Wide Eyes

So, you'll have to tell me what you think, but I believe, just maybe... I may have gotten my brown eyed baby! They are getting darker and darker every day. And, Walter, even though he looks identical to Gus, has hair-which is not normal for my babies- and it is brown!

A Family Now

 Gus has been so excited to help with Baby Walter. He wants to feed him, help change him, hold him- he gets so thrilled when we let him. I honestly have never seen him so happy in my life. He keeps saying "We are a family now." I am not sure what we were before (haha!) but apparently we are a family now! It just melts my heart how happy he is.

 Hazel has been great too. She is a little young to help as much as Gus, and doesn't understand that, but she loves having a baby brother. She calls him "Wawa" and talks about him all the time. Last night as she was falling asleep she was whispering "Wawa? Wawa?" It was adorable.

 Gus picked out this toy for Walter at the store about a month ago and gave it to him at the hospital. He helps Walter play with it all the time.

 Our first attempt at a family picture.

 Our second attempt... And then we gave up ;)

 Thanks Spratts! We had cookies for desert last night.

Peek-A-Boo! Day 5.

Walter has been quite the addition to our Dillavou Klan. He started out like all my other babies, needed to be induced, but this delivery was by far the best. It did take all day, but my epidural worked amazingly, and every time the nurses checked me, I had dilated another centimeter, so there was never any time where progress was not being made (although it was slow- 11 hours from start to finish). Once ready, I pushed for 3 contractions, and that was it.

I have to say that the most unbelievable part of the experience was not knowing the sex of what we were having. I wish I had done that with the other two. That moment where you give birth and you look at the baby and you check to see what it is- is something I will never forget. He had us all tricked, for some reason, everyone just seemed to think it was going to be a girl (even me!). Guess we won't be getting our Scarlett Myrene.

Since we have been home, things have been great (other than sleeping at night!). As I said, the kids are adjusting great, I am recovering well (which is good- I have to teach a class Friday morning!), and Josh has been once again the glue that holds me together. He is amazing. The last month, in particular, he really stepped it up, as I was having constant pelvic and tailbone pain and could literally do nothing around the house or with the kids. He has taken this week off to help me recover, as most of you know, next week I go back to work. The older two will be going back to Iowa next week though so when I am not working in the mornings, it will just be Wally and I so that we can both continue to thrive and recover.

Walter "Sweetness" as Josh has been calling him, did go to the doctor yesterday for a check up as you can tell from his pictures, he is a little yellow. His Bilirubin levels were at a 10 (they were 7 when he left the hospital), but he is eating and pooping so much that the doctor is not worried. I remember Gus and Hazel's numbers being much higher. He weighed 7.4 pounds yesterday (7.2 when he left the hospital) so he is almost back to his birth weight. Other than a weigh in in a few weeks, he doesn't go back until he is one month old. He is really healthy.

Well, I'll try to update more often, especially here at first, but I think my life will soon be overwhelmingly busy once Josh goes back to work! Love and miss you all. Oh- and thank you to everyone for the well wishes on facebook, my family for being here to support us, and for those that have sent cards and gifts for us. Much appreciated!

First Day Home

Sweet Wally

Walter Joshua Dillavou

January 26, 2012. 7 pounds, 6 ounces, 19 inches long. 6:08 p.m.

Walter (Wally) Joshua Dillavou

Baby Coming Tomorrow!

The kids love puzzles!

Well, tomorrow is the big day! We check in tomorrow at 6 am to begin the induction... As you can see, Hazel is very excited- she insisted we put her dolly in her sleeper so she could have a baby in her belly like mommy.

Gus the Tool Man

Gus came in the other morning when I was working on the computer and asked me if I needed anything fixed. He looks so much like my little brother in this picture (when my brother was a little boy) that it is scary.

 Hazel came in shortly after, wearing Gus's glasses of course.

 Finger painting! Luckily Hazel wasn't into it as much as Gus was.

 Messy boy!

 As you can see, without his glasses, his eyes do still cross a little. He goes back to the eye doctor in about 3 weeks for his 6 month check up, so we will hopefully have an update on that early next month.

 We've been making lots of crafts lately too- especially necklaces.

This weather has been unreal. It hit 67 degrees again few days ago- 69 and a KC record would have been set. It is supposed to be in the 50-60s again this weekend.

I am good. I went to the doctor again yesterday and my blood pressure and protein were both normal. I am dilated to almost a 3 though, so hopefully baby waits til next week. I still have a lot of back, tailbone and pelvic pain, but having the baby is really the only thing that will relieve those complaints. I have had the opportunity to meet all my students now this week, so if I go into labor, at least that is done. Subs for my classes are secured for the week I'll be missing. My induction is scheduled for a week from tomorrow- and we are getting nervous! Excited- but nervous! I'll keep you all updated... 

Fun Fun!

 Fun crafts last week!

 Sunny and 67 degrees last week! At the park and loving it (he really was having a nice time; he just does this when I ask him to smile)...

 Weeee...!!!!!!!

 When I went to upload pictures, I see that Gus must have gotten ahold of my camera. He took about 10 pictures of various things, but this was one that I thought was funny.

 Going on a jog.

This week UMKC started up classes, and I had a few faculty meetings on my other campuses, but they don't officially begin classes until Tuesday of next week. I have been very busy though trying to get ready for this semester; my plan is to have as much set up and done before it begins so that I have less to do later on this semester when I MAY be overwhelmed, haha... Josh started back up on his Saturday work schedule this past weekend, so 11 hours of him working on Saturday wasn't fun, but we made it through it. I went to the doctor yesterday. Still just 1 cm dilated, very soft cervix, but my blood pressure was a tad high and I was spilling a little bit of protein. I need more rest and to drink more fluids- so hopefully doing that will help eliminate those problems. I started an antibiotic, gotta love z-pack, for a sore throat and cough I have had. Tomorrow I am full term, and then just 2 weeks exactly til my induction. Gus goes to the dentist for the first time this afternoon, so I will let you know how that goes. Love and miss you all!

Belly Pic & Playdough

Playing with Playdough yesterday.

 

Here is me, 36 weeks. Three weeks until our induction date, if baby doesn't decide to come earlier (which would be fine with me!). I went back to the doctor today. I am still just 1 cm dilated, very soft though, so if and when baby decides to come my doctor thinks things will happen quickly... I had my anemia test today and I am anemic (which is common with back-to-back-to-back pregnancies I guess) but I have to take iron supplements daily now until baby comes. Baby is doing great, strong heartbeat, head down. Baby had the hiccups (as usual) at the office today, so that was funny for us to listen to as we monitored the heartbeat. Baby moves around so much and I feel lots of Braxton hicks contractions. I've had some headaches and a ton of tailbone and pelvis pain. But, baby will be here soon- so all the discomfort will soon be over, and we'll have another wonderful child to hold in our arms.