Two Months!

Two Months old, and already so grown up!

Baby Ryan, you've got more personality day after day! I still love the way you stretch out after a nap--you pucker your face up and crane your neck to the side in the cutest way. Your fingers are always wrapped around your thumbs, and when you want to self-comfort, you always suck where your thumb would be if it were out, but instead just suck on the circle of your fist. I happen to think it's adorable. Speaking of hands, I cannot figure out how you already have dirt under your fingernails--ALL the time, even after I scrub them! When you're 30 and have the same problem, you better believe your mama is going to tell everyone you were the same way at 2 months old :) You snore like crazy when you're sleeping, but I'm glad because then when I'm worried about you in the middle of the night I don't have to lean over your bassinet anymore, I can just hear that you're alive and kickin'! (Also, you kick your feet up really high in the air when you're sneezing or passing gas, and I love when I'm laying in bed and see them fly up in the air over your bassinet wall. A-dor-a-ble).

Tonight you were sleeping on my chest while I was watching "Gilmore Girls" and like a typical post-pardum hormone filled mom, I burst into tears with the happiness of having you. I love that you calm down when Dad or I hold you, I love that you smile big and coo when we talk to you. I LOVE that you recognize dad from anywhere in the room and crane your neck to find him. I especially love it when during your 3 AM feeding you stop eating to give me a big ole smile--I know you're just saying thanks, and you are definitely welcome! :)

I love you Baby Boy!

Baby Ryan's Blessing: Preview

Okay, just one because he's so cute.
Also, he totally posed himself. Watch out, modeling world!

My Brest Frenemy

Oh boy. I am still working on getting everything uploaded with pictures from our fun weekend with family and Ryan's Baby Blessing (which was amazing), but here's what we've been up to instead:

In brief, within the course of about 3 hours last Wednesday evening I got Mastisis again (for the 3rd time in 6 weeks). I had Seth give me a blessing, and then took a shower and tried to lay down, but within an hour we knew we had to do something so we called my OB and were told to go to the emergency room. We arrived at the ER about 3 AM and were sent to the top of the triage and taken straight in.

Dr. Growdon, the doctor who delivered Ryan, was a lifesaver--he pulled through for us be admitted to a private room in the postpardum unit with Seth and the Baby accompanying me.

Apparently we're Johnsons and make sure every moment is a photo op, this is in the ER:


Baby Ryan Doesn't fit as well as he used to in the baby bassinets, this is in our room:


I do not remember this picture being taken, but this is when we were on our way home:

Just keepin' it real, people.

So after 4 long days and nights at the hospital, we're back home and working to maintain the doctor's orders to rest (i'm either in bed or on the couch), recuperate (which I'm taking to mean asking seth for water about every 20 minutes), and stay on track for recovery from what was diagnosed as a "really really really bad continuing Chronic Mastitis" (just sayin'). This one was Staph and several strains of Strep B--we were lucky that the Dr. picked the right antibiotics at the beginning so that we were able to come home so soon (I, however, would like to permanently check in at the hospital until I'm done breastfeeding, those beds are made for it!) Seth is a lifesaver and is playing both mom, dad, housekeeper, in-home chef, and nanny. Our ward has also been super helpful and we're grateful for all the help!

Quick Poll

So....I've been renting a hospital grade pump (medela symphony) since we had the babe, and it's been great, but I need a portable one now!
I'm 99% sold on the Medela Pump in style, but does anyone have any particular advice about it? Like...I want the metro bag one because the pump comes out of the bag...but it's more expensive? and dare we buy a used one if we have all new "personal" parts? is the backpack any better than the shoulder bag?
Our 1% is for an Ameda, that my lactation consultant also recommended as an option. It's about 80 bucks cheaper, and it's kind of cute. But then I couldn't use the rest of my medela stuff with it.
Thoughts in the next 18 hours are appreciated!!! (then I'll take down this post...it's not like i want the world to know all my questions about "pumps"!)

Happy Holidays

We are SOOOO first time parents--the ones who put their baby in stranger Santa's lap before he has any clue what we're doing to him :)


I loved every second of it. Happy Holidays!

One Month Old!

I can't believe my lil' dude is a month old already! Time flies!

Baby Ryan, we love you mostly because you make cute faces and let us dress you up and squish your adorable cheeks. And I love you because you hardly cry and you're really cute when you calm down if you do cry. You might be a little piranha when you're hungry, but I'll look past that and just be happy when you make your little circle "o" face, your cute little kisses face, and your big smiles when dad is making silly faces at you. I love your eyebrows and all the expressions they make--your surprised face just started this week, and we're loving it.

