Rylee Grey Schiff

Ya'll- I thought we were going to make it one year without any major events happening in our lives. You know, like snake bites, hospital stays, etc. Well, that hope was lost on February 15th when Rylee, our sweet puppy, ran away. 

It was a Saturday- just like any other day. I was taking the trash out the front door and came back in. A few minutes later, I realized that Rylee wasn't in the house, so I went back outside to let her in. She was across the street in the neighbors yard. I yelled at her to come back. She started heading my way and then heard something and darted off again. I yelled and yelled for her and went out walking to find her. No luck. I had both boys napping and Jesse was napping as well... so I couldn't go too far. After about 30 minutes of not finding her, I woke Jesse up so he could help me search for her. Again, NO LUCK! I was so upset. Why would she run off? Where did she go? I went out driving around the neighborhood and didn't see her. Went to a few of our neighbor's houses and still couldn't find her. I. Was. Devastated. 

Jesse and I had planned to go out to dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day that evening. We had a sitter coming over- so instead of cancelling, we went out. I was hoping that Ry would find her way back home while we were gone. Nope, that didn't happen. That's when it hit me. Our baby girl was gone. 

I posted Rylee's picture on every facebook page I could find. I filed a report with Illinois Lost Dogs. We had fliers printed at Staples and hung them up all over town. Gabriel and I even went door to door passing out fliers in the neighborhood. We had several "sightings" of her but none seemed to pan out. I went out every single night searching for her- sometimes for over an hour. I talked to the city cops, local dispatch, gas station workers...anyone and everyone I could. My parents went to the pound and called the local dog catcher just in case he found her. It was sad. We all were sad. Gabriel stood at the door almost every day and yelled for her to come home. We kept the front porch light on and blankets outside just in case. That week was soooo cold... I mean, really cold. I hated thinking about our sweet girl being outside in the cold all alone. She's not used to that. She sleeps in our bed in our warm house. She's not an outdoor dog. There were times when I thought she was still probably outside on her own... and then there were times when I thought that someone may have taken her in. That was the worst...thinking that someone may have her and not give her back. It was awful. 

Almost everyone in this town knew that Rylee was missing. When I say that I posted it everywhere... I mean it. Every single day I posted it on facebook. I'm sure people were getting annoyed at all of my posts. haha. While passing out fliers I realized that there were a lot of rude people in this town... but then, I also realized that there are a lot of kind people too. A girl from Benton contacted me one day saying that she was looking for Rylee and may have spotted her a couple streets from our house. This girl didn't even know me, but she drives her daughter around during her nap and drove all the way to Christopher to search for Rylee. I was so thankful and touched by this. She literally went looking 2 - 3 days... how amazing is that? That someone who doesn't even know us would search for our baby girl? (Turns out that the day we finally found Ry- she and her husband were getting ready to go out and look again!) :)) 

It was Saturday when I got 2 calls about Rylee being seen on that same street that is close to us. The final call came around 7 p.m. and someone had seen her running in a yard. It took us about an hour to get out of the door- but Jesse and I packed up the kids and went out to search for her. The yard that she was seen at just happened to be a family friend. My parent's were already there by the time we got there. The lady said that she saw a puppy that looked like Rylee in their backyard sitting in some leaves that morning. It was about 8 p.m. by this time and we searched and searched their yard. But, it was late and we figured that she was probably taking shelter somewhere. We decided to head back home and go out looking the next day. 

Sunday morning I was up with the boys when the doorbell rang. It was our dear family friend, Kitty. She was on the same street (15th Street) and saw Rylee sitting in front of a barn just down the road from the house we searched at the night before. Jesse was still asleep but I couldn't wait... I had to know and I had to go Immediately! So, I packed the boys in the car and headed that way. And GUESS WHAT!? There she was... sitting in front of the barn just like Kitty had said. She was sitting there in the sun just like hey, here I am. I was SOOOOOOOO excited. (Keep in mind...this barn was surrounded by a fence... and it was very muddy). I jumped out of the car and ran up to the fence and yelled for her. She just looked at me. (I had read that dogs that are lost for an extended amount of time will typically be hesitant to go to anyone...even their owners). I kept this in mind and knew that it may take her awhile to come to me. I yelled and yelled for her to come to me. After a few minutes, I got back in the car and backed up a little. I got out again and tried to figure out how I was going to get inside this fence. That's when I looked back up and saw her crawling out under the fence. I ran and picked her up. RELIEF and HAPPINESS doesn't even begin to explain it. I took her to the car and the first thing Gabriel said is "Look, there's Ry-ree!" 

