1 Month Old!

On Monday Rylee turned 1 Month old! Wow...we can't believe how fast those 4 weeks went by. Of course there were some nights that seemed to last forever but overall those first 4 weeks were great and flew by. My maternity leave is already half over...boo...I don't like that at all.

Rylee had her 1 month Dr.'s appointment on Monday and she was so good. The Dr. was poking and prodding at her and she was wide awake and didn't even cry. Her Dr. said she looks great and was happy to see that her bump was completely gone (it was gone at 2.5 weeks). She was very impressed at how strong her neck is, how alert she is, and that she smiles already. Dr. Slaven was talking to Rylee and she smiled at her, it was pretty cute. She is also ahead of the game in her measurements.

Height: 22 1/8 inches (75th percentile)

Weight: 10 lbs. 2 oz.'s (75th percentile)

Head: 37.8 cm. (75th percentile)

We can't believe how much she has grown! I knew she had big cheeks and is a good eater I just didn't expect her to be 10 lbs. already. And she's still tall for her age too. I wonder how long that will continue.

I took a little photo shoot on Monday so here are her 1 month pictures.

Pictures from Weeks 3 and 4

These are some random pictures from Weeks 3 and 4 that I thought I would share. You can see in some of these pictures she is starting to smile now (and not just because of gas). In a few of these pictures she is wearing an outfit from Auntie Ness and the shirt says "Mom thinks she's in charge". It's a cute shirt and even though there are times where I would like to think that I am in charge, I know at this age SHE is pretty much the one in charge.

Watching Football with Mom and Dad

We had a pretty quiet weekend around here so we didn't do too much besides watch a lot of football. Saturday we watched NMU play on our computer. All their home games are live on the internet so we get to watch them instead of just listening on the radio - it's great. NMU played a great game but unfortunately they had another heartbraker and lost to Hillsdale by 1: 42-41.

Watching the game with Mom

Watching the game with Dad

Sunday we also all watched the Packer game together. She slept for most of it but she was up to see them win at the end. She was all happy and then we realized why. She had her first blowout - right up the back end of her diaper and all over her Packer outfit.

Sleeping during the game

All smiles after the game (and her blowout)

Fun in the Tub!

Rylee continues to love her baths. She likes them even more now that she takes real baths in her tub rather than just a sponge bath. She gets so content and loves to have the warm water poured on her. Her baths relax her so it is a good thing to have as part of her bed time routine.

Labor Day Weekend and 1st Football Game

We had a full house this Labor Day weekend...it was great! My mom and Grandma Barb got here Thursday night; the Spindler's, my Auntie Diane, Uncle Lance, Uncle Lowell, and Robin got here Friday; and my dad, Brad, Ben, and Vanessa got in to town Friday night. Northern played University of Indy on Saturday so that is why everyone was in town (and to see Rylee of course). We don't get to have a lot of family down here very often so it sure was nice to have everyone here. It was the Spindler's, my aunts and uncles, my Grandma Barb's, and Ben's first time meeting Rylee. She sure did get spoiled with kisses and being held all weekend!

Rylee went to her first football game on Saturday and got to watch her Uncle Brad play. Unfortunately, Northern lost by 2 (we missed an extra point and then had to go for 2 after the next touchdown and we missed it...bummer) 24-22. My dad was pretty upset after the game but he did smile when he held Rylee...that's what granddaughter's are for. Rylee looked so cute in all of her NMU gear and we got lots of pictures. She was really good at the game too. She slept thought all of pre-game, then was up for the first half and slept the rest of the time. She even slept through all of mine and my mom's yelling (if you've ever sat by us at a game you know that we are both extremely loud at games), whistling, the band, and the music - it didn't phase her. That's good because we all know she is going to be at a lot of football games in her future. I think she'll be a big football fan just like the rest of her family!

Grandpa telling Rylee stories at the hotel Friday night

Rylee with Grandma and Grandpa Spindler for the first time - they were very happy to finally meet her.

Uncle Ben and Rylee - Ben did a great job holding her...look at her look at her Uncle Ben.

My mom made Rylee a NMU hat with Uncle Brad's #4 on it - she wore it proud!

Our NMU family picture

All set for the game

She was wide awake for the 1st half


Rylee cheering at the game!

Zonked out after the game.

Team Dustin

I am sure most of you are aware of my cousin Dustin who got in a car accident in 2005 and suffered a severe brain injury. He has had multiple brain surgeries since. This evening he is undergoing a major surgery to have a prosthetic bone flap put in. I am asking that you all please keep him in your thoughts and pray for both his surgery today and his recovery. His fiancee Emily (an absolutely amazing girl) has set up a website for him and you can visit it at http://web.mac.com/emly2111 Keep on Keepin' On!

Some of the Anderson's in our Team Dustin shirts

We love you Dust!

The smallest member of Team Dustin

Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Rylee meets the Kreider's!

