Welcoming Baby Nomad Into the World

Our lives changed forever on Dec. 3, 2016 when Baby Nomad made his grand appearance. Since we’re celebrating his first month of life tomorrow, it’s about time we shared him with you here on our blog.

Caspian Theodore Highland was born at 12:06 a.m. at St. David’s North in Austin, TX. The clock on the wall said 11:52 p.m., so we thought he had been born on Dec. 2…until the nurse at the computer told us the clock was wrong! Caspian is among 3% of babies to be born on their due date.

His unique name has a special meaning. “Caspian” was first proposed by Eric as we were sitting on the sofa, searching through baby name lists on our phones. The name means “borrowed from the sea.” Through it, we recognize Eric’s 20 years of service in the United States Coast Guard. Even more importantly, we acknowledge that we are stewards of Caspian here on earth, and that he ultimately belongs to the Lord and not to us. As for “Theodore,” pretty much everyone knows I love Theodore Roosevelt. The name itself means “gift of God,” continuing the theme from Baby Nomad’s first name.

Like my pregnancy, my 20-hour labor was without complications. It was completely natural, with no drugs, painkillers or medical interventions of any kind. My sweet boy arrived wide-eyed and alert, ready to snuggle and eat. He was 20 inches long and a hefty 8 pounds, 10 ounces.

Eric was my rock. We had studied the Bradley Method together in the weeks proceeding Caspian’s birth. We also prepared a birth plan that explained our wishes for the process. I was focused in some other plane during labor, so Eric advocated for me to the medical staff, pushing back when they wanted to do something he knew I didn’t want.

Caspian and I were cleared for release the afternoon of Dec. 4. Our first stop was Din Ho, Eric and my favorite Chinese restaurant in Austin. While it wasn’t particularly comfortable to sit on a chair at the time, the hot wonton soup hit the spot, and Caspian slept beside us the entire time.

The past month has sped by. I struggled through the first sleepless nights with some tears, but grateful for my gift and our time together. The nights are still pretty sleepless (I’ve averaged about three hours of sleep per night the past three days), but I’m coping a lot better. I managed to finish my 35th book during 2016, and as you can see I’m back to blogging, too.

My mom was there for the birth, and my parents came back to visit together the following weekend. We went down to Corpus Christi to join them for their grandbaby’s first Christmas. My brother Adam and his wife also came from Burbank to meet their nephew. The family visits are only beginning! Big brother Darius and big sister Arianna join us this week, along with Eric’s mom.

Caspian Theodore already seems to be past the newborn stage (sob), as he grows and changes every day. His time between naps is becoming a little longer, allowing us to spend more time together and make more memories. He is so precious to us. I already feel like he’s somehow been with me all my life.

In case you were wondering, RV Wanderlust is not going to become a mommy blog! While I do want to include resources that will be helpful to other parents (one upcoming post will be about “making room for baby” in the RV), I also owe you our 2016 review and a review of our RV maintenance and repairs in 2016. I don’t want to be too ambitious and set myself up for failure, but this blog is constantly on my mind and I hope to find a new rhythm that works.

-B