Here he is!

Introducing...

Grayson Samuel Dickerson
Born February 23, 2009 8:47 pm
8 lbs 2 oz 20.5 in

A couple of minutes old

Team Dickerson's newest member

Looking at mama

Meeting his sweet Gran

Hank checking Grayson out for the first time

Thursday evening at home- check out that blond hair!

We are thrilled to have our sweet boy here with us! He just gets cuter every minute and we can't seem to hold him and love him enough; he is just too precious.

Labor and delivery went really well. Of course I got an epidural, although I was able to feel more than I thought I would, especially at the end. This was a good thing, it was just enough that I could feel pushing him out. To all my pregnant friends out there- epidurals are in the land of very happy places!!

Grayson REFUSED to cry when he came out, just made little grunting noises. Although cute, this wasn't good because he had a really fast breathing rate for several hours and had to hang out in the nursery until 5 am while they tried to get him to cry, ran tests, and even got a visit from the NICU doc. He finally cried and came out of it all no worse the wear.

We were thrilled to come home yesterday and have been adjusting to little sleep, but lots of joy! Hank is very excited about Grayson- he loves to sniff him, has to be in the same room, wants to have him in sight at all times (Hank hates the changing table because of this), and is VERY distressed when Grayson cries.

We'll keep the updates coming as much as possible. Can't wait to share him with all of you!

Eviction Notice

*Disclaimer: We did not come up with this clever title; we are stealing it from friends of ours that used it a couple of months ago. Thanks Amanda!

The time has come. God willing, and the crick don't rise (that's "creek" for you Yanks) Grayson will be born by Monday. If he does not come on his own by Monday morning, we will most likely be induced at 7:30 am, thus the eviction notice for our sweet boy.

I had basically been confined to bed rest by Joe and my mom earlier this week, so that I wouldn't have the baby before mom got here. Mom arrived Thursday and promptly took me for spicy Mexican food and a long walk at the mall- ouch! It wasn't all bad, she bought me some hospital/nursing pajamas at Nordstrom's that are so sweet and comfy that they have made me very happy.

On to today. It was Joe's last day at work and when he came home I had a surprise for him. I really wanted to get a pedicure before going into the hospital, and since mom got one just a few days ago there was only one person left to go with me...Joe! He feels so bad about my discomfort right now that he will do just about anything to amuse me.

What's so great about this picture is that Joe, at 5'11, 170 lbs looks like a little man compared to ME and Grayson. Over the last few days my legs have filled out a little bit....and of course there is the ever-expanding stomach. Anyhow, he did enjoy himself and another manly man came in to get a pedicure as we were leaving. Thanks for being such a great sport Joey!

Hank is pleased as punch that his Gran is here and she has already started cooking for us- we are so thankful to have her. (even though she almost burned the kitchen down accidentally while we were out earlier, but that's another story)

So, we'll be around this weekend....waiting...

Waiting...

Just writing to say that there is nothing new to say! We have just been hanging out waiting for Grayson. I have been dilated to 2 cm and 90% effaced since I stopped working. Thankfully, things have slowed down since that point. I have been thrilled to be able to get his room ready and the house somewhat organized in the meantime, as well as take lots of naps! There have been many, many trips to Target- this kid needs a lot of stuff, and I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Today I watched Hank walk over to the door of Grayson's room and just stand for a few minutes observing the changes. I really wonder what he is thinking. I know he loves me being at home with him during the day- he has been dreaming of this for years.

I am approximately 2 papers away from completing grad school. Such a great feeling! I appreciate Grayson giving me the time to get through most, if not all, of it.

This post might be a little different if told from Joe's perspective- the one who is dealing with all that I am right now. :) I am more convinced than ever that I have the best husband on the planet!

Hank Checking In

After my incident with the window, my blogging privileges were restricted, but now I am back and I have a lot catch you guys up on.

First of all, we finally got that great white stuff today! I say great because one, mom always stays home from work and snuggles with me when it comes; two, it is fun to go play in at the baseball field with my girlfriend Gracie; and three, it is tasty and refreshing. As you can see below, I have no aversion to the cold. The hot girl on the right is Gracie.

There has been a lot of excitement around this town recently. We got a new president last week. I hear he is looking for a dog for the White House. Here are some of the qualifications a first dog should have: house trained, on alert at all times (can't always trust those Secret Service guys), photogenic, sophisticated yet playful, and likes to travel (doesn't get airsick). Now I'm not saying I don't enjoy my current home, but I have placed my resume on monster.com and we'll see what happens (c'mon, who wouldn't want that huge backyard and personal chef?).

