Andrew Mark Rigsby-Boy oh Boy!

Welcome to the world our sweet baby boy! We waited SO long for you (me, especially.) You decided to celebrate your birthday just two days shy of your due date. What a little stinker! But it couldn't have been more perfect. It was cold and snowy (the big-white-fluffy-soft kind of snow) your Lola was in town and we were ready to get the party started.

Last Thursday I was having contractions that were pretty strong but kind of irregular. I was so much hoping that we would finally get to meet you. Your dad and I went to the hospital that morning just to make sure everything was ok, but went home empty handed. I was still only dilated at 3cm and the contractions seemed to go away. Total false alarm. Going back to work the next day was a bit of a circus because everyone thought I had you already :) Well, this morning I woke up around 3:30 am having similar contractions as before so I tried to get another hour of sleep before work. I got SOME rest (but not much) and got showered and dressed as usual. Something felt different, though. I woke your dad up when my contractions were really starting to kick my butt! We ended up waiting a few hours before heading to the hospital...to be (sort of) sure. We got there around 9:30ish, discovered I was a good 5 cm dilated, and spread the news that we were going to have a baby! Our nurse, Peggy, was fantastic! We got checked in, the doctor broke my water, epidural placed around 11a and you were in my arms at 2:20p :)

You were a hefty 8 lbs 7 oz (I could tell you were going to be a big boy!) 19.5 inches, Apgars of 9 and 9 and absolutely perfect! When they laid you on my chest you started nursing within seconds. The nurses were cracking up that you latched on so quickly. (One said "well..typical boy" :P) I LOVED finally holding you in my arms and meeting you for the first time. I couldn't stop kissing you. Our family feels complete with you in it. We chose the name Andrew Mark for you because it is a solid, strong, all-american, all-boy name. Andrew means "man, warrior." The name Mark has a very special meaning. It belongs to your daddy's older brother, your uncle, who you will meet in heaven some day. He was a wonderful person with a contagious laugh! Someday you will understand just what we mean :)

And to Summer, our little princess...what an amazing big sister you are! When you and your Lola arrived at the hospital you were so curious about my "PJ's" and the IV in my arm and all the unusual medical stuff that surrounded us. You were such a good sport. Peggy offered you a bunch of treats (italian ice, graham crackers, apple juice, banana, jello.) You were so patient waiting for your baby brother to be born. When he was finally out of mommy's belly you wanted to hold him and touch him and kiss him all over. You even sat with me in the hospital bed so we could all cuddle. The nurses took you under their wings while they took his footprints, listened to his heart and lungs, and got him cleaned up. You just did not want to leave his side! You made your daddy and me so proud. We love you and your brother so much and cannot wait for all that's in store for our growing family!

Boy oh Boy...it's a Boy!! It was truly a special day....

Hot Diggity Dog!

It sounds like Summer will still reign as princess! Paul was so proud today when we got an ultra sound of the baby. We took a look a couple days ago and saw what might be boy parts, but were still pretty undecided. When we went in today the tech scanned my belly, gave Paul a friendly shove and said, "Are you kidding me? That's a BOY! Look at that thing, it can't be a labia!" Of course Paul was beaming with a "that's my boy" expression on his face :) We looked around a little more and could see the baby opening and closing his mouth, moving his hands, sucking his thumb... it was unbelievable! We are so excited to experience raising a boy. It will be completely different, but so much fun.

We shared the news with our families....

Lola: "What?!?! Yay!! We're gonna have a batotoy!!" (Don't ask...she has her own way of expressing things) :)

Lisa: "Oh mi goodness.. I'm gonna be an uncle!" (Wait a minute...??)

Lolo: "Whoa that's big, it looks like he has an erection!" (Would you expect any other comment from my dad?)

Paul's parents were a little confused at first...

Lora: "Hi...Paul wanted me to call you because he was too embarrassed to to tell you the news himself...."

Grandma R: "awwww...it's a GIRL!....well, maybe next time..." :)

We finally came out and told them they were having a grandson and they shared in the excitement, too!

So this is a shot where you can ("clearly") see (per the radiology resident) that this is a boy with an image of the bladder and two ("obvious") testicle sacs:

I'm no radiologist, but there IS something pointing up between those two legs, right? :)

Summer Says....

The summer came and left in a hurry this year, but you won't hear a peep from us! There's a few things we are looking forward to a little more than the nice weather we enjoyed this year...like the end of Paul's weekend call, an exciting Disney vacation, a Vegas escape, and finally the addition of another baby to our growing family :) Of course this is a favorite time of year for us since we've been in Michigan because of the cider mills, beef stew & cornbread muffins, crisp nights, holidays... well....you get the picture.

