Visit from Aunt Gracie

So Aunt Gracie was sweet enough to take the weekend off last week to come visit her newest nephew.  While she really doesn't have time as she winds down her last year of residency and prepares to move for her fellowship, she still managed to come down to Texas for a few days. We were SO HAPPY to see her!!  Walter took no time getting comfortable with her.

Henry, on the other hand, never slowed down.  Since the weather was gorgeous, we took him to the park so he could wear himself out.  I love love love when they are old enough to go down the slide on their own and aren't such a danger to themselves on the playground!

Though I shouldn't speak too soon - Gracie and Clifton had to slam on the brakes on the swings as Henry decided to trot right in front of them mid-swing.  Crazy kid likes to live kamikaze-style, apparently.

 

Walter had a BIG time at the park.  He minded his own business, and ensured no one stole his diaper bag. :)

Walter also had his first outing last weekend when we took him to lunch.  My pediatrician would be mad - he told me at his last appointment that he couldn't even recommend us going to Easter service because of "the crowds." Ha! I'm sure he wouldn't approve of this outing or the fact that we've already taken Walter to church.  Walter behaved like a little gentleman.

How, you may wonder, did Henry behave?  I would say like a well behaved toddler.  While there was no temper tantrum, screaming, squealing, etc., there was turning in the high chair,

biting of napkins off the table (don't ask me), etc.

I did convince him to say, "Cheese!" though!

 

And somewhere along the way, my good camera got a horrific smudge on the lens.  Hmmm.... I wonder who the culprit could be?  Despite the horrible smudge (and my still showing baby weight), I absolutely love this picture of my family. Sad Lauren was working and couldn't be in it!!  So so so glad Gracie took time from her too busy schedule to come see us - we will continue to try and brainwash her that Dallas is the best place to live!!!

And what Mama doesn't love her oldest planting a big fat wet one on the newest member of the family?!?

2 Week Check-Up

Walter had his 2 week check-up yesterday - I can't believe it's already been that long! I feel like time didn't pass nearly as quickly when I had Henry, but I feel like I'm going to look up and Walter's going to be running around like his brother. Granted, he didn't get any shots, but Walter handled his appointment like a champ!

His stats are:

Weight: 7 lbs, 4 oz. - 16% (above birth weight - yay!)

Height: 20.5 in. - 42%

Head: 14.5 in. - 77%

How in the world do Paul and I have a child in the 16th percentile in weight? I won't know what to do with myself if this child is actually a normal size - have less backaches than I do with Henry? I suppose only time will tell....

And Henry's doing awesome and has adjusted so well with having Walter around.  Since Walter pretty much only eats and sleeps, Henry still finds that the world mostly revolves around him.  While getting ready to sit down for dinner at my parents' house the other day, someone dug up the marshmallow gun we used to use to entertain our Jack Russell terriers. Apparently, toddler boys think they're pretty entertaining too. Love this kid. :)

And then there were four....

So my biggest baby arrived at the hospital to meet his little brother the evening after I delivered.  Grandpa and Grandma picked Henry up from daycare - hence the completely disheveled head of hair! 

Two of my three handsome boys.

 

First introduction.  This child of mine didn't make a sound or move the entire time he was in the hospital room - this is EXTREMELY unusual.  He is typically jabbering on about something while running laps.

We're pretty sure he was TERRIFIED that I was in this huge, scary looking bed.  He evacuated the second his Dad set him down!

Opening his gift from Walter.

The truck didn't leave his hand the rest of the visit.

Meredith clan!

 

Over the past few months, I've spent more time worrying and fretting over how Henry would react to Walter.  He has such a sweet, happy disposition, and I was terrified such a big change may bring out some inner, toddler beast.  Apparently, the thing that brought out his inner beast was having his parents leave him for four days - the child apparently pushed every limit with his grandparents - a.k.a., he acted like a toddler.  We cannot thank them enough for putting up with this crazy boy!  My mom and Aunt Lauren brought him up one other time since he was struggling so much with us being gone.  This gave Aunt Lauren a chance to see her newest nephew!

And since I was out of bed, Henry at least let me hug and hold him.

  Well, for a second at least! :)  We have our hands F.U.L.L., and I cannot be more thankful. My heart overflows.

