Living the Dream: California Dreamin'

I've been planning for Kip & Brandon's baby's arrival since August, when she told me.

In fact, when I moved on the ranch, I told everyone involved, I was going to be gone two very important weeks....

one for the baby

one for my yearly company trip.

So fast forward to April 1.... due date.....

Nothing going on in California...cancel flight and engage in Plan B.

Meanwhile, teachers go on strike and there is NO SCHOOL FOR ALL THE CHILDREN.

While I am solidly BEHIND THE TEACHERS and believe they are absolutely doing what I want them to do....

I HAVE ALL THE CHILDREN.

ALL OF THEM.

AT HOME.

ALL DAY.

Thank the lord for Henderson Hills Baptist Church, who allows the K-5th graders to come to a program from 9-3 (which stretches from 8:45- 3:15, if you're single and HAVE 2000 children), so the littles have all been partaking of the day camp.

HOWEVER, it is a LOT of driving. So when my phone rang on Wednesday and it was KIP, calling from her appointment at the doc's office with these words to her mom, "I was going to go shopping at Michael's after my appointment, but I guess I'll have a baby instead"..... my mind went into hyper mode.

I called my reinforcements (Johnelle Evans (and don't forget Jon), Katelyn Magruder, and Cameron Ramsey) and told them all systems were go.

I had typed a somewhat funny "How to Live through the Eight One Eight One" guide, and left it for the adults, and had somewhat packed some clothes (shorts and underwear and a few tshirts, come to find out) and had made a sketched out itinerary for the home front.

THE BABY is COMING, is all my brain can manage.

I had already cancelled my flight from the Friday before, so one Southwest App flight booked later (it's almost 11:30, and I booked a 2:55 flight) seems easy, right?

Wrong.

I ran in the airport at 2:18. I was suppose to BOARD at 2:25. I threw my luggage at the lady at the counter who acidly informed me "That we will NOT guarantee this bag's arrival", and all I could think is, "Fine, I'm not even sure what's in it anyway", and ran for security. I'm having flashbacks of a "wallet Incident" Hallie and I had had a couple of years earlier, and dang it, I'm still not in shape for the running in the airport thing.

Group A was lining up at the gate, and I was a far end B, so I skipped to Schlotsky's and grabbed an ice tea, and jumped on the plane. Prayed a fervent prayer that my bag might just accidentally make it. and sat in front of one of my LONG TIME Laynie fans, Sara Avery, who said, "LOLLY? is that you?" and had on a TEAM HOPE tshirt and made my entire day.

11:00 pm I drive into Redding (WITH MY SUITCASE) and head to the hospital. Seems that Kip had a touch of preeclampsia, and the doc was NOT going to take any chances, and DANG, that baby was a solid basketball.
I knew that they were going to decide what they were going to do at 3:30 am, so I thought I would just hang around and see what they said, until I sat in a straight up chair for about 45 minutes and at 1:30 am (3:30 OKlahoma time) I bade them good night and blearily made my way to their house to catch a few z's.

Brielle (their very rotten spoiled great dane) greeted me with kisses and hugs and Brandon's parents, Don and Pam were already there awaiting my arrival (along with the grandson).

I lay down at 1:50, totally wide awake, and here comes the grand daug, up beside me, all in my grill and in short order was lying right beside me in bed, snoring her head off.

2:30 rolls around and I drift off. 3:30 my message beeps and it's Kip with some questions.

About 6:00 am (and 3 hours ish of sleep)... I head to the hospital with the Hall's because Kip's water breaks about 5:30 with a contraction.

YAY, that means the baby has to be coming, right, right, right?

Wrong.

Stop by a MacDonalds for the much needed sweet tea, and find Kip, finally starting to have some pain with contractions, and crap of the crappities, it's back labor.

THE WORST.

Then figure out the baby is facing up, instead of down, and then miraculously get him turned and her back labor isn't as severe.

EPIDURAL time. The elixer from Jesus Christ himself. If you think you need to have a baby natural for whatever reason..... you just need to take your temperature and think again.

Epidurals are the ONLY WAY TO GO. She went from kicking our butts out because she couldn't even string a sentence together, to having us all back in. HELLO. To inviting Pam & I to stay and witness. WHAT? Epidurals all around!

3 hours of pushing later, our miracle baby made his miraculous appearance. And what a beauty!

Even though I gave birth to 3 babies, and witnessed Laynie being born c-section (behind the veil), this was my one and only time I've ever witnessed a birth.

And it was miraculous.

Awesome.

Breathtaking.

And so many words I can't even put to paper. It's just something else.

I knew he was a giant when he made his way out, but we got kicked out fairly quickly after (which really was fine with me) 7:19 pm April 5, 2018

Dawson Bradley Hall made his way into the world, came out crying like a champ weighing 9 pounds and 10 ounces. My skinny little beanpole daughter gave birth to a 10 pound whopper. 21" long, he might walk out of the hospital on his own.

And dimples for days, (like his dad) dark hair (like his mom) and soooo sleepy (like his lols).

So much love for this little man. So much love.

We had a wonderful first day of life, with Kip still solidly stuck to the IV poles for 24 hours, still monitoring her blood pressure, and Dawson, sleeping all day. Aunt Nancy brought us the most amazing taco salad for dinner and we ate it like starving wolves. Deliciousness. And homemade choc chip cookies, so .... Yum.

Expect the crew to come home tomorrow, so I am resting up with my GIANT GRANDDAUG staring at me, wanting to sleep with me, ALL IN MY BUBBLE.

So enjoy these pics. I will share more over the next few days as I cherish my days with the newest little in my life.

Grandbabies are a special gift. And I am amazingly blessed.

Thanks to my village for making this trip possible, and thank you to the Lord above, for the miracle of life and the protection He bestowed on my Kip.

God is so good, all the time.