7 hours of pure bliss

Grant decided to sleep for 7 hours last night. Acually it was 7 hours between feedings. I got 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep! I don't even remember the last time I got that much sleep because throughout the WHOLE pregnancy, I was up at least 2 times a night going to the bathroom. I feel so great right now. Thanks, Grant! Sure 'preciate ya! (BTW, I am going to post pictures of our trip-they're coming soon, now that I'm rested up!)

5,548 and counting. . . . . .

You may be wondering why I have these pictures on my blog. Well, to tell you the truth, I'm wondering why I have numbers like these in my van. Somehow Derrel talked me into going on a trip out West in our little mini van. You see, we are back now and the number above represents the total number of miles that we drove in 20 days. The number below represents the number of hours in the car. You may wonder, too, why it is only 10 hours and 28 minutes. Well our van doesn't allow triple digit hour numbers so add 100 to that number and that's the total HOURS that we were in our car. Jealous? Well, stay tuned for more pictures and fun stories about our fun LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG trip!

First Smile

Here's a video of Grant's first smile (granted it's in his sleep but it's still so cute). And boy does he have adorable little dimples! Take a look:

Eat, sleep and be merry!

As you can see, we LOVE to sleep in our house, especially when there's a new baby around. Sleep is our friend and we get it whenever and wherever we can. Here are just a few pictures of the baby (and others) sleeping and a few pictures awake. Look at all of that hair!!

Our first family reunion: Lydia & Kate adore their new brother!

I know I may be a little bias, but I have the most beautiful wife & kids



Lydia & Kate Sing to Grant:

Kate Holds Grant:

She was a little distracted by a yummy cup of Hospital Ice!

Lydia holds Grant:

As always, she makes sure everyone is OK with the new addition & that everyone loves everyone!

Lydia tells what she likes about Grant:

Kate is excited too (in the background)!

11:32 am. . . . . .

Finally, what you've all been waiting for:
Our Man Child!
Grant D Walker
June 18, 2008
11:32 a.m.
8 lb 2 oz
20 1/2 inches
lots of brown hair
lots of bruising on his face
pudgy nose
sweet disposition
Derrel's nose, lips, ears
Kim's lips, legs, fingers (pretty much the unimportant stuff)
He's pretty much a little Derrel just a lot smaller version!
Labor went perfectly and quickly. We were so pleased and enjoyed every minute of it, especially when Kim passed out while looking at the nurses putting in the IV. And when Derrel almost passed out when he got an epidural lecture and watched the whole thing. And when Derrel got to deliver the baby almost all by himself!!!!! It was a great day. Kim is actually in NO pain (knock on wood) and feels great. We feel so blessed and are so happy that Grant is here and healthy! More to come soon, stay tuned some more!

3:42 am!!!!!

"Derrel, my water broke"............. (Stay tuned!)

False labor? False hope. . . .

Well, Saturday night, I was contracting quite a bit and thought that I was going to go into labor. I thought Father's Day would be a very appropriate day to have our first son. But, to no avail-he didn't come. It just made for a tired, groggy Father's Day. Then, on Sunday night, I had SO many contractions. They were different and HARD and at one point from about 3-5 in the morning, they were coming hard and 3-4 minutes apart. I thought for sure we were going in. They kept up at 5 minutes and I called my midwife that morning and she said to come to the office at 9:30. So, of course, at about 9:00, my contractions stop. UGGGG. Why am I being tortured like this? Derrel takes his first round of medical boards on Monday the 23rd and I don't want to go into labor this weekend or on the 23rd. I'm torn and frustrated and tired of false alarms and false labor. We'll for sure update soon with news but for now, just false hope! But all is well and we are here and ready any time our man child wants to make his debut. Stay tuned!

Sisters

Kate has been very cranky lately. She has had a few very intense "episodes" with a capital E. Especially at church. I should have known it was coming for a while because she has been sweet, perfect little Kate up until now. Well, Lydia is VERY patient with her and is always trying to help her out of her episodes. Today, she was so sweet to write Kate a note all by herself:

Interpretation:
To Kate
Please be nice because I love you, Kate.
Love, Lydia
She proceeded to hand her this note with her favorite toy to cheer Kate up--it didn't work. It's the thought that counts.

