New pictures of Ryan

Here are some updated pictures of our cutie pie. He's doing so good!

Happy Memorial Day

This has been some weekend.

I would like to congraulate our good friends Travis and Kristina for having their baby boy Andrew Powell Rhodes (spelling?) on Sunday May 25th at 4:00am. I am happy to hear that everthing is going well. I am sure we will have many birthday weekends together and our little boys will grow up to be "monsters" together.

Now, I would like to share a poem with everyone. A poem dedicated to all of those brave hero's, and to our loved one's as well! It is titled:

I'M FREE
Don't grieve for me for now I'm free,
I'm following the path God laid for me.
I took His hand when I heard Him call,
I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day,
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way,
I found that peace at the close of the day.

If my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss,
Ah yes, these things I too will miss.

But be not burdened with times of sorrow,
For I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life's been full. I've savored much,
Good friends, good times and loved ones' touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief
Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your ears and share with me.
God wanted me now. He set me free!

Author: Unknown

Thankyou GRANDPA, PAPA and Uncle Bill for your service to this country so we can grow up free. We love you!

Baby Ryan!

Jesus calls the children dear,“Come to me and never fear,For I love the little children of the world;I will take you by the hand,Lead you to the better land,For I love the little children of the world.”

Jesus loves the little children,All the children of the world.Red and yellow, black and white,All are precious in His sight,Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Jesus died for all the children,All the children of the world.Red and yellow, black and white,All are precious in His sight,Jesus died for all the children of the world.
Jesus is the Shepherd true,And He’ll always stand by you,For He loves the little children of the world;He’s a Savior great and strong,And He’ll shield you from the wrong,For He loves the little children of the world.

I am coming, Lord, to Thee,And Your soldier I will be,For You love the little children of the world;And Your cross I’ll always bear,And for You I’ll do and dare,For You love the little children of the world.

Thanks to all of our friends and family that have shown up and have shown your love. We love you all!

Ryan James Burke

Here are the pictures if you did not get the email. Yes he came today 5/24/2008. Julie will post the details when she gets a chance.

Coming soon!

So much to talk about, -oh- and time to do it!! I am now officially on maternity leave. This starts my second week of time to "rest" before baby comes. (Can you believe that I'm due in 5 weeks!) And I'm finding that I needed this rest more than I thought I did. I was planning on working at least two or three more weeks, but my OB wanted me to get more rest. Now that I'm "relaxing" at home, I feel totally wiped out. I think that I was just pushing myself at work and telling myself to suck it up and be strong. Now, I go to the grocery store and come home for a much needed 2 hour nap! I feel very out of my element and am not used to all this. I go to clean the bathroom, and end up taking 10 minute breaks inbetween the toilet, sinks, and mirrors. Since when does it take me 30-40 minutes to clean one bathroom?!?!? I keep my list of things to do as short as possible and in small steps so that I don't get too winded. It usually works, but sometimes I push myself and just finish a project (and then crash). I don't do that too often though- I promise- - really- - - seriously. Anyways, I don't care if you believe me or not, it's true. Seriously.

Anyways, I still have this little, wiggly, constantly moving, up in my ribs baby in a breach position. A what?! Yes, he is butt down and not making much of an effort to turn around. So for now the doctor plans on doing a c-section- I'm apparently not delivering him like this. :) (by the way- his feet are by his face--- in my right rib cage- yeah- not really comfortable, but I figure at this point no one is comfortable- whichever way the little bundle is sitting.) So, I'm going in for weekly checkups, and they watch his heartrate and do a mini ultrasound to check my amniotic fluid levels each time. I love my doctor, and although he is very laid back and calm, he also knows when to put a little extra concern and observation in use. I have one more dose of chemo before baby comes. (Yeah!) So my OB wants to make sure that baby is ok. Since I'm in the last month, he feels comfortable getting the baby out if there is any inkling of a sign of distress. So, I am in constant wonder of how the kid is doing, will he stay in or come out this week? Ah, the excitement! I've been getting the baby's room ready, and organizing and washing everything. In small steps of course, and with help. So I feel pretty good about bringing the newbie home- can you ever really be fully prepared? Bill is so excited he can barely stand it, but he's been asking me to have the baby early for about two months now. Silly daddy-to-be, I keep telling him to be patient and get sleep, but he can't help wanting to squish the baby NOW.

