Dedication to Dad (Happy Father's Day)

There's something special about dads that everyone really needs growing up. It is a great blessing my sister and I have a strong, loyal and loving father in our lives. He provided for our family and made sure that his girls were safe and taken care of, even if that meant we could take his brand new SUV because it was more reliable than driving an older, used car (he couldn't stand the idea of our cars breaking down.) There was little he wouldn't do for us. He played with us and cooked for us our favorite meals. My sister and I are definitely spoiled. But I recognize his many sacrifices and I am forever thankful for him. He is a great example of one who acts selflessly.

I can't forget to thank Richard, Jasper's father, for continually encouraging Jasper to trust God totally in all of life. I admire that family time has always been so important to Richard as his three boys were growing up. To this day, I can see the relationship between Jasper and him is strong. I pray with great confidence JP will have the same strong relationship with Jasper.

Now, I also thank God for blessing my son with Jasper as his Father. He, too has been a great support for me during my pregnancy and now that JP is with us, I see him stepping up into his new role with joy and eagerness. Jasper has shown himself to be committed to his role as a spiritual leader for our family.

It amazes me how little recognition fathers typically receive on Father's day, but as I reflect on how important my father was in my growing up, I'd like to express my most sincere gratitude to each of the fathers in my life.
I love you, dad.

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Extra : So... our family took a vote to name the #1 Dad, and with all the amazing fathers in our lives you can imagine the results were close...
The results are in and the 2009 winner is... Jasper Welsh!!!

Check out the video of the #1 DAD, below...

JP & I decided to write and put together a book for his daddy. Check out Jasper's Father's Day gift:

Happy Father's Day everyone!!

Tribute to Mothers (Happy mother's Day)

I remember playing "house" when I was a child. Diane always wanted to be the "baby" and I played the "mom." It's so hard to believe I have a real baby of my own now, and it is nothing like I imagined. I'm not talking about all the challenging aspects like lack of sleep and time for myself. I mean the overwhelming joy I feel now that he's in my life.

One of my first thoughts when he arrived was how amazing it was that I could love someone so much in so little time. All of a sudden this ridiculous over-protectiveness takes over me and then I think of my own mother...

It's like something out of our control. I know we all joke about how overboard mothers can be, but I have to say that I now understand it. This baby is born completely dependent on you and that is a whole lot of responsibility laid on our shoulders. One that I completely accept, thankfully and joyfully.

My first Mother's Day was so special. I had the presence of my family: mom, dad, sister Diane here in Arizona, along with my mother and father in law. Jasper and his dad prepared a tribute to us that was really heartwarming.

Jasper took this opportunity to reflect on his relationship with his mother and prepared and presented a tribute to his mother.

Here is a video of Jasper reading his Mother's day letter to me...

Jasper's poetry skills impressed me! He was a very brave daddy to do this in front of all of us, I was honored!!

After a few tears and hugs, we all made our way over to Mimi's Cafe to celebrate the special moms in our lives. It was a great night of honoring moms.

Here are a few pictures from Mimi's Cafe that night:

Group Picture : the Mother's being honor
(From left to right: Grandma Portia, Aunty Nancy, Grandma Azun, Grandma Lety and last, but not least, Me Mommy Debby)

Jasper's GQ smile and Debby.

Here I am with my Dad, Carlito hold JP.

Baby JP's Homecoming

Early Friday morning, April 10, 2009, JP and I were finally able to go home. We had Aunty Diane and Uncle Gary who flew in from California, along with my cousin Nancy and her son Jaxon to welcome us home to "Welsh Stadium." Later JP's very proud and excited grandparents came over to welcome him as well!

We had such an amazing labor, delivery, and recovery experience at our hospital. We had an excellent group of medical staff who check in with us, monitoring me and the baby. I started to feel nervous when i thought of going home without any of that help there. But that's just the worrier in me and everything turned out fine. The support of family and friends really eased my worries.

