So, we are officially a family of four! I headed to the doctor on Monday morning. Mama went with me, we dropped Graham off at school, Dean went to work and Daddy met us at the doc office. Dean was sure that things were gonna be unchanged and that I would head on to work and he would stay at work We got to the doc office about 8:45 am and first, I had a non stress test and the results of it were perfect - lots of movements and great heart rate. Then, we went for an ultrasound, all looked good on there, well, other than getting to see his face, as he had it buried yet again. He was estimated at 8 pounds and 9 ounces which was a bit of a shock, he was only 6 and half pounds on the ultrasound about a month before, so that was quite a jump. Otherwise, she said everything looked fine......so then we headed to see Doc Keene. When the nurse took my blood pressure, it was an all-time high of 140 over 80. The nurse was even surprised! So, Doc Keene came in to check me and commented on my BP right away. I told her I had been contracting off and on all weekend and she confirmed I was about 2 cm and about 50% effaced and to meet her in the office. So, we get in to her office and she said based on the fact that I was officially past my due date, the progress I had shown, my High BP and that my ultrasound showed my fluid was a little low, she thought it would be best to send me on over to the hospital and get me induced! So, I was actually a bit surprised because I had actually convinced myself that it wasn't going to happen on Monday as well! So, I called Dean as we were walking out of her office at 10:20 and told him to get on the road!

Mama and daddy went with me to the hospital (about five minutes away) and I was on the phone and sending emails non-stop trying to let everyone know what was going on. We went in through the ER, lugging the suitcase, camera case, laptop case, etc and got up to the labor and delivery suite about 11am. The nurse was on the ball! I was still on the phone, sending emails from my blackberry and trying to get my camera and laptop out, etc and she gave me a gown and said she would be right back. In no time, she had me hooked up to an IV, had monitors on me and said the doc would be in to break my water momentarily! Dean was on the road and mama and daddy were gonna stay til he got there and they were gonna take my jeep home, so we didn't have two vehicles at the hospital and then then come back in just their car.

Right at 11:30am, Doctor Floyd from my practice came in. She is the doc that I saw the day that I went in for extended monitoring around 32 weeks, so at least I had met her before. She was very down to business as well and as she was breaking my water, she was quizzing me about why Doc Keene sent me over, details of my first delivery, etc etc. They turned on the pitocin and she said I was 3 cm and 60% effaced and that we should shoot for a 3pm delivery, the nurse agreed as she gets off at 3pm, ha! Oh, and when the nurse took my BP it had dropped back down to 113! I truly think it shot up in the office because I was soooo anxious about the appointment and what was gonna happen etc.

Dean arrived shortly after she had broke my water and my parents headed out. I was frantically trying to get everyone updated, let work know, take pics, send emails, make calls, etc. And, I had started asking for my epideral as soon as I got there and the nurse put me off at first, but apparently the pitocin was kicking in fast and I was starting to feel contractions that were bad for wimpy me, so she finally said that I was on third on the list! So, finally at 130pm, they came and gave me the epi and everything went very very smooth with getting it. Mama and daddy got back around that time and were hoping that Evan arrived before they had to leave at 5pm to go get Graham. The epi was apparently way stronger than the one that I had with Graham, as I totally lost the feeling in my legs and it never seemed to come back! The nurse told me to curl up on my side and let the medicine completely get in my system, so I had to get off my computer but I still had my phone and blackberry, ha!

So, at 215pm, the nurse said she would check to see how much I had progressed and I was already to 6 cm! I couldnt believe how fast things were moving! I tried to sit up and get a little more comfortable but because the epi was so strong, I had to get either Dean or my mom to move my legs around for me! So, a few minutes before 3pm the nurse (who was supposed to be leaving) checked me again and said I was 9.5 cm, she was gonna let the doc and nursery team know that it was time to push! I was floored! I sent out my last update around 3 pm, we told mama and daddy and they headed to the waiting room and then it was time to push. I officially started pushing about 310pm. Evan's head was really low so that was to my benefit and the nurse estimated that she thought it would only take about 20 - 30 minutes and she would get the doc basically right before the baby was ready to come out. The nurse ended up working over and stayed with us until about 430pm, so that was really nice of her. She was great. The doc had not been in there since she broke my water and Dean had not even seen her! So, I pushed a bit and did so - so, the lack of feeling that I had from the epi was holding me back a little and she finally turned it off. At one point she did this crazy thing where she got a bed sheet and tied it in knots and she and I played tug of war, to get me to use the right muscles to push! Dean was very supportive and encouraging during all this as well! So, about 335pm or so, she got the doc and nursery team to come in and it was almost time! The doc was a little troubled by how much the epi was interfering with my pushing as well and asked if she could use the vacuum suction to help finish getting him out. We had also used that with Graham, so I said sure! I was starting to get pretty tired at this point and really hoped I was close to the end. His heart rate started to dip a little and they had me put on an oxygen mask. So, finally at 3:57pm, Evan James Whitaker made his arrival with a bit of drama.......he did not immediately start crying, which totally freaked me out. He had the cord wrapped around his neck and it had a knot tied in it. Dean quickly cut the cord and they ran him over to the table to work on him. Dean and all the docs and nurses were over there and I was constantly asking if he was okay over and over and finally he started crying, it was probably less than a minute, but it seemed like forever!!!!!! He weighed in at 8 pounds and 7 ounces, only 2 ounces less than the ultrasound predicted earlier in the day!

