Reagan 18 month stats

I took Reagan to the doctor this morning. Everything is looking great! Stats:

• Weight: 22.9 pounds, 43rd percentile
• Height: 32 inches, 45th percentile
• Head: 19 inches, 91st percentile. This is exactly the same as last time. The nurse measured it twice though, so it looks like it really is exactly the same!

She is doing everything that she should according to her age measurements! The 40s seem a little odd to me, but, like Chris points out, she does have a pretty short grandma, so that might be part of the reason. But the doctor says she is still on point, so there are no worries! She is a doll and we love her so much!

Reagan one year stats

Weight: 19 pounds, 9 ounces. 39th percentile
Height: 30 1/2 inches. 81st percentile.
Head: 18 1/2 inches. 91st percentile.
She is doing great, but I think she forgot how to flip, and doesn't turn any more. We will work on that for a little while, then call the district health department if she doesn't figure it out.

Reagan's blessing day

Our sweet Reagan Marie was blessed on March 8th. We were very blessed to have both sets of our parents there, along with aunts and uncles and cousins. It was great fun!
My mom took notes on her blessing. She was blessed with health and strength, and that she would be wise and kind a stalwart. She was blessed to be an example to others, and her parents were also blessed to raise her well. She was blessed to find joy in the gospel, and those who would work with and teach her were also blessed that they would be inspired. She was also blessed to be strong in the face of adversity and to be valiant. It was a beautiful blessing, and we were very thankful to have so many members of our family participate in it.

When we got home to take pictures, Reagan KNEW that she was a princess on parade. She acted her part the whole time. It cracked us up!

Here is the princess with Great Grandma and Grandpa:

 Here we are with our family and both sets of grandparents:

 Here she is smiling. Whenever Davis sees these pictures, he calls her "Princess Reagan."

 With Grandma:

 With Grandma and Grandpa:

 With Mommy and Daddy:

 With our little family. Plus, Thomas and Percy:

With Grandma and Grandpa Rusch.

We are so blessed to have this little miracle girl in our lives!

It REALLY is a Girl!

Today, we had our "big" 20 week ultrasound.  Now, I have had an ultrasound every time I have gone to my doctor's office.  But this is the "official" one to make sure that all the body parts are in working order.  And they are.  I can't tell you how wonderful that is to know as a mother!  Here are the pictures we got:

 A few 3D images, with her hands in front of her face:

 And here they are, 2D style:

Our doctor says that she will probably weigh about the same as Davis, which was TINY!  He was 6 pounds 5 ounces.  Reagan is in the 29th percentile, which puts her at about the same weight.  Weird that I have such small babies!

A sneak peek

So, I went to the doctor today.  He could not find a heartbeat, so he said that he would have me do an ultrasound.  He said that it is usually hard to find a heartbeat at 13 weeks, so I pretended not to be too worried.  I texted Chris.  He was a little worried too.  But, the ultrasound found a beautiful, healthy baby, who is right on target for his/her due date!  Yay!!  Here is a picture:

Chris thinks he can tell that it is a boy.  What do you think?

Baby Rusch

We got some more pictures of our baby today!  Everything is going well for him/her!  Less than an inch, with a good strong heartbeat!  The white cursor is over the head on both pictures.

Our sweet little blueberry

We went to Utah this past weekend.  We partly went because Chris had a conference for librarians in Utah.  We partly went because Davis and I could hang out with family members.  But we mostly went because we got to have an ultrasound of our little blueberry!

 We got a hotel room for the stay, and were lucky enough to receive a "complimentary upgrade" to a one-room suite.  It was super nice to be able to put Davis somewhere to go to sleep and close the door.  And then we turned out backs for 2 seconds and he found out that he could empty the wipe container.

At our house, we no longer use the toilet paper roll.  But at the hotel, the toilet paper holder is a great toy!

Here are the ultrasound pictures--some of them, at least!  They are not TOO exciting, because at almost 8 weeks, he or she is the size of a blueberry.  But we got to see/hear a heartbeat as well, which was very exciting!

The doctor was completely amazed that I am pregnant.  He was very excited for us!  I think he doesn't usually text people to tell them congratulations, but he definitely texted me!  He expressed gratitude for being involved in the miracle.  It has been quite the ride!

We love this baby already!

Big News

Davis is happy to announce . . .
he is being promoted to the job of big brother!!

Here are the details:

Because of the conversation that we had with the doctor in February (see post here), we decided that we needed to start on IVF quickly.  So, my parents paid for the procedure, and we ordered the medicine and got the ball rolling. 

I called the office, and they said that their embryonic lab was going to be closed for a week and a half.

They were able to start my medicine so that everything would work with the lab.  The original calendar they gave me said that the due date would be the day after my birthday.  That is funny, because before we had the talk with Dr. Blauer, we had decided that we would put off IVF so that we didn't have to have a baby in December.  Oh well.

