Ryker Holding his Bottle

Ryker likes to hold his own bottle, but can only do it when there is an ounce or two left in it.

Rose Park

Ryker and I are lying in the shade after Sunday Mass. His belly button is just about to drop off.

Andrew with Ryker in a Sling

Marybeth (Krumm) Turner sent a beautiful sling and Ryker loves to be carried in it. We're having coffee in Georgetown after Mass.

Mark and Djinni Fields Visit

Mark and Djinni both got to hold Ryker, but Djinni got the distinct pleasure of having Ryker pee all over her (boys are good at doing that). Fortunately, she was wearing her gym clothes. They brought a little squeeky chew toy in the shapte of a giraffe from France. I'm sure Ryker will love it.

Tia Sandra Paredes

My neighbor and running partner, Sandra, finally meets Ryker. She brought him a very cute onesie with a cow silkscreened on it.

A Big Sunday!

I finally felt well enough (and have been pretty stir crazy) to get out of the house. We went to Mass this morning, hung out at Rose Park in Georgetown, and had coffee at Patisserie Poupon in Georgetown. Afterwards, we went to Rodman's to stock up. Look how little he is in the car seat (sorry I haven't figured out to rotate this one yet)!

This Baby Crawls!

One night earlier this week, Ryker twice crawled from my belly to my neck. He grunted the whole way, but was very determined. So, I started giving him more "tummy time" and what does he do? Crawls! You have to put your foot behind him to give him a little leverage, but this guy crawls - particularly if he hears my voice. Do babies really do this when they're only a week old (and born early at that)? I guess I'm going to have to baby-proof my place soon.

Abby Benson Visits

I joke that I've known Abby since before she was born. I remember her mother, my mom's best friend Barbara, being pregnant with her back in Hartford - at least I think I do! She now lives in Washington and works for the Coast Guard. Our mom's are still best friends and only live a block apart in Newport. Ryker was having a good stretch in her arms.

Charlotte Watson Visits

My stepmother, Charlotte, visits with my Dad.

"River Poppa"

My father, Flemming Heegaard, visits on Day 2. Yes, I know I look like hell!

Sarah's Kindergarten Photo

Blonde hair, blue eyes. Don't think Ryker much looks like me...

Andrew as a Little Boy

Andrew (center) is about 2 yrs. old in this picture with his sister, Siobhan, and brother, Anthony. Striking resemblance to Ryker, no?

Louisa Buatti Visits

Louisa is one of my best friends. She brought dinner and came to hold little Ryker.

Mac and Marsha Odell Visit

I am only 10 minutes out of the operating room when Mac and Marsha visit. They were in Peace Corps 1 with my parents in Nepal.

Paul and Joan Strokes Visit

Paul is my business partner at Merrill Lynch. Joan got to feed Ryker.

Steve and Joanne Lamm Visit

I've known Steve since I was four years old. My father brought him home for dinner one night and he never left. My mother (Aunt Goldie) wrote the Washingtonian personals ad that Joanne answered.

Marilu and Luis Corrales Visit

My neighbors, who took such great care of me during the pregnancy, came to visit. Marilu also attended the birth.

12 Hours

Me holding Ryker who is only 12 hours old. I'm still hooked up to the epidural, etc.

Father's Day

Andrew feeding Ryker a bottle at the hospital. I forgot the cards at home and didn't realize it was Father's Day/Sunday until the late afternoon when Steve and Joanne came to visit and wish Andrew a Happy Father's Day!

