Hair Cut

A couple of weekends ago, we decided to cut Rhys' hair. Most of his infant hair had fallen out or rubbed off except for the very top. He had this little tuft of hair that was always sticking up. People commented on it all the time (which could mean he looked dumb or cute) and we liked it because it was the hair he was born with. After debating it for awhile, one of my friends told me that if we want to save some of his hair, we should cut it before it falls out. So, that was the deciding factor. I was sad at first, but it had to be done. Now we wish we had some the dark hair he was born with. His hair had completely lightened up since he was born and is now growing in platinum blond!

Before:

After:

5 months

My baby is all grown up. No, really. For the past 4 months I've enjoyed saying my baby's age. I think 4 months and under sounds young, infantile, newbornish. It just sounds like tiny little baby to me. But now, my baby is 5 months. That sounds old. Baby's 5 months, start really rolling around, sitting up, etc, etc. My baby is still just little. He's not big enough to be 5 months old. Does any of that make sense?This is his "gym," I walked out to find him playing with it this way instead of his feet underneath it.

Oh well, he's getting bigger. He's still just as adorable as ever. Even with his hair falling out, he's still our little guy. He just gets more fun as each day progresses. I think everyday he does something and I say to him, "that's a new thing, good job buddy." It's just amazing to see him grow and develop in front of my very eyes.

I forgot to post his 4 month stats from his check-up. A few weeks ago, he weighted 14 lbs 14 oz (average) and was 25 1/2 inches long (above average). We're hoping he has my Schofield tall genes. We were very pleased with this news. Except all his onesies are getting too short, but have plenty of room for his belly to grow. He is a blast. He laughs a ton now. He laughs at Ryan the most, but I'm getting him to laugh more and more these days. Just talking to him will set him off. Once you find a phrase and voice that he likes, the more you imitate it, the cuter the giggles. He can roll over, but he's not a really rolly guy. Which surprises me becasue I figured once he got going, I couldn't get him to stop. He's just hesitant as he does it. Ryan has only seen him do a hand full of times. Lately, when we get him in the middle of the night, he has been on his stomach. I think he gets stuck and it wakes him up.
Speaking of nights, his sleeping has gotten better. We have been doing the "cry it out" thing in the night. If he wakes up before 6 hours, we let him cry. We only had to do it for a few days before he caught on. The first night was a nightmare for me, but now it's all good. We start his bedtime routine around 7 PM and he's usually asleep by 8PM. This week he hasn't been waking up until after 4 at the earliest. If he gets up after 5, he's usually awake and wants to go, but I make him go back to sleep at least until 7. Our next goal is to get him to sleep straight from 8 PM to 7 AM, but we'll see. Any tips to make that happen? I read that technically "sleeping through the night" is from 12AM to 5PM. That's the true definition of it for babies. I also read that babies should be sleeping 12 hours at night. Rhys gets about 11 with a break in the middle. Whatever, it will come with time. Sometimes I look forward to hearing him cry because I know he's all right and I get some extra cuddle time. My favorite is when we lay him down, we put him on his back and he immediately turns onto his side.He loves to scream and just loves the sound of his own voice. He loves playing with toys and putting anything and everything into his mouth. He's starting to take an interest in our food and it's getting harder to eat with him on my lap because he'll grab at whatever catches his eye. He has also taken an interest in the TV. So, sometimes I feel guilty and turn off the Kardashians, just so he doesn't see that stuff at such a young age:). He grabs his feet all the time now and I've only see him suck on his toes once. But that was super cute. He's also the jumpiest baby I've every seen. So many times when he's waking up from a nap or laying on the floor, I'll got up to him and he will jump a mile. Do all babies do that? He also HATES noise. It scares him so bad. I thought babies were supposed to enjoy the sounds of hair dryers and vacuums. Not my baby. They make him cry. It's so sad to see the things that scare him. I blew my nose the other day, not a loud blow mind you, it was really quiet and he jumped a mile and started to get cry face. I stopped it before it got worse. Are all babies like that?

Sorry to bore you with these little tidbits on our pride and joy. I just want to make sure I write this stuff down somewhere so I can remember it!!

Iowa Trip

For my birthday last month, Ryan said I could take a trip to Iowa with Rhys. We both really wanted Rhys to meet his Grandpa Schofield and thought that it would be a fun trip for us. So, a few weeks ago, Rhys and I hopped a plane in Vegas and sped off to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Rhys did absolutely great on both plane rides.I was so nervous on our first flight because I had never flown with a baby before. I could just see him screaming and freaking out and being bored the whole time. He slept most of the way on the plane ride to Iowa. I was especially worried about his ears during take off and landing. Those were the only times he would not suck on anything. I tried a bottle, a binky (which was in vain because he just licks binkies) and nursing. Nothing would get him to suck. But he didn't act bothered by his ears, so I figured it would be ok. We had an amazing flight home. Rhys slept the whole plane ride (in my arms) and the whole time in the car on the ride home. Granted the flight was at 9 PM and we didn't get home until 2 AM, but still. I was very proud of him.:)

We didn't do anything too exciting in Iowa. We just hung out with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma spoiled Rhys as much as she could (and as much as would fit in my suitcase). She even taught him this new game, where you hang off her legs upside down. He absolutely loved it. If she put him back on her legs to lay down, he would kick off her stomach until he was arched off her knees.

