one year

In one year we have gone from this...

...to this.

One year has brought big change to our home. Definitely for the better :o).

four months

As in a quarter of a year. As in 17 weeks. As in 123 days (I can't believe we used to tell people how many days old she was, and now we are in months). My baby is growing up.

I keep saying that Ryann has turned into a 'real baby' this month. That sounds a little weird, she hasn't really been a 'newborn' per say for a while, but she just seems so much older. She is getting so strong, and definitely has quite the personality. She is growing like crazy. At the doctor's office she weighed in at 13 pounds 15 ounces, and measured 24.75 inches long. She is still jumping up the growth charts. She was in somewhere like the 9th in weight when she was born, and now she has made it all the way to the 55th. She is in the 64th percentile for length. Her head is still on the small side in the 22nd percentile, but she looks normal, so we will go with that :o).

This week I had to put away the 0-3 clothing. My little peanut who was swimming in newborn clothing just a couple months ago, is fitting comfortably into most of her 3-6 month outfits. Some of the dresses still look ridiculous, but the onesies and pants are great. She also just about done with the size one diapers. She needs twos!! And as of yesterday we are offering her five ounces of formula in her bottle roughly every three hours.

Skill wise, this month Ryann has done a lot. She has gained much better control of her hands and arms. She loves trying to sit and stand, even though she isn't the greatest at it just yet. Ry learned to roll from her back to her tummy, and has pretty much perfected it over the last couple of days. Also her feet are a fun new toy.

Sleep still isn't a strong point in this house. We transitioned Ry to the crib for naps... before she was taking three naps a day, lasting anywhere from an hour or two each in the swing. Now we get four to five thirty minute naps in the crib. That is definitely a step up from the ten minutes she would last in the crib only a couple weeks ago, but it is so tempting to let her sleep in the swing. Lets face it, I enjoy the break, and she is just a happier kid when she sleeps.

Night time also has its ups and downs. This week for example? One night she slept from 7:20pm to 6:45am (woohoo party!), another night she woke up at 3am for a bottle and went right back to sleep until 6:30am. Not as good as an all nighter, but alright. Last night? Last night was horrible. She went down at 7:45pm, woke up at 11:15pm but went back to sleep with a paci, woke up at 12:45am for a bottle and went right back to sleep, woke up at 3:30am because she busted out of her swaddle but I soothed her back to sleep, and wanted to be up for good at 5am.

Lately we've been trying to go for walks, and Ry generally seems to enjoy it. I can't wait for it to cool off just a bit, so we can really enjoy them. Usually she looks around, but the other night she stared at the side of the stroller pretty much the whole time. Silly girl :o).

Probably my most favorite thing that Ryann started doing this month? Laughing. I have waited so long to hear a real laugh from my baby girl, and it is an amazing sound. A bit goofy, and very hard to get, but when I can squeeze a laugh out of her it makes my day. Check it out:

Even though some days are tough, and I often count the hours until Chris comes home and I can get a five minute break, I love being a mommy to my little four month old baby. Ry is awesome. I absolutely love her to pieces.

i feel loved

When people say I inspire them, I am humbled. Nikki over at Nikki's Nacs is featuring my blog today, as one of her favorite blogs. I'm honored. Thank you so much Nikki, for all of your kind words!

Nikki is pretty cool her self, so you should probably check out her blog as well. :o)

I'll be back later today with Ry's four month post! First we have to go to the doctor for shots. Boo :o(.

embrace the camera

Big things happening at our house today. Ryann turned 4 months old, and I said goodbye to long hair that I've had for 8 years. I'm trying really hard to cope with both of these things :o).

a day in the life - emily

So several weeks ago when Ryann was going through her I won't sleep unless I'm held phase, I did lots and lots of clicking through and reading blogs (you can do that one handed... most of the time :o). I'm so happy that I came across Emily's. Now each week I am trying to complete her challenge of embracing the camera. She seemed like such a fun spunky lady, so I'm glad I get a peek into her everyday life!

