1 year old

Happy first birthday Rylee girl!  This year has been one of the most fulfilling of our lives.  We couldn't be happier that you chose to join our family.  The absolute joy and love we feel for you is unlike any other.  We love you in a way that only a parent can love their child.  We love you, Ry Ry!

At one year Rylee,

-is walking all over the place!  The last thing she needs to really learn is how to stand up without pulling herself up on something first.  She walks with her hands up in the air and is still a little wobbly, but she can walk from the kitchen to the bathroom, takes a little break, and then takes off towards the living room.  Girl is determined to keep going and going and going...  She usually has a toy, kitchen utensil, a sock, or a combo of all of them in her hand as she walks around.  It is the cutest, funniest thing!

-loves walking around and around the ottoman in the front room.  She babbles and "talks" while she goes around (usually counter-clockwise) and continues to do it long enough for mama to get the dishwasher loaded or get dinner started.  She'll stop every so often to clap without holding on, laugh at herself, and then continue on while babbling and talking.

-loves putting food into your mouth.  Especially when she's done eating a certain item at dinner and then she'll start feeding it to you.  Clever girl.

-has recently discovered metal bowls, pots, pans, and tupperware in the kitchen!  It's a magical thing for her to be handed a wooden spoon and a metal pot to bang on.  Best entertainment EVER.

-is getting a little more picky with what she eats.   One week she'll eat peas, the next she shakes her head "no" and will spit it out if it gets in her mouth.  Then the next week she's all about peas again.  Silly girl!  She'll almost always eat the following: Bananas, waffles, pancakes, yogurt, applesauce, veggie straws, Cheerios, and butternut squash mac and cheese.

-gets the cutest smile on her face when someone she recognizes walks through the door and frantically starts waving at them.

-raises her arms for when she wants to be picked up (mainly when she wakes up in the morning and wants to get in the tub).  It's one of Daddy's most favorite things she does.

-speaking of the bathtub, Rylee still LOVES baths!  Daddy will start the water going in the tub and once Rylee hears the water, she'll book it to the bathroom, pull herself up next to the tub, and put her hands up for Daddy to put her in the tub.  Hilarious.

-has 6 teefies with a couple more on the way!

-stands on her tiptoes to reach something that's just out of reach.

-still mauls her stuffed animals and nuzzles her head into them.

-is in full on tantrum mode.  She flails around, arches her back, and pounds her feet into the ground while full on crying and screaming.  We've learned to just put her on the carpet where she won't hurt herself and let her finish it out.  It usually doesn't last long and she gets over it fairly quickly.

-hates shoes.  Perhaps she gets this from her Great Grandma Billings?

-will nap in the car again.  But has stipulations on when she'll fall asleep!  She'll only fall asleep if she's in the car during her afternoon nap.  But hey, we'll take it!  She did a 6 hour car ride to Boise just fine with only a couple of stops and one nap and she stayed happy the entire time!  That's our girl!

-has kept the nicknames: Rylee Girl, Ry-Ry, Peanut

8 month update.

at 8 months our Rylee Girl...

- is such a good sleeper!  She loves to sleep and usually gets 11-12 hours of sleep at night and another 2 naps (each 1-2 hours long) in during the day!  We've been lucky with this kid.  She came to us as a good sleeper.  Don't ask us the secret to a baby who sleeps well.  You'll have to ask Rylee that question!

- loves to splash in the bathtub and has started getting some serious distance on her splashing!  Tyler or I usually ends up with an arm that gets soaked by the end of the first "Rubber Ducky" song.  

- is slowly starting to rock back and forth on her hands and knees and is revving up to get crawling!  She still loves to scoot around on her back using the back of her head and her heels to propel her backwards towards the object of her affection at that time (usually her stuffed bear or stuffed seal).  

- has started making little wheezing sounds to get someone's attention if you're ignoring her.  Especially her Great Grandma Kussee.  She couldn't get enough of Great Grandma during our last Sunday dinner.  She'd wheeze and then giggle and laugh when Grandma would turn and look at her!

- is still a pro at eating.  Everything.  Her favorites are still sweet potatoes, green beans, and applesauce, but she downs everything else she's given.  Girl loves her food!

