Today is the Best Day of the Year

The first strawberries are ripe!  Although, there was one ripe yesterday, but no photographic evidence because I ate it in the garden.  These ones I shared.

Here are a few cute pictures from last week.

Just finished a bath.

Smiling!

What an outfit!

Ryder and I all dressed up at my cousin's wedding shower.

Emma sitting with her cousin and the bride-to-be at the shower.

2 Months Old!

May 21, 2013

Ryder is getting so big and he is starting to do all kinds of new things this month.  When he is on his stomach he can hold his head up for a few seconds and he can creep forward on his blanket.  He is moving his arms and legs every which way.  

He sleeps for longer at night (he made it to 6 hours once!) and he is awake for longer periods during the day and more interactive.  He now smiles at me and Janda and follows our movements with his eyes.  I even think he has laughed a couple of times!  

Unfortunately he has also started a rather unenjoyable therapy for his post surgery recovery this month, but at least all is progressing well, even if he isn't having fun!

He barely fits on his little pillow anymore and I've had to pack away newborn clothes!

Our Little Plot of Land

Despite some delays to the garden and yard work this year (ahem...Ryder!), we are getting things on track.  I may have to buy a few vegetables this year, but I got most everything in the ground or in the pot.  We have been cleaning up the yard like mad the past month- it's great to have 1/3 of an acre but the weeding is never ending!

Outside in the garden boxes I planted snow peas, shelling peas, 2 varieties of kale, 2 varieties of carrots, spinach, beets, 3 varieties of beans, corn and lettuce.  Inside in the window we have 6 varieties of tomato (which sadly may have been planted too late to make in into the garden this year), bell peppers, Jalapeno peppers, butternut squash, watermelon, pumpkin, zucchini, 2 varieties of cucumbers and brussell sprouts.  All in all, I'm pleased with how everything except the tomatoes are going, considering that everything was a month late (ahem...Ryder!).

The tropicals are inside- the squash type plants are doing great on the end, tomatoes not so much :(

The boxes look barren, but really all the veggies have just sprouted.

The strawberries I planted last year have spread and are doing awesome- 2 weeks til the first strawberry of the year?

The front and back yards are looking very tidy and our side lot is really coming along.  A lot of grass is growing and we have some bulbs and other flowers coming up.

A lovely orange-pink tulip in the front garden

Johnny-jump-ups are my favorite-this one is inconveniently located in the tomato box

 The alliums are just blooming

The bulbs come up in the strawberry patch that is our front garden

The strawberry patch goes the length of our yard

 The back of the house- we used gravel around the foundation

The side lot is tamed and turning very grassy

1 Month Old

April 21, 2013

Ryder at 1 month old, still several days before his due date!

A Star is Born!

On Wednesday March 20, I walked into Janda's office and said, for the hundredth time, "How can my stomach get a month bigger than this!"

Janda replied, helpfully, "You are getting BIG.  When was the last time we took a picture?"

Normally we took the pregnancy photos on the weekend, when I was a little less tired and my hair had been brushed nicely.  At first I thought, "No, no photo today," due to my fondness for routine and the fact that I had worked all day and was tired, but I thought it was touching that Janda was into documenting the pregnancy, so we took the photo.

Good thing we did- March 20 was the last day that I was pregnant!!

March 20, 2013 - huge!

We didn't have a clue what was coming our way; the only hint was some major back pain while I was trying to do the dishes.  It was so uncomfortable that Janda finished the dishes.  I suppose looking back that that was probably back labor.  Anyhow, it went away and after dinner Janda and I stayed up too late (11pm on a schoolnight!) and watched Lord of the Rings The Two Towers.  At midnight I woke up and had to go to the bathroom, not at all unusual during week 34 of a pregnancy.   Once downstairs, I realized that not only did I have to go to the bathroom, something unusual was going on.

Since this was my first pregnancy and I was only 34 weeks, I didn't really think that my water could be breaking, but I thought something was happening.  Janda came down and we talked to the on-call midwife.  I was convinced that she was going to tell us that it was nothing and to just come in for our appointment on Monday.  But no, she told us to come to the hospital.  I was then convinced that when we got there they would tell us to go home and come in for our appointment on Monday.

We got to the hospital around 1am, talked to the midwife, determined that my water had really broken and that the baby was breech.  Within 90 minutes, I was getting a C-section and at 3:17am Janda and I heard the cries that would bring tears to our eyes.  Our son has good lungs.  

For a 34 week and 5 day baby, Ryder was quite healthy and large, 6lbs 11oz!  Thank goodness he decided to come early, any bigger and I wouldn't have been able to move!

Thursday March 21 was a blur.  I was in recovery until 6am, went to visit Ryder for a couple of hours and then rested for a while.  Janda left to take care of things at school and returned around midday.  We spent the afternoon resting and admiring our baby.  

 March 21, 2013 - Happy Birthday Ryder!

The next morning we got the bad news that our otherwise healthy baby was experiencing a serious health issue that required him to be transported to Children's Hospital in Boston.  Since it was so soon post-surgery for me, the hospital would not let me go with him.  The rest of that day was spent nervously waiting for updates from Janda.  

Thank goodness they discharged me the next morning and for the next 2 weeks, Janda and I spent our days at Children's Hospital.  We arrived mid-morning after rush hour traffic and didn't get home until 9pm or later every night.  It was a tough 2 weeks, but really we were very lucky.  A lot of the other babies in the NICU had been or will be there for months.

First family photo at Children's

The first week was spent getting tests and waiting for OR time and the second week was spent recovering from the surgery.  He did great in the recovery, thank goodness.  

Scariest day of my life - still anesthetized post surgery

Ryder received topnotch care in the NICU at Children's.  I cannot say enough good things about the compassionate and knowledgeable staff of the NICU and the surgeons who worked on Ryder's case.  We hated leaving him every night, but we knew that he was receiving the best possible care.  

Ryder loved his nurses at Children's - look how peacefully he is sleeping

Finally on Saturday April 6, after 17 days in hospitals, we were given the all clear to take him home.  Unfortunately, we had to bring him home with a catheter, but we were home nonetheless.

On our way home at last

After all that Ryder had been through, we were ecstatic to have him home to meet friends and family and to just enjoy having a baby.  He has really taken to life at home and has put on a considerable amount of weight.  He is getting healthy and for that we are thankful!

Enjoying the simple life at home with Mom and Dad