Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Quite some time has passed since our last update and it seems so much has happened. Miss Rylee has passed her two month birthday and had her two month doctor's appointment. She weighed in at 10 pounds, 11 ounces and was 23 1/2 inches long. She's grown out of 0-3 month pants and jammies and is now in 3-6 or 6 months clothing. Mommy's hoping she'll be tall like daddy, finding short length jeans can be so complicated sometimes.

Rylee got her first round of shots at her appoinment and did great. The worst part for her was the holding of her legs down as she does not like to be restricted at all. She spent the day with her Mimi and got all the TLC she needed. She had no adverse reactions or fever.

Rylee has been spending tons of time with Miss Linda (Ethan's Grandma) who has been caring for her while Mommy and Daddy go to work each day. Rylee has begun to recognize Miss Linda, smiling and cooing at her when we see her around town. Mommy and Daddy are so thankful we had someone so loving taking care of Rylee on a daily basis.

We celebrated Rylee's first Christmas in North Carolina. We spent Christmas Eve at Uncle Chuck and Aunt KK's house with the Vogel/Taylor clan. We came home Christmas Eve and all put on our Christmas Jammies (compliments of Grandma and Pa) and watched the Christmas Story on TBS. Rylee must have been good during her 2 1/2 months of life because Santa brought her Elmo Live. Mommy, Daddy and Rylee spent Christmas morning at home, opening gifts, having breakfast and playing with Elmo. We had dinner at Aunt Noelle's and Uncle Kevins's house on Christmas day.

Rylee got to meet her Aunt Julie, Uncle Dan and cousin Jessie for the first time during the Christmas week. Little Jessie was so thrilled with Rylee, she couldn't get enough of her. She wanted to make sure everyone saw Rylee, by taking their hand and bringing them over to Rylee, saying "My baby." Jessie was even more excited when Rylee would smile or coo at her.

Mommy, Daddy and Rylee spent all day Saturday at home, lounging around. None of us showered or got out of jammies all day! We played and napped and hung out and it was one of the best days we've had together in a long time.

Sunday Miss Rylee got to visit with Uncle Michael, Aunt Cat, Madeline and Megan. We all took a trip to Concord Mills Mall and had lunch. Megan was excited to get to shop in The Childrens Place for Rylee and helped pick out a shirt and pants for her. She tried her best to find her a matching skirt, but didn't see any she liked in Rylee's size.

Today, Monday, was Rylee's first official day of daycare. Grandma, Mimi, Mommy and Pa all have log ins (Daddy's is with Mommy) so they can see her on camera during the day. So far, she seems to be doing great and adjusting well. Of course Mommy can't wait until 5 when she can scoop her up and bring her home to play for a few hours before bed!

Update, update, update...

Well, quite some time has passed since our last entry and so much has happened. Rylee had another photo session, this time Mommy and Daddy were included. Berto got some great shots of all of us, but mostly of Rylee. We can't thank him enough for all his great photos, capturing great memories of Rylee.

Rylee has taken her first overnight trip. We spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Raleigh at Uncle Michael and Aunt Catherine's with Madeline, Megan, Grandma, Pa, Uncle Eddie and Aunt Jen. Rylee did great for being in a new place and sleeping in a new bed. Rylee go to visit Santa again in the Raleigh mall and get a picture taken with him and her cousins Madeline and Megan. She loved spending time with all her family--especially her big cousins who give her so much love and take such good care of her. Rylee enjoyed her first Thanksgiving--she really like the sweet potatoes!

We drove back to Charlotte on Friday afternoon. Uncle Michael and Aunt Noelle baptized Rylee on Saturday morning at St. Mark's Church. Rylee was so quiet and peaceful the whole time. She wore a beautiful christening gown that her Grandma and Pa bought her. After her Christening, Rylee was spoiled by all of her family while we all had lunch together at Aunt Noelle's and Uncle Kevin's house.

On Sunday Uncle Eddie, Aunt Jen and Pa left. Grandma got to stay with us for another week! Grandma took care of Rylee for the week while Mommy made the transition back to work. It was assuring to know that Rylee was so well taken care of at home, but it was and still is very hard for Mommy to leave and go to work everyday. By the time Mommy and Daddy get home from work, it's about 5 p.m., which allows for only about 2 hours of family time.

