Lots of Things are Happening

Lots of things are happening around here this month.  Ryter has started to sit almost on his own.  He's much better at using his muscles to keep him from tipping over than he was a month ago.  He also enjoys standing, assisted of course, most of the time.  Last night was his first night eating solid food.  He'll be 5 months next week so it's a little early, but he hasn't been sleeping through the night lately and tried to grab my hamburger from me on Tuesday.  The doctor suggested we wait until 6 months, but what does she know.  He didn't have a facial reaction like I expected him to.  He just sort of ate the rice like its something he's always been doing.  Maybe I can expect more of a reaction when its time to give him peas or something.  He's also so giggly now and sings all of the time.  He's a pretty drooly baby and has a lot of saliva in his mouth all of the time.  He's figured out that it makes a pretty great gurgling noise so he sings and gurgles.

Here's a video of the toe obsession.  I know some of you didn't believe he actually does this.

Toes!

Ryter's newest toy - toes.  They're in his mouth constantly, but it makes him so happy.

Roll Over, Roll Over

We've had an exciting few weeks in the Naslenas household. Let's see, where to begin.  Well Ryter has started laughing regularly now.  He's got some tickle spots on his ribs and right above his right knee.  He also gets a major kick out of kisses on his neck.

Ryter also started this week by recognizing NJ.  One second he and NJ were sitting on my lap and the next second he was going all in, both hands buried in kitty fur, grabbing chunks, and putting them straight in his mouth.  NJ just sat there and let him pull on her and just feel all of her soft fluffy hair.  It was so adorable!!! NJ doesn't have a very good track record with kids, or most people for that matter, so I was surprised to find her so patient with Ryter.  I'm so glad my Grandmother was there to capture the moment.  I know the picture is blurry, but I think it kind of represents just how fast he moved.

...and the word on his shirt is Trucks.

The biggest thing that happened though is that Ryter finally rolled over.  He's been on the verge of rolling over for about a month now, but hasn't really been super interested in trying.  It just seemed like he'd give it a try a time or two in a day and then be done with it, but yesterday he finally did it!  It was the s-l-o-w-e-s-t roll I've ever seen in my life.  I was lying on the floor with him when he did it and so we were face to face.  All of the muscles in his body were working from his eye brows to his toes.  He seems much more content to be on his belly now since he can get there by himself instead of me putting him in that position.

He's a talkin' fool and seems like he's ready for solid foods.  His tongue just rolls around in his mouth as he salivates while he watches Vain and I eat.  We did give him some banana a couple of times.  The first time Vain gave him some we could tell that he liked it a lot but I made Vain stop giving it to him because it made me nervous.  He's a little young yet.  The second time I gave him some and he grabbed the banana almost ripping it out of my hand and took a chunk out of it so fast I couldn't stop him.  By the time I did the finger sweep through his mouth the banana was gone and he was the happiest baby in the world.  I see rice cereal and banana in his near future.

Big News In Our House

Ryter is 3 months old now, 14 weeks tomorrow, and has finally graduated to his crib.  For the past 3 months he has been sleeping in his papasan swing.  If you remember, the first 3 weeks he would only sleep on my chest and after that only in the swing.  It couldn't get more exciting here.  I really thought it would be a fight, but it's clear that he was ready because he hasn't fought it at all.  I think we back tracked a little bit because he's not sleeping through the night right now, but it's close enough.  I figure as he gets more used to it, he'll continue in dream land for the entire night.

In addition to the crib sleeping, Ryter can now hold his head up while he's on his tummy although he prefers not to spend too much time there.  He's not a fan of the hard work.

and he's been making pretty good use of the Bumbo chair.  He's made a lot of progress in sitting on the floor, but I have to prop him up.  He tips right away, and on Sunday when he tipped over I laughed at him and he laughed back...FOR THE FIRST TIME...he laughed.  Of course I can't get him to do it again, but I know he did it.  It was so adorable!

