Mister

Despite the newborn tag on some of his clothes, in my eyes, this boy is no longer a newborn. In the past couple of weeks he has become my little boy and is no longer my newborn baby boy...I miss my newborn, but I love where things are going for my little mister.

And yes, his face is a bit brighter than usual...he got a bit sun-kissed while we were in Chelan for the past couple of days - the vitamin D was great for all of us. More on that little getaway next.

Must Haves...Baby Edition Part 2

Here are a few more items that I just had to share with all of you soon-to-be mama's. I've been thinking about items that I use on a daily basis and figured these might come in handy for a few of you out there.







1. Moby Wrap: This wrap is the perfect way to carry and child that sometimes just doesn't want to be put down. I've gone on walks, worked around the house and on the computer while carrying Raleigh in the Moby. I bought mine at Babies-R-Us, but they're available at most maturnity/children's stores.

2. Diaper Champ: Some people swear by the Diaper Genie, which I've never used, but I'd swear by the Diaper Champ. The main reason being that you can use normal garbage bags (ie the Kirkland bags from Costco for cheap) rather than having to buy the Diaper Genie specific bags.

3. HALO SleepSack: I received a HALO SleepSack as a gift from a girlfriend and also received a free one, embroided, from the hospital. Oh wait...free from the hospital? Nothing is free...not even the tiny bottle of Johnson n Johnson shampoo I took home - can't wait to see the charge for that. Ok, enough of my complaining...we don't swaddle Raleigh during the day, but at night he will break out of it in two seconds, no matter how tight we wrap him up so this SleepSack is perfect for our strong guy. You zip them up and then velcro them in - the best part is that the zipper goes from the top to the bottom so when I change him in the middle of the night, I don't have to take him completely out of the swaddle.

4. Day & Night Light Musical Mirror: I had a rental car for a couple of days last week and didn't bother to transfer this mirror over and hated not being able to see my guy in the rearview mirror. This is a must have for your primary car. The music doesn't seem to do much now, but the light has come in handy a couple of times.

5. Lorex - Live Snap Video Baby Monitor: We received this monitor as a gift from my in-laws and absolutely love it. It's wireless, has night vision and is incredibly easy to use. My mother-in-law bought it in the electronics section at Costco (not sure if they still carry it) after Steve read some reviews on it and suggested it as gift. I don't have much additional knowledge on monitors, as Steve did all of the research on this, but from what he found the Lorex was the best one out there for the best price.

6. BOB Stroller: Ok, so this is the only stroller I've ever used (so far), but I will say that it is hands down the best stroller on the market. I use this stroller every single day to go on walks or to go shopping. I love how easy it is to maneuver, fold up and get in and out of the car. Our two car-seats attach to it perfectly with the car seat adaptor.

7. Dr. Brown's Bottles: So, I realize in my last 'Must Haves' list I mentioned the Playtex Drop-Ins, but since that post we have switched to the Dr. Brown's bottles and think they're even better. They're a bit on the pricey side, but worth it. They help reduce gas, collic, burping and spit-up.

First Trip to Harstine Island

Over Memorial Day weekend we took a little roadtrip out to the Rinabarger's property on Harstine Island for the day. They own three lots, that they'll eventually build a cabin on, but for now they keep their trailer out there and try to spend as many weekends as possible during the spring and summer months. We had a great time playing on the beach, eating some great food and hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. Raleigh enjoyed the sun, the fresh Puget Sound air and was wide awake for most of the visit, which made for a very happy Grandma and Grandpa. I think he's already counting down the days until his next Harstine Island adventure.

Tomorrow morning, Raleigh and I are off to Chelan with this fabulous gal and her kiddos - can't wait!

Farewell RinaCamper

Last night was a heartbreaking night at our house as we sadly said goodbye to our trusty 1967 Aristocrat Travel Trailer. After much thought and a growing family, Steve decided it was time we sell our 16ft RinaCamper with the hopes of eventually (soon) upgrading to a larger trailer. We never had a chance to take Raleigh out in the trailer, but we know it would have been a bit tough in the confined spaces.

Over the past four years, we've put hours and hours into fixing up this trailer to make it a cozy home-away-from-home and that's exactly what it has been for the two of us. We also had the privilege of traveling to some great places and make some wonderful memories with our trusty trailer - Deception Pass, Lake Chelan, Friends of Fitch (Port Gamble), Harstine Island, Whidbey Island and Pullman. Along the way, on each road trip, we'd always receive a honk or a wave from fellow Cougs which always made us extra proud.

Probably the hardest part about selling the RinaCamper was the person we sold it to - he was very nice and was ecstatic to get his hands on an Aristocrat...BUT...