They got him all cleaned up and Dean brought him over to me and he was just perfect. Mama and daddy got to come in and see him for a few minutes before they had to go get Graham. We stayed in the labor and delivery room for an hour or so longer and then moved to our patient room. Tammy and Mark came by to see us and meet Evan and then we called it a day! What a crazy day! We spent Tuesday and part of Wednesday in the hospital and then headed home. We were delighted to learn that the hospital lifted the ban on the no children visitation policy so on Tuesday afternoon Mama and daddy brought Graham to see us and meet Evan. It was such a special visit! He brought me flowers and Evan his bear that he made him and then we gave him a gift from Evan as well, which he was thrilled with. After a while, he was ready to head back home with mawmaw and pawpaw. He had a big time playing with them while they stayed home with him and didn't seem to be troubled at all that we were not at home! Dean's parents and Stacy K also came to visit us and Tammy came back on Wed morning to help us get packed up and checked out.

We got home on Wednesday afternoon and Mama and daddy headed home and we settled in as a new family of four! We had a pretty good first night and Evan was really taking to nursing so we were excited about that. On Thursday, Mama, Kenneth and Lillian came to see Evan, so that was fun. Lillian wasn't too sure what she thought of him, she wasn't too happy when he cried and we tried to convince Graham that she isn't "baby" Lillian anymore, she looked sooooo big beside Evan! We took a quick trip to Walmart on Thursday afternoon and I ran in and got some groceries and the boys stayed in the car. Evan slept the way there and back and seemed quite content. On Friday, we had our next big outing - to the doctor for a weight check! Evan weighed in at 7 pounds and 13 ounces, down some from birth, as expected, but not down too much. The want to see him again on Monday, just to make sure he is showing some good gains. We ran a couple more errands and headed home and again Evan slept nearly the whole time we were out and about! Graham was really good about telling us when Evan has his eyes open or closed and seemed to really like having him in the backseat with him!

We were snowed in all weekend and just had a family weekend at home. We were hoping to have some visitors, but the snow didnt let that happen! Still, we had a nice weekend and enjoyed our family time. Graham has been super sweet with Evan and a great helper. He pays him some attention, but then goes on about his business and plays and does his thing. He has asked for Evan to play with him a few times and we have had to remind him that he is too little right now. All in all, he has been a great big brother and we are thrilled with our family!

We are happy to announce that Evan James Whitaker arrived at 3:57 pm Monday, January 25, 2010! He weighed 8 pounds and 7 ounces. We are all doing well!!! Enjoy this first picture of little Evan and of course many many more will follow!

Love, Dean, Shelly, Graham and Evan

And, again, I am still here!!!! 40 weeks pregnant today! Getting to 40 weeks pretty much dominated our week! I was at the doc on Wednesday and Friday, with not much progress at either appointment! Even with all the pains and contractions that I have been having, I was still just at 1cm, however, a good bit more effaced, up to 50%. But, the bigger concern was that my traditionally low blood pressure has suddenly jumped up. My blood pressure has been very very low my entire life, so she was pretty concerned to see if jump up since last week and wanted to see me again on Friday to recheck it. She asked me about work, if I was still working etc and I told her I was hoping to keep working right up until the end. Otherwise, she said all the other things that I am feeling are just typical end of the pregnancy symptoms. IF my blood pressure is still high on Friday, she indicated there was a high chance she would go ahead and send me to the hospital and start labor, but if it is back down, then I go back in on Monday (the day after my due date) for an ultrasound, nonstress test and appt with her and we will decide based on all that whether to send me to hospital or wait it out a bit longer. I worked a little bit and then headed home and worked the rest of the day and worked from home on Thursday as well so that I could try to get my BP down.

So, on Friday, my BP was 128 over 72, which is not really considered high for most people, still a tad high for me over my baseline, but without it being well into the 130s or above 140, not high enough to justify sending me to the hospital. Even with the contracting I have been doing the last 24 hours or so, still just about 1.5 cm dilated and about 50% effaced……..so she went ahead and sent me for a non-stress test to check his movements, where he was basically moving like an Olympic gymnast and his heartrate was super…….so back to her office, where she said – See you Monday for your appt……… So, Dean went on to work and I ran in to the office for a little bit, not gonna stay all day, but figured I might as well pop back in and take care of a few things.

