FOR SALE

We are wanting to sell our dirt bike and 4 wheeler. It is kind of sad that this part of our lives has kind of fizzled out, but I guess that is sometimes what happens when little ones come along. We just don't have the time to get out and ride like we used to. The bikes are both posted on KSL. We would love to be able to sell them together, but would also sell them separate. Please take a look at our ad and let me know if you, or anyone you know is interested! THANK YOU!!!
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=18277897&cat=145

Family Pics, Halloween and 10 MONTHS

I know I say it in every post, but we have been super busy lately. Our little boy is growing up so fast and we are loving every minute of this crazy journey that is Kael. He is constantly learning new things and surprising us on a daily basis. Kael turned 10 months today... 10 MONTHS!!!! I cannot believe how fast these last 10 months have gone by and cannot imagine spending them any other way than with my two K's.

We have been up to a lot of fun things lately. I have not been working every Saturday and it has been great! We have been able to spend some actual weekends together and feel like we can actually get some quality family time in. This past Saturday we dressed Kaelster up and headed to Boo at the Zoo. There were a million people there, but it was fun to go see the animals, it was Kael's first time at the Zoo and he couldn't care less about the animals. When we were in the monkey building I would point to the monkeys and he would smile, after about the 3rd time he did this I realized that he was smiling at his own reflection in the glass and probably didn't even see the monkeys. Too funny!

We recently had a fun family photo shoot in Heber. We had not had a good family photo taken since Heather and Tyson's wedding. I love the way the photos turned out and can't wait to get some up on my wall!

Kael had a pretty fun first Halloween. We spent Halloween night in Heber and had a lot of fun going to Trunk-Or-Treat and Trick-Or-Treating with Aunt Sissy and Uncle G, thanks for letting us tag along!

What, I have a Blog?

I can't believe, once again, that it has been this long since I have posted. I really need, and want to get better about posting, life is just SO busy. Our little guy just turned 7 months and is MOBILE!!! Kael started crawling about 2 days before his 7 month birthday. He has been mobile for about 10 days now and he is EVERYWHERE! It is so much fun yet exhausting at the same time. It is really cute when he crawls down the hall after me mumbling "ma ma ma ma" it is too cute and melts my heart. He doesn't say too many words, mostly just "ma ma" which is amazing and fabulous and wonderful to me, but is just a bit annoying to Kevin; he wants him to say "da da" soooo bad! :) We have also been experiencing teething for the first time. Poor little guy has been so miserable. He hasn't been feverish just very cranky and restless when he sleeps. It has been a sad few days and if anyone has any tricks that they would like to share I would love it! Other than chasing our little guy around, life in the Rikli home is pretty laid back. Kevin and I are still just working away. Kevin is excited to play in his first company golf tournament this Friday, he has never really golfed before so it should be interesting :) We hope everyone is doing well and having a great summer!

Playing Catch Up

WOW! It has been a really long time since I posted... I am a slacker! In my defense, we have had a ton going on.

In April we went on vacation. This trip held a lot of firsts for all 11 of us! It was not only Kael's first vacation, it was our first vacation as parents... it was Kael's first visit to Disneyland, AND Kevin's as well... it was our first family vacation taking 2 cars since we no longer all fit in one... I could go on and on with all the firsts but the bottom line is, WE HAD A GREAT TIME!!! We spent a couple of days in San Diego with stops at the beach, Sea World, the Maritime Museum and the Wild Animal Park. After San Diego we headed to Anaheim for 3 days at Disneyland, a Major League baseball game for some and a great dinner at Knotts Berry Farm. Our final day in Cali was filled with Universal Studios. It was a great trip, lots of fun and Kael was such a good boy, I know that he will never remember it but I sure will!

This is one of my favorite pics from the trip

More photos to come!!!

The Bed Hog

He started out propped up in the corner of the green and brown pillows and throughout the course of 8 hours of sleep, wiggled and scooted himself down to take over my whole side of the bed. But hey, he slept for 8 hours so I am not complaining!