Buyer: So, what's the deal with the Cougars on the trailer?
Steve: Ummm where are you from? (thinking this guy must be from out of state)
Buyer: Olympia
Steve: No, I mean where did you grow up?
Buyer: Olympia
Steve: The Cougars...as in Washington State University it's where my wife and I went to college.
Buyer: Oh, that's the mascot of the state school? Is it a baseball or football team?
Steve: Yes...

Breaks my heart that the highest bidder on our DIE.HARD.COUG'ED.OUT. TRAILER had no idea what he was truly purchasing. I guess on the brightside, Steve and I know that we won't ever go to Pullman and see the trailer in the tailgating lot as that would probably break our hearts even more.

* One Month *

It's so hard for me to believe that 4 weeks ago tonight, I gave birth to my handsome boy (not sure if we celebrate his one month birthday on the 28th or today...so I'll go with today). Steve and I left our house a month ago as the two of us and came home two days later as a family of three. Because of Raleigh, our lives have changed for the better and we like it...a lot. As with any major change, we've had our ups and downs, but each perfect day and each rough patch are completely worth everything that we have in this moment.

Here are just a few of the things about my son that make me swoon...

His alert/attentive eyes. We spend at least some time everyday outside (his favorite place besides for his changing table) and I swear he hardly blinks. If he could talk, I think he'd tell me that he loves the sun and fresh air...just like his mama.

The way he smiles when he's dozing off. The other day I was laying next to him out on the lawn in our yard and actually heard a little laugh...melted my heart and I can't stop talking about it now.

His stretches when I unswaddle him in the morning and then the cuddles in our bed just before his Dad leaves for work.

The way he stares at me when I feed him. I chat with him while he eats and constantly wonder what he's thinking about.

Raleigh - we love you for so many reasons, but mainly for the happiness and joy that you've brought to our entire family. At 8:21 tonight, your dad and I will be toasting you and remembering that moment when we first laid eyes on you - happy 4 week birthday, Snugs.

A couple of nights ago we got dinner to go and ate at Cove Beach in Normandy Park on Puget Sound. The photo of Steve and Raleigh is my new favorite.

Playdates Galore

Ok, so I get that my sweet boy doesn't really know how to play yet...or make eye contact with anyone for longer than a second, but we've had ourselves a boatload of playdates over the past few weeks and I really don't want them to ever end. One day he'll understand what a playdate actually consists of and will most likely wish that I weren't tagging along, but until then I'll use these get-togethers to catch up with my girlfriends and swoon over the kiddos.

Raleigh celebrating his one-week birthday with his buddy Brady


Hanging out (I think he slept through the entire visit) with his cousins Paul and Olivia


With his #1 girl Miss Ava


At Kelsey Creek Park with Tristan, Addi, Eden and Ava - Raleigh was a bit tuckered out from this adventure, but not tired enough to enjoy his first experience at Red Robin later in the day.




With the two boys that are the closest in age to Raleigh - his twin buddies Wyatt and Smith who were born 12 hours after him. I'm sad I didn't get a photo of Wyatt and Smith's older brother Walter with all of them.

Megs was so sweet and came up with Ave from Bend and spent the weekend with us - it was perfect and exactly what this exhausted mama needed. She nurtured Raleigh like he was her own, made dinner and just relaxed with us. Thank you Megs for give this new mama the perfect weekend.

Quality time with Auntie Megs

At less than 3 weeks old, Steve decided it was time to teach Raleigh how to work in the garden and potentially take his first steps...not sure how much interest he had in either activity.

Love For My Boys

Five years ago today (when I least expected it) my life was changed forever when I met the man that I would spend the rest of my life with.

Because of that chance meeting, today we also celebrate the birth of our sweet boy - three weeks ago.

As each day passes, I fall deeper and crazier in love with these two.  Thank you to my husband and my son for making me the wife and mama that I am today - I love you.

Must Haves...Baby Edition

I'd feel selfish if I didn't share a few of my current "Baby Must Have Items"...so here they are...






1. Fisher Price - Newborn Rock 'n Play Sleeper: This item was first introduced to me by my dear friend Rothie (who is a mama to twins) and then we received one as a gift from my other dear friend Court. This is Raleigh's current bassinet - he loves it and so do we. It fits perfectly next to our bed and is easily accessible for me to get him in and out in the middle of the night.

2. Mommy's Bliss - Gripe Water: In our house we refer to this as holy water because one rough night (the first day we introduced Raleigh to formula) our boy decided he needed to scream/cry for two hours straight due to an upset tummy (we're assuming) and this wonder juice saved our family. A huge thank you to my savior Megan for mentioning Gripe Water and for responding to my text at almost midnight to confirm what we needed to buy during our midnight run to Walgreens.

3. Playtex - Drop Ins: The best bottles for a newborn that is both breastfeeding and eating from a bottle. Quick to clean and excellent for sucking, swallowing and breathing for a newborn baby.

