The Baptism

 "We prayed for this child and the Lord has granted us what we asked of him." - 1 Samuel 1:27

*****

Colt's baptism was such a special day for us! Finalizing the date was a last minute decision since we weren't sure when he would be born. I had created this very special baptism invitation while on bedrest and was just waiting to fill in the date. Once he arrived, we had to move quickly!

It worked out perfectly that my sister and her family would be in town since they would be Colt's Godparents. (They planned to be in town the weekend of the 25th since my original c-section date was scheduled for March 22...but since Colt came on the 9th, we decided to have him baptized rather than waiting until they were able to make their next trip to town.)

Of course the baptism didn't work out the exact way I had planned (Wy-man refused to wear his adorable linen jacket that matched his khaki pants AND he was eating Cheez-its at the front of the church), but it was perfect in my book. It was the action we were taking in front of our family, and more importantly our Savior, that mattered.  

Colt was a champ as Pastor Aaron craddled him in his arms...

 ...and blessed his innocent little head with the holy water.

*****

It was a magical morning and we couldn't have been more happy to have family in town to witness the event.

Nana and Papa from Wichita were able to make it to help us celebrate.

We even tried to get a nice family of four photo taken since we were all dressed up...but of course Wy-man wasn't interested in cooperating. But an "okay" photo none the less.

After church we headed back to my parent's house for a yummy brunch in honor of Colt. I must give a big shout out to my wonderful mother for hosting us all!

I had the brilliant idea to take more photos, which of course Wy-man still wasn't having. But, we still had to document the special occasion - his ornery-ness and all.

Of course I had to take photos of Colt with his wonderful Godparents. He is lucky to have an aunt and uncle that love him so much, and that were willing to take on this responsibility for both him and Wy-man.

And since Wy-man didn't want to take photos, Mike and I took photos of the family without him. ;)

Mimi and Papa even took the opportunity to snuggle our little man...I mean, who wouldn't?

Great Grandad Mick was able to be there as well.

We even attempted a large group photo and believe it or not, it turned out great!! (This was the ONLY photo Wy-man behaved for ALL morning!)

Heidi and Kelby Krabbenhoft (long time friends of the family) came over for the occasion as well. It meant the world to us to have friends take part in this special day.

My mom made such a wonderful spread of food (we were missing the egg bake in this photo)! We even had a champagne cake that was SO scrumptious.

After everyone had eaten I snapped a few photos of the man of honor! Mimi had embroidered him a beautiful blanket to commemorate the special day, and Aunt Ashley bought him a handsome baptism outfit. (Let me tell you, finding a preemie baptism outfit sure was a challenge!)

And yes, Colt's eyes are really yellow in this photo. His jaundice was still pretty severe at this time...I thought about photoshopping his eyes, but then decided against it. I wanted this photo to be completely honest.

And before Ash, Seth and the boys got on the road, Austin and Will were finally able to hold Baby Colt. We had had such a crazy weekend (with the shower, birthday party and the baptism) that they hadn't gotten to hold him yet.

So they took the opportunity to have some cuddle time while mom and dad loaded the car for their trip back to Joplin. They did great with the baby and I was able to capture some cute photos to document it!

It was an amazing morning for such a special occasion. We are blessed beyond belief and I am ecstatic that Colt is a child of God! Thank you to everyone that helped make this day perfect for us!

Luke Turns 2

While Ashley and her family were in town for Colt's shower and baptism (post to come tomorrow so check back), her youngest son turned two! So we had the honor of celebrating Luke's second birthday with him.

Ashley has three adorable boys but Luke is a heartbreaker with his curly brown hair and deep brown eyes. He is such a ham for the camera when he isn't giving you the 'stink eye'!

Mimi outdid herself once again with her frog party just for Luke! She made spghetti for dinner (Luke's favorite) and we celebrated with a froggy cake.

Luke was mesmerized by the candles and loved blowing them out. (I think we relight them seven or eight times.)

