Deja Vu

Well we discovered in the last four days that Hayven shares in his brothers allergy to milk & soy. My perfect little baby began his violent, painful screaming just days ago. Fortunately his stomach pains have not been as bad as Rylans were. But anytime your baby is in pain is too frequent! Then I started noticing the blood in his stool as well. We are going to the pediatrician on Monday. My heart is truly broken because I cut the dairy out weeks prior to his birth. With Rylan it was discovered at six months so I guess by that time he had built up a tolerance to foods I was eating containing dairy. Things you wouldn't think to check, like a Nutrigrain bar. But this time I am having to micro-manage my diet. So I have to go and get special bread & read ALL the ingredients to make sure there is nothing with soybean oil, any kind of milk, or whey. I am totally bummed as I am already loosing weight rapidly. I was underweight after cutting dairy from my diet with Rylan, which for me is really bad because I am so small to begin with. But I found some really good sites & even a women who has a blog that contains recipes & food ideas for nursing moms whose children have these allergies. I figure if I have to I will make myself a schedule & just eat the same things all time. But most importantly I am concerned about Hayven. The last two days I have made sure nothing contained anything that would upset his tummy. But he is still having mucus, bloody, painful stools & gas. I am really hoping that it is not something more than dairy, such as eggs or nuts. He is still such a wonderful, sweet little baby. I feel so bad for him & it is really hard not to blame myself when I know it is my milk that is hurting him. Many people might wonder why not just put him on formula? Well, the only one that he can have would be Nutramagen & it is not only nasty as all get out, but out of our budget right now. Though if push comes to shove, & after seeing the doctor on Monday, we might be faced with making that decision. I love nursing & it would be very hard for me to give that up. I am convinced of all the benefits of nursing & really hope formula doesn't turn out to be the best alternative. (though I have nothing against those who choose to formula feed their babies, this is just a personal decision that I feel is best for my babies.) So please keep Hayven in your prayers for us.

Hayven Zane Burgoon

This post is really overdue, so I do apologize! I have found that the only time in my life where I am a private person is when I have had my children. I like to take a little private time to welcome our new baby & get settled a bit as a family. So, without any further adieu, here's the scoop...

It all started last Monday, March 23rd, at 10:30pm. I had my doctors appointment that day & was at 3cm & about 60%. We set up my induction for the 30th (my due date was the 31st) but as many of you know, I was really reluctant this time to be induced. (I have no idea why, I just felt this baby wanted to come on his own.) And that is exactly what he did! So that night I went to bed & started having contractions. They progressively went from 20min to 5min apart throughout the night. I know this sounds crazy but I really didn't know if I was in labor or not so I never woke up Ben or called anyone. The contractions were getting more intense but I guess I had expected natural labor to be much more painful. I think it is because when I was induced with Rylan there were no breaks between contractions and with this baby I had breaks. So, I kept thinking I should maybe finish my bag packing, but then would decide I wasn't really in labor & I should sleep or I would be exhausted in the morning for no reason. I went to bed & of course I dozed here & there monitoring the contractions. Finally at about 4:30am I got up & thought, OK maybe this is it! So I went & got something to eat & told Ben I thought we might be going to the hospital in a few hours. But then the contractions still weren't that painful & so I went back to sleep. I remember between 4:30 & 6:30am having 3 really strong ones but the rest of the time I was conked out. So when I woke up at 7am and my contractions were 5 min apart I wasn't sure what to do. I still didn't think I was actually in labor. So I called my mom & told her they had been 5 min apart but they weren't that bad & I wasn't sure. She told me I was in labor & to call the doctor. Once again I thought I better eat! :) So I made myself some eggs & toast before waking up Ben & calling the doctor. OK, so by now I am starting to think I am in labor & that it is approaching the "too late" mark. Ben woke up at 7:30 & between then and 8:30 it was a race around the house, getting last minute things, getting the neighbor to come over to watch Rylan until my mom got there, getting a shower, etc...etc. We finally left about 8:30am (of course thinking about my stomach again, I grabbed a zip lock of honeydew I had cut up for the ride! We got 5 min down the road when a police officer pulled us over! At this point my contractions were 4min apart. I told him, "I hope you are here to give us an escort." ( imagine the traffic at 8:30am on a Tues) He was such a jerk, and long story short, I had to convince him I was not waiting for an ambulance & we had to go pronto! We arrived at the hospital at 9am. I felt like such a fool when they asked why I was there. By looking at me you would have no idea I was in labor. Like I said, it just wasn't the kind of pain or image I have ever thought of when a women is in labor. So, all the nurses were looking at me like, "Can we help you." I was like, Um...I think I am in labor." So they brought me into the same room where I had Rylan to check me, and I was at 5cm, so the nurse was like,"Ya, your not going anywhere." BTW-my water hadn't broken by this point, which maybe is why the pain was so tolerable, I don't know. Anyways, I labored for about an hour & a half and got my epidural when I was between 7-8cm dilated. I always wonder why I waited so long once I get it, but I would probably still wait again to tell you the truth. I have to be in severe pain to let them get near me with that thing. LOL So, that was at 10:30am. The nurse kept trying to break my water, but it was a no go. So I had to wait for my doctors lunch break to get things going anymore. Sometime between 10:30 and when the doctor came in my epidural started to go bye-bye! I didn't know what to do, and so I opted not to have a refresher. The doctor got there at 12:20 and broke my water, he said it would probably be about an hour & then I would be at 10cm and ready to go. About 10 min after he left the room, I told Ben he better call him back in. By this point, epidural was non-existent. The doctor rushed back in and I told him I wanted to go ahead and get that epidural again, he check me and said, "Ah, no...the only thing you are getting now is a baby!" I will spare you the details of the next 20min(how long the pushing went on) but let's just say, words can't describe that pain! At 12:54 we had a beautiful baby boy! He came out pale with the cord around his neck & not really breathing, but a few pumps of oxygen & he was good to go. They did take him for monitoring in the nursery for a half an hour but everything was fine. He weighed in at 7lbs exactly and 20inches long.