- has started to get a little clingy to her mama and daddy.  She's started throwing a fit when I'm not in the same room or if she can't see me.  However, she still does just fine when her aunties, uncles, or grandparents come over to babysit while we go out for a couple of hours.  Funny goose.  The doc says it should just be a "phase," so I'm crossing my finger sand hoping she does grow out of it eventually.  For now, it's a little flattering and secretly makes her parents smile (unless the laundry is screaming to be folded and she's screaming to not be left alone)...

- babbles day in and day out.  Her stand-by favorites are "babababa," "mamamamamamama," "dadadadada," and a couple of "wawawawa's."

- loves to snuggle.  Props to our little Ry-Ry for being the cutest little snuggler on earth.  

- has started reaching for people when she wants to go to them.  She usually reaches for mama or daddy, but has been known to go to an uncle or auntie.

- loves gnawing on anything soft that soaks up her drool.  Her cloth headbands, washcloths, her stuffed animals tags, flippers, and ears.  She improvises and makes her own teething toys...

- has the cutest squeals and laughs!  We can't help but laugh whenever she does.  It also leads to numerous tickle torture sessions every day.  I can't help myself.

- loves electronics.  She loves the opening song of "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" and thinks it's so funny when we talk on the phone.  She loves listening to her grandparents and daddy on the speaker phone.  It must be because we rarely let her watch T.V. and play on our phones.  But, when needed, Daniel Tiger does sing to her a few times a day and she giggles and claps.

- has created her own way to clap (as our instagram friends have witnessed).  Rather than clapping with her hand coming together horizontally, this girl claps vertically by slapping her palm and back of her hand together.  Cutest.  Thing.  Ever.

nicknames: Smiley Rylee, Ry-Ry (most used), Otter Pop, Peanut

 (this is such a Ry-Ry picture.  Behind all of those laughs and giggles she is our analytical and serious baby when she's figuring things out.)

7 month update.

at seven months Rylee...

-has tried copious amounts of pureed food including butternut squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, green beans, peas, bananas, applesauce, pear sauce, mango, carrots, and avocado.  She has literally started inhaling said foods with a new abandonment! 

-is eating snacks!  She snarfs down little baby puffs and freeze-dried yogurt bites like no one's business.

-still loves playing with Mr. Bear and her Awkward Seal.  She squeals with laughter every time they come into her sight and she gets to gnaw on them.  

-has finally mastered rolling over both ways.  

-has become accustomed to scooting around on the backside of her head while laying down and propelling the rest of her body with her arms and legs.  She created her own way of getting from Point A to Point B and is sticking to her own ways.  She has no interest in crawling (which I'm perfectly fine with until after Christmas when the tree comes down!) or being on her stomach anymore!

-wakes up and immediately begins talking to herself and making her cooing sounds in the morning.  More often than not, she's one happy girl in the morning (definitely gets that from her Daddy!)

-is ticklish under her chin, behind her neck, under her armpits, and up and down her belly and back.  It's quite the sight to see when she gets into a laughing fit- hands down the cutest thing and makes us laugh just as hard along with her!

-loves all animals that walk on four legs.  She's entranced by them and stares them down.  She's gotten good at doing her "pat, pat, pat" game instead of pulling on their fur (though puppies little ears make her lose all sense and she just HAS to tug them).

-is starting to reach out when she wants mommy or daddy.  Melt my heart goodness.  The fact that she realizes that we're her favorites makes us secretly smile behind our hands.  

-loves the Christmas tree and the Christmas lights in the house.  A tree AND lights in the house?!  It's Rylee's dream come true!  She spends a good portion of her playtime under the tree swatting at branches and the toys we hang from the lower branches.  

-had a week span of waking up in the middle of the night, but went right back to her regular schedule of going to sleep around 8 and not waking up until 8 the following morning.  Ry-Ry is a gem of a baby- we've almost always had a good 8 hours of sleep since the day she was born.  Oh beautiful, beautiful sleep.

-loves, loves, LOVES drinking out of cups.  She does a decent job of it too!  She starts gulping down water and stares us down if we ever get a cup or water bottle anywhere near our mouths.  Hilarious.

-takes at least two, 1-2 hour long naps during the day.  

