Long White Coat - The End of a Journey

Friday, August 22, 2008. The day of Cara-Lea's Long White Coat ceremony. The day we had been working toward since we left Texas. I wish I had written this on the actual day, as it's hard to retrospectively capture all the happiness and joy we were feeling...but even a week later we are still pinching ourselves to make sure we are not in a dream.
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The Long White Coat ceremony marks the end of Physician Assistant school for Cara-Lea. She's been incredibly persistent and resilient to get to this point... a lot of sleepless nights and stressful days for both of us. I'm very proud of her.

Even now I do not think we are feeling the full impact of what has happened--mainly because Cara-Lea will be at her rotation site until September 20, and we both had a very busy week. But I think when December rolls around and we are both out of school for the first time, our brains will finally let us realize that IT'S ALL OVER.

Getting back to the actual day... it was made even more special since some of our family were able to join us. (Unfortunately we only had 6 tickets to the event or else we would have invited more of our family.) Cara-Lea's parents and brother drove up and arrived early Friday morning. My parents flew in to PHL around noon that same day. Cara-Lea had to work that day, so I prepared a lunch of lasagna (from the freezer, don't be impressed) for the group. Cara-Lea got home to enjoy part of it. Then we all went our separate ways to nap before the big event.

We got a bit of a late start leaving for the ceremony...it was quite a stressful ride as we got stuck behind a notorious Philly trolley, and Cara-Lea knew if she was too late they wouldn't let her on stage. Five minutes before the scheduled start time we dashed into the building. Fortunately, all Cara-Lea's classmates were still in the main hall lining up.

My parents had arrived early from their hotel and had saved us all seats right in front--perfect for pictures. Except that when Cara-Lea actually got her White Coat, I pulled the trigger a fraction of a second early and the flash didn't recycle quickly. So I didn't get the "best" shot of her, but I don't think I'll be forgetting the moment in my own mental picture anytime soon.

Afterward, after the graduates marched out, we took several pictures with some of her closest classmates. Then we went outside (it was a gorgeous day and weekend) to get some family shots. We were all pretty hungry and looking forward to dining out, so they didn't have to suffer through my normal long drawn out picture session. Then we were off to Su Xing, an all vegetarian Chinese restaurant on Sansom Street downtown. We dropped the hungry crowd off, then Dad and I had a bit of an adventure parking the two cars, but we finally found spots and joined the rest inside.

Cara-Lea's closest friend in the program, Aida Gallegher and her family joined us. I'm sure it was an adventure for them as they are not vegetarian. But at least for me, the meal was amazing. I think everyone felt the same.

It had been an eventful and long day for all of us, so we all went our separate ways to rest up for the big weekend ahead--which will have to come in a later installment. To see all the pictures from the day go to Photo Gallery of White Coat Ceremony.

Connor's First Smile for Mommy

Connor looked up at me this morning and smiled. It was the first time he smiled at me while awake. It was a big grin. What a sweetie!! The poor guy has broken out with bad baby acne on his face. I remember Kaley was also plagued for a couple of weeks with acne at this age. He is also a bit more fussy the past few days. His newborn clothes are getting tight and my guess is that he is pushing 10 lbs now. He is spending more time awake during the day and seems to notice when his fists swat hanging toys unintentionally. Sometimes when he is laying on the Einstein play mat he gets fussy but if big sister Kaley lays down next to him and talks to him he will stop crying. Connor met his Nonnie (my step mother, Pamela) last night for the first time. It was really nice to have my step sister Ashlee and Pamela visit us for the evening. We watched Just Like Heaven and enjoyed some wheat/gluten free chocolate cake and strawberries that I made in celebration of Pamela's birthday. She is very allergic to wheat. This morning we cleaned our house in less than an hour after getting another call/request to show it. It is nice to have it cleaned for Sabbath so early in the day.

Our Weekend

On Friday Connor had his 2 week doctor visit. He weighed in at 9 lb 9 oz. He has gained over a pound since his first pediatrician visit less than 2 weeks ago. The doc said everything looks great.

