9 weeks ago tonight...

I went into labor and we headed to the hospital.  All in all I had a wonderful and easy pregnancy.  I enjoyed it... and towards the end people would ask me, "Aren't you ready to be done with it?"  and I would respond with "No, I think he's much quieter where he is now, so I'll enjoy my rest in the mean time."  I had no sleepless nights, rarely had to wake up to pee... etc, etc.  I know, most of you probably are pointing daggers at me right now.

For as easy of a pregnancy as I had, the labor and delivery was a different story.  I was in labor for 24+ hours... Kason continued to make little progress and towards the end he was getting "stressed out"... i.e. his heart rate was dropping and not coming back up.  So, the doctors decided to do a c-section.  As you can imagine, I was NOT thrilled at this outcome.  It truly was a blessing though.  Once they got in and got Kason, the cord was wrapped around his neck, he wouldn't breath... and ultimately, he would have never been able to come out "naturally" anyways.  

So sweet baby George Kason Ebert arrived at 4:43pm on February 28, 2011.  

He came out with a full head of hair.  They told us, "It will all fall out"... liars, it has only gotten longer, thicker, and I think, blonder.  I love it... I also refer to it as his "afrohawk" because it is usually a wild mess, despite efforts to comb it.

GK was given his name after my mom (Georgeann) and my grandmother (Georgia).  If he grows up to have even half the heart of these two woman he will be a wonderful man one day.  I admire these women for how strong they have been through the difficult times and the unconditional love that they show their friends and family.  I aspire to be as selfless as they are/were...

Kason goes by many names: George, Kason, GK, Big K, Brother Bear, Wee Man... and the list goes on.

He's a trooper and has slept in his room from the first day we brought him home.  I wouldn't have it ay other way as I spent hours and hours making all the bedding and decor for the room.

My rocker, I found this at my Grandma's house.  I painted it yellow and put some cushions on it.  It works perfect!!!

As I was putting together the artwork above his bed, John suggested we each come up with a verse we wanted to put on it for Big K.  I love it!  Our biggest hope is that he grows in the likeness of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Here's the sheet I made, I'm not really very good at sheet making... and below it the bed skirt.  I put the ultimate crib sheet on top so I don't have to wash the sheet as often.  Donna made the blanket on the back of the bed.  It is beautiful and goes great in the room. 

Here's a side table my Grandma was going to sell in the garage sale.  I swiped that right up.  Next step, I need to transform it into something fabulous.  But for the interim, this will do.

I love these pillows, the turned out just how I had imagined them.  Only thing on this bed I didn't make is the quilt comforter and the stuffed animals.

The frames above the bed are all pictures of our family when they were children.  This is such a special wall.  I just love how it turned out.  It was so fun to go through all the baby pictures and pick some of my favorites for the wall.

Here's a look at the room, yes, I even made the valances.

This was John's old ugly college dresser... it was UGLY!!!  Nothing a coat of paint can't fix.  It is perfect and holds all of Kason's clothes now.  On the wall is a super cute picture of John as a baby, and some keepsakes:  my favorite sonogram of Kason, two milk trucks, a tracker from grandpa, his college savings fun (cow bank), and of course a picture of his parents.

So the last 9 weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least.  We have learned A LOT and now I completely realize how wonderful, challenging and time consuming raising a child is.  He's totally worth it though.  So to take you on a trip of memory lane, here's some of my favorite photo's from the last 8 weeks.  It is hard to narrow down the thousands that we already have.

My Aunt Laura came for the delivery

So did Grandma... so sweet

John's mom (Oma)

John's first diaper change

Leaving the hospital

Tequila and Jackson... yes, we still love them and take pictures of them

See the resemblance?

Big K's first bath... so cute!!!

Lance came to visit Kason.  They were so cute together. :)

John reading to big K.

3.5 weeks

John giving Kason his first bottle

John's a good daddy and is always trying to play with Kason and bond with him

Great Granddad meeting Kason for the first time.

His future's so bright....

Kason's first trip to Austin to see Great Grandma GuGu.  We also made a trip to Fredericksburg to see  Great Mary, Anne and the Westfall's

John's Aunt Anne with Kason... she loves him!

Future Dairy Farmer of America

John likes to blow in Kason's face... it's kind of funny.

Big K ready to go golf with Daddy

My dad said he looks like a young Willie Nelson here...

Cooking with Dad

Big K's first Easter

Proud grandparent's (this is Oma and Opa... the ones that live across the street)

3 generations...should have gotten John in this picture to make it 4...

K's favorite Aunt and Uncle (who live 1/2 mile away)

Happy Family on Easter Morning!  He is Risen!!!!

First Vaccines... he was such a trooper and only cried for about 5 seconds.  The nurse said, "Is that it?"

I love these pictures when he cries... he is just so cute in every emotion

8 weeks

Best Friends

So as I'm wrapping this up, Kason just got his bath and now John is giving him his bottle.  He's starting to take it down faster which is nice.  Tonight is my last night off... I go back into the office tomorrow morning.  It's bitter-sweet... I've grown used to taking care of Kason and have really enjoyed it.  I will miss seeing him all day, but I'm looking forward to being more energized to playing with him in the evening.  The lady (Mary) that is taking care of him is very sweet and I know he will be in good hands.  I'm looking forward to getting back into the grind of work.... AND, having a lunch break to go work out.

I'm sure there will be some challenges balancing being a wife and a working mom, but I am so incredibly blessed to have such a helpful husband.  John is a trooper when it comes to taking care of the house, and it takes so much pressure off of me.  Pray that I will be a Proverbs 31 woman and learn how to balance everything.

Finally, here's a couple pictures I took on Friday night of John and Kason.  They are just too cute together....

Great Grandma GuGu with Kason this morning... she absolutely adores him.  I love to watch these two together.