He even liked to suck his thumb upside down.

Whenever my dad would walk into the room, Rhys would just stare at him. He would follow him with his eyes wherever my dad went. If Rhys was on the floor, he would arch his back and head so he could see my dad. Even if it was upside down, he was always looking at Grandpa. While there, I was able to look through my parents old pictures that I've only seen once before, ever. That was a blast. I also had to clean out all my old stuff that I left in my room when I moved out. My parents are planning on moving (to Vegas!!) sometime and are really starting to clean up their house and figure out what they want to bring with them. I was also able to visit with some of my high school friends. It was fun introducing them to Rhys and catching up on their lives.

My parents loved having Rhys around and still tell me they miss hearing his squeals. He was a great baby on the trip. The only bummer about the trip was that Ryan wasn't there. I've decided I'm never doing that again. I can't be away from Ryan for that long. We both had a hard time with it. Next time, Ryan's coming:)

Just reading my book on Mom's bed

Playing with toys that Grandma bought (this is right before bed and we swaddle him so we didn't put him in pjs because it was really hot in Iowa)

I love this pic because he's holding onto the side of the bucket...
I guess I should of known it was because he wanted to suck on the whole bucket, not just a little toy. That's too easy.

Rhys Laughing

Pretty sure this is the cutest thing in the world...

3 Months

Our Rhys is now 3 months old. He is just getting more fun as each day passes. He is becoming so much more interactive. He is usually in a great mood and is super smiley. I love to just talk to him and get his little reactions. He will almost always react when we talk to him and play with him. It feels great to finally be validated. He loves to play peek-a-boo. He is making new noises everyday. He's starting to get the idea of reaching for things. If I hold a rattle in front of him, he'll go for it eventually. You can tell he's thinking about it, but he's still a little shaky on grabbing it. Of course, anything that lands in his fingers, goes directly to his mouth. Last night I held my hand in front of his face and I saw him following it with his eyes. Without any hesitation, he just grabbed one of my fingers. I'm so proud:) I'm pretty sure I'll think him grabbing at things won't be cute for long... when he's trying to get everything in sight. But for now it's fun.

He's also getting a lot stronger. I've always felt that he's been pretty strong, but now I'm not as worried about his head falling back anymore. He can hold it up pretty well. It still gets wobbly sometimes, but not too bad. His leg are strong and he uses them a lot. He is constantly pushing off anything his feet touch. He is wiggly little guy and I'm a little nervous about it to be honest. At church I was talking to a girl who has a baby 5 days younger than Rhys. She was changing her babies diaper and her baby was just laying there as still and calm as can be. I couldn't even imagine that. If we lay Rhys down, he is constantly moving. He will never just lay there when we change his diaper... he always has to be moving or looking around. He's going to be a curious little kid I have a feeling.

He's getting bigger. And by bigger, I mean heavier. He's not a very chunky baby, but I can feel him getting heavier. We think he's around 13 pounds. He's just now fitting perfectly into his 0-3 month size clothes. Some are going to be too short soon, but they fit great on his body.

It's just amazing to see him grow and learn new things everyday. I love it!!

And here's some video for the Grandmas or anyone else who wants to see it. The first one is longer and it's what Rhys does everytime we lay him on his changing table. It's pretty much his favorite place in the house... Even though he catipulted himself off of it a month ago.

The second video is just him talking with Daddy. If he sees the camera, he stops performing, so that's why they're at side angles. Enjoy!!

California & Rhys' Baby Blessing

For the Fourth of July weekend, we packed up the family and headed to "Sunny" California. Two of Ryan's siblings live in Southern Cali and another one of his sisters and her family was going down for the weekend, so we decided to tag along. We also thought it would be cool to get Rhys blessed while we were there. We weren't sure if we would have anyone come if we did it in St. George, so we brought the blessing to the family.

We had a fun trip. It was great to be with family and to spend time with them. Rhys had a lot of firsts on this trip...

His first time at the pool... he was super upset when we got there because his sleeping schedule was off. So, Ryan gave him a bottle and Rhys slept in his daddy's arms the whole time we were at the pool.