2 Month Check-Up

Last week was little Kaelster's 2 month birthday, I know I say this pretty much every post but, I can't believe how fast the last 2 months have gone by. Our little boy is growing up so fast and is changing so much. We can pretty much get him to smile on demand now and it is sooo fun. We love watching him grow and seeing all of the things that he is learning. At his two month check up he weighed 9 pounds and 15 ounces and is now 22 inches long. He has gained 3 pounds and grown 2 inches since he was born.

Wishes...

I have exactly 5 and 1/2 days from right now of maternity leave left. I go back to work on Monday the 28th, and I am beyond heart broken. I am amazed and in awe and completely changed by the amazing gift that Kevin and I were given 7 weeks and 3 days ago. It is truly amazing that so much excitement, worry, LOVE, amazement and awe came delivered in that little 7 pound, 20 inch package. Who would have ever guessed that you could LOVE someone THAT much? I have heard it said hundreds of times that you never know LOVE until you have a child, and now I can see why they say that, they say it because it is true. Never before have I felt this way about anything or anyone. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband and I love my parents, I love my little brothers and sisters... but never before have I felt the LOVE that I feel for my child.

A year ago, if someone would have granted me 3 wishes I would have wished for the selfish things... things like a big house, a nice car, money etc. etc. etc. If someone were to come up to me today and give me 3 wishes they would be completely different and I know exactly what they would be:

1. SOMEWHERE to call home. I have discovered lately that although I would love to own a home, and wish that we did, it is not where you live that matters.

2. Good Health. I would wish for the good health of all the people that I love. I think that I have always taken the health of not only myself, but the health of my loved ones for granted. Being blessed with a healthy baby has totally opened my eyes to all of the things that could have gone wrong and I will never again take my health or the health of those that I love for granted, because good health is truly a blessing.

3. I would wish to be able to stay home with my baby and not have to work. I don't care if we had millions of dollars, I just wish that we were able to get by on one income. Before and all through my pregnancy I thought I would be okay with going back to work, I knew that it was something that I would have to do, I know that I am the one that carries the insurance for our family and that we would have to move if I did not work. But the thought of leaving him is driving me INSANE! I am the MOM, I am the one who gave birth to him. I am the one who would not let the nurses take him to the nursery because I did not want to be away from him. I am the one who woke up that night in the hospital that he was choking. I am the one who wakes up in the middle of the night when he cries because he is hungry. I am the one that knows the difference between a hungry cry and a tired cry. I am the first person that he spit up on. I am the one that figured out that he was tongue tied. I am the one that figured out that he had reflux and took him to the doctor. I am the one that changes his clothes or jammies, or the sheets on my bed when he spits up all over them because of the reflux. I am the first person that he smiled a REAL smile at. I am the first person that he gooed at. I am the one that figured out that he loves showers and hates baths. I am the one that changes his diapers. I am the one that washes his clothes. And I am the one that can't handle the fact that by having to go back to work I might miss a smile, I might miss a clothes change, I can't even handle the fact that I might miss a poopy diaper. I can't handle the fact that I will miss a moment of this sweet little boy's life. I know that I am not the first working mom in the world. I know that he will be taken care of by people who love him, and I know that he will be taken care of very well, and I know that most days he will be taken care of here in our home that is 30 seconds away from me, but none of that matter to me (even though it should!) because NO ONE LOVES him like I do.

I would love to be granted 3 wishes, but if I could only be granted 1 wish, it would not be a hard decision to pick 1 of the 3.

LOVE

Need I say more?

ONE MONTH OLD

I can't believe that my little Kaelster is already a month old! The days have gone by so fast! I love my little man so much and I have loved every second of this past month! On his one month birthday I got this super sweet smile out of my super sweet little boy.

Hospital Photo Shoot

Jordan Valley Medical Center (the hospital where I gave birth) has a contract with Bella Baby Photography. On the day after Kael was born a girl came in to take some pics of him. We fell in love with so many of them that we broke down and bought the disk. I am glad we did because we have full printing rights to them now so that is great. Here are a few of my favorites, I can't believe how much my baby boy has already changed!

