Frederick Nathan

[Frederick Nathan - Frederick after my paternal grandpa - Frederick Songer and also my dad's middle name and Nathan after Joey's paternal grandpa - Nathan Hale and also Joey's dad.  Things I remember about my grandpa Fred - he was a hard worker and appreciated the little he had.  And he was a good-natured husband and an awesome grandpa who let his grand-daughters brush and put all sorts of bows and clips in his hair.  Nathan Hale was a lot like Joey's dad - very mellow and humble and found joy in the success and happiness of others.]
 

June 6th Friday 2014 (journal entry)

Little Frederick Nathan was born into the world this morning at 5:04 am weighing 7 lbs 4 oz and is 20.5 inches long.  He's gorgeous.  He's got a head of shiny black hair and perfect red lips.  Oh, I'm so happy and just loving having a soft, warm, perfect newborn curled up on my chest.  We've been doing some nice mama/son bonding.  So, Wednesday night I started having contractions at 2:00 am.  They got strong and some were close together (like 3-4 mins) and I went for a walk around the neighborhood at like 3:30 am.  I was about to call Kate when they started getting further apart (around 4:30 am) and by 6 am they were about 30 mins apart.  Huh?!!  So confusing.  They lasted ALL DAY LONG on Thursday.  Most were 30 mins apart but some were 8 or 15 - just so random.  Joey stayed home from work thinking we'd probably go to the hospital.  Well, he actually just cleaned and cleaned all day.  I cleaned some too and by the time our kids went to bed - our house was sparkling clean.  It felt so good.  My parents were coming at midnight.  Around 9:00 pm the contractions came closer and harder and more consistent.  I timed them from 9:00 to 11:00 (I wanted to make sure)  So, just as we were about to pick up my parents from the airport - we had to leave instead to the hospital.  Allison Walker stayed with the kids and Kate went to pick up my parents.  So, we checked in to the hospital at exactly 12:00 midnight on 6/6 and were admitted.  I had a sweet nurse who totally babied me and called me hon, sweety and girl.  I was dilated to a 5 and they asked if and when I wanted the epidural.  Yes, and how about now?  At around 1:30 I got an epidural and oh. my. goodness. - it felt good.  My sleep deprived body that had been experiencing contractions for 24 hours got to completely relax.  My achy legs and whole body just felt awesome.  I just laid there and enjoyed the feeling of being relaxed and pain-free.  It really is amazing that they can do that.  I almost felt guilty after just reading a book about giving birth in the 1800s.  Dr. Long came in at 4:00 a.m. and I was at a 6. She broke my water and I could really feel the contractions through the epidural but it just felt like pressure.  It was building and building and at 4:40 the nurse asked if I was feeling pressure and I said - yes, A LOT.  She checked me and said "it's baby time!"   So I had gone from a 6 to a 10 in 40 minutes.  I started pushing about 4:45 and pushed for about 4 sessions of pushing and at 5:04 he was born!!  I can never get over a baby being born - its so very miraculous.  I felt a euphoria afterwards that I've heard of but never experienced.  I felt so extremely happy and so in love with this baby right away.  Everything went so well, I felt relieved and surprised that it was all over already and I had this perfect baby in my arms.   Then about an hour later I got up with the nurse to use the bathroom and I felt awful and dizzy and extremely tired like I couldn't hold myself up.  The next thing I knew I heard a new nurse's loud voice saying "Katie! Katie, are you with us?"  Two nurses were holding me sitting up and I was totally out of it.  I felt like I had been gone for a long time and then was waking up from a long dream.  I had fainted.  I've never fainted before - it was wild.  Joey was laughing at me later because I was like "Oh, I feel so awesome!  I feel so good!"  and then --- faint.  During my euphoria moment Joey was acting kinda subdued and quiet and I asked him if he was ok.  He said "I'm so worn out.  Just watching that took it all out of me."  The nurse listening chuckled and got a real kick out that.
Things are good.  Frederick looks cuter and cuter every hour.  Not nursing very well though. My parents and the kids are coming to meet him!!

First moments

Frederick's first visitors were Kate and four adoring cousins bearing gifts of yummy snacks, drinks and gum for baby's parents.  The Wilsons left that very day on their trip to Utah and somehow squeezed in time for a visit to the hospital.  We are so glad they did!!

Kate snapped a few precious, precious pictures of this baby - just a few hours old.... (after he had just gotten his bath and his hair did)

Next - Frederick meets siblings!!!

  

And Grandma and Grandpa!!!!

Later...LOVE AT HOME

 

 

First Doctor Visit - 4 days old.  Gave a stellar performance for Dr. Owen.

It was wonderful having my mom and dad here for the first week.  They played with my kids and took care of meals and laundry while I enjoyed (and survived) the first week of having a newborn.  I'm so grateful to them for flying out and taking time away from their responsibilities to be here.  Oh and thanks to all you siblings who helped with Grandma Ferguson so they could come!

These are the kinds of meals I sat down to every night.  I loved being able to eat healthy - something my mom is good at and I am not.  They even brought Halibut from the Puget Sound.