I did the whole process of getting the shots every night, and taking over-the-counter medicine every morning and night.  We had to go to Utah to be watched for the weekend (left on Sunday), and then go back on Tuesday for the egg retrieval, and then back on Friday for the transfer.  We were exhausted.  It was a long week.  And Davis spent a lot of time with my parents (thanks, Mom and Dad!)

We went in for egg retrieval on a Tuesday.  On my calendar, it said that it would be on Wednesday.  I asked the doctor if that meant everything was pushed forward a day.  He said yes.  So the due date would be my birthday!  During the egg retrieval, they got six eggs, which we were excited for. Two of them fertilized, which was also good.  So we scheduled the transfer for Friday, and expected to have two eggs transferred.  (Even though on our paperwork, we said that we wanted three.  Oh well.)

We went in on Friday, and were told that one of our eggs had died.  So, we only had one to transfer.  And the egg was "fair."  Chris asked the doctor after the procedure what the chances of me being pregnant from the procedure were.  He said 10-15%.  We surely wanted better odds.  Here is (one of) the cutest embroys ever:

After the whole procedure, they just tell you to wait for two weeks, which seems like approximately an eternity.

The Sunday of General Conference, I started bleeding.  I was devastated.  Bleeding is NOT what you want to happen, especially only one week into the two week waiting period.  My mom encouraged me to keep taking my progesterone, which I did.  I called the nurse the next day.  She said that 30% of people who do IVF and bleed like me are still able to hold the pregnancy.  So, with the 10% chance of it working, and the 30% chance of it still working after bleeding, my chances were about 3%.

I decided that I was not pregnant.  I went shopping for a cute Easter outfit for myself.  I enrolled in some online classes.  I was thinking about what to do to console myself.

On Thursday, I went in for a blood test.  This was just going to confirm that I was not pregnant.  Then I was going to be able to take ibuprofen to cure my headache that I had since I started bleeding, and was getting sick of.  I was preparing a lesson for my young women on Sunday, and I decided to call the Reproductive Care Center, because my other doctor's office didn't have a nurse that could talk to me.  I asked the nurse if she had the results yet.

She went to check the fax machine.  She got back on the phone and said, "I have some good news for you.  You are pregnant."  I could not believe my ears.  I was in complete shock.  I called my husband immediately (the people at his work said that he was literally jumping up and down and yelling, "YES!  YES!  YES!").  Then I called my mom.  She was on the way out the door, and came to my house instead of running her errands.

We had a big celebration after hearing the news.  Chris left his work early, and we went out to dinner with my parents.

Here's what we think about all this:

1. Miracles still happen.  Quite often, especially in my life
2. This baby is SUPPOSED to come in December, apparently close to my birthday

Please keep praying for me.  I am at a high risk for miscarriage, and am definitely not out of the woods yet, but things are very hopeful so far!

Davis at 15 months

I took Davis to the pediatrician today.  We did not have shots, because he has a cold and an ear infection.  However, it was still very traumatic.  Being naked and having a big guy poking you all over is no fun!  Thankfully, we had Grandma to help out with the wrestling match.  But, here are the stats:
Weight--24 pounds 7 ounces--73%
Height--31 1/2 inches--60%
Head circumference--20 inches--99%

So, yes, this child still has an enormous head!  To be expected from the genes he has on both sides.

Davis is a lot of fun right now.  Here are some funny things about him.

• He has certain "tasks" that need to be done every day.  One is emptying out his toy basket.  And another is emptying out the tupperware cupboard that I have open for him.  He knows right where it is, and is intimately aware of everything it contains.  Hence, it is organized differently every single night.
• He has an obsession with how things sound if you drop them in certain places.  It is the funniest thing to see him take a toy to the tile to see how it will sound when he drops it there.  This gives him great joy.
• He loves anything electronic.  iPads, computers, surge protectors, anything.  In fact, he really loves to play with the surge protector in our room, even if it is covered by blankets (which it usually is when he gets to it).
• He is walking, almost full time.  The word that I would use to describe the walk is definitely "toddling."  So, yes, he is surely a toddler.
• Words that he knows: more, mama, dada, grandpa, yeah
• We are working on the concept that when you drop things, you don't get to play with them or feed yourself any more.  This is especially difficult since he loves to hear how things sound when you drop them.
• He is learning how to play with others.  We have been playing with other kids, such as his friend Alvin, and he is getting away from the "parallel play" idea:

We sure do love this little boy!

9 month stats

Before I forget:

• Weight: 21.15 pounds--84th percentile
• Height: 28.5 inches--59th percentile
• Head circumference: 19.5 inches--94th percentile--FINALLY MEASURABLE IN PERCENTILE!

So we have a pretty average baby, as far as stats go.  But his personality is DEFINITELY not average.

We went to see the pediatrician today, and he had nothing but kind words to say about my parents and grandparents.  He is in Grandma and Grandpa's ward.  He said that Grandpa was the reason he decided to come to Idaho Falls.  Thanks, Grandpa!