A Couple of Pics

Our little man wide awake.

Oh so tired after a long day at the doctor's office.
I love how his hands are constantly up by his face whenever he sleeps.

2 Week Check Up

I cannot believe that my baby is already 2 weeks old (tomorrow)! The days have gone by so fast and he is changing so much everyday.

We went to the doctor for Kael's 2 week check up today. I have been so worried that he has not been getting enough to eat or that I am doing something wrong... letting him sleep too much or he is not getting enough sleep??? Is he gaining the appropriate amount of weight??? There are just so many questions and not enough answers. I have had a hard time breast feeding and so I have been pumping and feeding him with a bottle, I don't think we were getting the right latch and that made it VERY painful for me and frustrating for the both of us. I have felt like a failure for having to feed him with a bottle. I was trying to figure out why he and I are having such a hard time and the other day while I was just sitting here staring at him I noticed that he can't stick his tongue out hardly at all, I did a little bit of research and found that it is called being "tongue tied". I talked to Kevin about it, he simply said, very matter of factly, "Megan, he just doesn't know how to use it yet." Well that answer was not good enough for me! I asked the doc today to take a look at Kael's tongue to see what he thought, I was definitely right, the poor little guy is tongue tied, I have to make an appointment with a Pediatric ENT to get his poor little mouth clipped. The pediatrician said that after that is taken care of we should have a better/easier time with the breast feeding. He also said that I should not feel bad about having to give Kael a bottle, he said that it is great that I am still giving him breast milk and that he will need to get used to a bottle sooner or later so it is good that he is adjusting to the bottle so well.

As far as stats go, Kael now weighs 7 pounds 6 ounces! I was so excited/relieved to know that he has gained some weight and that he is getting enough to eat. He is in the 50th percentile on weight and the 25th percentile on height.

All in all it was a good visit, except for the fact that they had to do the PKU test which poor little Kael did not like one bit. I felt so bad for having to hold him while the nurse stuck his heel and took the blood, he was not too happy with me after that.

KAEL THOMAS RIKLI

I am so far behind! I finally have a minute to sit down and actually blog.

Our sweet baby boy was born on 1.1.11! He was born at 10:32 a.m. weighed 7 pounds and was 20 inches long. We are so excited that he is here, he is perfect.

Just like my pregnancy, labor went great and very smoothly, only about 7 1/2 hours from start to finish. On New Years Eve I kind of started getting some weird pains, I called my Mom and she said that they sounded like contractions to her. I was so excited, I thought that with any luck we would be able to have a New Years baby. My Mom suggested that I should go walk around and hopfully they would start getting a little closer and a little stronger. Kevin decided that we would go a step beyond walking, we started boxing on the Wii instead. What we thought and hoped would jump start my labor actually made it stop... thats right those pains that I thought were going to bring my baby that much sooner went away. I was so upset and disappointed. We went to Kevin's parents house for a little bit and his Mom rubbed my feet and massaged my tendons that are supposed to put you into labor. We wnet home after having a pretty lame New Years and feeling so disappointed that we were not going to be meeting our little boy after all. I went to bed at about 1:15, I was sleeping really soundly when all of the sudden at 2:55 a.m. I was wide awake after feeling a really weird pop/gush/woosh feeling. I said "Kevin I think my water just broke!" and ran to the bathroom, YEP it was definitely my water. I went back into the bedroom and told Kevin that I needed to turn on the light, he said, "UGH! FINE!" and pulled the covers over his head. I started feeling and looking around in my bed to see if there was water all over, Kevin rolled over and asked what I was doing, I said, "Didn't you hear me?!?! MY WATER BROKE!!!!!!!!!" After that he was out of bed in a flash and we were off to the hospital. We arrived at Labor and Delivery at 3:30, they had me change into a gown and they checked me. I was still dilated to a 3, but I was 80% efaced, they told me that I would be staying... THAT IS WHEN REALITY HIT ME!!! All of my emotions started to flow, of course I was happy and excited but I also got very nervous and told Kevin that I wanted to go home. I started to get stronger contractions and they started to get painful. Because it was a holiday, everyone was between shifts so I had to wait what seemed like forever to get my epidural, but once I did, let me tell you it was great! It was the perfect epidural, I could not feel anything but I could still move my legs and my body. Right after my epidural was in the doctor came in and checked me. I was dilated to an 8 and 90% efaced, this was when all the hustle and bustle started! I layed there for a little while longer, the nurse checked me again and told me that it was time to start pushing. I pushed for about 20-25 minutes and then the doctor came back, and ten minutes later our baby was born! I was amazed, and crying of course... Kevin looked like he was in shock. Kael started crying right away, which I was very greatful for. He scored 9 on all of his apgar tests. Kael entered the world at 10:23 a.m. on 1.1.11 weighing 6 pounds 15.8 ounces (we call it an even 7 pounds) and was a perfect 20 inches long. Once I saw him I knew that life would never be the same, he was amazing.

