So Blessed

Sunday, May 1st Cyrus Robert Smith was blessed by his father Jesse. I couldn't help but feel so happy on that day. Jesse gave such a beautiful blessing. Ever since Cy has been born I have had a heart full of gratitude towards Jesse. He is honestly the best dad ever. Always so willing to help me out with the boys. So on the day of the blessing I felt so emotional seeing him blessing Cy. Being a worthy and righteous priesthood holder made me feel so proud of him. It was like the cherry on top of everything. I'm pretty sure I couldn't ask for a better husband. We make a great team. After the meeting our friends and family all came to our house for a little eat and greet. It was so wonderful having everybody there to celebrate our newest addition to our family. I loved having all the dearest people in my life all together in one sitting.

Ryker is such a proud big brother. Oh you can just tell by the look on his face in this picture. He sincerely LOVES his little brother.

Jesse and I couldn't be happier. We both are so proud of our two handsome boys. Ya know, growing up I probably took my family for granted, but being older they are the only people I want to be with. Even better now that I have my own little family. I am so thrilled that I get to be with my 3 handsome boys for eternity.

A big shout out to our parents. They are such a great help with the boys. Gotta Love them!!!!

3 of my favorite ladies! I love, love, LOVE my Sistas. They are my closets and dearests friends. Manda was so dear and bought a airplane ticket to come just for the blessing. She flew in Saturday morning and had to leave Sunday night. A quick trip, but so worth being with her.

So here is a little kitchen update. We still have alot of finish work to do, but it's looking more done than it has in a LONG time. Jesse has done a beautiful job on everything. He truly is a well rounded man. Great Husband, Awesome Dad, Worthy Priesthood Holder and my Handy Man.

Everything went so well this weekend. Thank Goodness the weather cooperated. And I loved having a kitchen that was put together. I'm so grateful to all my family and friends for the help, love and support given. Love you all!

There is nothing like having a baby in your home to feel closer to our Heavenly Father. Thank you Cyrus for coming into our lives! We all love you!

Easter and Past Update

I have to say, having two kiddies and being a working mom has made it more difficult to find time to blog. Also my other excuse is I was without Internet for a week because of this...(see picture below). A huge step towards the kitchen being finished has taken place. Since this picture has been taken the tile in the floor has all been laid and so has the back splash (more pictures to come).

I asked Jesse to get the kitchen to the point where it looked finished (even though we aren't close) for Cyrus' blessing on May 1. So according to Jesse I am cracking the whip to get it done. Thanks to my parents as well, they have been helping us out. My dad was helping Jesse with the tiling and my mom helped out with the painting. She's actually coming today so we can finish it off. :) With less than a week left before the blessing we have a ways to go. But I think we can make it.
The past few weeks, Ryker is loving his brother more and more. He's always, always, always telling me 'I just love him', or 'I just wanna touch him'. Ryker definitely likes to be near his little brother.

The first time they bathed together Ryker thought it was the coolest thing. It'll probably be even cooler to him when Cy can sit up in the tub with him too.

Yes!!! Best thing ever is when your baby starts to smile. And better yet is when you can catch it on camera. I just love his little smiles, they serious make my insides all warm and fuzzy.

Tummy Time Smiles. I couldn't ever get Ryker to smile on his tummy, But Cyrus seems to be just fine being on his tummy.

This is a picture Jesse took from his phone, the quality isn't as good, but the big grin on his face is as good as ever!

This past weekend for Easter, as a family we dyed Easter Eggs. Ryker had a good time doing it, which for a mom made me enjoy it even more. I love seeing him get all excited to do little crafts. He told me that we made 'beautiful' eggs.

I saw a commercial about Rice Crispy treat shaped eggs, and thought Ryker would just love to make them. We lined the inside of plastic eggs with the warm rice crispy mix, put M&M's inside, squished the two halves together and Voila'...! Ryker gave them to his Grandma's, Grandpa's, Aunts and Uncles for Easter.

Easter Morning the "Easter Bunny" hid the eggs in the dining room. Ryker was loving wandering around trying to find them. Even though they were in plain site it was a fun little hunt for him.

The "Easter Bunny" brought him a Shirt to wear to church, the movie Tangled, and some treats in his basket. Ryker was thrilled to get the movie.

