Payne Rolled Over

Payne Rolled Over at 3 weeks and 2 Days!! I think I am in trouble!!! I promise we don't let him cry all the time!

Birth Announcement

3 weeks

I can't believe Payne is 3 weeks old today! I am half way through with my time at home with him and that makes me wanna cry!

Payne went to the doctor on Wednesday and he weighs 8 lbs 2 oz. We are still working on gaining some more weight so we have to go back next week.

At 1 week he weighed 7 lbs 11 oz.
At 2 weeks he weighed 7 lbs 12 oz.

Some things I have learned this week:

All doctors have different advice!
The passy helps to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Bathtime is alot easier without the cord.
No matter what I do about 30-45 minutes after Payne eats he gets the hiccups. Bottle or Breast.
The more tummy time they have the less chance they will have a flat spot on the back of their head.

MOPS-Michelle Duggar

Well, today I went to my first MOPS meeting at the church. It was so fun to be with a whole bunch of other moms on top of the fact that Michelle Duggar was the guest speaker! Payne did really well, Heather held him the whole time and he slept! I was so thankful!

We got there a little early and took pictures with Michelle Duggar!

Renee, Me, Michelle, Heather, and AmyThen we took pictures with the girls! Plus Jennifer and Jillian joined us!
The whole film crew was there! Hopefully we will make the show!!!! :)

The girls played violin for us! They are really good!

Payne being held by Aunt Heather!

I learned alot from Michelle and hopefully I can use of the of the tips she gave us!
I plan on going to all the meetings! If you would like to join check out fbcs.net and look under MOPS! It is the second Wednesday of every month.

Lazy Tuesday

Well, I had lots of plans for Tuesday. Get up at 8, instead of sleeping in everyday, get ready, go to Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, wash my car, clean the junk drawer, and few other things. Though Payne and I went a different route and we stayed in our pj's all day! I kind of thought that was a better route for us since we had a busy weekend.

I think he agreed, since this is what he did all day!


The other night we had some tummy time. I just think he is so cute from head to toe!



Maybe we will get more done today....we'll see!

Proud of My Man!!!

I am one proud wife! Congrats Ryan! I love you!

This article was published on the Innovate Arkansas website!

Startups: Workers Take a Chance on Benefits

By Mark Carter
9/6/2010 12:00:00 AM

Ryan Green understands he rolled a 7. His decision to eschew more money and better benefits to join a promising startup after graduating from college five years ago has paid off.

He has risen through the ranks of Fayetteville's Acumen Holdings at an accelerated pace, and this month will be granted minority-ownership shares in the growing e-commerce firm.

Most of the time, however, entrepreneurs and those who play the startup game roll craps.

The career path leading to big corporations is worn for a reason - the stability, benefits and guaranteed paychecks they offer. Still, the pang of regret over not having taken a chance is something many job seekers fear more than not making good money or enjoying good health benefits.

Entrepreneurs talk a lot about "end games" - the successful transition of their venture to capital success or acquisition - but really, for them it's about the quest. The stability and benefits offered by the corporate world are replaced by the high risk but sometimes high reward associated with working for a startup.

Such is the mindset necessary in the startup game, and for those who choose to play, "corporate" concepts like group health and paid time off are luxuries that sometimes remain part of the quest. That is, if they're even considered much at all.

"For me, that was never the primary objective," said Jeff Amerine, a serial Silicon Valley entrepreneur who currently teaches entrepreneurship classes in the Walton Business College at the University of Arkansas, works with the UA's Technology Licensing Office and serves as an adviser for Innovate Arkansas. "Surviving and excelling during the jungle warfare that startups require was the most fun."

Most startups can't afford to offer health plans or vacation time. What they can provide, however, are other benefits like ownership shares and the satisfaction of doing rewarding work. In his 18-year run with multiple ventures, Amerine said stock options were available to employees at all levels.

"These were the main financial incentives short of being a founder with an equity stake from the outset," he said.

