from the wall. This was handmade by my grandma Dot Taylor for my dad when he was a baby. Its very special to me an d thank you Aunt Suzie for passing it on to me. Thank you every one for the gifts! And thanks to Joey for letting me buy the awesome chair!

Ray had his 4 month well check up. He is doing well, of course! He is 16 lbs 3 oz and 26 inches long!!! He's in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. His head is in the 50th percentile. So he is a big baby! but chunky monkey is how we like 'em! Joey was able to take off the morning so he could come with :) Ray also had some shots, but this time i gave him some Tylenol before. He didn't even react at the first shot but then he screamed for the second! then i hugged him and loved him and he did these funny little shouts for a few minutes. it was like he was telling every body off for hurting him!! It was very cute!

Then Joey went to work and i had the car all day! Ray and I went to Joann's (he cried most the time, which seems to be the reaction of most of the men in my family) and we went to Walmart. We bought a high chair, rice cereal and some cute bowls and spoons. Because he can start eating rice cereal now! We gave him his first try. He didn't really get it at first so put up the video we took after he'd been eating for a while. Ray was reaching for the spoon most of the time, i let him hold it when we were finished. Cutie Man!!!

So here are the videos and pics :) :) :)

Visit from Grandma and Grandpa Taylor!!!

We were so happy to have my parents visit! We (mostly me) get really lonely for family and when my parents said they wanted to visit I was so happy!!! We had a blast! Watch football games, movies, went to Joann's (one of my mom and me's favorite stores... one of joey and my dad's LEAST favorite stores hah), had some sewing projects, got our hair cut, and made a TON of food for my freezer! The only bad part of the week is when they had to go home :(
Here are some pictures! I didn't post more of my hair cut because i already did that.

I guess you could say that Ray LOVES his bath time!!! here he is, smiling at Daddy!!

Was anyone wondering what color Ray's eyes are? No doubt, they are brown and beautiful!!

Here are the guys, watching some college football!!

Grandpa Dan singing to Ray (he actually fell asleep WITHOUT a pacifier. shocking!)

My Mama and Me! I wish she was my next-door neighbor, seriously. She's the best

TADA!!! Thats 3-batches of Taco soup, 4-lbs of Taco meat, 4-side servings of Funeral Potatoes, 2-Chicken Devans and 4-Poppy Seed Chickens. This is the best way to cook for two people because you make the normal size batch and just portion it in smaller dishes. My freezer smells so good! I love having food made and ready for the oven. Just pop it in and make a salad!

Here is my cutie Mama

Looking so domestic in our aprons :)

Having family around is the best thing in the world. I miss everyone so much and I'm super lonely! Especially while Joey is at work. Can't wait to move back to the West!

CUT!!!

Before.......

AFTER!!!!!



Sending my hair to Locks of Love :)
I'm in shock still!!!

Possible Hair Cut...

I might get my hair cut this week. I'm nervous. My hair is super long and i never do anything with it. it's always in a pony-tail. takes too long to dry and when i do it just goes in a hair tie because it's hot down here... so if i can get the nerve.... this will be it!




Yes its Mariska Hargitay from "Law and Order SVU" and she looks really good. We'll see if i actually do it!!

A day at the Splash Pad

Ray loves the water. So we were really excited to take him to the Splash Pad on base! He looks a little over-whelmed in these pictures but i just know he was loving it!

3 months old!

Ray Louis turned 3 months old on August 30th! So here are some pictures from the past few weeks :)

Sleepy Ray... looks like he's wearing a turban! he has to have his head/eyes covered to fall asleep so after he is pretty asleep i take the blanket off his face so he can breath better.

Joey had a random Tuesday off of work so we went to the early showing of Harry Potter! Joey hadn't seen it yet. Ray was really good, slept mostly. Then he nursed and was really quiet. So fun to get out of the house as a family!

I love this one! I was getting Ray ready for the day and he looked so cute! So i put him in our rocker and he gave me this studly pose! What a STUD!

I keep trying to get a smile from Ray while he has his "3 month" sign... but i haven't had much luck! So even though i took this a week late.... he sure looks cute!!!

This is his "space out" look he always does when he sees the camera. We have to sneak pictures or else he does this!

I have documented this phone because.... it was the first baby toy I've tripped on! Ray LOVES this toy he got from Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Dan, especially when i put it in his hand and he swings his arm and it flies across the room. So it was on the TILE floor and it was dark and i was rushing... when suddenly WHAM! i'm on the floor! and it hurt! I was so disoriented and it took me a few minutes to get up. I feel very old now... my bones are creaky!! When i told Joey about it he said... "Baby toys are Landmines!!!" haha so true...

Cute Video followed by a cranky mama

This is from a few nights ago. Ray was beyond tired and had been crying and whimpering and i was really worn out trying to get him to calm down and sleep. So Joey took him and I think Ray was almost delirious from exhaustion and the results are the following!!!