It had been a week since our girl was home. She was very skinny and cold. Her nails were long and she was very dirty. As soon as we got home, I took her to the bedroom and woke up Jesse. Of course, he was excited too! Then, it was bath time. The hair around her butt was NASTY- to say the least. It was all matted and gross and poopy. DISGUSTING. So, it was a very, very long bath that required a lot of scrubbing and cutting hair to get her better. She drank a lot of water and ate a lot of food this day. Gabriel and Lincoln were so happy to have her home... Rylee was worn out from playing by the end of the day. I have never been so happy to have Rylee back in our bed as I was that night. 

In the week that followed, we still had a lot to do with Rylee. Her butt looked a little infected, so my Dad gave us some medicine to put on it. Luckily, it cleared up. My dad also helped us cut her nails down. We gave her a haircut and fattened her up as much as we could. :) 

I am soooo happy that she is home, safe and sound. I refused to give up until she was home with us. Through this whole ordeal, I learned how many lost dogs there are... just around here. It's crazy. Rylee is like family to us, just like all these other lost dogs are family to their owners as well. I hope and pray for all of the lost dogs safe return. 

Passing out fliers

The morning we found Rylee!

Happy Birthday, Rylee Grey!!

Yesterday, July 8th, was Rylee's one year birthday! How did we celebrate? Well, we started the day with a trip outside to play and ended the day playing catch with her favorite squeaky toys. I didn't manage to make it to wal-mart to buy her some new toys and treats, so this coming week, we will celebrate again! It's hard to believe that she's one year old already! She's definitely gotten much bigger. I'm constantly trying to remind her that her brother will be coming home soon....trying to get her used to the idea of a baby being in the house. Earlier this week we brought home the "frog" that Gabe uses...it's basically a weighed down pillow...that helps soothe him and keep him from moving all over! Anyway, I let Rylee get used to the smell of Gabe before I washed it. So, I'm hoping that slowly, but surely she'll get used to the idea! :) 


How's our baby boy doing? Well, he's 2 pounds 10.2 ounces! Whoa! Like I said before...it's crazy how just a few ounces can make such a difference. We can definitely tell that he's gaining weight...especially in his face. He looks so big in the pictures that we have of him...but pictures are deceiving. He's still tiny...and we can still hold him with one hand. But Jesse and I are so proud of him...we can't wait to bring him home! 


On a happier note, progress is being made on Gabe's room and all of his other goodies! All of his clothes are washed and organized...along with his towels, blankets, bibs, etc. I swear he already has at least 30 bibs. It's insane! Jesse and I laugh because there are sooooo many!! His closet is full of clothes already! His stroller and carseat came in last week and it is all put together now! It's sooooo cute...even better than the picture! :)  His bassinet is all ready to go... Now, if I could just decided on a paint color...we'd be good to go! 


I've started making bows again. I figured that I needed something to do to keep me busy. Between that and finishing his blanket, I think my time will be well spent. 

just another normal day....

Me: "I'm soooo over this phone" [throws phone onto bed]


Jesse: "Babe, you haven't even had that phone for more than 3 months" 


Me: " I know, but it's being stupid... I want a new one" 


Jesse: "haha, I love you" 


Thought I'd start this blog off with what seems to be a normal conversation in our household. I'm usually complaining about something that I have, while Jesse is trying to talk sense into me. Then, realizing that this is probably impossible, he ends with an I love you instead! hahah. Yep, what can I say....it's just another normal day in the Schiff household. 


