Bubblehead

You'll have to enlarge this one to get the full bubblehead effect.  And no, our baby is not cross-eyed -- just looks like it in this particular picture. 

We had our first visit to the pediatrician today and she pronounced him "perfect".  (I didn't tell her about his tendency to poop on us and keep us up until all hours -- didn't want to ruin her image of the little dear.)  He weighed in at 8 lbs. 2 oz., putting him well above his birth weight, so I think our eating problems are behind us.  One funny story (well, funny to anyone as concerned with Walt's elimination habits as we are) . . . she asked us if his urine stream had a good arc to it.  Well, although he's a big fan of pooping on us (me in particular), he really hadn't sprayed either of us yet.  She said to keep an eye on it and if he hadn't done it by next visit, she might need to look into things further.  Well, Josh was changing him after he ate a little while ago and all of the sudden I hear a shout -- Walt had peed and hit poor Evie who was lurking at the foot of the changing table.  Definitely a good arc! 

Diapers Don't Grow on Trees

Despite my jovial appearance in the above photo, I have just given Walt his first stern lecture about the financial security of this family.  At the rate at which he was filling those two diapers in my hand and the one around his bottom, he would be lucky to afford pre-school, much less Harvard.   

Long story short: I changed one very dirty diaper, put another on, leaned over to throw the dirty one away, and I heard the tell-tale sound of a diaper being filled.  Well, I changed that one, too, because I'm a good father, and as I was about to throw the second one away, little Mr. Poopy Britches filled up his third diaper in as many minutes.  At that point, there was only one thing to do . . . take a picture, of course, and publish it on the Internet for all to see.  Enjoy.

By the way, I don't always hold him like that, but he just insisted on looking at the camera.  He was arching his back like he'd never done before.  Very proud of himself, I guess.

No Rest for the Weary

(Sweater compliments of Aunt Harriet and Uncle Richard.)

Well, I knew it was too good to be true . . . after spending most of yesterday asleep (this picture was taken during one of his few waking moments), Walt was raring to go last night.  Josh and I spent several hours each trying to get him to sleep.  He finally drifted off and slept for a solid four hours . . . at 5 a.m.  Gee thanks.  Oh well, he's still cute.  Here's a picture of him sleeping . . . think I'll look at it in the middle of the night tonight to remind myself that he does know how!

Shark Baby

This is a picture of a well-rested baby, taken by a well-rested mommy.  I don't know why, but the precious child decided to sleep like a little angel last night.  He would wake up to eat right on schedule, promptly go back to sleep and stay that way for a good three hours.  He did that four times in a row!  Unprecedented!  And after his morning wardrobe change and photo session (no, we don't do that everyday) he is now back down for another nap, so I actually have a chance to post.  It's amazing how much more pleasant the world seems when you've gotten a decent amount of sleep during the night.  No, I'm not silly enough to think that the same thing will happen tonight -- I'm just reveling in the success of last night.

Please take note of his adorable shark onesie (you may have to click on the picture to enlarge it in order to see the sharks), compliments of one Shannon Blalock.  The onesie itself is cute, but my favorite part of the outfit is the little shark socks that go with it (see below).  Too precious!  (And don't worry, Gram, the child does have on pants and a cardigan over it now, so he's not freezing to death.)

Dudes

Walt and I watched another Grizzlies game together tonight.  And when I say Walt watched, I mean I watched  and Walt slept.  I'm sure he was soaking it up, however.  We learned that if you just play good defense, the shots will come to you.  Also, we learned that Mike Miller's is the shot Walt should emulate and not Shawn Marion's.  It was very productive.  I'm sure he is miles ahead of the other two-week old prospects out there. 

Despite Walt's seemingly acute narcolepsy, I think we had fun watching the game.  The Grizzlies did lose, so that was bad.  But Walt and I bonded, I just know it.  I'm sure he'll feel the same way . . . when he wakes up.

Remember, Wednesday is bonus picture day, so here it is:

Editor's Note: Bonus Picture Wednesday is an arbitrary designation for Wednesday, January 26, 2005.  The editors make no claim, promise or assurance that next Wednesday or any Wednesday thereafter will actually be Bonus Picture Wednesday.

A Day in the Life

Here are some glimpses into the exciting life of Walt Spickler . . . bathing, yawning, and tummy time.  Yes, I know the outfit and the quilt (which Gram made) clash, but we can only have so many wardrobe changes before it just gets a little ridiculous.  Still, pretty cute kid if I do say so myself.

