Happy 6th Birthday, Hannah Elizabeth!

6 years ago today, our lives forever changed on so many levels...

• We became parents of a precious baby girl.
• We became a family of 4.
• We learned just how powerful prayer is.

 

On the day of Hannah's birth, things could have gone terribly wrong. In most instances, things do go terribly wrong. You see, I had nearly a complete abruption with her...

 These are very commonly fatal, as was the case with my little brother on 12/9/01...

 The fact that she survived with no issues. The fact that I had no major issues. Those are miraculous...

 Hannah Elizabeth is our miracle.

 She has brought so much love and happiness to our family...

 

She amazes me daily with what she comes up with. Her imagination blows me away. Her memory and knowledge of everything is incredible.

She is the best daughter we could ever ask for...

 Her love for anything living is precious. She loves horses with every ounce of her being, much like her mother did when she was little! She adores babies and little children. She is so very compassionate and caring...

Hannah Elizabeth,

I am so very proud of you! You are so very special to me - you are my only daughter! You are the only one I can take to paint nails or play with hair or play dress up.

Just like I do with your brothers, I cherish every single moment together. Every single thing that you do.

As I type this, you are creating words on the floor to create a hopscotch game. You had the idea to make the words. You have a zest for learning that I have never seen. In fact, we have you an entire year ahead of your peers! You, Hannah, began Kindergarten at 4 years old!
 
Hannah, I love you to the moon and back a million, zillion, and one time!

XOXOXOXO,
Your Mommy

Wesley's 4th Birthday ~ In Pictures

Happy 4th Birthday, Wesley Keegan :-)

 

Wesley was in complete awe of his cake and the sparkler candles. The prior 3 years, he was too young to remember, so this year was a BIG deal - He really thought he was some hot stuff since he it was all about him!

Grandma Riker came over for a celebratory dinner, and gave Wesley a whopping $4! Earlier in the week, he received a package all the way from Mississippi that Grammie and Grampy sent - he walked around for days singing "It's almost my birthday" after their special treat came! And now, he will tell everyone that will listen that he was this many (holding up 3 fingers) and now he is this many (holding up 4 fingers)!!

 



On Wesley's Birthday, he woke to quite the surprise - Mr. Elf Riker had made an appearance! On his way in, he grabbed a roll of painters tape and spelled out "Happy Birthday Wesley"! He then ran the tae all the way across the floor, up the opposite wall and perched himself on the shelf, holding the roll of painters tape.

My Sweet Baby is 4 Years Old!

I can hardly believe that my sweet, precious baby is 4!

This year has been an emotional one - as he has gotten older, we have realized just how far behind his peers he is. Because of this, Wesley had to be tested for speech and development. At first, he did  quite poorly, and I was devastated. Thinking that because I could not stay pregnant for a mere 8 weeks longer, he was now suffering. I called my friend who is a speech/language pathologist and sobbed to her about these results....

After a few weeks, we received a call from "The Office of Disabled Preschoolers" wanting to set up a further evaluation with Wesley. We went to this one and 2 hours later, we walked out with no information, other than the "he did great" and "we will get back to you in a few months." UGH! Time move  oh so slow. Finally on January 29th, we had a phone conference, I was unable to go in person because I had the flu. During this phone call, I learned that Wesley is about 6 months behind his peers in development and almost 19 months behind his peers in language. Once again the devastation returned. Because of me, he was not able to grow and mature. Because of me, he faced multiple difficulties at birth. Because of me, he now had to deal with all of these issues....

Now, my sweet baby goes to speech therapy twice a week, which in the grand scheme of things, is not terrible. In a few years time, his speech will be corrected and all of the frustrations we currently have will diminish....

So, when I look back on this year, it was full of great memories and hard memories. But, I loved every single moment of them. Wesley brings a special spunk that is like no other. He is such a unique kiddo. He is always making us laugh, yet making us pull our hair out. In fact, at speech today, as his teacher was telling me just how delightful he is, he made a fist, reared back, and punched his brother - really?!?!?!

I love this kiddo more and more every single day. He brightens my day with his sweet kisses and hugs. He comes into our bed every morning so that he can "nuggle" with us....