 My dad took the kids to the Children's Museum and played with them a lot.  He also organized my whole garage (Ems you would be so proud)  and painted some more kitchen chairs (see G&G strike again post)

And he framed out the little window in the hideout and did lettering on the window and above the dutch door.  Now it's officially -- "the hidout".  I love it. 

 Maryanne saw him doing it and exclaimed "Oh gwampa it's puwfect!!!"

And that long long post is all about the week you got here dear "baby Fwedawick" (Maryanne).  We love you so much. welcome welcome to this crazy world little peanut. 

the merry merry month of may

Oh how we love cousin time

Campfire and Outdoor Cinema

Cause every kid needs a picture with the fisher price phone

Cinco de Mayo sistas

 Joey and I brought these dresses back when we went to Mexico on the cruise in January

and....the traditional cinco de mayo sonic hamburger picnic :-)

Luke's field day

Mrs. Dowdle's class (Luke is bottom left)

Luke's wrestling between races buddies - Jackson and Dillan

Mother's Day 2014

Mother's Day brunch at Kate's - Amanda, me, Sheri and Kate

One weekend in May - Joey went to Mississippi with other members of our church to help with clean up after a tornado. 

 picnic and swimming at the rec center while daddy's in MS

And who is this little girl with STAIGHT hair?   (straightened by request although it about broke my heart)

 Kindergarten Celebration

Luke had to say goodbye to his very awesome Kindergarten teacher - Mrs. Dowdle. 

You might remember that in my post in August "School so far" Luke was working on adjusting to school.  He continued working on that for most of the year :)    

He had a few trips to the principal's office - all pretty innocent stuff and boy did he work hard to be a good, well-behaved student.  Not an easy task at his strict school.

But Mrs. Dowdle was so extremely loving and I could tell she just loved that little rascally Luke with all her heart.  Which definitely puts a mother's mind at ease.  We met together a few times and came up with a pretty good system for our man Luke.  And by the end of the year he was coming home beaming every day with accolades and stars and smiley faces from the teacher.  I'm so very proud of Luke.  His preschool teacher and kindergarten teacher used the same phrase when describing Luke.  "He has such a good heart and really cares about those around him"  That said - they also said "he's extremely impulsive" Also, there are many conduct grades on a report card and though he struggled with about half of them -  he did great on the ones I care about most - like "puts forth best effort" and "respects authority".  He breezed through the academic stuff and came out of kindergarten as an awesome reader.  He's a great kid and he LOVED his Kindergarten year.  The last couple days were optional but he begged to go.  He loved being with his teacher and his friends.

 Luke's goodbye card to Mrs. Dowdle. 

I LOVE YOU - illustrated by Luke Hale

I love you more than the whole wide world (world crossed out - heart with mrs. dowdle in it)

I will miss you forever and I will never forget you.  The end

6 year-olds singing about dreaming big, their future and getting a little R&R over the summer:

oh and a tiny bit of field day footage 

Lukesendofkindergarten from katiehale on Vimeo.

After Kindergarten Celebration (with my 38 week pregnant belly)

 Luke's best friends from Mrs. Dowdle's Class - Jackson and Dillan

Luke's buddy - Graham

And there has never been a kid who loved a yearbook more than Luke.  He spent hours going through it explaining to anyone who would listen all his friends and teachers.  He even slept with it.  One morning I woke up and found him in Maryanne's crib telling her all about his first year of Elementary school. :)

 Saying Goodbye

In addition to saying goodbye to his kindergarten year - we also had to say goodbye to dear friends.  Max Meacham - who did 3  years of preschool with Luke and Graham Bate who spent many playdates with Luke while Sheri and I hung out --- both moved away.  Their dads were done with their residencies and they moved on.   I remember when Sheri and I moved here together 6 years ago and she told me Berkeley's residency was 6 years I thought - wow that is a long, long time.  And now it's over.   It flew by.   And I am still here. :)
Here are the kids having their final memphis playdate.

Calvin Meacham, Graham Bate, Luke, Lucy and Max Meacham

Sheri's last book club :(

held at Davies Manor Plantation 

Amy Vanderlinden, Amanda Cremeans, Kate Wilson, Gianetta Schauerhamer, Leslie Ginn, Mindy Sturgell,
Sheri Bate, Tanya Bradsher, Katie Hale, Alicia Wood, Anita Fairbanks

giving Sheri her book (2 days before Frederick was born!)

 I made it like a yearbook - like she was graduating from Memphis :)  it was so fun to make and even more fun to give it to her.  That Sheri is sure a good one. I will miss her so much.

Lucy also finished up her school year of JOY SCHOOL

She got an award for "being a dedicated artist"  

She was always the last one working on her projects - she's got lots of good concentration and is very careful and deliberate in her artwork.  (and I'm her mom but I think she's really talented)

Here's something she drew today that I thought was cute:

[joy school grad pics]

explaining our family flag

Daxton Hauck, Helen Robison, Jackson Austin, Alex Bate and Lucy Hale (the nonconformist)

Here is a video I put together of their Joy School year for our little graduation party: 

joyschool2014 from katiehale on Vimeo.

ok, so - that was May