Happy One Month Birthday, Baby Ryan!

The Glad Game

Seth and I have netflix, and when Seth ordered an ancient japanese film that was seriously 39 million hours long, I decided I got dibs on the next movie. So I ordered Pollyanna. And it came, and Seth I think secretly wanted me to just watch it so he could get his next movie, but I waited till we both could watch it together! So we started it last wednesday and finished it on Thanksgiving morning (morning for us is now around noon, we have a night owl on our hands with this lil guy). Seriously, it was a perfect Thanksgiving movie, and it was kind of perfect for lifting our spirits a little bit!

Last week was crazy. I woke up last monday with clogged milk ducts (again) and I couldn't work them out so we ended up at the Doctor's office later that day. By tuesday I was a serious basket case....like to the point where seth was spoon feeding me chicken broth to try to help me get enough energy to get up. I have seriously NEVER felt worse in my whole life,including my appendectomy, labor, delivery, and breast infection #1. Seth was a saint and we had family support from all over helping us through prayer and good solid advice. Turns out I needed another round of antibiotics to get me through, and 36 hours later I was feeling a lot better. Still trying to work out the issue, but it's at least getting better. The days where i was most down were the best days to play the glad game :)

So now we're getting back into the swing of things a little bit. I had to make the decision to really buckle down and rest, eat well, drink lots of water, and be more homebound in order to keep nursing this lil' guy. Sometimes i get embarrassed that my body isn't more tough, but I guess this is another reason to just play the glad game and be glad that i've made it this far or this long doing what I'm doing.

And now...pictures!


This is Ryan's favorite way to sleep in his carseat--i think it's hilarious, he looks like he's turning his nose up at everyone :)


Here's Baby Ryan all ready for his Thanksgiving day Football! He lasted about 30 minutes in this outfit before he spit up all over it...and I don't think we watched any football!


After his bath. He's our little monkey!


Ryan loves eating and sleeping with his arms folded. He's our little reverent child!


Look I'm alive!

Seriously, so blessed

I have tried not to write this post so many different times. I hate the PDA blogs. But this time, it's just one of those times that it CANNOT go without being said. I seriously am just SO blessed to have this amazing husband in my life.

He cleans the house, he gets up for middle of the night feedings, he rocks the baby to sleep at 2:30 AM, he distracts me when breastfeeding is about to be the end of me, he rubs my feet, he makes sure I'm fed, he looks for things that need to be done and does them, he relieves my stress, he rubs my shoulders, he takes out the trash, changes poopy diapers without a second thought, and is right there for me whatever I need. Seth really is 'da man!

So, when you read this, Seth (it might not be for years!) please just know that this emotional wifey of yours REALLY appreciates your help--REALLY appreciates your dedication, and more than anything, REALLY appreciates and adores the way you love and care for that child of ours. Baby Ryan and this Mama are the luckiest.

Grandma Price comes to visit!

I haven't been able to write this blog post without just bawling and bawling. Not that crying is something new for me, but I really can't express enough how blessed I feel.

Mom came and stayed with us for over a week--thanks to grandma beck and dad's sacrifice she was able to come for so long (or so short...in relative terms) to help out with the baby and the other baby (me). I seriously don't know how I would have made it through the first week without her help. I got lots of sleep and lots of love and lots of yummy food, and baby Ryan got some great bonding time with Grandma. This is how Ryan felt when mom left (he seriously made this face every time we mentioned that mom had left)

Thanks for taking such good care of us, Mom!

2 Weeks Old!

Baby Ryan is two weeks old, I can hardly believe it! At his 2 week appointment, he weighed in at 9 lbs 5 oz. and is still 21 1/2 inches. I think those two ounces went straight to his cheeks, I LOVE it.

Baby Ryan is such a great baby. He's a good sleeper and is so brave, he doesn't even cry during his baths, he just squeals a little bit and then sucks really hard on his pacifier. He also entertains us and keeps us smiling :)

Just like dad:
The way he sleeps--one hand over his eye whenever possible, sprawled out when he can!
His worried eyebrows



Just like mom:
His quivering lower lip
His frantic eating habits (aka "I need food NOW!")

(This incorporates both the worried brow and the pouty lip, so if you ever wondered what a Seth/Jane combo face looks like, you got it!)

Coming Home from the Hospital

While I was a little apprehensive to leave the hospital and take Ryan out into the big world, I also couldn't have been more ready! Plus, it gave him a chance to show off his awesome outfit and cute blanket.
Not to mention those cute cheeks.
Can I keep him this size forever?

Boo!

