I seriously can not believe that our little Nolan James is one month old.  The days flown by at times & stood still at others.  This having a baby business is hard, but so worth it!

Our amazing friend Tara was there at his birth & captured some amazing images for us.  I’m so glad she was there, because since I ended up having a c-section there is no way we would have had some of his first moments captured on film. If you live in the PDX area, she is for hire right here.

It all started here.  This was about 10 hours into labor.  I was high on my epidural & feeling pretty good.

My sweet supportive husband.  I can’t believe there is a picture of my smiling in this process.  That’s the power of the epidural my friend.  I really don’t know why women fight it.

And my sweet mom who was texting everyone updates while comforting me.

Twelve hours into labor and two rounds of pushing our doctor made the call to have a c-section.

Again, doesn’t it look like I was smiling.  I assure you, I was not smiling at this moment.  I was completely freaked out & trying not to look up because the surgical light was reflecting everything that was about to happen.

Thirty minutes later our sweet baby Nolan was in the world. 

It’s amazing how much you miss when you have a c-section.  This was the first time I got to see him.  He was all measured, clean and probably the cutest thing I have ever seen.  At this moment I’m thinking, I can’t believe we made him.

After I was all put back together our little family was wheeled back into the delivery room where my parents were anxiously waiting to meet Nol.

This is one of my favorite pictures of them all I think!  We kept the name a secret from everyone but our family.  They knew his first name, but we wanted his middle name to be a surprise to them when he was born.  I’m so, so glad my family was there for his birth because his middle name James came from my dad, Jim.  The name has been in the Bates family for a long time & I was named after my dad because I looked so much like him when I was born.  I was so excited to give Nol the middle name James & will never forget the look on my dad’s face when we told him. 

Now one month later we have this sweet face to look at every day!

Happy one month birthday Nolan!

Tara also put together a really sweet slideshow that you can watch here! (the password is 100111)

My baby needs his daddy so they can be birthday buddies.  This was their first birthday party in the hospital.  Ben is already planning their joint soccer party for next year.

My baby needs his daddy to change the never ending amount of diapers he poops in.

My baby needs his daddy to rock him to sleep.

My baby needs his daddy to help his mommy with the middle of the night feeding.

My baby needs his daddy to teach him about soccer.

But, mostly my baby needs his daddy for this moment last night. 

Nol had been with me & my mom all day long.  We had a great day & did our best to keep him fed & happy.  Ben had been at work all day & didn’t end up getting home until 7:30 at night.  Nol was not happy & neither me or my mom could figure out what was wrong.  Ben walked in, took him for two minutes & this is what happened. Total serenity.  My baby just needed his daddy.

It has been a fun, amazing, tiring, life changing week around the Dudley household.  Little Nolan James was just ready to come into this world a little early & let’s face it, I was not about to stop him.

He found his fingers right away.  I had read book after book & practiced so many times the perfect swaddling technique.  Then Nol actually got here & he loves being swaddled, but only from the waist down.  If his hands arn’t somewhere near his face it’s over for him.

This may be my favorite trick he has right now.  His hands are always in some crazy position when he sleeps. It’s so funny to us & always makes us say, “Now what did we do before he got here?”

He celebrated his daddy’s 35th birthday at three days old.  I can’t even begin to express how excited Ben was.  And I also have no idea how I am going to top my birthday present to him next year. 

He made it home in the true first parents way.  Is he strapped in tight?  Is he strapped in too tight?  Does he need a hat?  Is he warm enough?  Is he too warm?  Why are you driving so fast?  Can you try not to hit every bump?

Then the love fest began!

Lolli dressed him up.

Granny couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face.

And his Pop’s just love him.

Then he had his first doctors visit which I was dreading because he was getting circumcised right after his first check up.  His check up went great even though I was a little concerned that he shrunk 2 inches.  He was 21” when he was born, but the doctor measured him at around 19”.  Which in all fairness seems more accurate to me.  I never really thought he was 21” when he was born, especially when pretty much none of his clothes fit him.  His little feet go to about the knee part of all of his pajamas.  He’s just a little guy!

