A Crawler, a New Book, and a Thank You

Well... Rylee is crawling. Really crawling. For the longest time, she had been doing a type of army crawl and rolling all over the place, but she just would not take off on her hands and knees. Then, this past Sunday morning (the 20th), I was in the shower getting ready for church, and Jordan yelled in to me, "Babe, she is crawling! Get out here!" Like I said, I was a little busy, but I jumped out of the shower, grabbed my towel, and ran to the door just in time to see her crawling down the hallway toward Jordan. I couldn't believe it. I guess it finally just clicked for her. It's very exciting to see her developing and learning new things, but each milestone she hits is bittersweet for me. I just can't believe how big she is and how fast time is going by. I know I say that all the time, but it's just how I feel. My baby is quickly turning into a toddler, and I have a hard time with it sometimes.
Today, Rylee got her newest book from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in the mail. I love Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. If you've never heard of it, it's a free program that you can register your children in if they are under the age of five. Every month, your child will receive one age-appropriate book in the mail, absolutely free. I registered Rylee in the program shortly after she was born, so she has already received seven books (she didn't get her first book until August 2010, because it takes a few weeks for your information to be processed; she also didn't receive a book in October 2010 because we moved and, once again, it takes a few weeks for your (change of) information to be processed). Here are the books she has gotten so far:

Rylee's very first book from the program; received in August 2010

Rylee's book from September 2010

Rylee's book from November 2010

Rylee's book from December 2010

Rylee's book from January 2011

Rylee's book from February 2011

the book Rylee got in the mail today for March 2011

In case you're wondering, no, you don't get to pick which books your child receives. I have never heard of any of these books before except the first one, but they have all turned out to be pretty cute/sweet books so far. And like I said, they're FREE - it doesn't get any better than that.
On a different note, I wanted to mention a quick "experience" I had earlier this afternoon. Rylee and I made our weekly Wednesday trip to Publix, and when I got to the dairy section, I noticed there was a U.S. solider shopping in front of me. I didn't know him, but I called out to him. He turned around, and I thanked him for his service. And he smiled. And he thanked me. And it was all I could do not to cry. The brave men and women in our armed forces make so many sacrifices to protect our freedom. It is so important to take the time to let our troops know they are appreciated. It really does mean a lot to them.

In Honor of Maddie

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I have been following the blog of a young woman, Kellie Staats, who tragically lost her beautiful baby girl, Maddie, to SIDS exactly one month ago today. I have never met Kellie (and most likely never will, considering she lives in another state), but I can't even begin to explain how much her story has impacted my life. I'm sure anyone who hears of what she's been through would be touched, but being a mom of a baby girl myself, her story touches me on a whole different level. I didn't really know it was possible to feel so much heartache for people I don't even know, but I'll tell you what - I have shed many tears for this family. Every day, I check Kellie's blog to see how she and her husband are doing. Today, she posted a blog asking those who would to honor Maddie by taking our little ones to the park, and to love on them, and take lots of pictures. Well, I didn't have time to take Rylee to the park today, but I did spend the day with her (as I am blessed to do every day, being a stay-at-home mom) and I took lots of pictures, just like Kellie asked.
That is just one of the many valuable lessons I have learned from Kellie and Maddie - you can NEVER take enough pictures. And even if some of the pictures don't turn out the way you wanted, that is okay. You never know when it might be the last picture you get to take. They also taught me just how important it is to really savor my time with Rylee. I have always loved my little girl with everything in me, but since learning of Kellie's story, I appreciate having Rylee in my life in a whole new way. I no longer complain inside if she's fussy all day, or wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. I treasure every second I get to hold her and kiss her and love on her. She is such a blessing, and I thank God every day for allowing me to be her mommy.
So today, I spent the day loving on my little girl. In honor of Maddie Staats. A beautiful baby girl I never knew, but who has touched my heart and impacted my life forever.

getting ready to go to Walmart with Mommy. Doesn't she look thrilled?

at Walmart with Mommy. her first time sitting in the buggy seat like a big girl!

playing in her walker while Mommy puts away groceries

funny face

first time sitting in our backyard

she kept flapping her arms up and down

smiling at Daddy

This picture made us think of the talking dog in the movie UP that suddenly gets distracted by a "SQUIRREL!".

smiling at Daddy again

still smiling at her daddy

she wanted the camera

Daddy took this one

Daddy took this one too. She smiled her biggest for him.

