Savannah Grace is born!

The day we have long been waiting for (and the real reason for this blog) has arrived. Savannah Grace Stephens entered the world on Tuesday, August 7th at 11:14 pm. She weighed in at 8 lbs. 7 ozs. and was 21 3/4 in. long. She was born at St. Mary's Hospital in Richmond. The labor was long but both mother and baby came through with flying colors.

We were all able to come home Thursday evening and have since been learning to sleep when possible and eat often, at least Savannah has that part down. Savannah chose to come on the hottest day of the year but fortunately we are spending all of our time inside anyway and have stayed away from the 100 degree weather. All things considered we have been doing fairly well the first week at home. Mom apparently does much better with sleep deprivation than Dad does. There have already been a few odd moments in the middle of the night. At one point I (Tom) was half awake/half asleep and apparently thought that Savannah was rolled up in a blanket and stuffed between the bed and the wall. I look around in very real but very slow and sleepy panic. Sue was a little confused at what I was doing but once she confirmed that Savannah was asleep in her bed I woke up and caught up with reality.

When we are awake I enjoy playing with Savannah's hair. I'm sure she will appreciate this in middle school as well. We were convinced she would be a bald baby but proved us wrong with a great head of hair. I'm sure I will get more creative as it continues to grow.

Another great moment is anytime that Savannah is sleeping...especially on Dad's chest. Since Sue gets the wonderful bonding time (and draining task) of feeding a little sleep time is always nice. Of course new parents are all oblivious, as we are, but it is amazing how much pre-baby time was spent eating, talking, bathing, etc. Now our only real priority while Savannah is sleeping is doing nothing. Just a little down time to rest and to watch her is wonderful. Don't worry though we do make time now and then to eat and shower.

Dixie has also been quite curious about Savannah and has been really great with her. She likes to lick her feet and she perks up anytime Savannah cries. For awhile we also thought she had a little Lassie in her since it appeared she was protecting Savannah as she slept. Turns out she was actually protecting her bone that had been left on the window sill. Oh well, I'm sure she will still be a protective friend.




One thing that Savannah can expect is that she will be incredibly spoiled. Being the first grandchild on both sides of the family will come with some obvious fringe benefits but the demands can be brutal for sure. Sue's parents (Grammy and Poppy I believe) were able to make the trip up from North Carolina to be with us after the birth and Sue's mother came again over the weekend to help out. Grandma and Grandpa Stephens are headed to Richmond this week and are no less excited about Savannah's appearance. Grandma Stephens is undoubtedly extra proud since Savannah (and soon-to-be Aunt Jackie) has now placed females in the majority for the first time on the Stephens side. For the Walker side the run of ladies simply continues.







Stay tuned for now...We'll try to stay as up to date as possible but it is more difficult to sneak away to the library these days.