-loves interacting and playing with anyone in the general vicinity, but also values her own independent play time.  

-has a favorite trick!  Rylee collects and saves up the spit in the her mouth and lets it go to the back of her mouth where she gurgles it and makes the cutest sounds with it.  We call them her "happy sounds" and love listening to her smile and laugh as she does them.  It takes serious skill.

-has a TOOTH!  It broke ground last weekend and has only brought about a stuffy, runny nose with it.  Yay for little teefies!

-is loved by everyone who comes in contact with her.  She has blessed our lives so much- more than we could have ever comprehended.  She is our spunky go-getter baby and we have loved every minute we've spent with her.  Many people say they wish they would have spent more time loving and enjoying the first few months of their baby's life- I can honestly say that we have embraced and completely enjoyed every moment we could have squeezed out of Rylee's first 7 months.  We have no regrets and we appreciate the past we've had, completely immerse ourselves in the present with her, and look forward to the future.  Oh how we love our little Rylee Girl!

Rylee 6 Months.

At 6 months little miss Rylee...

-babbles "mamamamamama" and "babababababa" amongst other unintelligible baby chatter

- has tried butternut squash, green beans, avocado, applesauce, pear sauce, and bananas (along with a taste of ice cream and jawdawgs sauce because Daddy couldn't contain himself...)

-loves drinking out of cups and does a decent job getting water in her mouth, though much of it runs down her shirt too!

-sits up like she's been doing it her entire life

-grabs for things like her spoon when she's eating and for things that she wants (like mommy's hair, her teddy bear, and blankets)

-smiles, laughs, and giggles constantly throughout the day

-loves the grocery store store lights and colorful objects on all of the shelves.  Seriously.  She looks at other babies who are crying and gets a concerned and almost irritated look on her face.  She definitely enjoys being outside our basement apartment...

-scoots on her back around the living room floor constantly.  She's just now getting a bald spot on her head due to the scooting (she's never been bald from moving her head back and forth in the crib).  She loves to drag her teddy bear and blanket around the room with her and babbles the entire time they go on their little "field trip" around the living room

-enjoys the bathtub, but ONLY if she gets to chew on the wet washcloth in the tub while we lather her up.  Otherwise, things get a little ugly at bath time 

-has started gnawing on her thumb and everything else around (but no teefies yet!)

-plays with her keys, rattle, Sophie the giraffe, and wooden toys

-giggles like it's nobody's business after she wakes up from her naps.  She's a happy girl after she's had some sleep

-loves scooting around on mommy and daddy's bed.  She attacks the blanket at the end of the bed and gets her whole face under it and waits for someone to lift it up and say, "hi!"  

-gets the biggest kick out of the "blanket game."  She lays on the floor and waits for us to float a blanket down on top of her and then she flails her arms and legs to get it off while we ask, "Where's Ry-Ry?"  Once she gets the blanket off she squeals and loves it when we have wide eyes and open mouths

-loves her stuffed animals.  Especially her Awkward Seal and her Teddy Bear.  She squeals and grabs for them and chatters on and on and on when she's playing with them.  It's a magical thing to watch her interact with her toys

-is so far ticklish under her chin, under her armpits, and on her belly.  She gets a pretty regular dose of tickle sessions daily by both parents and occasionally her aunts and uncles

-gives some pretty cute open-mouthed kisses

-still loves to cuddle and snuggle.  This girl had some seriously delicious cuddles that melts her parents completely.

4 months

Our little Rylee Ann is 4 months old today.  How is that even possible?!

at 4 months Rylee...

- still loves loves loves snuggling.  Seeing her snuggled up on Daddy's chest during church is one of my favorite sights.  She nuzzles right up to him and falls straight to sleep for her afternoon nap.  

- has started playing with toys!  She loves her key rings and whips those keys around like nobody's business.  She also loves her Sophie Giraffe, her taggie owl, her taggie socks, and her Sqwish toy.  Lucky for us, she learned how to "play" with toys right before our San Diego trip and entertained herself during the long drive.

- is still sleeping 9+ hours straight at night.  Now if we could just get her bedtime to before midnight.

- loves to stand!  She loves grabbing onto someone's hands while standing and wiggling her little hips back and forth.