Our home is so much different now that we have JP and really is a sweet blessing. It's hard to believe that there was a time when it was just me and Jasper. Now our rooms and halls are filled with sounds of our baby giggling, cooing and crying, and we couldn't be any happier!

We were able to put a lot of this experience on video and would love to share it with you. Below, is a JP Welsh's Welcome Home Video:

Guess whose finally here!!

It's hard to believe that the big day has finally arrived. After consulting with my OB doctor, we agreed to induce labor on Monday April 6, 2009. And on Wednesday morning, April 8th at 12:03am, our precious Jasper Prentiss Welsh III (JP) was born at 7 lbs 4 oz and 19-1/2" long.

Let me tell you now that it was a grueling 25 hour labor and delivery but as mommies and daddies know, it's all worth it in the end.

Jasper shot a brief video, while we were still in the hospital, wanting to introduce you to our new addition to our family. Check it out and enjoy...

JP's Shower of Love

On Saturday, March 14, my sister and family threw a baby shower for us. It was the perfect blend of everyone we loved coming to see us and celebrate before JP arrives. Of course all grandparents were present, along with Jasper's brother Jon and my favorite sister Diane from San Diego. Kim and Oneal arrived early early Friday morning. Lisa and Godfrey flew in Friday night and Rizza and co. came in early Saturday morning. SO GREAT!

Check out the video overview of the Coed "Jack and Jill" Baby Shower:

Friday morning was a day of pampering as Kim, Diane, my cousin Nanny, and I went for a spa pedicure (you can't reach those toes when you've got a JP in the way.) We picked up Oneal and lunched at a creole restaurant called Papadeaux's...Yum! Then it was off to Scottsdale for some shopping fun. We got to Fashion Square where Diana bought me my Petunia Picklebottom Diaper Bag from Neiman. It's so cute! Water resistent and easy to organize baby stuff in. Here are some pics:

By the way, this bag is already packed with JP's necessities for and after the hospital...YAY!

We then went out to Sprinkles to reward ourselves for shopping so effectively that day!

Saturday was the big day. Parents were busy prepping for BBQ and other Filipino dishes. Everyone else helped out by decorating the house with Sports MVP themed items. Our house looked so cute! From athletic ball streamers to football chip bowls, our family and friends went all out! My awesome friends from Moon Mountain came by to shower us with love and we had a blast playing baby games and guessing how big my belly was (enthusiastic "yay...")
Later that evening, the investive nature of the group arose and a pool was generated for when I was going to deliver...It was so exciting to see and hear the conversations and explanations for how they all wanted to choose their dates. I got a lot of long looks and for some that was it. Here's a copy of that pool calendar:

(Click HERE or on image to enlarge)

(Click HERE or on image to enlarge)

(Click HERE or on image to enlarge)

Continuing on with the investing theme, all the guys went to my cousins Jeff and Nancy's house to play a friendly game of Hold'em. With the guys gone, us girls got a chance to catch up.

It was a great weekend filled with love and laughter. The gifts Jasper, JP and I received are blessings and we can't thank everyone enough for the love, gifts, prayers, support and advice that were shared during that time.

We apologize that the baby shower video is not up yet. We are having some technical difficulties, but we are still working on it so come back soon to see it.

A Final Peek at JP Before I Pop!

Just when we thought we got to see all we could of Baby JP, my OB told me at one of my visits to schedule for my "Growth Ultrasound." She said, "it would not be as in depth as our first ultrasound, but it would be enough to estimate the weight, length, and position of the baby." So, I set the appointment scheduled for my 34th week, February 27th, 2009.

Jasper and I went for the ultrasound directly after I got off work. We got to the office and watched Toy Story as we waited to be called. JP loves to entertain me when I'm sitting around and keeps me from being bored. As we sat waiting, he kept moving inside my belly and Jasper and I watched my belly move while we waited (be sure to check out the size of my belly).

