The Many Faces of the Walk-man

Life with Walker is so much fun! I know I always say that, but it's true because he is constantly growing and changing. He has some interesting new sounds that crack us up. He uses these little squeals to get our attention. And he makes the sweetest sounds when he is eating. He also smiles a lot now. One of his favorite times is talking and responding to us while he is on his changing table. He kicks and kicks and gets so excited! Plus, he has found his hands now and is constantly sticking them in his mouth. We think he is searching for his thumb (oh dear!).

BABY DEDICATION

We also dedicated Walker at church on Nov. 23, which was a very special day. And he did so well during the service! His first day at church was the week before, and he has done really well in the service each week. This Sunday was his first day in the church nursery, and he did great. During his dedication, he was awake when we were on stage and he just looked around and checked out what was going on. It was fun having all the grandparents at church that day, plus it was my first day singing with our worship band since Walker was born.


BASKETBALL MAN

I have to say that I prefer baby pj's for Walker because they are adorable, so babyish and probably the most comfortable option for him. We did, however, put him in this cute little Nike windsuit, which included some sweet Air Force 1's (courtsey of Uncle Herb). He looks like a little baller. We can only hope that he will carry on the Wilbanks basketball legacy one day and join the ranks of his daddy, Papa John, great Uncle Mark, and cousins Andy and Jordan.



HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun this year, especially because it was Walker's first and we had not been home for the holidays in two years. We first went to the Walker's for lunch, then the Wilbanks for dinner. Then I participated in the craziness of day-after-Thanksgiving shopping on Friday. and we went to Deland to be with my mom, two sisters and their families and my Granny on Saturday. On Sunday we went to Ocala, where my Granny lives, and we spoke at a church there that evening. We finally made it home on Monday. It was a little crazy but we loved getting to be with all of our family!

Walker fell asleep with his Granddaddy

Walker and Grandma with his cute bib, "I'm thankful for my Grandma!"

Cousin Chelsea--she's a freshman at UNF! Go Ospreys!

Walker all bundled up with Granny

Listening to cousins Noah and Kaylie as they sing Christmas carols to make him smile

Walker likes playing with his Great Granny! He's so fortunate to get to know her.

Walker enjoys his days with Jamma! They always have fun together playing and reading and singing.

Papa John is so proud of Walker. He is a "Walk hog"!

Matt's Aunt Jeannie (Janet's sister) came to visit from South Carolina. It was a special time for Walker to get to hang out with Jeannie and Alec.

It's a tradition for all of us to go shopping together on day after Thanksgiving wearing matching shirts! Aren't we so cute? Ha ha ha! It was especially fun because I hadn't been in two years. Momsie, Wendi, Angila and me (my step mom and two of my sisters)

Plus, Walker finally got to meet Bailey and Larry (from Philly), Kecia and Brian (from Atlanta), and Casey and Charles (from Cocoa), which I was thrilled about! Melissa and Amanda came over too, and it was so nice to be all together for a couple hours. Kecia lives in Atlanta, so we don't get to see her very often. We always have tons of fun when we are together. She's been my best friend since I was a sophomore in high school, so we have lots of history. We are so blessed to have been friends for so long!

Bail and I have been friends since the 7th grade. We go WAY back to the days of dressing like a boy in middle school. She lives in Philly and is getting married next year. We are so excited for her and Larry!

Here's Melissa, one of my dear friends from college. She was nervous about holding Walker at first, but she he did great with her. My first Thanksgiving in Ethiopia, Melissa, Amanda and Kecia called me to say hello and it really made my day!

Here are Amanda and Kecia. Amanda was a nanny for several years, so she has the magic baby touch. She's not scared of babies, and she even got to experience Walker filling up his diaper while she was holding him. I think it was his sign of love.

It was great to see Kecia and for Walker to finally meet her and Brian. Brian was actually the one with the baby touch. He picked Walker up and rocked him until he stopped screaming. We usually find that most folks give him back to us immediately after he starts crying. But not Brian! We told Kecia it was a sign that they need a baby too. :) They just got married in April of this year (when three of my best friends got married in the same month!), so I think they will be waiting a little while.

ST. AUGUSTINE FUN

This past weekend we had our 2nd date night since Walker was born, and we went with two other couples to St. Augustine to eat dinner and walk around to look at the lights. It was a blast! It was weird, though, because I kept seeing cute little babies and thinking of Walker. But we know it's good to get out and have fun together, which we did!

Nate and Jill (on the right) and Chad and Morgan (on the left) have been friends since college. We are all amazed that's it's been 10 years since we met. We had so much fun at the "fancy" restaurant. We laughed so loudly that we decided we are more of Applebee's type folks...or rather Arby's? We aren't well behaved enough to hang out for too long in a nice restaurant.