Reid's Blessing Day

Dear Reid,

March 3, 2013 was a great day for our little family. On this day Daddy was able to hold you in front of family, friends and our wonderful ward family and give you a beautiful blessing. He blessed you to live a life of service and to always remember your divine worth. I hope and pray that you will always remember who you are because if you do, you will be an unstoppable force for good. I love you so much and want you to know you are loved by not only Daddy, Garret and me but also by so many others -- and a few of those others made a special effort to be their on your beautiful blessing day. Always remember who you are, sweet boy.

 A few of the BECK CLAN

 A few of the STRYKER CLAN

 Blessed with goodly parents

Love, 

Mom

Weekend in the Lone Star State

In February Ace had a long weekend so what did we decide to do? Take a road trip. Reid was only three weeks old and already out to see the world. We really enjoy spending time with the Burchams so we thought it would be worth it to take a 9 hr car trip to see their bright happy faces. It was a beautiful and lazy weekend.

I love the Burchams yard.

Sara, Reid and I were there too but apparently I didn't get any pictures of us three.

Some things we discovered on this trip are that we still really like the Burchams (even after our long drive there and back), Reid does not appreciate when I eat large amounts of chocolate, and Texas highway patrol officers can be very nice when you speed and break other of their highway laws.

Wanna Be Like You!

I can't wait until Garret and Reid can play together. Im so excited to see how these two interact. Right now it is pretty much Garret kissin' on Reid and yelling out "Mama Reid sad" whenever he hears Reid crying. Im excited for Reid to want to do everything Garret is doing. Oddly enough that does happen right now but in reverse. Garret wants to be like Reid and does everything Reid does. 

Garret loves when we pretend he is baby Reid. We hold him and rock him and kiss on him and he just laughs and laughs.

Reid does a lot of this and so Garret wants to do just that too; but of course he really doesn't sleep, he just pretends.

   

Reid bathes in the sink so Garret wants to do just that. The other day he climbed onto the counter, removed his pants and his diaper and climbed in the sink. All he needed me to do was fill the sink with water. 

Oh and Garret wants to be just like dad too. He is always fixing things like his dad, he plays the guitar like his dad (or at least tries) and he likes to have his hair cut at home, just like his dad. 

  -before and after of his new cut- 

One Week Old

Happy Birthday Reid! 

The little guy is one week old today! Crazy, one week and I haven't even reached my "due date" yet. It is hard to think that I could technically still be pregnant. Im grateful he is here but still have to stop and realize this  is not a dream. It just all came so suddenly. 

For those of you interested here is the story of Reid William Stryker.

I was one week and 2 days away from my due date and was certain I was going to be late because my body was doing absolutely nothing to prepare for labor. I mean it was growing, but besides that it was pretty uneventful. Friday night I went to a high school basketball game and chased Garret up and down the bleachers. I kept telling everyone who asked I was about a week from my due date and even that seemed weird to me. One week....it seemed to come so soon. Well it was coming even sooner than that. How funny to think back and see that I'd actually have a baby less than 24hrs from that point.

Saturday morning I woke up around 2am with slight contractions....aka cramps. I only knew it to be contractions because it felt exactly how it did with Garret, except less pain in my back. It was uncomfortable enough that I had a hard time sleeping but not so much that I felt like this could be it. I tried to pass the time trying to sleep or puttering around downstairs. I didn't wake Ace this time because I was worried that if this was still days away we both didn't need to be sleep deprived and trying to deal with a toddler. But he was up at 6 am and started timing my contractions. Again nothing to write home about or even call the hospital BUT I had started leaking something and that had me a little concerned. I tested positive for Strep B this time around and so every new thing with this pregnancy made me a little nervous because I didn't really understand what Strep B meant. 

I was grateful I had a doctors appointment at 8 that morning so that I could get checked and get a few questions answered. So Ace, Garret and I loaded up in the car and rushed out into a winter snow rain storm. We pulled into the OBGYN parking lot and it was empty. No one was there. The door was locked the lights were off...nothing. I was so frustrated. So what do I do to show happiness, sadness, fear, anger and every other emotion? I cry! And I did just that. I didn't want to go upstairs to the birthing center because I was worried they would see my wimpy contractions, tell me that the leak was from my weak bladder, send me home and then later talk about "those" pregnant ladies who always think they are in labor. FINALLY, after about an hour, Ace and my mom convinced me to call the birthing center and explain the situation. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Hi my name is Lacy. I came in for a dr appt this morning but apparently four corners isn't open on Saturdays. Im just downstairs I am having contractions but about 6 or 7 minutes apart and...."