Here are my handsome boys all ready to go to church on Easter Sunday. I was trying to get Cy to smile, but he was tired and I just glad he wasn't crying in these pictures.

As we were walking to church, Ryker was balancing on the curb. Jesse and I were a little ahead of him because he was taking his time, when we hear a thud and then some crying. We didn't see what happened exactly, but we did see the results of it. The poor kid kid his head on the curb, right smack in the middle of his forehead. I'm pretty sure he had a big headache after that. People were joking at church that the Easter Bunny brought him a 'goose egg' for Easter. (This is another picture Jesse took from his phone, so you cant really grasp how big and how painful it looks in person).

So that's been the past few weeks, all in a nutshell. They have been super busy. And I am pretty sure it's just going to continue. So I am going to try my best to keep up the blog posts.

1 month and Counting

It's strange to think that a month ago this little man came into our lives. A month ago I had a hard time imagining what it would be like to have him here. And now that he is, I can't imagine to go without him. Cy has been a joy to have around. It's amazing how a newborn that does nothing but sleep, cry and poop can make you so happy. We are looking forward to the cooing and smiling, but for now we are enjoying our sweet bundle of joy. I was curious how Cyrus and Ryker compared to each other at the same age. So I put together this collage and I couldn't believe how much they look alike. Before I put their names on the collage, I showed Jesse and he thought they were both Cyrus. It's almost like we have cookie cutter kids. haha

Ryker just LOVES his little "brovered." He is always telling me "I just love him" or "He's so cuuute!" He knows how to comfort Cy when he is crying. Last week my brother came over to my house to watch the boys while I went to the grocery store. Cyrus was sleeping and Ryker was watching a movie, so I was thinking it would be easy for Tyson to watch them. Well while I was out Cyrus woke up earlier than he was suppose to. While Tyson was having a difficult time consoling Cy, Ryker said 'He needs his binki'. So he gives Cyrus his binki and Cyrus calmed right down. It made me laugh that my 3 year old son had to help my 22 year old brother with a month old baby.

Babies are always so precious when they are sleeping. I look at Cy and he just melts my heart. So far I have taken so many pictures of him sleeping. Granted he is sleeping most of the time, but still it's so sweet.

This last week was my first week back to work. My 4 week leave went by really quick. But thankfully I had a quick recovery and I have been feeling back to normal (Still have the baby weight to shed, but in due time that'll happen). Going back to work has been great. I admit that it is going to be an adjustment getting 2 kids and their things packed up to go to my mom's house. Between the diaper bag, 2 car seats, blankets, my pump, purse and lunch I feel like I'm packing up my whole house. Luckily they are both so worth all the effort.

I feel overly blessed with all the boys in my life. Jesse, Ryker and Cyrus have me wrapped around their fingers. I love them all so much and am so lucky to have them in my life. I am a daughter, granddaughter, sister, friend, leader, or a stylist. But being a Mother and Wife has gotta be the 2 best things I could be.

Cyrus' Debuting Photoshoot

Once again my dear friend Courtney came and did a photoshoot for me. I had to post them to show how stinkin' cute they turned out. Cyrus is so precious in these. He's only 3 days old so he's still practically brand new.

This was one thing that I have regret not doing with Ryker. I waited WAY too long. Who knew as a new mother that your child would look so different at 7 weeks old compared to 1? Hmm...So learning from my mistake I had Cyrus' done within his first week of life. They change so fast I wanted to capture these first precious weeks of his life.

2 Weeks Down...

...and many more to come.

The past 2 weeks have been really good considering we have a newborn in the house. Cyrus really has been a good baby. He's been a great sleeper at night and during the day he's just so chill. I've really enjoyed having him around.

I love how much Ryker loves Cyrus. They are going to be some fun together when Cy gets older. But for now Ryker continues to be my little helper.

It's amazing how quickly times goes by when you aren't pregnant anymore. I felt like 2 weeks at the end was an eternity. But now it's nothin' really.

On Friday Mar 18th I took Cyrus in for his 2 week checkup. I had to be there bright and early at 8:20am. I kept wondering how I was going to get 2 kids fed and ready to go and still get there on time. But thankfully Heidi offered up her services to come out and watch Ryker while I just took Cy. What a huge help that was. Thank you Heidi!

