A few firsts with Ryder

A bunch of firsts have been going on lately. William had his first visit to the hospital on Saturday. Unfortunately he was not able to see Ryder, but he did get a bloody nose on his way out. Yes that's right...while he was running down the hall he decided to trip and face plant it down the hall getting a nose bleed. A couple of bloody tissues and a rubber glove full of ice and he was back in action. He did manage to color Ryder a picture to decorate his unit with...so sweet.

Late on the 27th Ryder's nurse came to visit and give us some awesome news, Ryder had been taken off his respirator and was back on regular oxygen. His levels were improving and his test where coming back showing improvements and the surfactant treatment seemed to be working. That night we decided to visit before we went to bed and his eyes were open for the first time (or at least the first time we saw them open) so we couldn't resist getting a small family picture. He was looking all around and Chris and I where melting, he just looked like an angel.

On the 28th I was a basket case. I was being discharged from the hospital and unfortunately Ryder was staying. I haven't been able to hold him at all and with each minute I felt opportunities of bonding passing me by. Of course logically thinking I knew this was just a minor speed bump, however giving birth and hormones are a very bad combination and the waterworks where flowing. Before we said our good-byes the nurse asked if I wanted to hold him....um YES!!! Up to that point I have not been able to hold him and the extent of contact we had was patting or rubbing his back. I was on cloud 9, I didn't want to put him up...it was just what I needed to get me over this hump. Chris being the wonderful husband that he was knew that I needed this moment and decided to allow me to have this opportunity for the entire time.

Today we visited Ryder again and another first happened, Chris finally got to hold his baby boy! He choked back the tears and took in the moment. There's nothing quite like watching the father of your children love on God's creation....I thank God each day that I have Chris in my life and he's the father of my children.

Each day Ryder is improving, his levels are slowly getting to where they need to be and soon he will be bottle feeding and eventually will not require oxygen assistance at all. I continue to pray for him every second of the day...I fall asleep praying for him and pick right back up when I wake up. I can't wait to have our family whole, it's only a matter of time!

Hello Ryder!

Our tiny angel was born on Friday June 25 at 8:12am. He was 7lbs 2ozs 21 inches long and is absolutely adorable!! We weren't scheduled to have him until June 28 but I started to contract on Friday evening and when we called the Dr she said to come on in. After a few hours in labor and delivery, our doctor decided to deliver on Friday morning. It was a complete shock since we where expecting Monday, but obviously the doctor knows best so we where along for the ride!

Ryder was born via c-section (it was a repeat) and everything went smoothly. I'm recovering well, as expected I'm sore but overall doing good.

Ryder on the other hand has had a few issues. After delivery the nurses noticed his breathing wasn't normal after running further test they determined that he has excess fluid in his lungs. He was immediately moved to NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for treatment. At first they thought his lung development was premature. After running further test, he was diagnosed with RDS (Respiratory Distress Syndrome). It's very common for repeat c-sections. Unfortunately Chris and I did not see this coming at all. We delivered William at 37 weeks 5 days via c-section and there wasn't a single problem with him. We just assumed the same would be for Ryder. Gestationally he was full term so the risk of being in the NICU was not something we put in our equation.

We spoke to the neonatal doctor last night and he gave us a few updates on Ryder. Since his chest x-ray was worse than delivery day (more fluid in his lungs) they decided on a new route of treatment. For about 24 hours he was just on minimal oxygen and feeding tube. Now the doctor is wanting to be more aggressive to speed his progress along to ensure the fluid is dissolved faster. He was placed on a respirator/c-pap machine (just like Dad!) for breathing and given additional catheters through his belly button. He was also injected with surfactant. Surfactant is a natural chemical that is produced in the lungs of newborns to help with breathing outside the womb. With the combination of my excess amniotic fluid and the fact that he was delivered by c-section the natural surfactant that he developed was washed away. The downside to c-section delivery is the baby doesn't get "rung out like a towel" passing through the birthing canal so all that excess stuff the baby doesn't need and his harmful has to be manually expelled.