Rylee got to meet the Kreider's this past weekend. They came down to visit us on Saturday and then left on Sunday. It was so great to see them again! We haven't seen them in 2 months and Maddy has grown up so much in that time. It was crazy to look at Rylee and Maddy together and realize how fast they grow in just 1 year. There is a huge difference! Maddy is still cute as ever! She is starting to look more like her mom rather than just looking like her dad. I think she enjoyed playing with Rylee for the little time that Rylee was awake. Give them another year and then they'll really have fun playing with each other. It'll be so great raising our families together! Brad and I really enjoyed spending time with Jac and Jason. We did a lot of relaxing and talking about parenting and baby stories. We also all went on a walk together. It was really nice here on Sunday - it was actually not 100 degrees out so we could take Rylee outside. We haven't had a chance to take her outside much because it has been so dang hot. It is supposed to cool off for Labor Day weekend so let's hope so. Jac and Jason also brought us lunch and dinner for Saturday which was so nice of them. Thanks again guys for everything! We look forward to the next time that we get to see each other!

Jac, Maddy, and Rylee - I unfortunately was taking advantage of having the time to shower so I wasn't around for this photo shoot. That's ok...there will be lots more.

Rylee giving Maddy a kiss

Maddy giving Rylee a kiss

The 2 girls all set for the walk


And we're off for our first real walk - our other attempt at going for a walk with Rylee didn't last very long cause it was too hot and her cheeks got red so we had to come home right away. This walk was a lot more enjoyable!

2 Week Update

2 weeks have already come and gone. In 2 weeks we feel like she's grown and changed so much. Our neighbors came home with their newborn Gracie this weekend and we couldn't believe how much bigger Rylee was then her. We still think of Rylee being so small (which she is) but she has grown a lot in 2 weeks and that was obvious to us when we saw how tiny Gracie is. We're still not sure who Rylee looks like more and we are thinking she is a pretty good mix between the two of us. We think she has my nose and lips and Brad's eyes. Her eyebrows and eyelashes are really light so she might even end up being a blonde. I think she has Brad's feet too because they are so long and skinny and mine are opposite of that. We just think she is so darn cute and can't stop kissing her soft cheeks.

This week Brad went back to work on Wednesday. Wednesday and Thursday she was a little fussy (due to gas, we think) so those days were a little harder for me. Brad gets to come home for lunch so that is really nice and helps break up the day. She had a few tough nights too this week (again, due to gas we think) but the past few nights she has been sleeping great. She goes about 3.5 hours between feedings and she has been going right back to sleep after she eats...which gives us more time to sleep! She continues to eat good too. She still likes to fall asleep while she eats but if I play with her cheeks and hands she'll start eating again. She has been spending more time awake now during the days too. When she is awake she is so alert and moves her head all around to look at things. Everyone keeps telling us that she has a really strong neck for being so young. On another note, Rylee lost her umbillical cord on day 10. There is still a little scab left but that is starting to fall off and heal as well. Now she can wear pants and have a real bath!

I also want to thank all of our friends who brought over dinner for us the past 2 weeks. It's been such a great help and we really appreciate it!

In the carseat again...thankfully she likes her carseat!

She still loves her baths, as long as she is not too hungry when we give her one. Then she's a little fussy.

All cuddled up in her blanket and dad's arms.

She loves to sleep on our chests...we love it too!

Rylee and Dad resting on the couch together.

She also loves to sleep in her swing.

Look at those lips...aren't they beautiful!

Wide awake and playing on the floor!

Cul-de-sac Babies!

As of yesterday at 4:20 pm, all 3 cul-de-sac babies are here...and they are all girls!!! We are so excited for everyone and it will be so great to watch these 3 little girls grow up together. Rylee was the first one born and she started the Friday trend. The following Friday (August 17th) our neighbors Dana and Jeff had their baby girl, Macey (which was one of our top 3 names til they announced their name to everyone) Lynn. Macey was the exact same height and weight (7 lbs. 11 oz. and 20.5 in. long) as Rylee and they were both born 4 days early. What a coincidence! Then yesterday, (Friday August 24th) our neighbors Mindi and Ryan had their baby girl. They didn't know what they were going to have but they and everyone else thought it was going to be a boy, so it was a surprise that it was a girl. They named her Grace Ann and she was 7 lbs. 1 oz. and 19 in. long. We are going to go the hospital to meet her this weekend. It is going to be so fun for Rylee to have 2 little girlfriends to play with and grow up with, right here on our cul-de-sac.

Family Pictures

My family all left Sunday morning. It was very hard to say our good-byes. They didn't want to leave and we didn't want them to either but unfortunately we all knew they had to. They were so much help and we are thankful that they were able to be down here for the first week. They helped with everything! My mom even found out Rylee's favorite position when she is fussy. When her tummy is bothering her she loves to lay across your lap on her tummy and have you rub/pat her back. I am so glad my mom showed us that cause I don't think we would have thought of that. Like I said before, I am not sure what we would have done without them. Saturday night before they left Vanessa took family pictures. Here are some of the pics she took.

4 Generations

The Anderson girls

The 3 of us