New Years Resolutions

I typically do not make resolutions... the word resolution implies that i have the resolve to see it through. Lets face it... I might not. So instead, i set goals. Is there much difference? No. But it makes me less stressed to say its just a goal :-)
So, here they are.
1. Lay off the trash t.v. (ie: keeping up with the kardashians)
2. While watching The Young and the Restless (NOT trash tv), be on the elliptical.
3. Make it a point to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day.
4. Start piano lessons at some point this year.
5. Deal with stress in more productive ways... like, NOT being rude to jeff :-)
6. Read.
7. Finish what I start.
Additions:
8. Meet my blog friend Rachael :-)
9. Meet my blog friend Emily
10. Run the Warrior Dash in May (and complete it)
I love to read but have a tendency to start books and not finish them. Which in turn stresses me out b/c i feel "unfinished". This makes me be rude to Jeff b/c somehow he is to blame, right?! :-)
In general, i'd like to attend to my lack of discipline which i feel defines me. I'm gonna be 30 this year (*gasp*) and I dont want to be known as someone who lacks discipline with my tongue, with my body, with my walk with the Lord, etc... I want to be disciplined with my time so that I can enjoy the opportunities i have to goof off and spend with my family. So by working on time management, i'll be less stressed, more enjoyable and will be a more of a blessing to my family, and those around me. This is my goal in general.

What goals do you have for 2010?
PS. I promise i'll post Christmas pics one day soon...

Our little family (minus spud)

Have i mentioned lately that i love my little family? Cause i do. We loaded up and went to the mountain house to join jeff's parents/jason and liz for Christmas and had a great time relaxing. For now i'll just leave you with my 2 fav. family pics. There are TONS more of the entire Christmas time, but i had to get these up. I'm so grateful for all God has blessed us with in 2009.

Trip to the Bass Pro Santa

So you can see our most successful pic at the top. I've attached the other ones, as well. I thought they all turned out fine. She wouldnt really smile but we really didnt work to get her to smile, either. We didnt want to keep the line waiting. Ironic, seeing as how every other person in line took their sweet time. Oh, well. Live and learn.

Rhyan did GREAT! She really enjoyed her trip to the mall, i think. My first thought on this is "oh no". I hate shopping. I'm not girly. Lord help me if she is :-) I have a feeling that if she likes it, i'll start enjoying it, too. Until she's a teenager anyways. I just love spending time with her, no matter what. But it was tons of fun seeing her look all around at the people, the decorations, etc... We went to the food court after seeing Santa and got some grub. Rhyan was so good and waited in line w/ us, just chewing on her book. But when we started eating, she was suddenly discontent. Turns out, since we've been letting her eat a little of what we eat, she is no longer happy to watch us eat. She wants to PARTICIPATE! But kung pow chicken is a bit spicy for her :-) So as i was searching for something for her to eat, it occurred to us that there are peas and carrots in the fried rice. I picked them out for her and she was quite happy to eat them! SO CUTE!

Update on her head (i forgot to post about this! SORRY!). She has to wear it for 2 more weeks full time and then can go to nights only. We are still doing therapy weekly for now. Her head tilt is still not alot better. We continue to do stretches at home. I'll admit that i think she is SO cute w/o her helmet on and i'm SO excited for her to not have to wear it during day hours :-)

We're headed to sky valley for Christmas Day. I'll try to post stuff when we return. Till then, I hope you all enjoy Christmas with your loved ones and remember that the birth of Christ was the beginning of us having hope for redemption. And that apart from the cross and His sacrificial death, he would have been no more than any other ordinary baby. But He was a baby who was born to die. What a humbling thought. And how grateful we are that salvation came in the form of this baby. Celebrate it!

Bath Time is FUN time!

Thanksgiving... a little late

The weekend before Thanksgiving was the Tankersley family Thanksgiving get together. We typically gather at Uncle Wayne and aunt Cathy's home in beautiful Madison and keeping with tradition we enjoyed this years festivities there, as well. The land they live on is just to die for and so it made for a beautiful background for our family pics :-)

In other news, Rhyan got pink eye the week of thanksgiving. So for all the family who checks this thing and who cuddled up w/ Rhyan that weekend, be ware. Luckily, Jeff was off that week and could be home with her. So, anyone want to fess up to a recent case of pinkeye so i'll know who to blame it on?! Haha... Her little eye was so pitiful!

