Meeting the Family

Keith and I are blessed with truly great families. Our first days with Ryan would have been much different without their support and help!

My parents came down from Iowa the day I was induced. They were at the hospital with us during the day time and headed to our home to care for Lucy at night. (I was also much appreciative of the Chipotle they brought me for lunch once I could eat real food!) It was nice to have their company, and it gave Keith a chance to take small breaks every once in a while too. Ryan is their first grandchild.



Ryan then got to meet his Aunt Amanda and cousins Kyle, Owen, and Madilyn (who is 3 months older than Ryan) when they came in from Tennessee. Amanda was a HUGE help and great company while she was here, and we are still enjoying the freezer meals she made for us.



Keith's parents arrived next from Colorado! They too helped out a lot with cooking, entertaining the kids, running errands, and driving Ryan and I to appointments when Keith was at work.

(How did I miss getting a pic of Grandpa G with Ryan?! Once I get one, I'll post it here.)



Aunt Laura then came to visit from Salina! Laura was a big help with everything too! Here she is with her niece and 3 nephews.



Since Keith had to head back to work, and the Gilberts had to head back home/to work, my mom came back to our house for two days to help some more. We're so lucky to have family within driving distance - especially being a military family! All of their visits and help meant that my first solo day home with Ryan didn't happen until Ryan was almost 2 weeks old. That was kind of a scary thing, but we both survived!

Welcome Ryan Paul Gilbert!

On Tuesday, January 17 at 2:12 PM, Ryan Paul Gilbert entered our world! He was 8 lbs 5 oz and 20.5 inches long. He is perfect!
I was diagnosed with Gestational Hypertension and it was best to have Ryan before my due date came. So I was induced on Monday the 16th, just 3 days early. It was not easy (2 epidural placements that didn't totally work, 2 spinal blocks, crazy powerful upper back spasms) or short (26 hours), but completely worth it in the end!

Since Ryan was taking his time descending, and I had only dilated to 7 cms, a C-Section was called late morning on Tuesday. Keith was outfitted with some scrubs so he could be near my head during the surgery. However, the second spinal block fluid went too high and made me feel like I couldn't breathe. It's a really scary feeling, I panicked, and they ultimately put me under general anesthesia. This meant that Keith wouldn't be able to be in the OR and had to wait outside for our little guy. Through this whole deal, Keith was so great! He was very patient and supportive. It was on him to snuggle and soothe Ryan while I was in recovery for 2 hours.

We are officially a family of 3 now and loving every minute of it! Ryan is such a wonderful baby with the best, squishiest cheeks you can imagine! He has dark hair (though it's getting a bit lighter), blue eyes, long legs, and big feet. He has my eye and face shape, and Keith's nose, mouth, and chin. He makes some pretty great faces too!

Ryan's name is pretty special, and it turns out his birthday is too. Ryan's Grandpa Gilbert's name is Rex, which means "King." Ryan means "Little King." Grandpa Cullison's name is Randy, which has all of Ryan's letters (except for the D).

Paul came from Keith's older brother, Kyle Paul, who passed away at the age of 1. Since we already have a Kyle, we went with the middle name. Paul is also his Great-Grandpa Gilbert's first name. I have an aunt Janice who passed away as a teen, and her middle name was Pauline. January 17 is also Janice's birthday.

What I've Learned: Pregnancy

Over the last 38 weeks and some odd days, I've learned a lot. Here's a brief summary:

1. Keith is an amazing husband and I'm very lucky to have him. Of course I knew he was amazing before, but it's nice to have it reaffirmed during a time when a major change is taking place in our lives.

2. Pregnancy is weird, which is probably "normal." I have felt like a freak a bunch of times, and every time I talked to the doctor about it they would tell me that it's "normal." Thankfully I also have good friends and family members who will answer my odd questions with honesty.

3. I've never felt a tired like pregnant-tired. I've always been a napper anyway, but now I'm downright zombie-like (with a personality to match) if I don't get my naps. Lucy now knows what "nap time" means too, and will run to the bedroom for our snuggle time.

4. Drinking more water can cure a variety of ails: nausea, swelling, headaches, Braxton-Hicks, a stuffy nose, baby moving too much, baby not moving enough, high blood pressure, etc. Fun fact: In the 3rd trimester, women should drink between a gallon-gallon and a half of water a day. Basically once you drink what you think is enough water, drink another 2 bottles.