Merry Christmas to all...

 

We kicked our Christmas off with a visit to Santa.

I have to say... I love this picture.

Both boys did great, not a single tear shed.

 

Then we decorated our tree.

I skipped the glass balls this year, and investing in shatter proof ornaments.

 

Christmas morning was so much fun this year.

 Last year Gavin was still too young to know what was going on,

but this year he figured it out pretty quick.

 

 

He received a very cool, and very loud tool set.

He absolutely loves it!

 

 

Yup, another construction truck,

because he doesn't have enough trucks all ready.

 

 

But the big present was a trike from Grandma and Grandpa Johnson.

Equipped with a cool bell and streamers.

 

Rylan pretty much slept through the present opening portion of the day.

He does look pretty comfy in his new snow suit though.

 

We had a wonderful, relaxing Christmas.

No where to drive.

Stayed in our jammies all day.

Made a delicious Christmas turkey, with all the fixings.

 

All in all...

A Very Merry Christmas!

Sweater Party 2011

Our first outing as a family, since bringing baby Rylan home,
was to the Riggs' annual Sweater Party. Gavin had a chance to play with his friends, while Ian and I finally introduced Rylan to all of our closest friends.

It was another great Sweater Party hosted by the Riggs family.
Oh, and whoever invented shot-skies is GENIUS!

The Great Christmas Tree Hunt...

This years Christmas Tree hunt felt complete with all my boys...

Daddy, Gavin, and Baby Rylan.

 

 

 

Gavin and Daddy ready with their saw.

Gavin helped us look high and low, through row after row of trees,

until we found our perfect tree.

 

 

 Gavin was a great supervisor as daddy cut down our Christmas Tree.

 

 

The perfect Christmas Tree because we found it as a family!



Home Bound

 

I couldn't believe it when the doctor walked into the room and casually said

"ok you ready to take him home".

I'm positive my jaw hit the floor in shock,

and maybe a little fear and horror.

 

All I could think was...

are they for real, have they seen how tiny this little guy is.

I mean he barely fits in his car seat.

 

I wasn't expecting to be able to take my precious baby home

for at least another week, but this was so perfect.

Rylan was coming home in time to spend Thanksgiving with his family.

 

So perfect and precious!

Welcome Home Baby Rylan



Welcome Baby Rylan!

Rylan Robert-Archie Johnson
Born October 9, 2011 at 2:02 am
Weighing 4lbs 0.1oz, and 17 inches

I love a good surprise as much as the next person, but when baby Rylan arrived 8 weeks early it was both a good surprise and a scary surprise. It was hard for me to believe I was in labor at only 32 weeks. The contractions started while I was at work and by the time I reached home they had become uncomfortable and frequent. I tried soaking in a warm bath, convinced it was all in my head. However, the contractions only grew with intensity and soon were measuring 5 minutes apart.

Out of desperation I called the doctor on-call for guidance, not knowing what to do next. I was instructed to drink plenty of fluids and stay off my feet in an attempt to stop the contractions. Staying off your feet is not an easy task when your pregnant and drinking copious amounts of fluid. Needless to say, by midnight I was back on the phone with the doctor, having what were now painful, frequent contractions. I prayed the doctor would simply tell me to head to the hospital where they would magically stop my contractions. Instead I was told that babies are born all the time at 32 weeks. I'm pretty sure she was trying to reassure me... it didn't work.

I woke a groggy Ian, explaining the situation. He probably thought he was dreaming. In fact the whole rest of the night seemed like a dream. We called the babysitter to stay with Gavin and rushed to the hospital. We were checked in at the ER and taken upstairs to labor and delivery. I went to put my gown on and before they could even attach the monitors I had my first big contraction. I explained to the nurse that I actually had the urge to push and with that the doctor decided to check how far my labor had progressed. Ian decided to quickly run to the car for his phone. While he was out of the room things got really interesting. To my surprise she said it was time. More staff were instantly called and I was being whisked to a new room just as Ian returned.