P.S.
I'd like to give more of an update but Ray has decided if i set him in his crib to nap he'll only sleep for 20 minutes... instead of the 2 hours he'll sleep if i hold him. So right now i can hear him from his crib, whining to be picked up... after a short 20 minutes nap, which doesn't really count as a nap! How can it be fixed??? seriously, i need help. my house is a huge mess because i can't get anything done and i only get to shower if Joey is home. I love my son but he is driving me crazy!!!!

It's been a month?

A month since i blogged? dear me, its so unlike me! Well i guess i can blame our Little Man but mostly i dread loading pictures. Why does blogger take so long to load pics? and why only 5 at a time? i wish it were better...

*Ron and Denise came to visit, which was a BLAST! we went out to eat, they took us shopping, we watched UFC 100 (well ron and joey watched while denise and i chatted and played with ray) and we really miss them! Ray had his first experience at the beach and was super cute!!

*Ray and I went to the annual "Dan and Cindy Taylor Family Vacation in Whistler, BC" a few weeks ago and we had a BLAST! we missed Joey A LOT but it was nice to see the family :) Ray is basically amazing and was a champ on all the plane/car rides.

*I'm pleased to announce that he sleeps soundly through the night, almost always! he goes to sleep between 8ish-10ish and sleeps till 5ish-6ish. He doesn't wake up to nurse! amazing, i know :) We're still working on the "evening fussies" but he's just a little guy and he's still learning! I can't believe he's almost 10 weeks old and how big he is! he's in the 89th percentile for height and weight :) He's a big baby and we LOVE HIM! so here are some pics because that's what every one wants to see :)


**** The pictures, not in order! i think it goes Whistler, then visit from Ron and Denise, then back to whistler. And ray's 2 month shot is in there somewhere too!

One month Old and 4th of July :)

I can hardly believe Ray is already over a month old! he is doing well, i'm exhausted but that's what it's like being a mama :)
I saw a picture of one of my dad's staff's kids with bandannas on and thought it was so cute! Ray slept through fireworks of the 4th. Joey and i lit just a few little ones in our parking lot and had hot dogs :)
i've given up sleeping at night. i stay awake with Ray, who has taken on the sleep patterns of a bat. we hang out down stairs so daddy can sleep. then i sleep in as late as i can.

Joey's parents are coming this weekend and we're really looking forward to see them!

4 weeks old!

Tired of pictures of Ray yet? I'm not!! Daddy and Ray like to just sit on the sofa and hang out. They are so cute! p.s. we don't freeze our child, it's like 100 degrees and 90% humidity almost every day. So Ray is naked a lot because we run the AC pretty warm...

Sometimes Ray gets so sleepy that he can't sleep so he screams until you can find the exact position and correct soothing techniques. I thought this one was funny... he wanted to lean his head on Joey's hand while keeping his head up. silly Ray :)

This is a picture of the first time Ray fell asleep without being held! i laid him down, awake, and before i knew it he was asleep. Sadly it lasted only 25 minutes but i was able to eat some breakfast :)

out of order but cute all the same :)

So these are out of order, i think they go newest to oldest. If you want them in order start and the bottom of the post :)

I love my little man :) :)

Ray had his first "real" bath. he'd only had sponge baths up till now because his umbilical stump hadn't fallen off yet. He didn't even react when we put him in the water, he loved it! he only started to cry when we took him out. i think he was cold. he was sure happy to snuggle with mama!

Ray was sleeping on the sofa and Joey decided to build a fort around him. heehee! i thought it was so cute! then joey fell asleep too. joey loves playing with Ray. They're already best friends :) they crack me up already!!

This is our first time going to church. Ray did such a good job! he filled up a seriously huge diaper during the opening song (i was happy because no one heard it and believe me, it was loud!!) we only stayed for sacrament meeting and he mostly slept.

This was Ray's first time going out to dinner! We went to Los Rancheros, a really yummy mexican place. Grandma and Grandpa Taylor were in town for a week and they loved it too! Ray slept the whole time, of course :)

I love having my parents here! My parents helped me finish moving in and got me all sorts of finishing touches! My mom installed shelves over the washer/dryer, installed a light over the kitchen sink, got us a file cabinet, a really cool rug for a front room and helped put up all my pictures just to name a few things! then she took Ray at night and only woke me up to breast feed. Basically my mom is the best and has more energy than anyone i know! my dad was the official "trash-man" haha! its amazing how much trash piles up. He took about 5 trips to the dumpster a day. it was so nice not to be alone while Joey was at work. On Sunday afternoon we had a sewing marathon and made all sorts of things! curtains, blankets for Ray etc. I love all the pictures of Ray, he makes the funniest faces!!!

Just a little photoshoot!!

Looks like a little elf!!

Loves mama!

His neck is so strong! he always arches his back and wants to look around :)

So there are just a bunch of photos of our baby Ray!!! And i want to hear everyone's opinion... Who do you think Ray looks like???

So excited because...

I had this plan, but it was foiled. My mom sent Ray a really cute onzie from Cows, an ice cream shop at Whistler, BC. My plan was to take a picture of him wearing it and announce some exciting news but right after i put it on he spit up alllll over it and i've been too lazy to wash it. So here is my news...