We also went to Wisconsin the first weekend of October.  On the way there, Ryter and I traveled without Vain which wasn't too bad, but on the way back my Grandmother flew with us.   After the long long trip to Lithuania, the trip to Wisconsin was super fast!  We used the brand new stroller from Matt, Kelly, Teagan, and Sutter--thanks guys!--and he slept almost the whole trip.  We did my favorite Wisconsin activity...hanging out at my parents house.  Ryter was able to meet so many new family members and friends which was really great.  Thank you to everyone for stopping by on Saturday and thanks to Mary and Jeff for dinner and drinks with friends.

We drove all over God's creation on Sunday to an apple orchard to get my dad's favorite apples. I really have no idea where we were because we had taken so many turns driving the country side.  It was worth it because I also got a giant bag of Macintosh for Vain.  You can't get those very easily in Texas.

10 Weeks and Sleeping Through the Night

I wrote this a week ago and forgot to finish and post:

Well, for one full week Ryter slept through the night from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.  Some of those days I think he would have slept later, but I had to get him up and feed him so I could get to work.  Its amazing!  I don't think my body is used to the sleep.  Sometimes I actually feel more tired sleeping for more than 2 hours at a time.  Last night I wasn't so lucky, but its the weekend so its no big deal.

Ryter had his first round of shots last Thursday.  He's grown 3 inches and gained almost 4 pounds so he's 10 lbs 14 oz and 23 1/8 inches. He's a little guy, 25th percentile, but secretly (as long as he's healthy) I like it that way.  I don't want him to grow up.  He still feels so tiny in my arms, but yesterday I saw a new baby at the store and she was so so tiny.  Made me realize how much Ryter has grown even though he seems kind of the same to me because I spend every day with him.

I think he's pretty in line with where he's supposed to be at 10 weeks.  He's finding his thumb except most of the time it's his entire fist into the mouth. He's rolling to one side, but not completely over and enjoying tummy time a little bit more than he used to although he has decided its easier for him to just turn his head to the side and lay there than it is to lift it up.  Sometimes I think he's an older baby trapped in a younger body because he wants to sit up on his own and loves to try to stand on me, but he just can't yet so he gets frustrated.

I have to give my love to Vain because he has been an amazing dad!  This was his first week working from home in the mornings and taking care of Ryter at the same time while I went to the office.  I know its hard for you babe because you're not used to doing some of this baby stuff, but you're doing amazing!  He's happy, he has a full belly, and most of all he gets to spend 5 hours with daddy.  I love you!  This will go on for a couple more weeks and then Grammer will be back from Wisconsin to finish the job for the rest of the year.

More photos are on Shutterfly, but here are a couple 9 and 10 weekers.

9 Weeks
immunization day, see the cute thigh band-aids

9 Weeks

10 Weeks

10 Weeks

Ryter discovering his Octopus

I'm just testing out the YouTube video uploads.  The video is just a baby being a baby.

Back to Work

Well, yesterday was my first day back to work.  It was kind of like the first day of school.  You sit down at your desk and you know you have to be there but you're not sure what you're supposed to be doing. I'm only working half days now through December so the day went pretty fast.  Once the end of the year comes, if all goes well and everyone is trained, I will be leaving for good to be a full-time mom.  Scary and exciting!!

I left Ryter with my mom so I didn't have that guilty feeling or the fear of leaving him alone that I had thought I would.  Its nice to be back in contact with a group of adults, but I love my baby and miss him so much when I'm away!  Ryter seems to be doing fine with it though.  He's a little fussy at night and I think its probably just because things are different.  He's eating from a bottle a lot more than he has so far and his nap and sleep schedule is a little off because mom is here and we've been going shopping and stuff.  Tonight is bath night though so he should sleep soundly.

I finally got to dye my hair last night for the first time since before I was pregnant. I am so glad that the gray is gone and the 2-tone natural/old dye is gone.  I was starting to look pretty trashy!