I had the most amazing baby showers. One at work and one for all my family and other friends. They were so fun and busy, and I was blessed beyond my wildest imagination. I was able to fully stock the baby room-thanks to everyone being beyond generous, and best of all I got to see people I love and celebrate the new addition! I was surprised- very easily by the way- with family visitors. Bill loves to surprise me and had one fantastic weekend of TWO surprises. His mom Tab and her husband Kent drove up from Arizona to see us and feel my wiggly baby bump. It was so fun to hang out with them!! Also My Aunt Rolane and cousins Cara and Riva came up too!! We were able to meet Lynnea for the first time and stayed up late talking all weekend.- well the girls did, not Bill. What great memories! I am so spoiled!

We also got our backyard put in. I still have to plant pretty things and trees and vegetables, but the yard is laid out and ready for planting. I may not get to it until fall, but for now, to look outside and see a real backyard is wonderful. I was getting sick of dirt and weeds. It's simple, and perfect for us! I am so thankful for God's blessings in my life. I feel like His peace and joy flood over me each day. Even something silly like a new lawn reminds me of His provision and beauty.

Getting ready for baby

Well, we are counting down the weeks until the baby's due date. 7 more to go!! It feels like we are doing well on preparing for the little guy's arrival, but then I think again and my list of "must haves" gets longer. Much like our list of potential names. . . No we have not fully decided on a name yet. We are getting closer, I think, but then again, in 7 weeks who knows what we'll decide. Everyone keeps saying that we'll know when we see his little, wrinkled, gooey, purple face. But I think that we'll just have to pick one and not be able to change our minds at that point, which is honestly ok with me. Sometimes I need that kind of motivation to make a decision- you know the kind that says "do it now, and there's no changing your mind." I do well with some finality. Anyways, how cute is our bedding for little "Monster Ugandala"(as Bill calls him when we are pressed for a name right now-I call him monster on a daily basis, and Bill thinks Ugandala is hilarious.) Bill's mom, Tab, bought this precious set for us, and we were so excited to see it all set up, we unwrapped and washed and assembled everything the day we got it. I am getting bigger, and feeling bigger movements all the time. He is growing well, so my OB says, and I'll have another ultrasound tomorrow to check on his growth and happiness. I feel great, and praise God for the so far symptom free chemotherapy I've been getting. I'm used to my wig now, and most people recognize me at this point. Feeling tired is something that I think my big belly is producing even more than chemo, but it's been helpful cutting back to 3 days a week at work. Bill is great and working a lot, but he enjoys it (most of the time). For now we just dream of stocking up on formula and diapers, etc. Who knows how fast time will travel? Soon we'll have a sweet baby to kiss!

Hello Spring!

Well, hello to everyone anxiously awaiting my next entry. I'm sorry, I just don't find myself very interesting, and can't seem to blog about my everyday stuff. Which leaves all of you wondering if I'm still able to type. So, now you know I can still type, and will tell you all about my VERY interesting life. :)

I have received my second chemotherapy, and so far so good. I am very tired and need nap breaks fairly often-- but really, is it chemo or just bulging belly?? Probably a mixture of both, but my doctors, and husband, and family can all breathe a sigh of relief. I am cutting back at work and only doing three days a week until I go out on maternity leave. I KNOW I push myself too hard, and that I'm an overachiever, and stubborn. But I really felt like I could work more than that- apparently my body didn't agree. So, now I have more time to. . . sleep, I guess. Anyways, I am handling chemo very well. I haven't been sick at all, not even slightly nauseated, so yeah for good anti-nausea drugs! My hair is gone, as I knew it would be, and I only miss it a little. I donated my mid-back length hair to Locks of Love, and am getting used to the radiating glow from my super-white and bald head in the bathroom lights. I thought I was devoid of tan, but now compared to my scalp, my face looks like it has some color. Woo-hoo?? So, a cute new hair style with my wig is still fun -and easy to get ready in the morning.

We are putting in a backyard! So far just the patio is poured, but the rest will be done in about 2 more weeks. Then I promise to put more pictures on. We figured it would be nice to have it in before hot summer, and before busy baby comes. I'm looking forward to planting some fun stuff. I am not an expert gardener, but I like to play around, and don't do a bad job with flowers. The vegetable garden will be an adventure, the last time I tried one was a failure. Oh well, I just needed a new spot--maybe. I did well with the front yard, although putting bulbs in doesn't take too much of a green thumb. But look how pretty my tulips are. The daffodils already came and went-sorry I missed the photo-op. I love the colors of spring. Praise God for little joys like flowers, . . .and clothes that fit my belly.