Some New Photos

All bundled up and ready for bed. This little girl's hands and feet get SO cold, so we try to keep her nice and warm.

Sleeping in the "stick 'em up" position, just like Ryan used to do.

Annie's first Thanksgiving.

Not quite Christmas card worthy, but still pretty cute!

So as you can probably guess, I've been keeping pretty busy with Ryan and Annie. There's not too much to report--Annie is a complete gem and I'm far more rested than I ever would have guessed I would be at this point. Ryan has taken well to his sister and she seems to like him as well.

Hope you enjoy the new photos!

Annie is Here!

So our sweet baby girl has finally arrived!

Ann Elizabeth Colby was born Tuesday, November 18 at 1:41 p.m. She weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long.She has tons of silky black hair and seems to be a very mellow little girl. She is an amazing eater and a good little sleeper, so we couldn't be happier.

Below are a few photos from her first couple of days. Enjoy!

So yesterday our doctor called and confirmed what we pretty much considered the obvious--that Ryan is in fact allergic to peanuts. A number of people have commented that a peanut allergy is a horrible thing to live with and while I know it will be difficult, especially until Ryan is old enough to understand, it really could be much worse. We have a number of friends whose kids have really serious ongoing conditions and illnesses, so really, I count ourselves lucky.

Anyway, the one thing I thought was interesting is that while he is allergic to peanuts, he is not allergic to any other nut. Almonds, cashews, walnuts--those are all fine. So that's a good thing.

I do have to mention the ironic part of this. Over time I have read articles in various places about kids with peanut allergies and I always thought that the moms were a little out of control and overprotective. Well, now I guess I will be joining the ranks of the out of control and overprotective. That's what I get for being judgemental...

All in a Day's Work

So far today Ryan has figured out how to open the cabinet locks and managed to call 911 on my cell phone when it was in locked mode. Awesome.

Phoenix Zoo

We've been waiting for the weather to cool down a little so that we could take Ryan to the zoo. Since Papa Lance was in town last weekend, we decided it would be a good time to go.

The weather was a little warmer than ideal, so we didn't stay as long as we thought we would, but we still had a good time. Ryan loved petting the goats and watching the monkeys and the camels. We got annual passes so when it cools down for real, we can go back and see more.

Harrowing Mommy Moments

Today I experienced a kind of panic that I never before knew existed. It started out simply enough--at lunch time I gave Ryan a peanut butter sandwich. He is not a big meat eater and I'm trying to incorporate more protein in his diet, so I thought we'd give peanut butter a try. Now I am completely aware of the stories that exist about crazy peanut allergies, but no one in Bryan's or my family have these kind of allergies, so I thought it would be fine.

About 10 minutes after he finished his sandwich, he became completely inconsolable. He's had a bit of an allergy/cold thing going on so I figured he was just not feeling well. I tried to get him to cuddle up with me so he could take a nap, but he wouldn't have it. He would lay on the floor and then want me to pick him up. After about 10 minutes of this, the poor kid threw up everywhere--all over himself, me and the couch. My first thought was, "Oh, he's got the stomach flu, no wonder he's so fussy."

I took him into the bathroom to remove the offending clothing and as I sat him on the counter to take off his diaper, I noticed that his face was completely covered in a red polka-dotted rash, and all around his eyes was bright red. I grabbed the phone to call the doctor as I put him in the tub, and the doctor said to give him Benedryl and he should be OK. So I did that, but as he sat in the tub I watched the rash quickly begin to spread down to his neck and shoulders and his chest and back. Because of the allergy/cold thing, he's been congested and I could hear his breathing so I was freaking out trying to make sure he was breathing normally. I called the doctor back and they asked if we could get there in 10 minutes, which we did.

Once we got there the doctor looked him over and confirmed that he was definitely having an allergic reaction. Ryan was given a steroid shot to stop any additional inflamation that could be caused, and we have some additional steriods to give him over the next couple of days. Bryan is taking him in to the lab in the morning so they can do some tests to confirm that he does in fact have a peanut allergy.

Let me tell you that sitting there and watching my sweet baby Ryan experience this reaction was absolutely heartwrenching. He is fine, and I could not be more grateful about that. But it scared me, and it made me realize just how much I love and adore this baby. I absolutely don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to him. He is truly my world. He is what changed Bryan and I from a couple to a family. He is my angel.

After this whole experience, it occured to me how lucky we are. We have access to, and can afford, good health insurance. We have a fantastic family doctor. We have an excellent new hospital within 3 minutes of our house. I know not everyone has these things. I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to have a sick child and be afraid to get them medical attention because of fear of the medical bills. My heart truly aches for parents who have to make those choices.

Take a minute today to hold your babies close and thank Heavenly Father for every moment you have with them. They are truly a gift.

Happy Halloween!

As you can see, this year Ryan was a little monkey. His costume was adorable with a big fluffy belly but after many, many tries, this was the only descent photo we could get. He is such a busy boy, he just won't stand still long enough to get many pictures.

We were glad that Halloween evening was cool enough that he could actually wear his costume since it's still in the 90's every day. We went to a few friends' houses and to Grandma & Grandpa's to trick or treat. He's not much into candy, other than shaking the little boxes of Nerds, but it was still a fun time.

Another Fantastic Year

This Sunday will be Bryan's and my 4 year anniversary. It's hard to believe how fast it has gone, but at the same time it's hard to imagine life before there was an "us." We have a crazy few days coming up so we decided to go to dinner tonight to celebrate. It's always a little weird to leave Ryan at home, but at the same time it's nice to enjoy a leisurely meal at a nice restaurant from time to time. And since our alone time is about to become severely challenged, I think it was much needed.