Wy-man even got in on the action for one round!

And after blowing out the candles, he sat there patiently and waited for the cake and ice cream to be served!

But enjoyed devouring it once the cake arrived!

Of course, all the boys got in on the gift opening action!

Luke ended the night with a little from cuddling mom while the big boys went to a basketball game with Papa and their daddies. It gave us girls, and Luke, some nice quality time as well. 

Happy Birthday Lukie! Aunt Courtney, Uncle Mike, Wyatt & Colt sure do love you!

Sip & See

Well it's been a while but finally able to share some photos of Colt's Sip & See Shower thrown by my wonderful sister and mom. The bad thing is...I got so caught up in the shower that I only took photos of me with the hostesses (I even forgot to include the baby), and of course I had to capture the fabulous decorations (prior to the shower starting). 

*****

Exactly two weeks after Colt was born my sister came into town and hosted a wonderful gathering at my mother's house to celebrate his arrival. I just love these ladies!

The shower theme was based upon Colt's bedroom - green, turquoise and frogs and the invites coordinated perfectly. Wy-man was even included in the process - they used his fingerprint to make the frogs.

From there, mom went out all in her decorations. (I tell her she needs to go into Event Planning since she sure knows how to throw a party!)

Since the shower allowed people to come and go as they pleased, there were different stations set up around the house - from food stations, to candy, to gifts, to thumbprint art - they thought of it all!

Each area was adorn with these fun decorations hanging from the ceiling.

They utilized the photos from Colt's hospital stay and newborn photo shoot as decorations. The photos were even hung them from frog clips. I tell you, the details were impeccable!

The candy bar was also a hit including all turquoise and green treats. And if you look closely, there are frog accents on the glassware containers.

The bassinet was also arranged as a focal point of the shower, matching the theme of course. It was a perfect place for us to lay Colt down to sleep during the shower so that he could still be admired...but he was adored so much he was held the entire time by all the ladies so we never even used this beautifully decorated area.

Diapers were the one thing we really needed so this diaper cake was perfect. And what do you know...it matched the theme too and was a perfect decorative element for one of the food tables.

There was food galore - practically anything anyone desired. From the fruit and veggie table, to the gourmet grilled cheeses, meatballs and chips & dip area and concluding with the garlic mashed potato bar.

But who could forget the dessert table that included a chocolate fountain with many different goodies for dipping. There were also cupcakes, cotton candy and even mint chocolate popcorn. Man, it was all so yummy.

However, what would a Sip & See be without cocktails? Mom and Ashley made blue martinis with the martini glasses rimmed in green sugar! (But, I totally forgot to take a photo of them). :(

*****

It wasn't until I got home that I realized I didn't even take any photos of the guest of honor (who also matched the theme in his blue and green frog onesie). So I quick snapped one of him all snuggled in his car seat sleeping. It was a tough day getting swooned on by all the women!

*****

All in all it was a wonderful shower. Colt and I are very blessed to have some many wonderful women in our lives. This day showed us once again that we are cared for. Thank you to all that came.

And an even bigger thank you to my mom and sister for hosting such a wonderful party. We love you with all of our hearts! 

Do I Dare Compare?

Wow...where has time gone? Today marks Colt's one month birthday. It is going way too fast.

*****

This morning when I woke up I decided to take a trip down memory lane. I can't tell you how many times I am asked "Does Colt look like Wyatt when he was a baby?" and unfortunately I never really had the answer.

To me they look totally different. Wy-man was darker complected with a bunch of dark hair, whereas Colt had much lighter hair (not nearly as much of it) and seemed so much more tiny - even though they were under a pound different at birth.

So as I tabbed through my tons of photos of each precious child, I remembered this great idea on of my dear friends did with her children. (But I have to say...she executed it much better having her babies in the same pose. I didn't think of that, so you will have to muddle through with the comparison shots I was able to come up with.) ;-)

It wasn't until I started putting the images side by side that I realized how much my babies did look a like. (At least in my opinion.) I will let you make the decision for yourself - and let me know what you think. 