She has also had a cold since the start of november, I think, with it reaching its alltime grossness this week. Her little nose is runny (and getting raw) and she's coughing but no fever. She's also about to break through her second tooth which is bothering her some. She is such a trooper, though. She still naps great and sleeps through the night like a champ. We'll hear her coughing sometimes in the middle of the night (4ish or something) and feel so bad for her. But one night i thought it'd be nice of me to get her up, change her, clean out her nose and then just let her sleep on my chest in the rocker so she'd be on an incline. Well, the girl associates ONLY the bed with sleep, i guess. The whole time i held her she looked at me (in the dark) and touched my face and looked at me like "what are we doing?". I put her back down and she got herself back to sleep. I tell you what, doing babywise with Rhyan has made her some more independent! Its bittersweet. I'm proud of her but miss cuddling with her (not that she's ever been real cuddly, but i take what i can get).

In other news, After 2 rounds of antibiotics i still have a sore throat and pressure in my sinuses. The Christmas musical is this coming weekend so it'd be nice to get well so that i dont sound like a dying frog on my solo :-) I think all in attendance would appreciate that.

Ok, on to turkey day related pics.
Jenny's dog and Rhyan loved each other!

Aunt Cathy and her sweet Mama

The Tankersley Kids (jeff's mom and aunt and uncles)

Uncle Wayne and Aunt Cathy's family

Uncle Brian and Aunt Becky's family

Ronni and Andy (the out-laws... i mean, in-laws!)

Jeff and I... Rhyan was taking a nap in all of these pics :-(

The whole Tank. Family. Not sure how the tall ones ended up on the hill.

And this one's just for fun so we can all be jealous of Rhyans thighs :-)

Sorry Guys!

Sorry I've not posted well, lately. Unfortunately, that trend will continue :-( Like most of you this time of year, I am absolutely overwhelmed with way too much to do and far too little time.

In case any of you care, one of the biggest things going on right now is the start of the discipleship ministry at our church. I am the chairperson of a previously non-existent team. Staff positions have done in the past what our team is currently attempting to accomplish after over a year and a half of the ministry being leaderless. Its a huge task, but one well worth the effort.

Our plan is to implement classes (6-7 classes for adults, 2-3 for youth, 2-3 for kids) for all ages on Sunday nights starting mid January. We are hand picking facilitators to lead these classes, attempting to choose material, have a training class for all "leaders", make a brochure for the winter semester, have a "kickoff" lunch after church one sunday to push the ministry, start registration that day, order materials for those who register and then give them classes to meet in and let it roll! Its VERY exciting b/c we have a fairly spiritually immature church who I think will be moved by learning to dig deep into Gods Word. In fact, our team is clinging to the promise that Gods Word "does not return void"!

Jeff and I, because our marriage is the example for all to follow (insert chuckle here), will be leading a married couples class. We are currently deciding on material but may lean towards a combo of the 5 love languages and For men/women only. These 2 resources would combine to make for a 12 week semester. The other possibility is some material called "Making love last forever". We're still praying about what to do and trying to read through the material. Jeff has promised that if I lead the class (b/c he already teaches a sunday school class) that he'll be the sex appeal that draws the masses to our class :-). I know, gag. Haha.

I've also said "yes" to teaching some extra days. I'll be at Collins Hill tomorrow AND Monday meaning I'll only get a 2 day weekend like "regular" folks. I dont see how you "regular" folks do it :-). I'm exhausted.

And the Christmas musical is on the 13th... in which I have a solo that I have yet to learn (i'm such a good steward, huh?) and a trio I have yet to practice in.