Connor loves to be held and will frequently wake up if you try to put him in the bed or swing. Richard is really good at putting him to sleep and Connor seems to stay asleep better when Richard puts him down. He has already spent many hours of his young life being held by his Daddy. I am so thankful that Richard could take 3 weeks off work to help care for Connor and Kaley.
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Yesterday morning we watched some home videos. Kaley was mesmerized by the scuba diving video from Cozumel. She was amazed to see Mommy, Daddy, Gramma and Grandpa jumping off a boat and swimming with the fish. She especially liked the sea turtle swimming with us and the big splashes that we made jumping in the water. She had never seen this video before. I have a feeling that someday she will want to don her own BCD, mask, regulator and weight belt to see the underwater world for herself. "Do it self Mommy! Do it self!"

We also watched a home video from Richard's childhood...the one of Richard and Ryan swimming in the "pond" in March and the one of camping with the Chambers and Bennett's over the boys birthdays. Kaley exclaimed "boy eat happy birthday cake" when she saw Ryan blowing out his 7 candles. Then she said "Kaley eat happy birthday cake". This reminded me that I need to plan a little party for her birthday. It doesn't seem fair that her second birthday be totally eclipsed by Connor's arrival. I'm sure this will be a reoccuring issue; to have one party or two.

Sabbath evening we went to Leesylvania Park again. We took a hike through the woods on a new path and Kaley did a great job of keeping up. She ran down the trail yelling "hurry Daddy, hurry Daddy". It was probably about a mile total. Richard carried Connor in the snuggly front carrier. Kaley would occasionally stop to say "listen, whats that!" when a train or boat could be heard in the distance. We went to the visitor's center and saw the fish, turtles and snakes they had in aquariums. Kaley enjoyed the playground equipment and even agreed to go down the slide but only if Richard held her hand. It was such a pleasant evening with low humidity and we enjoyed walking by the Potomac and watching people swimming, boating and jet skiing. There are signs all over the area saying "no swimming allowed" but people don't take it seriously. I am always amazed at the number of individuals willing to gamble with the pollution. There are little kids swimming in the same waters where they have been finding increased numbers of bass fish genetically effected by pollutants in the Potomac. No child of mine will be swimming there but it is still pretty to look at.

Being near the water makes me miss the river's lakes and streams in Tennessee and all the fun times I had growing up. My family spent every Sunday in the summer on Ocoee lake skiing. We would usually buy a watermelon at a fruit stand on the way and and spend all day on the boat or docked at a rugged picnic site on the shore. This is usually where we celebrated my birthday and I always had a blast with my cousins and friends. I sure hope that someday we can live near a non toxic body of water and my kids can enjoy these activities too, especially with all the August birthdays.

Morning with Kaley

"Bless you, Connor"...Kaley says this when Connor sneezes.

"Mumps"...Kaley's nickname for Shelly.

"Mumps, hug baby"...Kaley tells Shelly to pick Connor up and hold him by saying "hug baby".

Kaley is very verbal in the morning when she first gets up. She seems to have a lot on her mind that she can't wait to express when you come to get her up.
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"Daddy back, Daddy back." Kaley's greeting when I came in this morning to get her out of bed and she wanted mommy instead. This was followed up by a "I'm mad" and some pouting with lower lip emphasis. Later in the day, she said, "Daddy go study, please" when I came into the Master Bedroom and she didn't want me there for some reason.

She gasped, "What's that noise?" and held her hand to her ear this morning when I was changing her just-out-of-bed, first diaper of the day. I asked her what she heard, and she responded "trash truck". Today isn't trash day, but I did hear what sounded like a large truck outside.

She asked for "juice" and said she was "hungry" and said "Kaley eat" while I was changing her.

Once downstairs, however, it was "push button, push button please." Asking me to turn the TV on this morning. Later she said, "Push mote, please" when she wanted me to change the channel after another cartoon started that she was not interested in watching. She wanted to "Watch Einstein" instead.

Kaley Expressions & "Dideos"

"Funny" and "Silly".

Kaley will laugh at something or someone and call them funny or silly. We've heard "Silly daddy", "Funny baby", and just a few minutes ago she ran through the upstairs hall by my study, laughing and saying, "Funny, Kaley".

