Pure Love.

I have taken so many photos in the last two weeks, it might be a little extreme, but I cannot seem to stop staring at him. Absolutely, positively, pure love.

 

 

His puppies like to come check in on him anytime he stirs. Again, pure love.

 

Week Two - A Walk, Weight-Check and Casting Our Vote

I cannot believe another week has passed since the birth of Robert Franklin. We have spent the past week being quite hermit-like and I must say, it has been fantastic.

The only time we left the house this weekend was for our first family (dogs included) walk around the neighborhood and I must say, it was really nice to get out in the fresh fall air, even if he did sleep the whole time...

 

We had a weight check on Monday afternoon. RF has surpassed his birth weight and is now up to 9lbs, 13oz. He did wonderfully at the appointment, sleeping through the whole thing as you can see.

 

Yesterday our one reason for leaving the house was to go vote - and, again, he slept through it, but involving him in such an important part of the democratic process is something we feel strongly about.

Even though he is only 14 days old, we have certainly seen him grow and change over these two weeks and we are absolutely loving every minute with him.

Week One - Birth, Coffee, and New Heights of Love

We did it. We are parents. One week has passed and we couldn't be more in love with our son. In an instant our lives changed, and we couldn't feel any more blessed and thankful than we do right now. To know that you created this little person who you have the privilege of taking care of and raising in a way that teaches him to do good in the world is a completely overwhelming, yet completely humbling experience.

Any woman who has gone through childbirth knows what I'm talking about here...wow - what an experience. Oddly enough, labor and delivery were not something that I feared or worried about during my pregnancy, but I must say that Robert Alan and I both commented on how completely surreal our drive to the hospital was last Tuesday night. It was that moment where you knew, even more so than the previous nine months, that life was about to change forever.

We arrived at the hospital last Tuesday (October 23) evening, checked in and got settled into our room. Needless to say, once we were finished with paperwork and being hooked up to every medical machine known to man, Robert and I had a few moments to ourselves and it was at that moment that fear set in for me. It was a fear of the unknown, a fear that something could go wrong, a fear that what was going to happen in the next day was completely out of my control and I was scared. I didn't sleep much that night as each time our room door opened I wondered what was going to happen next. Luckily, I had WONDERFUL labor and delivery nurses who answered each and every question I had with complete concern for me and Robert Franklin.

Twenty-four hours after checking into the hospital and two-and-a-half hours of pushing, Robert Franklin was born at 7:08PM, Wednesday, October 24, 2012. He weighed 9 lbs. 7oz. and was 21 inches long. There are truly no words that can accurately convey our emotions - we are beyond blessed.

On Friday, October 26 we brought our baby boy home and got ourselves settled into our new role as parents. We spent the weekend feeding and changing Robert Franklin as well as staring at him in awe. I didn't sleep at all that first night at home as I literally couldn't take my eyes off of him.

Since he has been here, I have relished in enjoying my cup (ok, maybe two some mornings) of coffee each morning. I quit drinking it cold-turkey as soon as we found out I was pregnant and I get so excited each morning when I can set a pot to brew - yet another piece of proof that it's the little things in life that can make you incredibly happy.

We also are completely in awe of the facial expressions and cooing noises that Robert Franklin makes. Robert Alan noted right after he was born how alert he was - he continued to blink his eyes as he surveyed his new surroundings and makes the sweetest noises as he sleeps. I admit, I recorded the sounds one night just so that I can have them to listen to whenever I want.

When people talk about how much having a baby changes you, I now know what they mean. In an instant you become responsible for something other than yourself and your life and purpose seems more defined as this new role becomes the most important part of your world. The laundry can continue to pile up and the dog hair can continue to accumulate under the furniture - these moments of love, peace and adoration for our newly expanded family are, and will continue to be, our priority.

It's Time.

Today marks the last full day at home without a baby. We are scheduled to be at the hospital tomorrow night, with an induction on the books for Wednesday morning. We are so excited to meet Robert Franklin and begin the journey of parenthood.

It is so incredibly hard to believe that these nine months are over. We have spent this last trimester preparing everything for Robert Franklin's arrival, with his nursery being our number one priority. From the books in his library to the pictures on the wall, our focus is on encouraging him to be a life-long learner and a lover of history.

A homemade wreath for his door

A Boy and His Dog by Norman Rockwell

A painting from Papa Tad and Lola

Franklin's Guardians

General George Washington

North Campus at UGA

Charles Lindbergh

Booker T. Washington

The carseat is in the car and the hospital bags are packed. Now we patiently await our son's arrival. We are so appreciative of all the support from our friends and family and cannot wait to introduce Robert Franklin to each of you.