The circumcision was tramautic for all of us to say the least.  I tried to be brave because the nurse told us sometimes it helps the procedure if both of his parents are in the room soothing him.  I put on my brave face & said “ok, I’m his mom.  I need to be here for him.”  Then the doctor no more than rolled the surgical cart into the room & I burst into tears.  Ben went into full on dad mode though & helped Nol get through. 

After a week of dirty diapers it was time for his birthday and a little photo shoot with his mom & dad.

Happy one week birthday buddy.  We just love you so much.

Will the crying, worrying, checking to see if he’s breathing, every little thing he does either amaze me or think there is something wrong go away?  I’m thinking no.

With Baby Dudley’s due date just around the corner I thought it would be fun to get my family’s predictions on his birth!  One week people…one week!

Did you think Baby Dudley would be a boy or girl?
How much will he weigh?
How long will he be?
What color will his hair be?
What color will his eyes be?
Who will he  most look like?
Will he be on time, early or late?

Ben:
Boy
7 lbs 6 oz
21 in long
Brown hair
Green eyes
He will most look like me
Late – October 7th

Jamie:
Boy
7 lbs 5 oz
20 in long
Brown hair
Brown eyes
He will be a cross between Ben & my brother
Late – October 6th

Lolli:
Girl
6 lbs 11 oz
20.5 in long
Brown hair
Brown eyes
Me! Just kidding, Ben
Late, but praying he’s on time!

Pop 2:
Boy
6 lbs 11 oz
21 in long
Bald to start then dark brown hair
Blue eyes
He will most look like Ben
On time – October 4th

Granny:
Girl
7 lbs 2 oz
20 ½ in long
Dark brown hair
Blue eyes
He will most look like Ben
He will be late

Pop:
Boy
7 lb 4 oz
20.5 in long
Dark brown hair
Brown eyes
He will most look like Ben
He will be late

Aunt Kristen:
Girl
7 lbs
17 in long
Brown hair
Blue eyes
He will most look like Ben
On time!

Uncle Matthew:
Girl
7 lbs 5 oz
18 in long
Brown hair
Hazel eyes
He will most look like Ben
He will be early

Aunt Jamie:
Boy
7 lbs 9 oz
19 ½ in long
Dark brown hair
Dark brown eyes
He will most look like Pop
He will be late

Uncle Sean:
Boy
7 lbs
19 ½ in long
No hair
Blue eyes
He will look like Avery & Hannah when they were born
He will be late - induced

Avery:
Boy
9 lbs
10 ½ in long
Dark brown hair
Blue eyes
He will most look like Uncle Ben
He will be born on Uncle Ben’s birthday

Hannah:
Girl
34 lbs
3 in long
Pink hair
Blue eyes
He will most look like Hannah
He will be on time

You two are experienced grandparents of two cute little girls.  Are you excited about having a grandson?

Pop: Of course!

Granny: For sure. I love little boys. They are a different species. It seems they are born knowing all the noises associated with cars and trucks. Little boys can be rough and tough, but they also love deeply. 

Do you think your granddaughters will dress him up in their princess costumes?

Pop: I doubt it.  They always need a prince.

Granny: I bet they try. Of course, he might get to be the Prince.  He may get them to dress up as Super Heroes or famous athletes. I just can’t wait to have the cousins playing together and loving each other. I have such fun memories of my cousins. It is a special relationship. 

Did you have any fun traditions with your grandparents you want to carry on to your grandson?

Pop: Not really

Granny: Birthday celebrations were so special. Going to the grandparents house for dinner and presents. The birthday person got to pick his menu and cake flavor. My Little Granny’s fried chicken was the best! She made a fantastic lemon meringue pie. Yum. I think being together was what I loved the most. also, hopefully trips to the mountains- fishing and camping out.

What traits do you think Baby Dudley will share with his daddy?

Pop: Being calm for the most part.  And eating like his daddy and grandfather both.