Happy Birthday Lydia!

So it was a year ago that I started this blog because one of my first posts was of Lydia's birthday. Time flies, doesn't it? Well, it was Lydia's birthday again, but instead of doing a huge luau for her and all of her friends this year, we decided to let her take ONE friend to Chick-fil-a. We ate lunch and brought them home for cake and ice cream. It was low key and relaxing (except for the unbearable heat) and I had no messes or decorations or party favors or anything and she didn't even know the difference.
Lydia has grown up and matured so much in the last year. She's a whopping 5 now and is starting kindergarten in the fall. Lydia loves to sing, play with her bunny, play outside, pick flowers, learn about medical "stuff," swim, take baths and eat ice cream and popsicles. She is such an awesome big sister to Kate and is so excited to have a little baby brother soon. Lydia is going to be such a great help to us when the baby comes. She can't wait! We love you, Lydia. We love your sweetness, sincerity, love of the gospel, and willingness to help.

Happy Birthday 'Leeya!'

Nesting

So, just in case you've been wondering where I have been (i.e. not posting on my blog), these are the things that I've been doing:

Making homemade strawberry freezer jam:

Finishing this quilt (and not liking the colors, so. . . .):

Working on another quilt:

Mopping the kitchen floor (a major feat for me):

Painting the man child's room:

Growing a man child in my womb (he looks a little squished in there, don't ya think?):

Let me tell ya, I got to see his "parts" and he's DEFINITELY a BOY!!! Yeah! (I always worry they were wrong or something).

Our trip to the beach

Cape May, New Jersey
COLD water Lots of sand
Giggles Screams Crabs
Lots of seashells Family Cousins
Rain Sun Wind Clouds, clouds and more clouds
BBQ Tacos Cold Cereal
Talking Laziness Naps
Snoring UNO Laughter
Ferry Sea sickness (Derrel) Dolphins
Brownies Ice Cream
Chick Flicks Kids movies

Planes, trains and automobiles

A few weeks ago, I flew myself out to Kansas City to be at my Dad's surprise 60th Birthday Bash that my step-mom planned. While I was staying there, we gave the man child his first ride in a cool sports car. I LOVE this car. It's my dad's and it's a 1964 (I think) replica of a Shelby Cobra. It is fast and so fun to ride in (except when your REALLY pregnant). It was still really fun and the baby LOVED it, especially when my dad revved up the engine. Check us out:

Who am I?

I thought this was pretty cute. Try it out!

1. Your rock star name: Jim Vanny
(first pet, current car) I didn't have a pet...

2. Your gangsta name: Napoleon Thong
(favorite ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe) I've always call Neopolitan Napoleon (it's much easier to say)

3. Your Detective name: Orange Kitten
(favorite color, favorite animal)

4. Your soap opera name: Susan Kansas City
(middle name, city where you were born)

5. Your Star Wars name: Walki
(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name)

6. Superhero name: Blue Lemon Water
(2nd favorite color, favorite drink)

7. NASCAR name: Alvin Harold
(the first names of your grandfathers)

8. TV weather anchor name: Reynolds Raleigh
(your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)

9. Spy name: Autumn Tulip
(your favorite season/holiday, flower)

10. Cartoon name: Melon Tee
(favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now)

11. Hippie name: Cheerio Dogwood
(what you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)

12. Witness Protection Name: Louise Warren
(mother’s & father’s middle names )

13. Your Rockstar Tour Name: The Painting Thunder Tour
(”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)

Trampoline

So, we decided to buy something that I swore I'd never buy for my children. A TRAMPOLINE!! And I swore up and down that those silly lookin' nets for it were even worse lookin' than the trampoline itself. Well, lo and behold, we succumbed to my children's LOVE of trampolines and bought one. It has literally been heaven itself come down for my two girls. With spring and warm weather here, there isn't a day (unless it's really cold and rainy) that they don't get on the thing. I LOVE IT and it gets in a little exercise!