As soon as we arrived in the new room an IV was started. Thank goodness the nurse was good with a needle because no sooner had she finished when I had what would be my last contraction. The doctor instructed me to push, and without any effort Rylan was born. What happened next seems like a dream. It wasn't like it was when I had Gavin. First, Ian wasn't given the opportunity to cut the umbilical cord. Second, there was no holding him after he was born. Nope... the staff jumped into action and before I knew it Rylan was taken to the NICU with Ian at his side. So there I laid by myself wondering what the heck just happened.

Rylan so beautiful, but so small and fragile. When I was finally able to see him it was hard to hold back tears. My precious little boy was in an open heated crib with an IV, feeding tube, and baby cpap helping him to breath. We weren't able to hold him, which was definitely the hardest part. I felt helpless.

Sadly Ian and I were sent home while our precious Rylan remained in the hospital for 2 months. We visited everyday hoping and praying for his health and steady growth. It was so scary holding him, so small and fragile, but the nurses weren't letting me off that easy. They made me get over my fears by making me get in there and providing general care for him. So despite all the tubes and wires everyday I visited we cuddled doing kangaroo time, skin to skin. Even now looking back at how scary the situation was I loved having that individual, bonding time with him. All of our family and friends took the time to come and love him, as well as provide love and support for us. We are truly blessed!

With Rylan having to stay in the hospital I made the decision after three weeks to return to work. As sad as I was that I wouldn't be able to spent nearly as much time with him I knew it was smarter to save my maternity leave for when he came home. On the days I worked I got up early and spent a few hours with him before work, and then spent my evenings with Gavin. Three weeks after returning to work I was surprised to learn he was ready to come home. I thought for sure it would be another two to three weeks. In fact when the doctor suddenly said "OK are you ready to take him home today?" I actually had to say no, I wasn't quite ready. However, the very next day we finally brought baby Rylan home were he belonged.

Although we were elated to be bringing Rylan home we had heavy hearts saying goodbye to all the wonderful staff who cared for Rylan. With the amazing compassion and love of the nurses and staff taking care of Rylan he slowly got bigger and stronger. I can't thank them enough for all they did for our little baby and for us. The NICU nurses and staff are truly angels, who will always be in our hearts.

4th Annual Halloween Party

Halloween has become a big part of our life over the last several years. 
With the early arrival of our precious baby Rylan we thought of canceling what has become an annual tradition to many of our friends and family.
However, despite Rylan being in the hospital we decided to continue with our Halloween Party as scheduled.
We felt that surrounding ourselves with our family and friends during this time would be good therapy...
we were right!

Once again our family and friends came out in force to celebrate.
We had everything from Zombies, Popeye & Olive Oil, a Ghostbuster with a Slimer, a gang of Clock Watchers (still not sure what that is, but their costumes were cool), and even an appearance by the Burger King!

We had a hard time with our nominations this year.
Best couples costume went to Grandma & Grandpa Petrini.
Best individual costume went to Ashley, with his appearance as the Burger King.
Best character costume went to Anthony, who remained in zombie character all night long.

Once again the stripper pole and the wheel of death were big hits.
We thank everyone for coming out to celebrate.
We look forward to seeing everyone again next year.

Changes...

A lot has changed for our little family over the last several months.

The biggest is the addition of a new baby to our family. We are pleased to announce that we will be welcoming another boy, Rylan into our family December 2nd. With this great news we also found out that our little bundle of joy will have Down syndrome. Over the last month we have met with several doctors and are happy to report that so far Rylan is healthy and growing steadily. A huge relief for us. Now we just can't wait to meet our precious boy.

Although Gavin doesn't understand that mommy has a baby in her belly, I think he is going to be very excited to have a little brother to play with. Gavin now has a toddler bed, so that baby Rylan can use the crib. Gavin loves to sit and play on the bed but has not warmed up to the idea of sleeping in it. For now he still prefers the comfort of his crib, and even more, the comfort of our bed. Rylan will sleep in a bassinet in our room for a while anyways, so Gavin will have plenty of time to transition.

