The Ryan5: My Maternity Leave...

Sunday, October 24, 2010

My Maternity Leave...

It's really really hard to grasp the fact that my maternity leave is coming to an end. My 3rd and final maternity leave. Carson Alan will be 12 weeks old this week and mommy will face her 1st day back to work on 10/28. I would love to just stay home and hold my baby and play with my girls and cuddle with my husband, but I have to fulfill what I went to college for and what I enjoy doing outside of my home. Being a nurse is one of the most rewarding parts of being me, next to being married to my sweetheart and being mommy to my precious three.

Through these 12 weeks of leave I have learned:

1. How to care for a baby boy.
2. How to survive the challenges of breastfeeding.
3. How to change a baby boy's diaper... FAST!!!
4. How entertaining it is to stare at a sleeping baby, again.
5. How precious it is to check on my sleeping 3 children before we go to bed.
6. My big girl Abby loves kindergarten.
7. My little, but big I guess, girl Ashley loves preschool.
8. My hubby is a trooper for working from home while all 4 of us are upstairs making lots of noise!
9. How waking up for night feedings are really not that bad the 3rd time around!
10. How to go out and about with 3 children!
11. How to care for 3 children by myself for 6 days while my hubby is gone on business.
12. How friends, family, and coworkers are so generous with gifts and meals, even with the 3rd.
13. Abby has a unique bond with her baby brother (plus they look exactly alike!).
14. I want my baby boy to grow up to be just like his daddy.
15. Celebrating my 8th year of being married to Seth makes me so so happy.
16. Abby & Ashley can play together nicely.
17. My girls are very helpful.
18. My mother is the best helper... thank you for everything you've done!
19. I am ready to add work into our schedule (yikes, did I really say that?!).
20. Cleaning can be put off for another day.
21. How much I love our mini van.
22. How we can go out to dinner, to a real restaurant, all 5 of us!
23. How proud I am of my girls.

24. How I can breastfeed anywhere! 3rd time around it just doesn't matter!

25. How thankful I am for the health of my 3 babies.

26. Waiting 10 months of pregnancy to find out the gender is the ultimate surprise and soooo exciting!

27. We have a BOY, and I still can't get over that!

28. How I could go for days without leaving my house and I was okay with that.

29. How much I LOVE my Carson, Ashley, Abigail, and Seth.
30. How we are complete with 3.

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CARSON-ISMS

"I be a big hockey payer!!!" (12/13) --after getting his 1st pair of ice skates!
"I want to marry you in a wedding" (12/13)
"Carson want cottage-chini and laredo" (fettuccine alfredo) 6/13
"Carson have 2 lickishes (licorices) when my (I) get up" 3/13
"Carson football payer (player)!"
"Hold it" (hold me)
"No mommy leave"
Carson, who do you love?..."Sean!"
"Love mommy better"
Carson, who loves you? "Jesus!"
"Shone!" (Phone)
"Hanku" (Thank You)
"Hoo Hoo" (I love you)
Carson, who's your buddy? "Grampy!"
"Stupid Guy!"
"I don't like she" (9/13)
"No want go to bed!" 2 minutes later: "I so tired!" (11/13)

ASHLEY-ISMS

"I know you didn't name me that, but can you just call me Strawberry Shortcake?" (9/12)
"Where is God? Can he see me right now?" (6/12)
"Aw, I don't want you to go to work." (7/12)
"It's so screeching hot!" (7/12)
"Is there a person under that Easter bunny?" (3/12)
"I'm going to marry Carson. No, I'm going to marry Logan." (2/12)
"I saw the liberty statue!" (2/12)
"What is a toddler?" (2/12)
"Just leave me alone!" (12/11)
"How did the baby get in her belly?" (1/12)
"I'm so frickin' cold!" (12/11)
"Can I always live with you?" (12/11)
"I'm not going to sleep. I'm not going to close my eyes." (12/11)
"Don't talk to me!" (12/11)
"It smells like snow out here!" (10/11)
"We always have to pray for Grandma Jeannine." (10/11)
"Where is heaven? How do we get there?" (10/11)
A new priest was in church and she asked, "Why is there a different God?" (7/11)
"Did he just say "God dang?"" (8/11)
"Yes I can! You said I'm a big girl. I'm 4 now, remember?" (7/11)
"You don't let me do anything!" (7/11)
"But I hate you!" (7/11)
"No, I dint!" (3/11)
"Abby, I just had a funny burp. And, it was sour!" (3/11)
"On your market, set, go!" (2/11)
"I'm going to marry daddy. I'm going to marry Conner." (1/11)
"My bone hurts. Can I tell God my bone hurts? Where is God? Is he in the sky? Can I see him?" (1/11)
"I don't love you." (1/11)
"Is there a shark in the pool water?" (1/11)
Cousin Emmett said, "Everyone likes blue" and Ashley yelled, "No, I like black!" (11/10)
"I want a black daddy. I really like black daddies." (11/10)
"I want to shake God's hand too." (10/10)
"Po-kee-no" (Pinocchio, 10/10)
"I'm not hairy, right?" (10/10)
"We're not handicapped, right?" (10/10)
"I smell a fart!" (This was in church, of course! 10/10)
"I'm not tired, I just yawned." (10/10)
"Can we get another baby?" (9/10)
"Carson can only have soy milk? Can I try some?" (8/10)
"I like black!" (8/10)
"Next time can we have a girl?" (8/10)
"I love you baby Carson" (8/10)
"Can I ride my new bike?" (7/10, all the time!)
"I want a baby sister!" (7/10)
"It's my birthday again?" (7/20/10) --you thought your birthday just kept going!
"Dumb [hate, stupid] is a bad word." (6/10)
"I love you soooo much!" (4/10)
"Me want black baby." (3/10)

