Introducing....

Ryker James Lund

born December 29, 2011
at 6:28 pm

Weighing a whopping 6-3 pounds
and standing 20.5 inches tall

It all began at 2:00 am Thursday morning
when I woke up to water gushing out of me.

I was three weeks early to the day and so I was NO WHERE near prepared.
I jumped into the shower and shaved every place on my body and washed
my hair and packed a bag.

Raleigh cleaned the kitchen, took out the trash, woke up Morgan, our favorite babysitter and we left.
We were in the room at 3:25.

And what are the chances that I would have my FAVORITE nurse, Andrea again??
I almost started crying when she walked in the room.
And looking back on the events of the day, I COULD NOT have done it without her.
She is truly an angel. Sent to me TWICE.

I was in labor all day, with slight progression but not enough to vaginally deliver (they can't induce you on a VBAC) and at 5:30, I started to develop a raging fever because I was getting an infection from having no amniotic fluid for 15 hours so the horrifying decision was made (not by me) to have my third C-section in three years.

Here is my wonderful Dr. Rappleye... so happy to be in the operating room. I love him so much.

How do you thank someone enough for giving you four of your seven greatest treasures?

Here come the gross pictures of the surgery....

Oh man, look at the size of those.... tubes

All cleaned up and ready to head down to the NICU.
Ryker's considered a premie. And so his lungs are underdeveloped
He will be in the NICU for a week
So sad!!!

The Next Day

The big sisters came to visit us in the hospital.
I was so happy to see them.

They had no idea why was I there... there was NO baby anywhere in that room
But they made me forget for a minute that my little boy was struggling to breathe downstairs.

She is the most darling biggest sister I have ever seen

Ryker with his tubes and red "U" socksWe made so many trips downstairs to visit our sweet boy
who seemed to have a new tube in him with each visit

On Saturday the Utes played in their bowl game. There were so many tense moments
And Raleigh stood up for the last 12 minutes of the game.
And football 12 minutes really means 45.
The Utes pulled out the "W"
Raleigh and the guy in the room next door were hollering and cheering
and Raleigh went running around the room and
jumped up on the couch. It was so exciting
On New Year's Eve, the hospital treated us to a steak and baked potato dinner
with sparkling apple cider and the most delicious chocolate mousse cake
Party Animals I tell you what.
Anyway... we left our boy in the NICU on the morning of January 1st
and came home to two very sick little girls.
It just never ends.... the worrying and the stress
But it is so much fun.

Thanks to Papa and Nana who cleaned up throw up all night
and stayed up all night holding a crying and teething little KK, they wiped noses and gave baths and made dinners and breakfasts and
did laundry and came to visit us every day and literally ran out the door the second we got home and I am pretty sure I heard tires screeching out of the driveway.
They probably will never come back. So, so sorry.
But, we could NOT have done it without you.