Firsts

Bryson is changing so much these days. I wanted to create a posting just to document these changes so I can remember these little things when we are many years down the road.

Last Friday (9/25/09) morning we found Bryson asleep on his STOMACH in his crib. He had rolled over during the middle of the night. This makes me very paranoid, but I guess there is no stopping him! We tried to put him to sleep on his back that night, but he grunted and groaned until finally flipping over onto his stomach--- then he dozed off without a peep! So, the next night we put him to sleep on his stomach and he slept from 10:30pm until 5:00am! Success in the sleeping department! We have since then been putting him on his belly and last night he slept from 9:30pm until 5:45am. Wow! I can't even remember what it feels like to get that much sleep (of course Jason is the only one who really got that much sleep- I was up several times checking on him!). Anyways, we are hoping we are on the road to continue this sleeping all night thing- it is REALLY nice!

Saturday (9/26/09) morning Bryson was lying on the floor in the living room and rolled from his stomach to his back. He can officially roll both ways now (this makes me feel a little bit better about him sleeping on his stomach).

Sunday (9/27/09) morning we took Bryson to Sunday School with us. He started fussing so I left the room with him. My friend Stacey went with me to change his diaper in the nursery. I got brave and peeked into the room where he would stay if I decided to leave him. There was a very sweet lady who, along with Stacey, convinced me that he would be fine if I left him. Long story short- I did it! I went and checked on him before going into church and he was sleeping soundly in a lady's arms. This was bittersweet for me because I have really enjoyed having him in church with us, but know that I will be more focused if he isn't there. We will see if I continue taking him or keep him in big church with us for just a little while longer... :)

And now for the big one -----> Bryson went to his "school" for the first time today. I took him this morning before my Mom to Mom study. I just decided that he would be better off being exposed to the two other babies that were in his class today rather than twenty other random kids in the church nursery. It was also nice to take him to the teacher he will have all year, not just a random volunteer. It was tough to leave him, but I also felt a peace about it. During Mom to Mom I decided that maybe I would run to Hobby Lobby afterwards to pick up a few things. Then I heard a friend's baby screaming in the hallway and decided I better get back to Bryson. What is it about a baby's crying that makes us think of our own??? Anyways, when I got to the daycare, the director was rocking Bryson and feeding him. He stopped eating and continued sitting in her lap while we talked, and he was smiling the whole time. They said he did great! I'm going to continue taking him on Wednesday mornings and then he will go 3-4 days per week when I start back to work around the end of October. So, it went GREAT. I couldn't have asked for a better first day. What a relief!

Lots of changes and happenings going on around here. Lots of adjustments to be made in the next few weeks. These are changes that I am excited about, anxious about, and sad about all at the same time. It is weird to have so many emotions flowing at once. My baby is growing up and it is already flying by too fast. We are definitely enjoying the ride though!

Fun With Friends

Our good friends the Bynums drove into College Station late Thursday evening. We got to spend the entire weekend with the Bynums and other close friends. Jason and I were talking and are amazed at all of the blessings in our life- mainly, all these kids! Just less than three short years ago we were a group of friends. Now we are an extended family (as most of us don't have family in this area), and we are still growing (Katie and Kristin are both expecting Spring babies!). It was so much fun to see all of the kids interacting and playing, and made us really remember what life is all about. We are so thankful for this time we got to spend with sweet friends.

*****

Katie came over on Friday morning for a visit and brought Brayden and Maddie with her. We had a good time chatting and Brayden and Maddie enjoyed playing with Bryson's toys. Bryson was a good sport, too. It was really good to catch up with Katie and see how much Brayden has grown up in the last four months.

*****

On Friday night we all met at Wings N More for dinner. Then we went over to the MacDonalds to hang-out and enjoy eachother's company!

The Guys

The Bynums
Jason was teaching the kids how to play golf in the backyard. Sam was particularly interested and did a great job following Jason's instructions. He was launching the golf ball, and both he and Jason had a great time. I'm sure there will be more of this instruction to come...
*****
On Saturday night the Kenleys graciously had all of us over for a cook-out! It was wonderful because they have a play room that the kids loved, and a great back yard for grilling and relaxing. This time together brought back sweet memories and of course we made plenty of new memories!