Ray and I are going to Whistler with my family!!! (the pictures aren't of me, but were meant to give you some clues) Every summer my brothers/sisters/mom/dad meet up at my parents house and then make the 4 hour drive to Whistler BC for a fun filled week of activities and memories. This year it looked as though we wouldn't make it because Ray would be too little and all the changes in the passport laws to enter Canada. But Ray was early, children under 15 only need a birth certificate and so Ray and I are going to Whistler! I'm sad because Joey can't come :( (normally Joey has 30-days paid vacation a year and would get 6-weeks paternity leave but because he's in training right now they were barely able to get him the week off. They had to make all these special calls and kept telling people Ray was in the NICU and that's basically the only reason he got the whole week off.) I had my mind made-up that were weren't going to Whistler, no matter what, but then i realized the next time we would see any family was Christmas time. I just can't handle the thought of my family not meeting my son until he is 7 months old. It makes me tear up to think about it. Florida is beautiful but the beach is not worth living so far away from everyone. Joey, Ray and I miss our families too much!!

Blogger question...

So my email address i originally signed up with blogger has now been closed (i'm not a byui student anymore!) so my question is... what happens if i change it? will i need to be re-invited to all the private blogs?? has anyone changed their email before? i also use the old email as my login... what happens then? help!!

First Dr. visit :)

Our little family went to Dr. Simmers office yesterday to have Ray's first check up. He has continued to pee regularly and is doing great! Ray is back to his birth weight and will soon exceed! This little guy eats a lot :) Ray looks great and of course had his first huge blow-out diaper when he had to get naked. i felt like such a new mom as it took me, joey and the nurse to get him all clean. We go back next week for his 2 week well child visit and also some follow up labs from his time in the NICU. The next week Ray will have a follow-up ultra sound to check his bladder and kidneys. Next month we take him to a Urologist who will hopefully give his "blessing" and little Ray will be all cleared! I'm happy to say my milk has come in full force! While in the NICU they had to give him formula so they could regulate how much was going in and then weigh his diapers to see how much was coming out. I would still nurse at every feeding but since my milk wasn't in he needed more. It was really hard on me emotionally because I was afraid my milk wouldn't come in or he wouldn't like it or wouldn't latch. Happily my milk did come in and I was able to pump, which allowed Ray to take breast milk from a bottle rather than the formula. Now his feedings are going just great! I'm producing so much milk, we're starting to build up some storage in the freezer! Ray Louis is such a good baby. He makes being a mom easy :)

Raymond Louis Pictures!

So blogger takes forever so have a look at this album for pictures of the past few days :)

Okay, so here's the story...

First of all, we have good news! Dr. Lad decided Ray could come home a day early! Our little family came home today all together. He's mostly been sleeping since we got home and we just love him so much.

Labor and Delivery!!
Around 4am on Saturday morning my mucous plug passed. From 4am to 7am I was having severe back pain and couldn't sleep. Finally I fell back asleep around 7am and slept till 10am. When I woke up I thought my water might have been leaking but wasn't sure. I called the nurses station and they said to come on in and they would have a look. It turned out that it was my water so I was admitted around 11:30am. I was dilated to a 3 and the back pain turned out to be contractions! I had no idea. I never had any contractions in the front. The reason I didn't recognize the contractions was because the pain would continue in between contractions as a back ache. I got my epidural and was much much happier. I think I could have made it longer if I had a break between contractions but the pain was continuous. I loved the epidural because the pain was gone but I could still feel the pressure of the contractions. This made it so I knew when to push. By 5:30pm I was dilated to a 9! The Taylor-women labor fast! I started pushing at 6pm and the baby was born at 7:07pm! I had fantastic nurses and Dr. Stoneking is an excellent, wonderful doctor! So the baby came out and Dr. Stoneking hesitantly said, "It's a... Boy." and I said, "No it's not." and he said, "Yes, he is!" After 22 weeks of calling this baby a "she" I delivered a 7lbs 14 oz baby BOY! 20 1/2 inches long. Everyone in the room was shocked! Including Joey and me! No one has seen that happen before! Raymond was born face up, which caused the back labor. So there is the story. I will upload pictures soon :) :)

Our baby was nameless for the first 24 hours or so before we decided Raymond Louis. Raymond is Joey's middle name, his paternal grandfather's name and his uncle's name. Louis is my paternal grandfather's name. We love our baby Ray!!!!!

Raymond Louis Update

Raymond Louis had a few issues at first. He didn't pee for the first 36 hours of his little life! That's why he was admitted to the NICU. So they ran a bunch of tests and did all sorts of things and they found that he has a narrow part in his urethra. He was able to empty his bladder on his own early Tuesday morning and has continued to pee on his own! We are so happy! He's doing great but they want to keep him in the NICU and watch him for 48 hours. If all goes well he gets to come home on Thursday :) Dr. Lad is an awesome doctor and pulled some strings for us so we could stay at the hospital! I was discharged Monday night and we've been staying in a room they have for people who live far away and have babies in the NICU. Luckily they had plenty extra room so Mommy can breast feed every three hours. Breast feeding is going great :) Mommy's milk came and and we no longer have to suplement formula! I was able to catch this little smirk that Raymond had for Daddy while he was burping him.
We love you all and are so thankful for the prayers, love and blessings. We're so happy to be little Raymond's parents :)

Baby Starrs was born Saturday, May 30th 2009 at 7:07pm. 7lbs 14 oz, 20 1/2 inches long. Biggest surprise of the year... she is a HE!! We thought we were having a girl but we are happy to announce our baby BOY, Raymond Louis Starrs. He is having a few non-life-threatening issues which have landed him in the NICU. Mom and dad are very tired and appreciate the love and ask for prayers but please no phone calls or texts.

