4 Weeks Already????

I cannot believe that 4 weeks ago today we were blessed with such a wonderful little boy. The time really has flown by! Cash is pretty much set in a good routine which is great! He eats every 3 hours and sleeps wonderfully at night. He began sleeping in his room when he turned 2 weeks old, which I didn't know if I was going to be able to manage that because it meant he was growing up, but I did. If I feed him at 9:30 and put him to bed at 10:00, he sleeps until 2:30 or 3:00. He will awake again between 6:00 and 7:00. He will usually then sleep again until 9:30 or 10:00. By 10:00 he is ready for the day and bright eyed. He is beginning to start talking to me during this portion of the day. He squeals, coos, and gurgles. It is so cute! He enjoys tummy time, his bouncer, his swing, and of course, cuddling. When he makes the most noise is when he sits in his bouncer in the morning looking out the back windows. He loves the light. He will usually stay awake until 12:30 when he eats again. Sometimes he will take a nap before his next feeding, but it may only be 30 minutes. Usually after he eats at 3:30 he will sleep until 6:00 or 6:30. Then he will play for a while and take a short nap before he eats at 9:30. He is awake for most of the day, so I think that is why he sleeps so well at night.


I stepped on the scale today with and without Cash and I gained 10 pounds when I stood on the scale with him. I truly hope he isn't 10 pounds already! If he is, I have no idea where it is because he is still lost in 0-3 month clothes and how big is he going to be if he keeps growing like this?


Last weekend, Sept. 12th, Cash took his first rode trip. It was Janice's sister's (Karen) 60th birthday and her daughter's (Dawn) 40th birthday surprise party. Cash was actually born on Dawn's birthday. Tracy, Karen's other daughter threw a surprise party for her mom and sister in O'Fallon at a park. The weather was great and we got to show Cash off to most of the McDowell clan. They all thought he was just precious of course. He did great for the ride up and the ride back. He slept most of the trip both ways, along with dad and Uncle Brice on the trip back.


I have gotten out of the house quite a few times by myself. Ryan has kept Cash a couple of nights to let me go to Hy-Vee and mom came twice this week during the day to let me go run some errands. It was nice to get out of the house, but it was even better coming home to a happy baby boy. On Labor Day, mom watched Cash for a bit so Ryan and I could get out of the house together and do lunch. We went to El Jimador and to Wal-Mart. Last night, Ryan's mom watched Cash so we could go look at cabinets for our dining room. It definately is nice that the grandparents like to push us out of the house so they can spend time with their grandson. I think it definately is good for Ryan and I to get out and do things together. But I must admit, it is going to be really hard to go back to work and be away from him all day. A couple hours here and there is ok, because it goes by so fast, but all day. I-I!

Dad watching tv as Cash falls asleep

Cash and dad in O'Fallon at the surprise party

Two Weeks Old

Cash turned 2 weeks old Friday and had his 2 week dr. appt. When Cash was born, he weighed 7 lbs 1 oz. and 19 1/2 inches. His discharge weight was 6 lbs 11 oz. We had our first dr. appt on the Tuesday following his birth. He had gained a little weight and grew just a tad. He weighed 6 lbs 13 oz. and was 20 inches long. His head circumference was 34 cm. At Cash's 2 week appt, I was in shock. He has been spitting up a lot lately and I was afraid he wasn't going to gain much weight. Well, he has obviously been getting plenty to eat! He weighed 7 lbs 14 oz! He is now 21 inches long and his head circumference is 36 cm. Dr. Rogers said he would have been happy if Cash just weighed 7 lbs! He was very happy that Cash is getting what he needs. He goes back in 2 weeks for his month checkup.

I know I keep saying what a great baby Cash has been, but I just can't get over how easy he really is making this for us. I am truly afraid that here in the next few weeks he is going to prove us wrong and start making things a little bit more difficult. But, hopefully I am wrong in those regards. Cash is a very happy baby. He still doesn't cry, only fusses a little bit when waking up or when he gets his diaper changed and that cold wipe goes across his bottom. I have heard his lungs a couple times though. He hates sponge baths. Hopefully when he's ready for a real bath, he will enjoy those more since they will be in warm water and not on a counter with a draft.

The last two nights, Cash has only gotten up once in the night. He goes down around 10:00 and wakes up around 3-3:30 to eat and get a diaper change, and goes right back down. He then sleeps again until 6:30. I hope this is becoming a habit and not just a fluke.