These are all GREAT things! I'm grateful for them all... but they seem to be piling on all in such a short time. So as soon as i get time, i'll try to upload some pics and such, but for now, bear with my blog slothfulness :-)

How we do things in these parts of town

Disclaimer: I do not condone this and try my best to not laugh when i see it happening. But Jeff says that this is just the way to do things right.

So sometimes Rhyan gets full before we think she should. So jeff does this:

Showing her butt...

We joke that Rhyan has always had "tude", but lately she's really been showing her butt! HAHA!

In other news, her tooth is really visible now but i cant catch a pic. :-( She's doing so much better w/ sitting up now that the zantac is working.
This was taken about a week and a half ago. Daddy was helping but now she can sit up all on her own for about a minute!

Well, i've been working alot lately and am seriously starting to get worn out so i'm taking advantage of Rhyans nap and going to take one for myself.

Tankersly family thanksgiving tomorrow. I'm VERY excited. And already hungry.

FYI

Rhyan cut her first tooth today, ate sweet potatos for the first time, and sat up un-assisted for maybe 10 seconds. Wow. What a day!

6 months! (summary and pics)

Rhyan turned 6 months old last week. and already, i cant remember my life without her. nor do i want to!! she is the sweetest, cutest thing i've ever seen. i love that she has some of both of us in her. some people claim she looks just like one or the other of us, but i love it when people say she looks like both :-). but even when someone says she looks like jeff, i grin. hey, he's a hottie! its certainly not the worst outcome...

Ok, so at 6 months she is:
-still sucking her fingers CONSTANTLY!
-diagnosed w/ reflux
-not sitting very well, because of the reflux :-(
-taking medicine to make that all better... and its working
-waking at 7am
-taking 2 two hour naps and one 1hour
-in bed by 7:45 each night
-eating cereal 2x's a day (um, this will change... tomorrow)
-eating 24 ounces of similac a day
-starting sweet potatos (homemade by me!) tomorrow
-eating prunes occasionally to help her "output"
-laughing at spud and jeff playing! love this!
-loves when you say "mamamamama" or "dadadadada" or "spud, spud, spud" over and over!
-touches my face when i'm feeding her bottle
-plays with my hair (gently!)
-sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and then pops it out to make a weird sound
-still loves her bath!
-grabs at anything she wants to hold :-)
-"tastes" everything
-loves, and i do mean LOVES her daddy (boo! jk)
-loves for me to sing to her
-favorite songs: the wheels on the bus, itsy bitsy spider, head shoulders knees and toes, you are my sunshine, twinkle twinkle little star
-laughs if i say "oh little fly, why do you cry, stuck in a web, soon you will be EATEN!!!" (from the lord of the rings)
-snorts sometimes (yes, its a trait from me...)
-learning to blow raspberrys (occasionally)
-talks so loudly you cant hear the tv or people on the phone (no, shes not deaf)
-almost NEVER cries
-VERY stubborn and strong-willed
-fights physical therapy (she's very strong now!)
-is trying out a sippy cup each day and is doing pretty well!

Thats about it. i'm sure theres more, but i dont want to bore any of you (any more than you already are! haha). On to the good stuff. Her 6 month pics :-)

Rhyan's Head!

We went for Rhyan's head scan today and got some GREAT news! Her head has gone from 18.9mm difference (from one side to the other) to 12.2mm. This is EXCELLENT! They said she'd probably need to wear it another 6-8 weeks full time and then we could go to only at night for 2 months or so. Of course, this all depends on her growth in the next 6 weeks. Wearing it at night would be to make sure it doesnt get flat again. At around 10 months, they feel certain that her head would be hard enough that even if she continues sleeping w/ her head turned to the right, it'll stay round.
Her neck has hit somewhat of a standstill. She is not making it past 80 degrees and Courtney is concerned with that. She still struggles to get to 80 degrees. So Courtney encouraged us to work HARD on home therapy. It's SO hard to do that b/c she just cries (mostly out of frustration) and it's hard to get her to calm down afterwords. But we're going to have to do it, i guess, and see if that helps. Otherwise, she is concerned that her muscle could be getting fibrotic. Lets hope not. So please keep praying about her neck and that we would continue working with her. But for today, we are praising our Father for the great news about her head! Rhayn and I are both so happy! Theres a new post below from Halloween, too!

