Features of baby Ridge

Cute little legs (that is my index finger next to his leg).

Hair. This is the most that any of our kids have had. There is more in the back than in the front and it is getting lighter every day.

Cute little eyes that look all around when they are open. He always opens his left eye first. Maybe to check things out. When he decides it is worth it he opens his other eys.

A double chin and soft kissable cheeks.

Other fun features - Long fingers and toes ( no Larsen thumbs). "Monkey arms." His arms are really long, like Rusty's. A little bit of baby hair on his back. A dimple on his left cheek when he smiles. This is also our first dimple. So, so cute.

Our hospital stay with Baby Ridge was fairly low key. After he was born he had some respiratory trouble. They told us that because he was born so fast he didn't have as much time as most babies to clear his lungs before making his entrance. I knew it wasn't too bad so I wasn't too worried. He spent the first night under the watchful supervision of the nurses in the nursery. By morning everything had cleared and he spent the rest of his time in our room. Mike and Holly brought the girls to see us on Sunday morning and again in the evening. Rusty went to walmart and got us some treats and we had Ridge's first superbowl party. The name Colter was out when the Colts lost. (Rusty didn't like that name anyway). We slept through the first half of the superbowl and watched the second half. We also watched a few movies and ate hospital food. The food wasn't too bad. Monday morning Ridge went for his hearing test, and failed. Also a product of a quick birth. We were able to leave about 11:00 on Monday morning. We were greeted enthusiastically by Kyleigh, Katelyn, Holly and Naiya. They had decorated the house with blue balloons, ribbons, and a welcome home sign on the fireplace rocks. Ridge looked exceptionally cute in his monkey feet pajamas. Jake got to meet Ridge for the first time. He has been waiting for us at home with all three babies and he gets more and more docile with each one. He wagged his tail and moved on with his day. The girls couldn't get enough of him. We spent the rest of the day holding and loving our new son/baby brother/nephew/cousin. By Tuesday afternoon things were getting restless. We took Ridge for his first walk at the golf course. On Wednesday we took him for a walk by Shipwrecks beach. We also took him for a second hearing screen, which he passed. He had his first Doctors appointment and had to have a bilirubin blood test for jaundice. His levels were too high so we have spent the last two days doing second and third screenings. Just today his bilirubin dropped so we are off the hook and watching for his eyes to clear. Rusty didn't go back to work until Thursday morning and we have had meals brought to us every night. Ridge slept for two four hour sessions last night. I only had to wake up at 2:00 to feed him. It could be a fluke. I won't count my chickens before they are hatched. I think Katelyn woke up every hour for nine months. I couldn't believe that I woke up feeling rested this morning. My mom is coming in 8 days and Rusty's mom will be here after that. The adjustment period is going well. We are so excited that he is here and healthy and such a sweet snuggly boy. On the boy note, so far he has squirted me, numerous blankets, the carpet, and himself in the eye. Welcome home Ridge!

Ridge's Birthday

For those of you who don't know, baby boy Cook has an official name... and the

winner is

Ridge Michael Cook!

His stats were as follow:

Date of Birth - Feb. 6, 2010, Saturday

Time of Birth - 10:05 P.M.

Weight - 8 lbs. 11.7 oz.

Length - 20 3/4 inches

Chest - 13 3/4 inches

Head - 14 3/4 inches

Apgar scores - 8, 9

Delivery Doctor - David McDonald

Ridge's birthday was a busy day:

6:00 am - Rusty left for work in Lihue. He had a few things he had to do on a Saturday.

8:00 am - me and the girls woke up and did our morning chores. We had a bunch of errands to run and no one really wanted to do them. I bribed the girls into being good sports by telling them I would get them donuts for breakfast in Lihue. Kyleigh told me she hadn't had donuts for breakfast since last Christmas at Nama's house (2008) so they were all over the donut idea.

9:00 am - got donuts and met Rusty at Costco. We ate the donuts on their outdoor tables and waited for the doors to open. I needed new tires so we left my car there and I took Rusty back to work and used his truck for errands. Before we took Rusty back to work he had to run into home depot. They were having their make and take kids Saturday. The girls got a home depot apron and they made a little matchbox car display.

10:00 am - Went to the bank and Walmart. Rusty forgot some stuff in his truck so we had to go back to his work and take it to him. The line at the bank was 15 minutes long and the girls were restless. I had to hold Katelyn to keep her from running out the door.

12:00 pm - Back to Costco to do some shopping. Ran into Holly and Naiya so we finished shopping together and decided to eat lunch at the gourmet Costco food stand. Hey, one more meal I didn't have to make or clean up after. Rusty was finished with work by this time so he met us at Costco and ate lunch with us.

2:00 pm - Decided to go swimming. Borrowed a pool key and went to the pool. The last time I wore my swimming suit the plastic side piece on the bottoms split in half so it was shorts and a t-shirt for me. I mostly sat on the edge and put me feet in the water. The girls and Rusty had a blast.

5:00 pm - went to the golf course so the girls could ride bikes and Jake could have a walk.

6:30 pm - home for dinner.

8:00 pm - showered the girls and put them in bed. Kissed the girls goodnight. Started having contractions.