Anyway, it's been a few days since I've updated...but goodness... so much has happened. Let's start with Friday... the quick version is as follows:: got up, meeting, sent home from work to go to the dr., call doctor's office, nurse calls back and says go to hospital, Jesse's sick, Mom takes me to hospital, we spend roughly about 3 hours in the hospital, we monitor baby's heartbeat, ultrasound, tests, confirm infection, discharge papers, antibiotics, home. To say the least, it was a verrrryyyyy long day. But we're thankful that it wasn't anything more serious...and baby, well he's doing just fine. His heartbeat was 155 while I was in the hospital. Also, he seems to have started moving a lot more since then. Guess he figured it was time to start making himself known. The only bad thing...he seems to know only one trick. Ahhhh, bet you're wondering what that might be!? Well, he knows how to do somersaults....over and over and over and over. Yes, it's a lot of fun. Jesse finds it amusing... I find it quite uncomfortable at times. Who would have known that little flutters in your belly could go from that to somersaults!? 


I've decided that I want to expand my hobby so I can make money! When I told Jesse this, he was very supportive. Problem is, like always, everything I want to do involves investing quite a bit of money. Money that I don't really need to spend right now. What do I want? Good question. To start with, I want an embroidery machine, a wood cutter, and lots of paint, brushes, and material. I have a lot of ideas for our baby room and lots of ideas of other things I can make too. Hopefully, we can make this happen. My plan is to start making things, get really good at it, sell some stuff, make some money, and be able to work from home... I know, kinda unrealistic at the moment...But hey, I'm dreaming! :) 


And...what's new in Rylee's world? Well, she's definitely acting more and more like a princess everyday. This morning, I woke up with her wedged between Jesse and I. She started out snugged up by Jesse's face and then when I woke up, she moved over by me and laid her little head on my belly. She's so sweet in the mornings and at night...you would almost think that she wouldn't be so crazy during the day. Oh, but she is. She's very smart though. You can tell her to go get her ball to play and she will do it. She always goes for her green one, because it's the one thats been played with the most....and it's been used just enough to where it's frayed a little so it's easy for her to throw it around. It's actually quite amusing. Rylee also gets very wound up after having a bath...like yesterday. I dried her off and then let her go and she started running crazy around the house. Once she was running and jumping on our bed...however, she forgot to jump and ran straight into the side of the bed, bounced backwards, got up, and started running again. She's our baby girl...and she's pretty tough too. =) 


Well, that's about it for tonight. I should probably go throw a load of laundry in, but my feet are currently the size of Texas and i'm tired. I also have to get up early so I can get a haircut before work. Why? Because Jesse informed me that my hair looks too thick and I need a trim tonight. Can't say I blame him...it does need thinned out some. I'm just always too tired to go get it done! But, I'm determined to do so tomorrow...so we'll see how that goes. 


Night all! 

24 weeks...and the Schiff household!

Today marks 24 weeks!! and for those of you who may be counting in months... this means I am officially 6 months!! woooo!! 

- What I'm craving these days: Honestly, I'd really love to have some corn on the cob!! I wish that those people that sell it from the back of their trucks would set up in Royalton soon!! 


- How I'm feeling: tired. as usual. this really isn't anything new. I am finding it harder and harder to sleep these days though! I also feel very, very, verrrryyyy fat! I must admit, it's a little depressing seeing all of my summer clothes that I can't fit into...that's why most of them are in boxes at mom's house! :) Next year though, next year I will be able to wear them... along with all of my bathing suits as well! :) 


- What I don't like: Still don't like the smell of steak cooking in my house. McDonald's cheeseburgers. 


- Sleep: Getting harder to go to sleep! It's hard to get comfy and once I finally do... yep, you guessed it, I have to go pee. It really is a never-ending cycle. Sometimes I have to have Jesse help me get comfy by situating my pillows and blankets! 


- What I'm looking forward to: Getting closer to that due date!! Decorating the room, baby shower, buying clothes! I won't lie, I'm looking forward to being able to get into shape after Baby Schiff is here. As you all may know, I've never been a person that likes to workout...however, I can say, I am actually looking forward to being able to get a good workout! 


- Size of Baby Schiff: Baby Schiff is almost a foot long...think an ear of corn... and he's gained about 4 ounces since just last week!! He's now about 1 1/4 pounds! 


- Baby Schiff's development this week: His body is starting to fill out. His face and body is looking more like that of an infant at the time of birth. His brain is growing quickly and his taste buds are continually developing! Baby Schiff's lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" along with the cells that produce surfactant (surfactant will help his air sacs inflate once he enters this big world!) 