 
I often wonder if my boys will have the same mannerisms or have two completely different personalities. Whatever they both become, I know I will love them with all my heart.

I hope you enjoyed this comparison as much as I have.  Cheers to a great week!

Thank you again, Kendra, for this great idea. Everyone should check out her blog. Whether you know her or not, you will enjoy her stories. She's such an entertaining writer and she inspires me every day to be a better mom!

Treasured Keepsake

I just had to share the first personalized keepsake I received after Colt was born. My mother gave me this special piece of jewelry soon after I got home from the hospital. Thank you mom for this one of a kind gift! I love it!

Easter is Upon Us

It's that time of year that we celebrate Spring and even more importantly Easter. And while we talk to Wy-man about the meaning of Easter, he doesn't fully grasp the concept. To him we go to church and celebrate, but in his mind it's still about the Easter Bunny, dying eggs and, of course, the candy!

To help Wy-man's daycare class celebrate the holiday, we put together Cheeto carrots for everyone. Thank you Pinterest for the great idea!

Wy-man couldn't wait to bring them to share with his class. He was the hit of the party!

While we plan to continue our Easter festivities the rest of the weekend with dying Easter Eggs, having an Easter Egg hunt, attending church with as a family and ending tomorrow with a wonderful Easter Brunch, I couldn't resist sharing a couple of the photos I have taken this week.  

I have plenty more...but these are a few I had time to edit. Of course, I have a lot more of Colt since Wy-man doesn't let me snap his photo very often (unless I use bribery).

I received both the hat and the coordinating frog at Colt's baby shower (ironically from two different people) but they worked great for this Easter photo shoot!  And to make it even more special, the blanket below was hand knit by Mike's grandmother when Wy-man was a baby. The colors matched perfectly and made these photos that much more sentimental!!

Happy Easter from the Davidson boys!

Colt's Arrival

Well it's been 3 weeks and I have finally had some time to pull all of my photos together in order to share Colt's arrival. So without further adieu, here it is!

***** 

It had been 6 long weeks of bed rest and I had finally given up on Colt coming early. I was continuing with my check-ups every 3 days (getting really tired of all of the ultrasounds every Tuesday and Friday).

On the Tuesday before he arrived, the ultrasound counted my fluid level at 9.2 (which is a really great number considering I had been down to a 4.98 just 3 weeks prior). When talking to my OB (who was leaving on vacation for a week) she said the only reason she would want this baby delivered early was if my fluid went back down to 5.

So when going to the appointment on Friday, March 9th I told myself "Today will just be another check up. No need to bring my packed bag or the camera!" But boy was I wrong. My fluid had dropped again and it was down to a 5.3 - but that isn't what tipped us over the edge. The night before I had horribly itchy hands and feet. I thought nothing of it really but decided while talking to the Perinatologist that I should ask about an anti-itch cream that is safe during pregnancy.

When I mentioned this symptom to him, a look of concern crossed his face. Little did I know that itchy hands and feet could mean something serious - cholestasis. He looked at me and said "We aren't going to test you for this, we are just going to deliver this baby today." I was shocked. For once I wasn't anticipating his arrival - I no longer felt ready.

But I didn't have a choice. They sent me home (since I had eaten breakfast) and I needed to be fasting for at least 8 hours before surgery. Do you know how hard that is for a pregnant woman? Nothing to eat or drink for 8 hours...that was worse than the anticipation of Colt's arrival. But I survived!

At 2:00 pm,  Mimi and Papa came over to take care of Wy-man while Daddy and I headed up to the hospital to get checked in.

Mimi did the honors and took our last photo as a family of three! (37 weeks 2 days pregnant)

We got all checked in and prepped for surgery. By 4:24 pm, Colt Michael Davidson was born!