At the doctors appointment Cyrus when weighed and measured. They measured him to be 21 1/4 inches long...which goes to prove how WRONG the nurse at the hospital was when she measured him to be 18 inches long. So careless.

His umbilical cord fell off Thursday night and his circumcision is all healed and looking great. Yeah for full on baths!

Also he had to get the second PKU testing done. So his little heal had to be poked. He only cried when the nurse poked him, but after that he was just fine sucking on his hand while she squeezed the blood out onto the card.

Dr Reese said Cyrus is looking great! Which is always good to hear!

Here are his stats;
Weight: 8lbs 6oz---36th percentile
Height: 21 1/4 in---69th percentile
Head Circum: 37.4cm---55th percentile

Coming Home

Being born on a Thursday Morning, the hospital wanted us to stay the full 48 hours till Saturday. But I just couldn't sit in that hospital bed any longer. And poor Jesse just wasn't sleeping well on that couch bed...do you blame him? So when we got permission to leave on Friday afternoon, we were thrilled. I was feeling really well and Cyrus had passed all his labs and tests, so we really had no reason to stay any longer. And there is nothing better than the comfort of your own home.
Since we have been home almost a week now, things have been going really well. Family, friends and ward members have brought us dinners. Which is much appreciated. There is nothing nicer than a warm meal brought to your door step. I wish I could have that happen all the time. haha

Cyrus had his last bilirubin test taken on Sat (Mar 5) and his circumcision done Mon (Mar 7). Jesse was so dear and he took Cy to both of those appointments. His circumcision went much better than Ryker's did. It's already looking great and healing well. But Ryker's on the other hand wasn't done right the first time. So he was in pain for a couple of weeks. So having a well done circumscion is a major relief for us to and I'm sure if Cyrus knew otherwise he would feel relieved as well.

Cy has been a pretty good sleeper. He has been going about 5 hours in between feedings at night. And 2 1/2- 3 hours during the day. We did find out that when I eat a tuna fish sandwich it makes him be colic. Sunday night from 8pm till 1am he just fussed and cried, unless I was feeding him. But then after I fed him again at 1am he slept clear till 8am. I couldn't believe it. I wonder if crying for that long just made him feel so tired that he slept for 7 hours straight being 3 days old.

Ryker has been a big help with his little brother. He just loves him. Ryker is always saying how cute Cy is. We have to remind him occasionally that he needs to be soft and quiet around Cy, but for the majority of the time Ryker does great with him.

The first time Ryker saw me nursing Cyrus he asked me 'What's that?' and told him 'Milk'. Then he pointed to my other breast and asked 'Does that one have water?'

Bath time at home isn't exactly Cy's favorite time quite yet. It'll be better when he can be submerged in water, but for now sponge baths are the key to keep his umbilical cord dry.

Of coarse Ryker was right there to help Daddy give Cy a bath. Handing Jesse the soap, rubbing Cy's leg to calm him down, and lathering up his belly. After they finished up the bath, Jesse took Cy downstairs to get him dressed and Ryker followed. While they were down there Jesse told me that Ryker grabbed the baby safe Q-tips and was cleaning out Cyrus's ears. Once that was done, Ryker brought in more towels for him. He is just a helpful big brother. He's doing alot better than I thought he would. I didn't expect him to be so into helping and soothing his baby brother. I feel blessed to have 2 wonderful boys.

As for me, I have been feeling really REALLY well. The recover with this birth compared to Ryker's birth is night and day. With Ryker I had a serious episiotomy which for 2 weeks afterwards pretty much put me on my butt. I couldn't do anything. I was living off the pain medication. Versus this time around with no tearing, no stitches, and no episiotomy I feel AWESOME! I have been up and moving around since I came home. I am so grateful to my midwife for caring about my body and not treating me like I am another number.

It really is so wonderful to have a sweet newborn in the home. I had a hard time imagining what it would be like to have 2 boys around, but now that Cyrus is here I can't imagine it any other way. I'm grateful to a wonderful helping husband who is a great dad to his boys. I surrounded by boys and I love it.

