The Davolts

18 days old: Sleeping peacefully  During the past few weeks, Jeff and I are often mesmerized and entertained by the faces Nathan shows us. I try to keep my camera close at hand to capture of few of his looks! Alas, the smiles he shows us rarely stay long enough to snap a picture. 18 days old: Mild curiosity 18 days old: Not impressed by anything 18 days old: Really Mom? More pictures? 18 days old 19 days old: Morning stretches 24 days old: Relaxing with Dad 25 days: Humoring Mom again 27 days: Sleepy-grumpy face 27 days: How could you not love a face like this?!?

Jeff giving Nathan his first bath at home. Tomorrow marks the third week since Nathan's birth. In that time, we have enjoyed the company of new grandparents, David Murray and David and Melody Davolt. We were able to take Nathan along to the final gathering of our church life group and then to school this week to meet our colleagues. Everyone comments on his cute little chin (courtesy of his Dad). I think the question I'm most frequently asked about is if Nathan is on a schedule. Well, the answer to this question is yes and no. Yes, he wants to eat every two or three hours, often sleeping in between. Yes, he spends a couple hours every afternoon or evening awake. No, he doesn't sleep through the night yet. But, he is just three weeks old and we are all still adapting to this new life. 10 days old Thankfully, Nathan has regained the weight lost after birth, tipping the scales at 7 lbs, 5 oz at his two week appointment. The pediatrician, Dr. Ott was very pleased wi...

Today is fathers day, and while I certainly am no authority on the subject a quick reflection on my first two weeks of fatherhood seemed appropriate. Anticipation Nine months may seem like a long time to prepare for fatherhood, yet it is amazing how quickly that time flies by. When Erin initially told me she was pregnant, I didn't want to believe it. I thought no way, that was too quick I am not quite ready for this. Erin quickly reassured me that we would not have a baby for a while and that we had plenty of time to prepare. The problem was, I wanted to raise the perfect kid, (who doesn't) yet I am anything but perfect. I have way too many bad habits that I did not want to pass on to my future child. Bad eating habits, too much TV watching, not enough exercise, improving my spiritual life, my lifestyle needed some serious work. So of course I went on living my life exactly the same way. So for nine months I was in close to denial. I did do the things that most ...

First, my apologies for not updating this sooner. For the first several days following Nathan's arrival, I was so overcome with love and emotion that I couldn't look at pictures of him without bursting into tears, even though he was still in the room with us (I think Jeff thought I was going crazy for a few days). Over the last week, I've drafted this blog in my head several times and as each day passes, self-editing left me unsure of where to begin. Second, let me apologize for the length in advance, as I know this will likely be the longest post I will ever write. I've tried to break it up into sections so read what you choose. Pictures will be included near the end, so feel free to skip there if you like. Therefore, as is sung in the classic film, The Sound of Music, "Let's start at the very beginning; a very good place to start". The Date: June 2, 2011 Believe it or not, throughout the entire pregnancy, I had a feeling that our little one would arri...

...where the watermelon grows! That's right, I have reached the end of the fruit line up, and at 37 weeks, can be considered full term. With Baby's impending arrival, I have been reflecting on the last nine months. All in all, I have really enjoyed this pregnancy, more than I expected. Aside from the little hiccup that has assigned me to bed rest, I was lucky to not have many of the ailments associated with pregnancy. I guess I was most surprised at how much I have felt like myself, something I just couldn't imagine before. While I look forward to having my own shape back, as well as my old wardrobe, I will miss feeling Baby Davolt squirm and wiggle inside. Another week with two NSTs and not much else. Both appointments were uneventful. Dr. Williams is evidently involved in a case study that has her spending extra time researching placental abruption, the condition with which she's diagnosed me. She continues to acknowledge that there are more questions than answers abo...

I am finally 36 weeks and getting more excited about baby's arrival each day! I had my two appointments this week, which were thankfully uneventful. As some of you have heard, my doctor told me on Monday that she would prefer me not to go into labor on my own for fear of another bleeding episode. Dr. Williams said that we would soon have a conversation about making plans for delivery, likely around 38 weeks. Naturally, I couldn't help but think how soon that would be! While we have not yet had this conversation and she wasn't entirely specific, she did remind me that I am at a higher risk of a C-section. So, I guess either this week or next, we'll start to figure out more information! Yesterday I was very blessed to be surrounded with love and support at a shower in honor of Baby Davolt! Our friend Vicki hosted and the fabulous women of our church group contributed goodies for us to enjoy. Given that I spend so much time each wee k at home alone, it was more than thrill...

For the past several months, I've been following a few of the discussion groups on TheBump.com . Reading these posts has helped me learn a lot about pregnancy, particularly from other women due around the same time as me. One of the milestones that is often celebrated within these discussion groups is the 35/35, or 35 weeks down, 35 days until due date. So, today is my 35/35! Wohoo! I had my two NST appointments again this week. Both showed Baby is healthy and my contractions remain fairly calm. I've gained 25 pounds through this pregnancy, which puts me right on track for healthy weight gain. My blood pressure was low as always (98/60 on Thursday). As the nurse was strapping me into the fetal monitors, feeling my belly, she commented that it seemed baby had dropped a bit. I know it could still be several weeks until baby's debut, but this is another sign of progress towards delivery. Thursday morning I also had a growth ultrasound. The tech tried to get another picture of ...