Walker Monthly Update: Month three...

Walker
just chillin' in his diaper | learning to roll
holding his head up | enjoying bath time

three months down and an eternity to go. I can't believe that my little boy is already three months. It feels like he was just born yesterday. He is growing up right before my eyes. 

Some of the big events that happened this past month are:

 - Walker discovering his little hands... He now loves to grab my hair and shirt when I am holding him. He is starting to figure out that he can grab something and move it. He does it all the time with his pacifier.

 - Walker smiles... He is such a happy boy when he is well rested and fed. He has such a cute smile, I can't get enough of it. Sometimes he even smiles when he is just laying on this toy pad thing and looking at his toys. He even smiles when he is just laying on our bed while I am getting ready for the morning. The best part of him smiling is that when he wakes up in the morning and I say "Good Morning Walker", he gives me the biggest smile. It just melts my heart.

 - Walker laughs... It is probably THE CUTEST thing ever. He just started to laugh more in the past couple days. I am sometimes get him to laugh by tickling him but we are still working on the whole laughing thing still. It is seriously super cute when he does. I love it. Here is a video. It is adorable!!

 - Walker figuring out how to roll... He has rolled from his tummy to back a couple times on his own but I kinda think it was by accident and he didn't really know that he did it.

 - Walker loves to be naked... and full on naked. He still loves his baths. He can stay in them for a while and just chill in the water. But when he gets out of the bath is still a fun time because he is naked until I put clothes on him. Whenever he gets fussy and we aren't able to figure out what is wrong we just take off his clothes and he is perfectly fine. It is quite funny to me. I think he could seriously be naked all day if I let him.

 - Walker went swimming... well kinda. Since Walker loves taking baths, we wondered if he would love to go swimming. On memorial day we tested it out. He heated up the spa to a bath tub temperature . Casey and I held him in the water and he loved it. He didn't even get a look on his face that showed that he was even unsure about it. I can't wait for the summer when we can take him in the pool and play with him more in the pool.

 - Walker holds his head up... He loves to stand up on our legs and look around the room. He even loves to sit and just look around. Anyway he is, he is holding his head up by himself so well. I can't believe it. Sometimes when he is laying on his bobby or in my lap he tries to sit up by himself but he can't get up there the whole way, so he is just doing little crunches.

 - Walker focusing... Walker loves to look around the room. He is so good at focusing on one thing. He loves to look at lights, fans, and clocks.  He also likes to look at Connor and Kyle's surfboards that are above our bed.

He has grown so much in this past month. It is crazy to me. I love him so much. He really makes me want to be a better person. I want to make sure that he has everything he needs. I want to be the best mom for him that I can. I love you Walker with all my heart!

♥ The Schroeder

A day for mothers

It was my first mother's day where I was actually a mother. 

The day was great! In the morning, I got to cuddle with my sweet little boy while Casey got breakfast ready for Grandma Schroeder, Robin, and I. We then went down to the car port and had an amazing breakfast. Casey made some blueberry bread the night before and then made it into french toast in the morning. It was so good! He also made some homemade cake batter ice cream with carmel sauce. 

Cuddling with my little w
eating breakfast, yes I look terrible but hey its mother's day I  can look like what I want to look like.

We then got ready for church. Church was great. Perry talked in sacrament meeting. He thinks that they asked him to talk because of his situation. He has three mothers that are living in his home, his mom, Robin, and me. Walker was a little fussy during sunday school and RS but he wasn't to bad. 

Later that day we went to Grandma Evans (Robin's Grandma) house. Grandma Rozsa was in town and surprised her mom (Grandma Evans) for mother's day. When we were there we took a five generation photo. It is crazy to think that Walker will have a picture with his great great grandma! It was so cute. He is even smiling in the picture. We then went to the beach to take Connor and Kyle's senior photos. 

five generations

Mother's day is a special day for mothers. You should show your mom how much they mean to you and how much you are grateful for all that they have done for you. I know my mom has made such a difference in my life. I don't know who I would be without my mom. She has been there thru thick and thin. I know she will always be willing to listen and will give be advise when I need it. She is my best friend but most importantly she is my mother. And being a mother is more special than a best friend. 

Here is a video about mothers. 

One of the family friends made the video. 

It is so precious.