More updates and pictures to come after things have calmed down a bit and mom is feeling up to it. Just know he has dark curly hair and TONS of it. We're so happy but mom is feeling a bit "weepy" because of Baby Ray being in the NICU. We feel very blessed that it's not life-threatening but we wish we could bring him home tonight when i get discharged but it's not possible yet. Soon we hope! Please include baby Ray in your prayers :) Love to everyone!

p.s. if you have any hand-me-downs of boy clothes, PLEASE let me know! for now he is going to be wearing pink after he gets home from the hospital!!

New Orders

Joey received his new orders for his next assignment. Originally we thought we were going to San Antonio but not anymore :) We were very excited for San Antonio but we're SO HAPPY to be going to Nellis Air Force Base!! It's in North Las Vegas and if you see on the map it is right between Utah and Southern California where most of our family lives! We're looking forward to being on the western side of the country again and hope we'll have lots of visitors.
We're giddy at the possibility of being able to buy a house in North Las Vegas :) but weighing our options carefully. The homes are beautiful in that area, with nice yards and plenty of space. Prices and interests rates are so low and its a great time to buy a house. And thoughts of not throwing our money away on rent and having our own place are just so tempting. But it's a huge responsibility and we want to make sure we're ready for it.
We're headed out to the "West" again at the end of December and are excited to spend time with our families at Christmas :)

P.S. No baby yet... Still two weeks away from my due date but I wish she would come sooner! I go in again on Tuesday to see Dr. Stoneking and maybe I'll be able to trick him into inducing me early! Hah! i wish...

37 week appointment

I had my 37 week appointment yesterday. Everything looks great, I even lost three pounds! The nurse said it's normal for the end of pregnancy. I did test positive for Strep B so I'll have to be on antibiotics when I deliver. Things look good, although I'm not making any progress. I haven't had any contractions at all and maybe have one or two Braxton Hicks a day. I wish I would go into labor early but I really feel like I'll be late. I'm just really huge and very uncomfortable and ready to meet this baby! We're so excited to meet our Baby Adelaide. We love her so much already! We got all registered at the hospital last week and took a tour of the Maternity area. It was so nice! All the rooms are private, they're like really nice hotel rooms. My doctor is the best, I feel so blessed that things have worked out so well! Adelaide's room is almost all set up and i'll post some pictures as soon as I finish. In my prayers i always say, "please let baby Adelaide come as SOON as she is ready!" in other words, I see no reason for her to stay inside if she can be healthy outside!

Annie's Visit :) :)

My sister Annie came for a visit this past weekend! (An action I would encourage all my family and friends to take part in...) I picked her up at the airport and we both had a hankering for French Toast so we went to Ihop. We couldn't decided which kind we wanted so we ordered three French Toasts breakfasts to share! So fun :) We went to the beach and then picked up Joey from work. That night we went out to dinner with our friends that Joey works with. That night the Annie, Joey and I saw Star Trek. Way fun! There were some jokes I didn't get because I don't know the stories but it was still really fun :) Saturday Annie waved her magic wand over my house and suddenly it was all organized! Mostly Annie organized my piles of stuff I haven't put away yet and got everything out of the way. Plus she did all my laundry, dishes and the washed the babies clothes. Thank you, Thank you Annie! We went to the beach again Saturday evening after the heat of the day had passed, and Sunday we went to part of Church before Annie had to go home. I miss her already! Here are some pictures from the weekend :)

36 weeks 1 day

Went to Dr. Stoneking's office today for my 36 week appointment. He did the strep B test or whatever that is... and also checked the position of the baby and how/if I'm dilated. Baby is head down, which is great news! He was even able to touch her head and when he did she kicked me in the ribs. It was like she was saying "Hey! knock it off!" cracked me up :) I am dilated to a 1, which doesn't sound like much to me but my sister Amy said it was the first step! I asked him if I should really make a written birth plan, especially since I don't have any cooky (no offense to anyone!) requests. He said if I felt like I needed to I could but it's not necessary. I figure it's one less thing to worry about! I'm on the "once a week" schedule now :) At the end of my appointment he said, "See you in a week! Hopefully sooner!" I didn't get it at first but now I realize he means that I could go into labor between now and then! Whew. That would be insane! Emotionally I am ready, and we have the essentials if she were to come tomorrow. We have our hospital bag packed, diapers, blankets, clothes, car seat and most important 2 parents who love her! So if push comes to shove (literally!), we would survive if she came tomorrow. Physically, our house isn't ready yet! All the boxes are emptied and broken down from moving but only about half of the house is put away. So if anyone feels like a vacation, you should come to visit me in Florida and help me put my house together! We can go to the beach everyday, I promise! Annie, my sister is coming on Friday, which I am SO excited for! I'm hoping to have more of the house put together before then but really, who knows! My sleep patterns are so weird. I sleep from 2am-9:30am, but i wake up a lot and then I'm sleepy and dragging most the day. About the time 7pm rolls around I'm wide awake and wired all night. So I've started cleaning and organizing in the middle of the night :) I'm anxious about getting the house ready and the labor/delivery part! But I feel really calm about the bringing the baby home, not anxious at all. I'm probably just in denial and don't realize how insane it's going to be but I take a lot of comfort in having Joey as my partner in this! He's is going to be such a good dad and I know he is the best person I could be doing this with. It amazes me every day how well matched we are to each other. Oh I love him :)
Well there you are, an update! Oh and her name is still Adelaide Ruth :)

