There's a First Time for Everything

I'm going backwards a little bit, reality has sunk in with all three kids at home now which means I barely have time to think right now, let alone keep up with the blog.  But Trav is home today and that's giving me pockets of time to upload and document these sweet first days.  I love having these posts to look back on and remember all that was happening with each our kids during their debut.  These are also my gift to the relatives!  It's hard to have all of our family out of town for lots of reasons but especially with a new addition.  I know they are all waiting for any glimpse they can get of what's going on over here so I'm happy to oblige!  The problem is never that I haven't taken pics, it's just finding the time to share them.  Anyway, here are a bunch of "firsts" from Walker's first week of life and especially from the days before his big sister and brother came back from my parents' house.  Enjoy!  

First 4th of July

 My due date was July 4th, which was always fun to think about.  We liked to imagine all the fireworks were in honor of Walker  :) It was odd to be home without our big kids on the 4th, they love this day and there are lots of fun things around here to do with them, but it was nice to have a quiet day and to know that they were getting to do lots of fun things with Grammy and Grampy. 

Walker was dressed and ready to go in his red, white and blue...he had the cutest red striped pants on with this little onesie! Newborn clothes are just SOOOOO cute!!!

 Our neighborhood association always has a great kids parade that starts right by our house and winds it's way down our street, ending at a free fun carnival.  Our kiddos love it and we were sad they missed it, but we sat on our porch this year and enjoyed it with Walker. 

 Carter especially would have died over this firetruck...

 Walker's first parade! 

 I believe this is his "Peace out, America" pose! 

 He is so stinkin cute, we are getting nothing done around here because of this face!!

Seriously, NOTHING, is getting done   :) :) 

 We were so blessed to have 4 days at home with Walker, just the 3 of us.  It was such a great time to bond with him and just relax a little before the windstorm of everyone coming home.  

Love it when he's wide-eyed!  We had a low key day, but we did go to my cousin's house for a little cook-out and then we made a trip to DQ to park and watch the fireworks with some ice-cream and a sleeping Walker.  He never flinched with all the noise and we enjoyed a bug-free experience this year! 

First Trip to Church

 On day 6 we took Walker to Church for the first time, solely because I realized this might be the only Sunday I could make it on my own while the big kids were still gone!  I have no aspirations of getting there for most of the summer.  Sunday mornings I'm on my own as Trav is out the door very early and is always extremely busy working on Sundays.  I know we'll find a groove eventually, but right now there is no way I'm able to get us all dressed and fed and out the door by 8:30 to meet Travis for the first hour service.  And that's ok, it's just a season! 

 So we made it, just the three of us, for Walker's first trip to Grace.  We made a little appearance in junior high with Daddy and then Walker and I hung out in the nursing room and watched the service on the live feed.  It was pretty great, actually.  I forgot how comfortable that room is! 

So fun to get out a little bit, we even made it out for lunch, something we haven't done on a Sunday for a long time! 

First Pediatrician Visit

On his one-week birthday, we made our first visit to the pediatrician for a little check-up.  Walker was not thrilled about being in the bright lights! 

One week in and he is doing great!  He was just 2oz shy of his birth weight which means he's been eating like a champ and gaining weight well.  He was in the 30th percentile for weight, but when combined with his height, which is in the 95th percentile, he's more like in the 15th percentile!  

All good, it just means he is long and thin for now! 

 Thankfully this was an easy, no-shot check-up.  

 And aside from a blow-out after he was weighed, he was perfect! 

 Staring at Daddy

 Love those eyes...

 ...and that sweet little profile! 

First time in the crib

 We aren't sleeping in the crib yet, but we made a little visit there just to see how tiny he looked! 

 He wasn't thrilled about the whole thing, but someday in the near future, this will be home!  For now I'm really happy to have him close-by and sleeping in our room.  He's doing so great at night, averaging about a 3.5 stretch between feedings, which is very do-able.  We're usually up around 1 and 4, give or take an hour, and thankfully after he eats he goes right back to sleep.  So far, so good!

The first few days at home with our little Walker have been sweet!  Travis is already calling him "skywalker" or "walkie talkie" and I've found myself calling him "walkie" as well.  These early days were quiet, peaceful and mostly restful.  We joked that without the big kids around, we were borderline bored even!  Just having one, and especially a newborn, feels oddly like a vacation to us!  I'm so grateful we got this time and we were able to just enjoy it fully.  Walker is doing great and thriving at home and we are full of gratitude and wonder at this precious gift God has given us!  

Happy first week, Walker!