Ruple Family Picture (not sure what is going on with the camera here!)
The Girls and Kids
We tried so hard to get a good picture of all of the kids together. We finally just realized that we should take what we could get! It was very comical watching them all interact on the couch. Sam and Bryson are big buds lately. Here Sam is making sure Bryson is doing okay. Too cute!
Sweet boys!
Visiting and relaxing...
Reagan
Courtney and Kristin
Jason, Bryson, Josh
Bryson and Katie
Maddie, Brayden, Sam, and Kristin in the Playroom
Bryson had a diaper blow-out. :( Luckily, Jenny had a onesie that she let Bryson borrow for the rest of the evening. While we were in Reagan's room, Jenny mentioned that Bryson was welcome to wear Reagan's pink tu-tu. We had to jump on that opportunity! (am I a bad mom?!?!) We put the pink tu-tu on Bryson (over the cream colored onesie), and took him outside. I told Jason that this was all there was that Bryson could fit into. All of the guys went nuts! Jason was screaming "No! Take that off of my son!" It was hillarious! I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of Bryson in the tu-tu, but I did capture Jason's reaction.
Waiting for dessert. Mmmmm.
Group Shot
The weekend went very smoothely and everyone had a great time. We really miss the Bynums and enjoyed getting to spend time with them. We are hoping they will be back soon for another visit!

Swingin' In The Rain

These last few days have been on the cool side with a constant drizzle of rain. The temperature has been pretty nice, but it has been hard to get out with Bryson. He is used to taking evening walks, which we haven't been able to do. We got this swing which is for six month olds and up, but we decided to go ahead and try it out tonight. Jason hung it on our porch while he was grilling dinner. Bryson ended up loving it!

Hello Hands!

Bryson has recently started using his hands to hit at objects. It is so amazing to watch him learn new things right in front of our eyes! We hope you enjoy this little glimpse of our sweet baby in action...

Child Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

This morning at my Mom-to-Mom meeting the speaker started off by reading the following about child activated attention deficit disorder:

“I decide to do the laundry. As I start toward the basement, I notice that there are cheerios all over the floor and my house keys are in the cereal bowl. I decide to pick up the cheerios before I do the laundry. I lay my keys down on the counter, put the cheerios in the trash can under the counter, and notice that the trash can is full. So, I decide to take out the trash.

But then I think, since I’m going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left, my extra checks are in my desk in the office, so I go to my desk where I find a sippy cup full of juice. I’m going to look for my checks, but first I decide I should put the sippy cup in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the sippy cup a plant on the counter catches my eye–it needs to be watered. I set the sippy cup on the counter, and I discover baby wipes that I’ve been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back in the bathroom, but first I’m going to water the plants. I set the wipes back down, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote, left on the kitchen table.

I realize that when I go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won’t remember that it’s on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I’ll water the plants. I splash some water on the plant, but most of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down, get some paper towels and wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the laundry isn’t washed, the bills aren’t paid, there is a warm cup of juice sitting on the counter, the plants aren’t watered, there is still only one check in my check book, I can’t find the remote, I can’t find the wipes, and I don’t remember what I did with my keys.

Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I’m really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I’m really tired.”

Does this hit really close to home for anybody else?!?! This is exactly how my brain functions--- and I only have one child!!! Is there any hope? :) Anyone who knows me very well knows that I am a planner, that I like to have my house clean complete with the laundry being done and several lists of "things to do" going at any given time. This world of mine has COMPLETELY changed since Bryson arrived. My house is a mess, the laundry is not done, we don't have groceries, and the dog hasn't been fed. I have learned in all of this chaos though, that the most important thing is not my "To Do" list. It is not what I accomplish on paper in one day. All of this definitely has a place, but it is definitely not highest on my priority list anymore. I have a beautiful baby boy that needs me to take time out of my day to just be his mom. To hold him, and love on him, and to quiet that voice in my head that says I have other things to be doing. He is my first priority, and the only job I have of any importance at this time is being his Mom.

Mom to Mom was great this morning. It was great just to be with other moms, facing the same struggles and celebrating the same triumphs as I am. The main focus of today's lesson was living a legacy. What kind of legacy do we want to leave behind for our children? What do we want them to know about us and what will be their response when asked what life was like when they were children?

I know that I want my children to know how much I love them, and I want to live that love everyday in order to show them that. I want them to love Jesus. In order for this to happen, I have to love Jesus and live out that relationship with Him daily in a literal sense. I can't give away what I don't have. So, my goal is to be a "missional mom." I am going to work on choosing each day to have a positive attitude, to show love and compassion even when it is not necessarily deserved or I don't feel like giving it, and to really live what I want my legacy to be.

Just a few thoughts from my morning! I also wanted to share that Bryson went to the church nursery for the first time this morning. I think I was much more traumatized than he was. We walked up to the infant check-in desk, they asked for his name, then a young college girl came from no where and took him away to nursery land! I finished checking him in, then said I wanted to see where he went. The girl looked at me like I was slightly crazy, but took me to where he was. He was already out of his carseat, being held by a fellow mom volunteering for the day. He looked very comfortable, and they assured me he would be fine. They said they would come get me if he needed anything. I left and headed to my Bible study, walking down the hall praying for strength to leave him. It was crazy! I did not want to leave him, but knew he would be well taken care of. When we broke up to go to our small groups I slipped down to the nursery to peek in on him. He was taking his bottle and perfectly content! Again they looked at me like I was slightly crazy. Surely I'm not the only mom to have ever done this! Anyways, he made it through the morning and they said he did great! He even took a thirty minute nap! He is exhausted this afternoon and napping now. Here is a picture of him in his long-sleeved outfit (thank you Lexi!) before we left this morning (it was in the lower 60s). We are loving this weather!