Belly Pictures

While I knew I didn't want anything too, um...personal,  I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have my dad document my pregnancy with maternity photos. As I scoured the internet for ideas I found some that were amazing, some that were a bit invasive and some that were just plain scary. I settled on simple shots with our house as the backdrop. We want Robert Franklin to know just how important home is, so taking the maternity photos in our home seemed a perfect fit for us. So on Labor Day, my dad and stepmom, mom and sister came over to help capture this exciting time in our lives. Below are some of my personal favorites. Enjoy!

Charlie standing guard making sure nothing attacks his baby brother, his mom or his house. :-)

Time for him to survey the front yard...

A few simple silhouette shots

Homemade blocks for Robert Franklin

 

Homemade blocks, two sets of books, Robert Alan's wooden tractor and teddy bear from when he was a child and of course a stuffed turtle, "Franklin"

Enjoying the cool breeze

He decided to move right as my dad snapped the photo.

Feeling bigger by the minute...

Me and all FOUR of my babies :-)

From a Lemon to a Rutabaga - The 2nd Trimester

We've officially made it to the 3rd trimester - I am 28 weeks today. Wow - from a lemon to a rutabaga is some major growth - it is becoming much more real every day.

The 2nd trimester was packed full of new feelings, trips, accumulating baby stuff and lots of exciting firsts.

As we entered the 2nd trimester I was finishing up the school year and while I wasn't showing just yet, I was certainly beginning to feel more myself - much less nausea - thank goodness! We had a number of doctor appointments and each time our doctor reassured us that Baby Hawk was doing just fine. Since finding out that Baby Hawk is a boy we have had everything boy on the brain. I have spent time this trimester thinking about the things that we wanted to do to the nursery to make it special for him. I have been working on a few DIY projects for his room, as well. Once his room is ready I will certainly post pictures as we are so excited about it.

I definitely got my energy level and appetite back during the second trimester, which has proved a good thing because we did quite a bit of traveling these last three months. We took a trip at the beginning of June to Tennessee for a friend's wedding and then in July we went on our babymoon - a 3,400 mile road trip from Mobile, AL to Boston, MA and back. While our trip was quite extensive, Robert made sure I was comfortable at all times - he is truly a man who focuses on making sure that his family is taken care of, first and foremost. We had a great time, but were certainly happy to be back home after ten days of driving.

We have also been accumulating a great deal of baby stuff these last few months. It seems like everytime I go into a store I manage to wander into the baby section and find something that I feel like he needs. I am trying to wait until he arrives so I can assess what we actually need vs. everything society says you need for a baby, there are some things that I see in stores that are way too cool or cute.

As far as firsts go, I think that a woman's first pregnancy is nothing but firsts; however, the most exciting first (so far) has definitely been me feeling him move - real movements, not just flutters and Robert feeling him move. Since he is now a bit bigger I can actually see him move if I watch my stomach - kind of alien-like, but definitely amazing.

I had a realization a few days ago - I am now closer to the end of this pregnancy than the beginning. On one hand, I am incredibly excited about meeting him. On the other hand, I am beginning to get anxious and nervous about making sure that everything in our world is ready to welcome him. I suppose it is those motherly-instincts kicking in. :-)

Thanks for checking in on us,
Heather and Robert

Documenting the Memories

We've made it halfway plus one (21 weeks - he is the size of a pomegranate). I am beginning to settle in to a whole new phase - one where my energy level is back, yet it doesn't take much to tire me out, my appetite is back (thank goodness - I was beginning to think the only thing my baby boy would have a taste for is bread, cheese and fruit - although I suppose there are worse alternatives), and I have been looking at everything baby boy - clothes, nursery ideas, books, toys and lots of other things that I had no idea existed.

Only being two weeks into my summer I have made it a point to rest and relax as much as possible as the remaining weeks are quite busy with workshops, graduation exam tutoring, and our Babymoon - again something I didn't know existed. I have been keeping myself busy these last few weeks by beginning to work on his memory book. I have never ever ever been a scrapbooker, but once I thought about it, I realized I couldn't not document this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Below are some of the pages I have put together so far.


It's official!

Robert Franklin Hawk

Mom and Dad

Family

More family

Some firsts...

A Baby Boy is Joining the Family

Robert Franklin Hawk is going to be our newest addition in October. We are beyond excited that we get the pleasure of welcoming a son into our family - especially since it evens the numbers to three girls (me, Lucky and Gracie) and three boys (Robert Alan, Robert Franklin and Charlie).