- still loves blowing bubbles.  Except they have gone from a little stream to a full on river down her chin landing in a puddle on the front of whatever she's wearing.  

- laughs and SQUEALS.  She can now be found randomly squealing and screaming with pleasure during the day.  

- enjoys sucking not on just two or even three, but four fingers these days.  Which she quite regularly shoves down her throat.

- loves it when Daddy comes home.  She searches for his voice and gives him a full on smile when she sees him home.

- enjoys gnawing on a slice of a peach or watermelon here and there.  And maybe a taste of ice cream that Daddy sneaks in when Mama isn't watching.  

- might be starting the road to teething.  She sucks on her fist, hands, toes, and frozen binkies whenever she's cranky (which isn't all that often).

- has finally warmed up to the idea of taking a bath.  She squeals and kicks at the water and her rubber duck every time now.  She's a big fan of the water and loves watching it come out of the faucet.

- is still a looooong, petite little girl.  She's finally developed a roll or two on each of her thighs, but that's it.  I'm not sure this little gal will ever be a chunk.  

- has obtained the nickname "Drooly" due to the amounts of drool that dribble down her mouth all day long.

- is an old pro at holding her head up and rolling over.  Seriously.  She's had both tricks down for months (most likely due to the small amounts of chunk she has).

- loves it when her Grandpa growls at her.  She laughs rather than cries unlike most kids he does it to.

- loves tangling her hands in hair.  Especially in Aunt Talya and Morgan's long hair.  

- thinks that both sets of grandparents are pretty funny people.  They could quite possibly be her favorite people.

- has discovered mirrors and loves looking in them.

- still loves looking up at trees when we go on walks.  Her entire body gets into the excitement of seeing the light through the leaves.

- has hair that is slowly becoming lighter.  With tints of strawberry blonde coming through.

- keeps her parents guessing on the color of her eyes.  Perhaps she'll have color-changing eyes like Aunt Toadie?

-nicknames: Smiley Rylee, Ry-Ry, Drooly, Peanut, Little Britches

 [^ ^Ry Ry has also taken a liking to the crocheted blanket Aunt Misty made her.  She loves sticking her fingers through the holes.  I love that Aunt Misty even embroidered Ry-Ry's name into her blanket. ^ ^]

 [^ ^ That smile kills me. ^ ^ ]

[^ ^ little miss did this pose all on her own.  I turned around to grab the camera and she'd fallen into this position. ^ ^] 

[ ^ ^ our precious little girl ^ ^ ]

I don't think we could have gotten any more lucky with such a perfect little baby.  She has her learning moments, but is overall such a delightful little one.  I think often of how the phrase "our pride and joy" doesn't come close to how we feel about Rylee Girl.  

Happy 4 months Ry-Ry.

3 months.

at three months Rylee...

-lives for mornings and nighttime!  Her primetime is on the changing table right after she's got a clean diaper on.  Then our concerned faced little girl bursts into smiles and becomes little miss chatterbox.

-loves raspberries!  Not of the food variety.  This girl is a raspberry blowing queen. Blowing a raspberry in her face when she's in a laughing mood gets her every time.

-has an extreme addiction to bubbles.  Her own spit blowing bubbles to be exact.  She churns bubbles like no one's business until they form a small waterfall and dribble down her chin and end in a petite little puddle on her chest.  It's the one stage of life when drool is acceptable and cute!

-randomly cries in the middle of her naps.  Perhaps night terrors are starting early on- The milk is all gone!

-is still developing the talent of stuffing her fist in her mouth.  Once she gets it in, she extends her little fingers and proceeds to make herself gag.  Apparently it's the new thing in the baby world.  As long as she's not a thumb-sucker, we're good.  One of these days I'll win the pacifier vs. fist battle.  

-sleeps for 8 hours or more these days.  We just need to work on getting her to go to bed a little earlier than 11:30.  

-has already rolled over from her stomach to her back!

-loves standing while we hold her hands.  If we aren't careful, this girl is going to be walking before she's crawling!

-loves her daddy.  The moment he walks in the door and starts talking, she's looking for him and where his voice is coming from.

-loves looking up at trees and the light coming in through the leaves.  Pretty sure she'd lay on a blanket underneath a grove of trees all day long and be a happy camper.  