Welcoming Cyrus Robert

2 days late, but he made it. And I didn't have to get induced after all. Wednesday night I went into labor around 10pm all on my own. Sing Praises! Then around 1am I had one big contraction and my water broke. There was no turning back then, off to the hospital we went. My dear dad hurried to our house to watch Ryker while he was sleeping.

Once getting to the hospital we were settled into our room and I was checked. Only at a 3, but hey it was progress from the day before. I opted to get my epidural as soon as I could. Jesse was able to get some sleep once I was able to relax. I tried to get some sleep, but it wasn't happening. I would doze in and out every few minutes but never really could get to where I could sleep. Around 5ish the put me on pitocin because my contractions seemed to not be strong enough to get me to dilate.

Then around 6am my midwife came in and she checked me and I was at about a 5 1/2. But the baby was still posterior (his head is down but he was facing towards the ceiling). That is why I wasn't dilating because his head wasn't putting the right pressure on my cervix. So she got me situated where I was almost on my stomach to get him to turn face down. After about a half hour or so she came back to check me...he had flipped and I was ready to push. YEAH! I pushed for about 20 mins. And thanks to my dear midwife I didn't tear or have an episiotomy. He was born at 7:45am on 3-3-11, weighing 8lbs 4oz and measuring 21 inches long.

The only scary part was when his head came out the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck 3 times and he wasn't breathing. They had to unwrap it like a hose from around his neck. It was so long. Because he wasn't breathing real clearly they called in a nurse from the Nursery and a Respiratory Therapist to help get his lungs clear and help him breathe. He got his color back real fast and was doing fine except for some gurgle in his breathing. After a minute of them suctioning and Cyrus crying he calmed down and was wrapped up and finally I got to hold him.


After a few minutes and unhooking me from all the tubing and stuff they got me ready to move to the next room. Our nurse was helping and then all of a sudden left the room. As she left she almost fell flat on the floor but caught herself. Jesse went to check to make sure she was ok and she was sitting on the ground with her head between her knees. Some other nurses approached her and asked if she was ok and Jesse overheard her say she has had the flu for a month now and it makes her dizzy! After that little mishap Jesse did all the baby handling and most of the lifting when it came to helping me switch beds and move.

We got to our next room and our Nurse introduced herself and gave us a few guidelines. She then proceeded to ask me what Goals i had for my stay here. She suggested breast feeding so I went with that one and couldn't think of much more. My Dad in law was the only one of our family who had made it at that point because he had a dentist appointment downtown. He suggested mowing the lawn and Jesse suggested that I have dinner ready for them tonight! They think they are so funny haha. Grandma Heidi showed up next and was so excited to see Cyrus. She was so sweet and just raved over him. Like a good grandma. Then my family showed up with Ryker! Jesse and I were so excited to have Ryker hold his brother and see his reaction. He seems to have mixed emotion. Excited to have a brother and baby here but not sure what to make of all the change going on. My Mom, Grandma & Grandpa Schrader, Tyson and Alexa were there as well. Chantel had to go to school and was sad about that and my Dad had to go to work and is feeling sick so felt like maybe he should stay away for a little bit anyway.

We were all having a great time loving and adoring this brand new beautiful baby when the nurse came in and said some people needed to leave. We were only allowed to have 4 visitors and Jesse counted as one of them. So really only 3. Grandma, Grandpa, Alexa and Tyson had to leave anyway, so they left at that point, and shortly there after everyone filed out and we were left alone for a while.

Grandma Heidi Stayed a while to take pictures of Jesse giving Cyrus his first bath. Everything went smoothly, he had done this before. Ryker loved watching his little brother get a bath. Cyrus of course cried when he was unwrapped and cold but did calm down and stop crying when he had the nice warm water pored over his body to rinse him off. He has so much hair. He looked like a balding 40 year old with a comb over when his hair was wet. When it was dried, the Aid combed it into a cute little fluffy faux-hawk.

We are so happy to finally meet him in person. He is so beautiful and calm. He has only cried when he is unwrapped, which is so easy to take care of. He is such a good little baby already. We are so happy and blessed that he is healthy and that all things during the pregnancy and delivery went smoothly. Jesse has been a huge help and is willing to do what ever I ask of him and I am so grateful for that.

We now have two wonderful healthy beautiful boys and are so grateful to our Heavenly Father for them and the joy and happiness they bring to our lives and will continue to bring. We love you Cyrus Robert Smith!

