The Nomadic Roo Bear

On the Boulevard in Long Beach Island

Daddy teaching Roo about "Open Container Laws"

Roo is adjusting well to her parent's nomadic, gypsy lifestyle. She's in Pittsburgh one week, Long Beach Island the next. It's a hard life ;-) But she seems to be adjusting well. Luckily for us (like her older brothers), she digs long car rides!

To see more pics of Rylee's first trip to the shore, click on the image of Chris and Roo above.

The Good Side of the State

Roo and I have gotten out of dodge. A couple weeks ago we decided that we could recover from her birth just as easily on "the good side of the state" so we met my Mom and Dad in Harrisburg and headed West for a week of rest and relaxation. Fortunately, and unfortunately, rest has not been in the cards... because Rylee's social schedule has kept us VERY busy! It turns out she has just as many fans on this side of the state! It's only Wednesday and she's already had the pleasure of meeting her Aunt Susan and Uncle Rick, Aunt Kathy and Uncle George, Nancy, Mary Ellen, Aunt Maura and "the cookie lady" Louise! She also got to spend some quality time with her Gram and Pap, Aunt Carly, Bracken and Brantly.

I know that her time with her cousins was one of the highlights of Rylee's trip so far (only because she didn't have the pleasure of eating her Aunt Susan's "shipwreck" -- yum! yum!)

Tonight, Mommy had dinner with Aunt Maura while Gram and Pap babysat. They gave Roo a bath, since she pooped all over herself earlier today requiring yet another wardrobe change. (On that note, it's a good thing I packed Rylee's entire closet, because... since we've been here, she's been changing more than Madonna in concert!)

Rylee and I are enjoying our retreat, but we miss Daddy terribly! We can't wait to see him in a few days...

Happy Birthday to Roo!

Yesterday was Roo's one month birthday. We celebrated by visiting Dr. Sion for our one month check up. Luckily (for the doctor, nurses and other families in the waiting room), Roo got most of her screaming out that morning from 8 am to 1 pm, so she was a perfect angel for her outing! She didn't even cry when they took all her clothes off and put her on the freezing cold scale (7 lbs 8 oz!)

The queen did exercise her lungs a bit when they gave her a shot in her adorable chunky little leg. But, don't worry... she stopped quickly. She wanted to save her best stuff for the 6 pm to 6 am shift! Roo obviously doesn't want her sick mother to get any sleep!

Enjoy these pics of Roo at one cute month...



http://www.flickr.com/photos/28821684@N04/sets/72157614725654061/show/

Get Well Soon, Pap!

Dear Pap:

Mommy told me that you had an unfortunate run in with a cow and were injured yesterday. At first I was confused, because I'd never heard of a "cow." But don't worry... Mommy got out one of my (many!) farm books and showed me a picture. My first reaction was "Wow! That's a big animal! Much bigger than Pap! What was he thinking messing with such a large animal???" Then I thought... "I wish I lived closer to Pap so that he could hold me in his one good arm. I bet that would make him feel better..." But since we live sooooooo far away, Mommy taped this little video of me in my pink and white striped coveralls -- I hope it makes you feel better.

I have to go now. These little stuffed bears keep circling above my swing and I'm on a mission to catch one. I hope you heal fast. In the meantime, stay away from animals that outweigh you by a ton!!!

Hugs and Kisses,

Sunshine

Dear Daddy...

No... it's not the roo-meister... it's Marley. Remember me? Your first born. In my opinion, the easiest one in the house to live with... I'm not saying I told you so, but I told you so! Life was much easier... and happier... when it was just you and me. Now... I've come up with a plan to do away with the kid. You just say the word...



We'll have to discuss how to get rid of the crazy brown dog and the old lady.

Love ya'

Marley

Speed Bink

This post is for Pap who is amazed by how fast Roo can suck on her binky. Pap has lovingly titled this activity - one of her only forms of activity - "speed bink."

Today Roo discovered her reflection in the mirror above her papasan chair. Its unbelievable how much she grows - physically and mentally - every day. Although I miss my work, especially my collegues, I'm grateful for this time with her... so much so, that I'm going to stop blogging and go hug and kiss her!

