Easy Peasy...

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy....errr watermelon squeezy....Ok, ok, more like

Hard Pard Watermelon OUCH!

We are home. We are adjusting. We are exhausted. We are over the moon for this little guy and feeling truly blessed. This baby boy is a miracle!

I would like to introduce the worlds most well behaved, smartest, funniest, cutest little boy....

Raleigh Myers Ramirez

Awesome doctor and nurse!

Mimi!

So I'll sum up the last few days as quick as possible because there is a small human about to wake up. Last Friday (July 19th) I woke up very pregnant and really wanting NOT to be pregnancy anymore. No dirty details here but in a rush we headed to the hospital around noon. I had not showered or washed my hair...side note, these were the only two things on my pregnancy plan. The. Only.Two!

We went in and expected to be sent home. I was actually embarrassed that we had even driven all the way to the hospital when I wasn't exactly in labor. Well, they kept us, dirty hair and all. 

Now here is where I will be honest. Labor was easy! No really it was a pleasant day filled with family and great nurses. Lots of laughs. Pushed for about 30 minutes. When it was over, and I genuinely meant it, I thanked everyone for a lovely day. The worst pain/distress I have been in was last summer when I caught Campylobacter, I will give that a 10 on the pain scale, labor was a 5. 

PS - I had an epidural:)

Aunts!

I love this picture! So much love!

Our family!

Raleigh boy!

We of course were so surprised the find out Raleigh was a boy. But we would have been surprised either way. We welcomed him into the world at 10:11pm weighing a whopping 7lbs 14 oz. 

Another danged ol' boy!

1 day old...and so handsome!

The hospital stay flew by in a foggy haze. The nurses and staff were so great I felt so taken care of. We were super ready to head home and on Sunday around noon they sent us out into the world...ready or not.

Welcome home banner waiting for us!

The week has really flown by. Still very sleepy. Once simple tasks like going to the bathroom turned into 10 minutes of all kinds of "other stuff". Our days, and nights, have been filled with lots of HGTV because I am attached to this little guy every 2-3 hours. No seriously, I have seen every episode of Love or List It and House Hunters.

Two of the last eight days were hard. Like, cry all day (and night) hard. This is were I'm going to be honest folks. Breastfeeding is far from fun! It's so so so very hard! And the uncontrollable crying that accompanies this is the crap cherry on top. So, it hurts when your "milk comes in". I was prepared for this part. What I wasn't prepared for was my baby freaking out because my boobs were as hard as rocks, un-freaking-latchable. Call in the troops you will loose your mind. I thought my baby was starving!! And I thought my boobs might actually explode! A little advice, surround yourself with positive knowledgeable people. People who will give advice in the most loving way. Or yell at you like you are in a workout class....You can do it! Push through. It only hurts for a little while! People like my mom and sister. No really if you need their number let me know. They saved me! 

Oh, and my husband. When it was bad....really really bad, he curled up behind me in bed and just held me. A good old fashioned spooning. No words, just an unspoken gesture reassuring me we are all in this together. If it takes a village to raise a child, Mr. R is my mayor. He has done everything I asked of him and more.

After we got over the two nights of hell we are feeling better. Raleigh is an eating machine, we are on a great schedule, and we are all so much happier. I am a realist, I know not every night is going to be easy but we are counting every night we are getting some sleep as a little victory.

Wearing sleep deprivation like a badge of honor.

George does not know why this new puppy is here.

Poppie and Raleigh  

Waving hello! 

I knew I would love this baby and my heart would grow tremendously BUT I had no idea how much. As I am typing I am crying because I had no idea I had this much love in my heart. And I am a lover! He is the most perfect precious angel and I feel like God has truly given us a gift. I feel so honored to be his mama.

I cannot get enough of his little expressions. His sounds. His hiccups. His loud burps. His louder toots. The yawns. The squeaks. This child can do no wrong. Even during the "night of hell" Mr. R and I just started laughing because his face was so stinking cute even when he was screaming his head off.

These are some photos from this last week. He gets cuter every day doesn't he? So many people love Raleigh. We are so blessed to have so many friends and family so close. 

Love!

Raleigh's best friend Ily was born one week after him.

So many cousins!

"when is he leaving?"

We are so in love and so happy! A huge thank you to all of the calls and texts and food that has been brought by the house. Ok, thats all I got for now. I'm not proofing this post so forgive any typing errors. Lot's of love!

Happy Baby!