So we are just waiting, as patiently as possible to see how Ryder takes to everything. Unfortunately I may be discharged before Ryder is able to come home. To say my heart is breaking is an understatement. I never in a million years expected to leave the hospital without my baby but if this is what is best for him, then I just have to be patient and pray. The doctors are hopeful that he will be discharged on Friday. Again these dates and times are not set in stone and Chris and I are at the mercy of the doctors and Ryder's progress. All we can do is just pray for a quick and healthy recovery. He's such an angel, so many people are dying to give him kisses. First in line are Chris and I, at this point we can't wait to hold him (something we have yet to be able to do). Second is big bro William!! He doesn't quite understand this situation but has been very patient and understanding through out it all.

I have tons of more pictures but unfortunately the connection at the hospital is so slow I'll upload more when I get home.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers, hopefully our angel will be home soon!

Ryder's Arrival

Well Chris and I went to the doctor yesterday and the day has been set, Ryder will be born on Monday June 28, 2010 around 12:30pm!! We are shocked that the day is here already, but so ready to see our baby boy! William has begun the countdown and has already given us the "OK" to allow Ryder to play with his toys just as long as we keep an eye on him and he doesn't break anything. He's also asked if Ryder will pee or throw-up on him. We just told him with babies we can't make any promises...anything is possible! We just ask that you keep our family and new baby boy in your prayers on Monday. I am delivering via C-section and that always worries me, but I have full confidence that I am in good hands. Chris said that he can tell I am chomping at the bit to take pictures of our new baby boy so I'm certain I'll have pictures posted very soon! Stay tuned!!

Family Update

Our family has hit a few busy spurts here and there. When things come to an end and the Summer begins, there is always some over lapping of events. William is officially finished with Pre-K and I've had to do my best to keep him busy. Luckily we have enjoyed several play dates and Aunt Deidra's pool has been a life saver!! William is back in full swimming form. Last Summer ended with him swimming and both Chris and I where wondering if he would forget all that he learned. Apparently that is not the case. He's jumping off the diving board and literally swimming across the pool, just like riding a bike apparently. T-ball has also come to and end, but I don't mind that too much...it was getting pretty toasty outside. Next will be soccer in the fall. Our only decision is with what league. He's now old enough to join KYSA and we aren't sure if he's going to get all that much out of the YMCA. We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.

I've also enrolled William in a 9 week reading class. Since he's going to kinder garden next year I thought I'd give him a head start in the reading department. He has shown such interest in learning how to read his book and William has a tendency to do better in a class room setting so I have a feeling this will be good for him. Check back at the end of the Summer to see his progress.

Two weeks ago Chris had knee surgery. When we lived in Austin Chris had knee surgery on his left knee and it was now his right knee's turn to get some work done. He's been doing awesome with his recovery. Not like he's under any pressure with a baby on the way, but he really is doing a great job.

And now on to Ryder. Last week I went for my regular check up and discussed delivery dates. My doctor has put down July 5 as our delivery date. She has also recommended that I visit a high risk doctor because of a slight abnormality I had with my last ultrasound. My amniotic fluid is high. There could be a number of reasons but to make sure all bases were covered she wanted to know the reason behind the high fluid. This morning we went and the specialist ran all her tests. She was able to confirm that the brain and heart activity are in great shape which was the main concern that could effect swallowing. The belly has a good amount of fluid in it and we saw the face. Her theory behind the high fluid could be an overactive bladder, cleft pallet, or just something unknown. She's leaning toward a cleft pallet because it is apparently inherited and both sides of my family have that trait. She said it's not the end of the world, but does need to be corrected with surgery a few months down the road. Chris and I are praying everything is normal but are also prepared for any speed bumps too. The doctor today also suggested an earlier delivery date so we are now looking at 2 short weeks until we meet Ryder!!!! We are so excited and William is getting pretty impatient and ready to become a big brother!!