-cuddles every chance she gets.  There's many a day where the most productive thing I get done is holding my Baby Girl and getting a good snuggle in.  Perhaps she'll stay this way for a real long time?  I'd be down.

-has finally started LAUGHING!  After weeks of mama's hard work, Aunt Toady got Rylee's first laugh out.  I almost died at how cute that little laugh was!  Now the girl will laugh almost as often as she smiles.

-is her daddy's little girl.  From her wavy hair and long legs to her critical analytical skills.  Rylee only laughs at things that she actually thinks are funny.  Otherwise, she's too busy figuring out the rest of her world.

-has started grabbing onto fingers and her blankets.  Mainly her blankets.  Which she has discovered are quite the delicacy.

-has fallen in love for the first time.  With her toes.  She refuses to go to sleep if there are blankets covering them.  She kicks and squirms until the blanket only covers her legs and torso.  Her hands must also be available at any time in case she needs them to snack on at night.

-has developed her first baby rolls!  Itty bitty rolls high up on her thighs.  They make me want to love on those little rolls all day long.

-nicknames: Baby Girl, Ry-Ry, Bubbles, Smiley, Thumper, Peanut

2 month update

at two months Rylee...

-stretches for MILES! From day one she has had the biggest yawns and longest stretches.

-lives for the mornings! She is the most smiley after she wakes up in the morning and loves cooing and talking after her diaper is changed.

-loves her play yard jungle animals (her new found friends) and has taken a huge interest in them.  The conversations they have between each other are quite extensive.

-has found her voice!  She's cooing and baby talking to us like a pro.  It melts my heart everytime she opens that mouth of hers and out comes the cutest noises!

-is sleeping through the night every other night!  On the off nights, she only wakes up once and goes right back to sleep.  Two thumbs up from Mom and Dad!

-is a pro snuggler.  Seriously.  We melt everytime she snuggles close on our chests and falls asleep.  Is there any better feeling than a sleeping baby on your chest?!

-is working on tummytime (she does awesome for about 10 minutes and then falls asleep...) and loves to stand up on your lap.  She's this close to rolling over.

-loves to touch her hair. Sometimes even pulling it which results in screaming at her parents and wondering who is pulling her hair. Silly girl.

-gets the hiccups at least twice a day.

-prefers sucking her fisted hands over her pacifier. Yeah...

-has started talking to herself when she wakes up in the morning, rather than screaming with impatience and hunger.  She first wakes up with her coos, then moves to sucking her fists, and then starts screaming with impatience and hunger!

-loves to blow bubbles with her saliva.  Yet another adorable trait.

-goes to sleep listening to her water sounds at night.

-wants to lick everything within reach at random times during the day. Am I raising a baby or a puppy?!

-has started smiling the BIGGEST smiles when we give her kisses.  Kisses on her cheeks.  Kisses on her mouth.  Kisses on her feet.  I seriously can't handle it!

-has retained the nicknames: Smiley Rylee, Peanut, Ry-Ry, Rylee Girl, Thumper, Half-Pint

We're still bursting with pride and love over this precious little gal of ours!  We thank Heavenly Father for her on a daily, hourly basis.  I still find myself just staring at her while she sleeps and wondering how on earth we created and were blessed with such a perfect little girl.  The love we have for Rylee Girl is beyond anything I've felt before.  She's our tiny little gift from God and I can't believe He trusts us with such a sweet baby girl.  Rylee completes us.  She's made us the 2 luckiest people on earth!  She's the best part of our lives.

The best.

T's first father's day.

 Father's Day was far different for us this year than our previous years together.  T and I always do something special for each other on Mother's/Father's Day, but this year was a special year.

This year, T was actually a father.  A father of a gorgeous little girl that we created together.  

T's special day started with balloons, presents, and an omelet breakfast.  His presents consisted of the obligatory Father's Day ties, a brand spankin' new baseball cap, and a matching daddy/daughter outfit set (pictures pending).  

