LONG TIME NO POST!

Hey guys! I am so so so sorry! It has been forever! Long story short....7 surgeries later Ryder is doing GREAT! He has been home since the end of September and had a few surgeries here and there in between! But he is still such a trooper and strong as can be! He is holding his head up great, sometimes he looks like a bobblehead (but still adorable!) He is smiling and cooing a ton! We can't get him to quit now! Haha....silence is no more! I love it tho! He is AMAZING! And Zack is an AMAZING daddy too! Keep praying that he will continue to do well!

Coming Home!

We are coming home Thursday!!!! Praise God!

Waiting....

So Ryder was supposed to come home Tuesday, then he got an infection. Then they said we would be bringing him home Friday and then his breathing wasn't good. Haha. I think he hears them tell us when we can bring him home and then makes his mind up then. They are just too nice to him there I suppose. Lol. We are MORE than ready to get him home but he needs to just recover and get strong. We are going on day 21 and counting. As of now he just needs his lungs to get stronger and to be able to keep his oxygen level up when sleeping and sitting in a car seat. Phew. We are working on it with him :-)

Our Lil Frankenstein

Sweet little man

He thinks all these tubes are supposed to be played with :-)

He got his first haircut!!!

Just snoozing away....

Day before surgery....chunky thighs

Snugglebug!

Daddy knows how to make me happy

So Ryder's second surgery went very smoothly. I was very relieved when the surgeon came in to 'brag' about how well it went. Ryder had his shunt placed and i KNOW it is going to make him feel so much better over time. RECAP: An incision on his head, on his belly, and on his back.....LOTS OF STITCHES!! Hence, our lil Frankenstein. lol. He is so pitiful right now but once he is older he can really impress the ladies with all of his battle scars :-) The worst part of it all was actually the fact that our little piggy who has gotten used to eating 4 oz. every 3 hours was unable to eat since midnight last night and STILL can't eat until tomorrow. That makes me a little sad. I'm sucha mommy now. He is recovering wonderfully. God has really looked over our little man. What a blessing.

Update on Ryder

The doctors came around and did a full assessment of Ryder yesterday. They have confirmed that he will be needing a shunt placed in his brain. They are anticipating doing the surgery on thursday. I hate Ryder having to go through all of this at just a week old but I know that it will make him feel much better! Just continue praying for the little man that he continues to have a wonderful recovery! God is good and is watching out for him.

We are in love with him

Daddy loves you Ryder!

We could sit and stare at him all day.

So content....

Mommy loves you!

Wide eyed and bushy tailed!

Proud Daddy

Gramps feeling my soft skin.

The doctors fixed up his back so we can get all better!

Our little family :-)

Quality time with Daddy

So sweet

Meme gets to hold me for the first time!

Look at all my hair!

I love my bear!

Oh just laying around...

Mommy feeds me for the first time!

Tender moments with Mommy

I love my pacifier(otherwise known as pappy)

I am a pretty good sleeper

Gramps telling me all about my Mommy

Sorry it has been awhile, there has been a lot that has gone on. Ryder had his back closure surgery Tuesday afternoon and everything went smoothly. There wasnt much 'repairing' that needed to be done since his spine was mostly intact. Praise God! He has been doing absolutley wonderful! He eats from a bottle and takes the full amount he is expected to be eating right now! Sucha good boy....He has been having some movement in his legs but even more in his toes and feet. Every inch of his little self is so precious. He has become a favorite among the nurses up in the NICU. They like to remind us that he is SUCH a good baby. He has a very laid back mellow personality, nothing seems to phase him. We are pretty relieved ;-) He has had to have a cathater used every 4 hours to help him empty his bladder, Daddy Zack has been getting awefully good at this. Im just not too stable on my feet to be able to learn yet. The doctors will be doing a full evaluation of him on Monday to determine whether he will need a VP shunt or not. So far they are saying he will probably be needing one but whatever God has planned for little Ryder is perfect. He is perfect.

Meet Mr. Ryder