Just A Little Update...

Ryker had his 4 month well child check yesterday, he finally outgrew the 10lb stage and is now 11lbs 15oz and 24.5inches long. When I'm lugging him around in his carseat, however, I feel he is heavy enough to be walking on his own. I am also happy to announce Ryker passed his hearing screen. When he was in the NICU, he failed his newborn screen and they told us it was because of his cleft. The doctors told us that once the tubes were placed, he'd be fine but I was still worried about him, I was very happy when they tested him yesterday and said his hearing is just fine!

He has been doing so well since his surgery. It seemed that first week home was the hardest. He didn't want to eat and wasn't sleeping well. It took a week for him to snap out of it and really start eating even better than he was before and finally after a week and a half of him not sleeping at night we realized it was because his nose tubes were plugged. We've started pulling them out and cleaning them each night before bed (this is the worst job ever.. I did not sign up for this when I said I'd be mom to Ryker, he hates me for like two hours after) and this helps him sleep better through the night.

Ryker is getting to be so much fun. This is a picture of him with his first tomato. Yesterday, my mom came over and was holding him in the kitchen and he just stared at the tomato. When she handed it to him, he pulled it to his mouth and licked it for about 5 minutes. Lately, everything goes to his mouth. I can't believe how big he is getting so quickly.

Fair Weather

Last weekend Scott was out of commission with the stomach flu so I decided to load up Caz and Ryker and head to the State Fair with my mom and dad. It was a great day to go.. and so thought everyone else in the state, it was packed. I love being able to look at all the smelly animals.. it really is fun. I enjoy looking at the crafty things that people have made. I love all the choices of things to eat, deep fried PB&J, churros, navajo tacos, hamburgers, ice cream, fudge, licorice ropes, gyros.. anything your heart desires and more! I hate the clusters of people, I hate trying to cram the entire city of Salt Lake into a little building where a man is trying to sell pots and pans and another is showing those wonderful little knives that will slice a garden hose. I must admit, however, I was sucked in.. I spent about 15 minutes watching the guy selling the steam mop. I have laminate floors in my kitchen and they NEVER shine like they should. The guy in the booth assured me his mop would do the trick. Not only would it make my kitchen floors shine, it would get gunk out of grout, the hard water off the shower wall and.. because this happens every day at my house, it will get pancake syrup out of the carpet!! Well, that was all I needed to hear! I was so excited to get it home and try it out, I've already used it twice on the kitchen floor and am very happy with how easy it is to use.. and my floors do shine!! We promised Cazley that after we had seen everything possible from the 3000 lb cow to the butter statue she could ride some rides. I was very happy that I was successful in talking her out of the farris wheel, instead she jumped on the big tramp thing and then rode the ponies. I think the ponies were her favorite part, she is sure a cowgirl at heart!! Ryker even had a good time, I think he liked his first fair. We had so much fun.. can't wait for next year!!

The New Man In Our Life...