Upon hearing the exciting news, we began our list of phone calls and texts with everyone we talked to congratulating us and wishing us well. As this is the first boy on my side of the family in roughly 25 years, we are entering a whole new world - one in which my dad is already beside himself with excitement. I met up with both of my sisters yesterday afternoon and the task of shopping for a baby boy began. Some of our choices for Robert Franklin are below. 

Thanks, Aunt Hartley for the sweet outfits!

This is one is especially for you, dad. It has a helicopter on it. As much fun as flying was on daddy and daughter dates, I know it will provide just as many memories for Papa Tad and grandson adventures. :-)

This one is my favorite...how sweet. 

Now on to the story of his name - Robert Franklin Hawk. A bit of back story about Robert Alan and I - we are traditionalists - we enjoy simple, no frills, quality things that have a story, but to us family is most important. 

The "Robert" portion comes from both Robert Alan and my father, whose name is also Robert. The "Franklin" portion comes from three places - 1. the first Hawk to live in south Georgia's name was Franklin Thomas - again a nod to the impact of family. 2. Benjamin Franklin - one of the most influential men to grace the lands of our country in a time that was full of adversity, yet he stood strong in his beliefs. And 3. a professor Robert Alan had as an undergraduate, whose first name is Franklin. He had a tremendous impact on Robert Alan, showing him how to hone those critical thinking skills and how to use oratory to impact the critical thinking of others. 

We are simply in awe of the chapter of lives that we are now in. We cannot wait to meet our baby boy and have him impact our lives in the way we can only hope to impact his.

Robert Alan and Heather 

From a poppyseed to a peach...

The end of the first trimester is within reach. Thank goodness. While I do not want to wish the weeks away, I am hopeful that the second trimester brings my appetite and energy level back into a normal range.

For me, the first trimester was full of NAUSEA. Since my work day begins early - 5:30AM - I am very lucky that the nausea hit in the afternoon and evening. Once I got home about 3:00PM, I was done. I have spent the last 6 weeks coming home from work, curling up in my bed with the three fur babies and resting/sleeping the sickness away. Headaches have also plagued me the last few weeks, but again a good nap usually took care of the problem.

For Robert, the first trimester was full of fending for himself. As his work day doesn't end until 7:00PM, more days that not he came home to a sleeping wife who was so disgusted by the smell of cooking food that she hadn't cooked anything for dinner...whoops. Being "The World's Greatest Husband" he has taken everything in stride and helped me out tremendously around the house - cooking, cleaning and taking care of the dogs.

MY first trimester symptoms: nausea - lots and lots of nausea, headaches, food aversions - meat (raw or cooked) is completely unappetizing to me as are most foods, fruit, bread and cheese are all that I have been able to stomach in the last few weeks, and fatigue - I have been super tired most days and the simpliest activities such as grocery shopping are exhausting.

Our next appointment is May 4th (I'll be 15 weeks) and we are hoping to continue receiving good news - that everyone is happy and healthy.

A New Chapter

Robert and I are proud to announce that we are entering a new chapter in our lives - parenthood! We are expecting a fall baby whose estimated date of arrival is October 26, 2012.

Introducing Baby Hawk :-)

We had our second appointment today (I'm 11 weeks) and all is well. Heard the baby's heartbeat (178 BPM) and were reassured that everyone is happy and healthy.

Thanks for checking in with us and we can't wait to share this adventure with our family and friends!

Heather and Robert

Summertime...really?

I wouldn't know (except for the rise in temperature) as my summer has been jam-packed.

Since the last day of school my sister got married, I celebrated my birthday, Robert's birthday and our anniversary, have attended three professional conferences, tutored for the graduation exam, worked registration at MHS, administered the ACT, and taught incoming freshman about MHS at the Bridges event.

And it's only the beginning of July - how do I know this? Because the remainder of my summer (only a month) is just as packed - administer the graduation exam, prepare my classroom and begin planning for the fall semester, attend six more professional development conferences - including a national conference in Nashville for a week, work schedule/locker pick-up, and organize a Key Club Back to School event.

And for the record - I am not complaining - I truly enjoy being busy and productive - plus I am uber-thankful to have a job.

In our spare time, Robert and I are slowly working on projects around the house (a never-ending list when the house is celebrating it's 109th year standing), spending time with the dogs, and catching up on old TV shows via Netflix - ah, the good life! :-)