-Message to Baby Schiff from Mommy: You won't believe how many clothes we got you this week! It's unbelievable. You're daddy says that you have enough... I disagree. So, trust me when I say that you will have closets full of clothes! :) The time is getting closer my boy to when we will get to see, hold, & kiss you. Just the other night your Daddy said that he just wants to hold you for at least 2 days straight. So make no mistake, you're already very, very much loved! Love always <3

* please excuse my hair and no make-up. This is how it tends to look after an 8 hour day of work!*

* All of Baby Schiff's clothes... all organized into sizes! *

Now... for an update on the Schiff household. It's all pretty basic here! But, what's the latest news!? Jesse got a job! Thank you Jesus! We're super excited about this! And thank you to my Dad and Mark for helping him get this job so quickly! It truly is a blessing! 

We also did some landscaping yesterday since the weather was so nice. I must say, we did a pretty good job! We ventured out the night before to Menard's to get our landscaping supplies! It was raining, so you can just imagine how much fun that was. We also bought some closet rods to fix up some of the closets in our house. I'm happy to say that Baby Schiff's closet now has 2 hanging rods! :) We also fixed another closet to hang all of Jesse's military clothes in! I worked on organizing and cleaning last night... I'm so happy with all this extra hanging space! 

Rylee is still a crazy puppy. She loves being outside. We let her run around for awhile yesterday and she loved it. She can literally wear herself...which is bad for her but good for us! haha. She did get in trouble because she runs out to the road...this is why we need to get a shock collar on her...and SOON! Rylee's always been a good puppy around my niece...so Rachel brought girl over yesterday and Rylee was sooooo good with her! So now we have no worries that she'll be good with the baby! I hope she's like Marley from Marley & Me... like how they say that Marley stayed up all night with the baby because he was sick... I sure hope Rylee is as loving, understanding, and protective with our baby! 

Well, that's pretty much all that is new in this household for the time being... tomorrow's Thursday though...and Jess & I already have a craft planned... this should be interesting since we're working on it together! =) 

* One of Rylee's favorite positions...right behind her Daddy so she can see everything that's going on *

* Rylee worn out from a long, hard day of playing *

* Jesse showing off the 2xl shirt I got from Verizon... I was suppose to get a medium and somehow ended up with this shirt... Jesse said... "I'll grow into it" hahah. gotta  love him! 

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

so, i've spent quite some time tonight trying to customize this site and make it look the way I want it to. In that process, I've come to a few decisions about this blog. Honestly, I probably won't update every single night. but I will say that I will update at least 3-4 times a week. To add a little spice to this blog, every Wednesday will be an update specifically for baby and every Thursday will be "crafty thursday" in which i'll let you all in on my latest creations. Because, of course, as you all may know, I'm going to be making tons of things for our little boy and his room! 


Anyway...


is this rain ever going to end!? It's getting ridiculous! and Rylee does not like storms at all. One thing I did discover that Rylee likes tonight...potato ole's from Taco Johns. Yes, i'm pretty sure she ate half of mine tonight...and she's still begging for more! I honestly believe that she thinks she is a human sometimes! Now she's about to pass out by my feet, probably from all the food she stuffed into her little belly! 


Speaking of Rylee...she cracks me up! I swear we've given her at least 5 bones and rawhides to chew/play with. However, instead of doing either...she resorts to hiding them in random spots throughout our house. Example: hamper. How she got it there is beyond me. And when we find any of these and throw them to her...she simply picks them up and whines until she finds another hiding spot. We re-arranged our room last week and found one...oh how she whined until she found another spot. 


Tomorrow the husband and I are venturing out of this town to go shopping at st. claire. hopefully it doesn't storm too bad tomorrow. fingers crossed. I'm mainly looking forward to the shopping part and the Lottawatta creek part :) doesn't get too much better than that! I can't wait to see what we find for our baby boy! I must admit, as it's no secret, girls have much cuter clothes than boys. But don't worry, I'll still have my little boy dressed to a 'T' every single day! He's already spoiled, with at least 6 brand new outfits already in his room. Not to mention the books and a few toys we have! Despite his daddy's wishes, I'm sure he's going to be spoiled rotten. I wouldn't want it any other way...I grew up being the princess, so why shouldn't my son be the prince of our home!? 


