Poor Bandit Boy

We were filled with such excitement coming home from the hospital with our sweet baby boy! Apparently Bandit had just as much excitement too. Maybe too much. After getting acquainted with their new "brother", Echo & Bandit were playing together in our room. Just the normal stuff- chasing each other and wrestling. Bandit jumped off of our bed to chase Echo, but his back paw got caught in the footboard. He cried for a little bit and couldn't walk on his back leg at all. We tried to keep him still, but somehow he still found a way to hobble his way around. He even tried to still play with Echo, chasing him as he hopped on 3 legs. He wasn't crying when he walked, and the Vet told us to monitor him throughout the weekend and to call if it didn't get any better.

The weekend came and went. Bandit didn't get any better. Tim took him to the Vet and they informed us he tore a ligament in his knee and damaged another in the same leg. My Bandit needed surgery. The surgery was scheduled for the next day. Bandit will need to be crated for 8 weeks. He is used to sleeping in our bed with us and playing with Echo. This is going to be a big adjustment! We are just grateful that I will be home on maternity leave for the next 8 weeks and that he can start the recovery process now!

Our poor boy has to be carried around, won't eat or drink on his own, and has to be carried around due to the soft cast he has. He came home with a cone around his neck and looked so sad. He cried in his "room" (his crate). Actually we both laid down and had a good cry together. He is part of our family and we love him. It is so hard to watch him cry in pain and know that it will last another 2 months.

So, we have had our hands full with a newborn baby and a recovering 4-legged baby. We can't wait until we all are back to normal, but we are not counting on that for another 2 months. Come on 2010- hurry up and get here!

Labor

I can't believe it's been just over a week since Ryan was born. We are loving every single minute with this sweet boy! Sometimes it's still hard to believe that he is finally here. We have wondered for the last 9 months what he would look like, sound like, and when he would come.

Last Tuesday night, I started having contractions at about 9:30pm. Those kept me up all night. Wednesday I went in to work to finish a HUGE project I have been working on for the last year. It just so happens that that was the day that all of the head honchos were going to be in my office so I could catch everyone up to speed and we could finally wrap this thing up. While I probably should have stayed home from work- given that I had already been in labor for 10 hours or so, I didn't. I warned everyone at work that we needed to be ridiculously productive because I didn't know how much time I had to work on this project. So, we worked and worked and got quite a lot accomplished. a lot, but not all. With contractions about 4-5 minutes apart for the past 2 hours, I knew I had to leave work before I couldn't drive anymore. I called Tim and he left work right away. We met at home and then headed to the hospital.

Luckily, we finished packing our things together the night before. After the contractions became consistent, we decided it was finally time to get that done! Way to be prepared, huh? In our defense, we had been so busy with so many things, this just kept getting pushed back on our list of things to do. SO glad we finally acted, because we were able to grab our stuff and go once we got home from work.

I was admitted me to the hospital around 1:30pm. After 27 hours of labor, and a lovely epidural later, Ryan Takeo Hahn finally entered the world- absolutely perfect! We were beyond excited (and exhausted) to have our son with us! As one of Tim's previous Seminary students said, our family was "upgraded". Ryan was due on my birthday (Oct. 30th), and was born 8 days early, on my Grandma's birthday (Oct. 22nd). We're sure Grandma Mary is looking down smiling at her great grandson who shares her birthday.

We loved all the visitors who made their way out in the middle of the night to keep us company. We know it was late & we were all tired, but we appreciate all the support we received by so many people.

We were so glad to get home from the hospital to our own home. Echo & Bandit are so good with Ryan. They sniffed him and then were pretty content from that point on. Bandit wasn't so fond of the crying at first, but has since adjusted. Echo likes to cuddle up next to Ryan in bed. Ryan has never cried when one of them barks or been startled when they are near. He seems fascinated with them and loves them like Tim & I do. Whoo-hoo!

We love our little Ryan. He is beautiful, smart, and strong. His middle name actually means "strong like bamboo" and I think he has taken it as a personal challenge. While we were at the hospital he could already lift his head and look around for a short period of time. He tries to hold things on his own, and often succeeds without help from Mom or Dad. He is such a joy. He amazes us every day. We can't believe we get to be his parents!

Ryan Takeo Hahn 10.22.09

Ryan Takeo Hahn

Born: October 22, 2009 @ 12:44am

7.7 pounds

19.5 inches

Our sweet boy is finally here! More pictures and details to come soon!