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Before I Was Born
Click here to see sonogram photos and Mom’s tummy getting bigger and bigger. Click here to see photos of the decorating process and the final look. Click here to see photos from my baby shower. Click here to check out photos from the day I was born.
November 2001: Mom had a hunch from the beginning that she was pregnant. Dad remembers sitting on the couch downstairs when Mom told him. The couch part isn’t that extraordinary – he’s there a lot. They went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant to celebrate my impending arrival.

Mom and Dad decided to tell the families about me at Christmas. Since they were already putting together Web pages for each family member, they decided to insert a little surprise page that would announce my arrival. They said something about calling me ‘Skylar’ as a temporary name. They decided that could work for a boy or girl, and since Mom didn’t want to know what sex I was beforehand, the unisex thing had to do for the time being.

 Here’s Mom and Dad at Christmas, after telling Dad’s family the news.
My first photo with Mom; sorry, I think my eyes were closed.
February 2002: Mom was just barely showing.






Click here to see sonogram photos and Mom’s tummy getting bigger and bigger.

first photo of me, February 28, 2002
? ? ? Yertle ? ? ?
So one night Dad was about to read me my in utero book, which introduces various Dr. Seuss characters, before Mom and I went to sleep. Well, I'd go to sleep. Mom would toss and turn trying to get comfy with me, the watermelon, shoved into her belly. Anyway, they said if I kicked at the mention of one of the characters, then that would be my name. I gave my vote accordingly – for Yertle the Turtle. I have a sneaking suspicion, though, that my parents are going to start in early on that whole making-promises-they-won't-keep thing. Sheesh. Life is tough and I'm not even here yet. May 2002
May 2002 May 2002 – My Baby Room: Mom and Dad threw out the name ‘Yertle’ (surprise, surprise) without settling on anything else in particular. Oh well. They did get quite busy on getting my room ready, even if they couldn’t put a name on the door. By the end of the month, my room was ready to go. Mom and Dad put together my cradle and crib and hutch. They hung pictures, put up curtains, and wallpapered up a border (pattern at top of page). They painted a shelf, plastered it with stickers, and already loaded it up with books!

Click here to see photos of the decorating process and the final look.
May 2002 – My Baby Shower: Well, now I had a room and my grandparents threw me my first party (my baby shower). Not bad for someone still in utero! Mom and Dad's friends came over and ate and drank, gave parental advice, offered name suggestions (Dad thought Uncle Mark’s suggestion of ‘Mark Robert Whitaker II’ was particularly humorous), and even gave me presents. Wow! Thanks everybody! I hope Dad lets me play with my toys, though.

Click here to see more photos from the shower.
 May 31, 2002
June 2002: I was still nameless although I would arrive in a mere 9 weeks or so. The names Arizona, Olivia, and Callie became front runners if I was a girl and Evan and Jonah were the leading contenders if I was a boy. While in the hospital waiting for my birth, Mom and Dad were still not set on a girl’s name, although it looked like Arizona was the most likely, but had picked Evan as the boy’s name.
Click here to find out what developments to expect at different stages of pregnancy. Early on, Mom and Dad posted a link to this pregnancy guide that let everyone know what was supposed to be going on with me at different stages. I did good – I was due August 7, 2002 and arrived only two days later.

Click here to check out photos from the day I was born.
This page last updated January 24, 2008.