8:25 pm - had Russ call Mike and Holly and put them on call. Before the phone conversation was over told him to let them know it wasn't just on call. We would be right over. Got the girls up (they weren't asleep yet). Loaded up the car with suitcases, car seat, baby stuff, Jake and girls. It took a few minutes.

8:55 pm - Finally made it to Mike and Holly's. They live on a REALLY bumpy road. We had to stop once on the way to their house and twice on the way back to the highway. Contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart.

9:20 pm - made it to the hospital. Rusty was a crazy wild man driver. I needed him to be. There is only one lane at the entrance to the hospital and a line of cars were in front of us waiting for the red light. Rusty drove around them, over the grass, and between two large pots put there to prevent people from driving over the grass. He was going so fast I didn't have time to tell him where to turn so we ended up going all the way around the hospital. He left the car running and helped me in. They checked me in really quick. Rusty ran out and parked the truck. I sat in the wheelchair for five minutes making a lot of noise. Rusty asked again how long it would be. "They will be right down." He was watching his watch. 5 more minutes. I looked at the benches next to me and seriously thought about laying down. Some people came into the waiting room. I was really making a lot of noise. I wonder what they were thinking? The nurse came 4 minutes later.

9:35 pm - We made it to labor and delivery. The nurse called in backup. They got my doctor on his way and called up the ER doctor.

9:40 pm - The ER doctor walked in. The first thing he said was, "the last time I delivered a baby it was a C-section." He then asked if the monitor was showing mom's heart rate or baby's (the heart rate was 150). Rusty and I looked at each other. Both of us were thinking, Oh, crap.

9:50 pm - I asked the nurse how much longer. She promised me a baby before midnight. I looked at her like she was crazy and said "how about 10:00?" She looked at me like I was crazy and said "that's in five minutes."

10:03 pm - Dr. McDonald walked in. We both breathed a HUGE sigh of relief. He calmly asked how things were going. The nurse said, "we're ready for you."

10:05 pm - Dr. McDonald had his hands scubbed, his sterile coat on, and one sterile glove. He caught the baby's head with one hand while the nurse put on his second glove.

Happy Birthday Ridge!

Baby Boy Cook!!!

(posted by Aunt Holly)

Hey everyone!

HE'S HERE!!! The newest member of the RM Cook Fam has arrived and boy howdy is he CUTE!!!! He was born at 10:05 pm, February 6, 2010. He weighed 8 pounds 11 ounces, measured 20 3/4" long, and has super kissable chubby cheeks! Baby boy Cook (name coming soon...if it were up to Katelyn, his name would be "Liddo Owl") is doing great. Mandie is recovering fabulously and is set to run a marathon next week! ha, ha. Okay, not really, but it wouldn't surprise me!

The girls are so excited that their little brother is here! We took them up to see Little Owl twice today and they are pretty much in heaven. They will be the BEST big sisters. He is one lucky and LOVED little guy.

PICTURES, PICTURES, YOU WANT PICTURES!!! Here are a bunch of fun pictures from our visits today. KyKy and KateKate holding him for the first time, proud uncle Mikey shots, darling new family pics, and lots of cute close ups of our sweet little boy! He is definitley one of the most loved little people in the world! ENJOY!

We love you all!

PS: The pictures at the bottom of Kyleigh, Katelyn, and Naiya were just too blasted cute NOT to throw in! When Rusty madly dropped them off before heading to the hospital that night, we all (Ky, Kate, Nai, Uncle Mikey, me, and two crazy dogs) danced around (ring around the rosies style) jumping up and down singing "our new brother/cousin/nephew is coming"! We then searched the bookshelves for all kids books that had new babies in them. We read them all in celebration of "New Brother Eve", kind of like Christmas Eve but with a much better present waiting for them in the morning. :) ha, ha. Too fun. We are so truly grateful that he is here and healthy! We know that he will be a huge blessing to our family. We love you Little Owl!!!

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go!

These are the reasons I am ready to go...

- I can't tell where my calf muscle ends and my ankles begin.

- Getting out of bed is a cross between an earthworm and a beached whale.

- I have to sleep at a 45 degree angle to enable breathing.

- I am very impatient and mean. You can ask my kids or husband (the kids will admit it, Rusty won't. He is smart).

- Last but not least, I am ready to meet our sweet little boy.

Sleeping on the stairs

Bedtime goes in cycles. Sometimes it is easy. Other times it is a battle. Last night Katelyn needed a bandaid, cold water, a banana, some of Mike and Holly's hippy salve, the door open, the door closed, and Jake in her room. All at different times. We heard her reading to herself and playing barbies. Kyleigh tried to put her to sleep by sleeping in her bed for awhile. She gave up because it was uncomfortable. Then said she had to pretend she was asleep so Katelyn would leave her alone. After what seemed like an eternity it was quiet upstairs and we thought all was well. When we went to bed this is how we found our little sweetie. Good Night!

Friday night we went out for dinner. I went to pick up the babysitter and Rusty stayed to feed the girls. He made macaroni and cheese. Katelyn didn't want it. Shocker. Katelyn doesn't like 95% of the things we eat. Rusty told her it wasn't just any mac and cheese, it was "Mac-Daddy cheese," because Daddy made it. She ate two bowls. Go figure.