***

well hello there...i'm emily.

i'm a 20-something wifey to mr. anderson. we have 4 little hapa children running around. i may be slightly partial, but they are the cutest kids i've ever seen. i'm trying to document their early years on my blog. one day, they'll thank me for it...right? in our house, we have fun, we laugh, we yell, we go crazy, we fight, we kiss and make-up...but most importantly, we love jesus.

well, if you have young kids in the house, you can relate with the fact that each day seems to feel like the same.

am i really wiping this bottom, again?

am i seriously sweeping crumbs up off the floor for the 12th time today? and it's only noon?

do i really know every word to the caillou theme song? gawl.

yes, tis true that our days can seem boring and uneventful, but hang in there, super women!

i loved this idea by ashley...the thought of getting to peek into other peoples daily lives is a lot like peeking into their windows at night---when they have their lights on (come on, you know you do this too). it makes them feel more real to me. i did, however, want to make sure people didn't feel like our lives were perfect and we did fabulous things everyday.

friends...that is farthest from the truth.

dude. some days, my kids watch way to much t.v.

some days, i yell way more than necessary.

some days, we eat cereal for dinner cause i forgot to thaw the meat out.

some days, i'm just plain cranky and don't want to do anything, let alone deal with children.

so, in spite of my bad days, we do have some good days. my "day in the life" is neither. it's a good mix of the two.

here ya go:

-at roughly 8:00, i roll my sleepy self out of bed. i have the worlds best husband.

he gets up with the children, every morning and gets their breakfast ready. this makes me happy. i really dislike being demanded of, first thing in the morning, so he takes care of it all, while i get up and wash my face and get ready for the day.

i spend the next hour eating breakfast, reading, checking my email and catching up on blogs. the kids are allowed to watch cartoons for this hour as well.

-by 9:00 the t.v. and computer are off (most days).

the next couple hours differ, depending on the day.

-9:00-11:30 i like to use this time for errands, if needed (4 little people + errands = hell, so i try to avoid that as much as possible). if we don't have errands to run, then the baby goes down for a morning nap, and i try to do some housework. i get the big kids involved...they help put dishes away from the dishwasher, put their laundry away, sweep the kitchen and bathroom floors, pick up their toys and clean up their rooms (not all on the same day). and yes, they do whine when i ask them to help...my favorite line to say to them is "well, did i get your undies dirty? no, you're right...i didn't get them dirty, but i'm cleaning them for you. that's what families do...we help each other out". they always like the underwear comment and it usually gets them to help. it's all about perspective. around 10:00, i throw a snack in there. after they are done with their "chores" they have some free time. this particular day, we made a tent.

-around 11:30, we eat lunch. i have the worlds slowest eaters, so it takes a good 30 minutes. by noon, mr. anderson comes home for lunch (yippee!) i take a break from all the madness and usually head to my room and lock the door behind me. some days i might take a quick snooze...some days i might check my email...it all depends on how i'm feeling.

-at 1:00, mr. anderson heads back to work (boo) and i am back on mommy duty. to calm the kiddos down, i let them pick a quick 30 minute show or movie.

-1:30-4:30 is REST TIME in my house. people are always amazed at this, but yes, from 1:30-4:30 all of my kids are in their rooms, resting/sleeping/playing quietly/reading. some days the baby's sleep schedule is a little off, but he's usually in there for the full 3 hours too. i need this time. it's non-negotiable in my house. not only do i need this time, but i use it however i'd like. i told myself a long time ago that i would only do things that i liked, during rest time. some days, that involves posting a blog/surfing the web/editing photos. some days, i pop a gilmore girls in and watch a couple episodes while i eat ice cream. some days, i sleep. some days, i get my craft on. it doesn't matter what it is i'm doing, just as long as i'm enjoying it and it's recharging my batteries for when the littles get back up.

-4:30 kids clean up their rooms and head on out. i start to get dinner ready...we usually turn on the i-pod and dance during this time too. it keeps them occupied while i am in the kitchen.

-5:00 it's a ritual in my house, the kids watch the electric company, every day at 5:00...they love this show. during this time, mr. anderson gets home. we finish getting dinner ready, and at 5:30, we usually always eat.

