This is my family. June 22, 2008.. I couldn't ask for better!
About me...
I'm Mary Elizabeth.
Im 16 and a great mother to Caden Matthew.
Im engaged to a wonderful guy and father of my son, David Thomas Ritchie.
We have been together since we were 11 years old. Afraid to even hold hands. Lol.
There have been some bumps in the road but we love eachother more than love itself and are miserable without eachother.. so weve learned.
I like to dirtbike, swim, and play the piano.
I am mature, responsible, and a hard worker.
I was taught to earn everything I get and work hard for it.. and I plan to pass that onto my son.
I am an adventurer.
I love animals and have always had a wide variety of them.. from snakes and squirrels, to ponies and bulls.
I live and was born in Vermont.
My fiance and I have an apartment in Burlington, and plan on moving to South Carolina after were married and out of college.
I graduated with Class of 2008.
Im a nursing student. I want to be a neonatal nurse, or an EMT.
I get my LNA in September.
We have a little kitten named Nala who has extra toes.

About my son..
He was concieved in April of 2007.. the first time my fiance and I had ever had intercourse.
What a surprise.. but we were excited, because we'd been together so long and were amazed that we'd made a human being.
I went into labor at midnight on January 23rd, 2008.
I woke up to intense pains and bleeding, id had no warning, no braxton hicks, no nothing.
I was due the 28th.
I went into the hospital at 2:30 am with David and my mother. We had all our stuf packed.
I got into the delivery room and was examined at 3am..I was 7cm dilated.
I got changed and into the shower to relax.. by 4am I was 9.5cm dilated.
My contractions had slowed a bit so they put me on an IV of pitocin..the pain was so crazy I couldnt bear it anymore. I thought if i had one more contraction I would surely die.
I asked for an epidural, which origionally I had denied.
The anesthesiologist was not there.. but at6 am I got my epidural and was watching TV peacfully as I reached 10cm dilation.
My epi was turned off at 7:30am and by 8am I was back to feeling it all.
I began to push.. It was the easiest part actually.. pushing relieved the pain.
It was so hard getting him to rock right over that bone.. but once I did and I got my huge episiotomy he shot right out.
It was 9:19am on that same day, January 23, 2008 that my son was born.
8lbs, 10oz. 21.5 inches long, with a 14.5in head circumference.
Big for a 5 foot 3 girl of 115 pounds.
The doctors said id done better than mothers with babies 7lbs and twice my age. That made me so proud of myself. The doctors treated me like a regular mom, not a teen.
My nurses were amazing, without them I wouldnt have been able to push him out naturally.
When my son was born he had swallowed a lot of fluid and was not breathing much.. so right when he was flopped on my tummy they took him away. But I had his face etched int omy mind, waiting his return.
David stayed with him the whole time.
While I waited they sewed me up, and about an hour later he was back in my arms, all cleaned up, a bit bruised, but sleeping away.
I stared at him with David for hours until they moved us into our private room.
At first for the first week I cried a lot. I was nervous about beinga mom, but since then Ive learned so much.
He was very colicy and had tummy troubles.. and was on hypoallergenic formula.. but I learned to get used to the crying and help him my best.
At 6 weeks old he was admitted to the hospital because he was sick.. the doctors thought it was nothing but i insisted i stay the night with him.. i knew something was not right.
The next morning at 2am he stopped breathing and turned blue.Doctors shoved tubes town from his nose to his throat.. it was terrible.. i wanted to be in the room with him so bad but he kept looking up at me with those innocent eyes as if to ask me to save him, and I knew i couldnt do a thing.. so i left the room.. i was a mess.
4am they sent us by ambulance to a bigger hospital and told us he might not make it.
I held his tiny hand for 3 days, and my little man recovered.
The doctors never found out exactly what was wrong with him but I believe it had something to do with his daycare at the time.
Since hes been home, no daycare and has been great. He might have celiac disease but currently the risks are looking slim.. yay!
Now hes a monster, babbling and smiling. My perfect little guy.
He loves to swim and play with the kitten.

About our parenting...
We co-sleep for naps.. and he falls asleep with us at night then gets transported to his crib before we go to bed.
We dont believe in letting him CIO til hes at least a year old.
I used to breastfeed, but no longer do.. it just didnt work out for mom or baby.
Caden loves his Nuks. His rough start and colicy body made Nuks a saviour.
Were not religious and are letting him make his own beliefs.
We wont push sports or instruments but will encourage him to try everything out before ruling them out.
He will be taught like I was to earn what you get and work hard for it.
And to do his best in school.. no matter the grades as long as its his absolute best work.


First family photo.. January 23rd, 2008. I didnt get to hold him til hours after birth, but when I did it was the most amazing thing in the world!


Brand new!


This is my son, my world. Hes got an unforgettable smile. Just like his Daddy. Here he was 3.5 months old. 



Thanks for looking!

Kiley has her WIC visit tomorrow. She doesn't have her 6 month check up til the 29th though. She's probably going to be atleast 20lbs. Last week when she went for a sick visitshe was already up to 18lbs 14oz. (Don't know if I told you that yet or not). Aw, Caden's going to be tall and skinny! They say Kiley's in the 100% tile for her height and the 95% tile forher weight. So, I don't know how she'll be..she's proportioned though lol.

Hey question, I read some of your posts, about how Caden has been waking up all throughout the night, and being a really fussy eater...did you ever figure out why exactly? Becasue Kiley's been the same way. She barely eats now and when she does she just ends up playing in it. And she use to sleep all night, from 10p-8 or 9a. but now she's up every 3 hours, like clockwork!