The Legend of Finn MacCool

Fionn MacCool, was no ordinary giant. He was the biggest and the strongest giant in all Ireland. His voice could be heard for miles around. He was so strong that he could lift a hundred men in one of his enormous hands. Fionn lived with his wife in the hills of County Antrim. Fionn's wife was called Oonagh.One day a messenger came to Fionn's castle. He had come all the way from Scotland with news for Fionn. The messenger told Fionn that a Scottish giant called Angus wanted to fight him. Angus wanted to show that he was stronger than any giant in Ireland. Fionn had never seen Angus before, but he knew that he was the biggest giant in Scotland. Fionn was not afraid.The next day, Fionn began to build a path across the sea to Scotland. This path was called the causeway. It was made of thousands of rocks. Fionn built many miles of the causeway with his great hands. When Angus heard about Fionn's causeway, he decided to build the Scottish end of the causeway himself. For weeks the two giants worked hard at building the causeway.One morning Fionn was in the forest near his castle. He saw his wife coming towards him. He ran over to her.She said to him, "I have heard that Angus is the biggest and the strongest giant in all the world. He is twice as big as you and twice as strong!" Fionn was very worried. "I cannot fight a giant that is twice my size!"As the sun was setting, he heard a knock on the door. It was the messenger. "Angus wants to fight you tomorrow at sunrise," he told Fionn."Yes, of course," replied Fionn.He went into his bedroom when the messenger left. He took the blankets off the bed. Fionn and Oonagh worked through the night. They cut the blankets and made giant baby clothes. Fionn put on the baby clothes and got into the giant cradle.At sunrise the next morning, Oonagh heard a knock on the door. It was Angus. Angus asked Oonagh was Fionn there. Oonagh told him that he was gone for a walk and that he would be back soon. She invited him in. It was not long before Angus heard a cry. He asked whom it was, pointing to the cradle. Oonagh said, "That's young Fionn, our baby, Angus thought that if this is the size of their baby, how big could Fionn be. Then he ran out of the castle as fast as he could. He ran across the causeway and did not stop until he reached his country. He was afraid that Fionn might follow him.Today, if you go to County Antrim, you can still see a small piece of the causeway. It is called the Giant's Causeway, because it was built by Fionn Mac Cool, the most famous giant in the history of Ireland.

Saturday Brunch

Meredith and Dave bring their girls: Ryan and Casey to celebrate with some Veuve Clicquot.

First Visit to Tryst

We have to make sure that he grows up to appreciate good coffee!

First Visit to Pediatrician

Ryker and Dr. Edward Sepe have the same birthday.

Week One

Ryker Fionn Heegaard was born on June 15, 2007 at 8:13 pm. He was 5 lb 13 oz and 18 inches. It was a VERY long day and ended with a (not terribly unexpected) c-section since he was in breech position with the umbilical cord around his neck so we couldn't reposition him. His daddy, Andrew Rush, was there as well as my dear friends, Meredith Stone and Marilu Corrales. Meredith was actually the first to hold him. Since Ryker had fluid in his lungs, they had to take him immediately. Andrew fell asleep - exhausted. I had to wait two hours for more pain meds. They finally brought Ryker to me at about 1:00 am so I could hold him for an hour. Andrew held him in the morning.

His name, Ryker, is Danish for Richard and means "Powerful Leader." His middle name, Fionn (Gaellic spelling of Finn), is from one of the great hereos of Irish mythology: Finn MacCool. Mythologists have suggested that he was an aspect of the god Lugh. In folklore, he was depicted as a giant, but in myth he was of normal stature. He is said to have erected the Giant's Causeway on the Antrim Coast of Ireland. Andrew and I went to Giant's Causeway with his daughter, Keelin, last summer and we had the most wonderful time and wanted to commerate that special day.

Mostly, he looks like Andrew: dark hair and eyes with a cleft chin. He has my long fingers/toes. Since he was born 11 days early, he acts very much still in the womb. He likes to be swaddled tightly, mostly eats and sleeps. On his second day, he looked up at me and raised his right eyebrow - just like Andrew does. I've never been able to do that! On Day 5, he was lying on my tummy and crawled up to my neck. He was very frustrated when he ran out of room so I let him do it all over again. He is very calm and content and only fusses slightly when he needs a burp, food, or a diaper change.

On Tuesday we took him to his first pediatrician's appointment with Dr. Eric Sepe (who has the same birthday as Ryker). When he left the hospital, his weight had dropped to 5 lb 6 oz and was already up 3 oz. I feed him as fast and as often as possible! All of his tests: hearing, PKU, etc. came out fine. We have to bring him back next week for another weigh-in since he is a small baby.

Visitors at the hospital included Mac and Marsha Odell (10 minutes after I gave birth!), my father "River Poppa" and his wife, Charlotte, Marilu and Luis Corrales, Steve and Joanne Lamm, Paul and Joan Strokes.