4. NoseFrida - The Snotsucker: Best invention ever for a baby with a stuffed up nose. The idea seems a bit far-fetched...sucking snot out of your babies nose with your mouth, but it's seriously brilliant and MUCH easier to use than one of those blue ball suckers that the hospital gives you. Thank you again to Megan for this fabulous gift.

5. Simple Wishes - Hands Free Pumping Bra: If you're going to use a breastpump, that isn't hands free, you'll definitely want to purchase this bra...for your sanity. Otherwise, you'll end up sitting there for hours on end with your hands confined to holding the pump bottles. With this sexy ridiculous contraption you'll be able to take care of odds and ends while you pump. You may also want to purchase ear plugs to avoid the horrible sound of the pump.

6. Mustela: I've only used the foam shampoo and the vitamin barrier (butt) cream so far, but I'm in love with these products and so is my boy. He smells just oh-so-good and his dry skin is thanking me for just a bit of hydration.  I look forward to trying out the rest of the products soon.

My Little Snugs

In the past 12 days since Raleigh's birth, I've called him about 10 different names, but the one that seems to stick the most is Snugs. I mean look at this little guy...he's the snuggiest babe I've ever seen.

I feel so lucky that I get to snuggle and kiss his sweet cheeks all day long and feel even more thankful that I get to call him my son.

Thank You Mom!

I’ve only been able to look you in the eyes for 10 days, but we’ve bonded for the past 10 months. Word has it that you have dreamt about having me as long as you can remember, and I could have only wished to come in to the kind Love you shower upon me.

You have taken every precaution to help me grow into the healthy little man I am today – even though it resulted in great sacrifices including missing your Stevie Nicks concert, less ‘Journey performances’ on the dance floor and a shift in your social life to accommodate more ‘growing time’ for me.

I look around my room and see your love expressed in so many ways. You have devoted so much energy into creating the perfect nest for me. How did you know that I would share the same nautical taste as my Daddy? And watch out ladies - my wardrobe is out of this world!

Your tender love for me in the past week and a half has made me realize that I am truly the luckiest little man. You have shown amazing patience as I figure out life beyond the womb. You have been there to comfort me with a warm kiss, embrace, and smile when my patience wears thin. Thank you!

I know we were meant to be together. I look forward to growing with you, bonding with you and for you to show me how to get along in this world…

I LOVE YOU MOM!

~Raleigh

P.S. Dad - Thank you  for helping me write this.

True Love

As I sit down at the computer for the first time since last Wednesday, tears of joy and happiness stream down my face. I look down to see my sweet boy staring up at me with his gorgeous eyes and big pursed lips. I collect my thoughts and try to put my emotions to words.

Last Wednesday, Steve and I dreamt about the changes and wonderful things that the following day would bring - we had no idea about the love that was about to enter our lives.

You can't truly imagine what parenthood is like until it happens to you and last Thursday evening all of those imaginations became reality and it was the greatest feeling I've ever had in my life.

Here's the story of our sweet son's arrival...
7am Thursday morning we checked in to Overlake Hospital in Bellevue for my scheduled induction (41 weeks - a week past due). Soon after arrival, I was hooked up to the heart rate monitor and contraction monitor and given an internal pill to get my contractions going. By noon, I had dilated to 2cm and was then given Pitocin to speed up the process. Around 3pm I was given an epidural for the contractions and only dilated to 4cm. Immediately after the epidural was administered our boy's heart rate dropped drastically and caused for a bit of commotion and urgency in our room. Suddenly, the Anesthesiologist, my doctor and five nurses were in our room contorting me into various positions in an attempt to stabilize his heart rate. About five minutes later his heart rate was back to normal and things were good. This scared both of us, but we knew we had to stay calm for our boy. At 7pm my doctor came back in to my room to check my progress and not much was going on. I was on track for contraction, but had only dilated to 4cm and did not seem to be progress and every time I laid directly on my back his heart rate would drop, slightly. My options were to continue as we were and see how the contractions would continue or go in for a c-section. Steve and I were concerned that a vaginal birth would cause too much stress on our boy because of the slowing heart rate so we opted for the c-section. Both of our families were already at the hospital, waiting on pins and needles for the news of the arrival of their sweet grandson and nephew.

At 8:21pm on Thursday, April 28, our lives were changed, for the better, forever and Raleigh John Rinabarger made his grand entrance at a whopping 7lbs 1oz and 19.5 inches long. This first photo is the very first look we got of our handsome boy and I've never seen anything more perfect in my life. The love that filled our hearts at that split second is indescribable. Of my 31 years of life, I can say with all of my heart that the moment I laid my eyes on my son was the greatest moment of my life.

Mr. Raleigh is now requesting that we head off to bed (at least for the next few hours), so I must sign off, but I'll post more photos very soon. A million and one thank yous for all of the love and support we've received from our friends and family.  Raleigh is a lucky little man to have all of the amazing people that we have in our life now in his life.

