S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y

Would you like to know what we did on our Saturday?

Aunt Colleen, Uncle Rick and their boys (Yacob and Al) came to visit little Ryan. We can't get over how big the boys are (5th grade and 6th grade)! They almost as tall as me. Carter liked having new people to play trains and the drums with. Ryan slept the entire time they were here, but I imagine she enjoyed being pampered and held as much as she was.

It was a sunny afternoon in Indiana so we took full advantage and spent time outside. We pulled all the patio furniture and toys outside. Ryan took a short nap in the jogging stroller. Carter explored the backyard and played with the toys he hadn't seen since fall. We are a family ready for spring!

2 weeks old

Our early bird had her two week check-up yesterday (on my actual due date nonetheless). The doctor gave her a glowing report. Ryan is a little peanut compared to her big brother. Carter has always been above average in size. Ryan, although long, is still a tiny baby. Here are her stats:
Weight 8 lbs. (34%)
Height 21 1/4 in. (77%)
Head (23%)

Ryan has been a little angel since the day we brought her home. She is a good eater and sleeper. Of course we could all use more hours of sleep a night, but whose complaining. She is not very fussy and only cries if she needs something like a new diaper or to eat.

Carter is a good big brother. Most of the time he is indifferent to her, but he does like to rock her in her car seat and always wants to lay with her on the activity mat. He like to tell me if she's sleeping or not and he doesn't like it when she cries. He says YUCK when we change her diaper which makes him laugh.

Carter will be two in a couple of weeks and he is already testing us with his terrible two's behavior. He is perfecting the temper tantrum and he is capable of having a complete melt down within a blink of an eye. Let's hope this stage doesn't last very long.

Cute when she's mad

These were a couple of pictures taken of Ryan (at 8 days old) at a friend's baby shower. I guess she didn't want me to mess with her hat. It's hard not to laugh at her "mad" face.

Play Time

Time to test out the play mat.

Hey, this is pretty fun....
Eeek, big brother is attacking me!

Kisses from my big brother. That's more like it!

Week 1

A few photos of our last week...

We came home from the hospital.

Carter wore his "big brother" t-shirt.We watched Dad dig us out of the snow.We've been sleeping.We played with toys.We played on Dad.Ryan had her first bath.We're all trying to rest as much as possible.And last but not least, Carter and Dad have been rockin' out on the Wii!

Ryan Michele Meek

Ryan Michele Meek was born Saturday, February 6th at 2:56pm. She was 2 and a half weeks early so needless to say her parents were very surprised at her arrival. Ryan weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. I will get into the details about her birth on another post. Mom, Dad and big brother, Carter, are rather tired but doing well. Below are a couple of pictures of Ryan and the family. Stand by for video of Carter welcoming Ryan home.

35 weeks

Yes, this is me at 35 weeks. I only have a handful of shirts that still cover the belly. Luckily for you I am wearing one of them in this picture. The dark circles under my eyes are the result of our neighbors dogs. They have two very loud dogs that bark outside our bedroom window all day and all night. Our house is full of light sleepers so the barking is not good for any of us! If the dogs weren't enough, sleeping in general has become a challenge these days. I still feel pretty good and the number of pillows I need to get (and stay) comfortable is still much lower then it ever was while carrying Carter. However, this time my snoring has become an issue. I snore so much I even wake myself up at night! I swear Kyle and I spend all night tossing and turning. Sad to say this will be the best sleep we'll get for the next 6 months!

So what else do I have to report? Not much. I guess that's why there has been a lack of postings. My doctor took me off all the medication for the spondilitis in preparation of delivery. I'm supposed to watch for symptoms and if anything starts to hurt I'm to get back on them pronto. I had my 34 week check up for the baby on Thursday. Her heartbeat is strong at 150. Starting next week I'll be seeing my doctor on a weekly basis until delivery. Right now the baby has not turned. The doctor expects her to move on her own around 36 weeks, but if not then they will try a "version" to get her head down. I've had a couple of contractions, but nothing unusual for 35 weeks and for the second pregnancy. If you'll remember Carter was 2 days late. I don't expect this baby to come early so, MOM, there is no reason for you to change your flight from your Costa Rica vacation. We still have a lot of time left!

How is Carter? He's good. He is working on saying peas (please) more. He has it down pretty well. He just doesn't understand why sometimes we still say no when he says it. Also we've been working on our colors and letters. All colors at this point are blue. He can point out the letter A and say it. If he gets any others right it's more of a lucky guess. One down, only 25 more letters to go. We've been talking about the potty a lot more lately. He's sat on it a couple of times, but no action so far. He does tell us when he poops now so I think we're at least headed in the right direction. Carter is officially in a big boy bed and feels it's necessary to sleep with at least 10 stuffed animals and 2 books. Carter loves oatmeal, bananas, waf-wafs (waffles), all fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, rice and peas. He also likes pretty much any snack food. He is a snack food junkie! He hates milk. I can't even get him to take a sip. He now drinks OJ with calcium in the morning and lots of water throughout the day. He loves to watch tv (much like his mom and dad, I guess). He loves Elmo, Thomas the Train and The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He spends most of his days playing with his trains, being chased and tickled by daddy, riding his trike (in the house) and building with his blocks. Two months from today Carter will be 2 years old. He is certainly not a baby anymore!