Update

We've survived 2 1/2 weeks with 2 kids. I'm quite proud of us. We are all doing well. Jackson is taking to the baby pretty well. He is always giving him kisses and wanting to hold him. But, he also misses being the only child. He's constantly telling me to put the baby in his chair so that I can play ball with him. Poor boy.
Owen is a good baby. He sleeps quite a bit, but I'm not complaining about that. He's really cute. We did have to put him under the blue lights for a couple of days here at home. It wasn't very fun, but it wasn't horrible either. We're just glad that he's healthy.
I'm pretty lucky that I have such a great husband as well. He gets up (or stays up when he gets home from work) with Jackson every morning so I can get a couple more hours of sleep. It really is a life saver for me. And it's not easy, Jackson is not a morning person. (I really have no idea where he gets that.) So thanks to a fantastic husband, a generally happy toddler, and a good baby, I'm surviving!

Owen William Ryland

3 more weeks..hahaha! I was hoping that the baby would come early (Jackson was 3 weeks early as well), but didn't want to be planning on it. What a nice surprise! We are really happy to be done with the pregnancy (okay so mostly me) and so happy to have our little baby here. I am also really happy with the timing of all of it. Mom is heading out of town on Saturday for Heidi's wedding, so I'm glad that she was here. I'm also really glad that Owen didn't make his grand entrance on the 10th, since that is Jackson's birthday. Things are working out!

The journey of getting Owen here was eventful. I labored throughout most of Monday, spent 4 hours at the hospital doing a lot of walking and not much progressing. Finally we decided to go home and come back when things were moving a bit quicker. Bad choice!!! 2 hours after leaving, we were literally racing (Sam drove very fast and ran a number of red lights and stop signs) back to the hospital. I was screaming, mom was trying to convince me not to push, and Sam drove with one hand and got my fingernails in the other hand. Luckily, my dad had called ahead to tell them we were coming, and a wheelchair was waiting at the curb to whisk us away, and the room plus doctors and nurses were ready and waiting upstairs.

Once my IV was in, I started pushing. There was no time for an epidural and at that point I didn't care, I just wanted that baby out. Unfortunately, Owen came out face up, his lips were one of the first things the dr saw. It definintely made delivery much more painful, and it could've been fairly problematic, but we were able to get him out, about 20 minutes after arriving at the hospital. Mom said that if my water had broken, we never would've made it...I'm so glad that we avoided that mess!!

Because of his the way he delivered, his face was very bruised. (He's looking much better now) He weighed in at 6 lbs 6 oz and 19 inches. He's doing great, he's sleeping a ton, which I really appreciate, and we are looking forward to the adventure ahead! Here are a few photos, I'm sure that there will be more to come!

Just a few minutes old, with a beat up face

Looking much better later in the day

Jackson showing us Owen's eye

Giving kisses...too cute

Baby ramblings

Today marks 37 weeks. Just 3 more weeks to go. 3 long weeks. And as excited as I am to not be pregnant anymore, I'm starting to get more and more nervous about having another baby. Jackson can be such a handful, how will I do it with another kid around? And I really have no idea how Jackson is going to react to all of this. He knows that there's a baby in my belly (although he is sometimes very insistent that there is one in his belly as well) and he knows that certain things around the house are for the baby, but he has no idea what's really coming. Who knows what to expect? Not me, that's for sure. It'll be okay, right?

We haven't even decided on a name. Oops, that's kind of a big one. We like Owen for a first name, with a few others still floating around, but we are pretty clueless when it comes to a middle name. Poor kid. I really want him to have a name. Any suggestions?

Well, since Jackson is napping, that means it's time for my nap as well. Gotta get it all in while I can, plus I'm always exhausted this time of day, especially after church. Just for laughs, here's a photo of Jackson with his awesome morning hair, I don't know where he gets it.

Fish and farms

The last couple of weeks, we decided to take Jackson out to some of the cool places we have nearby. I guess we are usually just too lazy, but I wanted to be able to go before I have to carry around another baby. So, a couple of weeks ago we went to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy, and then last Tuesday we went to Thanksgving Point to see the farm animals. Both places were a huge hit with Jackson.

When we pulled into the aquarium, I thought, "Man, this place looks ghetto. I hope it's cooler on the inside." Luckily, it really was. Jackson just ran from one window to the next yelling "Fish!" He didn't dare to touch the sting rays, although Sam and I did, but he did enjoy splashing the water. I think his definite favorite was the little Nemo fish. It was great seeing him so excited.

The animal farm was awesome. Jackson really loves animals. The funny thing was that he didn't want to touch any of them. He'd get really close to them, and then we'd ask him if he wanted to touch it, and he'd back right away and say "no" in a very serious tone of voice. Sam made him pet the horses, and we almost got him to touch a goat, but that was about it. It was a great place, and we are looking forward to going back.

Goodbye "Jeff"

The day after I posted my last blog, Jackson started saying Daddy. He still used "Jeff" every now and then, but has since given it up. I don't know what made him work it all out, but I'm afraid that "Jeff" has left us forever. It was funny while it lasted. And now he says "Daddy" like a pro. Sam is pretty happy about it.

Talking

As Jackson approaches his 2nd birthday, he is talking more and more. I probably should've posted more of the funny things he says, but I just haven't. I'm a slacker. Most of the time I really like that he can talk, although there are times when I wish for the jibberish that I could just pretend I understood.
One funny thing Jackson used to say was Yes. He learned yes, and then after awhile, he changed things up a bit, and he would say "yum" everytime he should've said yes. I have no idea why. We eventually got that worked out and we're back to yes or yeah. He also used to call me "Mimi" but has worked out "mommy" now. Somedays I wish he hadn't learned that one, but most of the time it's nice. He also loves to say grass, glasses, airplane and more recently helicopter (which sounds nothing like helicopter.) The other day I told him to say motorcycle and he just said "brrummm, brummm." That was pretty funny.
Names are probably the best. Here's a list of favorites:
Mac = Gac
Jim = Bum or Bim
Becca = Cepa or Beba
Malachi = Kai kai
Lillian = I can't type this one, just a bunch of noise with "an" at the end
Kambria = Babia

But really the winner is Daddy. Jackson does not call Sam Daddy, but has taken to calling him "Jeff". We really have no idea why or where he learned it, but it's always "Jeff." It still makes me laugh. I'm sure one day he'll figure it out.

Anyway, it's fun to hear him talk and be able to understand him. He picks up new words everyday and I'm just happy to know he's learning. He's getting so big. And just because I like photos, here are a couple of recent ones. Enjoy!

Goin' camping

So every year for 24 July we go camping at "The Ranch." It's not really a ranch at all, just big open spot with a fire pit, 2 outhouses, and a creek. Somehow we still love it. On Saturday we have a big family reunion with a bunch of people that I don't know, but with delicious food that everyone looks forward to. We all had a great time. I think for Jackson, camping is like heaven. He gets to be outside all the time, and he spends all day with his favorite people: his cousins, aunts and uncles, and Nana and Papa. Good times were had by all.

Jackson enjoying the drive down



This is what Daddy's are for!