Finally, we were called inside. The technician informed us this was actually going to take a little longer than most routine ultrasounds at this point because I haven't been to this particular location before and she had to gather extra data to properly examine the baby.

That was a surprise to us, but definitely OK with us. We love being able to see the baby. Jasper and I were surprised to discover she was going to be using 3D ultrasounds for some portions of the ultrasound. Sweet!

She confirmed the sex of our baby again (when you watch the video it won't be dificult to see. She used plenty of arrows showing us that it's still JP). Then we got to see some profile shots in 3D, and while she was moving the probe around to my side we caught JP smiling for us. It was sooooo cute! I was hoping that he was happy in there! It was kind of tickling me, It may have tickled him as well.

Here's a video of our ultrasound visit. Check out our baby's "Cheese" action!

Well, after the tech left, the doctor came in to tell us about the baby. According to the doctor, JP seems to be doing very well! He is just the right size and length for this stage of the pregnancy. They estimated his weight around 5lbs. My cervix is a little thin, but at this point she would expect that to happen. (I was hoping it means JP will come out earlier, but as I researched this I found that women still go all the way up to their due date, some past their due date, even with a thinning cervix.)

Before we left their office, we received a cd, dvd, and print outs of the of the baby during the ultrasound.

Jasper and I hope you enjoy the video and we look forward to hearing from you soon! The next time we will get to see little JP is when I give birth. I am still projected to "Pop" around April 8th... So, keep a look out for updates.

If you have any questions or would like to see something specific caught on video, feel free to make any suggestions here, or at our Youtube channel.

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Click on the "Baby Shower" image below to go to

Debby and Jasper's Baby Gift Registry...

Lil JP is already on my nerves..Literally.

So, I have to brag that I am not much of a waddling pregnant woman. I have been doing my best to walk as normal as possible.

Not that there is anything wrong with it, but I do try to make a conscious effort to walk up straight.

Everyday at work, I have to walk from my classroom to the restroom about 8 to 10 times a day. Which sounds like a lot, but when you factor in how FAAARR the two are from each other, I certainly get many chances to practice my pregnant walk.

Honestly, a lot of my trips to the restroom is because lil’ JP seems to favor leaning on my bladder. I guess it makes a cozy pillow, and on occasion it feels like he is using it for a punching bag. It certainly is very annoying to have to use the restroom so often during the day, especially when I am in the middle of teaching my class a lesson.

So walking upright and without a pregnant waddle has been fairly easy to accomplish. That is, until of late…

JP has been a serious pain, and getting on my nerves.

Actually, just on my Sciatic Nerve.

Now my doctor says that this is common in pregnancy and there isn't much we can do about it. I was instructed to take Tylenol to help with the pain, but I hate taking medicine unless it's absolutely necessary. I also have a great massage therapist which I have been visiting regularly, but that seems to only alleviate the pain, temporarily.

I am quite sure why my sciatic nerve hurts, and the pain does come and go. But this certainly makes it difficult to go out on weekends with Jasper. We have to plan almost everything around the baby… and he’s not even born yet.

Is JP on my badder? Will he move to relieve my need to urinate? Where is the nearest restroom, just in case. And now, with the occasional pain in leg we have to shorten our outings, and even find closer parking spots if my leg is in pain.

SO….

If you or someone you know has experienced anything similar to this and can relate in some way. I really would love to hear from you.

Do you have any remedies you can recommend? Tips? Or, even if you would just like to tell me about your experience when your baby got on your nerve.

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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OH…

On a separate note.

I have been receiving some calls regarding my Baby Gift Registry.
You can click HERE to go directly to it and check it out, or click on the image below…

I love being pregnant?

Yesterday morning, Jasper and I were driving home from Costco.  We were talking about our plans for the day; put away groceries, have lunch with his parents, chores, etc.  As we were chatting I remember we were stopped at a stop light when little JP began to press and push pretty hard out.  Jasper reached over and met push with a playful press back, which began to make me feel like peeing.  :)

When Jasper was playing with little JP, I told him how often I feel him moving and shaking throughout my day at work.  What kind of made Jasper and me laugh was how i followed up my comment with, "This is my favorite part about being pregnant.  I just am constantly reminded he is there and I feel very close to him, and I know this something I am going to miss."

