Busy, Busy

We're still alive & kicking just really busy. As most of you know if you follow me on FB or my Caringbridge page for Katelyn, she is still in the NICU. I was really hoping she'd be home by now but she had other ideas. I think she's back on the uphill after downsliding a bit so now I'm hoping by early June she'll be home. I'm still counting my blessings and thanking the good Lord above because I know things could be much worse. So it's been back and forth to the NICU every day, trying to pump every 3 hours (since obviously I can't breastfeed right now) and still trying to keep somewhat of a normal routine with Ryan. Oh yes and doing errands, paying bills, doing laundry, etc etc.

Ryan is loving being a big brother from a distance. He loves seeing pictures & videos. I pump in her room, so he's in there a lot with me and either brings in his toys to play with or starts organizing Katelyn's stuff. Her room is not all that organized yet but I do have her stuffed animals on the bookshelf and Ryan seems to think they need to go in her crib. Also, my mom got her a butterfly that plays music and lights up the starry sky on the ceiling and Ryan wanted to take it out of the box & put it out for her.

Today was an exciting day because we let Ryan go visit his sister for the first time. She will be 6 weeks old tomorrow (wow, really?) and we figured it was time. Also, he's not sick..probably because he just got done with his antibiotic last week that he was taking for his double ear infection. That's really what has prevented us too from taking him. Ryan was sick, then Dean got pneumonia & I was sick for about a week with the cough & congestion. We've seen our share of sicknesses and I'm over it! Back to the visit...Ryan was so excited to see his baby sister. He was smiling from ear to ear, told the receptionist "I'm going to see my baby sister" and when we were walking down the hall towards the Pod he kept saying "I'm so excited". We washed up and then I got her out of her crib so Dean could hold her. Ryan was smiling and telling her Hi and waving to her..hehe.

meeting her for the first time

He was showing Katelyn a picture he colored for her

he was softly touching her head

giving her a goodbye kiss

This morning we went to the store so Ryan could pick out his big boy bedding. We wanted to move him into a twin bed because for one, we wanted to use the crib/toddler mattress for Katelyn's crib and two because he has outgrown his Thomas toddler bed. I thought we might be able to get a few more months out of it, but we saw no point in having to buy another crib mattress and he is just to long for it, he sleeps scrunched up in it and sometimes I go in there and he's turned sideways. Ryan was excited to get into bed tonight. So much so that he didn't even ask for us to read any books to him. Let's hope he stays that excited for bedtime! (probably won't but hey, one can wish)

Of course he picked Cars!

plenty of room to stretch out!