-the rest of of the night consists of cleaning up after dinner, hanging out, taking baths, and heading to bed. while bedtime is at 7:30 in this house, they almost always don't fall asleep till around 9:00. we don't care too much, as long as they are being quiet in their rooms. this gives mr. anderson and i some time to just chill.

-i usually end up falling asleep way later than i wanted too (around 11:00)...i wake up the next day and start it all over again!

in between all of this, i am changing diapers, nursing a baby every 3 hours and listening to worship music (that really gets me through the days).

not only am i doing those things, but i'm also ALWAYS breaking up fights, putting kids in timeouts, explaining to kids how to deal with their anger, taking away privileges, trying to teach a 3 year old how to poop on the potty (that's a fun one), explaining why we don't get to eat candy and watch t.v. all day...the list goes on and on.

but, those things come with the territory of being a mommy.

at the end of the day, as long as i've loved my kids, then it's been a good day.

and to answer ashley's questions...

1. the thing i found most surprising (since becoming a mama) was how i am able to function with little to no sleep.

i yearn for the days when i sleep again.

2. a tip for new moms...

-establish a rest time in the afternoon, so that you can have ME time.

i'm telling ya, it's the best thing i've ever done for myself.

3. top 3 baby products.

a. cloth diapers

b. a sling for baby wearing

c. a pacifier - actually a lot of pacifiers...in case they get lost :)

thanks ashley!

***

Thank you Emily!

i heart weekends

I especially love weekends that Chris doesn't have to be at the hospital, and we get to spend time with friends and family. Despite the fact that Ry and I have had to change clothes a bajillion times, it was definitely a good one.

biscuits and more

A couple weeks ago Chris and I made dinner for some friends. We grilled some chicken and asparagus. They were pretty good, but the real winner here, was the biscuits.

If you've ever been to Red Lobster, and you like the Cheddar Bay Biscuits, than this recipe is for you. They taste pretty dang close to the same. AND, it was incredibly easy to make.

Enjoy!

happy friday

Ryann loves my photo shoots...

...obviously.

In other news, she has definitely discovered her feet this week. She just isn't sure what to do with them.

Also, my child doesn't want to learn to sit, she would rather stand. Seriously! Now whenever I try to pull her into a seated position, she tries her hardest to push off the floor/pull on me so she can straighten her legs and stand up.

Maybe the hubby is right. She is going to be an early walker.

I'm screwed.

Happy Friday! :o)

embrace the camera

Me and my girl after her bath tonight...

As a side note, I just got that towel at Target and I love it. It is from their new Little Seeds line. It is organic, soft, and bigger than most baby towels. Perfect!

I had to tuck in these two as well. Ryann gets really excited for her bath. When we walk in the bathroom Chris asks her 'Are you ready for a bath?' and she goes nuts. Hence the drool.

Man I love that smile.

a day in the life - bri

Another Wednesday, another day in the life. Today I am happy to introduce you to Bri. Honestly, I can't remember how I stumbled upon her blog, the webblog, but I love it. She has great style, and I'm jealous of her crafty skills. Since Rilo was born I have really enjoyed watching her grow. She is too cute!!

***

Hi everyone! I guess I should start by introducing myself. My name is Bri, which should rhyme with "hi" when you say it. Here I am throwing you for a loop and it's only my third sentence! My husband Adam and I have been married for a little over two years. Our little girl, Rilo Jane, is 4.5 months old and we love her to pieces. My husband's job entails traveling to a new city each summer so we are currently in a suburb of Chicago. He works hard during the summer, but then has it nice and easy when it's over. When it's not summertime, we live in a 100 year old house in Utah that we love to fix up. It's full of hardwood floors and lots of little quirks that make it charming. I have several hobbies and interests, none of which I profess to be a master at, but I love to do them nonetheless. Currently, I like decorating, graphic design, photography and sewing. I used to love eating raw brownie/cookie dough baking, but Rilo is allergic to dairy and soy so that hobby has been put on the back burner. Probably for the better anyway...I think my waist appreciates the break!