We also went to an Angels baseball game. They were playing Kansas City and lost, but going to ball games is a perfect summer activity and was fun nonetheless. I was a little worried about Rhys the whole time because he wasn't in his element. He did great until the last inning. It got too loud for him and he was not a happy camper. He was just sleepy and needed to go to bed.

On the Fourth of July, Rhys was given a wonderful blessing by Ryan. It was just perfect. He wore the same outfit that Ryan was blessed in. We're so happy that it fit. It was a newborn size and fit him pretty perfectly. Again, right when we were about to give him his blessing, he got really fussy because he was hungry. It always works that way. So, he got blessed while drinking his bottle. It kept him calm and also everyone else, so Ryan was able to take his time and give him a great blessing. Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures of him on his blessing day. Hopefully I can get some from the family.

Rhys also was able to enjoy his first fireworks show. Of course he slept right through it. But that's ok. He'll get to see them next year... or even this year on the 24th. I love fireworks and was super excited to see them.
On Monday morning, we gathered up the family and went to the beach. The beach, might I add, was absolutely freezing. I've developed some thin blood from living in hot areas, and when it's 60 degrees on the water with no sun, that gets cold. Rhys again slept through the whole experience. I'm actually glad because then he didn't get sand on him or anything and was able to be tightly wrapped in our arms.

Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of one more of Rhys' firsts. The first time he experiences car problems on the freeway. While driving home on Monday we got a blown out tire in the middle of Death Valley. It was pretty scary, but we were truly blessed. Ryan was able to pull off immediately after it happened. Rhys got scared when we heard the tire blow, but I'm not sure if it was from the tire or from Ryan yelling. We have AAA so we were able to get towed (up to 100 miles). We waited on the freeway for about 30 minutes before the tow truck got there. It got pretty hot in the car while we were waiting, but we put Rhys in front of the vents so he was as happy as a clam while we waited. We were able to get towed to Vegas (98 miles) where we were planning to stay at my brothers house and then get a new tire the next morning. Well, it turns out that Vegas, has tire places that are open 24 hours a day. The driver took us there, had the tire replaced and we were on our way home. Whew. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. I wanted to get a picture of Rhys in the tow truck, but we were trying to figure out what to do, so I completely forgot!

All in all it was a great trip. We are so grateful to Ryan's family for the time they spent with us. It was great to see them all and for Rhys to meet most of his Whitaker cousins!! Can't wait to do it again!

Two Months

Our little Rhys is now two months old. Oh, he is growing up too fast. He has absolutely been a blast since he's been here and he's getting more fun each day. He has been a great baby so far. Of course he gets fussy, but what baby doesn't. He's been smiling for about a month now, but they're now coming more often and out of the middle of nowhere. I'll lay him on the bed for a minute and walk away, and when I come back he'll be smiling at nothing. I love it. He has 2 adorable dimples, but one is bigger than the other. He's really starting to "talk" and coo at us. He's just a fun, fun baby. Oh and his biggest accomplishment so far is that he rolled over last week!! It was totally a fluke during tummy time, but it's a start right??

He had his 2 month appointment last week and he is now 10 lbs 15 oz and 22 1/2 inches long. He's growing now which is great. We had a little trouble with him at first with gaining weight, but now he's taking off. He's definitely not a chubby baby, but he's getting more rolls on him. We are just having the time of our lives.

Sleep is getting a little better. He usually falls asleep around 10 PM and won't wake up until 3:30 or 4. Then after that he's up a little more often, but it helps to get that longer chunk of sleep. I can usually get him to sleep until 8, but that means he's sleeping in our bed or on me after 6 AM. But if it helps me get that extra hour, I'll take it. We have fun going for run/walks every morning. He loves it when we go for walks in our neighborhood. He always sits there so content and they're usually 30-40 minute walks. If I want to run, we go to a trail close by. He doesn't stay so content during these, unless I'm running. Unfortunately, I'm still working on my stamina, so running the entire time we're out is pretty impossible for me. But I'm working on it:)

I officially turned in my two weeks notice at work today. As of June 26th, I will no longer be a Wal-Mart employee. It feels weird, but this new adventure in our lives will be great.

Just wanted to give a little update and I wanted to post some video... if anyone's interested in watching my baby just lay there and do things that probably only we think are cute:) Enjoy!!