The rest of our hospital stay kind of flew by, with visitors in and out and family all around. We had one scary experience that I will never forget and that I hope will never happen again, I had put Kael in his little glass crib thing at the end of my bed, I woke up to him making a weird noise, his back was arched and his arms were flailing. He was choking on some amniotic fluid that had gotten into his tummy. I was so scared and called the nurse, she tried to suction him out with the ball syringe but that wasn't working so we took him to the nursery where they had to stick a tube down his throat and suction out his little tummy. It was so sad! I was crying and freaking out. Needless to say I did not put him back in that bed, I kept him in bed with me!

I am so happy that our baby is here and I have never loved anything more than I love being a mom. Kael is amazing and even though he has only been here for a few short days I cannot imagine my life without him!

I need to thank Kevin and my mom for being in the delivery room with me and helping me through labor and delivery. I also had a very amazing nurse who I wish I could have there with me for every baby that I have!

38 Week Check Up

I went to the doctor on Monday and got checked. I measured exactly 38 cm so I am still on target there. I was dialated to a 3! My doctor said that he did not think that I would make it through the week to my next appointment, but three days later I am still here. With all the snow that has been falling everywhere I am worried that if I did go into labor that my parents would not be able to make it down in time... I just really want my baby! I am ready, my bag is packed and we are just hanging out until our little guy decides that it is finally time to make his grand entrance into the world.

37 Weeks and 3 days

Well I have almost hit 38 weeks. I am feeling VERY huge and VERY uncomfortable. I will be going back to the doctor on the 27th. I am hoping that he will have some good news for me! I am more than okay with waiting until my due date to pop this little guy out, but I REALLY do not want to go over... I have had such an easy pregnancy but I am just done. I try not to complain (even though this whole post has been me complaining) but this little boy just has no more room in there, and I feel like I can not stretch any more. Baby Kael is constantly in my ribs and it is very painful and hard to sleep.

We are getting closer and closer to having everything ready for the arrival of our little boy, his room is so close to being done, just need some bedding and to get everything hung on the walls. I have his bag packed for the hospital. Kevin has been drilling me and drilling me to get some bags packed becasue he has been so worried that we will not be prepared for when "IT" happens. I am just such a huge slacker, but I am happy that Kevin is so anxious for our baby to get here. Kevin will be such a great dad and I can't wait to see him with our baby.

35 Weeks and Counting

So tomorrow 12/6 marks 35 weeks in my pregnancy, WE ARE ALMOST THERE!!! I went to the doctor on Friday, everything is checking out great. My belly is measuring at 35 cm and baby's head is pointed down, heartbeat is normal at 140 beats per minute. The doc did an exam and I am dilated to a ONE!!! I know that is not hugely amazing, and I do realize that I could stay at a 1 for weeks, but to us it was huge news and so exciting! I am still feeling pretty good, I am still working full time and going about my normal daily routine, but lately I have been ready for bed at about the second I walk through the door at night. And there is the fact that my face and fingers just keep getting fatter and fatter! As easy and sick-free as my pregnancy has been I am so excited for it to be over with!

Kevin's 25th and Thanksgiving.

So I have been hugely slacking on posting lately. There seems to be so much going on right now, I feel like I am running around like a "fat, stuffed" chicken with its head cut off.

We celebrated Kevin's 25th birthday in November. On the night of his birthday we went to dinner with is parents and Grandpa Derrall at the Porcupine. I love the Porcupine and it is always nice to have an excuse to go there and eat. If you have never been I really reccommend it! Then we had Thanksgiving. We were with Kevin's family this year and had a great dinner at Susan and Stuart's house. It was nice being able to just hang out, have some great food and watch some football. On Friday, for the first time ever I got Kevin to hit the Black Friday sales with me. We made a fabulous investment, we bought a Canon Rebel T2i camera! We have been snapping some great pics and having a lot of fun learning how to use it. We are so excited to have a super nice camera for when our baby boy gets here, I am sure that we will be taking more pictures than ever then. To finish off the fabulous week of food and family we headed up to Heber on Sunday night to celebrate Kevin's birthday with my family. My dad made him an awesome Tigger cake... Oh if I were only half as good of a cake decorater as my dad is!

30 Week Update

Today, thanks to my amazing Parents and Grandma Patsy, I ordered our little guy's crib and changing table. We (mostly Kevin) have been working really hard lately on getting the baby's room all painted so we can get the furniture set up and everything ready to go.I hit 30 weeks yesterday and the anxiety has really hit me that this little boy will be here before we know it. I am sooooo excited and can't wait to meet my little Kaelster, but I am also freaking out a little bit and worrying that things aren't going to be ready for him... With only 10 weeks to go and the Holidays FAST approaching, I feel like I am always a step behind.

The first 30 weeks of pregnancy have been good to me. I have not been sick except for the nightly heartburn that I get, I have not been too grouchy (at least this is my opinion, you can ask Kevin what he thinks about that) and I have been able to keep working just fine and not get TOO worn out. I have an appointment with the Dr tomorrow to do the blood tests for diabetes. I will start going to the Dr every 2 weeks now.

We are so excited for our little boy to get here! I will post pictures of the finished nursery HOPEFULLY very soon!

I Am Feeling It Now!!!

I have now hit the 25 week mark in my pregnancy, and I am starting to actually FEEL pregnant. There have been some big changes in the past few weeks

1. I have not been able to wear my contacts since about week 18, they give me MAJOR headaches. I read in my book that the shape of your eyes can actually change during pregnancy... so I have been wearing my glasses for what seems like FOREVER.

2. I am now wearing maternity pants 100% of the time. Up until about a week or two ago I was still wearing my normal jeans, with the top button undone of course and I was also still wearing a pair of normal work pants. I finally got to the point where I had to break down and just go and buy some.

3. I FEEL HUGE!!! My tummy is growing right on target, but let me tell you I feel like I should burst any day! My waist line is definitely GONE!!!

4. I cannot get comfortable at bed time. I toss and turn for what seems like forever, get comfortable for a few minutes and then toss and turn some more.

5. The burning pain in my throat is terrible. I don't know if this is like a type of heartburn or some sort of acid reflux, but it's coming back every night and it really hurts.

I am sure this seems like I am complaining a ton, but in all honesty this pregnancy has pretty much been a breeze and the ups have DEFINITELY been better than the downs! I am so happy to be carrying this little boy around and I can't wait until he gets here! We are definitely on the down hill stretch and I am sure that he will be here before we know it!

Week 23 Dr. Visit

Yesterday I had my 23rd week Dr. appointment. Dr. Colby took measurements of my tummy, I measured at 24 cm and he also listened to Baby Kael's heartbeat which was normal at 145 beats per minute. It took the Dr. a minute to find the heartbeat because Kael was moving around and kicking so much. It was funny because he would find the heart beat and then it would be over powered by a big thump of a kick, it was pretty funny! I am so excited to be at 23 weeks already and I am hoping that the next 17 weeks go by fast because we are so excited to meet our little boy!