Squash.....and a Snow Day!

Raegan,

I was out of school for the last two days and I've loved being here with you! You did some of this:



and a little bit of this:



What were you watching?



You LOVE Barney. If you are ever crying or not happy, we play the Barney song and you stop immediately! Your grandma gave us two Barney DVDs Monday, and we let you watch them last night. You got sooo excited and were yelling and talking to the TV!

Outside, it looked like this:





You have been eating sweet potatoes for about a week and a half. Like your daddy, you love them, although he didn't love the ones you were eating!! On Thursday, we tried squash for the first time. You were not such a big fan and kept looking at me like, "Where's the good stuff?"









These two pictures sum up your thoughts perfectly:





And, finally, a daddy with long eye lashes + a momma with long eyelashes = double long eyelashes for you:

5 Months!

Dear Raegan,

It seems like yesterday that I met you for the first time, and now you are already five months old! I love watching you learn new things and seeing daily the little person you are becoming. But, I hate that it is going so quickly. I love your little chubby cheeks, your deep blue eyes that shine like the sun, your toothless grin that encompasses your entire face, and how excited you get when you see your daddy... or me. :)

I love knowing that I have not missed any of your time here with us. Each day you change so much, and I know we can't get these days back. I am forever thankful that I have been able to appreciate each and every day with you and experience your ever-changing personality.

You are so excited for everything in your life, especially your bottles. And lately, you are completely excited by the animals. They, however, are still trying to decide just what exactly you are!

In the last two months, you have experienced your first Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. I still struggle every morning when I have to leave you, but coming home at lunch to see you and looking forward to seeing you after school get me through the day. I don't remember what life was like before you were with us, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Your daddy and I finally went out alone for 2 hours to eat on New Years Eve. We still have not left you overnight, and during the day is the longest I have been away from you. Maybe someday, but I'm just not quite ready for that yet. It took us so long to be blessed with you that I have trouble letting you go!

What are you up to lately?

-At your 4-month well-baby check, you weighed 16.10 and were 24 inches long.
-You drink 7 ounces in your bottle.
-You wear a size 3 diaper.
-You still wear some size 0-3 month clothes, but we are starting to fill out the 3-6 month sizes.
-You HATE being on your stomach.
-Because of your extreme hatred for laying on your stomach, you have only rolled over 3 times. The first time was on New Years Eve, and you grandma was able to see it with us!
-We are just about ready to switch you to your new car seat. You are no longer comfortable in your infant carrier!
-You refused to eat rice cereal, so I refused to make you. :)
-The day after your five-month birthday, you ate baby food for the first time! We started with sweet potatoes, and you LOVE them! (Your daddy is a sweet potato fanatic, so the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!)
-Your giggle makes me laugh and cry at the same time. It is music to my ears - music I could listen to all day!
-You are a professional drooler!
-Everything you grab goes straight to your mouth.
-You definitely know your daddy and I, and also your grandma, grandpa, Uncle Tanner, and Samantha.
-Everyone comments on what a happy baby you are, and they are right. The only time you are not happy is when you are extremely tired or hungry.
-When you are fussy, you want your mama. And that is fine by me. :)

We love you, Raegan.

Love,
Mommy

3 Months!

Dear Raegan,

You are three months old today! I wish we could freeze time, because it is definitely going too fast! In the last month, we had your first Halloween! Next week we will celebrate your first Thanksgiving and your daddy's 27th birthday (also on Thanksgiving) in Medford with our family. I know they are all anxious to see you and spend allll day with you!

Tomorrow it is supposed to snow, so if it does, we will get to experience your first snow. It seems like about every day we could write about a first that we have had! It has been a hectic couple of weeks. This last week our daycare was closed, so in the mornings we had to find somewhere for you to stay. Last week our neighbor Susan kept you until Samantha was out of class. This week, it appears it is "Daddy Day Care" time! haha! You will stay here with your daddy until Samantha gets here and then he will go to work. I'm a tad bit jealous that he gets to stay here with you. I just don't have any time I can take off from work since I took eight weeks of maternity leave.

We found out this last week that my grandma's (your great-grandma) cancer has come back. She goes this Friday to have a scan done to see if it is contained in the one spot or if it has spread. We are hoping it has not spread and they will be able to go in and remove the lump and get all the cancer. This is not something I had hoped we would experience again, and definitely not while you are so young!

What can you do these days?

- You take 6 ounces in your bottle, but I try to sneak in an extra ounce at night to make you sleep a little longer. (It doesn't work!)