Shelly and Kaley have taken to singing the theme to Little Einsteins. It's a catchy tune.
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Little Einsteins Lyrics:

"We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship,
Zooming through the sky... Little Einsteins
Climb aboard, get ready to explore
There's so much to find, Little Einsteins.
We're going on a mission, start the countdown 5, 4, 3,2,1
Everyone to rocket, rev it up now RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship
Zooming through the sky, Little Einsteins
climb aboard, get ready to explore
There's so much to find, Little Einsteins
come On - Let's Go - Little Einsteins
We need you, Little Einsteins"

Of course, several times a day, Kaley will list off and ask for her favorite videos:

* Little Einsteins (Kaley calls this "Einsteins")
* Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ("Mickey Mouse")
* My Friends, Tigger & Pooh ("Tigger Poo")
* Barney & Friends ("Barney")
* Elmo's World - Potty Training Video ("Elmo Potty")

Her favorite part of each show seems to be the opening songs and, in the case of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, the closing song. When she sees and hears these, she starts smiling and running circles in our living room.

Intro to the Little Einsteins Show:


Intro to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Show:


Mickey Mouse Clubhouse "Oh Toodles"


"Hot Dog!" Closing Song for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse:

Connor's Tenth Day

Our precious baby boy's 10th day of life brought 3 significant events. Sunday night he slept for 7 hours straight, going 8 hours between feedings. I don't expect this to be the trend, but it did allow me to feel somewhat caught up on much needed rest. He has been sleeping 3-4 hours at night between feedings. I was surprised to awaken Monday morning at 6:00 am and realize that he had slept since 11 pm the night before.

The second big event that occurred yesterday was the loss of his umbilical cord stump. I found it in the back of his little outfit as I picked him up. This would usually mean that it was completely healed and that he could now have a full bath, however I unintentionally bumped it a few days ago and so it still needs a little time. He's been wearing a band-aid over the area for the past 3 days so I was a bit surprised to discover the piece just floating around in his clothes.

Finally, yesterday Connor rolled onto his belly from his back for the first time. I think this is easier as a newborn because they tend to keep their extremities flexed. He really likes to roll from side to side when he is lying on the floor, and yesterday he got enough momentum up to make it all the way over. It is amazing to me how strong he is even though he lacks coordination and control of his movements.

Kaley's Growing List of Words & Expressions

Kaley's vocabulary continues to grow each day. I don't always make note of it, so here's an attempt to record a few of the ones that we've noticed. Some of these are endearing, others embarrassing.

"Pretty cool"...it's very cute that she uses this expression so appropriately. When she saw the gymnasts tumbling on TV during the Olympics, she said, "Wow, pretty cool." Then she started doing forward rolls repeatedly in front of the TV.

"Pretty"...what she said when she pulled a new dress out of a gift bag for her birthday.
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"Sorry, buddy"...she started using this expression after she heard Shelly saying it to Connor while changing his diaper. Shelly was feeling bad about accidentally touching his healing umbilical cord. I was changing Kaley's diaper this afternoon and she was telling me it hurt and saying, "sorry, buddy".

"Poo-poo diaper"...she says this whether she has a wet or dirty diaper.

"Daddy go poo-poo in potty too", "Mommy go poo-poo in potty too", "Kaley go poo-poo", "Elmo potty"...the joys of teaching the potty training vernacular to a young child.

"Mommy, are you?"...she hasn't added the "where" yet

"Come on", "miss you, mommy", "all done", "choc-ub milk", "there it is", "good job", "baby brother", "baby crying", "afraid", "tiny baby/baby brother/feet", "Ice Cream Truck", "Daddy take playground", "Money", "DVD", "Watch Dideo", "Careful, Daddy"

"Connor", "Grandpa", "Gramma", "Gramsie", "Papaw", "Noni", "Uncle Ryan", "Ashlee", "Oso"

Kaley can now sing most of the words to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". She also will ask us to "Sing more" when we're rocking and singing her to sleep.

"I see"...she says this when she wants to see, not only when she actually sees.

"Do it self"...an expression that she suddenly started saying within the last week.

"I'm mad"...Shelly taught Kaley to say this in the hopes that it would provide a way to communicate her feelings without the need to throw a tantrum. Hasn't actually worked too often yet. Now Kaley likes to throw and hit things first, and then say "I'm mad" just in case we didn't get the message. Someone said we should teach her to say "I'm angry" because mad could mean "crazy". Hey, if we have to deal with an independent, tantrum-throwing 2 year old, why not teach her to say "I'm crazy" to begin with! Might as well say it like it is, and let everyone around her get a little laugh out of the experience.