Laura(on the other end): "If you think you are in labor you should just come up and get checked."

Me: "Ok thanks."

As soon as I got off the phone I started crying. I told my mom and Ace the girl on the other line was snotty. I was emotional and frustrated with EVERYONE!

So Ace, Garret and I went up stairs to find out that yes I was having mild contractions and the leak was actually that my water had broken and was just leaking slowly. They said I need to have this baby in the next 24 hours so they were admitting me. At that point we called my dad to come get Garret. This was probably the closest that I will ever want to be to having an at home birth. Garret was bouncing every where and poor Ace was trying to bounce back and forth between a wife in labor and a toddler exploring all the buttons of a delivery room. 

I was lucky enough to have my mom and Ace at my side the entire time. My mom was overstaffed at work but they would be getting another patient at 4pm so they need someone to clock out from noon to 4 so my mom did just that, and in that time we were all able to meet Reid. My mom and Ace were a great team. My nurse Jen kept talking about how great they both were, and they really were. My mom kept me focused and Ace made me feel like super woman. He looked at me with such amazement and told me loved me over and over. It really was the best of both worlds. But all that frustration from the morning and I guess days and weeks before crept in and that last part of my labor I just kept saying, "Im so mad. Im just so angry!" And I was. I told my mom I was done and I wanted to "burn the place down." I'd say "I hate this. I can't do it anymore." Ace would respond with "Im sorry. You are doing so good. I love you so much." And my mom would respond with, "You are done with that one. So take a deep breath. Relax and get ready for the next one." With Garret my contractions were always one on top of the other and even when I had a little break there was always pain in my back that kept me alert. But with Reid there were seconds, minutes of total peace and comfort. You'd think this would be nice, but I'd doze off and have the rudest awakening of my life as I went from 0 pain to extreme pain in a split second. But all that pain led to one giant push and Reid was here. 

He had the sweetest clearest cry. I cried, kissed Ace, told my mom I loved her, thanked everyone for their help, and apologized for my anger. These moments right after delivery are the sweetest most spiritual moments of my life. Im so grateful for these experiences. 

Reid William Stryker- 7lbs and 19 3/4 inches= A little bit of perfection.

 Reid with his handsome Daddy

Reid already getting kisses from his Mama.

 Reid with Dr. Kim Priebe. She was amazing!

 Reid with Grammy and the worlds best mom.

Reid's first bath was one of mixed emotions but Ace said he had two favorite parts: sitting in the bowl of nice warm water and getting his head washed. 

 Sad to have his hair washing experience complete.

 Clean and comfy

 Reid with the worlds best big brother.

My awesome life!

 We love Reid!

 My life just got really interesting.

 Ready to head home

 Our favorite nurse, Jen

 Life at home has been great. Reid is very trusting. Garret bounces all around him and tosses toys left and right but Reid just keeps sleeping on.

 We had a hard time convincing Garret not to climb in the bassinet with Reid.

  Looks like trouble

 Both my boys were big time sleepers. Reid graces us with his presence for maybe two or three hours the entire day. He is a bit more social at night but we are trying to convince him that parties are WAY better during the morning hours.

Both Garret and Reid were a little too tan for their own good so what does the doctor order for this problem....a little sunbathing, go figure.

 Since I was Strep B positive Reid had to have his first doctors appointment less than 24 hours after being home but he is a healthy baby boy.

A few similarities between baby Garret and baby Reid:

-Both boys literally slept the day away. 

-Both boys were born with a full head of hair.

-Both babies brought in a storm. Garret brought a winter storm with him and Reid brought in a January rainstorm. It rained for 24 hrs straight.

-Both babies were a bit jaundice, hence all the sunbathing.

-Both had really easy going temperaments. There are tears if we get too hungry or at diaper changing time but other than that we usually only hear squeals and squeaks.

A few differences between baby Garret and Baby Reid:

-Garret was born with dark brown hair and Reid was born with blond hair. Reid's hair looks darker to me already than it did right after he was born.

-Baby Garret peed on us maybe 3 times in all his diaper changes and because of this we never learned how to change diapers quickly. Thus, Reid pees on us daily.

Happy 1 Week of Life Reid!

No thank you!

Garret wasn't happy about dad's attempts to get a good video of him. He used to just yell "no!" but obviously his approach has softened a bit with age.

My Little Monkey is 2!