After a nice morning going to sacrament meeting with my parents and listening to our new bishop and his wife speak, we headed up to Mama and Papa Kussee's house to celebrate with them!  We ate a tasty dinner of ribs, bratwursts, and yummy sides and give Papa Kris his VW cufflinks for his gift and a can of peanuts from his little "Peanut".  Then we got to sit around and listen to Grandpa Kussee's stories and have fun talking with each other.  Probably one of my favorite parts of the day!

Then it was onto pictures of the fathers and grandfathers (Poor Rylee was not enjoying the direct sunlight in her eyes)...

[T and the girl who made him a Daddy!]

[Grandpa Kris with Rylee and Dylin] 

 

[3 Generations of Kussee's!]

And we had to include this picture of Great Grandma Kussee and Rylee.  Grandma had the magic touch with keeping Baby Girl asleep.  

And a picture of the cousins!  Dylin is Rylee's only cousin as of yet.  Just a month and a half apart, these two could potentially be besties.  Potentially.  Right now, it looks like they're both a little unsure of each other!

[We call this look Rylee's "concerned" face.  It happens a lot.  She seems to always be worried about something... silly girl.]

After a great time up at the Kussee's, we headed back to Provo to spend a little bit of time with the Madsen side of the family.  It was also my Dad's first Grandfather's Day so we got him a special gift from his little Sunshine girl- an engraved metal spatula for when he barbecues.  It was the first time I'd ever given my Dad a gift and he got a little choked up.  The man melts every time his little granddaughter is around.  It's adorable.

Though I loved the entire day, the best part was spending it with T and Rylee.  From the day we found out we were pregnant, T has been the perfect Daddy for Rylee.  He's attentive, worried, fun, compassionate, loving, and the perfect example of how a dad should be.  Rylee has got him wrapped around her little finger already!  The two of them have the greatest conversations between each other- Rylee coos and squeals more for T than anyone else.  You could say that she's definitely happy when Daddy comes home.  

Happy Father's Day to the greatest husband and father two girls could ask for!  We love you, T-Bear! 

one month young (4 weeks)...

at one month Rylee...

-laughs in her sleep. Full on giggles and smiles.  It. kills. us. every. time.  It makes T and I wonder what is so funny for a newborn who has only experienced a month of life so far?!

-coos and "talks" while she does tummy time with daddy. Her little squeaks and squeals while she turns her head back and forth are as T says, "like heaven."

-refuses to sleep with her hands restrained.  She sometimes sleeps with her arms thrown up by her head in a dramatic fashion or has her hands curled under her chin as if to say, "look at me, I'm so darn cute!"

-Doesn't mind her pacifier, but doesn't usually need it.

-loves to snuggle and cuddle on mama and daddy's chests. *Insert instant sighs of happiness from both parents here.*

-has nursed, slept, and pooped like a pro since day 1. Which has made our entire family of 3 incredibly happy.

-loves loves loves bath time! Or should I say shower time?! She wasn't too sure of bath time when she couldn't be submerged when her cord was still attached and she had to be freezing cold so we got into the habit of showering with her. This girl loves her a warm shower with the spray on her back! Our bathroom also has heat lamps and Rylee Girl lays out like a tanning pro underneath them after her shower. She's already spoiled rotten.

-sleeps for 3-4 hours at night already! Which means mama and Rylee only have to get up twice at night these days.

-is intrigued by the ceiling fan at grandmas house and loves to just stare at it.

-loves her walks both in the stroller and her baby carrier. She fell asleep listening to the babble of the cascade springs while we were hiking.

-is enthralled by the sound of daddy's guitar and his voice.  It lulls her to sleep every time.

-measured in the 70th percentile for her head and body length but came in at the 5th percentile for her weight. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 8 oz. at her 2 week appointment and is most likely well over 7lbs. now. We love our petite and long little girl!!

-acquired nicknames: baby Rylee, Rylee girl, Ry-Ry, Smiley Rylee, little bird, sunshine, peanut, Sweet Pea, little miss woodpecker

We are so in love with this girl!  She's ours forever and we couldn't be happier and proud parents.  

Happy 1 month, Rylee Girl!

