Happy Birthday Grace

Linda Grace turned three years old on September 25th. She is officially old and sassy. She decided that she wanted a princess cake. I asked her what a princess cake looked like. She said pink. So I set out to make a princess cake for my very picky three year old. Sure, I have a newborn at home that wants to nurse every two hours. I have time to make a cake, right:) Anyway, the princess cake (or my rendition of one) was a rousing success. We took Grace to the Painted Lady Tea Room for dinner with PawPaw and Janet. She (Grace) decided that she wanted to wear her purple dress and have a "perfect cup of tea" for her birthday. The waiter humored her and brought her iced tea in a china teapot with her very own teacup. After dinner we came home and opened presents. Between these and the big sister presents, she won't need anything else until she is 15. Happy Birthday Princess Grace!!

Baby Uncle Walter

Pictures of Baby Walter

Finally!!

Baby Uncle Walter/Tyler William on the Phone is here. He was born on Wednesday, September 5th at 6:19 PM. He weighed 8 pounds and 10 ounces (OUCH!) and was 21 inches long. Lamar almost had to deliver him in the tunnel here during rush hour traffic. It was a rather eventful trip.

I had a doctor's appointment that morning. The doctor told me that I was at 4 cm. She gave me the option of walking around the hospital for a while and coming back, probably to be admitted. Well, Lamar had to fly and I really had some things that I needed to do at work, so we declined the offer. Lamar went to brief and I left for work. I started feeling sore around noon, but I worked through it. At about 3 PM, I told my assistant that I was not feeling well and was going home. I called Lamar and left him a voicemail telling him that I thought that we would probably be heading for the hospital that night. I picked up Grace from school and headed home. Lamar called and I told him not to hurry; my contractions were only about 15 minutes apart. I packed Grace's bag for Nana Sue's house and got my things together to go to the hospital. Lamar got home, asked if he had time to shower and grab something to eat. I told him that he had plenty of time. He took a shower, but decided that he wanted to go to Taco Bell for something to eat on the way to the hospital. We dropped off Grace and then all of a sudden my contractions started at 2-3 minutes apart. We hit Tidewater Drive and then the blessed tunnel. Five o'clock traffic at the Downtown Tunnel. My contractions were coming every 90 seconds. I told Lamar that I did not think that I was going to make it.

We made it to Portsmouth Naval. Lamar dropped me off at the ER. They took me upstairs to the fourth floor (Labor and Delivery) This is where the real fun began...

The wonderfully efficient corpsman (NOT SO MUCH) told me to have a seat in the waiting room. Still contractions are 90 seconds apart. Lamar got a little nasty (THANK GOD) and they took me back about 10 minutes later to a triage room. They connected me to the monitors and checked me. I was at 5 cm. I asked for my epidural. The nurse told me that she did not know if they were going to keep me or have me go walk around (UM...WHAT!!) She left the room to find out. Right about that time, my water broke. I told Lamar to go get the nurse. She came back and noticed that the baby's heartrate was a little lower. She asked me what my last labor was like after my water broke. I told her fast! She checked me again and I was at 10 cm (in five minutes) Walter's heartrate dropped into the 60s and then all hell broke loose. Monitors ringing, doctors and nurses shouting, me SCREAMING!!! I was not fully effaced, so the MD decided to go for a c-section. I told him just to get the baby out. The DO came in and checked me again and said that he would push the leftover shelf out of the way and to start pushing. In about two pushes he was out. He was placed under the baby warmer and given oxygen. Then they took him to observation for a while.

So that is my birth story for Baby Uncle Walter. Absolutely NO pain meds and no preparation for natural childbirth. This was pretty much the equivalent to dropping the baby in the field and continuing to pick grain. I did not have an IV. I was still in my clothes, and he was born on a gurney. At least the DO came in afterwards and introduced himself as the person that delivered my baby boy.

Until I get pictures posted, please refer to:

http://web.mac.com/curtis.hardy/Walter_Robert/Real_Birthday.html

Back at Work...WHAT!!

Yes, I have returned to work...at 37 weeks pregnant!! Yes, I am completely nuts. I have gone back to Children's Harbor, which is where I worked when we first moved to Norfolk. The center in Chesapeake needed a senior director. It was posted in the paper, and I applied, just for the fun of it. Well, they called me and offered me the job. They knew that I was pregnant and probably did not expect me to come until after the baby was born. I however am completely BORED! Grace has returned to Children's Harbor Ghent in the two year old classroom, better known as the Green Team, and I am in Chesapeake. So far, we are both loving it. Baby Walter will be able to go to to Ghent when he is old enough, so he will have the benefit of the same education program that Grace had as a baby. I think that this is the best move for all of us. So, yes, I am crazy, but loving every minute of it!!

Beach

Our family (Dad, Janet, Walter, Justin, Curtis, Diane, Rachel, Brandon, Me, Lamar, and Grace) went to Garden City beach this year for the second annual family beach extravaganza. You will not find any pictures of me here. I was 33 weeks pregnant and not going NEAR a camera! We had fantastic weather. Uncle Walter turned 21 while we were there, so we had a birthday party for him. We took Grace to the pier countless times. She rode the rides down at the mini pavilion. Her favorite part was the restaurant that had "real live" mermaid swimming in a pool inside. It was one of those touristy restaurants with the huge seafood spread and the works. There were two girls swimming in a pool inside in mermaid costume giving out jewels to the children waiting in line. I think that Grace may have found her first job:)