Big Foot

Rylee's First Bath... ARGH!

Rylee Roo got her first big girl bath. It was very distressing! %20%20 '>Click here to see a slideshow of images from our TRAUMATIC first bath!

The World's First Infant Insomniac

So this is an apology... I'd like to apologize for all the missed phone calls, late "thank yous" and unmet commitments. It seems that Chris and I were flat out lied to by all the parenting handbooks and primers. They all say that babies eat, sleep and poop, but it seems our child doesn't sleep... at all! It's not that she simply has her days and nights mixed up -- she just doesn't sleep! Luckily for her, she's absolutely adorable. So she flashes us those baby blues and we forgive her sleeplessness.

Even though she looks EXACTLY like her Dad, it seems she did get something from her Mom -- my insomnia! Let's hope it passes before Mommy has to go back to work!!

Chris and I promise to return the phone calls and write those thank you notes -- just as soon as our sleepless bodies adjust to this new lifestyle. We appreciate all of your support and are grateful for all the wonderful cards, flowers and gifts. We cherish each and every voicemail, text message and facebook thread. Thank you!!!

New Photos on Flickr

Click here to visit Rylee's new pictures on Flickr

Welcome to the World, Rylee-roo!

Chris and I are soooooo proud to introduce the world to Rylee Campbell Gerber. Rylee (a.ka. "Roo") was born on a very snowy February 3, 2009 (just two short days after the Steelers Superbowl win) at 9:45 AM. She weighed a healthy 6 lbs 7 oz and measured 19.5 inches long!

Roo and Mommy came home from the hospital Friday evening and are doing great. Daddy is our hero. As we speak, Mommy is sitting on the couch with her feet up, Roo is sleeping comfortably in her pack and play, and Daddy is vacuuming. We love him very much!!!!

Last night was our first night at home. The dogs surprised us with their ambivalence. Neither care that Rylee has invaded their home. They both sniffed her once and went on with their lives. Their reactions have left us pleasantly surprised.

We are also pleasantly surprised that Roo is eating and sleeping like a champ. Mommy, Daddy, Baby and Brothers got a ton of sleep last night (she only woke up for one middle of the night feeding).

Thank you to all our well wishers! We've gotten a ton of visitors, phone calls, text messages, cards and flowers. We promise to return all those phone calls when things settle down and Mommy is up and moving around a little more. Hugs to all!!!

Vying for Chris' Attention...

The Gerber Baby and I are already vying for Chris' attention!

My FABULOUS sister-in-law and I went to see the maternal-fetal specialist on Tuesday morning. The ultrasound was great, but the monitoring revealed some issues with the location of the cord, so Dr. Principe called our OBGYN and sent us directly to the hospital. The expectation was that we would be monitored for a while and then the baby would need to be delivered by c-section.

To our surprise, the baby moved during transport and was no longer lying on the cord (or whatever she was doing in there...) so the monitoring went well in the triage unit. However, Mommy was having a very elevated and erratic heart rate and my usual high blood pressure. I've been experiencing tachycardia for about a week (which is pretty normal for me) so I didn't feel the need to call the doctors and alarm them about it -- but regardless, I needed to be admitted and see a cardiologist.

While we were in the hospital, the baby was monitored every four hours for an hour. All of their observations went well (except one middle of the night reading that showed the same results that the specialist originally sent us to the hospital for...) Poor Chris -- one minute he's worried about this daughter and the next minute his wife... then his daughter... than his wife! Little does he know that we'll be vying for his attention for the rest of his life!

I was able to return home today with a heart monitor. It's small and not too uncomfortable. The worst part is the bed rest! I'm not allowed off of the couch and for me that's the worst kind of torture. I'm nearly 39 weeks pregnant, so we're hopeful that the baby will join us soon and I can start to medicate my other issues.

Thank you for your positive thoughts and prayers. Chris and I have had a scary few days and have a lot on our minds -- but not too much to cheer on the black and gold this Sunday. Go Steelers!!! BTW: The OBGYN is expecting our phone call around 4 PM in Sunday ;-)