Grandma left us on Friday afternoon, with no definite plans of a return date yet. We miss Grandma already, but we know that Pa missed her too and wanted to see her also.

Our first weekend after returning to work went well--although too fast. We tried to keep it low key, but it didn't seem to go as planned. We took a trip Saturday to Sparta, North Carolina to pick out our Christmas Tree. It's a tradition Mommy and Daddy started three years ago--a day trip to the mountains to a choose and cut farm. Ally and Spencer have been taking the trip the past two years and so this year was no different for them. We all packed up in the car and headed out. Shortly after we go to the mountains it began to snow. Mommy put Rylee in her snowsuit (Thanks Pa!) with her hat and mittens and we hiked up the hill with Daddy to find the perfect tree for Rylee's first Christmas. When we found the perfect one, we took some pictures and then let the men cut it down. We decorated our first tree as a family on Saturday night. Rylee really seems to like the lights (especially since Daddy did go a little overboard with them).

On Sunday afternoon Mommy and Rylee went to Daddy's showcase and got to hear him sing. Even though Rylee slept the entire time, we know she enjoyed her Daddy's performance--Mommy liked it to! Way to go Daddy!

Sunday night Miss Rylee got to spend good quality one-on-one time with her Mimi. Mimi babysat while Mommy and Daddy went to Daddy's work Christmas party. Even though it was only about 3 hours, Mommy and Daddy missed Rylee greatly.

We're hoping for a quiet, relaxing weekend next weekend where we can all hang out at home as a family of three and just play!

Rylee is still growing like a little weed. We're almost certain she's inching close towards 12 pounds, if she hasn't reached the mark already. She's beginning to develop a personality of her own and really starting to hit milestones now. She loves to be read, sung or spoken to. She's quite the smiler and coo-er these days. Each morning when she wakes up at 5 (yup, she's still sleeping the whole night 8 pm to 5 am) she gives Mommy a big smile before she eats. She's eating about 8 ounces at every feeding in the day--seems like she's getting her Daddy's metabolism!

Rylee is such a joy for Mommy and Daddy--we love every moment we get to spend with her and hate having to leave her when we go to work in the morning.

Much going on

There's been so much going on in Miss Rylee's life in the past few weeks-so there's a ton to update on. Today is my last day home with her before going back to work, so unfortunately I'm not going to spend time on here updating. I'll post later this week after we get acquainted with our new schedule. Rylee has had her first overnight trip, been to see Santa again, had her first Thanksgiving, been baptized, had two professional photo sessions and seen much of her family in this past week--I'll post details and pictures later this week.

In the picture above, Rylee is being held by her big cousin Megan--notice the smile on Rylee's face.

Rylee and Santa

Here's Rylee with Santa tonight at Northlake Mall. I'm glad she didn't pee on his lap like her Mommy used to do!

Lots going on...

Well, Grandma left us on Friday and again we were sad. Rylee did get to go see her Daddy at his work on Friday afternoon, and he got to show her off. Of course everyone thought she was so cute (don't we all?!?). Amanda came into town Friday night and spent the weekend with us until Tuesday morning. Saturday Amanda, Mommy and Rylee went to Lacinda's house, a friend Mommy's had since college. After returning home, Mommy and Amanda got a night out on the town while Daddy got some good quality time in with his baby girl. Sunday was the day of rest for all of us, as Mommy and Rylee took a 2 hour nap together during football.

Monday was Rylee's 1 month check up at the pediatrician. She weighed in at 9 lbs., 12 oz. and 22 1/2 inches long. Mommy can't believe she's grown 1 1/2 inches in 5 weeks. Dr. Jayne was very pleased with Rylee's growth and development. However, she wasn't so please with Rylee's loud breathing and decided to send us to a pediatric pulmonologist. Of course Mommy was scared to death of what that could mean for Rylee as there was talks of her having to have a scope test done.

