End of May update.

Just thought we'd take a minute and write down what's been going on around the Freeman household. These last couple of weeks have been really nice, especially since school ended and the only thing we had to worry about was work. Kristy and Ryleigh stay home while Mike goes to work at Citi. It has been a long journey since the beginning of the year and I'm proud to say, with absolutely no sarcasm, we all survived. Ry is getting bigger every day. She has now passed 11 lbs and is steadily gaining about an ounce per day. Kristy is getting stronger and more agile. We take walks, sometimes up to a mile long. I'm so proud of her. Summer classes start on June 9th and I'll be taking a 4 credit Calculus course over an 8 week period. Needless to say I'm not exactly thrilled about math but my motivation has really changed since the last time I took Calc. Here are some pictures and videos of Ry. She is the cutest little diaper filler in the world.












Last Sunday, Ryleigh received a blessing in front of the ward. A lot of family showed up to support and participate. Special thanks to Amy for the help with the accommodations at the hotel. Special thanks to all those who traveled long distances to join us. We love you all very much. Here are some pictures of the event.

Here's some more pics of Ryleigh.

Ryleigh's big week!

This is Kristy, I decided to do the update today. This week Ryleigh slept through the night 4 times!! We feel so blessed that she is doing well. She is growing and changing so fast. She holds her head up on her own really well, she is starting to hold on to the bottle when she eats, and she has been batting at the stuffed animals that hang from the mobile over her swing. She is a precious little girl with a million dollar smile and we love her so much!

Ryleigh in her element

This pretty much explains itself. We took this one this morning before I left for work.

Weekend BBQ

I finally caught her smiling. She has been doing this more and more lately. She's even starting to smile when she recognizes Kristy or me. It's really great to see the progress she's making.










This past weekend we had BBQ with a bunch of friends. The house got a little crowded so we moved the couch and all the chairs outside. It was a lot of fun and the food was great. Ry really likes being outside.

I caught Kris and Ry napping

This weekend has been everything I had hoped for. I was able to sleep in and then hang out with the girls. We checked out our local auction house then looked for garage sales. We got home around 1:30 and fed Ry. After the feeding, I went upstairs to catch up on some tv episodes that I've missed over the last couple months. I put Ry in her crib and Kris laid down on the bed in the nursery. I watched NUMB3RS and Moonlight. Eventually Ry wanted to be held, so I put her on the bed with Kristy and they snuggled right up and I had to take a picture.

Little Ryleigh just couldn't stop hiccuping. After all she had gone through, it was great to see such a normal function come from her.

Ryleigh at 6 weeks

This is a video we took while Ry was still in the NICU. She had tested positive for a very contagious virus, hence the gloves and gowns. They didn't want us spreading it to the other babies in the unit.

Friday night update. 05/02/2008

As you can see, Ryleigh is getting bigger every day. Her face is so expressive. The best part is the fact that she has dimples like her mom and dad. Ry has been such a huge blessing and an even bigger trial. Her eyes are still dark blue, no teeth yet, and she is hitting a lot of important milestones. She can follow moving objects with her eyes, she also turns to sounds. We also have experienced her first smile. She has been known to smile in her sleep but this one was while I was playing with her and she just had a big, dimpled, toothless smile on her face. It was amazing and comforting to know that she recognized me.

This week has been pretty crazy. Working as a bill collector is difficult work. I don't get any enjoyment from my job. I just sit and wait for the next person to call and tell me exactly what's on their mind, while I have to express my sympathies for their hardships. Today I decided to count how many times I hear either a "thank you" or a compliment. After 5 days, averaging 60 calls per day, I had 7.

School's going okay I guess. I only have about 2 weeks left until finals. Fortunately, none of my finals are comprehensive. Also, only 2 of them are tests. the other 2 are a paper and a presentation.

Kristy is doing well. She is still pretty sore and has more healing to do, but she's looking great. She got a new haircut and then let me dye it red. She looks so good, and it was a huge boost to her confidence.

Tonight, the three of us went to see Ironman. It was awesome. The movie was pure enjoyment. Kristy did have a problem with one part where Tony Stark pulled a feeding tube from his nostril. The memory of her own tube removal combined with seeing it on screen nearly made her throw up. Other than that and only two small peeps from Ryleigh, the movie was completely uninterrupted.

We are all looking forward to the weekend. Ry has been sleeping almost 6 hours in a stretch. We love the progress she's making.

Thank you all so much for you prayers and you love. We have definitely felt the your support these last few months. Feel free to leave any comments.