I Have a Nine-Month-Old

Yesterday, Rylee turned nine months old. That means that in just three short months, I will have a one-year-old. I don't even want to think about that right now. It never ceases to amaze me how fast time has flown by since she was born. I am really doing my best to truly treasure every second I get to spend with her (even the seconds when she wakes up screaming in the middle of the night...). I am learning more and more every day to never take my time with her for granted. She is such a blessing, and I am so thankful God chose me to be her mommy.
Yesterday was Rylee's nine-month check-up with her pediatrician. As always, it went very well, which makes this mommy happy. When the nurse first called us back, she led us into one of the lab rooms to prick Rylee's finger for some blood. I fully expected Rylee to scream once she realized what happened, but she didn't even flinch. She just looked at the nurse as if to say "What did you just do to my finger?" I was so proud of her. When the nurse finished getting the blood she needed from Rylee's finger, she put a tiny band-aid on it to stop the bleeding. Then another nurse took us to another room to get Rylee's measurements and wait on Dr. Trumbull. She weighed 18 pounds, 11 ounces, and she was 28 inches long. While we were waiting for the doctor, Rylee played on the table (she loves the sound the paper they cover the table with makes when she crinkles it up). She also kept sticking her finger with the band-aid on it in her mouth. (After we left the doctor, I made a quick trip to Publix for some diapers, and when we got there, I noticed her band-aid was no longer on her finger. I couldn't find it anywhere, and considering the fact that I couldn't keep her fingers out of her mouth, I'd be willing to bet money that she swallowed it. I called the doctor to make sure there was nothing I should do or be concerned about, and thankfully the nurse said it shouldn't bother her at all.) Anyway, Dr. Trumbull finally came in and looked Rylee over, and as usual, he was very pleased with how she's doing. He challenged us to work with her more on learning to drink from a sippy cup (she has one, but I haven't given it to her much yet; she likes to chew on it more than drink from it) and eating more solid foods (ground beef, lunch meats, crackers, mashed potatoes, soft fruits and vegetables, etc.). She needs to get used to more food textures. It's so crazy to me that she can eat "real people food" now. Where did my baby go?
I intended to take some pictures of Rylee at the doctor yesterday, but I accidentally left my camera in the car. I did take some pictures of her using my cell phone, but I can't figure out how to upload them from my phone (it apparently requires a software I don't have... or something like that). If I figure out how to get them, I'll add them later, but for now, here are some pictures I took of her after we got home from the doctor:

"No, Mommy... I'm not chewing on the fireplace AGAIN..."

Let The Baby-Proofing Begin!... and Other Updates

Rylee is quickly coming into her toddler stage, and I can already tell I am REALLY going to have my hands full with her. She's still not full-out crawling yet (she's doing more of an army crawl on her belly... it sometimes looks like she's trying to swim across the floor), but she can roll to whatever she wants to get to quicker than I can run to catch her sometimes. She is also beginning to pull up on things and, subsequently, pull things down. The other day, I finally broke down and started the house baby-proofing process (technically all I did was put some plugs in a few of the wall outlets she can get to now, but still... the process has begun). Unfortunately, one of the biggest things in our house that we can't really "baby-proof" is our fireplace hearth. Rylee LOVES rolling over to the fireplace, pulling up on the edge of the hearth, and gnawing on it. I can't keep her away from it (the second I move her away from it, she starts rolling and "swimming" over to it again), and I'm concerned that she's going to pull up on it, lose her leverage, and slam her head/face on the edge of it. She has already bumped her head on it a couple of times, but just hard enough to make her fuss a little. I just don't want her to really get hurt, so I try to keep a close eye on her when she's near it. Here are a few pictures I snapped of her on Thursday playing by the fireplace. See how happy she is?

