Three Month Thrills

The best Santa and Mrs. Claus I have ever seen! He looks so sweet all bundled up! This was on our trip to Branson. They were at Branson Landing! Love it!

This was a picture off my camera phone this morning! (12-8-09) Such a sweet smile!

3 month old picture by Mommy

The BEST Santa I've ever seen!

He loves his books!

I can't believe that our baby boy is is 3 months old!

Dylan, here are your 3 month milestones:

-you weigh 11lbs. 13.6oz.

-when we hold your hands and pull, you want to sit up

-you found your hands! (11-25-09) you watch them and bring them to your mouth to suck on your fists

-you like to watch yourself kicking those legs!

-you went to Sunday morning Bible class for the first time (11-4-09)

-you love looking at yourself in the mirror! that is your favorite part of Bible class too!

-you love Mommy and Daddy to read books to you!

-you eat 5 times a day and sleep through the night!

-you had your first cold (12-2-09)

-your eyes are lightening to the most beautiful shade of blue!

-you have a really excited noise/laugh that you do, you did it first for Grandma (11-28-09)

We are just so excited to spend the holiday season with Dylan. He is going to make it so special and fun! :) Happy Holidays to you all!

Better late than never.....

So, these pictures were a long time coming now that Dylan is 2 1/2 months old. It was a joy to get them in and see how much he has changed since these were taken when he was 12 days old. I love them and can't wait to put them up in our living room. I am doing a gallery style collection of them in all black frames! They just melt my heart, especially this first one. Doesn't it make you smile? :)

Dylan's new trick is kicking his toys and talking to them on his activity gym. He started this on November 7 and he thinks its pretty fun. One of the toys plays a little song when he kicks it just right. He then starts talking back to it. It is so much fun to watch him grow! He weighed 10 lbs. 15 oz. at his 2 month check up and is 23 1/4 inches long!

Two months and Talking

This was my favorite 2 month picture of Dylan. He was looking at Jonathan as I took the picture! Sweet face!

Dylan's 2 Month Milestones:

-You have started talking to mommy, daddy, and anyone else that will talk to you! That sweet little mouth moves all over the place, and those cooes make us smile. You seem to think your pretty cool also, because you smile afterwards like you have accomplished a lot! (you have!)

-You found your tongue! Yesterday, I stuck my tongue out like a lizard and you copied me twice. We are such proud parents!

-You now rub your eyes when you get sleepy.

-You like going to sleep with your lovey (security blanket).

-You prefer that mommy be the one to rock you to sleep, but you love to see Daddy when he gets home from work!

-You are getting more blonde hair on that sweet little head!

-You are such a SMILING BOY! We see both of those dimples quite often because you love to smile!

-You graduated to size 1 diapers! :)

Our family picture at the Old Mill: October 24, 2009
Fall pictures on Mawmaw's front porch. Smiles come easy these days!

Talking to Mommy!

Reflux...Yuck!

Yes, we do have a reflux baby. He provided us some scary moments with choking episodes and several seconds of not breathing, but it was all due to this reflux issue. He started on Zantac on Monday and we can already tell a big difference. No choking episodes and a lot less spit up. In fact, no spit up all day yesterday, but I don't want to jinx it. It is hard to believe that my baby boy is 6 weeks old today! He is just growing up faster than we can blink!

6 week milestones:

-You smile a lot more and it seems a little more real than just those random flinches!

-You follow our voices and really concentrate when we talk to you.

-You are sleeping for about a 5 hour stretch at night and mommy loves that!!!!!!

-Mommy packed up a sack full of Newborn sleepers and outfits because as I said before, they are too short! It made me a little sad.

-Your eyes seem to have lightened a little. They are still VERY blue.

-You are holding your head up on your own more and more, but it still is floppy too!

One Month Down, Lots of LOVE to go!!!

Dylan is growing up so fast we can hardly believe it!

Dylan, here are some things you do at one month old:

-Your neck is getting so strong, when we hold you chest to chest you stretch to see who is holding you!
-You like to fight sleep during the day. You need to be rocked with papi (pacifier) to drift off.
-You LOVE music! The seahorse is still probably your favorite, but you love Mommy singing to you and you love the music that your swing plays. Basically, any type of soft music calms you down.
-You now fill out your sleepers! Your feet go to the end of the Newborn ones and you are growing. Your legs and arms are still skinny, but your belly and face are starting to fill out.
-You like walking around outside, listening to the sounds of the birds and trees. Mommy is happy about that since I LOVE to be outside!

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks! Dylan doesn't go back to see Dr. Keathley until his 2 month check-up. I will be anxious to see how much you have grown!

You were truly worth the wait!!!!!You got to wear cousin Tanner's dressy outfit to church. Very special!

Daddy's Little Caddy, onesie made with love by Aunt Carole

There is that sweet dimple!

Dylan's "Firsts"

First Stroller Ride- We decided to take a stroll around the block. Daddy pushed Dylan in his stroller and he fell asleep! It was nice for Mommy to get out and get walking too!