I truly am loving every moment of being a mom. Cash has the cutest smile when he makes faces while he sleeps. I enjoy cuddling with him at different times during the day. I enjoy watching Ryan talk to him and hold him. It is the cutest thing!

Uncle Brice enjoys laying in his bed and having Cash lay on his stomach on top of him. He puts his hands right at Cash's feet and Cash pushes his entire body further up Brice's chest. Cash makes lots of grunts and groans as he works hard to get as far up as he can. He is going to be a strong boy! His neck muscles have been strong since he was born. He lifts his head any chance he gets. At 4 days old, he was getting his picture taken and he had his head lifted way up high.

Howie is still being a wonderful big brother. He checks on Cash when he starts to fuss to make sure he is ok. He likes to come up and sniff his when he's being held or in his swing or bouncer. Likes to give him occasional kisses. He's been a GREAT big brother. Howie has not been deprived of any love either. He still cuddles with Ryan on the couch and Brice on the couch or his Brice's room. He still gets pet and talked to. Things really haven't changed much in his day to day affections. He will always be loved and Cash doesn't seem to be cramping his style. :)

I am attaching a couple of pics from the past couple of days and a video. I hadn't realized how much he had changed since he was born until looking back at the pictures! Well, I have been trying to upload the video for 2 days, so I am finally going to publish without the video. Sorry!

We're Home!

Sunday, we finally came home! We got home around 12:30 pm. Mom and Brice were here and had a surprise for us. There was a big stork in the front yard that said "It's A Boy!" I told mom that she really shouldn't have done that, as you shouldn't advertise that anymore, but she said we'd be ok in this neighborhood. Anyway, uncle Brice video taped us bringing Cash into the house and introducing Howie to Cash. Howie was just too cute! I haven't seen the video yet, but I am anxious to see it. I have never seen Howie's tail go so fast! He was very interested in what we had in that car seat. He just sniffed and sniffed. Since then, Howie has just been so interested in what is going on with Cash. Everytime I have to change Cash, Howie comes into the room to make sure I am not hurting his brother. Anytime Cash makes a noise, Howie goes to check to make sure he is ok. I am attaching a few pictures of Howie and Cash below.

Cash has been a perfect baby! He couldn't make things any easier for me. He is like clock work. Every two hours, he is ready to be fed, even through out the night. At least once a night, usually in the morning hours, he skips one feeding and sleeps for 4 hours instead of 2. That is great! He is so quiet! He hardly ever cries. He wimpers and lets out little cries, but I haven't really heard those lungs yet.

Ryan has been a surprise as well. He always said he didn't want any kids, so I didn't know what to expect when we did have Cash. You'd think he wanted this boy more than me! He is so attentative to Cash. He loves to just sit and hold him and talk to him. He really has enjoyed his time with Cash. Ryan didn't want to give in to a pacifier, but finally did one night when Cash kept whimpering after being fed. He doesn't like to give it to him a lot, but at least will give it to him when he wants it.

Cash had his first dr. appt. yesterday morning. Everything went well. Cash's weight when we left the hospital was 6 lbs. 11 oz. At the dr. appt, he was at 6 lbs. 13 oz., so he gained a few oz. Dr. Rogers said he looked great and to come back in a week and a half.

Well, I have been blogging for a few hours now, so I am going to upload these pics, and get off. I am sure I will updating you again soon!

Howie and Cash

Sleeping soundly in his swing

Welcome Cash!