We are all doing very well so far. Hayven went straight to the breast while we were still in the delivery room. He latched right on from the get go & nursing him has been a breeze! My milk came in the day I came home from the hospital & we have already passed the engorgement phase & are doing great! I can't believe how much I love nursing! Rylan thinks it's the coolest thing & has tried to nurse Hayven with his own nipple several times now. Today he tried to pull up my shirt so he could "eat." I thought that was hilarious. He is a trip! He loves his little brother SO much. He helps us with everything & the hardest part has been keeping him from kissing him & holding him constantly. Hayven has been the best little baby too! I actually asked my mom if I should call the doctor because I thought something was wrong with him since he only eats, sleeps, & poops! He is so alert to our voices & has whipped his head around several times to see Ben or Rylan behind him. He also has the cutest expressions & smiles. We just adore him!

I have never felt so much love & happiness in all my life! It brings tears to my eyes when I think about being a mom to my two boys! I am so excited about it! I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband too. He is the most amazing person to have by my side during labor! He is so thoughtful & caring and gives me so much peace. He has been working so hard and only got to spend a few days home with us. He is such an amazing father. I love watching him with our children, you can just feel the love he has for them and the love they have for him too. Watching him with our children is one of my favorite things in this world!

My mother was here for the last week & just went home today. She actually stayed with me in the hospital too so Ben could be home with Rylan. That was a HUGE deal since she had the worst place in the world to sleep! Thanks mom! We all love you! She was a BIG help & we are so grateful she was able to come. Ben's mom is coming in tomorrow & we are looking forward to having the extra hand since Ben is working.

Thanks everyone for the calls. I think everything this go-a-round has been so much easier for us just knowing the support we have had from family & friends. We love you all
and can't wait to introduce our new family member to the rest of the world! :)

And So It Grows...

I know you were thinking I was talking about myself! How dare you, as if I would be getting any bigger in my last 2 weeks of pregnancy! I have actually read in all 3 of my pregnancy books that it is very common to plateau at this point and not gain any more weight. So how is it then that I managed to gain 5 lbs. in the last week?? Well, I'll say! Textbook pregnancies are for girls! :) No, but what I am referring to is our garden! We planted our crop, if you will, on the 7th of March and 10 days later this is what we have...

