Dreaming of Baby

Our was planned or a surprise? A little bit of both! We were planning to have a baby, but thought we may have to wait a little while for it to happen... but that turned out to not be the case.

I first began thinking about having a baby: Not long after we got married. I knew Nina would be a great mom and I was excited to be a parent with her.

Why I wanted to have a baby: Gotta continue the family line some how

When I imagined my life with a baby, i felt: I imagined a fishing and golf partner

Physical traits I hope my baby will inherit from me: Good hair, boy parts, and a few freckles

Traits I hope the baby will inherit from its mother: Curls, good skin, and her athleticism

Personality characteristics I hope my baby will inherit: Smarts, passion, organization, and concern for our four legged friends.

Dreaming of a Baby

My pregnancy was planned or a surprise? A little bit of both. Definitely planned, but much quicker than I anticipated.

I first began thinking about having a baby: After a couple years of marriage.

Why I wanted to have a baby: to make a family with JR and to follow God's mandate to "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it..." (Genesis 1:28)

Physical traits I hope my baby will inherit from me: curly hair

Traits i hope the baby will inherit from its father: dark hair, indian skin

Personality characteristics I hope my baby will inherit: JR's calm disposition!

Imagining Fatherhood

The number of children I thought I would have and why: I initially thought I would only have one, maybe two. As an only child, I enjoyed having my family to myself, but in retrospect, having an older/younger sibling would have been a lot of fun. After marrying Nina, talking about her experiences with an older brother, and getting to be a part of a family with multiple children, I'm looking forward to having several of my own to spoil.

I wanted this many boys and girls: I'll take whatever God gives me.

Qualities that I feel will make me a great father: Patience, forgiveness, and being an easy going person.

Fond memories of my own mother: Fishing and talking about Calvin and Hobbes... great times with Dad. With Jim, I remember taking drives when mom wasn't exactly pleased with something I'd done.

Qualities I look for in a mother to my child: Organization, understanding, and light heartedness.

Baby names I have always liked: None come to mind.

The age I imagined I would have my first child: 29 or 30

Who or what from my childhood best prepared me to be a father: Growing up with a strong mother definitely prepared me to be a father. Having to balance both roles, mom showed me what it's like to be firm and passionate parent, while also being fair and unfailing. To this day she's my biggest fan and I hope that I can impart that feeling on each of my kids.

Imagining Motherhood

The number of children I thought I would have and why: 3, it just sounded right (and there's always a tie breaker with an odd number!)

I wanted this many boys and girls: 2 boys and 1 girl

Qualities that I feel will make me a great mother: I don't know yet?! Hopefully my organization skills will help make things easier but I may have to ask JR to answer this for me.

Fond memories of my own mother: Always doing lots of fun, girly activities (cooking, lunch at the Zodiac, playing in her makeup).

Qualities I look for in a father to my child: JR is my opposite in many ways, so he is strong were I am weak and vice versa. Hopefully the combination will help make us well-rounded parents. Also, JR is super compassionate and tender hearted, so I know he'll be a good Daddy.

Baby names I have always liked (when I was younger - these are not necessarily the names we're considering!): Joshua, James, Addison (for a boy), Xavier, Lacy, Alexa, Vada, Chloe

The age I imagined I would have my first child: 24 - 25

Who or what from my childhood best prepared me to be a mother: watching the example of my mother, of course

Daddy's Family

Favorite memory with my siblings: I got to be mostly an "only child" because of our age differences.

Favorite memory with my cousins: In front of my paternal grandparents house, pretending an old log is a space ship singing "Great Space Coaster" or something like that.

Favorite memory with my grandparents: I remember the way my Dad's mom used to put us to sleep: laying on the bed, she would kiss our foreheads and then bounce the bed a whole bunch. With my mom's folks: going to the shooting range with my granddad and going to Crystal's Pizza with my grandmother.

A wonderful vacation we took as a family: We spent the millenial new year in New Zealand, hiking, sightseeing, and bungee jumping.

Family pets I had: First cat was Teddy, first dog was Sam, then we had Spike and Pebbles.

One tradition in my family: Having family and friends over to the house Christmas Eve for soup dinner and opening ONE present before Christmas day

Important holiday in my family: Thanksgiving, in all its craziness.

Mommy's Family

Favorite memory with my brother: We shared a room on a family trip to Disneyworld and one night when we couldn't fall asleep, Wynne made up a game where we pretended we were driving spaceships (our twin beds were our spaceships) and we had a whole adventure in outer space until we finally fell asleep.

Favorite memory with my grandparents: Mimi: taking me to my first butterfly exhibit in Houston, Waldo: napping in Wynne's twin bed with our cat asleep on his chest, MFTW: making it to my wedding, Big John: making pancakes in Midland

A wonderful vacation we took as a family: Lots to choose from! Some really fun ones were visiting all the countries at Epcot and learning to ski in Angelfire. Other ones I appreciate more as an adult, namely stopping at every national park we drove by to get stamps in our passport books. I loved Dad waking us up in the wee hours of the morning and loading us into the back of the suburban which he had made into a little bunk with mattresses and blankets (and on special occasions a TV!) to start our driving trips early. I'm dying to go back to Carlsbad. Nowadays, nothing beats a family trip to the beach at Watercolor.

Family pets I had: Lots of these too! My favorite were two cats Kit Kat (who let me put booties and bonnets on him and push him around in a stroller) and Starlight and our eternal puppy,17 year old, Zeke. In between there were two more cats, a bird, a hamster, a guinnea pig, a rabbit, a turtle and lots of fish.

One tradition in my family: The men in the family (Walker side) wake up early to start prepping the holiday turkey in their underwear.

Important holiday in my family: Thanksgiving and Christmas are always our big family gatherings.

About Mommy

When and where I was born: October 4, 1985 in Fort Worth Texas

Time I was born: 7:38 a.m.

Height: 5'3

Hair color: blonde

Eye color: green

Siblings: Wynne, 31

Favorite food: cheese (by itself, on pasta, in an enchilada, pretty much any way)

Favorite pastime: decorating, reading

Favorite hangout: my parent's house

Three words to describe me: high strung, creative, compassionate

A favorite memory from childhood: my birthday parties (at the pool or with Ms. Marmalade or Cracker's the clown)