Boy were we in for a surprise! Thursday, August 20th, was the first day of school. I had a wonderful day, but still had some loose ends to tie up to get ready for my maternity leave, so I planned on staying a while after school. At the end of the day, Kathy, one of the teachers at school, was talking in the hall with Janelle and someone else when I walked up. Kathy told me she thought I had dropped, and I told her I couldn't tell. Then, I went back to room to work. I ended up leaving school around 5:45. I was tired and ready for home. I went home and started cooking dinner. At 6:00, my stomach started bothering me. I thought I had gas pains, but when I sat down and paid attention to what was going on, I realized I was having contractions. I didn't say anything to Ryan, but I finished packing my things for the hospital and went and got on the computer to make Ryan his list of people to call and text when Cash did arrive. When I was all done, I laid down on the love seat. I was watching how often my contractions were coming and they were anywhere from 9-15 minutes, but irregular. I figured they'd go away. Later on in the evening, I told Ryan I was having contractions, but they were irregular. At 10, we went to bed. I didn't sleep worth a lick. I was up everytime I had a contraction. Finally, at 1:30, I got up and called the hospital to find out if I did indeed need to come in. The nurse told me to take a Tylenol PM and that would help me sleep and if I was in actual labor, it would regulate the contractions. Later on in the night, they regulated. They were at 9 minutes for a while, then 8. The next thing I knew, they were at 5. I wanted to make really sure they were, so I laid in bed from 5:40-6:00 timing them. I finally convinced myself that I wasn't making this up and they were. My alarm went off at 6:00 and I told Ryan that I thought we needed to go to the hospital. His response, "Can I take a shower?" Of course, I gave him a hard time, but told him to hurry. Then, he still had to get his things together. We ended up making it to the hospital around 6:40-6:45. They checked me into the triage room to check me out. I was only dialated to a 1, but when she was done checking me, a gush of something came out. I thought my water had broke, so, she checked me again. She couldn't tell if it had or not, but I was bleeding, so she sent in someone else to see if they could tell. When that lady came in, she couldn't tell either, but I was at a 3. I was going to be having a baby they told me. I was in my hospital room by 7:30. My nurse came in to draw blood and hook me up to an IV. SHe told me it would be an hour before I could get an epidural because we had to wait on lab results and I had to get the bag of fluid in me first. The contractions kept coming and they were getting worse. Finally, at 10:30, I got my epidural. That was a painful in and of itself. The dr. had to do it twice! When she was all done, the delivery doctor (Dr. Nolla) came in to check me and I was at a 7! She said my water had not broke, so she broke it for me. The epidural kicked in and was feeling no pain! It got to the point where I couldn't even lift my legs, so they had to turn off the epidural around 12:30. All the parents were in my room once the epidural kicked in, around 10:45. I had a room full! Mom, dad, Janice, Taylor, Jeanette, Doug, Art, Roxanne, Tony, and Ryan. The cameras were going! It definately made the time go by fast. Around 12:45, everyone was getting hungry, so they all headed to the cafeteria. Mom was still there, but the nurse came in and asked her to stand in the hall b/c she was going to check me. Cash's heartbeat was going down for the past 2 contractions. When she checked me, she saw Cash's head. She went and told mom to go to the waiting room and then started prepping me. At 1:00, I started pushing. Cash was born at 1:09pm on Friday, August 21st. I couldn't believe he was here and how easy it was. Ryan cut the imbilical cord and they washed Cash all up. About 1:20, Ryan went out into the waiting room to inform everyone that our precious little boy was here. No one could believe it. They just left!! Cash weighed 7 lbs, 1 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. He was just perfect! He looks just like his daddy, with my nose.

I had to include this pic, because this is where Ryan sat for each of my contractions with his computer, playing Mafia Wars and poker!

The waiting room

Cash's first picture

The proud family. (I wish they would have had me pull my hair back again first!)

Ryan, the proud dad! Can you believe it?

Friends Shower

On Aug. 8th, my girlfriends Lori, Stephanie, and Kim through Cash and I a wonderful shower. They went above and beyond the call of duty. They did a wonderful job all the way around. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful friends. I had many friends come and share this day with me. We started out outside around Kim's pool. The atmosphere and decorations were just perfect. The only complaint I would have would be the heat. The weather had been so nice for so long and the day of the shower, it was blistering hot. When everyone arrived, we went inside for cake-which was decorated like Cash's room, cookies with his intitals, cheesecake, rice krispie treats, brownies, and punch. Everything was very good. When we all cooled down and finished eating, we headed back outside for games. The first game we played was identifying celebrity's children. I was awful! Of course mom got all of them right and was able to name the children as well. Then we did a little quiz on babies. Finally, Kim handed out the playdough. Everyone was to make their best "baby" and I was to be the judge. There were so many good ones! Of course, Beth and Stephanie made a baby turtle and a baby alien. I am glad they had fun, but it definately took them out of the running. :) (Sorry girls!) Then, we packed up all of the gifts and headed inside for opening. It just got too hot. Cash got a lot of wonderful gifts that finished up his room and finalized everything that he was still in need of. He is a very lucky little boy to have so many wonderful people in his life. I have attached some pics from that day. Again, girls, thanks so much for making this day so unforgettable.