First Bath-On Sunday September 13th, Dylan had his first real bath. Daddy did a great job, and Dylan seemed pretty unsure of the whole thing. He didn't cry, just made some funny faces!

First outing to Small Group- We took him to small group Sunday night the 13th, which was his first non-doctor outing. He slept in his carseat, ate, then got held by a few friends.
First Tummy Time- I put Dylan on his tummy for some play time and he did a good job. We want those neck muscles to be strong! He lifted his head up a little bit, but mostly just laid on his Surfboard Tummy Mat and chilled! Thanks Sis for the really neat mat, he will LOVE it as he gets older!

First toy- We have found a GREAT toy! Thanks to cousin Lisa, Dylan loves his Lullaby Seahorse. His belly lights up and it plays lullabies with ocean sounds mixed in. He loves to watch and listen, and it also helps him to go to sleep during his daytime naps.

First buddy- Dylan had his first visit with his buddy, Brady on Thursday the 17th. Brady Hudson Grice was born 9-10-09, 2 weeks and 1 day younger than Dylan. Brandon and Andrea came home from the hospital and we went for a visit. Dylan looks HUGE compared to Brady, who was 3 weeks early and weighed 6 lbs at birth.

First doctor- This is Dylan's first doctor- Dr. Susan Keathley. She was my pediatrician and is the sweetest person. She saw Dylan on Friday the 18th for a weight check. He weighs 7 lbs 15 oz. and is now 21 1/2 inches long! What a growing boy! We don't have to go back to see her until his 2 month check up.

First time to CALL THOSE HOGS!- Dylan was all decked out in Hog apparel to root on the Hogs Saturday, Sept. 19th. Unfortunately, the Hogs lost to Georgia, but he was still one cute fan!

First time to church- September 20th was Dylan's first time to church. He looked handsome in his outfit, and hung out in his carseat during the service. He was awake for all but the last 10 minutes or so. Everyone was excited to see him and of course, thought he looked just like Daddy! :) We ate lunch with the family at Bluecoast Burrito and then came home!

Dylan this is what we notice about you at 3 weeks old:

-You love to stretch out, and when you stretch your arms, you look like you are flexing your muscles!

-Your personality develops a little more every day. You make so many faces that we think are just hysterical!

-We pretty much can determine what you want and when you want it. You are an open book when you want food, when you want cuddle time, when you want alone time. The times we shrug our shoulders are when the tummy pains arrive! Yuck!

-You still love to have your hands right next to your face.

-You are growing like a weed! Newborn outfits are too wide for you but almost too short! We think you might be a TALL boy!

-Sometimes you just want mommy to hold you and cuddle, but there are those times that Daddy can soothe you best! That's pretty perfect!

-You are starting to have a new awake time at night from about 6:30-7:30.

WE LOVE YOU MORE THAN WE COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED!

Introducing......

Dylan Thomas Rogers!!!

Dylan arrived August 28, 2009 at 12:05p.m. He weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce and was 20 1/4 inches long. The first thing the nurse said when Dr. Deed held him up was, "He looks just like Jonathan!" and that is what we have been hearing ever since. I must say that it truly fills my heart with gladness to hear those words. We had a sweet surprise to his arrival as well, BIG dimples on both cheeks! He has Daddy's hair color, eye color, hair line, nose, etc. He does have long skinny feet and long toes which is just like me, so I guess I got feet out of the deal! Ha! We couldn't be more excited or proud of our new little boy. He is truly a gift from God.

Dylan, here are some things we already notice about you at 12 days old:

-At night in between feedings, you prefer to put yourself to sleep in your cradle.
-You get the hiccups and sneezes ALL THE TIME!
-You enjoy snuggle time laying on mommy or daddy's chest.
-You seem to be most alert from around 9:30-12:30 during the day.
-You aren't big on rocking. You like to be held, but not rocked, and sometimes you would just rather lay down by yourself without anyone touching you.
-You are a great eater!
-You LOVE to ride in the car!
-You are the sweetest boy and a great baby!
We go back for a weight check this Friday. Last Friday he had gained 4 ounces back from what he lost after birth, but we have a few ounces to go. Enjoy the pictures!

Change is a Comin'....Oh no!

