"The Cutest Baby in the World!"

My title for today's blog entry stems from the fact that Tim's Mom always says that the lastest baby in the family is the cutest baby ever! And of course, that is how I feel about Gavin right now. I am so in love with him and he's just been such a good baby so far that I could go on and on. Yes, it's a little different nursing since it's quite time consuming, but I think it has really bonded us and I am oh so pleased that it is working out.

We had a doctor appointment for both boys yesterday and it was a little stressful for me and Ben, since he had to have one vaccination and he was NOT happy about it. He did know that there was a green lollipop at the end of his appointment so that helped things out a little bit. He likes to say of the shot that "the nurse got me!" All in all they both did fine and although Gavin has lost some weight, that is to be expected and we go back in 3 weeks to check his progress.

My Mom has been here since the day Gavin was born and my Dad came back up from Austin today to take her home tomorrow. She is such a wonderful help while she is here. Meals are cooked and served, the laundry is done. Heck, the place was all vacuumned when I got home from the hospital. Anyway, we will miss her but realize she has to get back to her life and we have to make it on our own, right? After Tim goes back to work on Tuesday, I will really be on my own! Here is Grandma with her 10th grandchild and 5th grandson...

And here is the cute BABY picture of the day:

I have to mention that Ben loves to kiss Gavin on the head and when he gets home from "school" he ususally wants to see him and kiss him. It is very sweet. So... here's the CUTEST picture of the day!!

So, at 9 days old, Gavin and the rest of the family are doing well. Thank you to everyone who has sent well wishes and gifts and for all the prayers, etc. I will leave you with this lovely picture of the flowers sent to the house by Tim's Dad and his wife Diane.

Homecoming

So we are settling in as a family of 4 and things are going well. As most or all of you should know from Tim's email, our sweet Gavin was born on Tuesday afternoon and he is absolutely gorgeous and wonderful!! We are so blessed!

I was a little nervous about having a c-section but despite a little discomfort while getting the anesthetic and some post-op incision pain I really cannot complain (especially after last time!). He was born at Baylor Medical Center in Grapevine and all the staff was absolutely wonderful. The nurses were exceptional - from the first to the last. Here's a shout out to just a few - to Cathy (who helped the most with nursing the baby), Becky (who had the best sense of humor) and Francine (who took care of me for 2 1/2 days and had the cutest scrub shirts!!) All in all it was a much better birth experience and Tim and I cannot sing their praises enough.

I also want to report that the nurses and lactation consultant were so helpful with getting started with nursing and it is going SO well!! I am so happy that it has worked out this time (not so much with Ben) and we hope that I and the baby both stay healthy enough to continue, etc. It truly is a beautiful thing...

Here are a couple of pictures of the little man and a link to his hospital pictures that actually turned out really well. I love this first picture of him getting his hearing test - he looks like he's rockin' out on his baby IPOD or something! HA!

Just click on the link below to see his first photo session. There are 3 different pictures and you can click on Next or Previous to see them all and you can also enlarge each one.

http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage.asp?UrlID=7M7R4P5C0P

Here's a picture of the beautful flowers that Tim's co-workers sent to the hospital. They are all plants that we can put in individual pots or plant outside in the flower bed, which I was really impressed with!

We came home yesterday (Friday) around 3 p.m. Ben was a little hesitant to see Gavin at first but then he warmed up to him and wanted to hold him and touch him gently. He's been very sweet and it's very cute when he wants see him while I am nursing him.

Here are my sweet boys - brothers!! Ben even insisted that we cover him with his own favorite blanket (the navy blue one with bears).

Our neighbor, Vicki, was kind enough to bring dinner over tonight (boy was it yummy!) and we are so blessed with good friends and family to help. My mother is here through next week and her help is completely invaluable. Our first night went quite well and we are happy to be home and all together as a family. We welcome visitors and calls so please don't hesistate to contact us if you would like. We are just enjoying time with our newborn and what seems like an "oh so much smarter and bigger 3-year-old" and each other. Welcome Home to our new, sweet love, Gavin!

I will probably post more pics tomorrow, but need to get some rest now...

Mother's Day...

...seems to have new meaning 2 days before you are about to have a baby, right?? Oh, I am ready though! Ben's been running around all day (except when he took a nap - God Bless him!) saying "Happy Mother's Day!" Tim gifted me with a nicer, newer and smaller version of my current camera and I just love it (I think it's for Father's Day too, if you know what I mean!) Anyway - we've had a good day. Here are a few shots of the baby's room as it is now. I "dressed up" a couple of valances - the window was too wide to use just one- by adding some ribbon and little bear buttons on bows on the edges. This room had never had any type of window covering before, even when Ben was in it, and I think it added a lot to the look. So, as you can see, we are ready for him to come home!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mother's out there (and a few of my friends that are mother's to be as well...). Especially to my mother and Tim's - who in the next few weeks will be helping us out with the new little guy!

Waiting...

Not too much going on except waiting for the baby to arrive. My last day of work is tomorrow and as most of you know I am not going back to work so I started training my replacement today. It's kind of crazy to realize that tomorrow's the last day but after I spent $40 tonight to fill up my CR-V, I can say that I won't miss using as much gasoline!!

I sang at church tonight for the confirmation mass and the choir was so sweet and presented me with a jumbo diaper "cake, " so needless to say we are pretty set on diapers, although you can never have enough! Here's a shot of it.

Isn't it cute? It came with spoons and pacifiers and socks and a cute towel and washcloth set and little toys for the baby and Ben! Thanks to everyone who "chipped in" - you are all so sweet, as ususal!

A couple of weekends ago Tim and Ben went on a trip to the Fort Worth Zoo with Tim's brother Brian, his son Jack and Tim's mom. I say this because I just had to post this cute picture of the boys with their grandmother - aka "Mother Bear" to Ben.

Why Jack isn't wearing a hat, I just don't know... HA HA! Just kidding. Ben just loves this hat that Tim's sister sent him a while back and we call it the buffalo hat since it has a stuffed buffalo on it (appropriate, huh?) Anyway, I think it's pretty fitting that he was sporting it at the zoo, don't you? Also, just a comment that Jack and Ben are almost exactly 9 months apart (Jack being younger) and I think he might almost be taller than Ben!

Okay, so next time there's a post it will probably be Tim posting pictures of the new little man next week, so stay tuned....

Only 2 Weeks Away!

So... I had an appointment this morning and we were given a date for the c-section and it's exactly 2 weeks from today - Tuesday, May 15th. It was kind of funny when Tim and I both realized that it was so soon, but trust me, I know I am pretty much ready. Some people have requested to see a picture of the "belly" so here's a shot of my "bigness!"

I am feeling pretty good, just tired and somewhat like a waddling duck.

Ben seems to be warming up to the idea of playing the role of brother more now and Tim even put the baby seat in the CR-V over the weekend and now Ben sees it in the car and wants to touch it every time he gets in. He is talking more about being a big brother (in a good way) so hopefully he's changed his attitude somewhat. Now, we'll just have to see what actually happens in a couple of weeks!

Please keep all of us in your prayers as the big day quickly approaches. We are very excited to welcome our new addition SOON!