I am 4 weeks old!!!

Happy one month to me, Happy one month to me, Happy one month to meeeeeee, Happy one month to me. I am growing so fast and getting stronger each day. I am able to focus my eyes on items. Some of my favorite things to stare at are the mobile, and mommy and daddy's face. The last few days I have figured out that I can stretch out my arms and try to reach for the frogs and birds on the mobile. I am still learning how to control my arms and hands, sometimes they just start to flail on their own. I am trying really hard at getting my thumb to my mouth, sometimes I am successful other times it goes to my eye or up my nose! ouch!

In the last few days I have started to smile when I am awake. I would smile when I was sleeping but that was just gas! Mom makes these goofy faces and it makes me smile. We have a new game we like to play, try to get the smile on camera. I usually win, I will hold out till she turns the camera off or sets it down, then I give my biggest smile. When she gets the camera ready again I stop! It is so fun. Another game I like to play with mommy is when she is getting ready to eat. I will be sound asleep and as soon as I hear her get a plate full of hot food I wake up screaming! I have been winning at this one, I think she has only had a handful of hot meals since we have been home. In fact it was over the weekend when Nana would jump in and get me. Mommy tells daddy that I am trying to make her lose the baby weight by eating her food cold.

I still have my mullet going strong, the top is starting to fill in a little better, it has gotten long enough that mom can comb it over a bit. The back is growing like crazy, I heard mom tell Nana that she thinks I will need a haircut soon. No way mom! I love my mullet it makes look awesome. Business in the front and party in the back are words to live by!

I started out eating only 2 ounces every two hours, now I am up to eating 3 to 4 ounces every three hours. Mommy can't wait till I start sleeping a little more at night. Apparently there is a miracle drink called coffee that keeps her going. Dad said she is catching up on 10 months of no caffeine.

Well I am going to sign off for now, mom and I are going to decorate the Christmas tree!

Happy Thanksgiving

Gobble Gobble! Look what my mommy has done to me! Wouldn't you know that Martha Stewart would come up with this costume, she also had a pattern to make a pie. Thank goodness the turkey costume was it! Although I kind of like it, I don't mind dressing up for now, but not sure how I will feel when I get a little older. I guess I will let mom have her fun now, plus my Christmas costumes are super cute, wait till you see those!

We spent my first Thanksgiving with Nana and Grandpa Rider. There was so much food there and it was really yummy mom and dad said. Dad tried to sneak me a turkey leg but mom caught him and gave him a bottle instead. I can't wait till next year, I am all over that sweet potato casserole. I got to meet my two cousins Carson and Nicholas, Nana is going to have her hands full next year with three boys running around! Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Chris were there too and we all had a great time. I hope you all had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. Gobble Gobble.

Born to Be Wild

I am bad to the bone! Grandma and Grandpa Downs love their Harley's. Grandma bought me this awesome Harley Davidson vest for my baby shower. Grandpa loaned me the Untamed Spirit Do-Rag and I think it makes me look mean!

Dad and Grandpa argue back and forth which is better, Harley's or Suzuki's. I have to say that right now I am liking this Harley brand, cause there clothes make me look like I belong on a Hog even at 18 days old.

Dad says I am way too young to be on a Harley, since I am not a card carrying member of the

AARP. Although Grandpa can go ahead and order my H.O.G. membership card, cause I was born to wild!!!

2 weeks old!

Today I had my 2 week check up. I got my 1st shot & some blood drawn, I was not happy at all. But my checkup went well other than that. I am 20.5 inches long, so I have grown 1/2 inch. I weigh 8 lbs 11.5 ounces, when I left the hospital I weighed 7 lbs 9 ounces. Mommy told the doctor I like to eat and he said he could tell! I get that trait from her, although we haven't figured out how to get a chocolate cookie in the bottle just yet.

I have been given a few nicknames, mommy calls me piggy cause I am eating 3 to 4 ounces every three hours round the clock. And she also calls me fussy pants, cause I go from happy to ticked off in the matter of seconds. Also another trait I get from mommy, but Nana Rider said daddy was like that too when he was little like me!