Tradeoffs

But not every entrepreneur can afford to wait it out for things like stock options. One Little Rock techie had to return to the corporate world earlier this year when the startup he worked for underwent a structural hiccup. The only reason to return to "9-to-5," he acknowledged, was for the health coverage his family needed. He preferred that his name not be used for fear of upsetting his new bosses, because while he appreciates the stability his new gig affords, he misses his startup days - the flexibility, the creativity, the personal satisfaction.

Some folks are willing to leave behind corporate salaries and benefits. Pathagility co-founder and CEO Mark McCuin said he was drawn to the energy of starting something new after a long and successful corporate career with Fidelity Information Services and USAble Life. He won't be able to offer a benefits package to prospective employees, or even himself - at least not right away. "As we look to add to the team in the future, I believe we'll be able to sell the experience of being part of a startup," he said. "We'll be looking for people that have a founder's mentality. Individuals with this attribute don't place as high a priority on the specifics of the benefit package."

McCuin's software-as-a-service firm is considered one of central Arkansas' more promising and is presenting at the prestigious Arkansas Venture Forum on Sept. 15. He said his decision to leave USAble may not have been logical, but has been fulfilling.

Acumen Holdings CEO John James gave up not just a great corporate job to chase his dream; he gave up a medical practice. James helped launch Farmington Family Clinic in 2004 after completing a family practice residency. But soon afterwards, he answered the call of entrepreneurship. Acumen, a Fayetteville e-commerce company, began with one online shop, ScrubShopper.com, and has three more up and running: ToughWeld.com, TheBabyHabit.com and HotStuffChemicals.com.

The firm plans to open 10 more by the end of the year and go public in the next five years. James, founder Terry Turpin and Acumen's current management team have been involved with projects generating revenue of about $50 million.

So why slum it as a doctor?

None of Acumen's 30 full-time employees is over the age of 40, and thanks to the firm's recent growth, each of them now enjoys a full benefits package.

Acumen is, of course, the exception. James hired Green five years ago - Green was employee No. 3 - with limited benefits and a dream. He understands that startups have to sometimes get creative to overcome the pull of better money and more robust perks.

"First, we try to create upside for every employee," James said. "Getting in on the ground floor of a rapidly growing company can catapult a young, aggressive employee's career to levels they simply couldn't reach in a larger organization in a similar time period. When joining a startup, the upfront risk is high, but the long-term reward can be great if the company succeeds."

Green is a 27-year-old Walton Business College graduate who didn't think he fit the "corporate mold" when he graduated. It's likely he could have interned at and eventually been hired by one of northwest Arkansas' corporate giants after finishing school. But a family connection led him to James, whose pitch was true. And now Green is about to become a minority owner of the firm. While he didn't want to reveal just how much of a minority owner he'll be, Green said his salary at Acumen is now on par with what he could be making at Wal-Mart corporate after five years.

From the start, Green handled every detail of the firm's shipping, supply chain and customer service - an almost overwhelming amount of work for someone three weeks out of college. He knows he never could have accrued the same level of experience at a corporate office in anywhere near the same amount of time.

"The breadth of learning in a startup is amazing," Amerine said. "As a founder or early entrant, you have to learn every aspect of the business - cold. This provides an education in what really matters in a fashion no large company can match. To be both specialist and generalist gives the early-stage entrepreneur an education that compresses seven years of education or big-company time into one year."

And that's how it played out for Green. Which worked out well for him - he and his wife just welcomed their first child, a son. Children tend to bump things like higher salaries and family health coverage up the priority chain, even for young idealists.

"Ryan could have made more money at the Wal-Mart or J.B. Hunt logistics departments straight out of college, but I doubt he could have risen so rapidly," James said. "He took a calculated risk as one of our first four employees, but the risk paid off."

'It's Fun Coming to Work'

Aside from the potential payout, James believes it's just plain more fun to work at a startup. For many entering the job market these days, fun trumps cash.

"We try to create an exciting atmosphere that's just not possible at a larger company," he said. "Believe it or not, it's fun coming to work at Acumen Holdings. We have a pingpong table, a gong that rings multiple times during the day, and scooters are constantly whizzing around blind corners. ... It's an exciting, though somewhat dangerous, place to work."

