Oh how we love our Rory

Well, 5 weeks in and I couldn't ask for anything more than I have in my life right now.  These past 5 weeks have truly been the happiest of my life.  I can't explain it.  Before, if I had designed my favorite weeks, I probably wouldn't have chosen to fill them with severe sleep deprivation, hundreds of poopy diapers, and 5 hours a day spent breastfeeding.  But, now, I would take these three things for the rest of my life to experience the joy that our baby boy has brought us.  He doesn't smile yet, or roll over, or communicate in any way other than to shriek, but we could just hold him and stare at him and take pictures of him all day long.

He has had some noticeable changes in his short life so far.  He certainly is gaining weight, mostly in his belly and cheeks.  He's easily fitting into the newborn clothes now and even growing out of some.  It is amazing that there is no standard for baby clothes sizes.  Some newborn things might fit him in 3 months, others I can barely squeeze him into.  His blue eyes are big and open more and more each day.  In the last week, I have seen a tremendous change in how he looks at us.  You can tell he is really focusing on our faces, and holds his eyes there longer.  We're excited that as of yet he still has all of his hair, and in fact, I think it's growing.  He is stubborn like his mom and sweet like his dad.  And it is quite amazing that without saying a word or walking an inch,  Rory makes all the decisions in our house.

I won't lie, we are pretty tired.  Rory isn't so keen on sleeping during the hours that Joe and I are used to.  We're trying to adjust, but the world doesn't operate on baby time.  So you either give up being a part of the world, or walk around very tired.  We're trying to find the happy medium, and we just aren't there yet.  In the meantime, I've taken up a new addiction of watching The Biggest Loser and LOVE the show.  For better or worse, the episodes are almost an hour and a half each, so it certainly passes the time in the middle of the night.  Plus, it makes me really want a personal trainer...unfortunately that's not in our new Rory budget.

I honestly can't believe that it's already been 5 weeks.  I wish I could capture this time, put it in a jar, and get a taste of it whenever I wanted...because it's just the best.  Since I can't stop time, I take pictures instead.  We are certainly capturing Rory as he changes!  Here's a few of our newest favorites.  And check out the post below to see how much Rory's cousin Eli loves him.

Thank you all for all of your love, cards, generous gifts, phone calls and video chats.  We are looking forward to a visit from Sandy and Larry in 2 weeks, and then to come to the midwest for Christmas!

So much to be thankful for this year.

Love,

Robyn

Eli loves his cousin Rory!

3 Weeks Old and Due Yesterday

Rory is over 3 weeks old!  Joe keeps telling me how big he's getting...I'm going to keep denying that until he goes to college.


If you haven't gotten to meet him yet, Rory is awesome.  He really is doing great.  He's filling out and getting chubby cheeks, proof that it doesn't just feel like he's eating all the time.  He has huge bright eyes and when he's awake, he's really awake.  He hears every sound and follows you with his eyes.  My favorite part - he loves to snuggle.  And we could cuddle with him all day!   


Joe went back to work last week and so I've been adjusting at home.  This past weekend my dad and Francine were in town.  I think they loved him as much as Rory loved them!  It was nice to have a few extra hands around.  But so far, the days at home with just Rory and I have been good and we're getting the hang of how to get out of the house without either of us looking too grungy. 


Other than that, life is pretty simple in our house.  We eat, sleep, shower occasionally...in order to facilitate Rory to eat, sleep, and get the occasional bath.  Oh, and there's like a billion diapers in between each of those activities!


Here's some of his latest pics!

Meeting Grandma E and Papa Vern.

We love our family.

Joe has been waiting to watch a Steeler's game with him all year.

New blanket and puppy!

Talking to Grandma Rosey and Grumpy

Rory is here!

I have found it quite difficult to write a blog post about Rory's birth.  You can't possibly put such a tremendous experience into words - especially in any concise manner.  I figure something is better than nothing, so even though there is no way this post could explain the joy and love we have felt for the past two weeks, it's at least worth posting some pictures!

Rory's arrival on Friday, October 21st was 3 1/2 weeks early.  While having a baby is surprising no matter when it happens, we weren't particularly surprised with his early arrival since I'd been having so many contractions.  Possibly due to these prolonged contractions, my labor was surprisingly...no, shockingly, un-painful.  In fact, I practically had to convince Joe, the nurses and the doctors that this indeed was the real thing.  They all knew soon enough and were quite surprised when I was standing and smiling while dilated 9 cm.  I was equally surprised.  I did get a dose of pain for 45 minutes when I was pushing, an experience I won't forget for some time, but overall, we couldn't have wished for an easier delivery!

There has not been anything in my life that even comes close to the experience of having a baby.  The amount of love that one little person can bring is overwhelming and unbelievable.  Joe and I are happy beyond words.

Rory weighed 6 lbs 9 oz when he was born, and at his 2 week dr.'s appt on Friday we were thrilled that he now weighs 6 lb 14 oz!  (They expect them to be back at birth weight at their two week appt., so he's a superstar.)  We spent a few days at the hospital to monitor his weight, and treat his jaundice.  I was thankful for the extra time there to get support from the nurses, and we were much more confident going home when we did.

Rory has been amazing since we've been home.  He has a small pterodactyl-like cry that comes out when you wipe his butt, catch him when he's starving, or strap him in his car seat.  So far, we don't hear the cry too often; however, he's a noisy little guy and does a lot of squeaking.  Time has just begun to disappear since he's arrived.  We sleep a little, eat a lot, and change dozens of diapers...and then it's time to go to bed.

Joe returns to work tomorrow, and Rory and I will miss him.  But the three of us know our journey has just begun.  

We thank you ALL for the love you have sent us, it means so much.  Sorry if I haven't returned your phone calls...we so appreciate them though.  We look forward to sharing this journey with you!

Enjoy some photos!

Rory's first picture.

 
Our new family.

Day 1.

Overjoyed Mom.

Love from Dad.

His HUGE outfit to go home in!

Happy boy.

Chillaxin'.

Meeting Grandma Kim!

First Cardinal's World Series victory!

Sad.

Loving being held by Grandma Kim.

Rory's first Halloween...our little pumpkin.

So much love.

Amazing hair.

His dad loves him.

He does cry sometimes.

And getting happier about bath time.