Wesley Keegan, I love you so very much. I love the way you smile. I love the way you tell me you will always be my baby. I love your hugs, your kisses. I love (and hate) the way you have no fear. I love watching the way you try and do everything your big brother and sister do. Wesley, you are such a big boy now. I miss all of your babyisms. I wish that I could stop (and reverse just a bit) time. I do not look forward to the day when you no longer want to snuggle. When you no longer want me to hold you. When you are to big to give me kisses or hugs in public - but I am afraid those days will be here before I am ready. The thought of you, my baby growing up, brings tears to my eyes, but no matter how big you get, you will always be my little baby!

I love you sweet boy! Happy 4th Birthday!
XOXOXO
Mommy


4 Years Old

**Link to 3rd Birthday Post and Pictures**

Mommy is 3-0!

On December 1, I turned 30! I told Robert last year, that all I wanted for my birthdays to come, was to be with my family. Well, life hit some bumps and as we grew closer to December, I knew that it was not going to happen. This brought me great sadness, but I could not let on because the last thing I wanted to was make Robert feel guilty as I knew that he would move Heaven and Earth to get me there if he knew just how badly I wanted it.... Well, he did just that! 

Friday evening, November 30, I was told someone wanted to come look at our house. To say that I was excited is an understatement - the thought of moving to MS made the pain of not going to MS for my birthday bearable. But boy was I surprised when I walked in that door....

Waiting for me was Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer... and my parents, sisters, and brothers! It was incredible! My single, solitary birthday wish had been granted! That night, we laughed, we smiled, we caught up on lost time. I was absolutely in Heaven! Around 10, they left for the hotel and Daddy and I put the kiddos to bed. We stayed up talking until almost 2am as I could not sleep.... When Wesley woke at 4, I was not a happy camper, but luckily, he agreed to snuggle in my bed until Hannah woke at 6 :-(....

When the sun rose and we were all awake on December 1, we realized that Mr. Elf pulled a trick on us - he had the yard decorated with a barn and 30+ cows! The barn read, "HOLY COW! Mary is 3-0!" The kiddos LOVED it! As the day moved on, Aunt RaRa and Uncle JoJo came over and took the kiddos for a bike ride. When they returned, Daddy and Aunt RaRa went to the store.... for some odd reason... while JoJo, the kiddos, and I walked to the Dock. We came home, fed the kiddos and put Wesley down for a nap and Hannah in her bed for some quiet reading, while Little Robert did some reading on the couch.

Within minutes of laying Wesley down, the rest of the crew came over... they have not had little ones around in a while and do not understand how to use an inside voice! Luckily, Wesley slept right through it all.... for almost 4 hours! We all enjoyed some chilli and then just spent time relaxing and bonding --> Making memories! It was fabulous! I LOVED just sitting and chatting with Mama and Papa. I LOVED feeling a part of the family, instead of the outsider that I so often feel. It was so incredibly wonderful!

After a while, everybody decided to go out to dinner. We did and it was so much fun! Of course, they told everyone that it was my birthday! The company was great, the restaurant was slow and mixed up entrees, bills, etc etc. They definitely could have done better! So, we left there a bit frustrated, but little did I know, ANOTHER surprise was coming....

Robert, with the help of 2 very dear girlfriends, had organized a surprise party! After the surprise of the night before, this was the last thing I had expected! I so enjoyed it, though. I LOVED being able to introduce mama to my friend girls - that alone meant so very, very much to me. Since we are so far apart, we do not see each others day to day. So, to be able to do that, made me feel so very good! This was the perfect end to a perfect weekend!

Sunday brought with it the dreaded goodbyes. Those are always hard, but this time it felt just that much harder. I adored every single second of my time with my family. I enjoyed every single second of the entire weekend. There is not a single thing I would change.... except for someone truly buying our house and us moving back to MS! Special thanks to my wonderful husband for all he did to make this past weekend so absolutely incredible!

Happy ?? Birthday, Grandma!

There is a closely guarded secret in the Riker Family and that is Grandma's age! Well, because she is so secretive about it, we just have to flaunt it! Her last milestone birthday was shortly after we had moved to Jacksonville and, let's just say we took FULL advantage of it! We hosted a surprise party for her, which included a surprise trip from her brother in New York. And just so that all were sure as to just how old she was, we had the cake shaped into those 2 numbers!! It was great fun!

This year, it was a little low key. We called her that morning and wished her a Happy Day, and I am sure she thought that was all she would get from us - well, she was wrong! A few hours later, we showed up with pizza and cupcakes singing Happy Birthday and disrupting everybody trying to work! Even Father Thahn came in to see what was going on! Everybody had a great time and Grandma was able to know she how much we love and appreciate her.