Things I want to remember about Davis at 9 months:

• He is a PEOPLE PERSON.  There is nothing Davis likes more than being around people and "talking" to them.  He makes friends everywhere we go!
• His grunt.  Hilarious.
• Davis is NOT really a food person.  As in, in most situations, he could take it or leave it.  I kind of have to remind him to eat.  :)  He likes most fruits and vegetables, and we are starting to introduce meat.  Carrots are bad.  Rice cereal is good, as long as it has applesauce in it.  If not, GROSS!!  Serves me right for having a picky eater.  :)  My parents have no sympathy.  I give him Cheerios at the beginning of every meal, but he has not figured out that they are FOOD that he can eat.
• Davis is quite proud that he can crawl and sit up on his own.  He can pretty much get anywhere he needs to go, which is quite cool.
• He is content playing by himself, or playing with us.  Whatever, really.
• Like I have always said, Davis would be the perfect 2nd child.  One of his favorite things is to have us in his face.  The closer the better.
• He loves his daddy.  A lot.  I mean, he loves me too, but he is with me all day, so Daddy definitely wins!
  
  Taking this picture was tricky.  I didn't have my nice camera, because it is being fixed (It is coming home soon!  Hooray!)  I had him sitting on the couch for a brief amount of time, but he kept barreling off.  So, the rest of the photo shoot was done on the floor.

Davis at 6 months

Davis is now 6 months old.  We went to the doctor for his checkup and immunizations.  I think his immunizations were harder on me than they were on him.  Here are his stats:

• Weight: 20.06 pounds: 86th percentile
• Height: 28.6 inches: 96th percentile
• Head: 19.1 inches: 100th percentile

We are so proud!  He is one smart dude!

Here are some things I do not want to forget about Davis at this age:

• He loves to roll.  And roll.  And roll.  He is a mover!
• He is trying to crawl and wants to SOOOO bad!
• He is not the biggest fan of sitting up.  I have decided to put him in the child part of the shopping cart.  He hangs onto the cart for dear life.  He is so worried about it, but I think it is still good for him.
• He really is so sweet.  The lady at the doctor's office today asked me if he is always so sweet, and he definitely is.  It is so fun to see his little personality come out and to enjoy our little boy.

We love our little boy!

What a big boy!

Davis is growing so much lately!  It seems like every single day, he does something new!  Here are some pictures of Davis through the months:

And here is his 5 month picture:

 Here are some things I want to always remember about Davis at 5 months:

• He LOVES to roll around on the ground.  It started when he could roll from his back to his front.  That made him mad, because tummy time is no fun.  But, now he can roll both ways, which makes him happy!
• He loves his tongue.
• His hands still amaze him.  The child spends HOURS looking at his hands and his fingers and crossing his fingers and uncrossing his fingers.  Why do you need toys when you have hands?
• He does not like to practice sitting up.  However, this is a skill that we are working on.  That ticks him off.
• When he is full, he will not eat one more drop.  And he will not eat anything until he is STARVING.  Sometimes, like tonight, that means going over 5 hours without food.
• He loves to talk.  Sometimes.
• He thinks it is the funniest thing that he can roll across the room.  Sometimes, he will roll and I will come into the room and say, "What are you doing?  I put you over here when I left."  That is the funniest thing in the world.
• He loves to hold my hand and grunt while he is having his bottle.
• He is a very good sleeper, and pretty much, the best baby ever.  Most of the time!  That's what being a baby is, right? 
• His favorite way to fall asleep is with both of his hands in the air.
• Sleeping with Davis is like sleeping with . . . a tornado 
• He practices growling all the time.
• Sometimes, he actually doesn't mind having his nose cleaned out.  Unless there are a lot of boogers.  Then he minds.

Here are some sweet pictures of our sweet boy:

 With Uncle Carter and Aunt Whitney watching General Conference

 Tummy time on the Boppy.  At least he stays in one place this way!

 "Davis, what are you doing underneath the dresser?  I didn't put you there!"

 Falling asleep on his tummy in the play gym.  Sometimes, life is just rough.

 Hanging out with Mommy in bed.  The best is when he falls asleep with me in the mornings.  These are the times that I am grateful to be a mommy full time!

 Hanging out!

 Wouldn't eat a bottle, but wanted to eat his sock!

The cutest outfit he (we?) owns, in my personal opinion.  Nothing looks more grown up than jeans and a polo shirt.

4 month stats

Davis at 4 months:
Weighs 17.56 pounds--89th percentile
Length--26 inches--81st percentile
Head--18.3 inches--100th percentile

Yep, a HUGE head!  This kid is going to be smart!

Good morning, Mom

Every morning, this is the face that greets me when I walk into his bedroom to get him up:

 And today, I put Davis on his blanket to play while I ate breakfast.  He turned himself over 180 degrees and was off his blanket when I looked at him again!  Silly boy!

2 months!

Everyday life

Here are some sweet pictures of Davis growing up, in no particular order . . .

 Hanging out with the bear at the cabin

Showing off his Sunday best

 Smiling for Grandma and Grandpa

 Tummy time

 Playing with the gym

 Sleeping

We call these the many faces of Davis!