Ryder Ramblings: Week 26

The last few weeks have been pretty chaotic around the Ryder house.

On March 8th, we found out that Steve's Gram passed away. She lived a very full 93 years and we know she is happy to be reunited with her husband in heaven. We went to Tampa for the funeral later that week while Luke got to stay with our neighbor and his Nanna. I learned even more how great this 4'10" little feisty woman was from all the stories shared from her loved ones while we were there. Although the circumstances were sad, it was nice to get to visit with family we rarely see for a few days. We also decided on the name Tatum Frances Ryder for our little girl to remember Gram.

A few weeks later after one of our family runs, Steve and I were doing some yard work while Luke napped. I tripped with the hedge clippers and ended up cutting my leg pretty severely. Steve took me to the ER where he got one of his bosses to look at it and decided to go ahead sew me up and put me in a boot. It was neat to see Steve in action especially since he was still wearing his yard work clothes. After about 4 days of having foot drop and numbness, Steve knew I did a pretty good bit of damage and got me in to see a specialist. I ended up having surgery that Friday to repair the peroneal nerve and 3 tendons that I those clippers severed. I had to get a spinal block instead of going under anesthesia so I was awake for the entire thing. It was a very weird experience talking to the people who are working inside your leg. I did get to take a peek right before they closed me up which was pretty cool if you like that sort of gross stuff. The next few days were pretty bad with pain but I'm doing better now and am getting better at maneuvering around on these crutches which it looks like I'll be on for the rest of pregnancy. We already know Tatum is going to be tough because she did great throughout the surgery. Every time I started to get a little anxious, (I was awake while people were cutting me open. It was neat but also a little overwhelming) I would focus on Tatum's heartbeat which I could hear on the fetal monitor. It really helped calm me down.

Just the past few weeks has reminded me even more of how awesome of a husband I have and how lucky Luke and Tatum are. He's taken on double duty around here and has turned into a great caregiver. He's also pretty easy on the eyes :)

Here's some photos of Steve's artwork (I'll spare the gory pre-stitches photo) and me taking it easy.

In happier news, we have been making progress on getting Tatum's room ready. I think it looks great so far but we have a little more work to do once I'm a little more mobile. Also, Spring is here and we're getting ready for Easter which is my favorite time of year. It's hard to be to bummed when the days are long and the sun is warm.