We are so excited about the rapid growth of all the fruit and veggies we planted and can't wait to sink our teeth into them. As you can see it has been a lot of hard work for me...

While I have OBVIOUSLY been hard at work in our garden, Ben & Rylan had a daddy/son beach day to give mommy a little break. Here's Rylan all geared up to go...

So in my spare time I have been working on a blanket for Rylan. Odd, I know, that I wouldn't be working on a baby blanket for Hayven. But the thing is that Rylan has watched me make several baby blankets and he always thinks it is for him. Since I haven't ever made him one, I couldn't dare make one for another baby before making one for him. Plus little Hayven has and will be getting enough attention and I wanted something special for Rylan. So, justification made, here are some pics of it almost done( I still need to add the back & batting)...

In case you are wondering why I suddenly have become quit the blogger, Rylan has decided to give up his naps this week! I am not sure yet if I am liking the change. Usually he sleeps for 2-3 hours mid to late afternoon and then goes to bed around 8:30-9pm with me. It has really been great like that b/c I am an early bird and I like having the daylight for "my time." Without naps, I have been exhausted during the day. I have learned though to tell him if he isn't going to nap then I have to work and so I get some "mommy time." But the problem is that rather than sitting down and getting my usual break (b/c he wouldn't allow that) I end up doing housework and overdoing it. Another downfall is that I have to make sure dinner time is actually on time now too. Yesterday I was a little late getting him fed so he ended up crashing in his highchair at 6:00! Today I made sure and had him dinner by 4:45, bathed by 5:30, and in bed by 6pm. On the plus side I do like being able to have time in the evenings before I go to bed, though I have found myself staying up later. So, I think there are some adjustments to be made, but I guess it is what it is. It will certainly be easier when the baby comes to not have to worry about going in and laying down with Rylan for his nap. So, we'll see. Watch, as soon as I post this he will make a liar out of me and go back to napping! (Mark my words!)

And last but not least, little Hayven will be here soon! We are all very excited! Especially Rylan! I can't believe how much he already loves his little brother! He loves going and hearing the heartbeat at the doctors with us and always cracks up laughing! He gets SO excited to hear it and then tells everyone in the office how he got to hear Hayven's heartbeat! He was telling me all day how he is going to have a little brother. And walks around saying, "Hayven is coming home soon!" And of course he is pulling the usual first sibling things like telling me Hayven is in his belly. :) I have been pleasantly surprised as well to the fact that he has not been jealous about any of Hayven's toys or things. But I have tried to make sure he knew they are his and he is sharing them with Hayven, all that sort of stuff. Plus Ben's aunt Kathy had told me to be sure and pull the baby's things out early so that Rylan had a chance to adapt and I think that has really helped a lot. Oh, before I forget to mention it, we have decided to change Hayven's middle name. Ben never liked the name Nolan and so I finally gave in to changing it. ( Ben picked Rylan's middle name, though I wasn't crazy about it) So my sister actually came up with "Zane." I think it does sound better and a little more masculine too, as Hayven could kind of go either way, boy or girl. So, "Hayven Zane Burgoon" will be, in Rylan's words, "Coming home soon!"

Blog...Blog...Blog...

There have been so many things over the last few months I have been wanting to post about and then I never got around to it. So...I am going to try and squeeze in a few of our most recent life events all in one post!

"It's OK sweetheart"
Rylan has been calling Ben by his first name since he was about 18 months old.It is very ironic because Ben doesn't refer to his parents by mom or dad either. He calls his dad "JB" (John Burgoon) and his mom "Nicki B" (Nicki Burnett). Though Rylan mostly says daddy, he likes to use his first name when calling him in the store or when he is serious about something. When asked what daddy's name is he will tell you "Ben". So one day we decided to ask him what mommy's name was. First he said "mommy" but then we asked him what mommy's first name was and he said, "Honey!" Well, I have just thought this was the cutest thing ever and so I had never bothered to tell him my first name. Though I was sure he probably did know. More recently I figured I'd better start teaching him what it was in case of an emergency and sure enough...he knew. So I thought for sure I would be getting the "Faith" call more often now but to my surprise he came up with a whole other name for me all on his own. I hurt myself on something and he ran over to me and said, "It's OK sweetheart." So now if he wants me to see something he will say, "Come here sweetheart!" I just love that boy!!!