Our Punkin

Our Cute Pumpkin on Halloween!

Chillin at Grandmother's house

Whats all this?

Ok, I'll try it...

mmm... not bad!

But NOTHING'S as good as these fingers!

Rhyan wasnt a fan of her punkin outfit (hence, not one smile all night), so to help us hand out candy, we changed her into her "trick or treat" outfit. She liked that much better :-)

Left to wonder...

Tuesday nights are dedicated to one thing: the biggest loser. Jeff and i are avid fans, having watched every season since the first. It is considered acceptable to allow some shows to sit on the dvr until the time comes that we have a free moment to catch up. The b.l., however, does not fall into this category. It is always, and i do mean always, watched day of.

I'll admit that I'm hating on Tracy this season. So much so that i wouldn't mind seeing her gain a hundred pounds or so. Uh, did i say that? Yep. I guess i did.

But the disdain that i feel for her is over come by the absolute love i have for Abby. Not because of her story, but because she inspires me to "choose differently". Not that I've chosen differently, but she inspires me to consider it :-).

Abby shared her story tonight.

2.5 years ago, Abby lost her husband, 5 year old daughter and baby son (only a few months old) in a car accident. In a car that she should have been in. But she wasn't. And for 2.5 years she has been left to live, or at least exist, in this world without them. As i type, tears pour down my face at the mere thought of losing Jeff and Rhyan. My heart aches, literally ACHES at the idea. But to be left to live through this... i don't see how!

But then again, i do. "If __________, then _____". This is a lesson in the Beth Moore bible study of Esther that i am currently doing. Beth encouraged us to each consider that which we fear the most. Anything in the world that may keep us from sleeping at night because we may fear it so much. For some it may be the thought of her husband cheating on her. Her child being abused. Going bankrupt... whatever. She asked us to fill in the blank, mentally. To really think about that fear and what if... what if it really did happen. Then what. Would we die. Just die? Would we kill someone? Would we fall apart?

Or would we trust that God... the ANCIENT OF DAYS who created this world and every living thing in it... had it all under control. That He was still God.

Would we? Would I? Because as i sit and entertain the thought of losing my incredible husband who i adore, my daughter who is everything to me, i just don't know. Which leads me to one conclusion: my mind has limited God. And until I move from this place, my trust will be no greater than the box that I have put Him in.

But take comfort in this: God is NOT in a box! And my idea of Him pales in comparison of who He really is. God Word is TRUE... not my "feelings". And not yours, either! Praise GOD!

So while we may fear that He does not have life in control, take heed of His word and rest in it:
"But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth-
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."
Isaiah 43
What might you not be trusting him with today?

Precious Pics

LOVE that smile

How pitiful!

Pucker up... she's ready for her first kiss (NO!!!!!!)

Her very FIRST time w/ a sippy cup. She did GREAT!

What a cute face :-) Love the tongue sticking out

Her obvious rebellion of tummy time. She'll show me... she'll just go to sleep. Still sucking those fingers!

Hope you enjoyed the "Friday Photos". If people dont start commenting on this thing and letting me know that you actually read it, i'm not gonna take time to do it. But if you do, come back next week for more. I'll try to make it a regular thing :-) There's also a cute new post/pic below...

Wordless Wednesday

Well, almost wordless. The girl LOVES her jumper :-) Thanks, Heather!

Blast from the past

The following is a post from my old blog that i read tonight. I first posted it in August of last year. And i find it just as relevant today. My, how quickly we forget what God has been doing in our lives. Its good to remember. To get back on track.

August 2008:

My childhood was spent in a little baptist church. The same families had always gone there and there was a small childrens ministry but really no place to go after you got into high school. So in 9th and 10th grade i really didnt know what to do. Then one morning I decided to go to the morning prayer meeting at school (dacula high). I took plenty of school work since it was in the library just in case i didnt know anyone. But when I walked in, I was greeted by a lifelong pal, April Hall. She included me in the prayer group and asked me afterwords if i’d like to come to her church that friday for a lock-in. She continued asking throughout the week and her persistence paid off.