Granny: Physically, very much. If you look at Ben and Clay, you almost see a mirror image. That’s the way I think Baby Dudley will look. Black hair, big brown eyes, and a smile that will melt your heart. He will have a compassionate heart and love his family. Of course, he will be an organizer and people person. His interests will be interesting to discover, but he will probably be guided towards soccer, biking and basketball. I hope he is musically talented. That’s such a neat gift from God. 

Do you think Baby Dudley will be as Larry Bird obsessed as Ben was as a little kid?

Pop: No. He will be a soccer kid.

Granny: Yes, absolutely! Bedtime stories every night about all the big games, great ball handling skills and Celtic green. I also have all the posters for his room that his dad had up in his room! No need to decorate his room with anything else. 

Did you have any feelings one way or the other if Baby Dudley would be a boy or girl?

Pop: I thought Baby Dudley would be a boy.  Just a hunch.

Granny: I thought at first a girl, but when I saw Jamie, I thought - boy. The old wives tale of carrying low! It really didn’t matter. I was just so excited for another grandbaby to love!

Do you know his name & can you share it with us?

Pop: Adam?

Granny: I think, Larry.

How do you feel about your grandson being 2,200 miles away?

Pop: Don’t like to think about that.

Granny: It is a long way, but Southwest flies to Portland. Seriously, with FaceTime and the telephone, we can make it work. 

Will you take your grandson to McDonald’s when we arn’t looking?

Pop: No, never.  Grilled Cheese Grill most likely.

Granny: No, I don’t like it either. 

Do you have plans of spoiling your grandson without shame?

Pop: Of course.  That’s what grandparents are for, right?

Granny: Absolutely! Lots and lots of plans. Toys, books, balls, bicycles and a drum set. Heehee.

Here is our little guy at 38 weeks.  Only two weeks to go!!  I can’t wait to get my ankles back. :)

I am so not ready for this baby to be born.  Ok, that’s not totally true.  I’m ready for him, but my house isn’t.  We are in full on what if he comes early mode & nothing is fully put together.  Except this one corner of his room.

Isn’t it cute?  I love this rocking chair!  We found it at a vintage store pretty much right when I got pregnant & had it recovered in this super funky fabric.  I mean, come on, a rocking chair is super important!  It’s something we will sit in a million times a day.  Then maybe he’ll use it in his room when he gets older.  Can’t you just picture him wisely reading Shakespeare, Proust, Rowling, you know, the classics.  Then he’ll take it with him to college for his dorm room.  He’ll love it so much he won’t be able to part with it when he gets married & moves into his first house.  His wife will surely have recovered it by then.  Then they will get pregnant & use it for his kids nursery.  His wife will fight him at first, but he’ll just explain, “my parents lovingly picked this out for me & if it was good enough for me, then its good enough for our baby.  In fact, its not just good enough.  Its perfect & is a part of my history.”

What, too far?  I think I may have just over romantacized his rocking chair.

Then you move to this side of the room.

Not even close.  The crib my sweet parents bought for him is sadly still in its box.  I think it might stay in its box for awhile so we can have room for guests.  Besides, he won’t be sleeping in it for a couple of months apparently.  A fact which I just learned by the way.  Why does everyone get so freaked out over building the crib when babies don’t even sleep in it for the first few months?  It seems so strange to me.  The one job of a crib is to hold a baby while it sleeps.  But apparently not teeny tiny babies.  Which reminds me, we really need to buy a bassinet.

We did find this sweet dresser at an estate sale for $45.  It needs a little work, but nothing major.

Here are the two things we have somewhat ready.

His clothes, blankets and swaddlers are washed and ready to go.  And he has a pretty sweet collection of Adidas gear.  This kid is going to be a three stripe kid whether he likes it or not.  Especially when Ben comes home with free clothes & shoes from work!

And our bags for the hospital are somewhat packed.  Thanks to the suggestions of my sweet formerly pregnant friends.

So here is our baby cantaloupe this week.  I personally think he’s much bigger than this, but its the biggest cantaloupe I could find.

He definitely looks more like a bowling ball to me.  It feels like I’m carrying around a bowling ball!

And here is my sweet supportive husband. 