On Another Note...
I have been wanting to post about the wonderful shower/girls night that we had! Unfortunately I didn't get a ton of great pictures and so if anyone has some I would love to put them on here, let me know. Heather Menzie planned the party for us at the Olive Garden. It turned out so wonderful and I was so touched by how many people came to celebrate the up and coming birth of our newest family member Hayven! Thank you SOOOOO much to everyone who helped too, especially my mom and Heathers sister Stephanie for their contributions. I was so grateful for all of the gifts and to everyone who brought along diapers & wipes as well! Those are certainly going to come in handy! My favorite part of the night was being surrounded by such an amazing group of women. Some I have known a very long time and some just a short amount of time, but as I looked around the room I felt such a sisterhood with each and every person there. I feel so blessed to be associated with such an amazing group of girls! Thank you to everyone & I love you all!










I also wanted to mention how excited Rylan was when I came home with all of those gifts and had some for him too! That was extremely nice to have thought of him as well! Thank you!

Going Green...

So Ben and I attended a gardening seminar a few weeks ago at the church. There were well over 50 people who attended. It was given by Paul Singleton & Evan Moore. It was such a great opportunity for us to learn about gardening and how to make a raised box garden. I have always loved working in the yard, but it has never been one of Ben's favorite things...AT ALL! So I have been super impressed with his enthusiasm to start a garden. Apparently his late grandfather Burgoon was an avid gardener so we are hoping maybe Ben inherited some of his green thumb. We planted
corn,cucumber,watermelon,cantaloupe,beans,onion,squash,broccoli,cilantro,chives,basil,rosemary,parsley, jalapenos, & tomatoes! We are very excited about this! Here is the garden in the works...

Contractions...Contractions...

At my 36 week appointment I was already 2cm, which I realize doesn't mean too much other than I tend to dilate and efface sooner in my pregnancies. I was actually 4cm when I went into the hospital to be induced with Rylan, without any contractions or pain, AFTER my due date came and went! So, other than making you think that you are progressing sooner, it doesn't mean too much to me. Well, I guess it does help when labor does actually comes though since from those whom I have known who also dilate & efface sooner we seem to all have faster deliveries. So anyways, at 37 weeks he didn't check me and I really didn't care too much either way. But last night I started having contractions at about 9:30pm and they started at 10min apart and then by 12:30pm were 5 min apart. The only thing was that they weren't very painful. Just annoying and crampy. So I called my mom and told her she may need to come down but I wasn't sure. Well, long story short...I pooped, the contractions lasted another hour at 5 min apart without getting worse, so I fell asleep, and woke up extremely sore this morning! It was SO weird! My mom came down today just to give me a little break and made fun of me all day saying, "The next time you wake me at 12:30pm because you have to poop I am going to kill you!" LOL Ha,Ha, Ha! No, seriously though, I know they were contractions, just not the kind that resulted in true labor. And actually the bowel movement made me think things were getting under way. I am thankful though that they didn't because I am just not totally prepared yet. I am anxious now though to be checked on Monday to see how much I have progressed in the last two weeks. I am so baffled by pregnancies and labor and how it varies so much between women! I don't know how one person can walk around with no pain at 4cm and another be at 1cm and have excrutiating pain. So weird! I guess I am just glad I am on the 4cm side of the fence. Well, I guess we will see how tonight goes. I got a lot done today so that if & when my labor does start I will feel prepared for it, if that's possible. :)

Family Photos Slideshow

This year we took our family photos along with pregnancy pictures. The pictures were taken in my mothers backyard by our good friend Nathaly Blalock from Rockledge.
(nathalyblalock@gmail.com)She did such a FANTASTIC job! We could not be happier with the way she was able to capture our family on film. Thank you SO much Nathaly for all of your hard work! Thank you to my mom too for having such a beautiful yard and a super green thumb! :)