{Me, with my sweet Rilo Jane}

Alright alright, enough about me. Well, okay, more about me...but on to what this guest post is supposed to be about! I'm actually really glad Ashley asked me to do this because I often wonder where on earth my day went. And now I know! This is a pretty typical summer day:

7:00 AM: I wake up to the babble of a little baby next to my bed. Some days I don't hear those coos until 8:00, but most days she's bright-eyed and smiley by 7:00. I scoop her up and plop her in between Adam and myself. She is content for awhile playing with our faces and holding our hands. It's always funny to wake back up to a finger in your eye!

{Holding onto her Daddy's hand while he sleeps}

7:30 AM: Adam takes Rilo and spends some time with her. This means I get an hour more of sleep. Rilo does not sleep through the night yet. Not. even. close. We're talking 4-5 times of waking up still! So I don't feel too bad when I catch up on some extra zzzz's.

8:30 AM-NOON: During this time we get ready for the day! Adam doesn't start work until noon so this is our family time. Sometimes we run errands, sometimes we work on projects, but most of the time we just hang out together. Rilo takes an hour nap around 10:00 AM. I try and get in a shower and get dressed. Something about summertime makes me feel like I don't need to blow dry my hair, so wavy hair it is. Plus, Rilo is usually up from her nap before I even have a chance to finish my hair. I like to take some time to check my email, make sure my posts went up for the day and check out some of my favorite blogs during this time too.

{Hanging out with Daddy}

NOON-1:00 PM: Rilo plays on her playmat while I make lunch for Adam. He heads off to start his work day. Rilo and I read stories, sing songs and play with her toys until she starts getting sleepy.

1:00-4:00 PM: Nap time! This is when I get to do "me" things. I work on sewing projects, edit photos, pick up around the house, work on blog headers/invitations and surf the blog world. Yes, I consider myself extremely lucky that she sleeps for about 3 hours in the afternoon. I like to think it makes up for the poor sleep at night!

{Screenshot of my desktop and a vintage pillowcase dress I made during nap time}

4:00 PM: Sawyer, our little Yorkie-Poodle dog, is generally whining for me to take him on a walk by this point in the day. If you've met my dog, you'll know that when I say "whining" I really mean making strange monkey noises! We get the stroller ready or I put on my Moby wrap and head out. Rilo and Sawyer love to be outside. Walks are a real crowd pleaser in the Webb household!

{Sawyer and Rilo heading out for a walk}

4:30 PM: Photo time! Rilo has her own little space on the world wide web. Since our families are spread across the country, I take photos of Rilo almost every day and upload them to her own blog, five days a week. This way, friends and family can watch her grow day-to-day. It works so well that sometimes my family **ahem, dad! ;)** will forget to call me for a week because they feel like they know all about what's going in our lives. We normally spend at least a half hour taking photos each day. I think Rilo probably thinks my camera is an extension of my face. I plan on turning her blog into a book for her at the end of each year.

{A recent outdoor photo shoot}

5:00 PM: This is when we often head over to our friend's place. There are several other couples out here with us in Chicago and so the wives like to get together and hang out. We chat and play card games. Rilo hangs out with us at the table while we play and talk. She also gets to play with Josie, who is 18 months old. Josie adores Rilo! It's nice to get some adult time in before the day is over.

6:00 PM: Rilo gets so excited over bath time! She is content to play and splash (and wiggle!) in her whale tub. After drying her off, it's time for a little lotion massage.

{Loving the tub!}

6:30 PM: Rilo is at her silliest at this time. She is full of giggles right before bed. We tickle and play for a few minutes. This is probably one of my favorite times of the day. Her new favorite thing is to give me wet, slobbery kisses on the cheek. She thinks it's hilarious!

7:00 PM: Storytime! We read through several of her little board books. I use the term "read" loosely...I read as she tries to grab and eat the books.

{Rilo "reading"}

7:20 PM: One last feed before bed! She is normally out like a light by 7:30...for a few hours anyway.

