The latest measurements from Friday show Elliott Walker at 6 lbs 3 oz and Samuel Heath at 5 lbs 3 oz and Valerie Nicole is ready to deliver. If not physically, certainly mentally and emotionally.

The doctors keep telling Val she’s having a textbook twins pregnancy: the boys are in great shape, she’s doing really well, all the numbers look good, and there’s nothing to worry about. That’s wonderful, but Valerie is ready for this part of the journey to be over. She’s miserable. She’s carrying nearly twelve pounds of baby inside her! She calls them her two watermelons. It makes my back hurt just to look at her pictures.

Carrie-Anne left for Tulsa early this morning to be with Valerie and David during this last week. The C-section is scheduled for July 8, one week from tomorrow. If her water holds, Whitney and I will drive up Monday for the births Tuesday morning. If something breaks before then, Whit and I will head up there as quickly as possible, but we’ll probably miss the births–it’s an eight-hour drive and a C-section won’t take that long.

I’m pulling for her to make it to the 8th, and I believe she will. There are no signs that anything is imminent. In fact, she’s worried she’ll still be pregnant in August. Or September. Like these boys are going to be born with facial hair.

I’ve landed on “Granddad.” I say “I’ve landed…” because Valerie and Carrie-Anne are not thrilled with the choice. It’s not cute enough. “Granddad” is traditional, conservative, historically Texan, and decidedly un-cute. For me, it couldn’t be more perfect.

As the countdown has reached single-digit days until our middle daughter delivers our first grandchildren, here’s a couple of favorite baby pictures of Val.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having grandkids is a lot different from having your own children. When you’re pregnant with your own kids, you fret and worry and you pray a lot. But you really don’t know anything. You’re mostly clueless. You worry about things that don’t really matter and you fret over stuff that never happens. But when you’re having grandchildren, that’s a whole different deal. Now I’ve experienced some things. We’ve been through some stuff. Now, I know a lot. I worry differently. I fret differently. I pray even more than I did then. And for very different things.

Peace,

Allan