Thirty three weeks in (only seven weeks to go!) and we have ourselves a little baby seedless watermelon.  He’s really supposed to be a honeydew, but who likes honeydew? To me honeydew is just the depressing filler in a fruit salad at a sandwich shop.  You think you are being healthy ordering it over the french fries, then when it comes you get one strawberry, half a slice of pineapple, two grapes & the rest is honeydew.  Gross. Should have ordered the fries instead.

Anyway, Ben & I have had a crazy couple of weeks.  Seems like this baby thing has kicked into high gear this month.  I signed us up for birthing, breastfeeding & childcare classes way back in February.  At the time our choice was to take a class every Thursday for the entire summer or squeeze it all into six classes in August. Seemed like an easy decision. Who would have known at the time we would have been moving into a new house & having company galore all at the same time. (It really is a beautiful time to be in Portland so I don’t blame them.  I would want to get out of the Texas heat too!)

Childbirth class hasn’t been too bad.  Our instructor reminds us of the mom from that show Dharma & Greg which seems pretty appropriate for Portland.  We survived watching the birthing videos which I consider a huge accomplishment.  Now, breastfeeding class on the other hand was pretty lame.  The content was pretty poor, but the people in the class were worth it.  We felt like we were in a scene from a Katherine Heigel I didn’t plan on being pregnant, now what do I do romantic comedy movie.

Here was our little practice baby.  The girl next to Ben leaned over & said, “You might want to get a paternity test!”  

There was a sweet Russian couple who spoke only broken English & I’m pretty sure the husband didn’t speak English at all. “We make baby.” (said in a heavy Russian accent) Next to them was a Hispanic couple who spoke only broken English as well.  I asked a question in class & she answered me with what I can only assume was some valuable information I needed to know about breast milk storage.  I didn’t catch it all so I just nodded along politely & said, “Ok, great. Thanks so much!”  My favorite was the Indian couple next to them.  They came into class late, sat down right in front & both pulled out newspapers.  He read the newspaper for the rest of class & she worked on a Soduku puzzle.  

My favorite part was when Ben said, “Why do you have my birthday on your name tag?” ”It’s our baby’s due date”, I said.  ”Oohh, that makes way more sense!  I thought we were playing some sort of birthday game!”

Here was our little photo shoot in our new front yard.  

Ben: Do you want to try smiling?

Me: I’m sorry.  I’m just so tired!  I really thought I was smiling.

Ben: Well, you weren’t.

Ben: Ok, let’s see that side profile.  Hmmm…you don’t look that pregnant.

Me: Is this better?

Ben: Better.  But you can do better.  Really pull your shirt tight!

Me: Like this?

Ben: That’s it!  The pregnant lady hands on the back was a nice touch too.

I am pretty sure you have heard enough of my ramblings on being pregnant. Especially now, 30 weeks in, I tried to write this blog and all I came up with is, “I’m so tired.”  So, today I thought it would be fun to interview my parents and the soon-to-be grandparents Jim & Sharen Bates.  Just look how cute they are!

How long have you been waiting to be grandparents?

Jim: Hard to say, but a long time.  Right after your & Ben’s wedding it became more of a real idea.

Sharen: 12 long & lonely years!

Did you ever think you would see the day?

Jim: Absolutely.  You & Ben have had a heart to be parents and it was just a matter of time.

Sharen: I was praying I would!  I figured with Ben & I, you might be convinced.

What part of becoming a grandparent are you most excited about?

Jim: Really looking forward to changing stinky diapers, that is my specialty.  No really, just having another person to be a part of the family.

Sharen: Holding, playing, teaching and loving him!!  And of course spoiling!!!!!  I can’t wait to say I have a grandchild! But mostly watching you and Ben experiencing one of the most amazing gifts God has blessed us with… loving someone beyond ourselves. There’s nothing like being a mother!! It’s a love you can’t explain. 

Did you have any fun traditions with your grandparents you want to carry on to your grandkid?

Jim: My folks always took their grandkids on trips to various places and I am looking forward to doing this.