Summer is growing up SO fast! She is our little angel and we know she will make the best big sister ever. A few developments over the past few months:

• She is a HUGE fan of Caillou and has almost every line of any episode she's ever watched memorized. Sometimes she likes to incorporate the lines into her own life: "ewww! that doesn't taste very good." (with eyes closed and looking away) "mommy! daddy! there's a scratchy monster..," "no daddy, I want some water applejuice."
• She has recently developed a love for the musical Annie and watches it over and over and over again. She sings "it's a hard knock life..for us, it's a hard knock life..for us" all day long and says "we love you Miss Hannigan," too!
• Summer is our little Miss Independent and likes to do everything "by myself"
• It's so cute when says "on your 'march', get set, GO" and "mommy, you're a geel" instead of "girl" :)
• When she makes a mess, she announces "ay ay ay, I made a MESS!" with her arms out to her side showing just how big of a mess she made.
• She still loves the merry-go-round, but has recently feared the real ponies (?) silly girl
• I think Summer has a bright future helping me with things around the house, especially sorting laundry, cooking, and baking. She beats everyone when it comes time to lick the frosting off the spoon!
• She is a master of the potty....except for #2 (no matter what we use to bribe her, she still insists on pooping in a diaper)
• Other loves: bubbles, computer games, stamps, coloring, markers, painting, playing doctor, reading books, finding "treasure," "baby Paul," little Lady, being barefoot, singing, Just Dance on the Wii, watching videos of herself, climbing and hanging on the monkey bars, riding her "bicycle" (the chariot attached to our bike), running on the treadmill, tumbling, mornings, dressing herself, sprinklers, eating, Talking TomCat game ..
• Dislikes: other kids getting too close to her (esp boys), not getting attention, getting her face wet, taking off her poopy diaper, dirty feet (she has a little OCPD in her)
  
  However she DOES love splashing in the rain:
  
  
  
  
  She is a character during bathtime!
  

Especially if her daddy is in charge...


Spent the first Saturday of September at Yates Cider Mill. The weather was perfect, the donuts & apple cider were delicious, and we even took a small jar of apple butter home to enjoy for later!


That was a fun morning!


Nothing beats autumn in the midwest


Came back for round 2 to attempt the ponies and feed the goats again..

Destination Desert 2011

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Summer's Second Birthday, Brought To You By the Letter S and the Number 2

I can't believe Summer is 2!! Where did the time go? We've been excited to plan her second birthday party to capture the excitement and joy of our little toddler. Lola flew in just in time for the party...and just before we got 5 inches of snow :)

We had to wake our sleeping princess (who was still asleep at 9a after staying up late to go to the airport) to get ready for her own party. When we finally arrived at the Kiddie Klub, she took off! Not only did she enjoy the indoor playground, lego table, kitchen, shopping carts and all the cool toys she could play w/her friends, but especially the sweet messy treats. "There's no better way to spend the day than to play!"

Where do you think you're going?!?!

"See-a-later mommy!"

We decided on a Sesame Street theme since she fell in love w/all the characters when we vacationed at Turks & Caicos. Here is my modified attempt at cupcakes- store bought, but home decorated :)

Yummy!! Cupcakes!!

Discovered the next morning that red frosting=pink poop in the diaper (hahaha) but that was no concern for this birthday girl!

Time to clean up, "I'm messy lola...wash the hands"

We made "Thank-You" bags for each of the kids w/their first initial on the front in bright colors, a tag w/painting done exclusively by Summer, big blue cookies for the guests, and soft socks and chapsticks for the ladies:

Summer LOVED all her presents and we LOVED watching her open 'em! What a spoiled baby :) Our family is blessed to have wonderful friends and family to celebrate these special occasions and make them so super FUN!!

Thanks to some of the ladies in my life who help SO much in keeping life balanced and sane when really truly it's not :) Don't know how I could pull off being a mom and resident w/o your help!

Giddy-up Cowgirl

After a couple months of non-stop crazy work hours, no sleep, and no time together... we were DRAINED and a trip to the good ol outdoors was just what we needed! Wyoming is about as good and as outdoors as we could ask for. It's amazing how being away from the chaos of the hospital can really clear your thoughts and give you peace of mind. It also made us NOT want to come back, but we did..... :)

Camping in the Big Horns Day 1:
Summer loved being "unleashed." This girl is really a Rigsby, that's for sure! The minute we set foot on the campground she knew what to do...which is why it didn't take her 2 seconds to get ashes on her face, dirt in her mouth, a shovel in her hand, and everyone chasing after her.

She loved watching everyone set-up camp, especially when dad and grandpa pitched the tent and chopped wood for the campfire at night.
It got SO cold in the evenings, but Summer didn't seem to mind. In fact, it took some coaxing to get her to bundle up like this. Layer by layer she'd take off her clothes until all she had left was a onesie and shoes (and a mom hovering over her w/a cozy blanket.)
Camping in the Big Horns Day 2:
A perfect morning to wake up with hot chocolate (or bottle of milk) in hand and gathering by the fire to be greeted by curious deer around our site.
Off she goes again! She loved being by the water. On the way to the lake, she sat in her baby seat synchronizing her "aaauuhhh-uuhh-uuhhh's" with the bumpy car-ride.


Camping in the Big Horns Day 3:
Well, it was time to pack-up, but not before Summer did some more exploring, rock climbing, flower picking, and pick-up truck hijacking (thanks Danny, it was a great playpen for the rugrat for about a minute) :)

Don't be fooled by these two...that's not really where they slept ;)



Peek-A-Boo!
And to end our camping trip, Paul's favorite photo-op spot and then...Taco Johns!
Back in Gillette....
Summer got to play w/her cousins again
Poor baby had some teeth coming in about that time, too
But somehow still got into her grandma's makeup drawer!
Don't look so serious, boys :)
Definitely couldn't leave w/out one last trip to TACO JOHNS!
Heading home-sweet-home
What a perfect getaway. Tasty home-cooked and camp-fire meals (thanks mom R!) coziness of being home, laughs to last until we meet again... all rolled into a quick 1-wk vacation.