Speaking of the White House, mom and dad recently took two field trips: one to the West Wing and then to President Bush's Departure Ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base. Of course it is annoying for me that they leave for hours at at time on the weekend, but I get to hear all about the good stuff when they come home and we discuss it. They especially enjoyed hearing Bush speak before he got on the plane for Texas. He had a lot of positive things to say about our new president, and talked about how grateful he was for his family, his dogs, and everyone in the administration. He also said that his first faith-based initiative in his retirement was letting Laura buy a house without him ever seeing it. I'm sure it will be just fine.

Mom and Dad in the White House press room

Mrs. Cheney, President Bush, Mrs. Bush

Well, I have a lot to do in the next few weeks to get ready for Grayson. I'm pretty sure I am in charge of putting his room together and installing the car seat. So, this is probably it until after he comes home.

Love, Hank

Baby Grayson Update

It has been a while since we have talked baby, and we are drawing ever nearer to our due date! I will start off by saying that at this point I feel like I have been pregnant for my entire life. I think Joe feels the same way. In actuality I have been pregnant for 35 weeks now, with a little over a month left to go. Grayons is about 5 lbs now and the doctor doesn't think he'll get much past 7 lbs, which would be great. At this point he is so active that you can watch his movements from across the room. He has already dropped quite a bit (relieving the rib pain) and is busy planning his escape in my pelvis. (Sorry if that is too much information). Because of this relocation I am finding it quite difficult to move around, especially after being on my feet for a couple of hours. It is kind of a creeping/waddling movement that I do now. I constantly hear whispers behind my back at school such as "I can't believe she is still walking" and "There's no way she will make it to February", etc. Everyone at school has been very gracious and helpful, which I am thankful for. However, I have decided to stop working starting Feb. 2nd. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to rest and nest for a few weeks before Grayson is due!

This weekend we took our 2 day childbirth class at the hospital. Of course within the first few minutes they put up detailed slides of anatomy and Joe and I realized, while stifling giggles, that we weren't quite mature enough for the class. Luckily, we were sitting in the back. It was pretty amazing to listen to some of the questions the professional, educated fathers-to-be asked. Probably the craziest was "What are the adverse effects of breastmilk?" Whoa! That's how God made us, buddy! But, we got through it and learned some very helpful information.

Most of all, we are just dying to meet the little guy! We can't wait to see what he looks like and hold him and tell him how much we love him!!! We'll keep you all updated.....

P.S. I don't think the above picture really shows the enormity of the situation

The Presidential Box

Well, as far as birthday surprises go, Joe has peaked early in our marriage. My birthday is tomorrow, and for the BEST birthday present ever, he called in a few favors to (awesome) friends and got tickets to a musical at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts...in the PRESIDENTIAL BOX...i.e. where the President sits when he goes to any show or does the Kennedy Center Honors. WOW! Luckily, he (the President)was not interested in seeing Legally Blonde: The Musical so that we could! So, on Sunday afternoon we got a taste of the high life and have decided to post a list of the Top 10 Perks for watching a show Presidential Style.

1. Easy to remember your seat number: Box 1.

2. Enclosed with your tickets is a friendly reminder that as you are considered guests of the President and the First Lady, you need to act appropriately towards the performers. Whew! That saved us a lot of embarrassment.

3. The only box that allows drinks and snacks. We know this because the sweet usher lady, upon seeing our tickets, said,"Oh! You get to go in the one with the refreshments!"

4. The bathroom might as well be a bulletproof saferoom. It is soundproof, probably because it might be awkward if dignitaries heard each other going to the bathroom.

5. Red, white and blue Presidential M&Ms in their own special box.

6. The people in the boxes around you think you have obviously done something pretty special to be sitting in THAT box.

7. Special Korbel Champagne with the Presidential seal on the bottle- Joe, at least, enjoyed that.

8. Before the show you get to hang out and hear war stories from the Secret Service guys. (Just kidding, no Secret Service for us)

9. Obviously, the BEST seats in the house!

10. It just feels good.

Outside the entrance to the box

The view when you walk in

The entrance to the theater from the inner box- can't take pics out there

Special Presidential Champagne

Happy Birthday to ME!

Yea for blogs!

We would just like to say thank you to those of you that have blogs. Over the past few months we have really come to appreciate them. We have noticed that they help us feel apart of your lives more than just occasional emails and phone calls. Because we live states, or even countries, away from most of you, we miss out on so much, especially with all the growing babies now! Reading about important moments, seeing pictures and being able to comment on them is such a joy for us and something we look forward to.

And hint, hint, if you don't have one maybe you should think about it...:)