Our Great Savings With Sprint

Ok, This was just too funny not to share...
As many of you know, the current economic circumstances have really hit home for us, literally it has HIT our home. We have survived hurricanes without a single scratch, hailstorms without a single dent, and thunderstorms without a single fallen branch and yet the crashing of our economy has scratched our finances(many months completely), dented our personal pleasure funds indefinitely, and has certainly made it feel as though the branches are falling down around us! I am only hoping they might miraculously fall into a sturdy, liveable structure that we might be able to call our new home. Don't get me wrong though, as in any crises, Ben and I are teaming up to do anything and everything we can to pull our family through this difficult time. We have been presented with the inevitable question, "How can we lower our monthly bills." I have been pleasantly surprised as to how many companies have been willing to work with us and help us to accomplish this goal. To my greatest surprise came the phone call I made to our cell phone provider, Sprint. We currently have a family plan which includes 800 shared minutes, plus other features, for a total of $70.00 a month. I asked the woman with whom I was speaking if there was a cheaper plan available for us. She proceeded to tell me that the cheapest plan they currently have is for 700 shared minutes, plus other features, for a total of $69.99 a month. So for .01 cent less we could get 100 minutes less!!! I was completely floored and repeated what she had told me just to be sure I was understanding what she said. I said, "So, for the same price you are offering me 100 minutes less?" And her response was, "No, your current plan is $70.00 a month and this would be $69.99 a month." DUH.......HUH?!?! Now I know I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, the brightest bulb on the tree, and maybe even one can short of a six pack at times, but even I was baffled by this woman's incompetency! So being the thoughtful and patient pregnant woman that I am...I hung up on her! LOL

It's 2 a.m. and I'm thinking about popcorn & chocolate!?

So it was about 2 a.m. and I'm lying there in bed thinking, thanks to my pregnancy induced insomnia, about this post. Even more particularly, the actual "writing" aspect of the post. You see there are several blogs that I really enjoy to "read." Not that I don't enjoy all of my friends blogs, because I certainly do. So before I begin to shovel myself in, let me explain. In brief...it all started with Krissy Smith's Post, "It's My Party." It was discussing talents. One of her obvious talents to me is her ability to write, though she was discussing how she didn't feel as though she had "mastered" it or any one particular talent she had. This post really set me off on several thought trains, including my own love for writing and how I will probably never become a master at such a thing myself. But after reading her post I thought, you know you have talents as well, and though you may not master any of them, you can still embrace them for what they are and maybe develop them a little bit. So I came up with this analogy; writing is much like popcorn and chocolate. (and by the way, a few of the biggest downfalls to my writing is my punctuation, grammar, and lack of intelligent word usage,which actually when you think about it, makes me not a very good writer at all!) OK, so Popcorn and chocolate I say! Equally delicious, in my opinion, with different textures and well, depending on your preference, different toppings as well. I would say most people write similar to popcorn. It's yummy, salty, buttery, even cheesy at times. But oh...so...good. And then some write more like chocolate. Smooth, rich, creamy, and certainly mouth watering. Though I would love to give you a rich serving of mouthwatering chocolate, you are going to have to settle for some cheesy popcorn from me..."Yum!" Hope you brought your floss...


