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.