First Day Home

We came home from the hospital yesterday. Kaley was rather grumpy, probably for a number of reasons, but most likely missing her mommy for two days and the change in routine and sleep times. Connor did a lot of sleeping, and continued to do well through the night. Shelly fed him twice last night, but other than that he slept fine. This morning we enjoyed a half hour of lying in bed, all four of us. (Continued)

Kaley is suddenly - within the past few weeks, but more and more pronounced everyday - Miss Independent. I was getting her up this morning and she demanded to put her pants on herself by saying, "Kaley do self," insistently every time my hand came close to her pants leg.

The other thing that seems suddenly apparent is how big Kaley is. Someone at a birthday party in July told us that her oldest child seemed to grow up overnight when her second was born. I can attest to this fact. Kaley is no longer a little girl as of last Friday!

Well, Kaley just climbed up the stairs and walked into my study to ask me to take her to the playground.

Signing off.

Connor's First Gallery of Pictures

Well, I missed my midnight promise of pictures by a little bit...but here is a small sampling of Connor's first 24 hours. I hope everyone likes them.

For me, I'm just glad I could be here to share in the event. Hopefully I'll do even better on the 3rd one... (By the way, I'll take another niece or nephew. I'm not picky!)



Kaley meets Connor for the first time.
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Holding little brother.



Father and son -- for the first time.



The whole family



Hugging baby brother on her birthday. (Kaley's is the 9th. Connor's is the 8th.)



Finding all the critical body parts.



Four in the family...about 24 hours into their new lives.



Proud mother.



Happy sandwich of kisses.



Connor and his blue elephant. (Kaley calls Connor's elephant "Winks 2." Her pink elephant's name is "Winks.")



Another sandwich.



Stare down with the photographer, his favorite Uncle (he just doesn't know it yet.)



The opposite of Big Foot.

Going to Bed

Shelly's giving Connor his late supper before we try to sleep for awhile...we'll send him to the Nursery until the next feeding around 2am.

We had a busy day today. Had family visitor's from 11am to 9pm. Kaley got to spend more time with her brother between episodes of "Little Einsteins" and "My Friends, Tigger & Pooh".

Ryan got a lot of good pictures this afternoon. Looking forward to sharing them with everyone. I'm going to send out an email announcement with a couple of pictures hopefully tomorrow.

We'd like to head home late Sunday morning, but we're going to wait to see how Connor reacts to the Big Snip first.

Late Saturday Morning (8am)

Connor just left for his pediatrician assessment, and Shelly ordered her breakfast. She is going to have French Toast, hash browns, scrambled eggs, a cinnamon raisin bagel with butter, cherry yogurt, a banana, an apple, and OJ. I'm probably going to go to the cafeteria and see if anything looks good after a shower.

We got a decent amount of sleep last night. Shelly slept a couple more hours after she fed Connor at 5am. I was holding him this morning when the nurse came in to take him to see the doctor. Connor had been spitting up a little in his sleep, and I didn't want him to gag on it. I think he still has amniotic fluid in his system.

Night Time Feedings

Twitter wasn't letting me post, so I'm going to try a blog entry...

We're up feeding Connor. He spit up the first meal of this feeding, so we're doing it again. He is doing very well at breastfeeding...unlike his sister when she was born.

We let hime go to the Nursery around 1am because he was having a hard time staying contented. This allowed us to get about 3 hours of sleep in one stretch.

Shelly's already hungry this morning. When she wakes up again, we're going to order breakfast for her from the hospital kitchen.

Connor Stephen Walls

Connor Stephen Walls
Born: 8/8/08
8 lbs 15 oz

Liftoff... the big day is here!!!

I'm standing outside a delivery room door...so this must be the real deal. Check the sidebar for twitter updates throughout the day. (If no twitter updates show up for you Internet Explorer users, just click on the link under Twitter Archive.) More posts will surely follow. Stay tuned!

T minus 1 day...

I just arrived down here in DC. All is still on schedule for an induction tomorrow morning. I'll update more later with pictures from the day's activities. Right now we're heading out to eat some Mexican at On The Border. Yum!

T minus 2 days...

I know Shelly and Richard are really busy, so I'll go ahead and post the news... For those awaiting word of the new Walls, your waiting is almost at an end. As of Monday, the induction has been moved up to Friday, 8/8/08. (If he doesn't come sooner.) I'll be doing daily updates from here on out, and Friday through Sunday expect a flurry of posts. So check back often!