Walter Samuel Meredith

At 5:00 a.m. last Monday, Paul and I pulled away from our new home to go meet the newest member of the Meredith family.  Due to a complication with my pregnancy, we delivered at 37 weeks.  While I was horribly miserable and ready to deliver, I was still nervous my newest little one wasn't quite ready himself.  But I trust my doctor, and if she said 37 weeks, well then so be it.  

To ensure my boys will fully understand the deformation I underwent to get them here, Paul and I wanted to demonstrate what exactly Mama looked like before delivery.  Ridiculous.

We were so blessed to have a full room of people waiting to meet Walter and welcome him into the world.   For some reason, I only have a pre-delivery picture with my Dad, but my Mom, Paul's parents, Paul's brother, his brother's girlfriend, and my brother and sister-in-law were all present for the big occasion!  My Mom dropped off poor Henry at daycare - sweet baby thought it was a normal Monday. Ha!

 Around 7:00 a.m., I got wheeled back to the OR for prep. Our hospital does not allow the men back until we ladies get prepped - apparently, the pansies can't keep themselves from fainting when the needles start showing up. :)  So while I was getting prepped, Paul was getting fashionable.

Anxiously awaiting the arrival of our newest baby....

And at 7:58 a.m., on March 4, 2013, Walter Samuel Meredith entered the world at 19 in., 7 lbs., 3 oz.  While it took Henry what seemed to be an eternity to start crying after he was delivered, Walter came out, lungs blaring.  Unless you have experienced it, there is no way to describe the overwhelming feeling of pure love when you hear those first screams.  I'd spent the last 24 hours sobbing that the new baby would traumatize Henry, upset him, etc.  I hadn't really had the time or energy to stop and think that I would be as in love with this new baby as I was with my oldest baby.

 Thrilled new parents!!

Glad to be in recovery and able to actually hold my child.  

And if Walter loves his Gigi half as much as Henry, he's just met his new best friend. Henry generally prefers my mother over anyone else, and I'm convinced he think my mother is on this earth for his entertainment and enjoyment alone.

So thankful Paul's parents were able to make the trip from Pennsylvania for Walter's birth!! One's child cannot ever receive too much love from grandparents!!!

 
Uncle Clifton and his newest nephew!

 

 And finally, a photo of the two Walters (and Gigi)! :)

And while Walter's delivery was drama-free, he did decide to give us a little scare on his first night.  While his nurse was doing a routine check-up late that first evening, she noticed he was breathing fairly rapidly (almost like a panting dog).  It was intermittent, so Paul and I hadn't even really noticed or thought much about it.  She commented that she would like to take him back to the nursery for an hour and monitor him.  She assured us it was routine, and was likely just some fluid in his lungs which was totally normal for c-section babies.  Paul and I both shrugged and didn't think much about it.  The next few hours are pretty blurry for me, but I eventually had Paul leave my room to go to the nursery to check on Walter.  I think I was going through baby withdrawal after a whopping 30 minutes or so.  Apparently, the nursery decided Walter did have fluid in his lungs and wanted him to be more closely monitored in the NICU.  My fabulous husband stayed by our baby's side the entire time - unfortunately, our nursery nurse was only one in the nursery for a few hours, and couldn't come give me an update.  Paul wanted to give me a call, but cell phones are banned in the NICU and the NICU nurse didn't know how to direct dial my room.  Meanwhile, I'm in my hospital bed with my epidural still in full effect. I have no idea where my baby or husband are, and am starting to get a little impatient.  Then, my nurse comes in, wheeling a pump, and tells me that since my baby's in the NICU, they're requesting milk. Immediate panic sets in [I recognize this could be a massive understatement - I don't remember the level of crazy I displayed, though I remember the level of crazy I felt].  My nurse clearly had no idea I was in the dark, and did a beyond fabulous job of keeping me as calm as humanly possible while gathering information to figure out what was going on.  And finally, after 7 long hours of being away from my child, I was allowed to get up out of bed.  I can now guarantee that nothing motivates a human to get out of bed and get moving post-surgery like a baby on a different floor.  Here's one of the few pictures we took of Walter in the NICU:

 

 Fortunately, this photo is after his feeding tube was removed - they weren't sure he'd have the strength to take a bottle, but apparently this baby took his first bottle in his daddy's arms like a champ (all while I was confined to my prison bed, mind you).  We were so blessed that Walter's little lungs absorbed the extra fluid overnight, and he was released to us first thing Tuesday morning.  For those parents that have had children in the NICU for longer than a few hours, I honestly don't know how you remained sane.  All I can say is, God bless you.