Just some pictures :)

Hey everyone :) Well here are some thoughts and pics and such...

First of all, my favorite show, Project Runway, has now moved from Bravo to Lifetime. If you haven't seen it you're missing out! Here is Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum! It starts this summer and I am sooo excited!!!But this isn't about Project Runway, this post is about Bravo's new spin-off called The Fashion Show. It started this past week and I have to say I'm pretty sad about it. It's just not the same! And I have no idea what Kelly Rolland is doing on the show as a host... Not sure what gives her any credibility! Its just not as good as the original, but I think I'll give it a few more tries... Here are the hosts of The Fashion Show
Joey and I went and saw X-men Origins: Wolverine! It was AWESOME! we loved it! i guess the critics were pretty harsh and it was a bit cheesey at moments, but c'mon, they're comic books! I love super hero movies. It's sort of silly but i LOVE them! Here is Hugh Jackman, looking like a hunk! (one of my favorite actors!)
Ugh. This was taken at 35 weeks and 5 days. HUGE! i am huge. Tomorrow i'll be 36 weeks and Tuesday is my next appointment. More updates when i get them :)
We spent Saturday at the beach! It is beautiful! Seriously, we need some visitors. Come and enjoy the white sandy beaches and clear water! I went in the water for like a minute before i decided the waves were too strong. No pictures of me are needed. I am really pale and huge. I felt really annoyed becuause all these people were looking at me and i couldn't figure it out! Then i realized... Oh yeah! i am HUGE pregnant! I'm sure i was quite a site to see! Here is Joey, he's so handsome :) :)
We tried out a local Mexican place! We LOOVE mexican food! It was delicious and we'll probably be visiting again! (i hate pictures of me right now because i feel like my face is so huge. ugh)
This was taken a few weeks ago while Joey and i were still in Seattl.e We went to the Zoo and i love this picture. It's a little blurry but way cute :)
And this was Easter! My mom got me this way funny candy apple from the Chocolate Factory in Whistler. Yum! It sure cracked me up!!! The first thing i ate was it's ears heehee...

And this is a silly video that i laughed till i cried. Its from this show Scare Tactics that i would HATE if i was ever on! People set their friends up to be scared like crazy. The funny thing is that its usually things that could NEVER happen, like aliens, big foot and the like. It funny to see how in the right situation people will believe anything!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpZHFNGo5cQ

Please have a look, but only if you're in a silly mood :)

Fort Walton Beach, Florida!

WE MADE IT! No pictures to post yet but i'll give you all a run down of whats going on!

• Moving van got here just over a week ago, so naturally our stuff is everywhere! But we're making progress!
• Our townhouse is AWESOME! Dishwasher, disposal, washer, dryer! i am SPOILED and very picky :)
  
• we're less than a mile from the beach and the sand is literally like white sugar. AMAZING!
• The ward is super nice and friendly and basically all military and i guess half the ward is moving in a few months. I can just feel it, we're going to get huge callings!
  
• My new Doctor is named Dr. Stoneking (no more peeper!) and he's really nice :) i felt really comfortable during my first appointment with him.
  
• I'm getting pre-registered at the hospital and with the epidural doctor this week!
  
• Been ordering baby-things online like crazy and trying to get everything ready for baby Adelaide! less than 5 weeks, my friends! I can hardly believe it! Joey loves feeling her move around in my belly, especially the hiccups!
  
• This part of Florida is 2 hours later than WA/CA time, not 3. Just so everyone knows :)
  
• Joey started work last week and he LOVES it! he looks so good in is uniform :) :)
• and the best news of all...... ANNIE IS COMING TO VISIT ME IN A FEW DAYS! she called this morning to tell me she has a meeting in Florida somewhere so when she's done with the meeting she's flying to our house for the weekend!!!!!!! AAAHHHH!!! I am sooo excited! Such a surprise!!
• Yes, everyone should be jealous because my sister is flying all the way from England to visit me! So you should follow her example and visit us. Bring your bathing suit! it's hot and humid! we have a wonderful air mattress and a/c and ceiling fans.
  