Thursday is the big day-vaccinations.  I hope all goes well and Ryter doesn't cry too much.

Pictures

I posted more pictures of Ryter on his website RyterNaslenas.com

Lithuania; 6 weeks old

We're Back

Wow, I can't believe that we planned our Lithuania trip over a year ago and and even planned the pregnancy around it, and it's already over.  The trip was great.  Ryter did well most of the time, but had a hard time the first three nights. Who would have thought that the baby that sleeps and eats every 2 hours would be affected by the time?  I actually think he was more confused by the light.  He screamed the first 3 nights from about 8 pm until about 3 am, but then he settled in just fine.  Vain's mom was so helpful taking him off our hands for periods of that time so that we could get a break too.  It was very stressful and it made me want to go home, but like I said, it all got straightened out. 

It was so neat to see where Vain lived when he was little and to meet his grandparents and other family members. The countryside was very similar to Wisconsin with the beautiful green fields and forests although they were much more dense in Lithuania than anything I've ever seen.

I'm going to get myself organized this week with the photos that I took and post some soon.  We shared photo responsibility so there are tons that Vain took and his dad too that I will have to round up for Shutterfly.

You do that all day?

Well, last night was daddy's first night to get Ryter to sleep. Ryter ate and ate and ate and then I passed him off to daddy to go to sleep.  He fussed and cried so we started by changing his diaper.  Well, poop happened...it really happened!  In the middle of changing, a poop rocket shot out and down the side of the changing table.  It was a mess.  Before I could get the diaper on it happened again.  It was honestly hilarious!  Thinking that must have been it, Vain attempted to put Ryter to sleep again.  No Go.  Finally, even though he ate and should have been stuffed, we decided to give him a little extra in the bottle.  That did the trick.  It was probably an hour total and at the end Vain says "You do that all day?"

Want me to make you lunch? Just give me 2 hours.

So, yesterday was interesting.  I started by putting Ryter down for a nap at 12:30 and then offered to make Vain lunch while he did some school work.  As soon as I put the water on to boil Ryter woke up and started screaming.  I turned the water off so I wouldn't forget it was there and burn the place down and proceeded to put Ryter back to sleep.  Then, I forgot I was making lunch and started doing laundry. When I realized I was first making lunch Ryter was waking up again...twice in 30 minutes.  So, I thought...I can do this.  I put the kid in the bouncy seat on the kitchen table and start making lunch.  The bouncy seat was relatively satisfying except every time his pacifier fell out of his mouth it was like the end of the world.  He wants it and it keeps him quiet, but he hasn't quite figured out that he has to suck to keep it in his mouth.  So, as the macaroni is boiling I'm warming mushroom sauce in the microwave, all the while checking on the laundry that I put in the dryer and putting the pacifier back in Ryter's mouth.  When the mushroom sauce came out of the microwave I bumped the bottom of the bowl on the counter and it slipped out of my hands and crashed onto the tile floor.  Mushroom sauce everywhere including in the silverware drawer which I will never understand, shards of bowl everywhere, screaming child, shrinking clothes, and a husband who apparently can't hear any of this going on.

2 hours after I began this little endeaver Vain comes into the kitchen and just looks at me and says, "whatcha doin?"

Oh  yeah, and I forgot to mention that I opened the dryer to find shreds of paper everywhere from a receipt in Vain's pants.  Just so happened to be an entire 8 1/2 x 11 piece of green paper.  What a mess!


The Crime Scene

The Crime Scene, and the end result...Ryter is sleeping

The Receipt

The Grandmother's First Visit

Both of our moms were here over the past week and it was so nice to have them!  First for company because Ryter and I have spent many days alone trapped in the house and also for assistance-cleaning, cooking, and taking the baby.  We really spent all of our time just hanging out, watching home decorating and landscaping shows, and sitting on the back porch.  It's so hot here and so I can't bare it for very long but Ryter LOVES being outside.  He does not care if he's all sweaty or if mommy is about to pass out.  Although I don't want to wish my time with Ryter as a tiny baby away...I really can't wait for Austin in October!  Next time I get pregnant, I'm going to plan on having the baby in October so my maternity leave coincides with the cooler weather.

