first week

now that my first week on planet ballard has come to an end, I thought it an appropriate time to tell all my friends and family how my first five days went.

day 0 - may 26 - my arrival

apparently me and my curly wig forget to inform mommy gretchen and daddy rich that at 5:47 pm, all 8 pounds 4 ounces of me would be making my cameo appearance out here in the far western reaches of king county, washington. 

to tell you a little about my morning.... daddy left for work at 6 am and mommy hatched a plan to meet poppy (aka grandpa) for lunch at noon.  this provided me a perfect unexpected opportunity to escape mommy's tummy while no one was looking.   by the time mommy canceled her lunch plans and daddy got home from work at 1 pm, i was ready for some action.  trying to delay going to the hospital prematurely, mommy and daddy foolishly took a long walk around the neighborhood before departing the house at 345 pm.

upon hospital arrival, mommy’s contractions started intensifying quickly.  she worked very hard for the next two hours, and with the assistance of a great midwife, nurse, and daddy, she delivered me, sans drugs – a ridiculously awesome accomplishment in my eyes – at 547 pm.  

the next couple hours are a bit sketchy for me and for all involved, but roughly in this order mommy and daddy found out:

-          that I was a boy, yippee!

-          that I was pretty darn blue and wrinkly

-          that daddy was suppose to unattach me from mommy [which he did successfully, although with a bit of a cringe]

-          that my name was ryder blake cook

-          that I was healthy, a solid 8 pounds, 20" long,  liked to hangout in mommy’s arms and was preferential to sleeping most of the first night

here i am pondering my eventful 1st night

a couple hours after i arrived, mommy scarfed down some mac & cheese, french fries, veggie burger and a well deserved chocolate milkshake.   a little later some people named oma and poppy (that is my mommy's mommy and daddy) visited and got to hold me. 

while i slept much of the rest of the night, mommy and daddy watched me with perma-smiles, trying to come to terms with the joy and surprise of my super quick, super awesome, grand entrance to this world.  

day 1 - may 27 - the hospital 

i hung out in the hospital all day.  so did mommy and daddy.  they pet me a lot, made weird baby sounds in my direction and kept flashing annoying pics of me in some very compromising positions.  aunt kelly, uncle andrew, and cousins elise and evan brought me a birthday cake. i guess they didn’t know that i can’t eat cake yet, but i shared it with everyone else. all in all, it was a great day.  so great in fact, that I didn’t want it to end, and I kept mommy and daddy up all night long.

here i am at the hospital

me and mommy catching some zzzz's

day 2 - may 28 - the trip home

today I learned how to ride in a car seat.  i saw the pacific ocean through the car window – well if you'll allow me to count the puget sound anyway – and i learned how to keep mommy and daddy awake all night—not just in the hospital, but at home too.

hitchin a ride home

day 3 - may 29 – settling in

nothing happened today.  oh wait, that's not true.  i went on my first walk with mommy and daddy.  well really they did all the walking and i hitched a ride on daddy’s belly.  oh, and my poop turned yellow.

first walk

day 4 - may 30 – the groove

i had lots and lots of visitors today, including uncle john. i also video-chatted with grandma, grandpa, and auntie sarah in some place called maine. i have become an expert feeder, teaching mommy and daddy all the signs when i’m hungry and doing a great job of eating without hurting mommy.

day 5 - may 31 – first trip out

i met my doctor today and got a clean bill of health. because i am doing so well, mommy and daddy decided i could go on another, farther walk around the block. i was so worn out that i had my best night’s sleep so far.

mommy and me relaxing

catching some rays on memorial day

so by now, if you're not tired of all the pictures of me just yet, you can click here to see all the shots of my first 5 days.  that's a lot of typing for a little dude like me, so i think it's  time for a nap.  catch ya later.  ~rbc