Here's our 'lil pumpkin all ready for his first halloween.

The few days prior to Ryan's arrival, I couldn't help but say "BOO" over a lot of things--"Baby's not here yet--BOO" "Contractions still irregular--BOO" "Seriously, I could not look MORE pregnant--BOO"

Those "Boo"s made some serious changes after Ryan's arrival. He was worth every second of being pregnant--worth every ache and pain and lack of sleep. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. Just take a look at this guy!

I'm so smitten

Seriously. This kid is so adorable!Stretch! (thanks for the outfit, Aunt Pat!)
Snooze!
After his first sponge bath - a lil monkey!
Dad's a real yawner (j/k)
Snug as a lil bug in a rug.
Just takin' a little nap. He always has his hands perfectly propping up his head--it's the cutest thing.
Baby Ryan is just winning my heart over and over again. He's got his dad's adorable eyes and peeks out more often now (we just don't catch that on camera because we're busy cooing at him and taking in every minute!)

We feel so blessed to have this patient, sweet, happy, and loving baby in our lives.

Meet the Grandparents!

Baby Ryan was very excited to meet his Grandparents just a few days after he was born!

Mom and Dad flew in on Saturday (thanks for picking them up, Holly and Chris!) and came to the hospital to see this lil fellow and help us on our way home before they took off to Bakersfield for Daniel and Jen's baby's blessing. It was so fun to have them come to the hospital. It's been a complete lifesaver having mom here this week--more on that in a minute!

Curt and Gina drove in later that evening (the 31st) and got to meet little baby Ryan on Halloween. Gina was a lifesaver--she knew just what mama Janey needed to be able to feed baby effectively and took care of everything for us! We were so glad that both sets of grandparents got to meet baby Ryan so soon after he was born!

Welcome to the World, Baby Ryan!

T-3 Days before Delivery:

To yesterday:

We went from Pre-Epidural:

To Post Epidural:

To Pushing:
To welcoming this lil' guy into the world!
Thanks to this proud papa:

And this great doctor:


And this sweet and heaven-sent nurse:


We love chillin' with our lil munchkin:

Or just staring at him:

Welcome to the world Ryan Curtis Johnson!

Born 6:22 PM, weighing in at 9 Lbs 3 Oz. 21 1/2 inches tall. Cute as a button!

Ready and Waiting!

Our final purchase was a rocker/glider for the Johnson family (or whoever gets to hold baby!) When we found this good deal on the soft glider chair we just couldn't pass it up and Seth was so sweet and excited to get it for us!

As you'll note, I'm ready and waiting! Will update with news, never fear.

Again, can't help but plug a huge "thank you" to all the supporters out there--we are so lucky to have amazing family and wonderful friends who care and are with us every step of the way. Thanks!!!

In other news...

I really liked this press release from the church:

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-mormon-ethic-of-civility

Specifically the second to last paragraph. Yay LDS Leaders!!!!

A Little Update

...and by update i mean there isn't one

...and by little i mean he isn't :)

Still waiting, eating spicy foods, taking long walks, and carrying lots of laundry.

That's all, [sigh].

Baby's Setup!

Thanks to so many friends/family, our baby setup is complete!!! I am so excited about everything, it's so adorable. There's something about being all ready and organized that is SO fulfilling! Thanks for helping me assemble everything, Seth! He's such a great dad-to-be--he knows his wife well enough to know that she wants things done NOW and is happy and willing to make that happen (going to extremes to help his prego wife stop crying, haha).

Here's the crib (With the amazing crib quilt made by Mom!!!)

(Yes, we recognize having the air conditioner (thanks Luke and Annie--i seriously might have died this summer without your AC unit, it's perfect!) right next to the crib is a bad idea....we will fix that before baby makes his debut).

And the changing table (filled with many accessories and necessities from friends and family!)

The Diaper Stacker and Baby Hamper (Compliments of Elizabeth and Emily!)


And thanks to Michelle and her Grammy, the rest of the Bedding and the Mobile!!!!!

And since we don't have a window for the bedroom yet (the stuff is spread through 2 bedrooms right now...) the valance (Thanks Rachel!) makes a perfect runner for the dresser!

This is our cute swing that we got on a great deal. And the dresser, which I love. It holds all the awesome clothes, carriers, blankets, toys, onsies, and toys for Baby Johnson. We couldn't have filled it without you!

I'm pretty sure this is going to be baby's going home outfit (and blanket from Mom). (Thanks for the hat, Holly!) Cute, huh!

Now all we need is a few weeks and a seamless delivery and we'll be all set! Oh, and I guess I better do laundry first, too.