I love you mom! I hope I will be a mom just like you!  

♥ The Schroeder

Walker's Blessing Weekend

On May 6, 2012 Walker got blessed by Casey. It was a wonderful day and weekend.

My parents came down for the blessing that weekend. They arrived here on Friday night. We drove up to Anaheim and meet up with them and my brother and sister-in-law, Brad and Sarah for dinner at Outback. It was great spending time with them. On Saturday, we meet up with them at Dana Point and went to the beach for the day. My grandparents came and we got to visit with them. It was great seeing them and introducing them to Walker. This is the grandparents that we got Walker's name from, my grandma's maiden name. We haven't seen them since before we got married, so it was great being able to catch up.

Grandma and Grandpa Carter with Walker | Walker wearing Casey's hat (its a little too big)
Brad and Sarah with Walker | Grandma Theobald with Walker

Sunday was the day that we blessed him. We had the family over for a little brunch that I organized. ( I really want to be an event planner one day so I love putting on little parties where I can decorated a table or whatever.) Casey gave me a budget and let to decorate a little. The food turned out great! It was delicious! I got the recipes off pinterest for the Blueberry Buttermilk Cake and the Cinnamon Roll Cake. Robin made some Quiche in muffin cups. Everything turned out wonderfully! Yumm Yumm Yumm!!

The table where all of the food and drinks were for the brunch. 

We then went to church for the blessing. It was an amazing blessing that Casey gave our sweet little Walker. We have been to many blessings for other babies but having your own child being blessed has a whole new feeling. It was so special. Everything went great. During the blessing, Casey gave Walker his name. The night before I had a dream that Casey gave Walker a name that we did not agree upon, Arther. Casey really likes that name but I am not a fan. And when he said "your name with be.. Arther Joe Schroeder" I yelled out "NO!! His name is Walker Daniel Schroeder!!". This was in my dream of course. Nothing like this happened during the blessing. Walker Daniel Schroeder is our sons name and we both love it. 

Us with Grandma and Grandpa Theobald | The whole family |
Us with Grandma and Grandpa Schroeder | Walker in his little outfit |
Our little family. 

I couldn't ask for a better day and weekend. It was great spending time with family and being able to bless our son. He is such a sweetie. I love him dearly! I don't know what my life would be like if I didn't like Casey and Walker in my life. They are so special to me and I love them with all my heart.

♥ The Schroeder's

Walker Monthly Update: Month Two...

easter picture | happy birthday grandma robin | smiles | little boy, big yawn

week five...
Easter started to week off. This was the first sunday that we took Walker to church. He did so well and everyone loved seeing him. It was also Casey's and mine last week as students at LDSBC. We both finished up school very well. Both of our families came into town to see us graduate. Walker got to meet Sidney, Scott, and most important both of his grandpa's. It was so fun getting to have Walker meet my dad and Casey's dad. We loved having family in town. We packed up a moving pod on friday and then went to graduation. Then we packed up our car and took our little VW Passat and family to California. Earlier this week, our car started to over heat. We had it in to get it fixed. We weren't expecting to spend $1,000 on fixing our car but we were thankful that we have been saving up so we didn't have to ask to borrow money from anyone.

week six...
Our first week in California as a family! It seems like we are on vacation but this is where we will be living for the rest of our lives, hopefully. This week Walker was getting use to being here in California. He is such a sweet little boy. He is such a cuddle bug, that is it I want to do right now. He is just to cute. We celebrated Robin's birthday this week. She had a meeting that night, so we went out to dinner earlier that week. While she was at her meeting, I made her a cookie cake and put a candle in it and took a picture with a sign that said Happy Birthday Grandma. She loved it.

week seven...
This week reality hit. Casey started to look for a job and I started to become a stay at home mom. I love being a lot to see all of the little things Walker does everyday. He is just a cutie, I can't get over it. This week Casey and I went on our first date with having to have a babysitter. Robin was more than happy to watch Walker while we went to Benihana's for dinner. The whole time I was wondering if Walker was doing ok, but it was fun getting to spend some time with just Casey. Walker is now getting more and more alert during the day. He loves to play. It is so fun to have a little guy with me all the time.