ABBY-ISMS

"Daddy, is it a daddy day again tomorrow? I don't want mommy to get fired, but I wish she didn't work" (8/12)
"Why was that man talking like a girl?" (7/12)
"Was that funny? Then put it on Facebook!" (5/12)
"I know that already." (2/12)
"You always do fun stuff when I'm at school! That's not fair!" (1/12)
"I want to go to Perkin's for dinner tonight! It's Tuesday!" --kids eat free! (2/12)
"Ashley, just be quiet!" (2/12)
"Ashley, just leave me alone!" (2/12)
"Ashley, you're so annoying!" (2/12)
"Do you have work tomorrow? I wish you didn't have to work!" (2/12)
"Well, did you try to lay him down for a nap again?" (1/12)
"Does Santa and his sleigh land on the driveway?" (12/11)
"Can I have cotton candy? Can I have a piece of candy? Can I have ice cream?" (all the time!)
"Seriously." (10/11)
"Are fairies in real life? Is the tooth fairy real then?" (8/11)
"When did you say we can get a dog?" (8/11)
"I'm going to have 4 kids, 2 dogs, and 1 cat." (8/11)
"But I like to talk. It's my favorite thing!" (7/11)
"But Daddy, I don't need to do whatever Mommy wants. It's not Mother's Day." (5/11)
"It says MADE IN CHINA, 3042. Is that the number to call China?" (2/11)
"Can we just go home now?" (2/11)
"Are the Power Rangers in real life?" (2/11)
"Ashley, you can't marry daddy. You can't marry Conner either. You can't marry anyone in our family." (1/11)
"I'm going to marry Carson." (1/11)
Saying the prayer at dinner: "I hope we're all healthy. And, I hope we live long." (12/10)
"Did Carson drink milk when he was inside you?" (12/10)
"Carson means the most to you, right? Because you feed him and you had him." (12/10)
"Just feed him again already!" (11/10)
"Just don't worry about it." (11/10)
"But you said!" (all the time)
"Just one more!" (all the time)
"I know how Carson came out of you..." (11/10)
"Mommy, guess what?! I slept all night with my eyes open!" (10/10)
"Are you breastfeeding AGAIN?" (10/10)
"I have to go poop. I'm really thirsty AND I'm really hungry." (10/10)
"That Sierra Mist really maked my nose run" (after getting the flu mist, 10/10)
"Why do they have brown people AND peach people in their family?" (10/10)
"What kind of bed will I have when I'm an adult?" (10/10)
"How long will I live?" (10/10)
"I just like flat turkey." (not the REAL turkey, 10/10)
"Stop Ashley, that's inappropriate." (10/10)
"When will Carson talk, walk, sit..." (9/10)
"It's like I'm talking to a brick wall" (9/10)
"Is Grandpa Al in that secretary?" (she meant cemetery 8/10)
"Ashley, you have a radish!" (she meant "rash" 8/10)
"How does the baby get out?" (7/10)
"When is the baby coming out?" (7/10)
"I want a brother. If it's a girl, I'm kicking her out of the house." (7/10)
"Can I have just one more?" (6/10)
"I'll do it later!" (6/10)
"What does "d-u-m-b" spell?" (6/10)
"We can name the baby Mary or Joseph!" (5/10)
"I want to wear short sleeves" (5/10)
"I wished for a baby brother." (4/10)
"Is there a man in the Easter Bunny?" (4/10)
"That's interesting." (2/10)
"You don't know anything." (12/09)
"I know Santa is magical, but there is no such thing as flying reindeer!" (11/13)