The prospect of instant gratification is another lure. Employees - especially, as studies suggest, those in their 20s and 30s - want to feel like they're helping make the world a better place, and they want to feel that way from the get-go.

"The prospect of doing something that could really change the world and having a tangible, meaningful say in how the product or service was delivered was also a big motivator for me," Amerine said. "When I first began a startup in international telecommunications, I felt like we were democratizing access to the late 20th century's version of the railroad: telecommunications. We brought affordable communications to parts of the world that had been under the thumb of the government-controlled telecom monopolies for a hundred years.

"Fighting the good fight was big fun."

Whether it's the gratification, the prospect of success or simply the pingpong, Acumen Holdings has grown into an attractive option - now at 35 total employees and boasting an employee retention rate of 100 percent in its first five years.

Green weighed the risks involved, dipped his toe and jumped in. The water's fine, he said.

"You'll learn more than you ever could otherwise, and from my experience you'll reap the benefits in the end."

Of course, this comes from the guy who rolled a 7.

Newborn Pictures

About two weeks ago we had Payne's newborn pictures by Meredith Curtis. I know I linked her blog to mine about a week ago, but I wanted to put them on my blog as well. These are some of my favorites! I loved them all! I am so pleased with her work! Please check her out if you are wanting pictures! We plan to return to her several times!!

Tailgating!

Our Arkansas Razorback Tailgate!

A great group of friends! We are very lucky!!!

We headed out about 12:30 to go tailgate. It was hot but, not to hot! We had a lot of fun with family and friends. We hung out, ate, played bag-o and football, and watched football! Everyone packed up and headed to cheer on the Hogs about 5:15 and Payne and I headed home! Overall, it was a great day!!! Here are a few pictures from today!

Me, Heather, Kelley, and Allison
Our spread
The boys played football

Payne slept a lot!
Then we decided he was hot so we took his clothes off!Our family! :)


Go HOGS Go!

I'm looking forward to going to the game next week in Little Rock!

ITS FOOTBALL SEASON!

We are out tailgating today! We are big Razorback fans and we are super excited it is football season again! I love the time we get to spend with family and friends! Everyone is going to the game today, but the little man and me! We are going to hang out at home and sleep!
We'll post pictures of the tailgate tomorrow!

Changes

Things I have realized over the past 2 weeks!

I feel like I always smell like breast milk
My clothes didn't fit for 6 months because of my belly, now they don't fit because of my boobs!
I take more pictures on my phone and text them to people
I have given more kisses to the little man than I have to anyone else in my life
I don't mind waking up in the middle of the night anymore if it means spending time with my little man
I jump out of bed several times in the middle of the night just to make sure he is still breathing
I still have crazy dreams
I still have cravings and think it is ok now because I'm breast feeding
I have never prayed so much for one person
I swore I would never put him in bed with me, that is a lie. I love to cuddle with him in bed
I have never thought about one person so much. He is all I think about
I could look at pictures of him over and over and over again
I have learned that my house will be a mess by the end of each day, no matter what
I have learned that I am on a 3 hour schedule for the next few months of life
Due to the 3 hour schedule, I have learned to shop fast so I can get all my errands in 2 hours
Even when he is screaming and I get frustrated, as soon as I hold him I forget all about being frustrated.
I have to laugh every time he toots or burps and somehow I think it is sweet!

Now I'll leave you with some pictures!

Happy Birthday Kelley!

Happy Birthday Kelley!

I hope you have a great 24th birthday! I can't wait to see you tomorrow!





Thanks for everything you have ever done for me! I couldn't have made it through my pregnancy without you! I love you!!

Bath Time

We had bath time last night! He actually hasn't screamed except for the first two times we bathed him. I am ready for his little belly button thing to fall off so that it will be a little easier! Though he was really sweet the whole time! He only peed when he was in the tub!

We washed him
Put lotion on him.

Got his pj's on.Then he fell asleep!
Goodnight!