More big and exciting news is that Ian FINALLY quit Belfor, a company he had been with for ten years, to start his own general contracting company. A move that was long over due.

4th Element Construction was born!

I say this with my fingers crossed, that business has been booming. Ian still can't believe how busy they are. It seems like only yesterday when he landed his first big job. I remember the glow he had as he told his family about presenting the clients with a bid as his old employers sat in the room also bidding for the same job, and Ian walking out victorious.

He is definitely not afraid of a little hard work, or should I say a lot of hard work. He has been working seven days a week. Long days that end with him staying up until the early morning hours to finish paperwork. It will all be worth it though.

I am so, so proud of him.

There are going to be so many changes over the next several months and years.

I'm excited and admittedly nervous to see what will come next.

What I do know is that I have a great family and no matter what the future brings, I know I am blessed to have them in my life.

Sweet Baby...

Good news we're pregnant again.

Yup... It's a boy!

Mmmm... Ice Cream

First ice cream cone!
It was so cute, he ate all the ice cream right down to the cone, then tried to give the cone to me as if it was garbage. He didn't realize he could eat it, I had to show him. Darn, with better planning that cone could have been all mine. Now he loves the cone as much as his mommy does. The sticky mess was worth seeing how happy he was devouring his first ice cream cone.

4th of July Celebration

For the third straight year we celebrated the 4th of July with the Riggs family. Not only to celebrate independence day, but more importantly to celebrate Steve's birthday.

As always there was an assortment of delicious food and even bigger assortment of Tequila. Ian made his own margarita maker, fashioned together by a garbage disposal and bubba keg.

The sunset was spectacular. Almost as spectacular as Steve's firework display. Never to be out done, there were plenty of fireworks for the kids to light and massive fireworks for the adults.

We had a great time!

Happy Birthday Steve!

Water Play

We spent a fun filled, sunny day at the local spray park with our best friends, Caitlyn and Ashton. It took some time for Gavin to get in there and get wet. Actually it took me carrying him through the water to realize it was fun. He still isn't completely crazy about the water but we have all summer to change his mind:)

Like Father, Like Son

I think the picture speaks for itself.
I love my boys and their cute butts!

Mini Golfing

Gavin's first time playing with his orange putter at

Grandma & Grandpa Johnson's Mini Golf Course.

Who's ready to play? Come on guys.

Hold on I'll get the balls.
Slippery little suckers.
I think I finally got a hold of 'em.

I better clean this one off.

...this one too.

This place is so much fun!

School Days...

We finally decided it was time to get Gavin out of the house and into daycare. We enrolled him at La Petite Academy 3 weeks ago. It's a daycare that also focuses on learning, that why we call it school for Gavin. He had a little trouble, as all kids do, adjusting the first week or so. But now he gets excited when we pull into the parking lot to drop him off. He seems to really like his teacher Ms. Holly and the other kids. He even takes a good, long nap everyday. He attends 3 days a week. They feed him breakfast, lunch and snacks. They have outdoor play time, art time, and do things like learning the alphabet and story time. So far Ian and I are very pleased. We think Gavin is too. It's nice to see him interacting and playing with other kids his own age.

Big Boy with a Fork...

Gavin is in such a hurry to be independent, and be a big boy. He has decided he will no longer allow anyone to feed him. He wants to use his own silverware and eat like a big boy. I was a little hesitant at first, especially since he decided to exude his independence while dining out at Olive Garden, but to keep the peace we rolled with it. To our amazement he fed himself ravioli using a fork and actually got it in his mouth 90% of the time.

We are so proud of him... one for being smart enough to manipulate a situation knowing we are in public and vulnerable, and two for learning so quickly how to use a fork since we hadn't yet taught him. He is more observant than I give him credit.

We would like to add that no adults or children were injured during the dinner as a result of letting a one year old feed himself with a big fork... sigh of relief.