(The dark spot on the fireplace by her hand is where she was gnawing on it.)

I just LOVE that big smile of hers!

In other news, I've been sick for over a week now. I think it all started last Thursday or so, when I woke up and noticed I had a sore throat. By that night, I had drainage in my throat, and therefore had a terrible night of sleep, and it has just carried on since then. I went through a sore throat, drainage and congestion, and a stuffy/runny nose. About three days into it, I developed a cough, and although I was taking some over-the-counter children's Sudafed (hey... I have a hard time swallowing pills, people. AND there are only certain medications I can take since I'm still breastfeeding. Sorry if that's TMI, but I'm just saying...), the cough wouldn't go away and more or less got worse. Yesterday morning, I called my mom, and she came over and pretty much pushed me out the door to Pri-Med. I might be an adult now, but I guess sometimes I still need my mommy to make me go to the doctor. (Thanks, Mom! I love you!) Anyway, I called ahead to schedule an "appointment" (supposedly it helps you get seen quicker... I think NOT), and after waiting for like an hour and a half, I finally got called back. The doctors swabbed my throat (GAG!) to check for strep and stuck two different sticks WAY up my nose (VERY uncomfortable!) to check for flu and RSV. Thankfully, all of those tests came back negative. Then they wanted to do a chest X-ray to check my lungs and such, but first they made me take a pregnancy test. It, of course, was negative (NO surprise there, but a relief nevertheless), and I guess everything looked good on the X-ray as well. They ended up diagnosing me with an upper-respiratory infection and a sinus infection. They said it was a good thing I did finally come in, because I was right on the verge of developing bronchitis if I didn't get some prescription medication in me quick. They prescribed me Amoxicillin to take three times a day for ten days, so hopefully after that, I'll finally be all better. (By the way, I got my prescription for free from Publix! They have a free prescription program, and Amoxicillin is one of the qualifying medications. Thank you, Publix!)
Anyway, I reckon that's about all I've got for now, but I did want to share one more picture from March 5. Jordan's older brother, Aaron, lives in North Carolina, but he and his fiancee, Carrie, came down to visit for a couple of days last weekend, so Rylee finally got to meet him. (It was actually only the second time I'd even seen him... he hasn't been "home" since before Jordan and I got married. It was the first time any of us met Carrie.) Rylee actually responded well to him, letting him hold her for a while without fussing or anything. She also liked Carrie, who let her play with her keys. Here are a couple of pictures from our visit with them:

Jordan, Rylee, and her uncle Aaron

Rylee playing with Carrie's keys

I Finally Met Jordan's Grandparents

Today, I FINALLY got to meet Jordan's maternal grandparents. They live in North Carolina, but are down visiting for a couple of days. I couldn't help but get teary-eyed when Jordan's grandfather held Rylee for the first time. It made me miss my grandpa Parker. I was his only granddaughter, so he and I had an extra-special bond. I was his "Sweetie Pie" - his "Lola" - and he always used to tell me I was his FAVORITE granddaughter (like he had anyone else to choose from). He was the BEST grandpa God could have possibly blessed me with, and I'm so thankful to have had him in my life for sixteen years. I miss him so much, and I hate that Jordan never got to meet him, and that he never got to see Rylee (although, Lord-willing, he'll get to meet them both someday in Heaven. Glory!). I just know he would "eat Rylee up" if he could see her. She's the first great-grandchild (much less first great-granddaughter) on that side of my family.
Anyway, below are a couple pictures I took today (Jordan's grandfather was asleep when I took these pictures... that's why he's not in any of them):

Jordan with his mom, grandmother, twin sister, nephews, and Rylee

4 generations

Rylee playing with her pawpaw (Jordan's dad)

Rylee playing with PawPaw's pen

Rylee with her pawpaw