Well, I have to share with all of you a little bit of my life these days. Background info. first: Any of you who know me extremely well know that I don't handle change well, whether big or small. It truly freaks me out. I don't like it and haven't pretty much all of my life. Well, this past Tuesday night I had a total meltdown over something non-baby related and haven't been the same since. Once the meltdown began, then I started thinking about ALL the many changes headed our way:
-a baby
-a baby
-a baby
and.....a baby.
Don't get me wrong, Dylan is a blessing and I can't wait for him to be here, but I've started thinking, Will I be a good mom? Will I know how to take care of him? Will my body shape back up quickly? If I am not sleeping now, will I ever sleep with a newborn in our bedroom?
Dylan is literally about to rock our world with change! I have to give a HUGE hats off to my sweet husband, who has taken the brunt of my meltdown with such grace. Since Tuesday night he just keeps saying, "It's ok, it's ok, I'm not mad, your ok...." and that is after I tell him in one of my sobbing moments that I am so sorry to be acting like this. If I was him, I would be wanting to run for the hills away from the crazy pregnant women. I have to believe that my body is giving me another sign that the time is getting closer for Dylan to be here. I know that we can do this, but I guess its normal to be apprehensive. Not "scared" like everyone keeps asking me. "Are you scared?" What kind of question is that to ask a first time mom to be. Not a good one. I won't ever ask that question to a friend, acquaintance, etc. that is 9 months pregnant. I have completed 38 weeks as of today and hope to hear Dr. Deed say I am making more progress when we see her this afternoon. Yes, change is a comin', and while my first reaction is to say "Oh no!" and run, I plan to do my best to embrace it, because its a new life that is part of us and THAT change is a good one. Rachel

It Won't Be Long

So at our checkup yesterday, everyone was a little surprised to see how much I had progressed in a few days. Dr. Deed told us she was excited and encouraged! Yeah! Dylan will be here soon which is AWESOME! I think I'm a broken record, but we are ready to meet our little man. I am having lots of Braxton Hicks and their intensity is increasing. Dr. Deed said that's just another sign that its getting closer to happening. My checklist is complete: bags packed, camera charged, house ready for our return, and someone to take care of Nelli while we are at the hospital. I guess its now just a waiting game. I think the countdown is around 18 days! I will post a picture later once Jonathan gets home and can take one of me. My belly feels like its about to drop to the floor, but its just because he has dropped down so low. He still moves around like crazy though. We are eating dinner with dear friends tonight kind of as a last hoorah so to speak before we are the family of 3. Have a great weekend and I will post updates. Next checkup is Thursday unless something happens before then. Rachel

A Place to Call Home

Well, Dylan officially has a place to call his own. His nursery is complete, as well as his "corner" of our bedroom where I have a feeling he will stay for a while. :) Even with all of these "things" in place, we hope to makes Dylan's HOME not the place but the feeling of two parents that love him unconditionally and want the best for him. I was the productive mommy yesterday morning and I put together the pack-n-play to leave in the den. I also moved the swing into the den and put it in a spot that I can see from the kitchen as well. He will be here in 4 weeks! Wow! I have been working on packing my bag which caused me to become a little nervous about all of this. Not nervous in a bad way, just a nervous/real smack in the face that this IS HAPPENING! We have truly been anxiously awaiting this baby for quite some time and feel blessed to be able to have him in our lives. I thank God everyday for giving us the opportunity to become parents this way and for blessing us with Dylan. I am pretty excited to see if our little boy has any characteristics that look like me because even though many say I look like my dad (which I kinda do) being adopted means I don't have that sibling that shares my physical characteristics. I don't ever think about that because my life is and has always been complete just the way it is. Since birth, my parents have been just that, MY parents, and I love the fact that I am adopted. I just think it will be cool to have a little one whose truly part of my biological makeup. That may be a hard thing for anyone to comprehend except those lucky individuals out there that are adopted. Just something I thought about and wanted to share. Here are a few pictures of the nursery and Dylan's "corner" of our room.

Vintage storybook pages printed on canvases: above his cribABC Cross-stitch my grandma made for me; my old toy box w/ a new paint job Changing tableI stenciled his monogram above the chest
Rockin'&Readin' corner; my grandpa built the book rack:)
Dylan's "corner" of our bedroom

My grandpa built this cradle and all 3 of my nephews used it!

We had our 36 week check up today. Dylan has made his "flip" in the right direction. Yeah! Dr. Deed said everything was good and I was making a little progress towards the big day, not much, but a small step in the right direction. That's all we needed to hear! We go back in one week!

36 weeks complete! (8-6-09)

Nothing Like the CAC family!

Today was an incredible day with great friends! The ladies that I taught with at Pleasant Valley CAC hosted a baby shower for us today. It was soooooo much fun, and they were so sweet to want to share with us as we await Dylan's arrival. I have completed 35 weeks of pregnancy as of today. We only have 5 WEEKS TO GO! That is incredible!

All the sweet ladies I taught with, I love you ALL!

Laura Rowan, mom, Jennifer Piccino, me and Sis

Future CAC Mustang on the way! ;)Jennifer, me, and Amanda

Dylan's 1st Bathrobe with rubber ducks on it! Thanks Marla!

Here are a few pictures from the American Idol Concert. It was LOTS of fun. Dylan rolled around pretty much the ENTIRE concert. Don't know if that means he liked or disliked the noise!

Sis and I had such a good time!

Kris Allen singing his version of Heartless, AWESOME!
Played 2 songs on the piano: Ain't No Sunshine and Hey Jude

The finale with all top 10 performers

Here is a video of Kris performing his version of Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone. He is such an amazing musician!