Water for Elephants

If you read that blog title a little too quickly like my dear friend Steph did, you may have thought my water broke...nope...not yet. Since my water is still in tact, we went and saw Water for Elephants last night and LOVED it! I considered leaving the theater a few times due to being extremely uncomfortable, but then was able to relax a bit after stretching out across three seats and leaning against Steve. Reese is stunning and Robert is much more handsome and grown up from the Twilight saga and both did a wonderful job. If you've read the book, like I have, you'll definitely see the parallels, but there are some differences as well.

As most pregnant women know, you get a weekly email update throughout your pregnancy on the growth of your unborn child. Well, today I received an email titled "Your Baby: 1 Week" which went on to congratulate me on the "big thrills" that I've been experiencing this past week...hmmmmmm...the only thrills I've received in the past week are some extra sharp jabs to my sides. My boy is officially 5 days late, BUT the end is near and Mr. Raleigh will be arriving on Thursday. Until then, I'm staying busy at work and running errands.

A huge THANK YOU to our friends and family for the emails, texts, Facebook messages, comments - we love hearing from you all and will keep you posted on our sons arrival.

A Little Bit of Sun...

Made the people of Seattle VERY happy yesterday

I swear the sun comes out (for the first day in 2011) and people come out of hibernation and decide it's time for shorts, tanks and flip flops - not sure if that attire is necessar in 65 degree temps, but whatever makes you happy. Along with the sun, comes a lot of happy people with smiles on their faces. The sun in Seattle just has a way with the locals unlike any other city...maybe you'd have to be a local to completely understand it, but it's a great feeling. I hoped the sun might entice my son to join us, but that was not the case - he's still enjoying his carefree life nuzzled directly under my rib cage and has given me zero direction as to when he'd like to join us.

The weather made for the perfect day to have a bridal shower with friends to celebrate our dear friend Diggy's wedding. Congratulations Diggy and Ryan! We can't wait to celebrate with you at Aldberbrook in July!

Here are a few things I've had on my mind lately...usually around 4am after I've struggled to get out of bed for the 3rd time of the night to go to the bathroom and have the toughest time getting back to sleep:

• My love affair with ice cream MUST come to an end sometime in the the next week.
• In the last month I've become HOOKED on shows about jail..Lockup Raw being my favorite...yes, I'm weird.
• Less than a week from now, I will be a mama.
• I want Tina Fey to be my celebrity best friend. I bought her new book Bossypants yesterday at Costco (BTW - excellent prices on books, but you probably already knew that) and am already halfway finished - she is one amazing writer and woman.
• Our yard is in complete shambles. Steve decided a week ago that our lawn wasn't quite up to par. Therefore, every night after work this week and most of the weekend has been spent on the tractor, tilling, laying a "miracle fertilizer", planting new grass seed and working on the garden...he loves this kind of stuff and I feel like I'm married to a farmer.
• I've always liked a clean house, but this "baby nesting" phase has taken my cleanliness to a whole new level. I clean and do laundry every.single.day thinking that that day or the next just might be the day my baby arrives...this has been going on for a month now.

Happy "Due Date" RJR!

Well, the day has arrived, and from the results of my doctors appointment this morning (1cm dilated and 20% effaced), it doesn't sound like our boy will be making his debut today. I'm assuming he's just be a bit too comfortable, which is not comfortble for his mama and is making his parents more anxious than ever. If nothing happens this weekend, I have an appointment scheduled for Monday morning and my doctor will induce next Thursday.

In honor and celebration of this day that we've been counting down for over nine months now, I made cupcakes to share with my co-workers. They all think I've completely lost my mind and don't understand what I'm still doing at work, but to be honest, I'd rather stay busy than sit around the house. I mean I can only rearrange the nursery, do laundry, vacuum and clean so many times a day.

Happy Due Date Raleigh! Your Grandparents would love for you to arrive before Easter so you can celebrate with us, but we're fine with you staying put for as long as you feel necessary.

Steve and I haven't had a photo together in months so we took one this morning before we left the house...maybe not the best idea...this photo is deceiving...we look miserable and appear to be half awake, but I promise we are the most excited we've ever been in our lives.

39 Weeks ~

Here I am this morning before work. Maybe this is my last day of work for a few months, maybe not? Unless my boy decides to join us this weekend, I'll be back on Monday. Also, I've let Raleigh know that I have a birthday party to attend for my dear friend Jamie this weekend so we'll see if he holds off long enough for us to celebrate JOAT and go to the Leary Traveler one last time.

The Nashelle necklace I've been been wearing for the past few weeks (the one in this photo) was a gift from my lovely Megs. She's had the same necklace with Miles and Ava's names and birthstones on it for a while now and I've always told her how much I love it so she bought one for me! Have I ever mentioned that I have the best girlfriends in the world?

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!