week eight...
Big week for walker. This is the week leading up to his blessing. We just hanged out while Casey kept on looking for a job. Walker had his third Doctor's appointment. We don't have insurance for him yet, so we went to a clinic that does temporary Medical while we wait to hear from Medical. Government is just the best to work with... He did great during the appointment. The doctor said that he is the whitest boy he has seen in a while. It made us laugh. Another thing that happened that day is that we went to the DMV to change my name on my drivers lincense. We are been married for almost two years now and I finally changed my name on everything! On friday, we decided to go to the San Diego Safari Park since Robin and Perry got me a season pass for graduation. It was fun walking around and spending time with my two favorite people. Walker slept most of the time but he did wake up while we were on the tram. That night my parents came into town. We drove up to Anaheim and met up with them and my brother and sister in law for dinner. On Saturday, we went to Dana Point State Beach and spent the afternoon with my parents and brother and sister in law and grandparents. It was such a great day and special moment when Walker meet my grandparents. My Grandma is where we got his name. It is her maiden name. Sunday was his blessing day.

♥ The Schroeder

Walker Monthly Update: Month One...

So I have decided that posting a post of what we did that week is crazy. I just don't have a lot of time to get the post done during the week. Being a new mom is a lot of work, and I am still figuring out how to get stuff done while taking care of my little boy. So instead of doing weekly post of updates of Walker and I going to turn them into monthly updates.

laying on mommy's lap while she works on her portfolio | bath time is his favorite time of the day |
sleeping so peacefully | first week photo such a cute boy

This month Walker came into our lives. What a wonderful day it was. If you want to read about that special day you can here.

week one...
My mom came into town when Walker was born. She actually made it for his birth, which was very special and what I was hoping for. I really wanted my mom to be with me when I gave birth to my first child. She spent a week with us and helped up clean up our place and also get use to having a little baby in our lives. My mom helped us so much. She helped me when I just didn't know what to do since I was learning how to be a mom. We are very appreciative for all of the help that she provided and everything that she did for us. I know that having a child would be different but I didn't expect it to be like it was. I always want to make sure that he gets the best of the best of everything. Walker got to meet his uncle Alex and aunt Jessica this week. Alex came and visited later in the week and we went up to Logan and surprised her with bring Walker so she can meet him. This week was a little crazy for me. I gave birth to my sweet little boy then I got an UTI which ended up traveling to my kidneys, not fun!

week two...
Casey took this week off to spend time with our little family and started to adjust to our new life. I went back to school this week. People were surprised to see me back so soon but I only have a couple weeks left and I didn't want to get even more behind then I was. Walkers first doctor check up went great! He weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and was 19.75 inches long. The doctor said that it was normal for newborns to lose weight when they are first born so they weren't worried about it. He was great and not fussy at all.

week three...
Casey went back to work this week. I was nervous about being alone with Walker since I was still figuring everything out and adjusting to being a mom. The week went great through. He did get fussy one day where I didn't really know what to do but it wasn't to bad. Walker's second doctor check up went good. He weighed 7 lbs 9 oz. The doctor wanted us to come back in a couple days for a weight check since he wasn't at the weight the doctor wanted him to be at. We went back on wednesday and he was great. The doctor was pleased with the weight that we gained. On saturday was general conference. Walker and I watched conference while Casey worked on Saturday. It was much different watching conference with a little boy. He always was asleep during the breaks and awake during conference so I didn't get to take much notes like I normally do but it was nice to just listen to the leaders of our church. Later that night, Grandma Schroeder came into town for a couple weeks.

week four...
This week was crazy! It was my big portfolio event week for my interior design degree. Robin was able to take care of Walker while I was finishing up my portfolio and at school getting caught up. I pumped so she would be able to feed him while I was away. He took the bottle great. He didn't have any nipple confusion when I fed him as well. It was such a blessing having Robin there while Casey and I finished up school. We are very grateful for all of the help that she provided.

♥ The Schroeder

Who does Walker look like?

A lot of people have been saying that Walker looks like me. I don't see it, until Casey and I were looking at our wedding slideshow and found this picture. We couldn't find a good picture of Casey when he was a little baby so we don't know if Walker looks like him or not. 

Here is the picture of Walker and Me. 

We think that he is a good mixture. What do you think?