Mommy and Daddy took Rylee to see the pulmonologist on Tuesday afternoon at 1:30. He was a great doctor! He was very good with Rylee and very thorough. He explained everything to Mommy and Daddy as this was all very new to them. It has been determined that Rylee has what they call Laryngomalacia--sounds a lot scarier than it really is. From what Dr. Ashe tells us, it's floppy, immature cartilage of the upper larynx that collapses inward during inhalation, causing airway obstruction. It is common in infants, mostly premature infants-but most outgrow it by 6-8 months of age. Dr. Ashe says that Rylee's loud breathing will get worse before it starts to get better because her lungs are getting bigger and she's bringing in more air to accommodate them. But she is a perfectly healthy 5 week old baby girl and she should be just fine with time. Dr. Ashe told us all the signs to look for that the Laryngomalacia is actually getting worse, which he doesn't see happening in Rylee's situation. He gave us all the pointers on how to help Rylee with her breathing, and to help her to not choke or gag. Our feeding techniques had to change and seem to be helping her tremendously. So, for all you who will soon visit and feed Rylee by bottle, don't be surprised if over-protective Mommy tries to give you a lesson on feeding Rylee (she even showed Daddy). We're still trying to figure out the best position for nursing, it's a work in progress. Rylee has been taking to severely arching her back and pushing her head back and up when she sleeps at night. We asked Dr. Ashe about it and he said it's fine for her to be on her side, sleeping in that position. She's found that that position is the best for her to get optimal air, allowing all airways to be elongated and open--I knew I had a smart kid!

On a more positive note, Rylee really seems to be making some developmental changes. She's been smiling a lot more lately, especially when Mommy and Daddy play with her. She coos a ton and loves talking to the lion and giraffe on her wall when being dressed or changed. She enjoys being read to, especially at night before bed. She's been getting play time on her rainforest activity mat and has begun following moving objects with her eyes. She's starting to turn her head at the sound of voices or the calling of her name. A girl after her Daddy's own heart, Rylee really enjoys listening to music of all kinds too!

Rylee continues to sleep through the night-as Mommy thought the first night was just a fluke. Mommy and Daddy have been trying to start a bedtime routine with Rylee beginning at 7 pm and hopefully getting her in her bed, starting to doze off to sleep by 8 pm. Rylee was staying up until about 11 pm and sleeping until 9 am, which is great why Mommy is home from work, but will soon have to change when Mommy has to go back. Again, still a work in progress, but Rylee has been adjusting rather well. Now she wakes up between 5-6 am to eat, which will be perfect when it's time to start daycare and Mommy goes back to work.

Today Rylee is going to the mall with Mommy and Daddy to see Santa for the first time. We'll be getting a picture done, so hopefully we can post it at a later date. We're hoping to get some family portraits done in the near future.

Happy One Month

November 11th, one month since Rylee's birth. Things are still going well and it seems that Rylee has been changing everyday. Although we don't know her weight, we imagine by the way she's eating that she must be over 9 lbs by now. She's really smiling these days and listening intently to whomever is speaking to her. She loves to be read to or sung to, even though it's only Daddy who has the good singing voice in this family.

Grandma and Pa came into town on Friday and enjoyed their alone time with Rylee while Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a night out. Saturday we all drove to Raleigh to visit big cousins Madeline and Megan. Rylee did great in the car both ways, sleeping the entire time. She enjoyed her time with her cousins and her Aunt Catherine and Uncle Michael. It seems that Rylee also hit a milestone on Saturday, becoming a nursing champ and has continued to do so since. Pa had to leave this morning to go to back to NJ to work, but Rylee is very excited that her Grandma is staying with us for another week.

Last night was Rylee's first night of sleeping through the night. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed their straight sleep, although Mommy did wake up several times to make sure there wasn't any problems. When Daddy woke up for work this morning, he said "of course she slept through the night, she drank a gallon of milk before bed." Not entirely true, although Rylee is up to about 7-8 ounces of milk at a feeding. Sometimes we only get about 4-5, but we're ready to go again within an hour for a little dessert.