Stephanie, Kim, and Lori (my hostesses)

Beth's turtle

Stephanie's alien

New Car

So, everyone keeps telling me I need to upload pictures of my new car and I just haven't gotten around to it, but since I was working on my shower blog, I thought I would just go take a couple of pictures real quick. Ryan and I went to KC a week ago Wednesday and looked at my car. We ended up buying Thursday afternoon. We spent Wednesday evening and all day Thursday at Josh and Lori's until the car was ready. We had a great time visiting. I gave Lori a great excuse to take off Thursday! (Your welcome, Lori!) I bought a 2004 Volkswagen Passat. I love it! I have not been able to drive it yet because we have been waiting on the lien release so I can get it titled. It actually came in the mail today, so I am going to the DMV on Monday morning and titling it! I am so excited! I has only been sitting in my garage for a week and a half just torturing me! Here are a couple pics.

Jones/McDowell Baby Shower

Today, I had my second baby shower thrown by my sister for my dad and Janice's sides of the family. I was happy to see so many out of towners able to make it. It was great to see everyone and be able to catch up and also meet the newest member of the McDowell family. Tracy had her 4th son 6 months ago. He is a cutie and looks just like his brothers. I also found out that my cousin (Kim) on my dad's side is expecting her second child as well. She is 8 weeks along. (Congrats to her!) Janice made a diaper cake and did a wonderful job decorating.

We played one game, which I thought I did rather well, but did not win. Taylor printed up 22 questions from nursery rhymes and the person who got the most right won. Boy if I couldn't remember the 3 men in the tub! I got 14 out of 22 correct. My cousin won with 16.

After the game, everyone munched on some good homemade cake, brownies, and fruit. It was delicious!

Afterwards, it was time to open presents. Taylor so nicely wrote down all my gifts for me, in between texting! (Thank you Megan for getting a picture of that!) (Megan, Taylor's friend used my camera today to be my photographer since I told mom she was not allowed to be my photographer anymore. Thank you Megan! The pics turned out great!)

I received many wonderful gifts! I of course got some onsies, bottles, diapers, wipes, bath needs, lotions, etc. But I also got a few funny and memorable gifts. Janice's nephew married Christy a few summers ago, who happens to be a sister of one of my sorority sisters from Warrensburg-small world-made me a card with wonderful tidbits in it for me, (sleep when you can, enjoy the quiet moments, notice the little changes, have worksheets ready for school kids after a long night...lots of worksheets! (she's a teacher too)). She also got me some onsies, a book, and 5 diapers that she wrote on (You can go back to sleep soon, I may be stinky, but I'm cute!, Crying means I'm healthy! UGG!!, My gift to you Mommy!, and I smell like buttered popcorn). I thought those were great!

Janice's sister, Linda, got Cash his first Christmas ornament and a plaque for the wall with the poem, I see the moon... I have already found the perfect spot for it!

Janice finished up Cash's room by getting the picture frames, mobile, hamper, and diaper stacker. She also got Cash his first NASCAR onsie! Of course it was Carl Edwards! Janice's favorite!

Mom got me my baskets that match the bedding in Cash's room, the other roller shade, a carseat protector, and a poem that I need to frame entitled Mother's Heart. I am also to write Cash a letter, from his Mother's Heart and save for the future to keep as a keepsake.

My aunt Carla has never been known for making things easy. When I got married, at my shower, she wrapped up each individual cooking utensil, so when I grabbed one bag in particular today, I noticed how the ribbon made the bad hard to get into and immediately looked at her and asked if it was her doing. She looked shocked that I would even suggest such a thing! When I finally got into the bag and found the card, guess who it was from...yes, my aunt Carla. She then had several gifts inside, that were individually wrapped. She makes things difficult, but she loves me!

I also got Cash's travel swing, which is so nice and soft. Tracy said it was wonderful and hers is in the back of the van at all times.

As the shower was going on, Janice kept telling me that she really hoped it was a boy because I am going to have an awful lot of stuff to return if not. If Cash comes out a girl, I am going hurt her! I think I am going to have nightmares tonight!!!!

Again, thank you to all for making today such a special day. Cash's room is coming together quite nicely and it wouldn't be possible without all of you!