This past week we have noticed personality is coming out. He has this cute little personality that just melts me. He loves being held. sleeping on my or Casey's chest. being able to move his arms. look around when he is awake. stretch as far as he can when being changed. taking a bath.

I just can't wait to be able see his personality to come out more!

♥ The Schroeder

The Story of Walker's Entrance.

So this is going to be a long post but we wanted to make sure we documented everything about the day that our first son was born so we can remember later in our life our experience and be able to share it with him once he gets older.

I am going to start a couple days before. The weekend before Walker was born my sister, Jessica came down to help me put myself into labor because I was just dying! I just wanted little Walker to be out of me and join Casey and I. So we walked everywhere, and when I say everywhere I really mean it. When we went to the stores I raced Tavis and Krya to the entrance. We took walks at night, walked up and down the stairs at our apartment complex, walked around temple square. You get the gist. We also tired eating spicy food, which didn't work because I am not a very spicy food person normally so my spicy limits are on the low side. Jessica also gave me hand and foot messages, which I enjoyed very much, and pressed on the pressure points that can put you into labor. Well sunday came around and nothing. I was having contractions a little but they weren't very big and very inconsistent. Since I wasn't going to be going into labor anytime soon, Jessica decided to go home.

Monday morning I woke up early in the morning with a headache and blurry vision. I didn't think much about it until later. I decided not to go to my class that morning because I didn't get much sleep and I felt kinda sick. I had a doctor appointment at 1 in the afternoon so I just did some things around the house that morning.

We went to the doctors and I told her about the headache and blurry vision that I was experiencing. She checked my blood pressure and it was higher than normal. She told us that what I was experiencing was signs of preeclampsia. She then told us that they are going to keep me there until I have our little baby. Casey texted my mom and his mom. I called my mom once the doctor left and told her as well and she got on the next plane to Salt Lake.

We went into the room where I was going to be delivering. They hooked me all up and gave me some Tylenol for my headache to see if it would go away from that. Having two monitors on my tummy and cords around me was not very comfortable. I think Walker didn't like it much either. He kept on kicking the monitor that measured my contractions. If I didn't adjust myself or more the monitor over a little it would push on the monitor until I did.

All hooked up and ready to meet Walker.

The nurse came in and checked to see what I was measuring at and how we are going to induce me. Getting measured isn't comfortable, do you know what.. nothing about giving birth is comfortable to be honest. So I was measuring at 1 plus and my cervix was ripened about 70 percent. So they put a little pill up there to ripen my cervix more and see where it goes from there.

The waiting game continues. While I was just laying in the bed waiting for contactions to start, Casey went home and got some movies that we could watch since it was going to take a while until I started to push. I told him I didn't really care what movies he brought but I did want to finish watching the new footloose movie that I got over the weekend. I was thinking he would bring some girly movies since I was going to be the one in pain and maybe that would keep my mind off of the pain that I was having, but was I wrong. He brought Footloose, Captain America, Kung Fu Panada 2, Hugo, Tron and Thor. I guess he was thinking its going to be a long night, I need to bring movies that are going to keep me up. I just laughed.

We then watched footloose while waiting to be check again. One time when our nurse came in to check up on me to see how I was doing she started to Footloose with us and then she noticed that she was in there for 10 mins just watching the movie. She was like oh I need to go before I get stucked into the movie even more. We just laughed.

My mom arrived at the hospital at 6:30pm. I started to feel my contractions then. The "contractions" that I was experiencing a couple weeks before were nothing compared to these. To me they were pretty intense but that is in my point a view. I don't like being in pain and I don't tolerate it very well. The nurse came in to check where I was at and I was measuring at a 3 with my cervix almost thinned out. She had the doctor come and double check. The doctor agreed with her. I then told them that I wanted to get my epidural (thank goodness I did it then).

Casey and I waiting to meet Walker. The time is getting closer.

I was thinking that I was going to have to be waiting for a while until the guy came in to give it to me. It was about 10 minutes later that he came into the room. I really don't like needles, so naturally I was nervous to get an epidural but I knew that I rather have a needle in my back than feeling the pain. When the doctor was putting the epidural in me I started to shake. My arms were shaking like crazy and I was trying to keep my back still as possible so he would be able to get the epidural in the right place so I won't feel any pain. He finally finished and I felt a lot better.