Here are a couple of pictures of us hanging out.  Photos of Vain's mom with Ryter are on the other camera that I don't have access to so those pictures will come later, or on Vain's blog.  Thank you Bunch and Baba for being here and taking such good care of us.  We miss you and wish you lived much much closer!

Week 3
Bunch and Ryter

Week 3
Bunch and Ryter

Third Week's the Charm

So, after 3 weeks of sleeping on the couch trying to get my baby to sleep on his own, he finally slept in his swing without a peep (well, at least for a few hours) and I could make a visit to my old bed again.  I slept so soundly and I was so comfortable!  Thanks Ryter, lets do this every night!

One Week Old

Thursday Ryter was one week old and I'm just finally getting around to writing.  I cannot believe it has gone so fast.  We've been working on our routine of feeding and sleeping and I don't think we've got it down yet.  Last night he cried for about 30 min. before I couldn't stand it anymore and I had to pick him up. He was very upset!  I guess we'll try again a different day to sleep in the crib.  Until then, he's a chest baby all the time snuggling up to the warmth of mommy and daddy. 

He had his first doctor's appointment on Tuesday and started gaining weight going back up towards his birth weight so that means he's eating well and getting what he needs.  He's a big eater so I wasn't surprised. Everything else is healthy and going just the way its supposed to.

Here are a couple of pictures of my guys.

Week 1
Big Foot

Week 2
Success!  Daddy finally got Ryter to sleep.

Ryter Naslenas

Well its official, we have a very cute little baby boy name Ryter Naslenas.  Ryter comes from riteris meaning Knight.  He's our little knight in shining armor.  One week late and totally worth the wait!  He came in at 6 lbs. 7 oz, 20 inches at 7:54 a.m. on July 14.

Pictures will come once I get home from the hospital.

Could this be the day?

I'm thinking that this might actually be the day.  I woke up with back pain at about 2 a.m. and some minor contractions, but I decided I'd go back to sleep. I figured if anything started to happen I'd wake up.  So, 3 a.m. came and the same thing was happening, but again I decided to go back to sleep.  Then 6:00 rolled around and I was disappointed that morning had come and still no baby.

Went to the doctor for the last time this morning and they said my blood pressure was a little high so they put me on the monitor to see how the baby was doing.  The baby is great, heart rate is perfect, movement is perfect, etc.  I had a couple of contractions while I was being monitored for that 20 minutes and they have continued now since I left the doc.  I'm at work today, but I may not last the whole day if the contractions get any closer together.

We'll keep everyone posted!

41 Weeks

Well, Friday was the beginning of week 41 and here I am...still pregnant.  I know people say that the first ones are always late, but really... 

Today is also our 2nd anniversary-Happy Anniversary babe-and my first day of maternity leave but I don't really have anything to do so I figure I should work.  Might as well right?

The update on induction is that I'm going in Friday July 15 to have the baby if he/she doesn't arrive before then.  Lets hope that it happens on its own because I really don't want to go through the induction.  I've heard mixed reviews and I just really don't want to have to force the baby out if it can come on its own.

One of my friends did bring to my attention that Friday is the Full Buck Moon so that could be cool if we have a boy.  Maybe we could name him Buck Moon Naslenas.  There must be a Lithuanian translation of Buck.

Still Pregnant

I went to see the acupuncturist last night for a "natural" induction. I guess it's not natural exactly, but its better than going through the meds at the doctor. I've not heard great things about the Pitosin and I'd really like to not have to go there.  As far as I understand it, this is just a way of getting my body to make the chemicals on its own. My body knows how much it needs. I've got band-aids with needles in my hand and ear that I can press on every few hours.  Just some pressure points.  They're also good for pain management which I will hopefully need soon!

