It's a boy!

Travis Joseph Waller was born very early on August 6th. We were in the hospital for 25 hours before he was born. Labor was long and hard but so rewarding! After many hours of contractions we tried both pitosin and breaking my water. Neither helped labor progress very much. Luckily, we had amazing nurses who helped us along. I was able to have him without an epidural-Mike was such a supportive daddy. He was 8 pounds 10 ounces and 20 inches long. And super cute!



After Travis' first bath the nurse gave him a comb-over! Made him look like a little old man...not the cutest thing in the world but made for some entertaining pictures.

Travis' first ride in his car seat...getting ready to go home. He wasn't really a fan of it.

Some pictures I've taken since we got home...





We are all doing well...Travis is amazing and Mike and I love being parents!

Super daddy!

Mike is such a proud daddy to be. He decided he wanted to make the baby something, so he made him burp clothes. He worked so hard cutting and sewing. He was very proud of his burp clothes. I hope he doesn't mind too much when Travis spits up on them!





We are very ready for this baby to come! My due date is in a week and a half. We can't wait! I have orientation for the Master's program (which I got into-yay!) this Thursday. So I am just hoping he comes after Thursday night so I can make it to the orientation! Fall will be crazy, as Mike and I both go back to school. We are hoping our poor little laptop will make it until we can afford to buy a new one. It is on the fritz lately, so I don't think it will make it too much longer, but I hope we can make it last so we have a way to do our homework!

Back to the baby...I had another shower and we got so much stuff! We have tons of baby clothes and cute things! The bassinet it all set up and ready for the little one. We can't wait! Here are some pictures from my shower..I don't know who that really fat girl is. Couldn't be me!

Summer fun!

So Mike's sister Chelsea is here from Florida. She's here for 6 weeks for the birth of our little baby! We picked her up from the airport and did some things in LA. We saw the Hollywood sign, the LA Ink shop, Griffith Observatory, and Farmer's Market.




We have enjoyed showing her around Cali. She has been freezing since Florida is so much hotter. For the first few days she wore a sweatshirt the entire time. While we are sweating and in the pool, shes curled up in a blanket and shivering. Weird!

We went to the beach with our family and had a blast. Mike went boogie boarding with Tyler and Tori. Samuel really wanted to go out there with the big kids, but wasn't quite ready!






Chelsea was so cold! But since it was her first time seeing the Pacific Ocean, she had to put her feet in it. And she thought her beach was cold!


Samuel and Trenton love the beach. Samuel loves to play in the water but Trenton likes to just run away from the waves and play in buckets.







Rosalyn loves giving the stink face...it is simply how she looks at you now...unless you are Grandpa or food.



We pulled out the food and suddenly Roz was best-friends with Chelsea....


As an adult, you have a different standard for food at the beach then you would at home. If it is a little sandy, you will still eat it. I think most of draw a line we refuse to cross. Remember when you were a kid and there was no line? Any food, no matter how sandy, was game. Yummm....




Good times at the beach!

Baby shower...#1!

We had our first baby shower this weekend. Our good friend Kristin threw it for us. It was at Mimi's cafe-which turned out really nice. We got a lot of diapers, clothes, and blankets. All things we need. Once we got home though...we had to put it all away. Who knew one little baby boy needed so much stuff? We are out of room and have another shower next month for family and church. Should be fun...but where are we going to sleep? On top of diapers it appears!










And lastly, a picture of me 8 months prego. We have 6.5 weeks left until my due date. So give or take a few weeks on either end...we can't wait!!

Memorial Day and MM day

This year memorial day happened to land on our 2 year anniversary. We were happy to be able to spend it together, and share it with Memorial Day. Every year for Memorial day our family goes to Westminster Cemetary where they have a special program to honor our veterans. After, we visit all our family members who have moved on to a better life. We also clean their graves, as they get real dirty! So, we did this.

This year was special because grandpa was in the military. However, the marines were given the wrong date for his funeral, so they did not make it. So, they arranged to make a presentation to grandma and the rest of us on Monday. They came presented us with a flag and shot their loud guns and played for us. It was awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQZlPA1NEAs

Mike and I were going to try to get away for a bit for our anniversary, but the beach was packed because it was memorial day. So we did the BBQ and swimming instead and celebrated the two years on Tuesday.