Dean needed to work late to play catch up from all the time he had missed, so I headed out from work about the time nap time was ending and Mama and Daddy met me at First Baptist and got to do another dry run of picking him up since they had not been there since back in the summer. Graham was very excited to see us all. We headed home and had a fun evening after a long and crazy week. On Saturday, Daddy headed back to work and Mama stayed with us for the weekend just in case........ I was a little stir crazy, so Graham, Mama and I headed out and about for a bit, we had a fun lunch at Red Lobster and then went to the mall for awhile. Graham wore his monkey for us and had fun walking in and out of all the stores and most of all he enjoyed riding every riding toy that he spotted in the mall! We thought that all the walking around the mall, might do me some good.....but no luck.

Graham got very sleepy on the drive home but never totally fell asleep. He was sound asleep a little after 8pm and slept straight through until almost 9am Sunday morning, a huge rarity for him! I guess he had a big day on Saturday. He only woke during the night once this past week and didnt go wandering around the house, so maybe that little phase is behind us! Dean ended up in the bed with him for a few hours one morning but overall it was a much better week!

On Sunday, Dean and I headed to church and Graham stayed home with mama. Everyone was again surprised to see me at church and I was surprised to be there too, ha! We had a nice date lunch out and then ran some errands and came home. Graham and Mawmaw had a very fun and very busy day, Graham showed her how to play everything! We got him all settled in bed, a little early since he played all day long and didn't nap.....again. He is still very excited about big brother and seems to understand that he is gonna stay home with mawmaw and pawpaw and that mommy and daddy are gonna bring baby brother Evan home to him! So, hopefully, everything will go smoothly and that will happen sometime this week!!!!!

I am still here! That seems to be the million dollar comment these days! Everyday, we head out of the house as if it could be the day baby Evan arrives and then every day we come back home! The house is definitely all ready and Graham is very aware of everything around the house that is for Evan. He continues to talk about what he is going to teach him and enjoys his Big Brother book! He has really settled in the Giraffe room at school and there have been a couple birthday parties and of course he enjoys those very much!

On Thursday evening, Graham and Dean got their haircuts and Graham was chatty about Evan while we were there. He does so good now, sits on the booster and sings and talks to Rachel the whole time. He thinks the blow dryer is so funny when she tickles him with it! We hit IHOP for dinner afterwards, Grahams fave place, he was eager to order his food and drink himself from the waitress! It was cute! We were going to head back to swim lessons on Saturday, but they were closed for the MLK holiday weekend, so maybe next week.......if Evan isn't here......

On Friday, my coworkers threw me a surprise baby shower so that was fun. We got several gift cards, that we are going to put towards the two convertible carseats that we need for when Evan outgrows the infant carrier. We got almost enough for one seat. We also got clothes, bibs, blankets and a HUGE stuffed bear, that is bigger than Graham! I put him in the infant seat and when I picked up Graham and he climbed up in the jeep, he asked - IS THAT BABY EVAN???? It was pretty funny. He wasn't too sure what he thought about the bear, so we just put him in the nursery and that was that!

We headed out on Saturday afternoon to do some errands. Graham really likes to go to "stores," and had fun riding in the different carts. Then, we went to Kabuki for dinner. We have been going there since Graham was little bitty and he always does so good in there and loves all the entertainment!

We have been struggling a little bit with some night wakings and some bad dreams every few nights. Graham can come and go from his room now, since we want to be able to have him go potty when he needs too and so several times I have woken up and he has being standing as close to my face as he can possibly be, sometimes he is upset and sometimes not. Sometimes he cries out from his bed and we go in there. We have each took a couple turns in his bed to comfort him, although it is really hard for me to get in and out of his bed right now, with the way it is against the wall and then the safety rail and my big ole belly! Hopefully, this is a short phase, otherwise, we might have some nights soon, where all four of us are up!!!!!

We headed to church on Sunday and everyone was quite surprised to see us, so we got more, you are still here comments! I said, who knows, we might be there next week too! I skipped taking Graham in for communion, it is harder for me to handle him with how big I am now in case he isn't cooperative, so we decided to just let him stay in the nursery. He didnt question it, so that was good. We made a couple stops on the way home and then he fell asleep and ended up sleeping three hours, the longest weekend nap in quite some time. We finally had to wake him at 5pm!!!!

Graham made a great transition to the Giraffe room this week, he knew several of the kids from his old room that were already there or moved with him and he made friends fast with the new ones. He also got to get started back in gymnastics. When we switched from the old center to the church, his class was not eligible for it, but now he is! So, that was exciting for him, he came home on Tuesday showing us all the neat things he learned. So, he has gymnastics on Tuesday and music on Fridays every week.