When I got to the church that friday evening, April introduced me to lots of people and hung around w/ me. She made me feel really comfortable. And so, i had found a new church. Now, i was only 14 and my family didnt go to church there, but the youth pastor lived right down the road from me and picked me up most sundays and wednesdays.

I became good friends with a group of girls (Angela, April, Ashley, Lindsay and Tanaya). They were an established group of friends, but they made room for me.

Then, on December 10th I accepted the Lord as my savior. Let me preface by saying that I had prayed a prayer as a child (6 years old) but didnt understand fully what it meant to give my life, i only wanted to accept Jesus. So I may very well have already have secured my eternity years back, but it was in December of that year that I felt confident that my heart belonged to Jesus.

And just as the isralites wandered in the desert for many years even after being rescued and released from slavery, I, too have done my wandering. And not to say that I have found my promise land and that my journey is over, but there is steady growth. Well, mostly steady…haha.

And its all because a 14 year old girl chose to be friendly. To show me Jesus through her attitude and caring spirit. To be persistent to love on me and make me feel welcome. She never laid out the gospel to me, but she brought me to the place where I could hear. Not only her, but that a group of girls loved on me, included me…and a youth pastor made time to pick me up. So many people have played a part in the story of my life!

"An expectant heart is truly a breeding ground for the miraculous" -Darlene from hillsong. Are you expecting great things from God in your life this week? Do we really believe that if we are obedient to just invite our co-workers and friends to church that God will move in their lives? Sometimes I don't. But i want my heart to be a breeding ground for the miraculous, so I’m going to try to choose to expect the unexpected. Pray for the miraculous. And watch and see what unfolds.

Stay tuned to see how God answers this! I’m excited…

No proof in a picture, but...

Rhyan lay down today with her head to the LEFT!!!!! She was on her tummy in the sunroom while i was in the kitchen piddling and she looked over to me and lay her head down. And she left it like that for 3-4 minutes, i guess. Her shoulder wasnt lifted or cocked up or anything. Funny thing, though, she was laying there with her arms straight out (like you would do if you were pretending to be an airplane.) So her body looked like -i- but of course unlike the symbol, she has legs.
Ok, so i'm trying to be creative w/ letters and punctuation marks. You get the point, i'm sure.
Anyways, i just kept saying to jeff (and to my mommie when she got here) "look at that! i cant believe it! She's doing so great! dont you think? Jeff? dont you think? mommie? dont you think so too? i'm so proud! She's just doing so great. look at that! isnt it exciting"....
and so on. yeah, they were as tired of me going on and on as you probably are reading it, but it was exciting and i am proud :-)

Start Spreading the News!!!

Yes, i hope you thought of the song when you read the title.

Great news! Rhyan had an adjustment on her helmet and a therapy appointment today. Diane, her therapist for the day, said that she was really improving! Her original measurments were as follows:

turning her head to the right-100 degrees
turning to the left-65 degrees
tilting head to the left-65degrees
tilting to the right-45 degrees

As of today, the measurements are as follows:

turning to right-105 degrees
turning left- 90 degrees!!!!
tilting to left- 70 degrees
tilting to right- 65 degrees

She is also holding her head in midline without pulling her shoulder (left shoulder) up to her ear. YAY!!!! She did really great today. Yes, she fussed. She always does at some point or another. But she worked really hard. In fact, she did some new exercises today because she's getting more advanced and needs more advanced workouts :-) lol.

Anyways, I'm grateful for her progress. For her stubbornness. As frustrating as it can be, that personality trait makes her die hard at getting to do something she wants to.

3 Years

Its been 3 years now. 3 years of life continuing at a pace that I can barely keep up with. Of season changes, birthdays and holidays coming and going. 3 years of having to live life without my Daddy.

And yet, time has not healed all wounds. I find it doubtful that it ever will.

There has never been a better Daddy. Ever.

