Thanksgiving 2008

My brother Sam and his wife Lacey came to visit us for Thanksgiving this year. They drove down from Missouri Wednesday night and left Sunday afternoon. Lacey and I had so much fun making out first Thanksgiving dinner together. We had a blast playing the WII, making jewelry, watching football, taking walks, and sooo much more!! We miss them so much but are glad we'll see them soon for Christmas. Kellen especially can't wait because he misses their kisses and all the attention they gave him.

Okay, so I know all I post is pictures of Kellen but it's just too much fun. The last couple weeks have been awesome as Kellen has started smiling and talking back to us. Tyler of course had to try a hat on him that was way too big...doesn't he look like a little gangsta:D Uhh, I could just eat him up!!!

Can't Get Enough

Four Weeks Old

If you can tell from this picture, Kellen has started to go bald on the top of his head. Tyer keeps saying that he looks like George off Seinfeld. He has long dark hair all around the sides and then it's completely bald on top. It looks funny yet very cute.

So, Kellen hasn't been sleeping very well in his crib anymore so we've been trying the car seat. He did very well in it last night. Isn't his double chin cute.

Tyler and I have been very upset because he hates his binki and will scream and wiggle uncontrollably to get it out of his mouth. However, last night and today he decided he liked it. We are sooooo excited because it totally relaxes him. He played on the floor last night for two hours with it in his mouth. Of course it falls out every 5 minutes but he loves it for the time being.

I took Kellen on a walk today and he was soooo good. He just looked around and was so content and happy. It's been a total change from the past four days of him being moody and grumpy nearly all day.

Oh, the joy of long nights rocking Kellen to sleep. I'm so happy to say that last night he only woke up twice and them went straight back to bed. Isn't it amazing what a good nights sleep can do for you.

Halloween

Unfortunately Kellen is too tiny so we didn't take him trick-or-treating. We decided to have a fun night in. We ordered Chili's take-out, watched The Incredible Hulk, and carved pumpkins. I can't wait until we can take him trick-or-treating, it will be so fun. Plus, I need someone to steal candy from:D I'm obsessed with candy and really miss the days when I went trick-or-treating. I think my candy only lasted me about a week though. It's a wonder I don't have any cavities. As you can tell, Kellen was having a wonderful time.

Grandma Left

My wonderful mom left us Tuesday and we miss her sooo much! She was so helpful with laundry, cleaning, late nights with Kellen, and most of all just fun to hang out with. We were full of tears when she left but thank goodness Christmas is just around the corner and we'll be with her again soon. Love you mom!

New Pics

Tyler and I have loved every minute with our new little boy. He is hilarious to watch when he's awake and asleep! He makes the cutest faces and makes the funniest noises. I can't believe how much his face has changed in just a few weeks. It's definitely been decided by everyone that he looks more like a Scott rather than a Ray, but I'm very curious to see who he'll look like in the months and years to come.

He's been a very good sleeper during the day. However, we're still working on him being a good sleeper during the night. He has his days and nights a little confused right now.

This is Tyler's favorite picture of his so far. He didn't want to keep the hat on very long but I don't blame him...that yarn isn't very comfortable.

Look At Those Cheeks!

We finally arrived home from the hospital Sunday night. We have never been happier to leave a place more than the hospital. It was a wonderful experience and the nurses were excellent but it's been nice to finally have Kellen all to ourselves. He has been such a joy to have at home.
I seriously can't stop kissing him everytime he's in my arms. Those cheeks are just too chubby to resist.
Oh no, he's already found his thumb!
Kellen and Daddy in the NICU. I hated seeing him hooked up to those machines and IV.
Kellen and mommy at home relaxing:D

Update

Chloe wrote this to her family about 2 hours ago.