For Miss Rylee's one month birthday, we took a trip to Sears to get some portraits. Rylee did great, hanging out the entire 3 hours we were there. Little did Mommy know that it was Veteran's Day and everyone was out of school getting their Christmas Portraits done. With several poses done, Mommy and Grandma picked 3. We also picked out an outfit to wear when Daddy and Mommy take Rylee for her first photo op with Santa next week and a fancy dress to wear when she visits Santa in Raleigh with her cousins Madeline and Megan.

Grandma leaves again on Friday morning to return to NJ to get some more stuff done, but Amanda comes to town Friday afternoon. We're all so excited to see her and to spend some good quality time with her.

Rylee has her one month check up next Monday and then Mommy and Rylee will be on their own for the week. We're excited to see what kind of trouble we can get in to!

This picture was taken this morning before our Sears photo session. The outfit was bought for her by her Uncle Eddie and Aunt Jen. Doesn't she look so cute in her grandma sweater?!?

Where does the time go?

So, we've passed our third week with Baby Rylee being in our lives and we couldn't be happier. She's been such a joy for us all to have around and we're enjoying each moment we have with her. She's over 8.5 lbs now and still growing daily. We've battled a little bit of constipation this week, but Rylee has been a trooper through it all. Mommy tried to do all she could to get a poop, but nothing seemed to be working. We did learn that Rylee loves Mommy's bath tub, smiling and kicking her feet the whole time she's in there. It seems that she gets such a work out in the big tub, she falls hard asleep as soon as she's out and dressed for bed.
Rylee had her first Halloween on Friday. Although she didn't get dressed in a costume, she did get to wear her Candy Corn sleeper and she got to Trick or Treat with her cousins Haley, Natalie and Joey. She enjoyed it so much she slept for the entire walk. After her exhausting walk, she got to spend quality time with her Mimi. She got to watch as everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Aunt Noelle, and then came home to settle in for the night with Mommy.
Grandma left us on Friday to return home to take care of some stuff in NJ and Rylee and I got to experience our first days of being together alone. Miss Rylee also got to spend some quality time with Daddy, as he has taken some days off of work this week (the first days since she's been born). Rylee also enjoys snuggling in bed with Daddy in the morning, except when she gets a whiff of Daddy's dragon breath or armpit smell.
Mimi will be over tonight to have a crack at her first babysitting gig while Mommy and Daddy go out for a nice dinner. It's been a while since they had a dinner out alone, so they're really looking forward to it.
Grandma and Pa will be returning from NJ on Friday afternoon to spend the weekend with Rylee. Rylee will get to spend some quality time with Grandma and Pa as they get there next shot at babysitting while Mommy and Daddy go to a concert for the night. On Saturday we'll all take a trip to Raleigh to visit with Rylee's cousins Madeline and Megan. It'll be Rylee's first long car ride, so we'll see how she does.
I'll update with pictures soon, as I've been trying to take some everyday. I hope you all are enjoying the blog, as I'm enjoying writing it--if nothing else, its a good site for me to keep note of all the big things that happen in my little girls life!

Another week complete

Week two complete and everyone is still doing well. Our week started off calm and quiet, just hanging out at home. Thursday was a big day for Miss Rylee as she got to wear her Kiss (the band) onsie for the first time and sported a Mohawk to be her Daddy's Little Rockstar. She got to spend the evening with her Uncle Eddie & Aunt Jen who came in town for the weekend. Rylee was fascinated with Uncle Eddie, as she starred at him intently while he held her and talked to her. She also got to meet Christina, who made her the Kiss onsie. Christina is the wife of Daddy's bass player Ron. All the while, Mommy was starting to get a fever.

Friday was another day to spend with Aunt Jen and Uncle Eddie while Mommy went to the doctor. It was determined Mommy has mastitis, an infection in the milk ducts. Luckily, Mommy had plenty of help with Miss Rylee, but was feeling much better by afternoon. Aunt KK and Uncle Chuck were planning a quick visit, so Daddy and Mommy decided to bathe and dress Rylee. It was the first time Daddy got to give his baby girl a bath and boy did she have a surprise in store for him. Miss Rylee loves to have her head rubbed, and while Daddy washed her hair, she got so relaxed she pooped! Daddy got her all cleaned up and dressed all before Aunt KK and Uncle Chuck arrived. Not long after, Pa arrived for his usual weekend visit.