Over Due

It's a rather strange feeling to wait so long for your due date to come, and then to watch it pass by and still be pregnant.

I went and saw my midwife yesterday morning and after checking my cervix, she said I was at a 2 and that my cervix had softened, but that's it. She thought it would be best to do some testing over at the hospital. So that is where I went next. After registering and waiting for about an hour I was then hooked up to a monitor and they listened to his heartbeat and measured how much amniotic fluid is in there. In order for him to pass the test they had to see his heart rate go up twice for about 15 seconds and then come back down. After 20 minutes he was just staying at the same rate she came over with a loud buzzer thing and buzzed my tummy to wake him up. It did the trick. And he passed! Also there is a good amount of fluid for him. So thankfully that all is well.

My midwife gave me the option of being induced on Thursday if I want to. I was thinking that I don't really want to be induced if I don't have to, but since I'm only taking 4 weeks off of work, I don't want to go too far into that break. So the plan is to call the hospital in the morning and they'll tell me when to come in. Apparently I'm the 5th one on the list, so they very well could bump me to Friday. Who knows?

So fingers crossed that he'll just come on his own in the next few days.

Little Update

A little over a month now Ryker has been sleeping in his big boy bed upstairs in his new room. I wanted to post pictures of it because this room used to be sort-of the nothing yet everything room. Just about anything that we couldn't find a place for was in this room. But after hours of cleaning, de-junking and painting this room transformed from the junk room to Ryker's Big Boy Room. It feels so nice to have this room all done and serving a purpose.

You'll notice that I went with a bunk bed set. Reason being is I figured in the future our 2 boys can bunk together. I still need to purchase the extra mattress, but for now the one will be just fine. Monday night (Feb 21), Rafe came over with his mom and we had dinner together. It was funny because Rafe and Ryker were wearing the exact same shirt and jeans (Their mom's must have the same great taste in clothing). The 2 of them together were having a blast in the hammock swing in Ryker's room.

Friday night (Feb 25) I came home from work and had the thought that we as a family should go out together for one last hurrah before the baby came. We went and saw Gnomeo and Juliet. Ryker certainly enjoyed it, but Jesse and I weren't feeling the same. But hey we all got to be together, and that is all that matters.

Yesterday was my last day at work. And I am grateful to say that I made it through this last week. I was kind of concerned that I'd go early with this baby and disappoint a lot of clients, but thankfully it all worked out. So now it's just the waiting game. I feel like I am a ticking bomb just waiting to go off at any moment. Jesse describes it like he's waiting for Christmas to come, but doesn't know when it's going to come. Either way we are all excited and very anxious to see this little man.

Maternity Pictures

I debated back and forth for a long time if I really wanted to do Maternity pictures. And I just have to say that I'm actually really happy that I did them. My friend Courtney does such a wonderful job with her photography. The pictures turned out so cute. I love them!

We had these taken on Monday. So I was a day shy of 39 weeks. Can I just say that I can't believe that I am down to single digit days. It's hard to imagine that in a weeks time we are going to have another little one around. It's kinda hard to wrap my mind around. I don't feel like it's really coming.

Jesse and I are still debating back and forth about the name. I really like Syrus Robert, and Jesse really likes Cyrus Tyson. So the compromise that he has proposed is that I either choose Cyrus Robert or Syrus Tyson. I have to pick how bad I want it spelled with an 'S' or how bad I want his middle name to be Robert. Which one is more important to me? Not really sure yet. I'm hoping when the little man comes and I see him it'll help me to decide (fingers crossed).

My last day of work is this Saturday. I was feeling worried last week that I wouldn't make it till then. But my midwife checked my cervix yesterday and there's just nothing going on yet. So she was pretty confident that I'd be just fine working till Saturday. Then he can come anytime after I get off work.

Well I think my next post will probably be when the little man gets here. So until then.

Thought I'd share....

...the cutest story.

Sunday morning Ryker and I were lying in bed feeling the baby move. He was so excited and was loving it. It was the first time that he really wanted to feel my belly and the baby move. Usually when I've asked him to feel the baby, he'll put his hand on my belly and have it there for 2 seconds and claim he felt him move. It was a moment that I don't want to forget. We were laughing at the crazy forms my belly was taking and having a good time. Then out of the blue Ryker asked me "Mommy? Does he have toys in there?"