We love you!

a birth story: Rylee Ann Kussee

It was the morning of May 15th.  The previous day, Tyler and I had gone in for our routine 39 week doctor's appointment.  We got to Dr. Harrison's office, signed in, got weighed, and then waited in the exam room while the nurse took my blood pressure with the BP machine.  She said something must be wrong with the machine because my blood pressure was high and that was unusual for me, so she took my blood pressure manually.  My blood pressure didn't change.  It was still higher than normal and what they liked to see in a pregnant woman.

Shortly after, Dr. Harrison came in and went through the nurse's notes, took my blood pressure herself, and told us there was a high possibility of having a baby that day.  Tyler and I just looked at each other and couldn't believe it.  We were so sure Baby Girl would wait until her due date or be a little late-not early!  After talking about the negative effects of high blood pressure (preeclampsia, risk of seizures for me, etc.), I asked Dr. Harrison if there was any way we could wait just one day and see what everything looked like tomorrow so I could wrap everything up at school.  She gave us firm instructions to go home, get my feet up all night, and for Tyler to finish packing the hospital bags and other necessities.  We made an appointment for the following day with hopes that my blood pressure would go down and I could finish out the week teaching my students.

At our appointment at 11:30 the next day, my blood pressure hadn't budged from 152/100.  Dr. Harrison entered the room with a "we're having a baby today!"  Tyler and I just looked at each other while I asked Dr. Harrison if she was positive it had to be today.  She was firm in the affirmative.  I love how direct she was and how she wasn't taking any chances with Baby Girl's safety.  We were on board with having a baby that day if that's what was best for Baby Girl.  Dr. Harrison started telling us the hospital procedures, asking us if our hospital bags were in the car, and then left the room to call the hospital to tell them we were on our way over.  She walked back in the door with a smile, said to go grab a bite to eat for lunch, and be at the hospital to check in by 2.  With a wave goodbye and an assurance that she'd see us within the next 24 hours to deliver our baby, she left two very nervous and excited soon-to-be parents behind.

After a quick stop at Firehouse Subs and talking, laughing, and nervous giggles while we were eating, we headed to UVRMC hospital.

After taking the elevator to Labor and Delivery, we checked in and signed paper after paper after paper... then we were shown to Room 17 where we'd deliver our Baby Girl.

We were pretty happy with the view.  The nurses assured us that we had the best room with the best view- we couldn't have agreed more! 
 
After changing into the attractive blue hospital gown and getting inserted with an IV (ouch!), we sat tight and waited for the hospital staff to get the show on the road.

4:00pm:  They started me on a Cytotec pill to soften my cervix a little bit more and help my body start dilating slowly.  We met our amazing nurse, Alyson who would end up being with us all night and into the morning.  T and I ordered a dinner of Alfredo Chicken Pasta with numerous sides and talked about Baby Girl.  What would she finally look like?  Would she have hair?  How big would she be?

We both talked about how nervous and excited we were while we held hands and just kept smiling.  I couldn't believe we'd meet Baby Girl in less than 24 hours!  We talked about what we'd like to name her and still came away from that conversation undecided, but convinced we'd narrowed it down to two names to choose from when she was born.

As our conversation died down, we started up a game of "I Spy" using the gorgeous view from our window to spy things from.

8:00pm: They start our Pitocin and said to hang tight and wait until I dilated from a 3 to a 4.  Nurse Alyson was fantastic in staying optimistic for us and keeping us excited to meet our baby.  She also kept a close watch on my blood pressure as it kept fluctuating up and down.  In spite of that fact, Baby Girl never showed any stress or duress from my blood pressure.  Thank goodness!

12:00am:  Still dilated to a 3 and can't sleep.  Tyler attempted to sleep on the futon/couch furniture for a few hours.  I read a book and surprisingly kept calm for the majority of the night- until I got all jealous that Tyler was able to sleep for a while and it completely evaded me.

6:30am: Dilated to a 4 and ready for my water to be broken!  Nurse Alyson suggested getting an epidural before they broke my water because once they broke my water, things would start progressing pretty rapidly.  Tyler and I went into this pregnancy knowing that I would want a nice epidural and not feel a whole lot of pain, so we listened to Alyson and called in the nice anesthesiologist.  He numbed my back, but oh my goodness gracious was it still a little painful!  I attempted to man up, but ended up crying and holding Tyler's hand the entire time.  Bless that darling husband of mine.  Husbands don't get enough credit for this whole labor/delivery time.  They undergo a lot of stress and the emotional, mental, and physical help that Tyler provided me was enormous.  The epidural was just the beginning of the support he gave me during our entire labor.