Our friends Ana and John just had their 4th anniversary and he posted this cute little series of questions and answers about their marriage, which I'm totally going to steal and use to share some (possibly) little known facts about our marriage:

What is his name?....Bryan, also known as Bear, B, Bean and Daddy.

How did I meet him?....An LDS online dating site. Yes, I'm serious. It worked though, so laugh if you will.

Who said I love you first?....I honestly can't remember...

Who kissed who first?.....Bryan kissed me. But then I kissed him back, so it was all good.

Who proposed?....Bryan did on 4th of July weekend on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It was actually in the parking lot, but that's a whole different story...

What are his best qualities and features?....His best physical feature is definitely the eyes. Gorgeous. He has so many good qualities--amazing daddy, patience with my many, many quirks, faith that he never questions, the ability to help me realize when I'm being ridiculous, a great sense of humor, an amazing work ethic...really, I could go on and on. But I would say his absolute best quality is his generosity. The man would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He's just like that.

Guilty pleasures....Hmm, good question. I guess his favorite TV shows, Life, Chuck and House.

Who eats more?....I eat more frequently, he eats larger quantities.

Who cooks more? I do, but only because I'm home now. When we both worked, he did. He usually does all the cooking on the weekends though, which I love.

Who's the most sensitive?.....Definitely me.

Who is the first to admit they are wrong?....We're both pretty good at this, though it's not always immediate.

Who does the laundry?...I do. It saves us all from having pink underwear and blue button down shirts for Sunday :)

Who does the dishes?....I do.

Who is more stubborn?....Definitely me. And unfortunately that's a quality that my son has inherited.

Who pays the bills?....I take care of the bills at home, Bryan takes care of the bills for the business.

Who drives the most when we are together?....Bryan but occasionally I do drive if we're just running a quick errand.

What side of the bed do we sleep on? I sleep on the left side of the bed, Bryan sleeps on the right.

Who wears the pants in the family?...Bryan does. I just pick them out and make sure they look nice.

Who has more siblings?...Bryan--2 brothers and 2 sisters.

Who makes more money at their job? Since my salary is currently paid in hugs and kisses and I don't really keep up with the exchange rate, it's hard to say :)

Who holds a grudge?...Neither of us, at least with each other.

Is our marriage perfect?....It's perfect for us, and it seems to just get better and better. I'd say that's pretty close to perfection.

So Grateful...

Earlier this month, a hurricane slammed into Baja, Mexico destroying more than 600 homes and leaving hundreds of families with literally nothing but the clothes on their backs.

The Mexican government went in and provided water, rice and beans, but these people had no pots to cook in, and nothing to eat with or out of. There is a lady in our ward who is originally from there and still has family there, so our ward took it upon itself to help provide humanitarian relief to the people in the area.

We all got an email asking us to gather items that these people needed--blankets, tennis shoes, jackets and household items--and a man from our ward would fly everything down in his plane. I took about 20 minutes to go through our house and gather items and in that period of time I was able to collect three garbage bags full of stuff.

Afterwards it really struck me that we have SO much. The things I put in those bags we wont even miss. We have closets full of clothes and blankets, cupboards full of cookware and dishes, and so much more.

Lately I have been lamenting over projects I really want to get done in my house and I have been frustrated that we are at a point where the parts of my house that people see need to be practical rather than pretty. Our living room has a whole section filled with Ryan's toys, his car and his books. Our family room has a baby swing and a rocking chair that I would rather have somewhere else. My front room still has no curtains after almost 4 years because I just can't decide what colors I want in there.

However, as I thought about these people who have literally nothing, I realized I just need to be grateful for all that I DO have. My friends don't care that I don't have curtains and that the corners of my rooms are filled with toys. My son is happy because he doesn't have to be confined to some little corner of the house to play. And really, I am grateful to have a beautiful home where my family can be together, where we don't have to worry about an exorbitant mortgage like so many people we know, and where there is peace and happiness and laughter.

Could I really ask for more??

Our (unsuccessful) Attempt at Creating Family Memories

This year I really wanted to take Ryan to a pumpkin patch. There is a place relatively close by that has pumpkins, a carousel, various rides, a train, hayrides, a petting zoo, a corn maze and all sorts of other things to do.

We decided that we would go this weekend because we have other things going on the next couple of weekends. Yesterday I looked at the weather and saw it was supposed to be 96 degrees today, and that had me a little concerned. However after a little discussion Bryan and I thought we'd just get there right when they opened at 10:00 and we'd be fine. Um yeah, not so much.

Almost as soon as we started walking around, little Ryan's cheeks got bright red. All he was really interested in doing was sitting on the ground and playing with the dirt. And after about 30 minutes, he wanted to climb into his stroller, which was weird because he is not a big fan of the stroller. Bryan picked him up and realized he was super warm, so we figured we'd better get out of there and get him cooled off.

After a sippy cup of water and a few minutes in the air conditioned car, Ryan was good to go. However I don't think we'll be doing the pumpkin patch again until he's a few years older...

Oh, and P.S., this crazy weather is the reason October is my least favorite month in Arizona. It's fall, people. I've already endured 5 months of scortching temperatures. I'm done with summer. I'd like to pull out a sweatshirt on occasion, you know what I'm saying?