In the mean time, the acupuncture has helped to keep the feet swelling at bay which has also been really nice.  No fat feet for me.

Vain and I went to the Rodeo in Wimberley this past Sunday and I'm pretty sure people were worried the baby was just going to fall out.  One couple even told Vain they'd save his seat while he followed me to the bathroom because the baby is so low they were convinced I wouldn't make it back to my seat. No such luck!  They also made catching motions to me and said they were "ready to help".  Interesting?

Vain took pictures so check out his blog/gallery to see some mutton bustin' and Wrangler jeans.

40 Weeks

So, here I am at the beginning of my 40th week and still pregnant.  I was so sure this baby was coming early and I was so wrong.  Now I'm wondering if the baby is a girl like I've thought all along.  I guess I won't have to wait too much longer to find out.  I'm getting anxious and excited and scared and nervous all at the same time. I still have a few things to finish in the baby's room, but this 3-day weekend should be plenty of time to take care of those little details. Then I can post pictures of the finished product.

This weeks stats are 2 cm dilated and 60% effaced...same as last week.  Will she/he ever come out?

39 weeks-baby come out.

37 Weeks

We took last Sunday afternoon and went down to S. Congress to take some photos of stuff.  Like i said in the last post, Vain got a new camera and so he's taking pictures left and right. It could have been the HOTTEST day on record!  We probably only spent about 30 minutes walking the street because it was just too miserable.  We couldn't leave without getting this shot though...This one's for you dad :)  Happy Father's Day!

36 Weeks-Vain's New Camera

Vain got a new camera in preparation for the baby's arrival and has been practicing on my belly :)

34 and 35 Weeks

Clearly I'm very behind in blogging again so I've included pictures from a couple of different weeks. I'm actually now at the beginning of my 38th week. Still nothing really happening other than continuous movement from the baby and some discomfort for me. The baby has definitely dropped in the past week because my shirts no longer cover my belly.  I had to get into Vain's clothes yesterday to find something to wear to work. Other than that, I think I'm pretty good and I can definitely make it to week 40 without too much complaining, although I'm just so excited I want the baby to come today!

34 Weeks

34 Weeks

34 Weeks

35 Weeks, and the only shirt that covers everything.

32 Weeks-Kansas City, Missouri

We went to Kansas City last weekend for Amanda's medical school graduation. We are all so proud! It ended up being a crazy cold weekend-similar to Sedona minus the food poisoning. I, of course as usual, only packed summer clothes because I live in Texas and just can't believe that other people are experiencing cooler temperatures. I checked the weather for the week leading up to the trip and it was sunny and upper 70s. I thought Great! I only have dresses that fit over this bowling ball so it'll be perfect. I also offered to pack Vain's suitcase as well and packed a bunch of t-shirts and shorts and one dressy outfit. He'll only need to dress up for the graduation day and the honors ceremony later that afternoon right? WRONG! Turns out the honors ceremony was the day before-the day we arrived. Sorry Vain, you have to wear the same outfit two days in a row-oops! The pants were too big, the shirt wasn't warm enough, he had no jacket...it was a mess. That evening we ended up running around trying to find a sweatshirt for him and pants for me. Apparently not even Wal-Mart carries long sleeve shirts this time of year in Kansas City. I managed to find a $.97 cent sweater at Gap Maternity, but that got cancelled out by the two pairs of full price pants I had to purchase that I pretty much hate because they have the huge belly stretchy thing-not a fan!

Enough about the clothes. Other than the small amount of time we had to spend outside freezing our butts off moving from hotel to apartment, or taking pictures after the ceremony we had a great weekend! Gram from Hartford was there, plus Grammer and Tracey from Texas and mom, dad, Amanda, Vain, and me.

So, I've made it to 32 weeks successfuly without many complaints. This was the first time my dad and Gram have seen me in person since I told everyone I was pregnant at Thanksgiving when I was only 8 weeks. I'm sure it was a shocker for them. For me and everyone here, its so gradual that I almost feel like I haven't changed at all.