- You are in a size 2 diaper. They are still a little too big, but the 1's are too small!

- You are still wearing newborn size clothing. You wear some 0-3 month also, but you're still a little peanut.

- You attended your first basketball game last week when we went to Uncle Tanner's game in Medford.

- You babble ALL the time.

- When I come home from school, you get the biggest smile on your face and it melts my heart. I so wish I could be here with you all the time.

- You have rolled over twice in the last week. I'm not sure if it was a fluke or for real!

- If we hold you on our lap, you will push up with your feet until you are standing. We can't believe how strong you are!

- You love to have both hands full of my hair, especially when you are falling asleep. When anyone else is holding you, you grasp for my hair.

- You have reached all the milestones for your age, and are ahead of schedule on others.

- You still suffer from reflux, so at your well baby appointment in December, we will probably be changing your formula.

- When you are lying on your back, you will try to sit up. You are strong enough to make it about half-way before you fall back!

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks and a video of you "talking"!













We love you, Raegan, and the person you are becoming!

A letter from Raegan

"My daddy has to work late tonight, so it's just me and my momma."



"She says I was a big 'ol crank pot, and it was time to cook dinner, so she decided to try my high chair for the first time."





"Here I am, two days shy of 12 weeks, sitting up like a big boy in my chair. My momma's a little sad I'm growing up so fast."





"My momma's a little indecisive..."




"...so she tortured me TWICE with these darn costumes."

"My momma said my daddy's a little goofy sometimes, especially when he is with his friend Nate. She told me they put this crazy piece of cable in my hand because they thought it was funny."



"And finally, my momma said to ignore her silly voice and my Daisy's (she's my doggy that loves me - and licking me - and is VERY protective!) loud barking and listen to me talking. By the way, I went from mad, to happy, to mad again in around 15 seconds."




The End.

Love,
Raegan

My First Halloween!

Dear Raegan,

Yesterday was Halloween, and your grandma came over so that she could be here for it! Your grandpa and Uncle Tanner were going to come, too, but they got stuck in Cherokee for longer than they expected.

We had a zebra costume and a turtle costume. I couldn't decide between them, so we used them both! Your daddy took you to a few places in our neighborhood and then came back to hand out candy. I told him he should probably only give one piece at a time so we didn't run out. Well... he opened the door and said, "Dig in", so we were finished after about 15 minutes. You have a pretty silly daddy sometimes, but we love him none the less. :)

You were so cute in your costumes! I'm sure next year we will be chasing after you on Halloween!










I love how blue your eyes look in this picture!


At first, you wanted no part of the turtle....


... but you quickly changed your mind!




Your daddy and Nate thought it would be pretty funny to put a cable in your hands. I tried to say no, but I lost!

We love you so much, Ragean. You are the light of our lives!

2 Months!

Dear Raegan,

One week ago you turned 2 months old! I only thought the first month passed quickly! This last month has gone by way too fast. I had to do the hardest thing ever this week, and that was leave you to go back to work. I have missed you so much during the day and I constantly wonder about you!

In the last month you:

• Shot up to 11 pounds, 5 ounces and 22 inches! Your weight is in the 50th percentile and your height is in the 25th percentile. So while you've grown so much from birth, you're still a little peanut.
• Moved up to 5 ounces per bottle, and just in the last couple of days, you are not quite satisfied with that!
• Will smile at mommy and daddy, Samantha, and your grandma and grandpa.
• Have been to 6 more football games!
• Have been on 2 overnight trips to Medford (with us of course).
• Are sleeping better than the first 6-7 weeks, but you still wake up about every 3-4 hours, day or night.
• Have started blowing rasberries.
• Can hold your head up very well for only being 2 months old.
• Are about to outgrow your newborn clothes. I had planned on you being in 0-3 months when you were born, so you have a TON of clothes that you will never get to wear because they are for warm weather and we no longer have warm weather!
• Still have a head full of blonde hair and big blue eyes!
• Get very excited when I ask you if you are a happy boy!
• Have been to 5 more doctor's appointments. 2 for you and 3 for me.
• Will go back to the pediatric urologist in January for hopefully the last time. The doctor told us your hydronephrosis was so minor and he wasn't even concerned about it. We have been waiting to hear those words since May. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

We are looking forward to your 1st Halloween and many other firsts that will come in the next month. Our hearts are overflowing with love and joy that you have brought to us.

Love,
Mommy