St. Claire mall has a tropical sno...so Jesse's going to be able to put that money he made in the Easter egg hunt to good use tomorrow! I'm genuinely excited about tropical sno...it's only one of the best things about summer! I do love Goodwill shopping too. So, of course a stop there is in store for us tomorrow...as well as Babies R Us! Can't forget about Michael's craft store too! Jesse will probably hate me by the end of the day...because he honestly hates shopping...especially with me. My process of shopping consists of looking, looking, thinking, putting it down a few times, going to check out, re-thinking, and then finally making a decision! haha. not a process Jesse likes too much at all! 


well, that's about it for tonight. I'm going to work some more on customizing this blog and finding some more ideas...


night all! 

and so it begins...

Hello Friends! 

I'm starting this blog partly because Jesse told me that I needed a hobby. I have a hobby...many actually, but you see...they all require lots of money. In fact, I can't think of many things I actually like doing that don't require money! :) Another reason I'm going to start blogging...my bro Josh told me that one of his friends was blogging about her pregnancy, etc to keep everyone up-to-date. I liked that idea...especially since we have family that we don't get to see as much as we'd like. Plus, it'll give me something to do at night...other than watching criminal minds (which in turn makes me lose sleep because i have bad dreams). 

...and so it begins. Get ready. it's an up close and personal insight into the Schiff household.

Currently, it's only Jesse, me, and our baby girl, Rylee (our dog). Rylee is currently the princess of the household. She receives treats just because, loves getting baths, and thoroughly loves chasing her laser light around the floor...which was part of her christmas this past year! And, she also likes to continue to pee & poop in our house, despite our best efforts to get her to go outside. We frequently follow with carpet cleaner and paper towels. yes, those have become staple items in this household. and before anyone starts judging, let me just say... she gets more treats when she goes potty outside...and she knows that she's supposed to go out there. however, she hates the rain, snow, ice, etc...pretty much everything but nice, sunny weather! but she's our girl, and mommy rarely punishes her... so that part is always left to daddy. 

and now to the real interesting stuff....our baby boy! 

I'm currently 23 weeks pregnant! ahhh yes, over half-way there...but still not close enough. Let me just say, i'm not one of those women who "glow" during pregnancy. Housing a human is exhausting! Up until last week, my feet looked like they belonged on a beluga whale, my face was fatter than usual, and my rings were fitting quite snug on my fingers. But, thank God for the prego chair at work. it's saved my feet from some very painful nights this past week! I can actually go home at night and still see my ankles and not have to soak them in epsom salt. 

As we all know, pregnancy comes with it's own "nightmares." morning sickness, swelling, and lack of sleep. I knew that i would lose sleep once the baby got here, I was prepared for that. What I wasn't prepared for was the sleepless nights that would occur before that August 24th due date. I'm a stomach sleeper. always have been. So with this tiny baby boy inside of me, sleeping on my stomach has become impossible these days. i've resorted to sleeping on my side. The left side. It seems that if I lay on my right my leg starts cramping and it's impossible to go to sleep. It also seems to be a continuing trend that once I finally do get comfortable on my side, I have to pee. So, all of that adjusting and tossing, and turning is a waste because i have to make the long trek to the bathroom. ugh! and then it's back to bed to start the whole process again. AND, forget sleep if Jesse and Rylee are both in the bed! Jesse seems to be taking up more than his half of the bed these days...and then there's Rylee who continues to take up the other half, snugged right between us. and if she's not right in the middle....she down by our feet, making it literally impossible to move without kicking her. (and yes, i know she's just a dog...but she's my puppy. and to me, she's not just a dog!) so I end up on my side of the bed....with just enough room to MAYBE turn over if needed. 

My morning sickness has seemed to calm down the past month or so. Those first 3-3 1/2 months were absolutely awful. I don't believe I could eat a meal without it coming back up 10 minutes later (sorry if that's too much information). These days I can keep pretty much everything down. I have a few times where I'll get sick, but nothing like before. That stomach flu a couple of days ago almost killed me. I was wishing for morning sickness again, because believe it or not, it was better than that stupid flu! Thank God it only lasted 24 hours! 

well that's about it for tonight. i'm tired. Ry's already passed out next to me and now it's my turn! 

*Rylee*

*Easter 2011* 23 weeks