Childhood memories take me back to when he was strong and full of life. To a time when he chose where and when he would go. When his days were consumed with choosing the right kind of wood to make his newest project with.

It was a good home to grow up in. Better than good, actually.

But his new home is perfect and in it all things are made right. His back is young and strong again. He stands tall. His feet no longer a burden. His heart, through Christ, made complete and whole again.

And one day, after the pace of this life is too much for me to sustain, I will join him. And get to spend eternity with my heavenly Father, and my earthly father who taught me to love Him. Short of having Daddy from 20 years ago here with me now, I can think of nothing greater.

Loving FALL!!

Fall is by far my very favorite time of year. I can leave the windows open and not be covered in pollen! The temperature is just ideal. There is nothing better than sitting on the back porch and eating breakfast while doing my bible study on a cool morning while Rhyan takes her nap! PERFECTION is found in fall :-)

Ok, now that i've gushed about how much i love this time of year... on to an update on Rhyan. She is doing really well again w/ her helmet. There is one small place on the back of her neck that we need to have adjusted. But its small and not that bad. So she's still wearing it in the meantime. I think we caught her in a growth spurt when we got the helmet. Richard (the helmet dude) said if you do, you tend to have a couple of rough weeks at the beginning b/c of the baby's head growing. So you need more adjustments. The upside is that you see change more quickly. And i have to say that Jeff and I both think her head is already looking better. AMAZING!!!

Last night we had the most upsetting thing happen. At just before midnight, Rhyan woke up crying (hard). Not like she was hurting... rather, as if something had upset or scared her. She hasnt woken up in the night since she was 8 weeks old so it scared me to death! I jumped out of bed to run to her and as i was trying to call for help, my voice would barely work. I was that scared. Keep in mind, she was fine! But my heart was so upset at hearing her cry out of no where. I held her, changed her and cried over her long after she had quit crying. After making sure nothing was wrong, we put her back to bed. Jeff said he thought maybe she had a bad dream! POOR BABY!!! She went right back to sleep. I, however, lay in bed crying and so shook up for a good 10 minutes. Jeff prayed for her (and me) and i tried SO hard to get over it... I still cant believe how it affected me. She almost NEVER cries. And i'm glad. My heart cant really take it.

Anyways, all is well around here. I guess i got a "wake up call" so to speak last night of just how much i love and long to protect my little girl. Even from bad dreams! :-)

Set Backs...

I hate set backs. When i get started on something, i just want to continue till i'm done.

Rhyan's helmet has been rubbing a place on her face. It's where the little side-burn part of her helmet is... just above and in front of the ear. Sunday it was pink, Monday it was RED. We left it off (per the therapists advice) on monday from 11am-bedtime. We had it adjusted monday, as well. But when we got her up on Tuesday and took it off (normally we wouldnt take it off, but needed to check the spot) it was BLOOD red! You can see in this pic (if you click on it) the red spot... this was sunday, before it got super red. POOR BABY! So the helmet adjustment guy, Richard, said to put diaper cream on it and leave it off until the area healed completely.

And then start over. AHH!! NO! I dont want it to hurt her little head, but i also wish it would just be ok for her so she could wear it the 23 hours and be that much closer to getting it off.

She hasnt been fussy about it or anything. She is such a good baby. So tough.

So please, pray with us that she will heal and that setbacks will be minimal.

Having said all of that, its been really nice to cuddle with her and not have that hard helmet between us :-). There are up-sides to everything!

Update on Rhyan and her helmet!

Rhyan is doing GREAT~

I am really so very proud of her. She has not seemed to be bothered by her helmet at all. She has napped like normal. She' s a great sleeper and believe me, the child needs her sleep. Last night was the first night she had to wear it to bed, so of course i was concerned that she would be bothered by it... but she wasn't. She slept like a champ. I have been worried about her overheating, so i bought some of the thin white cotton short sleeved onesies for her to wear instead of her footed sleepers. The girl doesn't mind sleeping while a little cool, but sweats like crazy if she's a little overheated (hmmm... sounds like a certain Daddy i know...). So she and Jeff have that in common.