Has it Been a Year Already...

A year ago today this perfect little boy came into our world, turning our lives upside down and inside out. From the first moment he was placed in my arms, my whole world changed for the better. It was as if nothing else in the world mattered except him, and the family we had become. Having Gavin in our lives has been the best, and scariest adventure we have ever experienced. Every day is filled with new and exciting experiences. As he has grown and developed into the toddler he is today, we have grown as parents. We can't believe this tiny little baby has already grown into a sweet little toddler.

On the day of his birth he weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and was 20 1/2 in. long.

Today he weighs 24 lbs 2 oz and is 30.25 in. long.

Today Gavin is happy, healthy, and excited by all new experiences. He is excited when playing with other children, when trying new foods, and when outdoors working with his daddy. He cruises and crawls all over the house getting into anything and everything he can. He definitely keeps us on our toes. Gavin is the best parts of us, put into the most special little boy.

We love you Gavin! XOXOXO!

Birthday Fun...

To celebrate Gavin's official first birthday Ian and I planned a day of fun.

We met daddy up in Seattle at Dick's for Gavin's favorite cheeseburgers.

From there we loaded Gavin up in his new red wagon and hit the Woodland Park Zoo.

It was a beautiful, sun shiny day... cold and a bit windy, but beautiful.

With quite a few of the animals in hiding, we did manage to get a family photo with the giraffes.

The silver back Gorilla added a little excitement to our day.
We were standing with a group of other children and parents, with Gavin standing at the window in front of me. Out of no where the Gorilla charged the window, throwing his entire body against the glass, causing it to shutter, where Gavin stood. I say "stood" because I scooped Gavin up as fast as I could. It scared the bejezzes out of me, but Gavin on the other hand didn't realise anything was wrong.

All in all the day was a success.

As soon as we got in the car, Gavin kicked of his shoes, pulled off his socks and settle in for a long nap.

Happy Birthday my sweet boy!

PARTY TIME!!!

All of our family and friends who have watched Gavin grow over this last year came out to celebrate his first birthday. It wasn't technically his birthday, we celebrated a little early. With his birthday shirt on and bow on his head he was ready to party. Honestly,I don't think Gavin even had a clue it was a party just for him. All he knew was there were tons of people around and kids to play with. My social little butterfly loved it!

We managed to cram 30 some people into our little house. We had toys in Gavin's room for the kids, a kiddie table with Shrek 4 playing in our room, and adults scattered around the rest of the house. Despite all my worrying it turned out to be a perfect party.

Here are just a few of our family and friends who came to party.
Gavin recieved so many great presents, unfortunately he didn't quite know what to with them. That's when mom, dad, and little Leah jumped in to help with opening gifts and reading cards.
The best part of his party for me was being able to make his very first birthday cake. I have to give a big Thank You to Annette, Gavin's Grandma, for teaching me. It meant the world to me to be able to do this for Gavin.

I'm gonna toot my own horn because I thought the cake tasted great!

I think Gavin agreed. He dug in hands first.

What a messy birthday boy! As it should be.
The party was so much fun. It meant so much to Ian and I that so many of our friends and family wanted to help us celebrate his first birthday.

Special thanks to Annette for helping with the cake, and to Erin for taking pictures during the party!

Things are about to get interesting...

We have been hoping for this and now it seems the day will soon be upon us. Gavin is trying to walk. He is standing independently, without holding onto things for longer periods of time. He holds onto his activity table and pushes it all around the room, same with his train walker. He hasn't figured out what to do when he hits a dead end yet, but he'll figure it out soon enough. We have been looking forward to the day he starts walking, I just hope we are able to keep up.

Monster Trucks!!!

Dad & me at monster trucks!
Wow! A transforming, fire breathing monster that crushes cars in minutes.This is sooo cool! Did you see that!
You can feel the rumble of the big engines.

I get the ladies where ever I go!

I love Monster Trucks!!!