7:30 PM: I tidy up the house, throw in a couple loads of laundry and get dinner going. Adam gets home around 9:00 PM so I have an hour of downtime. I usually hop back on the internet if the house is (mostly) picked up.

9:00 PM: Adam gets home and we eat a late dinner. We talk about our day and Adam entertains me with funny stories. We might watch a show or play some Wii. We have an endless supply of Law and Order's on our DVR when it's not a SYTYCD night. Yes, my husband is awesome and happily watches SYTYCD with me!

10:30 PM: The lights on the video monitor flare and Rilo is up. It's time for me to feed her again. Luckily she goes back down right away.

11:00 PM: I make sure both blog posts are scheduled for the morning. Due to an annoying Blogger glitch however, just because it's scheduled doesn't mean it will actually post on time. It's worth a shot anyway!

Midnight: We head up to bed. I close my eyes but know it's just a matter of minutes until Peanut awakes again. I drift off to sleep...

Oh you thought that was the end? Nope, 1:00 AM, 3:00 AM, and 5:00 AM I get some extra snuggling in with the babe while she eats. I try to cherish these little snuggles, in my half awake state. Yes, it will be nice to sleep through the night again, but that just means 8 hours without holding my sweet little girl and it makes me a teeny bit sad.

Morning light peers in and then it starts all over again!

I skipped over a few things though you might be wondering about. She feeds on demand so these days it's about every 2-3 hours. Diaper changes are several times throughout the day (hope that's obvious!). Factor in about 200 times of me wiping up spit-up or changing outfits (both for me and her) all day long! I find time to eat a couple small meals, usually with Rilo on my lap trying to grab it from me. And naturally, the schedule varies day-to-day. Fridays we go out to lunch with the girls out here. Some days we'll venture into downtown Chicago while other days we'll hit up the park or a craft store, to spice things up a bit!

If you've made it this far, congrats! Hope I didn't bore you to death!

Lastly, here are the answers to Ashley's questions:

1. What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mother?

You know how people always tell you "it goes by so fast", "they'll be in college before you know it", "it's over in the blink of an eye"...IT'S TRUE!!! After years of eye rolls at those comments, I now know the truth in those statements. They grow up before you know it...I mean, I know she's only approaching 5 months, but those 5 months have been some of the fastest in my life!!

2. What are some tips you would give to new moms, or soon to be mommas?

Make sure to give yourself some "me" time! Keep your old hobbies or find some new ones. I think having some time for myself helps me love the moments that aren't all about me anymore! Along the same lines, find some "us" time with your spouse or significant other. We try and go on dates weekly and even if we can't "go" on a date, we'll still do dinner and a movie...just at our place. One thing we've found that has been great is the drive-ins! Two movies for the price of one and no babysitter needed. We bring her along and she just sleeps the whole time!

3. What are your top three baby products?

A swaddle sack, bouncer and a musical stuffed animal. I may be stating the obvious here with these items, but we could not have lived without these things! Rilo still can't sleep without being swaddled...those hands go directly to her face which in turn wakes her right up! We didn't originally buy a bouncer. I thought with a swing and all of the other baby "stuff" we already had, we wouldn't need one. When Rilo was 2 weeks, we ordered the Woodlands bouncer from Target and it was a lifesaver!! Rilo slept in the bouncer for the first couple months. We went to California to visit family when she was 3.5 weeks and instead of bringing the pack n' play, we brought her bouncer. It was magical the way it knocked her out! I still use it when I hop in the shower. We also have a couple musical stuffed animals that are great to entertain and also soothe Rilo. Our favorite on-the-go musical toy is this one.

***

I apologize if anyone has been reading this while I've been messing with it. For some reason me and the formatting of this post weren't getting along. Hopefully it looks ok now!

Thanks so much for sharing Bri!

this and that {it's all about ryann}

:: Ryann absolutely LOVES to gum my fingers now. I don't know if she is starting to get some pearly whites, or if she just likes the way it feels, but if she has a grip on my finger it is going directly to her mouth. As are many other things, toys, burpies, iphones...