Ryker is 3!

Our little boy isn't so little anymore. This last week Ryker turned 3 years old. It boggles my mind how fast the past 3 years have gone. I swear just the other day Ryker was so helpless as a newborn, and now he's jumping around on the couch and using the bathroom all by himself.

Sunday (Feb 6th), my family and Jesse's family all got together at my parents house to celebrate Ryker's birthday. He was so excited to have just about everyone there that he loves. It was almost like he was on a high.

Of course he was super blessed with lots of gifts. Being the only grand kid and nephew on both sides of the families, there is no shortage of love and gifts for him. Jesse and I gave him a bike this year. Ryker was so excited when he saw it. We brought it out at the very end and he just was so giddy when he saw it. He calls it his 'bike ride'...not just a bike, but his 'bike ride'.

The first of the week we took Ryker to the Bakery to pick out his cake. His cake of choice was Woody and Buzz Lightyear. (As a side note, he was so sad after he picked it out that he had to wait till the weekend to take it home.)

When he was blowing out the candles, he was too far away that nothing was happening. His cheeks were getting bigger and bigger as he kept trying harder and harder. After a few blows he finally got that he needed to be closer and he was able to get the 3 candles out. It made me chuckle.

Everyone was there to support Ryker.

Tuesday (Feb 8th), Ryker's actual birthday, he had his 3 year check up that morning. I was so proud of him because he was REALLY good. He was so happy with the nurse and the doctor. The doctor says that he is doing remarkably well for his age. Dr Reese mentioned that if other people think Ryker is a 4 year old, it's because he is the size of one. He's been a big boy since day one. He also asked Ryker if he was a little boy or a little girl...Thankfully Ryker said he was a boy. haha.

Here are some stats...

Weight: 34.8lbs (78th percentile)

Height: 39 inches (85th percentile)

Last year when I made this appointment for him I was told that he wouldn't have to get another shot until Kindergarten. But since they upgraded one of them they said he need to have it. I felt terrible that he would have to get a shot on his birthday. But it was out of my hands.

When the nurse came in, Ryker asked her "What's that?", so she just said it's a bandaid. I had to hold him on my lap while the nurse poked him in the leg. Thank goodness it was only one. He was so sad afterwards. But he did cheer up when he got a sucker for being so brave.

When we left the doctors office I took Ryker to Barnes and Noble to pick out a new book with the gift card he got for his birthday. He loves reading books, so this was fun for him to pick out a new one. He actually was able to get 2 new ones. (And Jesse and I welcome new books so we can change up the stories he wants to read at night).

Later that afternoon, I met up with my mother in law, Heidi, at The Living Planet Aquarium. This was my first time going, but Ryker's 4th or 5th. So he pretty much showed me around the place and pointed out all the cool fish.

This was probably my favorite. There was this big tank with sharks and a sea turtle. Ryker thought the sea turtle was cute...and so did I.

Out of all of the cool things we saw, Ryker kept going back to this crab with one big claw. It had a magnifying glass hooked to the tank, and he just loved looking through it at the crab. He spent like 10 minutes there just staring at it each time.

Once Jesse was done with work, we ate pancakes for dinner (Ryker's pick and complements of Heidi). Then the 3 of us went to the dollar theater and saw MegaMind. It was alot better than we thought it would be. Ryker loved it which is all that matters anyway.

On the way home Ryker fell asleep in his car seat, which he never does. But I think the combination of no nap and a fun filled busy birthday he was just plain pooped.

We had such a fun day together. I enjoyed being with my little man all day. It still blows my mind how fast he is growing up. Oh I just love it....and I just love him.

It's the Final Count Down

4 WEEKS!!! That is nothing. When you find out your pregnant you're already 4 weeks along, and yet I feel like it's so far away. Like it'll never come. I'm mixed with many emotions; Excited to meet him and see what he looks like, Anxious to sleep comfortable again, Nervous I won't know how to be a good mom of 2 children, Stressed I won't get things done around the house in time...and the list goes on.
But all in all, soon we will be blessed with a beautiful, healthy baby boy who came straight from Heavenly Father's presence. And that tops any emotion I have.