Daddy calls me wiggle worm and as you can see by this picture I like to wiggle. Mommy came in and saw me like this. I decided that my head was cold and I fixed that problem. Any chance I get I like to wiggle and squirm. I am starting to lift and hold my head up on my own.

I am trying desperately to suck my thumb, but mom and dad keep shoving a pacifier in my mouth. I am sneaky though, I fake them out all the time by putting my hand over my mouth and then they can't see that my thumb is in there! I think my bottle taste better when my thumb is in there to make sure everything is how it should be. But mom keeps pulling it out and making me spill my milk down my shirt. I will be persistent and eventually win, they can't take my thumb away!

Mommy and Me, and one of Daddy too!

These were taken on 11/04/07 I was 10 days old here. This was one of my due dates! Mommy is sure glad I decided to come on out when I did.

The hat Nana Rider made for me no longer fits! I am growing so fast.

Grandma Downs watched me the other

day and we had so much fun. I can't wait to see Nana Rider & Grandpa Rider next week! Grandpa Downs is going to play with me on Sunday. Hope he is up on changing diapers cause I like to go through a lot.

In fact, I like to play a game with mommy of diaper change draw! Can she be quick enough to change my diaper or will I beat her to it - aim, shoot, pee, score....I win a new diaper and some new cloths. Plus mommy says a few words I am not aloud to repeat.

Business in the Front, Party in the Back!

Yeehaw! Check out my mullet, born with and going strong two weeks later. Mommy this is the reason you needed all those Tums.

Here is daddy all dressed up in his cadet uniform! We are so proud of him, he is doing excellent in the police academy. Keep up the good work dad.

10/31/2007 Happy Halloween

Today I am one week old and mommy gave the dogs a break this year. Here is my halloween costume. We had my photo shoot at Grandma Downs’s house and she helped mommy with the layout and pictures. I think I like it and grandma told me to get use to it. When I got home Baker and Lexy were happy that it was me this year and not them.

Here are some pics from the shoot, I hope you all had a safe and Happy Halloween.

10/24/2007 So this is what it is like on the outside

Hello world I am here! I finally got to meet mommy and daddy at 12:52 pm on Wednesday. I thought about staying a little longer but after 2 hours of labor I gave up and came on out. And man am I glad I did. There are so many people out here that love me! Everyone thinks I am so cute and mommy and daddy are so excited to see me.

Mom says I look just like daddy. I got to meet both my grandparents and I love them already. Aunt Patricia stopped on by to say hello too! I can’t wait to meet all my cousins I have heard about. Cousin Carson has his b day today too! He turned one and I am one day old, how funny! That is so cool that we will have the same birthday.

Grandpa Rider was there too but mommy is waiting on his photo to come. He will be up here shortly too!

I weighed 7.14 pounds and 20 inches long. Believe it or not I have hair, well a mullet - business on top and a party in the back! Mom will post my hair a little later.

10/23/2007 Who pulled the plug on my hot tub?

Mommy was dozing in and out of sleep listening to the 10 o’clock news, and daddy was sound asleep. All of a sudden my cushy and warm water started to disappear. I heard mommy yell at daddy that her water broke and I am pretty sure he jumped up to the ceiling. After a last minute check list and shower off to the hospital we all went. We got to the hospital at 11:30pm on Tuesday night. Mommy called my grandparents to let them know that I was going to show up sometime soon. I guess looking back now it was a mistake to force mommy to eat chilli dogs that night for dinner, but man they were good.

36 weeks - 9 months on 10/06/07

Alright we made it to full term! Mommy and her doctors have worked hard to keep me in here that I think I will stay a little longer. Mom is super excited she is now able to get out of the house. She started to work half days with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa was happy to have some extra help!
No this isn’t what happens when you eat too much baby shower cake! This is mommy and me! Each week I put on almost a whole pound, so by the time I am ready to come out mommy and I will be a little bigger. Again it is all me not the cake, cookies, ice cream or other yummy desserts I force mommy to eat! I am off to convince her to bake some brownies, see you all real soon.