I am a glorified 32 week pregnant woman! My waistband has grown, amongst other areas. My hormones are raging...Grrrrrrrr. And I sound much like a bulldog in my attempts to breathe. I could continue with the aches and pains of the third trimester but what has really overcome me in the last few weeks is an overwhelming feeling of anticipation and excitement. I thought for sure in the final months of my delivery countdown I would be in a fear stricken coma. Images of myself curled up in the fetal position cooing and crying seemed more realistic than this joyful jubilee that I am experiencing. And though the birds are chirping all around me and the sun is warmly reaching down to touch my cheeks from above, I still try to remind myself that things are NOT going to be perfect. Being given the gift/curse of OCD I found this little fact out the hard way after bringing home my precious bundle of joy, that we had worked so hard for, the first time. I had such a wonderful pregnancy with Rylan and was so very fortunate to have had a pleasant delivery experience as well. With this pregnancy being very similar, I can't help but wonder, "Is the 'Bringing Home Baby' blues my rightfully given hardship? And then, "Chirp...chirp...chirp." My little bird saves me from my inner id who is telling me to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. I remind myself that Rylan and I's circumstance was unusal and that things can be different this time. "MMM...the warm sun." The first year of Rylan's life consisted of (long story short):
6 months of painful screaming ( much different than a colic cry) due to a stomach virus and undiagnosed dairy allergy
Followed by:
4 months of dairy allergy discovered, mommy on Paxil, and no dairy for either of us for 2 more months
I must say the moment a mother falls in love with her child is different for everyone. Some it is at conception, some the first time they feel their baby move, and others it is the first time they hold their baby in their arms. For me it was the first time I was able to come out of "survival mode." When we both stopped crying, nobody was in pain anymore, and my baby could finally smile. I look back now and I swear it is much like reading somebody else's story because those days are such a blur to me and I'm not sure how we actually survived them. Having said that, to better explain my "fear stricken coma" envisions, I have a plan of action this go round which includes a month off of dairy PRIOR to 'Bringing Home Baby!' LOL I am also planning not to plan, and for me, this is a really big deal. I just realize now, I'm not super mom, and though I think many of my friends are, I just can't compare myself. I know that my house will fall apart and so will I when it does. I know I may not hop in my car and go anywhere for a few months out of pure anxiety. And I know that it will take a little while for me to adjust to having a baby again. But I also know that through my mothering trials I have become a much better person. I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses now more than ever and I am just trying my best to build or overcome them. I love being pregnant and I LOVE being a mother. I love the fact that I am able to be given this opportunity again and am so grateful to have a loving husband, a wonderful family, and precious friends to share it all with.
With that said...
It's time for me to go to bed
or at least lay down my weary head
though I may not actually get any sleep
I'll toss and turn as my sciatic nerve screams
I may even get up 3 or 4 times to pee
and then drink more water because I am so thirsty
turn on the light and do some Sudoku
or just lay there again making analagies out of food
Either way my pillow still calls
I hope you all enjoyed the popcorn
Goodnight to you all!

Christmas 2008

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year! I was so excited to get everything out for Christmas so Rylan would have plenty of time to soak it all in and learn about the holiday and really enjoy all that Christmas has to offer. So by the end of Thanksgiving weekend we had all our lights up and tree decorated! It was a lot of fun decorating the tree with Rylan and he put the star on top! Every morning through December he woke up and would say, "Tree!" He must have thought it odd, though exhilarating, to have a live tree in our house.












He also loved helping daddy put the lights up outside! Every time I turned around he was climbing up the ladder to get on the roof. We actually finally let him go up with Ben when we were all done. He thought that was the greatest thing ever! (Not sure what our neighbors thought though, especially since we took this picture with Ben hiding behind Rylan so it looks like there is just a 2 year old sitting on the roof with his crazy mom down below taking pictures!) Hey, we thought it was fun!









Many of our Christmas' past have been spent out of town so we were really looking forward to having a Christmas at home this year. Ben's sister Cora and her Husband Christian, who live in New Jersey, and also his sister Brittney and 7 month old son Cade, who live in North Carolina, all came to stay with us for a week. We had a ton of fun together! We went to the Zoo, park, and for one of our more thrilling activities, we went box sledding at the C54 canal. Rylan thought that was awesome and we have actually even taken him back since then to do it again. But here are some pictures from our box sledding...
Rylan and Daddy
Rylan pauses his sledding for a quick pose with mom












And then he's off again with Uncle Christian...
And back up again with Aunt Eva!









Part of the box sledding crew: "Papa" John Burgoon, Aunt Eva, Aunt Cora, Uncle
Christian, & Cousin Cade









Cousin Cade decided he needed to get in on the action too
Brittney, Cade, and Uncle Ben stop for a photo









Christmas day was more than wonderful! It was so much fun to play "Santa" the night before wrapping all of the gifts and putting together the big toys. We really felt for our parents though, we were all crosseyed by the time we were done and it took Ben, Christian, and Brittney to put together the kitchen we bought for Rylan. (Thanks guys!) Rylan was so excited when he woke up. When I asked him what he hoped Santa had brought him for Christmas he said, "A Polar bear!" Ironically his Aunt Cora & Uncle Christian had gotten him just that! We were very impressed with Rylan's gift opening skills which he mastered with his teeth! My mom and Grandmother came over to join us in the morning for the gift opening and so did Ben's dad and sister Eva. Rylan was such a good sport, I thought, loving every card, book, or toy that he received. And each one received his signature, "Wow" response! LOL
Here are a few pictures of Rylan with some presents he received...