Snug as a bug!

Monday, Monday...

Today was back to the real world complete with several loads of laundry and projects around the house. Uncle Matt and Shannon came by. Matt was talking in a really funny voice and had Bryson smiling and laughing. It was so cute! Here are a few shots I got:

I snapped this while Bryson was playing on the floor. He's getting pretty good at holding his head up!

Week of Family & Friends

**Brace yourselves! This post is going to be LONG, and contain lots of pictures!**

Jason had his annual fishing trip this past week, so Bryson and I decided to travel to my parents' house for some rest and relaxation. Of course we didn't get to rest much because we were busy visiting with lots of friends and family. It was so great to get to see everyone. Bryson smiled and laughed all week! He is now holding his head up (and pretty steadily!) for several minutes at a time. He has also started digging his heels into the ground while lying on his back and scooting right across the floor. We are just watching in amazement as he grows and changes daily, right before our very eyes! Here are our five days in pictures:

This is when we first got to Grandma and PawPaw's house. Bryson was so thankful to be out of the carseat and so happy to see his grandparents. Our good friend Lexi has been giving us all of her baby gear as her boys outgrow it, so my mom had everything we needed! It was wonderful!

The Smith gang came to visit Bryson on Thursday morning. This was their first time to see Bryson. We had a great time! From left to right: Charis, Kale, Tahrea, Tyler, and Shelby.

Tahrea

Sweet friends and a smiling baby!

Bryson giving Charis a big grin.

Our Prince Charming :)

On Friday we met my grandmother (Bryson's great-grandmother) at the Cracker Barrell for lunch. Bryson slept right through lunch, and Grandma enjoyed holding him and snuggling with him. My mom and I got to do some shopping at the outlet mall after lunch which was a whole new experience with a baby (and a carseat and a stroller to get in and out of the car at each store!).

Bath time in Grandma's sink. Bryson was so squirmy it was really hard to hold onto him. I think we'll stick to his plastic bathtub for a while!

On Saturday morning Granny came to visit.

Bryson was laughing out loud at Granny. It was the cutest thing!

Aunt Julie, Uncle Bruce, and cousins William, Sheldon, and Phillip met us in Gruene. We went to the Gristmill for lunch. Aunt Julie gave Bryson his bottle.

Phillip wanted everything to do with Bryson. He wanted to push the stroller, hold him, hold his hand, and talk to him. Phillip got to see Bryson at the hospital and loves him so much. Granny and Aunt Julie say that Bryson looks exactly like Phillip did as a baby. Bryson had been sleeping, and when he started to wake up and open his eyes, Phillip said: "Bryson's thinking- hey, I know this guy!". I was cracking up.

Uncle Bruce, Sheldon, and William

Uncle Bruce took took this picture while William was holding Bryson.

The Hudson Family

Halle spends a lot of her time watching Bryson these days. I think she is over her post-partum depression (her world COMPLETELY changed when Bryson arrived!) and is becoming protective of him. She was really sweet and did great on this trip.

Laughing and loving spending time with Grandma.

Bryson spent a lot of time in PawPaw's arms. I think this is one of his new favorite places to be! Here he is with very sleepy eyes relaxing on PawPaw's shoulder.

***

And last but not least, Jason had a very successful trip. He enjoyed time with the guys and caught a trophy fish- a 28 inch trout. He says "People fish their whole lives to catch a fish like this!"

Mom To Mom

Bryson is ten weeks old (today! can you believe it?!). During the last ten weeks, Jason and I have found out what it means to operate without sleep, to question our every move, and to love so completely our hearts literally overflow. It has been a rough road, but the most wonderful journey full of smiles that melt our hearts and blessings well beyond what we deserve. This job set before us can be very overwhelming, and we are so fortunate to have such wonderful family and friends ready to answer questions, cry with us, and just stand along side us when we need them.

Motherhood is better than I could have ever imagined. I think getting to be a mother is one of God's greatest gifts. However, I now have so many questions- SO many new things to think about that have never even crossed my mind before. In the few short minutes it took for Bryson to arrive (via c-section :) my job description in life completely changed! So now I am stuck wondering what God wants from me, what He calls us to be as mothers??

