Owen Escapes

I have been pleasantly surprised by life with two children. We have been clipping along pretty well around here. Granted, I still have help-Meme was here for a week and this week my mom was here and now Gran is here, so I haven't had the full 2-on-1 treatment. I've been optimistic-I still am, but I am quickly seeing that things aren't going to go quite as I planned.

Owen has been in his crib for 2+ years without ever successfully escaping (I don't even think he ever tried very hard). We would put him in his crib with some toys, he would happily play a little, sleep for 11-12 hours, wake up and play a little more, then yell for someone to retrieve him. We decided we would leave Owen in his crib as long as possible because it's been a wonderfully reliable routine-if it's not broken, don't fix it, right? Well, on Monday, one week after the addition of Olivia to our home, Owen escaped. So, we transitioned to the toddler bed which has no rails and no way of keeping our curious toddler sufficiently contained. It's been interesting. Some nights he's gone to bed quickly and easily...other nights, not so much. Nap time is the same story. Well, this morning we had a whole new surprise. We woke up to find Owen sleeping in our floor at the foot of our bed. He had even closed our door behind him. When he woke up I asked Owen why he had come into our room and reminded him he was supposed to stay in his room. He quickly changed the subject and asked about his baby sister. Clever boy.

Owen escapes.

All that to say, life as we know it has certainly changed. We'll get things figured out, but we've all been thrown for a loop and things definitely aren't going to follow the plan I thought I had. Ahh, parenting...the quickest way to mellow you. You can either learn to adapt or go crazy...right now I'm leaning toward adapting, but check back once all my help leaves!

Our First Week and a Photo Shoot

We've had a good first week with our sweet baby girl. Meme Hill stayed with us the entire week which was wonderful! She was supposed to go home on Wednesday, but we managed to convince her to stick around a couple more days (it didn't take too much convincing).

Here we are playing dress-up with Olivia.

On Friday night, Grandpa Bruce and Gran brought G'gpa and G'gma to meet their newest (and only) great-granddaughter. I like that my grandma was wearing pink, pearls and red lipstick. She was dressed and ready to meet this little princess!

Today we had a photo shoot with Paige Ferguson. She works with Jacob and wants to get into photography and she wanted to practice on Olivia. Here's a picture that makes me laugh a lot. Jacob took this one with his camera, but I wanted you to get an idea of what our little model endured today. She was good, but did manage to tinkle and poo on me while we were waiting-did I mention she was naked? Anyway, we're anxious to see the pictures-I think Paige got some really cute shots!

Home Sweet Home

Well, we are home! We've been home since Monday night which was nice considering that should have been our first night in the hospital. :) We are adjusting amazingly well. Jacob and I have decided Olivia is an easier baby than Owen, but I think it's because we weren't quite as shocked this time around. Owen loves his baby sister OH SO MUCH! He really likes to hold her; here's a series to show you what a pro he is already.

First time Owen held Olivia in the hospital.

Big kisses from big brother.

Owen, Olivia and Meme.
That's one happy boy (and Meme)!

Today we took Olivia to the pediatrician so they could check her weight. She weighed 5 pounds, 11 ounces when she was born, 5 pounds, 5 ounces when we left the hospital (so tiny!) and 5 pounds, 7 ounces today. We're moving in the right direction! Dr. Blair said she looked great and said she should gain about an ounce a day, so she'll be a whopping 6 pounds by the end of next week. Olivia's Meme and Papa bought her a few preemie outfits and it's a good thing because her newborn outfits swallow her! I put a little newborn outfit on her yesterday that had a top and shorts and the shorts didn't even touch her waist. Oh, my! She is a petite little thing, but she has long, skinny feet and fingers. Hopefully she'll grow into them. We've decided she could be a great pianist, typist and point guard someday. For now, her long fingers serve as the perfect appetizer/pacifier when she gets hungry.

Jacob's mom (Meme) is staying with us this week. I had to laugh at her last night. She told Olivia she couldn't wait for her to call and talk to her on the phone. Meme said, "I'll buy you a cell phone if you'll call me." I thought that was cute. My mom and step-mom will be spending some time with us next week , so we'll have to see what kind of offers they have for this little girl. :)

We are feeling blessed beyond words to have two healthy babies home and sweet friends and family helping us adjust and welcome little Miss Olivia. God is so good.

Olivia's Story: Her Own Birthday

First of all, let me say we are doing great and so excited about the newest member of our family!

Olivia is perfect. I'm going to attempt to tell her birth story before I forget, so here we go. We are going to have our hands full with this little girl because she definitely has her own agenda as you will see!

I was scheduled for a C-section on Monday, April 19th at 7:30am. My official due date was April 27th, but they typically schedule inductions one week ahead which just happened to be on Jacob's birthday-perfect! He thought it would be fun to share his birthday with his little girl. Anyway, since we knew when she would arrive I had been diligently working down my "to-do" list (and forcing Jacob to do the same) until she got here. I figured she would be right on time because I had no signs of labor or any symptoms indicating she would come early. We had worked pretty hard Friday night, so I assured Jacob we would rest on Saturday...