Jasper started to laugh.  I was not sure why at first, but he turned to me and recalled just a few months ago my firmly stating, "I don't want to do this [get pregnant] again!  You know with all the morning sickness and stuff.  How can other women do this more than once?"

I've heard that woment forget the woes of pregnancy 

once the baby is born.  And I know in my heart that it is worth it.  I think about the "morning sickness"  yeah right all day sickness and nausea (getting in car, in car, after car ride, brushing teeth, waking up, sleeping, thinking about the next car ride, standing up, sitting down... you name it I was most likely feeling pretty nauseous...) 1st trimester cramping, and 3rd trimester sleepless nights.

And now I'm stating that I love being pregnant, being able to feel the baby moving, kicking, hiccuping.  It amazes me how quickly time passes.  I am g

oing to cherish every last moment I have while pregnant.  I am sure I could feel so much more comfortable doing the normal tasks of life.  But I sometimes forget this is an answered prayer and most certainly a blessing from God.

Thank you again to all of my family and friends who have been very supportive.  Please feel free to leave any of your comments or questions for me.  

God bless you.

JPW3- What's in a Name?

Naming a child is an important decision for any parent to make.  You have to think about teasing potential, meaning, nick names, and making sure you're not stealing your best friend's dream name.   As a teacher, I've heard my share of interesting names.  Some that are perfect for the child, and some that make me giggle. There are even a few that I know I will never name my child because of spending a school year with a particular "special" friend.  

Fortunately, Jasper and I didn't have to struggle over picking the perfect name.  I had always loved the name Josie for a girl and Jasper knew and was happy with that.  Of course we had the conversation about Jasmine.  Jasper explained to me that he liked that name too and it wasn't just because it had "Jas" in the beginning of it.  So it was set, Josie if a girl.  There was never a boy's name that stuck with me, so when Jasper suggested naming a boy after him, I thought it was perfect.  

Jasper had always liked the idea of honoring his grandfather by naming our son Jasper Prentiss Welsh III.  I think it's a great name too and here's Jasper to explain further about that decision:

3D/4D Ultrasound - Life in Progress

On January 10, 2009, Jasper and I headed over to Peek of You to get a 3/4D Ultrasound of JP.  I am just about 28 weeks and this is the time most people will reccommend getting these amazing little pictures because babies now have more fat on their bodies and look a little more human.  

As big as I feel I am, I was excited to see his fat face and body.  I can feel him moving and kicking inside and I couldn't wait to be able to put a face on my little kickboxer.  

My thoughtful sister, Diane (who lives in San Diego and didn't want to miss a beat with this new baby) gave us a Flip camera for Christmas which Jasper used to record this memorable event.   We had breakfast and he interviewed me and my thoughts before the ultrasound.  

When we arrived to "Peek of You"  we were able to look at other 3D pictures displayed in the waiting area.  It's so neat that we have this technology to see what our little ones are doing in there.  

Our room had a bed for me and a couch for any guests that we invited to share this moment with.  While the technician used her monitor, I got to watch it projected onto a big screen.  We confirmed the sex, and yes we still have JP on his way, and finally got to see the face of our sweet baby.  He made the cutest sucking lips, and yawned for us.  But this great view of our little one only lasted about five minutes before JP got camera shy and put his hands up to block his face. The tech did everything she could, practically jiggling and poking on my belly, to get him to move.  Jasper suggested I get up and walk around which I did, but he was just way to comfortable with his arms up in that position.  

Fortunately, we were able to get a few perfect shots of baby.  The whole session was put on a dvd for us and we were ok with that.  So, without further ado, here is our JP-his Life in Progress: