Betty's Baby

Ryder Cagle 12 Months Hobbies: Perimeter Walking/ Taking 5-7 Steps, Laughing and Making People Laugh, Saying: Mama, Dada, Mem (milk), Hat, Fake Sneezing, Fake Coughing, Giving Open Mouth Kisses, Taking things out of containers and stacking toys, Flirting with every girl in sight. This past December our sweet boy turned one. How did this happen?! Ryder is the greatest blessing that has happened to Trever and I and we could not be more grateful for this little man... and by little I mean little. At his one month check up Ryder was in the 5th percentile for height and 6th percentile for weight. I guess he takes after the "Little" men in my family. <3 That's okay with me if he's anything like them I pray that like the "Little" men that Ryder will: have a relationship with God, Love his mamma girl with every once of his being, protect his family, be successful, hard working and admired by everyone who meets him. Here are some highlights of our little man's 1st birthday:

Ryder turned nine months on September 3rd and it hit me hard that in just three months my little man will turn a year old. I try not to get emotional when I think about this reality as I'm sure all mothers’ do as they stop and ask themselves "where has the time gone?" Being a working mom is tough... I'm not talking about the exhausted from teaching twenty one three and four year old, never feeling caught up, ever growing to do list, coming home to full time mommy duty tough... I'm talking about not having enough hours in your day to spend with your son tough. With the recent move into our new home my commute to work went from 15 minutes to 35 minutes. I leave the house before Rye even wakes up and often times hold him for the first time all day at 4:30 p.m. He goes down for bed between 7:30 and 8 so that leaves me with a total of 3 maybe 3 1/2 hours to spend with him. I made a promise to him and myself that I will not do an OUNCE of school work until he goes to bed {this includes checking emails}. I am proud to say I have held true to this promise but it's doesn't come close to making up for the mommy guilt that consumes me like a dark cloud every night as I contemplate waking him up to get in one more snuggle, one more drool open mouth kiss, one more scrunched nose smile... I have been praying lately for clarity and balance. Clarity as to what God's plan is for my path... working mommy or stay at home mommy... and for being able to balance both my full time jobs in the mean time until God grants me the clarity my heart, body and mind so desperately desires. I think about our next child and I can't help but think of things I will do differently. Starting with the length of my maternity leave...I will take the full 12 weeks if not 4 years. I will not pressure myself to solely nurse but I will give it my all. I will pump every three hours to increase my supply and to stock up. I will baby wear from day one and buy the straight Native American baby wearing sling of my dreams. I will nap when baby naps and take all the help that is offered to me. Some things I will not do differently: love my baby unconditionally, savor every laugh, hug, kiss and smile, read them bedtime prayers before bed, praying they have a strong relationship with God, try my best to be the best mom I know how to be. Ryder: Age: 9 Months Hobbies: Perimeter walking, laughing, finding the smallest piece of dirt, food or trash to put in his mouth, dancing, playing at the park and pulling things out of boxes and containers. Clean Eating... "If your food can go bad, it's good for you. If it can't go bad, it's bad for you". I recently started making Ryder's food and am proud to say he eats fresh organic produce with no GMO or hormones. It's in our nature as moms to want the best for our kids and the quality of the food they consume is no exception. I have embraced my new "baby food making" hobby and like most of my endeavors have invested in it wholeheartedly. While making a batch of food for my little mister it dawned on me..."If I am so cautions as to what goes into his body, why am I careless at times as to what goes into my own?" and the non-processed food saga began. Trever and I are relatively healthy eaters anyway so the transition has been effortless. When I go to the grocery store, I shop for our food around the perimeter of the store... produce, dairy and meats (with the exception of the necessity of course... coffee). Coffee is my vice, has been and always will be. <3 Its a love/ hate relationship but a perpetual one at that and I have embraced that also. Our non-processed diet has many perks some being: increased energy, weight loss, cheaper grocery bill and no need for a panty! Which is amazing considering our new house doesn't even have one... a coincidence you say... I think not! Look forward to many non-processed recipes coming soon under my "baking betty" tab!

It's hard to believe Ryder is already 5 months... I know everyone says the same thing but here is goes again "THE TIME FLYS". In the past 5 months, Ryder began cooing, holding his head up on his own, reaching for toys, laughing, sleeping through the night (at 2 months: he definitely has the Little's sleeping gene), started swim lessons, reaching and playing with our faces, trying to steal our food and drinks and his recent milestones of rolling from his front to back and back to front. Oh and he has found his voice... little man loves to squeal! His hobbies at the moment include: smiling at himself in the mirror, swim lessons, rolling over, play dates, nursing and sleeping. There are no words that can fully describe my love for my son. However, these come pretty close: "No one else will ever know the strength of my LOVE for you. After all, you're the only one that knows what my heart sounds like from the inside".