:: Since she was a couple weeks old, we have suspected that Ryann has a mild cause of reflux. She spits up frequently, and occasionally it really bothers her when she does. Most of the time though, she is a relatively 'happy spitter' and she is gaining weight, so with the recommendation of the pediatrician we aren't medicating her.

But... the spitting up is starting to get ridiculous. Lots of her formula comes up when we do tummy time. When we hold her in a sitting position. When she is the least bit excited. When she gets upset. We try and sit upright quietly and calmly for a minimum of 20 minutes after she eats, so that she can keep some of it down, but this girl gets antsy. And when she is only awake for 80 minutes at a time, spending 15 of those minutes eating, and 20 minutes sitting upright, and 20 minutes getting her back to sleep, well, that doesn't leave much time for anything in the middle. It is driving me nuts, and I feel bad for her.

:: Ry is totally ready for game day. Rock Chalk Jayhawk baby!

:: I think Ryann is going to push the limits while she is growing up, a lot. Maybe not, but she does it unintentionally now! Our night sleep had gotten pretty terrible over the last two weeks, and just as I am hitting the end of my rope, the girl sleeps 10 hours straight, wakes up, has a bottle, and goes back to bed for another 2 hours. Thank you for that Ryann. I needed some sleep! But why do I still feel tired today? Oy...

:: We've decided Ryann's mental capticity, and desire to be mobile, makes her lack of motor skills frustrating for her. She is pretty much right on track, and getting better at things everyday, but she always wants to be sitting up (she face plants if you give her the slightest bit of wiggle room) and she has been trying to scoot with her legs. Check the video.

:: Those little legs are tough! Right now something else she enjoys, is if you pull her from laying on the ground to a standing position. She pushes her little legs straight from the seated position. It is too cute. And she uses her legs to turn herself around the playmat. If I leave her for five minutes she will be facing the opposite direction.

:: EDIT! As I was publishing this post, baby girl rolled from back to front. I missed it, but when I looked up she was on her tummy. Way to go Ryann!!

baked lemon chicken

It seems as though whenever we go to make dinner, Chris and I want to try a new recipe. I'm not sure why, you think that after we found a few good ones we wouldn't need to hit the cookbooks so often (ok allrecipes.com, whatever), but we usually do. However this recipe has actually been used multiple times in our house.

It is fairly easy to make, and chicken stays so moist. The lemon flavor is relatively strong, but we like it. I'm not sure that everyone would. We've used both plain bread crumbs and seasoned bread crumbs (and one time a mix, it just depends on what we have :o), and honestly I don't really notice that much of a difference. So if you have either on hand I say go for it.

Side note, I'm sorry that right now my posts are alternating between recipes and pictures of Ry (I'm not sorry about that, she is too cute sometimes :o) but I don't have much else going on at the moment. This weekend I did work on some frames so that she can finally have stuff in the walls in her room, when they are up I'll show you!

Enjoy!

i'm giddy

So I've discussed my recent obsession with wanting a silhouette. And after more than one failed giveaway entry (thanks for the tip Beth Ann, too bad it didn't happen for me!) I decided I wasn't going to leave it up to chance anymore. I ordered one. I am anxiously awaiting its arrival.

These are some blogs that convinced me that the silhouette and I are destined to be together.

From Little Birdie Secrets... my Ktichen Aid is almost definitely getting a makeover. :o) And Ry can never have too many cute onesies right?

From The TomKat Studio... lets see, I'm going to have kids birthday parties, bridal showers, holidays, and many more events that will put this little guy to good use.

From Project Nursery... I've been wanting to put some silhouette art in Ry's nursery, so now I'll have the silhouette to help me do it!

And from Make It and Love it... who wouldn't want to be able to put fun designs on t-shirts?

So I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new toy. I have no idea what I'm going to do first, but I promise to share all the goodies I come up with!

Side note, don't you think silhouette should give me some accessories (I would love some rolls of vinyl, some flocked transfer paper, you know...), for all this free press they are getting from me? I think so. Like that will ever happen :o).