Skateboarding Walt

I was never much into dolls as a kid, but I'll have to say, I am having fun playing dress up with Walt.  Here's his gnarly skateboarding outfit.  He would have gone out grinding today, but it was really cold and I wouldn't let him.  (Plus, he can't stay awake that long.  Or hold up his head.  Both problems when trying to skateboard.)

Back to the Grind

Josh had to return to freeing the wrongfully accused (a.k.a., work) on Thursday.  Somehow he managed to find a colleague who was just dying to meet Walt, so they came by at lunchtime for a visit.  Josh and Walt got to catch up when he got home, though.  Here's his first smile captured on film (well, the digital version anyway).

Here's a great picture that Gram (Ginger's mom) took of Evie checking out Walt.  She's still not too sure what to make of him.

Walt is a really great sleeper . . . during the day.  His nighttime sleeping habits are a little less predictable.  But mom just takes naps during the day, so we're making it okay.  But if anyone wants to visit with Walt when he's really alert, feel free to stop by around 3 a.m.!

Evie and Her New Little Brother

Several of you have expressed concern for poor Evie, and not without reason.  I'll have to say that she is probably not getting quite the attention she used to, but Mom helped make her feel loved by sharing her bed with Evie while she was here.  Here Evie checks out Walt in his swing (which she's afraid of when it's in motion).   Those of you who know Evie know that nothing does it for her quite like a good lick, and I'm pretty sure she got her first one in on the back of Walt's head while Mom was holding him this morning.  Maybe that will help ease the jealousy.

Reflections from Mom

Thought maybe it was time to check back in at Walt's World.  Between feedings, changings, dressings (and the undressing it requires to get him to wake up enough to eat), visiting with Walt's adoring public, and trying to take care of my post-partum self, I'm having a little difficulty finding time to record my thoughts (Josh has taken care of most of the posts).  So while Dad, Gram and Walt watch the Grizzlies try to beat the Suns, I'll take the opportunity to tell everyone how my baby is the cutest, smartest, most precious baby ever born.  I'm sure I'm not the first mother to feel this way, but in this case, I'm quite certain I might actually be right.  It's simply amazing how such a tiny little person who does nothing but, eat, sleep, fill diapers and occasionally (very occasionally) open his eyes can just steal your heart.  I think the feel of his soft little head under my chin is quite possibly the nicest feeling in the world.  Sigh . . .

Okay, gotta go root on the Grizzlies (currently up 57-51).

Like a Baby

Thanks to some last minute studying, we somehow figured out how to make Walt sleep all night.  Last night, he slept . . . well . . . like a baby for the entire night in between his meals.  Now he's eating, pooping, peeing and sleeping like a champ.  This is a step up from yesterday when we had a little bit of trouble getting him to eat.  All is well today.

We're having a shift change tomorrow.  Gram is leaving, and Putty and Nana are assuming grandparent duties here at Walt's house.  It's very nice to have so much help and extra love in the house.  By popular demand and in tribute to the grandparents here are some photos of them from the past few days:

I hope that satisfies all of you grandparent photo advocates out there.

Good Times

This is how Walt spends his days (all three of them).  Unfortunately, he has different ideas about how to spend his nights.  He is not the night sleeper his mom is and tends to exhibit more of his father's habit of staying up late and sleeping late.  Oh well, it could be worse.  It's just more time we get to spend with him.

Ginger's mom is still here helping out.  Stephen, Kim and Collier (Ginger's brother's family) left this morning on their way back to Louisville.  They, of course, had to stop in Murray to see Grandaddy Richard along the way.  It was very nice to have them here so soon after Walt's arrival.  Stephen and I even got to squeeze in a Memphis Grizzlies game last night while the ladies enjoyed an evening with the babies and the television.  Grizzlies won,  by the way.  That's three games above .500, if anyone cares.  Stephen and I were very responsible fathers and did not spend a dime on any of the cute miniature Grizzlies gear at the gift store.  I'm sure we won't always be so responsible. 

Anyway, I guess things are creeping back to normal.  We'll let you know exactly how normal after tonight.

