Impromptu Fall Photo Shoot

We did an impromptu fall photo shoot Sunday. We were missing Alex, Ryder was cranky, and I am the first to admit that Brady obviously needs a haircut. Despite the shortcomings I think the pictures came out great, I love the colors. Tony is an excellent photographer.

Ryder 5 Months

I love his cute round face more than words.

Soccer Monster

Nothing says fall quite like soccer and our resident soccer monster is having a great time!

Ryder 3.5 Months

Ryder has continued to grow like a weed.  He's not quite four months old and his 6-9 month clothes are getting snug.    He is a strong little guy.  He first rolled over from his tummy to his back when he was six weeks old.  His legs are as muscular as ever and he can already support himself on them while holding onto the couch.  I have a feeling in the next few months (maybe weeks) he is going to be completely mobile and getting into loads of trouble.  We love our Ryder spider!

Brothers

Brady absolutely loves being a big brother, and more specifically having a brother.  It was a rough first few weeks with some major jealously but he has settled into big brotherhood like a champ.  In fact, a few weeks ago he asked me when he gets another brother (not a sister!).  Another brother?!  Silly boy... I let him know the baby factory is closed.

Sixteen Candles

Alex turned sixteen in June.  I've said it a million times now, she is growing up way too fast.  Where does the time go?  She has been developing her photography and writing skills as of late while being a typical teenager.  We love you, Alex!

Ryder Dean

Ryder Dean was born April 10, 2011 at 8:10 am. He was 20.5 inches long and weighed 8 pounds 15 ounces. I am still in shock that I had such a big baby! Overall labor and delivery was easier, faster and less painful than the first time around despite the fact I delivered nearly a 9 pound boy.

I woke up around 2:30 am that morning to use the bathroom (lovely pregnancy bladder!), as soon as I stood up my water broke. At first I didn't realize it was my water, my first thought was that I lost control of my bladder. Once I was convinced (and relieved) it was my water, Tony and I woke Brady up and arrived at the hospital around 3 am. I had an epidural within an hour and rested comfortably until I was fully dilated around 7:15 am. I would have delivered Ryder earlier than 8:10 am but I had to hold off from pushing until my doctor arrived at the hospital. The pressure was intense but thankfully the epidural made it manageable to wait.

It was so magical when they passed Ryder to me, there is an immediate bond between mother and child. I instantly couldn't imagine him not being my son and a part of our family. Another nice bonus was he was able to stay with me in the delivery room, Brady was rushed off to the NICU for respiratory concerns. I was able to nurse in the delivery room and bond with my little guy.  Everything was perfect and the hospital staff was amazing, I have no complaints.

Ryder is a noisy little guy.  I'm not talking about crying, he loves to just grunt away especially when he is sleeping. He is also growing like a weed.  At 3 weeks old he has nearly outgrown his 0-3 month clothes.  He will be in 3-6 month attire within the next 2 weeks.  He is in the 75th percentile in his weight and 95th percentile in his height.  Tony and I are both surprised we managed to produce such a large child.

From the time Ryder was in the womb I could tell he had a lot of his daddy's attributes.  He seemed to chill and be laid back, just like Tony.  As soon as he was born we noticed he had his dad's natural muscle tone.  You can't tell from the pictures but this kid has seriously strong muscular legs and abs, nurses and doctors have been quite impressed with his strength.  Looks like he will be an excellent cyclist just like dad.  We just love him!