Dax Has Arrived!

Our faithful friends, the Becks

The evening Dax arrived

Sweet sissy Shea loving on the little man

Sweet little face

Andrew and Michelle, Justin and Jenny, visiting us the night of Dax's arrival

The Munch Bunch meets Dax- they were SO cute and SO excited to meet Dax!

A little out of order...this was just after Dax was born and the nurses put him on me for the first time to meet mommy

Shortly after arriving at the hospital

More to come! I'll post a few details of his arrival soon. For now, here are the stats:

Dax Haddon Ryle

Born Thursday, May 28 at 6:32 p.m.

7 pounds, 15 ounces

19 inches long (shorty!!)

Tell us who you think he looks like!!

On our Way

We're leaving for the hospital! We'll keep you all posted!

Thoughts on Pregnancy

Well, I'm sitting here at the computer waiting for my parents to arrive from San Jose, and pondering the thought that this may be the last night of my life being pregnant... and wanted to capture a few thoughts before the little man comes.
Wow, am I thankful to the Lord for all six little blessings He has so kindly given to us! I look around and see many people who struggle to get pregnant, and know that I am so undeserving of these precious gifts! My heart is so full, and my love for the Lord grows as I enjoy each little munchkin, knowing that I deserve nothing, actually worse than nothing, yet He has chosen to bless us over and over again- and abundantly- beyond what I could have ever imagined.
I love looking at my belly. I will miss it terribly, though I won't miss all of the little pains and difficulties that come along with a huge belly. I love walking through the store, with as many kids as I have with me, having people ask about the gender of the baby, how many others we have, and all the rest. I remember the first time someone noticed I was pregnant with Reilly, and I was SO excited. I was in a little coffee shop ordering a mocha, and the woman asked, "Would you like that decaf??" I quickly asked, "Why do you ask?" Because of my excitement, I removed any reluctance from her to admit that I looked pregnant. "Really??? You could tell that I'm pregnant??" I will miss these days.
I love the feeling of little hands and feet moving around inside of me, and am daily in awe of the amazing knitting together that is happening right inside of me. Little hands, little feet, little organs, tiny fingers and toes, joints, eyes, ears that can hear already (he jumps when my joints crack!)- the glory of God is so clearly revealed in this amazing journey of growth and development! Evolutionists must be ashamed to say that this happens over and over again, all by "chance"... What faith that takes!
Some people have the courage to ask, but I'm sure others wonder... is it as exciting the sixth time as it is the first? I can hardly put words to that answer. The wonder of a baby growing inside of me, the excitement of meeting this little one along with each of the others...literally just sent me to the tissue box. I have been so eagerly awaiting the birth of this little one just as much as each of the others. All of the similar thoughts and emotions that are stirred during pregnancy are stirred with each and every one. I wonder what he will look like? What will his temperament be like? Will everything be okay? What color will his hair be (I guess we've never really wondered that one)? Will he and Reilly be the best of friends, even with the age difference? How will the baby (Macy) handle being slightly displaced by the new baby? On and on the questions go... bottom line- we are SO excited to meet this baby, and have just as eagerly anticipated this one as all of the others. No less excitement, no less wonder. It's awesome and amazing, time after time after time after time.....
We are thrilled and excited, and are so thankful to the Lord for not only blessing us with one more child, but giving us the answer to our fervent prayers (Kurt's, I should say!), for giving us a boy! Incidentally, after we picked his name, we learned that "Dax" has quite significant meaning. "Dax" means "Leader". We will now pray that little Dax grows up to be a leader to influence and lead many to Christ!
Please pray for his safe arrival! We will keep you all posted and pictures will come as soon as we can get them up!

Let's Go Mets!!

Kurt and Reilly enjoyed a Mets game the other night (well sort-of enjoyed...the Mets lost :( ) They ate Dodger Dogs, Nachos, and hung out with some of our favorite people, Andrew Gutierrez (a true blue Mets fan himself) and Mr. Hohn. Kurt and Reilly bumped into John Voight while mustarding their hot dogs and enjoyed a brief conversation. Mr. Voight was very engaging and friendly! A great night was had by all!

Fifth

Just a quick update... I received a call from my favorite nurse this morning, and the results for the blood test came back...negative!! I have already been exposed to fifth and am not carrying it now. Good news! Good God! Another appointment tomorrow with my doctor (regular check up), and we'll keep you posted. Thanks so much for your prayers!

