Pictures!

I would have posted the maternity pictures that we had taken a long time ago, but we just received them in the mail from our photographer last week. It seems pretty anti-climatic to even post these pictures, seeing as how Samuel is over a month old now, but they are pretty cute, so here they are!

I also have the pictures from Samuel's newborn photo shoot! They were taken when he was the ripe age of five days old. We hired a professional photographer to take these for us.  They ended out costing us an arm and a leg, but I think they were worth every penny! And not to mention the fact that they were delivered to us within days after we ordered our prints. Lesson learned: You get what you pay for.

Life with a Newborn

What can I say? Samuel is...perfect. I can't even find adequate words to express how much we love him and how far that love reaches deep down inside of us. Being home with Brandon and baby Samuel these past couple of weeks has made me see life in a completely different light. I am constantly in prayer thanking God for the little family He has given me. I have fallen more deeply in love with my husband, I love Caden more, and well, Samuel just plain stole my heart the moment I first heard him cry. I think back to when Brandon and I were praying every night for a girl and I am so thankful that God said "no" and gave us Samuel instead. I couldn't imagine life without our precious little boy.

I must brag on my husband now. Brandon has been absolutely amazing. I knew that he would be, but he has far exceeded the unspoken expectations of what I thought he would be like as a new daddy. I was so relieved that he didn't pass out in the operating room (which was a huge feat in itself) and I will never forget the moment we shared when we heard Samuel's first cry. It was a beautiful moment and I praise God for it. Brandon was at the top of his game during the hospital stay and helped me with anything and everything that I needed, and with so much patience. He is also a very committed,  hands-on daddy. Since we have been home, he has been the one waking up every two hours to change Samuel's diapers, feed him, and rock him to sleep again.  (I bet he is relieved that I am finally feeling able enough to start working shifts with him during the nights now!) Samuel is barely ever left alone in his crib or pack n' play while he is awake or sleeping because his daddy would rather hold him and read/sing/talk to him. What a lucky kid to have a daddy like that...and how lucky I am to have him as my husband. He had alarms set on his phone to remind me to take my pain medication, and not only that, but he brought it to me along with a bottle of water so I didn't have to get up. Not to mention, he's been pulling all of the weight around the house as far as chores go while also dealing with our (God love him) defiant six year old and he does all of this without even one complaint. Lord, what did I do to deserve such a man?

Back to Samuel... I love the little grunts and cute noises he makes, the way that he breathes, the faces he makes when he starts to fall asleep, especially when he smiles. I love the way he smells and how quickly he calms down to the sound of our voices and embraces when we come to the rescue when he cries. I love to nibble his little toes and the feel of his little fingers when they grip ahold of one of mine. I love him, oh Lord, how I love him.

Here are some shots we've taken around the house these past couple of weeks.

Here is Bella checking out what's moving around in the bassinet.

 (This one is for you, mom!) Sam w/ his eyes open.

Hanging out with daddy while he works on computers.

lol @ Samuel's pirate face. Arrr!

Sleeping baby...

Sleepy parents...

Even Bella is sleepy...

And I saved the best for last. I got lucky and happened to catch one of those precious smiles that he makes while he falls asleep. I wonder what he was thinking of...it had to be mommy and daddy. :)

Oh Happy Day!

Samuel Allen Wilkerson was finally born May 26, 2010 at 8:01 a.m. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 11.5 oz, and was 22 inches long. He had a full head of dark brown hair, and his feet were just as gigantic as I predicted they would be! Here are some pictures that were taken at the hospital.

This was taken by my anesthesiologist right after I was sewn up.

Here is Caden admiring his baby brother. He was so gentle with him!

Here's my mom and mother-in-law embracing after catching a glimpse of Samuel for the first time. They are some pretty proud grandmas!

Mmm, beef flavored water for lunch! I wasn't allowed to eat solid foods until breakfast the next day.

And here he is, finally in mommy's arms!!!

We had some professional pictures taken of him when he was five days old. I will post them as soon as I get the disk! I've already seen the proofs and they are AMAZING!