Last day in the Hospital, then home!

Our friends Nikki, Dave and Jen stopped by to meet Walt...


...and so did Heather and Blair - Thanks so much for coming guys!


Our celebration dinner on the last night in the hospital




Flying the Cubs 'W' flag in our hospital room


A quick rock to sleep on our last morning at the hospital


Packing up our things and Walt in his new San Francisco cap (click to enlarge)


Bye room 457!


The view from our hospital floor (our neighborhood is straight ahead, up the hill)


Time to head home


First family photo


All loaded up, about to take the slowest drive home in history


We're home!




Taking a quick nap in the big bed




It has been a long couple of days - but we wouldn't trade them for the world

Walt!

Walter Lee Davidson
Born 6/16/09 at 7:59PM PT
8 lbs and 21 1/4 in

We are all resting comfortably in the hospital before we head home tomorrow.
Thank you so much for your kind words, support and prayers. We are very lucky to have such amazing family and friends.
We promise to be in touch with everyone when we get settled in back at home.

Until then, here are just a few pictures from our wonderful day...

Kate testing out the hospital bed, getting ready to go


Gearing up for labor with her trusty Bon Appetite


Moments after delivery, Walt meets Mom


The weigh-in


The under the heat lamp after the first bath


Walt checking me out


Very suspicious...


Not quite sure...


Deciding he'll take me, but only if he gets Mom too


Resting calmly after a busy night


Walt's first strength test




An afternoon nap after lunch





That's all for now. We're hoping to be checked-out and introducing Walt to his new home early tomorrow afternoon.
Talk to everybody very soon!
-Mike and Kate

Due date + 1: And so it begins...

Well, we're preparing to head to the hospital. Baby Davidson aced this morning's non-stress test, showing off some of his/her best moves all the while maintaining a perfect heart rate, but unfortunately the amniotic fluid is pretty low and after consulting with our doctor, we agree that it's best to get to the show on the road. The baby and I are not in danger, Dr. Kahn would just prefer to do this before I lose much more fluid. Not the way we had planned things to go, but it's for the best and if all goes well, we'll have our baby by tomorrow night! Wow.

So the plan is to check in to the hospital this evening and start the induction process. By tomorrow afternoon Dr. Kahn thinks I could be in active labor and having this baby by tomorrow night. Wow.

So that's all for now...check back for updates and thanks so much for all the support and good wishes over the past several months, we're incredibly lucky to have such amazing family and friends both near and far.

40 weeks: No progress

No progress since last week's appointment. Frustrating. Doctor did a quick ultrasound to check the position of the baby's head--still in a good position, but no lower. She also measured the head and apparently it's a good size (not too big) and she estimates that the baby is around 7.5 lbs. She also estimates that it's a redhead, but I'm not sure how reliable that is. So, non-stress tests for the baby Monday and Thursday next week,just to make sure it's doing okay, and if I feel like any progress has been made over the weekend Dr. Kahn offered to check me again Monday afternoon...otherwise, next appointment is Wednesday.

The waiting continues...

More fun stuff...

As our days of being child-less wind down, we've been trying to get out of the house as much as possible. Nothing too strenuous - just spending time outdoors, with friends and generally relaxing about town.


First, a profile shot - this kid better be getting ready to come out...


at a Giants/Cardinals game with our friends the Gottliebs








Jen and Kate show their game faces




Finishing a Friday workday on the back porch


A quick trip to Ocean Beach




Then we spent a lazy Sunday afternoon in Dolores Park, where the people-watching is as good as it gets


So much to see here - the ladies next to us with a wolf mask??? The leather vest, cowboy hat w/feather and short-shorts guy...


Just down the hill, people were trying break boards judo-style


Grown man in a suit, with no children around, flying a kite


A mood-alteration salesman in the foreground - A man wearing bear-ear hat in the background


And lastly - we just wanted to post a pic of one of our friendly visitors last weekend - a giant raccoon on our back deck - he and his friends were just stopping by to check out all the herbs and lettuce we had planted earlier in the day

39 weeks: It's really going to happen...

So, as of yesterday's appointment the baby has dropped lower into position, I'm 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced! Our doctor just found out that she has to have shoulder surgery on the 18th...so if we want her to deliver the baby, something has to happen by the due date (Sunday,June 14th) or I will have to be induced that Monday or Tuesday. Hard to say which we would prefer, being induced with our doctor or letting things get started on their own with a stranger...hopefully we won't have to choose! She seemed pretty confident that things would happen by the due date, though, so that's good.

All of a sudden, it's hitting us that this is really going to happen...and soon. So much so that I didn't sleep a wink last night, I was too keyed up...which made for a pretty miserable day today. We've got a busy weekend planned...maybe our last child-less one ever! Just looking forward to spending time with friends and enjoying some quiet time at home before the excitement begins.

When washers and Golden Gate Park collide...

These were taken during a break in one of our recent washers games in Golden Gate Park. At first we just thought it was funny that the little kid wanted to sit in the washer box. Then we realized he wasn't wearing any clothes...