Graham also adjusted to his new location in the vehicles and totally embraced that Baby Evan will riding in the little seat beside him. He talks about him alot every day and still continues to come up with more and more things that he is going to teach him and show him when he arrives. We have a new I'm a Big Brother book that he got for Christmas and he wants to read it every night and has practically memormized it! It even talks about how the big brother stays home with his grandparents while Mommy and Daddy bring baby brother home, so we talked about that part some so he isn't surprised when that happens!

The big highlight this week was Baby Lillian's first birthday on Saturday and her party! Graham LOVES birthday parties for anyone, but of course, for baby Lillian, he was super excited! We got to my parents early and had some time to visit with her and my parents and then went to Kenneth and Danah's house for the party. Graham loved the balloons and party hats of course and wanted to be SUPER HELPFUL when it came time to open gifts. We got her a recliner like his and she opened it first and then sat in it and opened her gifts! She got lots of goodies and Graham checked every one of them out for her. We headed home a little before 6pm and Graham was totally wound up, he would not eat dinner and so we figured that even if he did fall asleep on the road, he would have to wake up to eat when we got home. I guess he was super tired from all the playing and excitement, so he would not wake up when we got home. He had fallen asleep around 7pm, which was a tad early, but sure enough he slept until almost 7am Sunday morning! He was a very tired boy! Of course, the first thing he told us on Sunday morning was that we forgot to put him in his pajamas, we had just put him to bed in his clothes.

On Sunday, Graham and I stayed home from church to recuperate from the big day and get some rest and Dean went on to church. We had some good Mommy / Graham bonding time and worked puzzles, played legos, played ball and just had a really fun morning. We ran a few errands Sunday afternoon and then called it a weekend!

We are still very ready at home, just trying to stay on top of things as if we could leave the house any minute and not be back for a few days and trying to get things wrapped up and transitioned at work!

Happy New Year! We had another short week of work / school for the first part of the week and then another long and busy holiday weekend! Graham seemed happy to be back at school with his friends and teachers, although lots of friends were still out on vacation, and he wasn't quite back in the groove of napping, since he did VERY little of that while we were off the week before!

On Tuesday, we had a big evening, we picked him up and went to a double birthday party for two of the girls in his class at "Pump it Up!" He had only been in a bouncy thing one other time in Richmond at the Children's Museum and it was just a square room. Well, this place was all out, four different stations with slides and obstacle courses and full on fun! He ran around like a little wild man for over an hour and could not get enough of it. He did not want to stop for pizza and cake when it was time, but we convinced him finally. However, he did not want to put his shoes back on yet, because he was sure we were gonna go back and bounce some more! So, a fun time, as you can see from the pics down below!!!

We spent New Years Eve at home taking down all the Christmas decorations. Graham said he was going to miss the ornaments and was a little concerned that we were packing everything away, but we assured him that it would all come back out next year! We didn't welcome the new year in at all, Graham and I were in bed and Dean was watching a movie! Pretty boring here! On New Year's day, we spent some time finishing cleaning up the aftermath of the decorating. Dean installed the two infant bases in each vehicle and also moved Graham over in both cars to behind the driver seat, so the driver can see the baby. Needless to say that was quite a project!

Then, on Saturday, we started pulling out all the rest of the baby stuff - the pack and play, bassinet, swing, exersaucer, etc. I did many many loads of gentle cycle washes and hand washing on all the covers and material from all the things that had been in storage and Dean had to re-assemble a few things that had been partially disassembled and packed away. Graham was MOST interested in everything we were pulling out and of course, tried to climb IN the pack and play and SIT in the swing. I would show him pics of how he used those things when he was a little baby and now Evan would use them and he was very excited about that. I washed up the final load of Evan's clothes (for now), he is all set until he needs to get in the 3 - 6 months stuff. So, the suitcase is in the car, I will probably start sticking the camera and laptop in there every night, the diaper bag is packed and ready and the house is all set! Evan can arrive anytime and things are all in place for him at home! So, that is great!

We headed to church on Sunday, other than Christmas Eve service, we had not been for a couple Sundays because of the weather, so I hoped Graham would be good for me today and I took him in for communion. It did not go so well, so I think we are just gonna have to halt taking him in for any remaining weeks that he and I go and maybe once we return to church after Evan is born, he will better about it. He is just loud, talks in his normal voice and has to do things in his own way, which causes things to not go smoothly...... hopefully once he gets through some of the terrible three phase he is in and gets a little older, he will be able to listen better and it not be so much drama!

Graham has another big day at school on Monday, he is being promoted to the Giraffe classroom. A couple of his friends have already moved up and a couple more are going with him the same day. He has visited a few times and seems to be okay with it. The Giraffe class is his partner class that they eat lunch with and go to the playground / gym with, so he seems to know the teachers and alot of the kiddos. So, hopefully, it will be a smooth transition!