The day my life became complete was the day we welcomed sweet Ryder into this world. “Once he comes, you will feel as though he has always been in your life” was a statement we heard numerous times before and this statement is now a reality for Trever and I. We savor every single moment we have had with our little man and couldn’t begin to imagine life without him. Having a strong faith in God is something that defines me however; I honestly didn’t grasp the magnitude of God’s power until that December day… Meet Ryder Joe:

Born on December 3rd 2011 8.3 lbs and 19 inches Hobbies Include: Smiling Cooing Nursing Sleeping My journey of becoming a mother was incredible. With very few pregnancy symptoms, I was one of the few pregnant women who enjoyed being pregnant up until the last minute. Yes, I did have severe back pain but that was only a small price to pay. I honestly did not reach the “I am so done, just get this baby out of me” phase that I all too often hear women talk about. I absolutely LOVED being pregnant… and as crazy as it may sound, I now see women who are nine months pregnant and I am overcome with jealousy… I know what you’re thinking… “She’s crazy, Ryder’s only three months old” and you’re probably right I am a little crazy. Blame it on my easy going, happy little man and my supportive husband. Ryder’s Birth Story It’s a wonder Ryder didn’t come early with how chaotic my work week was leading up to my delivery… That Monday I received an email saying I was getting a new student the following Monday (the day my Maternity Leave was scheduled to officially begin). Tuesday, I received an email from my administrator saying I was going to have a formal evaluation done on Thursday. If that wasn’t enough to send me into labor, that same day I listened to a voicemail from my long term sub (whom I secured a year in advance) was not going to be able to sub for me. Wednesday consisted of getting everything ready for my new student and meeting him and mom. Then, on Thursday I had my formal evaluation at 40 weeks pregnant and a day past my due date. Needless to say I stopped working that Thursday and went into labor the next morning. How I lasted through that week without giving birth is beyond me. That Friday morning, I woke up feeling mild cramps (which my sister said would feel like period cramps)…totally true. As the day went on they became a little more intense. Trever and I debated the entire day whether to go to the hospital or not. Around 8 O’clock they were beginning to take my breath away so we did what any first time parents would do… we called the hospital. Since I was past my due date they advised us to come in. Again, as any new parents would do we stopped first for some Chick Fil A. After getting checked out they sent me home and said I was only 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. To take my mind off the contractions, we decided to go to my parent’s house. As soon as we got there my sister Dixie took me for a brisk walk around the block to get things moving. Well mission accomplished! Within fifteen minutes of us returning, my contractions increased drastically. We were sitting around the table with my family and Trever began telling every one of his plans to go to my nephew’s football game in the morning. I looked up between contractions and said “you do know I’m in labor right?” To which Trever replied, “Kacey, you’re not in labor, I have ran calls on women who are in labor and they are in so much more pain then you are”. Before he could finish that sentence my water broke. “Oh God, you do have a sense of humor” is what ran through my head. I interrupted him with “I’m either peeing or my water is breaking”. The next thirty minutes were a blur… my mom, sister and Trever were helping me change and shoving dish towels down my pants. We rushed to the hospital and were admitted right away… I soon learned that they can’t send you home if your water breaks. … and the most painfully, miraculous, life changing experience was underway. Being a first time mom lends itself to learning things…many things: #1: Get the epidural right away! Contrary to popular belief, it does not ware off… they actually give you a magical button to release it at your discretion. #2: If your anesthesiologist sucks and hits a nerve putting in your epidural, stay calm… no your leg is not on fire and you will be able to walk again. #3: If your anesthesiologist hits a nerve, your relaxed easy going husband will push the nurse out of the way and hold your hand and become moments away from putting the inexperienced anesthesiologist in a choke hold as you scream for all of the hospital to hear “SOMEBODY HELP ME!” #4: Some of us are blessed with the epidural not taking to the lower portion of our body… in that case KEEP pushing…and know that the baby WILL come out (one way or the other). #5: When your doctor is trying to “assist” in getting your “daddy head” baby out, scream at the top of your lungs “HE’S HURTING ME”… guaranteed he will stop as quickly as he began and will apologize a hundred times. #6: Nothing anyone says, nothing you watch read or see can EVER prepare you for the first moment you lay eyes on your baby. #7: With all the craziness happening in the delivery room, try to only look at your husband and the way he is looking at your son… that memory will never leave you. #8: Let the nurses take care of your newborn so you can rest because the next two months you will become a sleep deprived mess who often wonders if you will ever get to sleep again… ever. #9: Take the full 12 weeks… you can never get that time back and as much as you wish you could… you still can never get that time back. #10: It IS possible to love your husband more than you already do…just wait.