   Garret turned two yesterday! We thought about taking him swimming because he loves that so much, but the day before his birthday it started snowing and just didn't stop. It has been a really dry winter so far so we thought we'd better take advantage of the snow and so we went sledding. Garret loved it! Ace and I would have loved it more if Garret could have carried himself up the hill each time:-).

    One thing I've realized about myself is that I like when people think Im funny. And so I think to myself, is it funnier to hear stories about other peoples kids when they are naughty or nice? Naughty wins hands down. So I feel I tend to share stories of Garret being sassy or ornery (which he can be) but he is also very very NICE and I don't want people to miss that side of Garret simply because his mom doesn't know how to be funny.

   Garret is so clever. He can build things and push things in order to reach or get his goals. He is just so smart. He has a great sense of humor. He is always laughing at things he does and laughs during movies at really funny things to. My favorite joke of his is when he sneaks up to Ace when he is sleeping on the couch and growls in his face. Garret and I bust every time; Ace never seems to laugh. He is adventurous. He loves jumping off things and LOVED sledding faster and faster down the big hill. Cold water, cold snow or simply the common cold can't stop Garret from getting out and exploring the world around him. He is so genuine and sweet when he says "Thank you."

   Garret is ALWAYS asking "why" and I try to give him my best answer but then it becomes answer after answer and I usually try to somehow pull it back to Jesus. Seems like a good answer to me when you actually get to the root of most things. Anyway the other night Garret just kept asking "why" and I was too tired to continue to answer so finally I just said "why do you think?" He was silent! I was so excited because I thought I'd confused him enough or lost his interest, but after a few seconds he sweetly said, "Jesus." Good answer little boy.

   Garret really can be sassy and aggressive and is very clear about when he wants to talk to someone or be talked to or even looked at. When he gets embarrassed he doesn't cry or shy away. He gets mad and usually has to yell at someone before he feels better. BUT, I really do see positives with most of these things. As soon as he has better social understanding and a social filter securely in place, I think these seemingly less attractive traits will serve him well. For example, I think his sass  is just him being a leader without the grace yet. He knows what he wants and what he likes and stands up for that. Like the other night when he kept asking for his "football paci." I couldn't find it anywhere but I told him he could have his orange paci. I started loosing my patience when he continued to ask for the football paci so finally I said "Garret you can have your orange paci or nothing." He growled back "nothing" and stopped asking. I thought that seemed kind of sassy and rude but later I smiled thinking he knows what he wants and no replacement will do. He won't be bullied or pushed around because he knows who he is and will definitely stand up for that. He might seem too aggressive now, but when he gets better boundaries that aggression will become a strong work ethic and desire to get things done. He won't be afraid of new tasks and will instead be eager to jump in and get things done. 

    He is better than I could have ever hoped for and I just hope that I can somehow, someday prove that I deserve him.

   I didn't get a single picture of Garret's birthday party. Im lucky that Kali was there snapping away pictures so I can maybe get my hands on some of them sometime.

   For those of you who don't get to see how awesome Garret is, I hope you got a better glimpse into the reason the past two years have been some of the best years of my life.

"Help You"

  "Help you." This little phrase is something Garret says all day long. He LOVES helping. Just this evening I pulled out some pancake mix from the pantry and Garret, hearing the pantry door open and close, somehow pulled himself away from his beloved "Monkey" aka Curious George and ran into the kitchen saying, "help you mama." It often makes projects a bit longer but I love the extra help especially when it comes from such cute chubby hands.

   Garret loves helping Ace most of all. Ace goes into the garage and Garret is close behind. Every evening Garret gets to help his dad feed the dogs. All of dad's jobs seem so much cooler than mom's and so Garret is quite busy following Ace around all evening saying those sweet little words "help you." The wonderful thing about Ace is that he is always willing to have Garret's help as well even though Garret clearly gets in the way and can make the task more challenging. For example, the other evening Ace was changing out the brake pads in one of our cars when Garret and I pulled into the driveway. Garret got out of the car and ran toward Ace, "Help you daddy." When the boys came back inside I asked Ace how it went. He said it was great and it was especially helpful when Garret used the flashlight not to allow light for Ace to see but as a hammer on the tire. 

    The other day our shower head just popped right off, shooting water right up into the ceiling. My ever so handy husband bought a new shower head that day and went to fix it before I had to endure another dramatic shower. Garret of course was right behind Ace, eager to lend a helping pair of hands.

 Better take a closer look to make sure Dad isn't screwing anything up.

 Just hammering away

I love this little boy and hope he is always willing to lend a helping hand.