Saturday morning Rylee got quality time with Grandma and Pa while Mommy and Daddy went to baptismal class for a few hours. Later that afternoon she got to go to her first outing, a baby shower for her little friend Mackenzie, due in December. Everyone was so surprised to see how relaxed and calm she was the 3 hours we were there. Grandma and Pa got some more alone time Saturday night while Mommy and Daddy got to go to a Halloween Party--their first night out since Rylee came home (except for quick trips to Target).

After a long night with no poops and tons of gas from the peanut, neither Mommy or Rylee slept well on Saturday night. After a feeding and snuggling from Daddy, Miss Rylee finally got relief. It was the explosive poop we had been waiting for, leaking all over Daddy and his bed. After a washdown, new pajamas and new bedding--Mommy and Rylee got the nap they so desperately needed. The rest of the day is left to watching football!

Pumpkin Patch

We took Rylee to the pumpkin patch on Saturday to pick out her first pumpkin. She also picked out pumpkins for her big cousins Madeline and Megan. Here's the family portrait from the pumpkin patch.

Week One Complete

Well, it's been a week and two days since Baby Rylee has blessed us with her presence and today marks one week that we're starting our lives at home with her. A lot has happened in the past week since we've been home. Rylee had her first appointment with the pediatrician on Wednesday and she did super. Her pediatrican said she is the most relaxed baby she's ever seen. She must get it from her daddy!

She weighed in at 7 lbs and 5 ounces, only 2 ounces shy of her birth weight. Everything looked great and were told we didn't have to come back until her one month checkup.

We've been experimenting with taking her out in the stroller, which she seems to love. We've only taken her on walks outside, recirculated air isn't good for her at this point. She enjoys getting fresh air and sunlight. At this point, other than being naked, we haven't found much she doesn't like.

We seemed to hit some rough patches in the breastfeeding department, but we're working through them. We had a follow up visit with the lactation consultants and of course my little girl showed off for everyone, having no problems at all. She weighed in at 7 lbs, 7 ounces--back up to her birth weight already.

Today was a big day for Miss Rylee, she got to meet her cousins Madeline and Megan for the first time. I know how excited they were to finally see her and both got to hold her unassisted.

Our Birth Story

I couldn't wait for the day that our beautiful daughter would bless us with her presence, but knew it would come soon. Saturday October 11, 2008 I woke up about 5 am with some intense cramps. I wasn't sure it was time, as pre-labor had struck earlier and I was sure it was the same. As an hour passed and I was no longer able to sleep, I noticed my cramping was regularly spaced, 4 minutes. I woke up Jeff to ask him to help me time. He was great with staying calm, getting out his contraction log and taking notes. I was right, 4 minutes apart. I woke up my parents who had been in town awaiting the birth of Miss Rylee. It was here, we were finally going to see and hold the little girl we had been waiting 9 months for. It was about 9:30 we decided to head to the hospital, with contractions about 3 minutes apart. I had began vomiting, so that was our real reason for going. At the hospital, it was determined I was 4 cm dilated, so I was moved to a Labor and Delivery Room. I couldn't believe it, today was going to be the day. Jeff and I had planned early on to have a natural birth for our daughter and myself. We thought it was the best option for us. Although I don't want to brag, I'm glad to say I did it just that way--all natural, no drugs. I couldn't have made a better choice for myself and my daughter. I won't say laboring didn't get tough, because it did, especially in the end when contractions came on quick and strong. Finding my breath again seemed so hard. It was about 1 pm when I told the nurse, Alishia, I had to push this baby out. I was 10 centimeters and we were about to have a baby. My water hadn't broken yet, and I was given the option to have it broke for me. I declined, bound and determined to do it on my own. After an hour of pushing, I delivered the water bag and the greatest gift my husband and I could ever give each other--Rylee Castellina Taylor Vogel. She was born at 2:02 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs, 7 oz and 21 inches long. She's got the best of both of us, a beautiful little girl. Happy and healthy, my baby girl has arrived!