Dr. White came in to break my water (which went nice and fast) and from then on things got pretty exciting.

In less than a half an hour, we progressed from 4 cm to 10 cm, we were fully effaced and ready to push.  That half hour was a little painful while the epidural was still kicking in.  I was convinced that they'd put my catheter in wrong and made Tyler go grab the nurse to check.  She was surprised to see us fully effaced and dilated and immediately called Dr. Harrison.  The anesthesiologist came and gave me a nice little "shot" of his drugs into my epidural IV line to get the epidural working a little faster, while I may have said a few choice words.

We started pushing, which, is a little difficult with an epidural.  We pushed for 2 1/2 hours and Baby Girl finally crowned.  The nurse called Dr. Harrison, who had gone to see a few patients across the street at her clinic.  Dr. Harrison raced over while I was told to wait and not push.  Once Dr. Harrison showed up, it only took a few more pushes until Baby Girl took her first breath of air.

Rylee Ann Kussee
5/16/14
born at 9:55am
5 lbs. 13 oz.
18 1/2 inches long

Tyler had a proud daddy moment and cut the umbilical cord.  Then I finally get to hold our Baby Girl.  Tyler and I just looked at each other in awe with tears in our eyes at this tiny, beautiful, brown-haired girl that we made together.  She came out completely perfect.  Not one bit of her was swollen and she was absolutely perfect in every way.  She looked like a perfect little doll.

Baby Girl wasn't breathing quite as well as Dr. Harrison wanted, so they whisked her away to the side of the room to check her out a little more closely.  Tyler stayed at her side the entire time while I delivered the placenta and got a couple of stitches for a first degree tear.  Another doctor from the NICU came in to perform a couple rounds of CPAP on Baby Girl and make sure her breathing was adequate.  Baby Girl passed all of her tests and went with Tyler and a nurse to go get cleaned up and dressed.  Tyler got to see her get her first bath and he picked out the cutest blue and peach bows for her to wear.

My mom, Misty, and Codi all came in to check on us and got a glimpse of Baby Girl before they took her away to be completely cleaned.  The nurses moved me down to the Mother/Baby floor and Tyler and Baby Girl met us there shortly after.  I finally got to snuggle our little bundle and then we passed her around to meet her new grandma and aunts.

After they left, Tyler and I finally got our snuggle time with our Baby Girl and tried to determine which name we wanted her to have.  In the midst of our conversation, the Kussee side of the family showed up and Baby Girl got to meet her other set of grandparents and aunts and uncles!

It took us the rest of the day and the next morning to finally decide on Baby Girl's name.

Rylee Ann Kussee

Rylee means "courageous, valiant" and Ann (both of Rylee's grandma's middle names) means "favor, grace."

The rest of our hospital stay ended up being perfection.  Rylee ate like a champ, slept like a champ, and snuggled with her parents like a champ.  Our nurses were phenomenal and so helpful and the food was actually pretty dang good!  Tyler ended up sleeping on the hospital bed with me, rather than the chair they provided for him to sleep on!  Tyler changed every single diaper at the hospital (what a guy, what a guy!) and we cuddled with Rylee during our entire stay.  Our phones, computers, and books all got pushed to the side while we were completely entertained with our new daughter.  It was a time that we wanted to enjoy together as a family and get used to each other before introducing Rylee to cyberworld.

The nurses all fell in love with our little cutie- she was a favorite of them all.

We left the hospital Sunday morning after partaking of the sacrament for the first time as a family of three.  The nicest couple came in to bless it and Tyler got to bless the water.  It was incredibly spiritual.  Both of us cried while Tyler used his priesthood for the first time as a father.  The couple left us with a quote that also left us both with even more tears in our eyes.

It said, "LOVING PARENT.  What a  noble title.  There are no greater roles in life for a man than those of husband and father.  Likewise, there are no greater roles for woman than those of wife and mother."
[Russell M. Nelson  Ensign, Nov. 1989]

A perfect beginning to the start of our little family going home.

 

Home Sweet Home.