This day is always hard on me though because I cannot do the same with my children and my parents. When it is Grammie and Grampy's birthday, we can send a card, send a present, make a phone call - we can't just show up with cake and pizza to disrupt the flow of their day. It hurts, but I know that right now, we are where we are meant to be and if God should call us to live elsewhere, we will go in a heartbeat. Just like we did when He called us to live here.....

Anyhow, here are some pictures from our Birthday feast!

How dare we use manners.... especially at the rectory!

She was SO proud of herself!

Icing Mustache!

Grandma did not want her picture taken, but I got one... mid sentence!

Happy 7th Birthday, Robert Edwin III

As I sit here writing, I am in a state of shock - is my first born, the child that first taught me about being selfless and about loving with every ounce of my being - is he really turning 7?! Where has the time gone? Surely I am missing something......right?!?!?!

These past 7 years have been so full of memories - Daddy and were recently talking and neither of us really recall life before Little Robert. 7 years is not that long, but having a child, especially your firstborn, changes things so drastically. He took the life that we knew as husband and wife and turned it upside down - he gave us new titles of mommy and daddy and made us re-define everything from 'date night' to fancy dinners to priorities. Little Robert has done so much more than he will ever realize!

I will always remember his second day of life - neither Daddy nor I could calm him down. He would not nurse. He would not sleep. All he wanted to do was scream. Finally, I called my mama. She came up there. Took this little 6lb 7oz bundle and he immediately quieted. She then helped him nurse and from there out we were a team.

I will always remember his very first overnight at 4 months old. All of my sisters and parents took turns with him all night. It was right before we were to move to FL and I really wanted my family to have quality time with him before we left. I left 30+ oz of breastmilk for the 18hrs he was there and he drank every last drop! Daddy and I had to go to a hotel that night as I could not go to my house without my baby.... Daddy was so very good and gave into my every want and desire!

I will never forget our first days in FL. We would bring daddy to work and then return to Grandma's and just lay around and nurse all day. When daddy would ask if we made progress finding a job, I would tell a little lie and say why of course, dear!

I will never forget when we were visiting my new job and he was playing in his room, crawling through a tunnel barefoot when a kid bit his foot! It was the first time he had ever been bitten and it broke my heart. A few weeks later, the same kid bit his cheek and broke the skin.... while I was holding both of their hands!

I will never forget the first time he saw his baby sister. For the first time, my little boy looked so very big. And then when he met his baby brother - he looked even bigger....

I will never forget the way that he loves to play with his brother and sister - albeit a little too rough at times, but he will never, ever let anybody hurt them. He is their protector and will always be there for them. 

I will never forget the way that he proudly says the pledge and prays every morning when we start school. And the way that he likes to always surprise me with his work.

My little man, my firstborn is growing up way too fast. He no longer will let me kiss him and if I do, he wipes them off. He is getting to big to hold, yet we still cuddle.....

Happy Birthday my sweet son. I love you so very much and am so proud of you. Thank you for teaching me all of the lessons that you have taught me. Thank you for teaching me to be selfless. Thank you for helping me learn to go with the flow. Enjoy your day, Robert. I love you! xoxoxoxox

7 Years Old

6 Years Old

5 Years Old

4 Years Old

3 Years Old

2 Years Old

1 Year Old

2 Days Old

Celebrating Little Robert

This year, since I have been home with the kiddos and not recovering from major surgery, we have allowed each kiddo the freedom to celebrate his/her day however they choose. Well, this year, Little Robert's 7th Birthday lands on Easter Sunday, so we voted to celebrate it a bit early and today was that day!

From the moment he woke to the moment he fell asleep, he was in control.... I even let him skip school! He had a list a mile long and it included so many different things!

The day started with breakfast.... Honey Nut Cheerios! From there, we went to the library for story hour with Mrs. Marsha. For a while, we went every Wednesday to story/craft with her, but then the library made some cuts and had to move it to Thursday which did not fit our schedule. But today, we made it work! He was so excited the entire way there, but once we arrived, he became quiet and withdrawn. When she approached Robert, he curled into a ball and would not talk to her. But when it was time to leave, he gave her the biggest, sweetest hug. A hug so precious that it made my mommy heart a little jealous!