Sharen: Taking him on vacation without parents!  And then with the whole family…but we already do that!

**I was hoping they would say this!  We had a fun tradition with my grandparents where as each grandkid turned five we got to pick the destination they would take us on vacation.   It started with just me & my cousin Michael & then as each cousin turned five they would be added into the mix each summer.

One a scale from 1 to 10 how do you think your beautiful daughter has handled being pregnant?

Jim: 10+ Better than I ever imagined.

Sharen: Absolutely a 10! She’s amazing! And beautiful!

Would you say she is one of the cutest/loveliest/most adorable pregnant ladies you have ever seen?

Jim: No question in my mind.  I see other pregnant girls around, but they don’t hold a candle to our little Jamie.

Sharen: OMGOSH! Yes!

**Interviewer blushes.  But already knew the answer to the questions.

Do you know what you want your grandkid to call you?

Jim: Pop II

Sharen: Lolli or Nana.  But, I’m go with whatever he wants to call me.

How did you come up with the name?

Jim: I thought it was a little bit different.  I hate grandpaw etc as being too old.  Also, it is a little tribute to my Dad who we all call Pop.

Sharen: Lolli is from another friend. Put it together with Pop and you have Lollipop! Isn’t that clever!  Nana is from my Grandma Coon. Nana is her given name, and she was my favorite grandmother. 

Did you have any feelings one way or the other if Baby Dudley would be a boy or girl?

Jim: Didn’t really have a feeling with one way or the other.  Either would have been great.

Sharen: No, I just wanted a grandbaby!  I was hoping for twins!

**oh geez

Do you know his name & can you share it with us?

Jim: As you know my first choice was Jimmy Clay, but I now think that Bobby Bear would be my choice.

Sharen: NO! And its a secret! You shouldn’t even have asked this question.

How do you feel about your grandkid being 2,200 miles away?

Jim: Nice if he would have been closer, but airplanes still work.

Sharen:  VERY SAD! Thank God for Southwest Airlines.  But who knows, maybe we will get a condo in Portland. I can dream, can’t I?!

Will you take your grandkid to McDonald’s when we arn’t looking?

Jim: Jamie, how could you even ask that question.  Probably just donuts on Saturday to Mr. Donut.

Sharen: Absolutely not!! I am on a strike against McDonalds. It’s garbage.

Do you have plans of spoiling your grandkid without shame?

Jim: No specific plans, but I am sure we will.

Sharen: You know it, I can hardly wait!!

Thanks guys, you are going to be wonderful grandparents!!

So, here is our little butternut squash this week.  Every time I think of butternut squash it reminds me of that Friends episode where Joey says its squatternut bash. Anyone else?

Look how cute this little squatternut bash is!  It’s just a short fat guy, kind of how I want our little guy to come out.  There’s nothing cuter than fat little baby legs.

I can not believe my third trimester started today!  I’ve read all the how to be pregnant books, but now I have to start reading the how to have a baby books.  I’m going to be honest, it really hasn’t crossed my mind to be worried about how to care for him.  I’m 100% worried about giving birth, but once he gets here I feel like we’ll just do what we need to do.  Don’t worry, I’ll still read the books.  Like I’ve ever had a kid before people, I don’t know what to do!

I’m so worried about giving birth I’ve had all sorts of crazy dreams about it lately.  In one he was about as big as a grape.  In another one we were in this hospital room where the walls kept closing in on us.  And in my favorite, I was giving birth in a wide open hospital room with about fifty other ladies.  You know, the ones you would see in a 1950’s movie? All the nurses were ignoring me, including my friend Stephanie who is a nurse in real life!

My favorite part about being pregnant right now is how Ben talks to him every night. He’ll recap what happened in his day or teach him what sports team he needs to like and which to dislike.  But mainly this is what he says, “Hey buddy, this is your daddy.  I love you.  You’re my best friend.  I can’t wait to meet you so we can play together.”  It’s pretty sweet.

Here’s our little head of cauliflower right now.  He’s getting pretty big which is good in real life, but it was pretty easy in my dream to give birth to a grape!