Mike decided he wanted to go on a hike for our anniversary, so we went to Whitting Ranch. It was a nice day for hiking. It wasn't too cold but it was overcast and nice. We started down the path and were greeted with this sign:


Oh good. At least I feel safe. So, we kept our eyes open for mountain lions that may eat us. We didn't see any, but we did see a ton of squirrels and chipmunks and red ants. We also saw some beautiful flowers and trees also. Here are some pictures...










So, after we walked for a mile I start to hint to Mike that the prego lady is done walking. My feet were starting to hurt and I was tired. He replied "Ok, let me know when you want to head back." I guess he didn't get that was me TRYING to head back. So, when we hit about a mile and half I said it was time to go back. So, we started walking back, much slower this time because we were tired. Soon, Travis started kicking my bladder, so we picked up the step. All of a sudden, my back popped and pulled a little (probably from the waddling I was doing). It hurt pretty bad but I couldn't stop because of my need to go to the bathroom. By this point, I was half running, half limping, and getting really mad at all the bugs attacking me. All while keeping my eyes open for mountain lions that may eat me as the sign kindly reminded me on the way it...Turns out I have much less patience for bugs landing on me when I need to pee and my back feels like it's breaking. Finally, we made it to the end of the trail and I have never been so happy to see a stinky, dirty porta-potty. My poor feet were so releived when we sat in the car and my back thanked me kindly also. And, this my friends, is why you don't take prego ladies hiking.

The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe

Once upon a time there was a witch and a lion that fell in love. They got married and soon the witch was pregnant with a little baby boy. Well, the witch and the lion wanted the best things for their little baby. However, the witch and the lion didn't have a lot of money. So they began slowly collecting things to make sure the baby had everything he needed.

One day the witch and lion were offered a wardrobe for their baby. The witch was very excited as this was a special wardrobe. This wardrobe had been passed down from witch to witch and had belonged to the witches family for many years. However, the lion grumbled and roared about keeping the dresser. You see, because the wardrobe was very old, there were things broken on it. Also, the witch demanded that it be refinished because her baby could only have the best things! The lion, having refinished furniture before, knew that this was not going to be an easy job. He growled, roared, and gnashed his terrible teeth. But in the end, the lion loved both the witch and the baby with all his heart so he did what the witch asked.

The witch was planning on helping the lion with the wardrobe. However, because of the special little baby growing in her belly, the witch could not do much to help. So the lion stripped and sanded and refinished and glued and reglued and screwed the wardrobe together. It took him many weeks and he worked and worked to please his witch. The witch wanted the wardrobe to look it's best, so the witch and lion had to buy supplies for this special wardrobe. Two trips to Home Depot and $60 later, the wardrobe looked wonderful! The lion grumbled and complained about all the work and the fact that the free wardrobe cost almost as much as a new Ikea dresser. However, the witch was pleased with the wardrobe. She knew that even if it wouldn't be much more expensive to buy a new one, this one was special and much sturdier then Ikea furniture.



Here is the special wardrobe in all it's glory. I love the lion and all the hard work he did on it. It looks amazing! Thanks honey!

Jacuzzis, doctors, and epidural rant.

Okay, seriously...I am ALL about taking doctors advice. But that is all I view it as. Advice. Doctor's give you the best information they have based on current research. When a new drug/procedure/regiment is introduced to prego women, do you think that they have women volunteering to take it? No. Basically, the reason it gets taken off the market or is deemed unsafe is because of effects that are found AFTER the fact. So, when your doctor tells you Tylenol, Tums, and epidurals are 100% safe for your baby, use your brain and weigh the risks against benefits.

And the jacuzzi thing, seriously? It is completely safe to go in a jacuzzi as long as the temp is low enough and you are in touch with your body. Like any other activity, if you start being uncomfortable (having cramps, etc...), get out or stop doing it. Women don't question the jacuzzi thing or the epidural thing. I am not willing to have that amount of drugs pumped into my body (therefore into the babies body) to be more comfortable. No one said childbirth, or raising children was fun or easy. I can tell you it will be worth it (at least I really hope so or I want a refund!). So next time your doctor gives you advice, take it as such. Advice. And just because you don't have a medical degree does not mean you can't be educated and make educated decisions.

Ahhh...the prego lady rant.