His new Quad bike













He even let Cousin cade go for a quick ride, who I think equally enjoyed it








We also got him a new little baby doll of his own, which actually came from his Mimi who sent a gift card for him (thanks Mimi), so he could start getting used to the idea of being a big brother. He immediately named the baby "Cade" but has since started calling it "Hayven", which is his little brothers name. From the get go he has loved having this little doll and likes to take it everywhere!









Including to hide in his new tent that Grammie got him










We had a wonderful dinner at our house with all the traditional Christmas day sides and Turkey. The food was excellent and we had plenty of left overs for everyone to enjoy the next day. Overall, our Christmas was a very wonderful time. It was great having family here, and I got a little taste of what I might be in for with a new baby on the way!

Here I am practicing, and looking tired too...









Thanks to all of our family who were able to spend the holiday with us and make it such a wonderful time to remember. We love you all and are sure grateful to have you all in our lives!
Thank you to Santa too!

Rylan Turns 2

We had such a wonderful time celebrating Rylan's 2nd birthday today! I was hoping to get away with not having a party this year, since he is still young and wouldn't know the difference, but nothing seems to slip by our son unnoticed. Somehow months ago he began talking about birthday parties and so I knew he would absolutely love to have one. So we decided to keep it really small and just have some family over. Rylan was so excited and talked about the party all week! He couldn't wait for his "friends" (as he calls most people, including Ben & I) to come over. They had lots of fun playing outside and inside too. They played in the sandbox, chased bubbles, danced to some music, and played with toys in the bedroom. For dinner we had pizza with bread sticks and salad. It was very yummy! For dessert Ben and I made Rylan a funfetti cake! It wasn't the most spectacular but we had fun and it tasted good too! Rylan actually knew to blow out the candles without us even telling him and he did a really good job too! He got some really cool toys from his friends and family and said, "Wow" as he opened each one! He is very easy to please and was just as impressed with his cards as he was with his toys! I was very proud of him, as I worried whether or not he would show gratitude and use manners as he opened his gifts, but he made a big deal out of every present or card and was sure to say thank you. The party lasted until about 5:30 and when everyone left we allowed Rylan to play with his new toys for a few. Then he got super grouchy! Since the party started at 3:00pm, and he usually naps from about 2-4 now, we skipped nap time today. We got him into his PJ's as he was dosing on his changing table. He was so overtired though that he wouldn't go into bed and insisted on watching, "The Move It Song" (which is actually what he calls Madagascar.) So we tried laying him on the couch but he refused to lay down and only wanted to sit up. Nonetheless, I left to brush my teeth and within five minutes he was out...sitting up! LOL So he ended up going to bed at 6:30! He doesn't usually go until about 8:30 or 9:00 since he naps later and for a few hours. I know he had such a blast and am so thankful to those who came and made Rylan's birthday such a special day! Happy Birthday Rylan and We Love You!

Baby Name

So we have finally decided on a baby name! I am so thrilled because we had Rylan's name picked out before he was even conceived and this time we were stumped! There were so many names that we did like but they were too common for us. (We like names that you don't hear often, but at the same time aren't weird either.) For instance, we really love the name Brayden, but then we came to realize how common it was and decided not to go with it. So like Rylan, which is similar to some common names, such as Dylan, we chose a name that is different and yet still similar to the popular names out there right now. And so without any further adieu, the name we chose is: Hayven Nolan Burgoon
If your wondering, "What in the world is that similar too?" Think like "Hayden" there is really only one letter difference. Your next question is probably, "Why is she trying to make her "different" name sound normal?" Well, I was a little worried about announcing the name because of what others might think. But we came to realize that we REALLY love it and are just gonna go for it! Of course you know the meaning behind Hayven, or more commonly spelled "Haven," and the meaning behind Nolan is "descendant of the famous one." Which I thought was kind of cool because to me I thought of Christ, though I don't believe famous would be quit the word he would prefer for his work, but together the name could mean a safe place for Christ. And that is certainly something I hope our newest family member will always have with him...a safe place for Christ to dwell within his heart. So, we will see you soon Hayven! :)