He still qualified as a pre-term infant, so the NICU staff was there ready to assess him. He was looking good so Daddy got to cut his cord. (Daddy didn't get to cut Wy-man's cord for some reason...but we can't remember why.)

Colt weighed in at a tiny 5 lbs. 11 oz - and I think this photo is priceless!

After Colt passed all of this tests, Daddy was able to hold him. (My arms were still strapped to the table at this point, so all I could do was look at him from afar.) But then I was finally able to embrace my beautiful son, and immediately I loved him more than words could describe!

Before they wheeled us back to recovery, a nurse was sweet enough to snap a family photo!

We were in the recovery room for a couple hours and were then taken to our room where we would complete our stay. Finally, after 4 hours of waiting, Wy-man was able to meet his Porkchop! (Please excuse the double chin in all of the photos!)

Unfortunately, Wy-man had some type of cold so the entire time we were in the hospital, he had to have a mask on his face. But as a 3 1/2 year old, he really did quite well!

It was such a wonderful feeling to be cuddling both of my boys! (And it's still weird at times to say "boys" plural!)  

We then snapped our first family photo. It isn't perfect, but it totally tells the story of our very long day! :)

Then the big moment came...Wy-man asked to hold Porkchop.  It wasn't something I wanted to force upon him - we wanted it to be Wy-man's idea. So with assistance from Papa and little help from mama (I didn't have much strength), he was able to hold his lil' bro. It didn't last long because Wy-man "needed a rest," but it was sweet while it lasted.

Mimi and Papa both waited patiently until Wy-man was done. Then they were able to snuggle with their fifth grandbaby! And they said it was just as special as holding their first!

By this time it was getting late so Mimi and Papa took Wy-man for a sleepover  at their house, so Daddy could stay in the hospital with me. And it was a good thing he did because the first night was REALLY rough for me. I will spare you the details, but three different pain meds and 12 hours later, I was finally able to feel half way decent.

Just in time for my a few of my best girlfriends to show up!

It was great to see their smiling faces. It brought even more happiness to the already wonderful occasion.

Wy-man then came back to visit and propped himself in his special corner to play for a while.

He then headed home for a nap, but the family came back to visit for the evening.

We had even more cuddle time and Wy-man loved hanging out in the bed with us. We practically had to pry him out of bed when I needed to rest.

We did have to be careful when Colt was in the room because of Mimi and Wy-man's cold. But they were such troopers always wearing their masks. (Even though it makes for some goofy photos!) ;-)

*****

Our third day in the hospital a photographer friend of mine was so sweet and captured some great moments with Colt. It was such a wonderful experience for me - one I will never forget. (If you are expecting a baby, or plan to have one in the future, I highly recommend having this done. I am so glad we did!)

After the photos were over, we had a laid back afternoon. Wy-man changed into his comfy pj's to be like mama and he even volunteered to help change Colt's diaper.

Then it was time for a family nap...I can't believe all four of us were able to all sleep at the same time. And it hasn't happened since.

Colt and I took advantage of some "kangaroo care" (skin to skin contact), which is by far my most favorite time spent with him. Don't you just love when a sweet baby curls up like that?!

Finally Monday arrived and we were ready to be discharged.

Wy-man arrived at the hospital in his Big Brother shirt and couldn't wait to bring Porkchop home. (And I was so proud of Daddy for remembering to dress him in his special shirt!)

Wy-man was so patient as I completed all of our discharge paperwork, so he took advantage of the time by holding his lil' brother - this mama was so proud of him!

It was a little after noon and the time had finally come. We were headed home!

Porkchop was all snuggled in, ready to breathe the fresh air outside. It was nearly 70 degrees which is unheard of for March weather in South Dakota...but it was perfect weather to bring home our newest addition.

This experience has been life changing and we are loving every minute of it! I am sorry this post is three weeks late...but better late than never, right?!

Thanks for hanging in until the end of this lengthy post. Hope you enjoyed all of our photos. They are memories we will never forget!