• Speaking of ceiling fans, it was soooo muggy last night that we tried turning the fan over our bed on the HIGH setting. it felt so good, for about 5 minutes before it went crazy and started banging around and almost flew off the ceiling. we were laying in bed when this happened and luckily Joey can keep a cool head because I just put my legs and arms up, preparing for the impact of the fan blades and didn't do anything to stop it. Joey, of course, jumped up and turned the fan off. Dear me.
  
• pictures to come later :) :)
  

31 weeks and 6 days...

I guess i haven't posted one of these in a while! There is the big belly! I can tell I am getting big because people every where ask me, "Oh, when are you due?" and I say, "June 8th" and they say, "Whew I bet you're ready to be done!"

hmmm so I take this as, "AH! how can someone that short be THAT big!!!" It happens everywhere, strangers and people I know.

I've been making my wardrobe stretch, literally, and squeezing into some "regular" shirts. But its just not working anymore! I had a few maternity shirts but i went to Kohls this week and got some more. (all on sale!)

Sleeping has been ridiculous and lately my appetite has totally changed. But as far as pregnancy goes, this has been a breeze! No complications or anything, just the regular pregnancy stuff. We still love the name Adelaide Ruth and hope to stick with it :) She moves regularly and I am already get a sense of her personality! As I see the numbers on the scale get bigger and bigger i am VERY encouraged to get back into shape asap! although, I am happy to say i am not depressed about the weight. It's just part of the process! I'm learning new things every day! Did you know, according to babycenter.com, that when you're pregnant the amount of blood you have in your body increases by 40%-50%? I had no idea!

Joey did so well during tech school! He is all finished now :) they have a little graduation ceremony this week where he will be praised for having the highest GPA in his class! I am just so proud :)

Joey comes to Seattle this week on thursday!! :) :) then we'll spend a few days together before he makes the drive to Florida. I'm flying to Florida on the 24th of April. I just can't wait! 95% of our stuff here is packed and ready to go. So things are going well, just getting anxious to move :)

Until next time!

Oh just one more random thing... Did anyone know that they have "service monkeys"? They call them "monkey helpers". I don't know why but this struck me as SO FUNNY! I laughed until i was on the ground crying! Just picturing a little monkey with a little "service animal" vest, helping where he could. I was happy no one was home when i stumbled upon this information, i was laughing so hard it would have been embarrassing! But now i think about it, it does make a lot of sense. Service animals are so awesome i think :)

I've got the itch, the nesting itch, but I can't scratch!!

The title explains it all. We've been saving up our money since we first learned I was pregnant but I can't buy anything yet! Since we'll be moving to Florida it doesn't make sense to buy a bunch of things just to move them across the country. I go to my registry almost daily and look at all the cute things we plan to get her. It makes me so anxious! My friend Jessie posted pictures of her nursery and I'm really jealous! So just imagine what our nursery will look like with these pictures...

this is the crib we would like, it converts to a toddler bed without any extra pieces and later can be used as a head board for a full size bed :) This is the Glider/ottoman set I would LOVE to have. They are so expensive! But I sat in it at Babies R Us and it was so comfy! I felt like the chair was hugging me. I think it would be perfect to glide with Baby Starrs :) And this is the bedding set we love! It's really cute, green, light pink and dark pink, flowers and polka dots :)

Here is a close-up. I just LOVE this set!

As far as names go, we are constantly changing our minds but our very favorite right now is...

Adelaide Ruth Starrs

Isabelle is just so dang popular and Sadie, while it's so cute, it can't really mature with her. Plus I found out that Oprah named her new dog Sadie and that was a big turn off to me. Nothing against Oprah, I just don't want my child to think we named her after a famous dog. So for now, we'll have a little Adelaide :) Subject to change, of course!

An update on Florida- Although we don't know where we're going to live yet, we have a place to stay when we get there :) the base has temporary furnished housing that we can stay in for up to a month while we find a place. There are storage units to put all our stuff while we wait to move into a new place. I have a list of doctors to call to start setting up all my appointments and now we're just counting down the days! Dr. Pieper said I would be fine to fly, unless I start getting massive contractions. Don't think that will happen, considering I haven't had any Braxton Hicks yet. I've started packing things I don't need and now all I can do is count down the days! We found an apartment we really like but we'd like to see it first. Hopefully they'll still have openings by the time we get down there! Joey will be at work all day, I'll be home with the baby, and we only have one car. So figuring out location is important to me this time around. And I am picky when it comes to things I can't live without :) I have three requirments. Dishwasher, garbage disposal and a washer and dryer in the unit. I know, it's a lot to ask and I've been pretty spoiled so far. Our apartment in Rexburg had all three and now i can't ever go back!

Until next time, my friends! Maybe I'll have something else to talk about besides the baby.... probably not! :)

Birthday present :)

So my birthday was a few weeks ago and I want to show everyone what Joey got me!!! With all the important things coming up in our lives, Joey got me a video camera! I was going to be all cool and upload a video but I can't figure it out, you'll have to wait till Joey can help me and show me how! I am so so so happy we'll be able to record these special events we have coming up :) And it's so little and cute! I love it! Joey is really the best :) I am reminded daily how perfect we are for each other. I just love him!