And since this post is already novel-like, I will leave you with these final photos for the day.  See the resemblance (WSM is on the left, HLM is on the right)?

Final Day as a Family of 3!!

Since my last post, we've managed to sell our house, move in with my parents for a week while we were temporarily homeless, purchase a new house, move in to the new house (I cannot report that we are unpacked, however), and temporarily close some loops at work before I deliver tomorrow. Whew. There were many nights I considered sitting down to post on the blog, but then I remembered I was just too tired and that there were still too many other things to do.  But I'm finally as settled as I'm going to be before Walter gets here in 12 hours (yikes!), so I figured one last Henry-as-an-only-child blog post was in order.

Ideally, I would like to report that we did all kinds of exciting stuff these last two days to celebrate Henry and his last weekend as an only child. Unfortunately, I'm still in recovery from finishing up work. And, of course, we're still unpacking.  But it's still be a fantastically fun weekend - there's been tons of playing, singing, and laughter.  Paul's parents also got into town last night, which allowed Paul and I to peacefully go to church while they stayed home with him - they got to play and we got to avoid the weekly meltdown at the church nursery!!

 I can only hope that this boy's sweet little personality continues to shine through as his little world is rocked tomorrow. :) As I always tell him, I couldn't love him more if I tried.

Christmas on the Beach.

So we took a trip to Largo, Florida to visit Paul's family for Christmas.  We almost didn't book a seat for Henry, but decided last minute we had too many Southwest points anyways and he's a little too big to be a lap child anyways.  GOOD CALL BY US. Child was crazed [though very well behaved] during the trip there and back. 

 

 While we spent a lot of time trying to entertain him with stuff out the window, food also became a form of entertainment.

While I normally wish Southwest had more direct flights from Dallas, I was thankful for a break in Birmingham between flights.  This was Henry for the hour layover in Birmingham. Constant motion. Constant.

 

I'm not a big fan of Florida in the winter - it can be cold, hot, or in between.  Packing is impossible.  And it's no longer just me and Paul - we're packing for a midget too.  This is what the Merediths looked like rolling through the airport.  Don't be jealous. 

We had a condo on the beach, and I couldn't wait to get Henry's reaction to the sand (I'll spare you the video).  He LOVED it. 

It just so happened to be cold the week we were there, so the water seemed especially freezing.  This child could've cared less. 

 Someone put a Christmas tree on the beach - so festive!

Henry had a blast with Grandma and Grandpa!

The downsides to a condo with a 14 month old is that there's not a whole lot of room, it's not baby-proofed, and if we turned around for 2 seconds and he'd be into something.  Like his suitcase. So proud of himself. :)

 Henry must have been good, because Santa came to visit!

Henry clearly didn't get the excitement of Christmas this year.  He bypassed the toys/presents and went straight for the beach and ocean!

 Once he spotted them, though, it was time to play.  Especially with his new cars and racetrack from great-grandma and great-grandpa!

 We also had a put-putting outing one afternoon, which was a huge hit.

Between the live alligators, pirate ship, and tons of waterfalls, Henry was enthralled.  It wasn't even obvious we were put-putting into his nap time until we put him in the car seat.  He was out cold in less than 3 minutes!! :)

While it was a fantastic 5 days, we were sure glad to get home!  Sharing a room with a baby is NOT ideal (I will never understand parents that sleep in the same room, ESPECIALLY the same bed, as their children).  All three of us slept more than an hour past Henry's normal wake-up hour of 7 a.m. It was glorious!

Hope everyone else had a happy, healthy, and FUN Christmas!  Now to get back into the groove and prepare for Walter.  He's going to be here before we know it.  And have I done anything to prepare for him? Of course not!  Should probably get around to that sometime soon.... :)