A Quiet Moment

Walt's first two and a half days have been filled with new faces.  He's had lots of visitors, but here's a precious picture of Walt with his Aunt Gigi (Josh's sister Ginger).  His first night at home was not exactly restful.  Apparently, he prefers sleeping during the day as opposed to the night . . . much like his father.   But we did get  a few solid hours and are not feeling too bad today.  A little Central BBQ for lunch made everything even better (guess Walt will be getting his first taste of dry ribs at the next feeding).  The Nashville contingency is heading out right now, much to Putty's (Josh's dad) chagrin, but they'll be back this weekend.  Stay tuned for more exciting adventures from Walt's World!

Welcome Home!

          

With some helpful hints like this, Baptist Women's Hospital discharged Walt and Ginger today at about 4PM.  We arrived home to be greeted by Ginger's family.  Among the dignitaries was one Collier Crouch, Walt's 10 week old cousin.  You can see Ginger and her brother holding their sons here.  Today has been much calmer for us all.  Walt continues to get the hang of life here on the other side, and Ginger continues to improve.  The only mishap occurred when Putty, that would be Frank, lost control of the only helium balloon Walt has ever received in his entire life.  It came to rest in the neighbor's tree.  Here's a picture:

We love all of the fantastic comments.  Thanks so much for your emails and support.  Keep it coming.   (Be sure to  check out more pictures in the photo album at left.)

Birthday Party!

Today has been one big party for little Walt.  He has had dozens of visitors and is very tired.  He is currently being admired by his biggest fan club of all, the grandparents.  He's been passed around like a hot potato. 

His first day has been quite an adventure for all.  Walt has learned to eat, and Josh has learned to change a diaper (five times).  Ginger is recovering beautifully.  She is in great spirits and is relatively pain free.  We hope to go home tomorrow.  We'll let you know.  Regardless, tomorrow will hopefully see the arrival of a whole host of aunts, uncles and, of course, cousin Collier.

HE'S HERE

We have a baby!  At 12:37AM, Walter Franklin Spickler, Walt for short, made his grand entrance into this world.  He weighed in at 7lbs 13oz.  He is currently recovering from this ordeal in the new baby nursery and Ginger is recovering, too.  Both seem to be doing well although on different floors.  More to come . . .

Very, very soon . . .

Well, as you can see, we've made it to the hospital at least.  Ginger is resting very well after some magic medicine.  It's 9pm, and we've been here since about 5:30.  Ginger and Walt  are settled in after some "tinkering" with the type and amount of drugs Ginger is getting.  I'm (Josh's first entry) fine, too; thanks for asking.  A little nervous, but all of the nurses and Dr. Cole are very nice and have made Ginger very comfortable.  Now, we wait on the contractions to get stronger and for Ginger to reach 10 cm.  Stay tuned . . .

A "Solid" 1 cm!

Yes, the exclamation point in the title to this post is meant to convey my sarcasm.  Just got back from this week's doctor appointment and I have moved up from "maybe" 1 centimeter dilated to a "solid" 1 centimenter -- whoopdeedoo!  She did say my cervix had thinned out more, but that was about as much encouragement as she could give me that anything was going on in there.  Baby is still wriggling away, so I guess he must be pretty content just hanging out a while longer! 

We did go ahead and schedule an induction slot for Wednesday the 19th, but at the same time we scheduled an ultrasound for Tuesday, so that if we find out he's not too terribly big, we'll cancel the induction on the 19th and reschedule it for the following Wednesday, assuming he'll probably come on his own before then.  From the outside, she guessed that he's not a little peanut, but no 10-pounder (like his daddy was) either.  I'd really rather avoid induction if at all possible, but I also don't want to try to birth a bowling ball!  Ouchie!

In the meantime, I think I'll just go to the gym everyday and walk on the treadmill for as long as I can stand it.  I'm determined to have this kid before we even have to worry about inducing!  So there.

Not yet . . .

Josh and I went to see the doctor yesterday and apparently Walt is quite comfy where he is because I am only dilated "maybe" a centimenter, according to Dr. Pilgrim.  This is up from "maybe a fingertip" the week before.  She expects to see us back in her office for our next appointment on the 13th.  I'm really okay with him waiting until at least next Wednesday (the 12th) because I would like to go to bookclub on Tuesday night, but after that, I am more than ready for him to make his grand entrance!  Meanwhile, I'm still relatively comfortable myself, so no major complaints there.  I'm very grateful that this has been such an easy pregnancy.  Now I'm just praying for a nice, easy delivery and a healthy baby.

Where's Walt?

Can you find Walt in this picture?  (Ginger-38 weeks and change)

                                                         

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