Our little Rhys Monkey

The day we have been waiting for has finally arrived. Our little baby Rhys Michael (pronounced Reese, it's the original Welsh spelling) was born on Saturday April 10 at 12:09 PM. He weighed 7 lbs, 12 oz and was 20 inches long. It all started last Friday. We were 3 days past my due date and getting overly anxious. I had an induction scheduled for the next Tuesday and did not want that to happen, so I was extra anxious to start labor on my own. My mom was here and 2 of my brothers were in town so we all went out to eat. We were joking about how my water was going to break right there at the restaurant. It was a blast hanging out with them, but my water definitely didn't break. After dinner my mom, Ryan and I went home and just hung out. The baby started acting all crazy and was moving and kicking unlike anything I had felt before. We decided to start getting ready for bed around 10:30 and I just wasn't feeling right. I had started to feel some random pains and that's when I said the infamous words to Ryan... Something is wrong, I don't feel right. We went to bed and I started kinda timing the contractions I was getting. They weren't very consistent, ranging between 5 to 7 minutes apart. So, I just tried to get some sleep, but ended up switching from laying in bed to pacing the floor in our bedroom. At about 2, Ryan woke up and helped me time and breath through contractions. I had planned on going natural for awhile and we started going through the exercises we had kinda practiced. I remember thinking as I was lying there listening to Ryan that there was no way I could go through this pain. It was already hurting and I knew that it was only going to get worse as the process continued.

At around 5 AM we were timing contractions at 2 to 3 minutes apart. Since this was our first pregnancy, we had no idea what to expect. We decided that 2 to 3 minutes apart was good enough to go to the hospital. We woke up my mom and all went down to the hospital. We got to the hospital around 5:40 and I was already dilated to a 4. They said that I was definitely in active labor and asked if I wanted to be admitted and have my water broken. We decided to stay, but I refused to have my water broken. I was scared of feeling those contractions more intense. Pretty much the rest of the labor consisted of me laying in bed as still as I possibly could and Ryan coaching me through each contraction. I didn't give into drugs. In fact when we got to the hospital, they asked me what I wanted to do and I said, I wanted to go natural. The nurses all seemed pretty supportive and the issue of drugs was never brought up.

Let me just say that Ryan was absolutely perfect during the whole labor. I could not have done it without him. Our nurse told us afterward that I was hypnotized by him. He just talked me through each contraction and kept encouraging me that I could do it. At one point he would put pressure on my knees during contractions to help ease pain. He did this consistently and for a long period. I know it had to be uncomfortable for him, but he did it without hesitation. I really am so grateful for him. All the nurses kept telling him how impressed they were with his coaching. Our nurse also told us that it was the best natural childbirth she'd seen for awhile.

At around 11:40, I started pushing. Pushing was hard work. But we made it through and it didn't seem like that long. Once Rhys was born, I just laid there exhausted from everything and was so glad it was over. I would definitely do a natural childbirth again. Especially now that I know what to expect. It was such an amazing experience to feel everything that was happening with my body. I felt like I had control over the situation and I told everyone what I wanted to do, instead of the other way around. I broke my water on my own, I told them when I needed to push. I also feel like it was a much better experience for Rhys. He was ultra alert right after birth, which all the nurses commented on. I'm really glad that we chose to do it naturally. Once he got cleaned up, Ryan and I were trying to figure out his name. We kept looking at him wondering what his name was. We both said that we saw him as a Rhys (one of the names on our short list). There was really no doubt in our minds, even though we didn't make it official until that night. Ryan's dad was named Richard Michael Whitaker, Ryan is named Ryan Michael Whitaker, and we liked the idea of having our little son named R. Michael Whitaker as well. We both felt that this little guy should be Rhys Michael Whitaker.

This little guy has just been such a joy in our lives since his arrival. We just stare at him, amazed by the miracle that we have witnessed. He's such a sweet baby and we absolutely love him. We had a slight jaundice scare at first, but that went away. We're still working on nursing, but it's getting easier for both of us as we keep practicing. Neither of us know what we're doing, but we are so happy to try and take care of Rhys the best we can. He's just perfect.

Las Vegas!!

For our third anniversary, Ryan and I decided to take a quick little trip down to Vegas. We figured it was probably the last time we'd be able to get away like this. Last weekend, we packed up and drove the whole 2 hours to Vegas. We went down Friday night and spent time with my brother and his family. It was a blast seeing them, as always. We stayed the night with them and had a leisurely morning just chilling at their house.
In the afternoon, Ryan and I headed for the strip. We got a room at the Monte Carlo and tickets to see Lance Burton, Master Magician. We walked around the strip for a little bit, got something to eat and then relaxed in our room. I just can't walk as much as I used to. Lance Burton was great. Well, it was a little cheesy, but we didn't mind attending a family oriented show in Vegas. To give him credit, we couldn't figure out how he did any of his tricks. The whole time, I kept thinking I was paying attention really hard and knew what was coming, but still, the guy fooled me. So, good job Lance for an entertaining show.

The next day we stayed in the hotel until we had to check out, stopped at the buffet and then headed home. It was a nice, relaxing trip that we both needed and wanted. Ryan kept saying that it felt like we had been gone longer than a day. That's when you know it was a good trip!!