I just wanted to give you all a little update on what has been going on since it's been hard to call you all with so much going on. I've been very exhausted and physically and emotionally drained but I'm trying to hang in there. Being a mom has been the most wonderful and fabulous thing I could have ever imagined and it has been such an amazing experience to have this new little baby in our lives. It's been hard because Kellen hasn't been able to be with us since he was born. He's had to be in the NICU because he can't keep his blood sugar up on his own. He's having a little bit of a difficult time breastfeeding so we've been trying all sorts of techniques and supplemental feedings to keep his blood sugar up but it hasn't been very easy going back and forth from the NICU to our room all day espeically when I'm in a lot of pain. We're hoping his blood sugar will stabalize before we leave on Sunday because he might have to stay at the hospital a little longer than us if not. Tyler has been such a wonderful support and help aswell as having mom here. It's been very challenging at times and the pain of healing from a C-section hasn't been easy. I know the Lord is blessing us and I'm trying to enjoy every minute. We are so lucky that he is healthy and strong and we have so much to be grateful for. I really do apologize for not being better at keeping in touch with you all but I will get better in a couple days as things get more settled. I love you all so much and hope you enjoyed the pictures we sent. We are taking lots and will send more soon. Love you all. Chloe and Tyler

(This is Tyler now.) Kellen's doing great. He does get pretty upset when you move him from a comfortable position though. But I can't blame him for that. As far as the blood sugar goes, they tell us it has nothing to do with his pancreas not being able to produce insulin, he was just a big baby (not really by Ray standards, if you ask me... just kidding. Chloe's just a small girl.). They said he used a little extra energy and burned some fat that most normal babies would be burning now, so he just needs a little help until he can stabilize it at a normal level by himself. All is well and we're happy, and still pretty tired. I think the worst part is that he can't be with us here to watch and love him constantly. We can only do it about an hour at a time every three hours... Anyway, thanks for your emails and texts and phonecalls. Hopefully we'll get home soon and not feel so overwhelmed anymore. Thanks for all of your support - Tyler

The Little Squirt

Tyler Here:

On 10-9-08 at 7:00 pm, Kellen Tyler Ray (or "Special K" as I like to call him) was born. He weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs, 1 oz and was 19.5 inches long.

Basic story goes like this:

We arrived at the hospital about 8:00 pm on Wed. night to begin the induction process. They inserted medicine into her cervix to start to ripen it and help it become soft. That happened at around 10 pm. Around 3:30-4 am, they began induction and got her started on the epidural. At 8 am, the doc finally showed up and broke her water. After that we sat around for about 9 hours waiting for her cervix to dilate. At 5 pm she was finally fully dilated, and we began pushing. (Key point in the story here - Chloe hadn't eaten ANYTHING since 7:30 the Wed. night. So she's already on a 24 hour fast, with virtually no energy left.) After half an hour of pushing, the little guy decided to be a little difficult and wanted to turn his head to the side, making the pushing all that much more difficult. The doc then presented 2 options - we could either try to get him out with forceps, or opt to do a c-section. We wanted to try forceps first, but with the position of the baby's head, it just wasn't really safe. The doc tried to push his head up (so he would be looking upward diagonally), but he must have really liked staring at Chloe's hip bone. So, once the forceps option was out, we had to go under the knife. It wasn't long later, that our little guy was here. It took a while for the doctor to get him out, due to his huge head (imagine I'm Mike Myers saying that in "So I Married An Axe Murderer), but he finally popped his head out. I had a front row seat to the whole spectacle, and amazingly didn't flinch. I must have been hyped up on adrenaline.

Anyway, we're thrilled that he's here, and he's already a tank with a bottomless pit for a stomach, in typical Ray fashion. Both Chloe and Kellen are doing well. He had low blood sugar once we got into the recovery room, and he wasn't about to wait for Chloe to learn how to breast-feed, so they gave him some formula and an IV. They tested him a second time and his blood sugar was normal. The third time it was low again, so they gave him some more formula. He's still a little erratic in his breathing (most likely due to the trauma of a failed vaginal birth and then being yanked out of his mommy's tummy... poor little guy!), so their keeping an eye on him right now. But everything's great and he's happy, and we're able to rest a little. I feel really bad for Chloe because she can't eat for another 15 hours or so due to the surgery/anesthetics. Ice chips only!