A couple minutes after he left, I started to feel pressure. The nurse told me if I felt a lot of pressure like I had to poop then let her know. I started to feel like I had to poop. I didn't want to poop in my bed so I told the nurse and she came into my room and checked me. It was a hour before when she checked me the first time and I was at a 3. She was surprised on how fast was going because when she checked me I was at a 7 plus and my cervix was totally thinned out. She had the doctor come in and check and see if she would want to break my water. The doctor came in and agreed and she then went out to call my doctor, Erin Clark, to see if she wanted her to break my water. My doctor said yes and they came in and broke it.

Now that was something. The epidural was working so I didn't feel much but I still could feel some, which is what I wanted. When my water broke the told me that little Walker pooped inside of me so when he comes out they are going to suck as much as they can out of his lungs so he doesn't swallow his poop. About 10 to 20 minutes after they broke my water they called my doctor to come so I can start pushing because I still felt a lot of pressure and felt like I had to push.

Erin came at about 10:50 and I started to push. I pushed for about 30 minutes. And wow. I heard people describe giving birth is kinda like taking a huge poo and that is exactly how I felt. I didn't feel much pain but I did feel pressure and lots of it. When he start to crown Erin asked me if I want to feel his head. So I put my finger down and felt the top of his head. Lets just say it was interesting.

Walker finally came at 11:23pm. It was amazing to be able to hold him for the first time. I started to cry because I was relieved and also because I am now a mother to the most precious little boy I could even ask for.

First family picture. 

Walker being cleaned and measured.

Walker being weighed. 7 lbs 8 oz.

Holding Walker for the first time was amazing. I couldn't believe it. He is just so perfect. Everything I could ask for. Casey agrees with me. I didn't want let him go. I still don't. I just want to hold him all day long but I know that I need to get other things done. But if I could I would just forget about school, and cleaning and just hold my little boy.

Walker and Mommy for the first time.

Daddy and Walker for the first time

We got to our room where we would be staying for the rest of the time at the hospital around 12:30. That night wasn't to bad. We were all very tired and wanted to sleep. Casey slept great on the pull out couch and I slept alright in my bed. I kept on waking up and making sure I wasn't dreaming and that I actually have a baby boy.

Walker's First Bath

The next day some of my friends from school came and Casey's grandparents came by and visited. It was great having people come and stop by. My mom was there as well. She just adored every minute she got with Walker. She told me that is weird to think that her baby has a baby now.

Casey's grandparents holding Walker. 

My mom holding Walker.

On wednesday we got discharged and were able to go home. That morning Casey went to watch Walker get circumcised. He said that he got a little light headed but he wanted to watch his little boy. Walker didn't cry to much during the whole thing. He still doesn't cry that much. He is just a sweet little guy.

All buckled in and ready to go home.

The first night at our apartment was a long one. I was hurting still so I was pretty tired. Casey was as well. Walker took his first really good pee since being circumcised which made me a little cracky. But we did good. My mom helped out so much with everything. She also helped us adjust from being a married couple to being parents.

The rest of the week has been eventful. Walker got an infection on his private so we went to an urgent care to get it checked out. He is doing much better now. I was having a lot of pain when I went to the bathroom so I called my doctor and we thought that I had a UTI. She gave me some medicine that would help but it didn't work. It was still painful when I went to the bathroom. Last night we decided to go to an urgent care to see what is going on. They are going to be doing a cultural test on my urine. The doctor thinks that the infection has gone up in my kidneys. So I am not being treated for a kidney infection. Hopefully we will know more once the cultural test comes back.

During this past week, we have seen Walker's personality. He seems to be a great mixture of both Casey and I in looks and personality. He does have his own little things that he does. Casey and I can't get enough of him. We are all adjusting and learning so much. I am feeling better physically except for having a kidney infection.

Last night was our first night having it being just us three. It went better than I expected. I have been worrying about being the best mother that I can be so much but I know that I will be the best mom that I can be.

Casey has been such a help and such a great daddy to Walker. You can really tell that he loves his son. He really does care for Walker and me. I am so appreciated for having such an amazing husband that cares for his family so much. I couldn't believe how much I loved him without even knowing him. I get to have a little boy for ever that will call me mom. I feel so lucky and blessed to have the opportunity to be Walker's mother.

♥ The Schroeder