First Trip to North Georgia

We had so much fun visiting with both Mom & Dad's families! Dash got to finally meet his very proud great-grandparents, Aunt Jane, and his Uncle Brandon. With a new life to share with his family, the distance between us seems longer than ever. I love you all and can't wait to come back! Thanks to Dash for being such a great little airline passenger.

Dear Addie...

We love you already!

This is my beautiful neice, Adelyn Rose, daughter of Brandon & Wendy. She and Dash are going to have so much fun growing up together.

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We have tropical storm Fay to thank for me having time at home to post. We only had a couple of tornado scares, and thankfully we and our home are still in tact.

While I don't have time to truly blog, I'd like to tell you that being Dash's mom is incredible, better than I could have ever imagined!

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Happy First Father's Day, Derek!

Derek is doing a great job as a new dad. Following my c-section, he had to change Dash's first couple of dozen diapers, and hasn't been a stranger to the job since. He's a champion swaddler! Even though Dash could easily go to the sitter, Derek keeps him at home on his Wednesdays off. It was great to have a day to honor him and Dash's wonderful grandfathers as well.

What's In A Name?

A lot of thought went into naming Dasher Everett. Dasher was inspired by Derek’s ancestors, who after arriving in North America, settled in Dasher, Georgia. They are wonderful people, strong in faith. To give even more history to the name, the town of Dasher was named after Christian Dasher, who among a few others, established the first Church of Christ in Georgia. The church in Dasher continues to be strong, and it is the location of the Georgia Christian School and Children’s Home—also an establishment of Derek’s family.

After deciding to name our son Dasher and call him “Dash,” we felt confirmed by our decision by a very sweet poem that was sent to us almost immediately following titled “The Dash.” See it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPyu4M2di8U .

Everett was the middle name of my dear former Uncle Ted. He was caring, generous, and witty. The name Everett literally means “strong.” We pray that Dash will grow to be strong physically, spiritually, academically, and in character.

This picture was Dash's first trip out of town to Dasher. He's posing with the Thompson clan.

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Welcome to the world, Dash!

Thursday, May 22nd was the day. Our doctor feared that the baby was growing too big for a regular birth (he proved to be right) and advised us to hurry him up a bit. My folks came into town, Derek couldn't sleep, and the clock seemed to almost audibly be ticking down.

We arrived at 7:00am to get everything going. With the induction, I decided that I would wait until dialated 4-5 cms before getting the epidural. All the grandparents-to-be came into the labor room and hung out for a while. It was a slow process, so it was no big deal. Around lunch time, though, I couldn't keep the perpetual smile with the increasing pain. They went out for wings, and Derek held my hand while they got me hooked up... After having stressed about using an epidural for months, I was relieved that I didn't feel anything during insertion!

Again, it was a party in our room, now that I was good and numb. Time passed, and I got stuck at 8cm. The day had not seemed to drag until the doctor was concerned I wasn't progressing. That was the longest 2 hours ever; I knew what he was getting at. Fortunately, the baby was never in distress, and I was assured his vitals were great. It wasn't reasonable to keep sitting there... so off to surgery we went. I had to have been the most scared patient ever. Derek was at my side, though.

With the doctor's skillful hand, he delivered the baby within minutes! The entire o.r. staff remarked at how big he was. Derek held him and brought him around to me. I said hello, and he immediately knew my voice. He seemed to come out smiling, with an attachment to sucking on his fingers.

Here's the name...Dasher Everett Thompson, "Dash." He was 8 lbs, 12 oz, 21 3/4 inches long. Although there were several reasonable guesses, no one guessed his name beforehand. I'll post later about why we picked it.

Dash is very strong and is good at raising his head! We couldn't believe how alert he was after all the pain killers of the day. He can roll over to his side, too. I can't even tell you how great his facial expressions are. We are just so blessed.

Counting Down

Boy, were we ready for Baby Thompson to get here! Thanks to Angela (Derek's mom) for taking some final preggy pics. I think she should take up photography permanently. If you know her, tell her so.

Nursery & Contest

For inquiring minds, here's what we've been working on. There are a few finishing touches I'd like to add, but we'll see what time allows. Derek's mom made some great Scottie stencils, so I could paint these drawer knobs to coordinate. Derek spent Saturday night assembling a glider and ottoman, which are in the living room. I anticipate some late night hours spent there. I'm getting our bags packed (that's right, the experts say more than one) and washing the baby's early clothes. We're in countdown mode now!

CONTEST: Ok, so some of you are going crazy about not knowing the name, and some of you are probably over it. But, it's time to make the wait worth someone's while. Send me an email with your best 5 guesses. If you guess correctly, Baby Thompson will have a suprise for you upon his arrival. You'll see a hint in this post, but things are not always what they seem...

Long time, no update

Sorry to those who've been waiting... So much of my present spare time is spent setting up the nursery, writing thank you cards, or preparing taxes. With lessened engergy, every hour is precious ("Just wait," you reply. I know, I know). We've been given some lovely baby showers, and soon I'll post pics from those. I'm grateful that so many of our needs have been met. Only 7(ish) weeks until we meet Baby Thompson!

Mmm....Food

I'm not especially picky at this point; it all tastes good. Last night I tried my hand at making meat loaf. It's a dish usually not thought of as glam or gourmet, I know. And I'm not sure if I should credit last night's meatloaf with my changing tastebuds or the exceptional cookbook recipe, but boy, was it good (if I may say so).

Well, later it was almost eleven and time to get ready for bed, and I casually mention to Derek that I'd like something sweet. Honest, I wasn't hinting. But Derek perks up and responds, "I've been waiting for this day. What do you want?" He was like a soldier reporting for duty. So cute. Less than half an hour later, he returns with Little Debbies in hand. My hero.

Incidently, I blame Dad and friend Billy Smith for my high-maintenance Little Debbie needs (just kidding, sort of). I think I became additcted as soon as I was old enough to eat solids. Kidding aside, I could create a time-line of my life and which particular snack cake dominated each stage. And, here I go, exposing my child before he's even born.

I could also go on about my new love for eggs "over easy," but that will probably be another post...

Best Kept Secrets in Baby Care

Loved ones can now rest easier knowing Derek and I are getting fantastic guidance in this whole parenting thing.