I thought I might post an update here on the blog (rather than just facebook) about the Fifth disease episode in our family... Cam and Macy are certainly doing a lot better now, although Cam's arms and legs still look pretty nasty. I notice her scratching here and there, but no complaining, and no other symptoms. Interestingly, I received a notice from the school from Kinley's class saying that Kinley had been exposed to Fifth, so it must be going around.
I had an ultrasound on Monday, and that showed that everything is normal and there are no signs of hydrops. I got a phone call yesterday from the resource nurse (Barbara rocks!) and she notified me that they had done the wrong test on my blood. (Incidentally, I am not immune to hand/foot/mouth disease) They still have enough blood to run the other test (for Fifth), and she thought she might have the results for me by Friday. That's all for now, folks! Dax is moving around well and it does seem like we are out of danger. We'll see what the blood test says, and take it from there! We are resting in the confidence that God is in control and loves us!

Camdynism

I've lost count of the Camdynisms, as she is actually formulating pretty normal thoughts most of the time now. The other day, Kurt and I were cracking up at her in the car as she was just biting in to her McChicken sandwich. We had stopped for lunch and the kids were eating. From her cute little very animated voice came the following: "SPICY ALERT!!!! SPICY ALERT!!!" Where did she ever get that??

All in a Day...(Out of order, sorry!)

After fighting with the computer to get these pics in order, I give up. So we'll go from the end of the day to the beginning. I hope that's not too confusing for you. :)

Well, yesterday was quite a busy day for this clan! Started out in the morning meeting Kurt as he finished his 14 mile trail run out in Malibu Canyon. What a great morning! He has been training for a while and finished the race in one piece- for which I am thankful. I am proud of him! The race was daunting- lots of hills- the equivalent of four football fields straight up...ugh! It was quite a group effort- as you can see in the crazy pic. The Rumseys, the Becks, the Poladians, Laura, and Kurt's long time friend Frank all competed together. The kids loved running across the finish line with Kurt, and he loved it too!

After the race, we came home to relax a bit, and found a rather large snake in the backyard, which I immediately thought was a rattler, but he had no rattle (he's just a gopher snake- maybe I should have left him in the garden to take care of our pests!). He's larger than I originally thought- he's around 5 feet long! Seems to be really gentle already though. Frank and Kurt helped me catch the snake, while calling me the "snake whisperer"... The men snuck out to the store, and Frank bought all of the necessary supplies to make the snake our "pet". The kids are thrilled out of their minds! They decided to name the snake "Frank" in honor of their new best friend. They absolutely love Frank (the man, not the snake) as you can see in the pic of him with the two littles and can't wait for his next visit.

Reilly then had a baseball game and was so excited to catch for an inning! He did a great job, and also went three for three at the plate. Great game, Reilly!

Well, by the end of this long day, my feet paid the price...just call me "Jet-Puffed Julie"... they don't feel as bad as they look, but they certainly don't feel too good. Only three (or so) weeks left before the arrival of Dax!!

Fifth Disease

Well, as you can see, the little ones have contracted a pretty common kid "disease", which starts with a "slap on the face" type rash, then moves to the arms and legs. Thankfully they aren't too bothered by it, but we are assessing the risk to baby Dax. I should hear back from the nurse soon with the results of my blood test from yesterday, which will tell us where to go from here. Cam and Macy are troopers, and have not complained one bit yet! I'll keep you posted when I hear from the nurse.

Nichole

Please visit my friend Nichole's blog and see how you can serve a sweet family going through a very difficult trial. Nichole is suffering from cervical cancer and major kidney problems from radiation...if you don't know them, please pray for them, and if you do, please consider how you can help and serve their family in some practical way. You will be blessed!

This was a shower given for baby Dax, though we're missing a couple of people who had to leave early, and poor Michelle, who helped with all the planning, then was put on bed rest... we missed you! It was so much fun to spend that time with precious friends- all of whom I treasure in different ways. God has been so good to give me such wonderful and generous friends! I couldn't stop talking about the fun time we had, and how overwhelmed I was by the kindness and generosity of these amazing people. All of you reflect Christ and bless me so much. "Grandma Sue Sue" was such a treat to have, driving 3 hours to come and share about mothering by her amazingly successful experience with her three, and by God's Word. Thank you all, and I love you- all of you!! And Cori, were you having a fashion model moment here??
Sweet Boo-Boos with a bright pink rash on her little cheekies... doesn't seem to bother her!
Who doesn't love a picture of a kid with a missing tooth? These pics of my kids have to be some of my favorites. I love the toothless smile!
I hope this doesn't offend anyone... haha! A little up close and personal. Cam is such a cutie and has been the most enthralled with my belly. She loves to feel Dax kicking, and has her little hands on my tummy throughout the day. She is going to be a great big sis! And obviously, Dax looks like he's ready to come anyday!

May has been springing forth with blessings around here... and we have been overwhelmed. The Lord has been so good to us, and we are eagerly expecting the next little blessing just as soon as the Lord determines!!

Okay, the top one is Cam. I was surprised at how many people figured that out. The bottom one... Macy Boo!! It's hard for me to believe. I think it looks nothing like her, but it is... Thanks all for playing. :)