Baby Shower :)

The baby shower was so much fun, tons of yummy food and so many people were there! i felt so loved and happy that so many people were there to celebrate this new little life! She has so many cute things to wear now and lots of fun toys to play with :) Oh i just can't wait till she gets here!

It's amazing being pregnant. I can hardly believe its all going on in my body but it is :) And i love it! She moves around all the time! I am feeling pretty good, although starting to get a little uncomfortable. My body has never been this shape or this weight so it's sort of weird. I think it's crazy how much the extra weight makes a difference in my energy level. It encourages me to get back in shape after the baby comes so i can keep up with her! My belly button is almost flat, which Joey thought was really funny when i went to see him last weekend :)

We're still bouncing names around and have three that we like...

Isabelle

Sadie

Adelaide

We're leaning more towards Sadie or Adelaide because Isabelle is sooooo popular right now. Plus i am tired of defending my stance that it's NOT Isabelle as in Twilight's Isabella. I didn't even like those books. We love Sadie but then what if she marries someone who's last name is Hawkins? She'd be Sadie Hawkins. We love Adelaide because it has a lot of options like Addy or Adele. But who knows... we're still thinking!

Christy came up from Portland :)
I LOVE this picture! It's blurry but it cracks me up that Sahara and I are looking at the ceiling laughing. It just looks so funny and i love it. hah


Mom and Paula! They worked really hard to get 515 ready for the shower! It's the little house that mom and Paula have been working on. It looks great!

Yes, I invited my dad to the shower! I told him he would be the only boy and he didn't have to come if he didn't want to. But he's pretty used to being the only boy, at home and work, so he was happy to come! Besides, he got to hold Charlotte the whole time :)

Friends from High School!

Well just 4 more weeks till Joey and I move to Florida! We have nothing planned or ready and i have no idea where we're going to live or how i'm getting there but it'll all work out! I just can't WAIT till April!!! After almost 6 months of living as "single-married" people we are both so ready to be together again! Hopefully the next 4 weeks will go by fast!!

Eglin AFB, FL

Joey's class members were given their assignments for phase 2 of their training :) So in April we'll be moving to Florida! The greatest news is that we'll move there together! I am so excited for us to live together again!!! I love being with my parents here in Washington, but nothing can compare to living with Joey. I also miss some silly things like our bed, our sofa, our dishes, things like that! We'll be in Florida at Eglin AFB until the end of December, when we'll be sent to our next station. Most likely that'll be for the rest of our 4 year contract.

Originally we thought we would be at Travis AFB in California, but things didn't work out that way. Of course it would have been a whole lot easier on me if we'd gone to California but I'm just happy to live with Joey again. I don't even care where it is!

Our baby will be born really far away from any family but hopefully we'll have a few visitors!

And all things are subject to change, of course. One thing I've learned so far in military life is nothing is certain. But thats the deal for now :)

24 weeks and counting :)

I am feeling pretty good this week :) The only new thing is that I'm really not sleeping much, which makes things annoying! Hopfully it will pass! In the past few days I went to California for Braden's baptism and I flew to Texas to visit Joey!!! Both wonderful trips :) I'm so happy for Braden and his choice to be baptised! And seeing Joey for the three day weekend was so perfect. I flew in on Thursday and left Tuesday morning. Luckily, my mom knows someone who lives there and her husband is deployed so she let me use their car for the weekend! Plus she had a GPS. I am convinced I need one now, it pretty much saved my life! Valentine's day was really fun! Joey got me beautiful earrings that match the necklace he got me for our anniversary. I love them, they are beautiful!!

Anyway, I'm just relaxing and trying to sleep, helping my mom with things and watching lots of movies. I am pretty lazy, but that's just how it is! We have a new name we like, in addition to Isabelle. So for now we like....

Sadie Ruth

or

Isabelle Ruth

maybe next week i'll have another name to add to our list! It's been fun searching online for names i like and then checking with Joey. It's fun to see his reactions! hah :)

Here are some pictures to enjoy :)

New earrings!!

At the Hotel, my belly is getting big! Joey loved that he could feel the baby kicking when he put his hands on my belly :)

Perfect gift!

I love this picture. I look pretty plain jane, no make-up and hair askew! But I love Joey's smile in this one! He is just my favorite person in the world and I love him! He is the best :)

All the family who came for Braden's baptism! We all love him :)

Grandpa Dan, Grandma Cindy, Aunt Shelly and Braden. He looks so good in his suit!

23 weeks

23 weeks!
Whew. It's crazy to believe. But nothing really has changed much. I'm not posting a picture because I think I look the same. The only new thing is i bought some maternity clothes and baby girl moves around more and more each day!
A few nights ago i did some experimenting. She was moving around so I laid on my back. I gave her a little nudge, and she nudged back. Then I tried nudging on the other side of my belly and she moved over and pushed back. We did it for about 5 minutes until she got tired and stopped. It was really cool! I really felt like we were communicating, especially since she would always push or kick at the same place i had nudged her. Amazing!!
We have also thought of a new name :) Although nothing is certain, this is what we like now....

Isabelle Ruth Starrs

:) We love it. Isabelle is so classic :)
This is what we like best now but we're not going to make any certain decisions until the baby is born!