I started a new Bible study on Wednesday called Mom to Mom. I am really thirsting for knowledge of what God wants from me, what Bryson needs from me. This study is every Wednesday morning and is just a bunch of moms getting together, most of us barely getting there (and definitely not on time :), and learning how to be what our kids need. I want to share a few things I took away from our first meeting:

-The speaker shared a verse in the beginning-
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your SOUL may LIVE."
Isaiah 55:1-3
Wow! I am constantly trying to fill my life with so many things that still leave me empty. These verses are a challenge to me to remember the only one that can truly satisfy.

-The leader of the group also said that my participation in this group will allow God to transform Bryson's future, through me. What a powerful thought! It is amazing to think that my every move, from now on, will affect this little boy.
Somewhere inside, I've always known this; but now that Bryson is here, it has a whole new meaning.

I am looking forward to this semester and all that it will bring. I'll post tidbits from time to time so that I remember all that I'm learning. I can't wait to look back at this in the far off future and remember what it was like to be a brand new mom, just trying to make my way and hold my head above the water!

On to other things. Going to Mom to Mom meant Bryson had to go somewhere, too. Of course, I could have taken him to the nursery with the 80+ kids that were there that morning. I am a bit paranoid though, and decided that his first nursery experience probably shouldn't be on a day when we were leaving town for five days. I don't want a sick baby! Did I mention I'm a bit paranoid?? Anyways, we are SO lucky to have an amazing friend- Kathey Beard- who loves Bryson and wanted to come spend the morning with him. It was hard for me to leave, but I knew he was in such good hands.

Definitely a bittersweet moment for me!

We are thankful for Kathey and her willingness to help us out! It was a great morning for all of us.

Tummy Time???

We have had a sleep advancement in the Ruple household! This has not come in the form of nighttime sleep (although we can't really complain about this either!), but in the form of a daytime nap. Bryson has never slept well during the day. I never imagined we would have a baby who WILL NOT sleep! This has been hard on all of us, but lately I realized that it is the hardest on Bryson. He gets so exhausted he often screams during the evening time, and cannot be consoled. While he doesn't like to lay in his crib for an afternoon nap, I know that he NEEDS a nap. So, being the parent in this situation, I decided that he HAD to take a nap. It was not easy at first. As a matter of fact he screamed at the top of his lungs for what seemed like an eternity. When he finally calmed down (after I put the pacifier back in his mouth about ten times), he dozed off and slept for a whole hour! Yesterday he went down much easier and slept for an hour and fifteen minutes; and today, he went down without a problem and slept for two hours! Victory! The only problem is he wants to sleep on his tummy. This leads to one nervous mom. I'm just remembering that Jason and I both slept on our stomachs as kids (as my mom keeps reminding me!). As our pediatrician says- "what are you going to do? He needs to sleep!" He is still sleeping on his back at night, and I check on him all the time during his naps. This parenting stuff isn't easy! But it is so worth it...

Two Month Old Update

We went to the pediatrician this morning for Bryson's two month check-up. He weighed 12 pounds 9 ounces and was 23 1/4 inches long. This puts him in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. He had to get shots-- he screamed at the top of his lungs for just a few seconds, then frowned and whimpered. He was even sticking out his bottom lip! I've never seen such a thing. We couldn't tell if he was going to laugh or cry. Jason was laughing at him! It was sad, but pretty humerous at the same time (am I a bad mom?). Anyways, he did great. I've given him Tylenol and he is sleeping now. We are praying that he doesn't have any bad reactions to the shots and isn't too fussy today. So far he is being a real trooper! We are so blessed to have such a healthy and sweet baby boy!

Two Months Old and On a Roll

Bryson turned two months old today. Jason and I can't believe that Bryson has been here for two months already, but at the same time can't imagine our lives without him. He brings so much joy to the Ruple house, and we are really enjoying every moment with him. This morning I put Bryson down on his play mat (a normal daily activity), and went to the sink to wash bottles (ahh the joys of constant bottle washing!). Bryson was "talking" loudly and was really moving around on the mat. I watched as he started out like this:

And ended up like this!

That's right! The little toot rolled over onto his stomach. Of course, he got stuck against the side of one of the bars on his mat, and threw a little fit. I think he might have kept rolling all the way to the front door if that bar hadn't stopped him! What is going on here and where is my eight week old baby?!?! It seems as though I might be chasing him around this house sooner than I originally thought!

*Congratulations to Derek and Melissa who found out today that they are expecting a little BOY on January 23rd, 2010! We can't wait to meet him!!!

Just Sittin' on my BUM(bo)!

Bryson likes to be entertained. I can only imagine what the toddler years will hold for us! Yesterday he seemed bored and was pretty fussy, so I just decided to try to put him in his bumbo chair. He loved it! The fussiness stopped immediately. He's still a little bit on the small side, but is doing great sitting in it. I even put him in the kitchen with me while I cooked dinner. The bumbo is our life-saver (for now)!