31 Weeks

This is a short one. 31 weeks here and moving along quickly! I've got just a couple of 2-week Dr. appointments left and then every week until the baby comes. The nursery is a disaster and I feel like a hoarder when I open the door to that room, but now that I finally have the mattress for the crib I feel like I have everything and I can really get going on organizing. I've got to get rid of the other bed that's in the room too and that will make it feel much better! The crib finally came and Vain put it together for me when I had to work late last Friday night. Thanks baby! All that's left on Vain's end is to paint the room which will happen Memorial Day weekend because we've got an extra day. My mom made all of the bedding and sent it last week too. Its so adorable! I can't wait for baby bunny to see it!

28 Weeks-Baby Shower

Lets backtrack-

The baby shower that Tina and Kensley threw me in April was so beautiful. My mom and sister flew in for the weekend and got to meet everyone-again. We played games, but my only request was no diaper/candy bar game. Thanks ladies!! The cake was adorable-thanks Michelle! Michelle is a wonderful pastry chef with major versatility! If any of you saw the photos of my bachelorette cake you know exactly what I'm talking about-there were no bunnies that day! The gifts were also great too and I really appreciate everything everyone brought. It will all be used a lot and little baby bunny will appreciate everything! Suzanne also brought tons of clothes from her little guy so if I have a boy, I'm pretty set for the first couple of months. Now its on to organizing everything and making it look pretty in the soon-to-be-finished nursery.

























Oh yeah, and this is me at 28 weeks with Stacey. She's about two months ahead of me and actually had her baby boy, Connor, on May 3.

Its Been a Long Time

Well, I have fallen behind and it was to be expected. I fully blame my sister for this one though. I intended to write all about my baby shower and my 28th week at the same time and post a bunch of pictures from that day. Well, we didn't get the photos from her camera while she was here and then I was at the mercy of her sending them to me once she got back home. Well, her internet was down for a while and now she's on vacation so I still don't have pictures although they did get posted on Facebook. So, because of that I didn't write anything about my 30th week either because I was stuck on things being out of order on the blog. Well...whatever, that is all still to come.

So, today is the beginning of my 32nd week. I will have Vain take pictures today for sure and just pick up from this point forward. I'm down to 2-week doctor appointments now instead of every month, but still no action in the doctor's office. I get my weight taken, blood pressure, and belly measurements. Everything stays normal every visit which is wonderful. I passed my glucose test two weeks ago with flying colors which is a relief. The orange drink was not great on an empty stomach though and I fought back the dangerous burps for 2 hours before I could eat.

My belly seems to be changing and growing daily although I'm not to the point quite yet that I can't buckle my shoes, although I do have trouble sometimes. Last week I left the house without shoes because I was too frustrated to deal with it. I don't think the baby ever sleeps because "she" is moving all day long. Last night Vain could see the bumps coming from inside my stomach from across the room. We were watching American Idol and the baby really likes the singing. Every movement that I feel is still really cool even though it happens all day long-rib kicks and all.

So, no pictures today with this post, but I will have some soon.

25 Weeks-Sedona, Arizona

We managed to take a trip to Sedona over the last couple of weeks. Just a long weekend for one of my oldest friend's wedding. Everything was beautiful, couldn't have a more perfect place for a wedding. Thursday we spent the day traveling, meeting some of the girls at the airport, and driving our sweet mini van through the mountains. With the wedding shower, welcome dinner, wedding, and Sunday brunch there was only a little time left for sight seeing. We took a 6-mile hike on Friday-yup, pregnant girl on a 6-mile hike-and climbed up and down the red rocks. I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself because I climbed higher than everyone else in our group. Vain dressed as a bee keeper to avoid a sun burn and the back of Chrissy's legs from the knee down got a pretty sweet sun burn. Funny looking in a short dress, but i don't think anybody noticed.