What an emotional day we had yesterday.. We were told to be at Primary's at 9:00 to check in and by 10:30 we were walking Ryker down the hall to surgery. We were only allowed to carry him half way and then we stood where the carpet met the tile, gave him a few goodbye kisses and handed him over to the anesthesiologist. Scott and I just stood there long after they had passed through the double doors, not quite sure what to think or what to do but we knew that he was in the best hands. Ryker was in surgery for nearly 3 hours. Scott had gone with my mom and dad to get some food from the cafeteria when the nurse called to tell me that Ryker was out of surgery and would be going directly to his room. Scott's mom, dad, grandpa and I walked to the same spot where we had left him just a few hours before, but this time Ryker was being wheeled in a big crib towards us through a different set of double doors. I was so nervous to see him. I didn't really know what to expect, but as I finally caught a good look at his little face it was hard to keep back the emotion. All I really remember was rubbing his little head and saying..'oh my goodness, look at your little face'. He was absolutely beautiful. His little cleft had been erased. He looked perfect!! I can't believe the skill of the artists that worked on him.. his little lip is truly a masterpiece, perfectly shaped.. it is amazing. I was most nervous about his recovery, I was afraid he'd be in terrible pain and spend most of the afternoon crying. He didn't. He has such a high tolerance for pain, I can't even begin to imagine how his little mouth must of felt. They had him on morphine most of the afternoon but once he started eating they gave him liquid lortab. The nurses couldn't belive how good he was and how easy he was to take care of. They told me that most cleft repair babies spend a few days in the hospital because they don't want to eat but Ryker's hunger was stronger than his pain because it didn't take him long to finish the bottle they'd given him. I was so proud of him too when he slept most of the night.. (I camped out on the little pull out chair that was about as wide as my thigh). This morning the resident that works with the plastic surgeon Dr. Siddiqi came and evaluated Ryker. He was very pleased with how he was doing and told us we could go home. I was so glad to be home by lunch time today. Ryker is still getting pain medicine every 4 hours and antibiotics every 6 hours. He is such a good boy! He has little stints in his nostrils that help them from swelling shut and he has to wear these for a month. He has splints on his arms so that he can't touch his face and he'll wear these for two weeks! Doesn't he look like a new man? I am so grateful for all the prayers that were said for Ryker and for all the people that kept us in their thoughts. I know with out a doubt that is the reason we had such a fantastic experience and Ryker is doing so well. He is so tough.

I have a few minutes before it's time for church, it's nice a quiet around here because Scott is gone to bishopric meetings this morning and Ryker is down for a nap. Today is a special fast Sunday for us because this week is Ryker's surgery. I'm excited to head to fast and testimony meetings with special prayer in my heart that all goes well with him and he will recover quickly. I thought it would be a nice time to quickly share the testimony I have of the gospel. I'm not one to stand in sacrament very often and share it but I would like everyone around me to know that I love the gospel, I love the knowledge that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and knows me and my needs. I'm comforted in the fact that He knows the true intent of my heart. I'm grateful for prayer and the peace that comes from the Spirit, in a world so chaotic and crazy it is the peace I find through prayer that keeps me sane. I'm grateful for the work of Joseph Smith and all he gave to restore the Church so that we could have it in our lives, I don't know how we would make it through this life without the knowledge we have. I'm grateful for the priesthood and the power that comes along with it and the fact that through Scott, Ryker can be directly blessed by our Heavenly Father. I'm grateful for President Monson and the example he is to us. I'm grateful that he continues to receive direct revelation for us today and that he leads this church with such exactness. I'm grateful too, for all of my friends and family that offer so much love and support and i'm thankful for all the prayers that have been offered in our behalf. Thanks to everyone who loves us so much.

3 months old!

Ryker is 3 months old today! I can't believe how fast time goes by... Today Ryker weighed 11 lbs. 5 oz. He is growing more and more each day. It's been wonderful for the last few weeks he has been sleeping so good! I put him to bed between 9 and 9:30 and I have to wake him up to get ready for day care at 6:45... Yay! His fantastic new sleeping habits have made a dramatic change in my attitude!!
We also had a orthodontist appointment today, Dr. Yamashiro said that Ryker's soft tissue is in perfect position for his surgery! He checked his retainer and also took a mold of his mouth so that he can make his more permanent prosthesis that will be placed next week! This whole process is amazing! Ryker was such a good boy, he hardly cried at all.. I remember when I had to have a mold for my retainer I thought I was going to pass out because I couldn't breathe, I can't imagine what he was thinking through the whole thing...

Labor Day Weekend

We got to spend Labor Day weekend at the cabin at Bear Lake. It was so nice. Saturday was beautiful! We spent most of the morning at the beach playing in the sand and throwing the ball for Daisy.



Ryker slept the whole time, he loves the fresh air.

After lunch we spent some time wandering around the shops and getting shaved ice from Yellow Snow. We also got candy from Barbara's candy shop, she has the best chocolate dipped ultimate smores. :O)

Later that night, we had a campfire and roasted marshmallows. We had so much fun! Cazley loves going to Bear Lake and we were all sad that we had to come home. We are so lucky to be able to go there whenever we want!