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!