She is working very hard to turn over to her left. This is so great because that is the way its hard for her to turn her head. So to see her working at it and doing SO well is very encouraging. Courtney (her therapist) said we'd probably have to work w/ her a while to get her to turning that way. I'll admit, I've worked with her some (a little each day) but not tons... so this is really by her own prompting. She's definitely strong willed and stubborn. Which in this case is really great. She's not letting a little torticollis get in the way of her getting around!

She is pushing herself up with her arms so that her chest is completely off the floor. She is also pulling her knees under her while on her tummy... i have a feeling crawling will come in the not so distant future. Jeff said he prefers her to be a paper weight baby. Haha. It is exciting to think that she'll be on the move soon. Um, scary, but exciting!

Rhyan has turned into a TUMMY sleeper! This is hilarious to me b/c Jeff sleeps on his tummy every night while i sleep on my back (he says i look like a corpse sometimes!). So to see her sleeping like her daddy, being hot natured like her daddy... well, its sweet. I love Jeff. And i love seeing his traits in our daughter :-) If only she'll be as sweet as he is. But alas, the stubborn side of me seems to be quite strong in her, as well. She HATES being woke up. Yep, thats like me. As long as she wakes on her own, you wont find a happier baby. But if you interrupt her sleep... beware. She's gonna protest w/ crying. And with attitude. She gives looks to kill.

Anyways, Rhyan is doing really well. We will have a scan on Nov 2nd to see how her head shape is progressing. Jeff and I love every minute we have with her. We really are so blessed!

Helmet Time

Rhyan is adjusting well to her helmet. She doesnt like it when we first put it on, but quickly gets used to it. She is still rolling over like crazy and holding her head up well!

Here, she's reading her book :-). Yes, my child is clearly brilliant.














Still smiling!














This morning, eating cereal. Which has her constipated, btw... SAD!














Our first "mother-daughter" chat. She's such a good listener.














Daddy wanted a pic of his 2 babies. Unfortunately, Spud hasnt mastered smiling for the camera like Rhyan has.

Rhyan's helmet and My heart...

I dont know how to express how i feel. Anxious. Fearful. Glad.

I'm anxious about her helmet for a few reasons. I'm hoping it wont disrupt her sleeping. I wonder if people will think we did something wrong that caused her to have to wear it. I wonder if it will bother her.

I'm fearful that she will slow developmentally. That it wont help. Or that it wont work as quickly as we'd hope.

I'm glad to be moving on with it. To be getting it and starting this process. So that in a few months, i can look back at this post and think "how silly was i to worry!".

I'm ready for tomorrow. But i dont think my heart is.
I really do realize that its not that big a deal. In my head. Its just this heart that bothers me!

But i take comfort in knowing that Rhyan is FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made. And that her Creator is also her Father who loves her more than I (is that really possible???) and that she is in HIS hands. Even for simple things like this that I, her worrier of a mommy, get upset over. He has it all under control.

Sometimes i just need to remind myself.

Big girl!

Rhyan is rolling over!!!



























Jerry came over and took pics so that Jeff could record Rhyan's first taste of cereal on video.
























































She loves when we let her "fly" high!




























Rhyan is getting so big!

She is now:
-in size 3-6 mo clothes
-wearing size 2-3 pampers
-laughing ALOT!
-rolling over from back to tummy ALOT!
-eating cereal
-talking VERY loudly
-reaching for toys
-touching our faces if we're close enough. like she's exploring us. SWEET!!!
-blowing bubbles (jeff thinks its gross... i love it)
-eating out of a fast flow nipple all the time
-going to sunday school AND church (its a long sunday, but she does well)
-getting to skip an occasional physical therapy session b/c of me working some extra days, but is still progressing well, according to courtney
-staying awake for 1hour 45 min each waketime
-taking 3 naps a day (2+hour, 2+hour and 1hour)
-sleeping from 7:45-7ish or later :-) (yes, we're grateful!)
-on a successful 4 hour eating schedule (oh, what a DREAM!)
-being cute and making her mommy and daddy happy EVERY DAY!