After this, we had to make an unscheduled trip to Target to buy Hannah a pair of shoes since she somehow left hers at home. We were in and out of there in record time and on our way to Bank of America where we met Daddy for lunch.

Since it was Little Robert's day, we allowed him to choose his lunch entirely..... He decided that apple juice and nacho cheese Doritos equaled a well balanced meal! They always enjoy this special time with daddy and I am pretty sure that daddy enjoys it as well. After making quite a mess and becoming well acquainted with the bathroom sinks, we were ready to leave Daddy and head to our next destination.....

Walmart - where we had to pick up a few items and gather the goodies to make our Edible Easter Crafts. It took us a little bit to find everything and of course the kiddos all decided at separate times that they needed to potty, so after an hour, we were ready to check out and go have more fun!

Our next stop was MOSH. Robert absolutely adores this place. We were about 90 minutes early for the science show, so we decided to just hang out and kill time until it was time for that. However, after 30 minutes, they announced that there would be an alligator exhibit in the back. The kiddos were so excited and we made out way to the back where they were able to touch a 2 month old alligator on loan from Orlando. The kiddos were able to ask questions and get a good, hands on experience. Once they put him/her (they are unsure of gender) away, we went upstairs to learn about different types of matter. This exhibit has been there for a bit, but my kiddos love it and enjoy it more every time we go. Unfortunately, after a short while upstairs, I became ill so we had to leave....

Little Robert was such a trooper. I brought him to the bathroom and, through my tears, told him just how sorry I was. He was so kind and so brave and told me that it was okay. That he had a great day and it was okay if we went home..... and that we did.

The only thing that we did not do was ride the SkyWay Train (monorail) through downtown, but he knows that mommy will take him to do this one day very, very soon.

Before he went to bed, he came to me and gave me a huge hug - one that was even bigger than the one he gave Mrs. Marsha in the morning - and while he was hugging me, he whispered in me ear, "Thank you for the best day ever!"

Happy 5th Birthday, Hannah Elizabeth

 5 years ago today, we welcomed a beautiful 6lb 7oz baby girl into our life! She has brought us so much joy and happiness over the years and we thank God everyday for the miracle that is our daughter!

Hannah's entry into this world was very precarious. From day 1, things were 'iffy'. I will never forget a spur of the moment US at my first OB appt with her where my uterus showed no signs of pregnancy. The doctors were sure that I was in the process of miscarrying, and had me come in for blood draws every 48hrs. When I returned in a week for a follow up US, there was a little sac containing our precious daughter. From there on out, the pregnancy was spent in and out of the hospital for pre-term labor, visiting the high risk OB's twice a week, time on bed rest, an amnio to check for lung development at 35.1wks, and then finally, just before the 36wk mark, I began to abrupt. At this development, I knew that our daughter, whose lungs were grossly underdeveloped just days prior, would be entering this world. And let me say, her birth was by far the scariest as I know how quickly things can go from bad to worse....

When the contractions began, I called Robert and told him he needed to come and take me in. At this time, there was no need to hurry as I was secretly hoping for a VBAC. A few hours later though, things took a turn for the worse and I knew that I was abrupting. I called him at work and told him to come NOW.  He did so and within an hour of my call, she was in our arms for a very brief time before she had to go to the special care nursery (NICU) for a bit. Because of the abruption, her stomach and lungs were full of blood and she needed to be thoroughly suctioned and monitored. Luckily, not long after she left, she was back in my arms and all were comfortable with her breathing. Shortly after this stunt, she quit urinating. We were given the option of, a traumatic for her and I, IV or a, traumatic for me, bottle of formula. We chose the latter, but once she began to potty again, those were a thing of the past!

Since that day, she has kept us on our toes. From her newest issue if intussception, to her spells of breath holding, passing out, seizures (requiring a neuro and cardiac work-up!), to her broken arm and glued eye lid, to her sepsis admission at 16 days old where she had a few apnea episodes.... She makes sure that we are always paying attention, but we would not have it any other way. She is our precious daughter. Our gift from above. Our miracle!

Sweet, Precious Hannah Elizabeth,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You are such a sweet heart and mommy and daddy love you so very much. You make us smile and laugh all of the time. You are so silly and so very sweet... except when you get an attitude! Enjoy your day, baby!

Love you always,

Mommy and Daddy

5 Years Old

4 Years Old

3 Years Old

2 Years Old

1 Year Old

A Few Hours Old