21 weeks

I love being pregnant, especially when the baby moves around :) but there are other things too... I feel so tired all the time and have no energy to get out of bed. And my insides hurt, although i accredit that to the baby getting bigger. Everything feels pressured and really tight. I feel like one day its just going to pop and I'll grow from a small baby-bump to a giant baby-bump in a few seconds. pretty positive that's not how it works. I sure hope not. It would be painful!

So we were all set on naming our baby Ruth, until a few days ago! I woke up one morning and it hit me. Ruth isn't her name. It was almost like she was telling me. I think our thoughts must be connected somehow, everything else is! So now i feel really silly since we told everyone her name is Ruth, because it's just not! It's hard to explain. But i know it's not her name. We love the name and plan to keep it as her middle name. As for her first name we have lots of ideas we've been bumping around but have decided we aren't going to tell anyone. Mostly so I don't have to go and "un-tell" everyone if we get it wrong again. It seems silly but i feel a huge responsibility in choosing her name. it's not like a pet or a toy. She's a human being! and your name sticks with you forever. Plus it has to be a name Joey and I both like. We want her name to be traditional, girly, classy, and still cute. It bugs me to no end when people make up names, use ridiculous spellings, or use things that shouldn't be names, like Tuesday or Apple or something (no offense to anyone who does that, takes all kinds right?)

I am missing Joey terribly and can't wait till we live together again. I have plans to visit him twice at tech school before he finishes in April. It's been harder than I thought it would be, although being able to talk on our cell phones has made a huge difference! I try to keep my head up and look forward to the future as much as I can :)

I am also missing Toby :( he was the cutest puppy i've ever seen and i just wish the timing had been better. I know it was the right choice to give him back but it's really hard to still remember that! I got to see him today, he is so big! And I think he remembers me :)

Birthday wishes!

Happy Birthday, Nicki!

Nicki, my niece, turned 5 years old yesterday and we went to Red Robin for her birthday. We shot this picture and it was just too cute not to post! I love Nicki's smile, especially how she shows almost all her teeth! What a cutie :)

Yesterday, my mom asked me what I want to do for my 21st birthday next month. My first thought was, "Go to Red Robin, of course!"

I had to laugh at myself, I want to spend my birthday the same place as my 5 year old niece! I may never grow up :)

Raunchy Movie Confessions

Okay, I know it's a bit raunchy but this is probably one of my all-time favorite movies...

Blades of Glory!!!

And it's one of those, "It's so good, except that ONE part" sort of movies. Why can't they leave those parts out???

I know, I'm terrible. But I can't deny it. I love this movie!

A little this, a little that

So it may be WAY too early but I started browsing for baby things the other day! I was finding things I LOVED and was mentally checking them in my brain to add to a baby registry in a month or two. Then I thought, heck, why not? So now I am getting all registered, mostly so I can remember what I like so I don't have to go searching for it! Now, to all you moms out there! What are some things that I'll really need but may not think to get? Being a first time mom I feel like a fish out of water!
No, I did not go crazy at the store and buy a ton of baby clothes. But a friend from church growing up who lives in Georgia sent all this to me in the mail! I am so overwhelmed with how cute everything is and how much she sent me! Seriously, so sweet of her! All of the clothes are 0-3 months. Baby Ruthie is set for the first 3 months of her life! I don't see how she could need anything else, as far as clothes go! And a BIG thank-you to Kendra for sending them to me!!! You can't tell in the picture but most of them are the cutest dresses with matching bloomers! Too cute, I think I might cry... :)

And last, for today, I am sharing a new goal that I have! My mom got me this calender, you know, the ones where you tear off each day, and it gave me an idea! I thought at the end of each day when I tear off the page I would take a few moments and jot down some things from the day. I love writing in my journal but I am terrible at doing it! This way I could just write notes, or even full sentences. I didn't start doing it till last night and I thought it was funny the picture for my first day. All the craziness going on around and the couple are holding hands and looking at each other, eyes full of love :) I haven't thought of anyway to save them yet, for now they are just a pile. I'd like to think of some way to turn them into a book at the end of the year. Of course I want to see the front and the back. Anyway, it'll take some brain storming but I think I can do it :)

Until next time!

Worn out.

After a week without Joey here to help take care of Toby, I have learned a few things. Being a single parent, a single Pet-parent that is, plus being pregnant was more than I could handle. After a week filled with frustration, tears, many phone calls to Joey and not enough sleep, we decided the timing was off. I am very sad to say that I gave Toby back to Paula. It was a hard decision to come to but it will be for the best. I love Toby! And I really, really miss him :( But I wasn't being fair if I thought I could really handle it. When I woke up this morning it felt nice to actually sleep the entire night without having to take Toby out 2 or 3 times, but I also felt really sad that I couldn't go see him, excited that I was there, licking my face and wanting belly-scratches. I am sad, but also relieved. The verdict is... we'll try having a dog again, after we live together and when I'm not pregnant. (and maybe rescue a dog rather than get a puppy!)
And can I tell you how much I appreciate my wonderful husband who always supports me, no matter what? I love Joey. He is the best :)