Davis Family Visits Alabama

We had several days of jam-packed fun with the Davis crew from Texas! Granny, Greg, Dana, Payton and Finley all arrived in Birmingham on Thursday and we hit the ground running immediately and never stopped. Payton is such a sweet, energetic, spunky little three year old that loves action. She was so sweet and gentle with William. I know they are going to be great buddies when William is a little more interactive. Thursday night we ordered pizzas from Whole Foods and ate at the apartment. Payton helped me bathe William and was a little shy about little boys in the tub. She asked me if she could just wash his hair :) After bath time we read a book.

 Payton held William's hand while we read a story. 

Sweet Finley! She may be the happiest baby I know. Always smiling and just goes with the flow!

Friday morning we went to the McWane Science Center. I think Payton had a good time touching sharks, making bubbles, watching the "fishes" I-Max, and running around with her Daddy. 

 William did this the entire time except when he woke up for 15 minutes to eat. 

Checking out the shark teeth under the microscope

Friday night we had dinner at Superior Grill which was a good choice by Grant, because it was very kid-friendly. This was mine and Grant's first experience feeding William in a restaurant. After I fed him and before I ate, I passed him across the table to Grant, and William kicked over my glass of water which ended up landing directly into our platter of fajitas! I did manage to eat one before the water incident. Aunt Dana graciously agreed to take William outside so Grant and I could eat more chips. It was such a fun night! 

 A little sweaty waiting outside for our table, but I had to post this pic of Payton having a choke hold of the babies. Love it. 

William loves his Aunt Dana!

Saturday morning, we took Payton and William to the pool. Finley stayed with Granny so she could take a nap. Payton was so brave and went down a very curvy slide AND jumped off the diving board! Julie met us at the pool and enjoyed seeing Greg and Dana since she hadn't seen them since our wedding. Of course everyone obsessed over Payton's precious little personality. I could eat her up!!

 I think William enjoyed his 1st trip to the pool.

 Julie and Payton playing in the pool.

 Finally opened those eyes and flashed us a smile!

 Love that little tummy :)

 Payton's 1st time off the diving board jumping to Daddy. 

Jumping to Uncle Grant

Saturday night, we celebrated Granny's birthday with a cookout at the apartment. We had burgers and Dana made a bunch of delicious sides. We topped off the weekend with a birthday cake for Granny. 

 Payton helping Uncle Grant put candles on Granny's cake. 

 Granny with her grandbabies

 And William lost it. 

Thanks Davis family for coming to Birmingham to meet the newest member of the clan. We love y'all!

Sweet Baby William

Some of the many faces of William...

Newborn Pictures

Grant and I are glad that we decided to go ahead and have a professional take some pictures of William as a newborn. These photos were taken when he was 10 days old. Here are some of my favorites:

 This "blanket" that is covering him in this picture is actually a family heirloom. It was some sort of cover on my grandmother's carriage when she was a baby.

This picture seriously cracks me up and has caused lots of laughs in my family. My mom says he looks like he's in quick sand. 

Father's Day

My little William has no idea how blessed he is to have a Daddy like Grant, but pretty soon I have no doubt that he will realize this. I always hear other mothers say that their love for their husband grows exponentially after having a child and I couldn't agree more. I am so thankful to have a husband that works as hard as Grant does to provide for our family, and then comes home and transforms right into his Daddy role. He is so attentive and nurturing to William and would do anything for our baby boy. It's pretty funny but the majority of the time I go to Grant before making any decision regarding William. Some questions I've asked Grant in the last 24 hours include: How many ounces of milk should we give him? What brand of wipes and diapers should I buy? Should I give him more tummy medicine? Do you think he is hungry again? Should we go ahead and put him in his crib? The list is ENDLESS.

Unfortunately, I couldn't pull my act together to make Grant's first father's day very special, but we did make it to church for the first time with William. He slept like an angel through the entire service. After church we had lunch at Dram with Julie, Mary Neal, Lee, and Taylor. It was delicious.

This picture sums up Grant's love for his little boy. This was William's first beach trip and instead of Grant being on the deck or out on the boat, he was inside taking a cat nap with his baby boy. They take lots of naps together, and it seriously makes my heart flutter every time I witness these sweet moments. 

As I sat in the sanctuary on Sunday morning listening to the sermon, my eyes welled up with tears while I watched William's chest rise and fall with each breath. I am so thankful for a healthy baby. Working with chronically ill children and their families has changed my perspective on health. I pray that I will never take one day for granted I have with my child. 

 Snoozin' in Lee's arms at Dram

First Play Date

William had his first play date this past Saturday night at Jenny and George's house. There were 4 babies, 2 toddlers, and 2 dogs, so it was quite eventful to say the least! We had a delicious meal prepared by the Doctors Nelson and Grant and I really enjoyed hanging out with other parents who have children close to William's age. Each baby spit-up at some point in the night which made us feel better about William's spitting up troubles. He was the youngest baby there but it's hard to tell because he is such a big boy!

 Before we left for the party while he was in a bit of a milk coma. 

 From left to right, Aarav (4 months), Liam (5 months), William (7 weeks), and Ann Parker (8 weeks)

 Sweet baby boys!

Jenny and her baby (Hudson) joined the crew!