Now, there has been some disagreement about his characteristics, be they from the Ray fam or the Scott clan. I (and the doctor) immediately saw Sam Scott written all over this kid's face. Grandma Scott saw the Delwyn Ray features. I can now see that, but I still think Sam could say he was the father (don't read into that too much) and could fool anyone. Make your own judgment I guess.

We love you all, and are proud, happy, thrilled, terrified, and ESPECIALLY tired and hungry parents of a bouncing, baby boy.

Chloe at 39 weeks

Obviously very upset here.

Me working that diaper

Mom sees baby for first time

Happy Grandma, Proud Mom

YIPPY!!! I Get To Be Induced!

So, I went for my last and final appointment today and my wonderful doctor said that she is going to induce me on the 8th, which is next Wednesday. Most people want to go naturally I'm sure, but I'm all about helping him get here if he's not willing to come on his own. It's perfect because my mom arrives on the 7th. I can't wait to see her, I miss her soooo much! It feels so weird knowing that Tyler and I are going to be parents next week....wow!!! Hopefully our next post will be some pictures of the baby. Thanks for all your sweet comments of encouragement, I couldn't have done it without you.

Doctor Appointment

So I went to my 36 week appointment yesterday and she said I was dialated to a 1!!! However, the more I read and talk to people, I've found that really doesn't mean anything. I guess people can be dialated more than that and still wait many weeks before giving birth. My doctor did say that it doesn't look like I'll go past my due date which is great news because I'm really sick and tired of being pregnant. Why does the last month have to feel like forever? When you have to pee every 5 minutes and your feet are swollen and you can't find any comfortable position to sit or sleep in, enough is enough. So for now I'm just going to live in a dream world and pretend like he's coming sooner rather than later.

Hey at least my toenails are painted cute.

Trip to San Antonio

For Labor Day weekend, Tyler and I traveled to San Antonio with two couples from our ward here in Dallas. Middle (Emily and Jason) Right (Andrea, Megan, and Spencer). This was just after we finished eating dinner beside the river. I wish you could see it better because the river is right behind us.

While we were there we got to ride in a helicopter and see all the beautiful places in San Antonio including the river and the Alamo.

Tyler and I standing infront of the Alamo.

Booties

Okay, the outfit is complete. Now I just can't wait to post of picture of our cute little pumpkin on Halloween.

Can You Believe I Made This?

I sure can't believe I made it, but I'm very proud of myself...maybe too proud. My sister-in-law Lacey (the master of all crafts) taught me how to knit when she came out to visit. She showed me the cutest pumkin hat and booties pattern for Halloween. I was really nervous about trying to make it but after many long hours sitting infront of the TV watching the Olympics, I completed my masterpeice. I'm working on the booties now and will post a of picture of them when I'm done. I'm just hoping it fits his head because we've been told from the doc that he has a big one:D

Lacey's Visit to Texas

My siter-in-law Lacey came into town to visit for a work conference. While she was here we did so many fun things. We went swimming and relaxed by the pool.
We went and did a session at the gorgeous Dallas Temple.
We tried to show Lacey what Texas was all about by taking her to Texas Roadhouse and a Rodeo. The Rodeo was awesome! I've been wanting to go to one ever since we got here and I'm glad we finally went. Tyler now wants to be a bull rider and I want to be a barrell racer. Thank goodness it was indoors and air conditioned.

Rodeo Favorites

Those bulls were the biggest meanest things I've ever seen.

My favorite part was watching the little kids try and stay on sheep running as fast as they could.
Tyler's favorite part was watching a bunch of men sitting at a picnic table get thrown in the air by an enormous bull.