Something woke me at 4:50am on Saturday morning-just another bathroom break (or so I thought). Once I got back in bed I realized I was having contractions. I figured they were false labor, so I switched positions and tried to go back to sleep. I think I did sleep a little more, but by 6:50am I was up again. Jacob asked me if I was feeling okay, so I fessed up that I was having contractions and asked him not to be mad if Olivia wasn't born on his birthday. :) I decided to hop in the shower, changing positions again in an attempt to determine if this was the real deal, and Jacob got up, started timing my contractions and began getting ready. Okay, at this point our bags weren't packed-it was on my Saturday list. My contractions were coming every minute and a half and lasting for 30 seconds. We decided a trip to the hospital was in our near future, so Jacob packed our bags and woke up Owen. We had already alerted Jacob's parents, so they were on their way, but we called my parents as we drove to the hospital. At this point I was still having regular contractions and they were getting stronger so I figured it was the real deal but still figured I was only dilated a few centimeters-it had only been about 2 1/2 hours since the whole ordeal had begun.

We arrived at the hospital a little before 9am, parked the car and headed inside. I carried Owen across the parking lot (much to Jacob's dismay, but I liked the distraction) and we found the nurses. After hooking me up to a few monitors and asking a series of questions, Buffy (my nurse-loved her!) checked me and her eyes got really big...I was dilated 7cm! She then went into hyper-speed mode because I needed fluids, etc. before I could be given anything and she didn't want my water to break before I had pain medicine (neither did I). Anyway, after a little discussion we decided to go for a repeat C-section, so we got all prepped and ready. Jacob's parents arrived and took Owen and Jacob and I headed to surgery. At this point, I still didn't have any pain medicine. I'm not sure how dilated I was before I got my spinal for surgery, but I think it's safe to say I was close to a 10 since it took about an hour to get me prepped for surgery.

Miss Olivia made her debut at 10:11am-just a little over an hour from the time we checked into the hospital. She was teeny-tiny, but as spirited as ever and let those nurses know she wasn't happy to be poked and prodded! I was shocked that she was under 6 pounds, but everyone who saw me pregnant wasn't so shocked. I gained the same amount of weight with Owen and Olivia, but Owen was 7 pounds, 1 ounce-Olivia is just petite, I suppose. Olivia looks just like Owen did when he was born. Really, it's so funny. Owen loves her and made comments like, "Wow" and "Love you, 'Livia" so we are confident they will be the best of friends. :)

All the grandparents (a.k.a. the paparazzi) arrived and gave Olivia the celebrity treatment. They then took Owen to eat and back to Russellville where he's been showered with a lot of attention while we are all recovering.

We had a lot of visitors yesterday and today which was really fun. We're having fun showing Olivia off to family and friends. In addition to the grandparents, Vanessa, Brent and Laura, Jon and Kristin, Kelley, Jeremy and Ryan, Calvin and Ginger stopped by last night. Today, Nancy and Raymond and Mac, Melissa, Tre and Mya came by to see us.

We can't wait for all of you to meet our new little girl! We think she's pretty great!

Suprise Birthday

Surprise!
Olivia is Here!

She was born this morning at 10:11. She is 19.5" long and weighs an impressive 5lbs 11oz. Thanks to all our friends and family for the help and support.

Sand and Caterpillars

To say Owen is loving the spring/summer weather we've been enjoying would be the understatement of the week. This boy LOVES to play outside-loves it. Owen has been even more eager to be outdoors since his dee-da put sand in the sandbox my dad made for him for his birthday last fall (it didn't make much sense to fill it before winter). Anyway, his first words when he wakes up each morning this week have been, "Go outside. Play in my sand." So, we've been playing outside in the sand and when we were out there yesterday we had a little visitor. This little fuzzy caterpillar was pretty funny to watch. He seemed confused-he knew he was crawling on wood, but it was obviously not a tree with leaves (amazing how I can get into the mind of a caterpillar-it's a rare talent). Owen and I liked watching this little guy crawl all over the sandbox.

Owen was quite intrigued, but definitely did not want the caterpillar in his sand.
He kept a close eye on him.

Owen eventually tired of the little critter, but I watched him until he crawled away to a real tree. I have to say, springtime is pretty wonderful.
It's nice to have some warm sunshine and fresh air after a long, cold winter!
I know my boy agrees!

Happy Birthday, Nana!

We Love you bunches!

Silly Boys

Jacob went on a little guys' trip this weekend, so I invited some of the wives and kids over for pizza. We had fun visiting and watching the kids play. Here is a picture of Owen and Jake being silly. They thought it was great fun to throw toys in Owen's crib and climb in to play with them. I pretty much never get tired of watching them play together-they are too funny!

At one point toward the end of the evening, I walked into Owen's room which was covered with toys and found him singing the "Clean Up" song and working diligently to clear his floor. He was throwing toys in bins and in his drawers all by himself with no prompting from me. Apparently, the mess was getting to him. :) It made me laugh! He sure doesn't seem to mind when there are toys all over my living room!

1 Week to Go!

Sorry my head is cut off-I am not so great with the self-portraits. :)
I can try again later when Jacob gets home, but that's the best I can do for now.

How Far Along: 38 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 25 pounds
Maternity Clothes: Pretty much live in them.

Gender: Girl, Olivia Tonette Hill (Tonette is my middle name-I was named after my paternal great grandmothers: Kathryn Futterer and Tonette Engelsen Lind.) Fun fact: Owen and Olivia will share the initials OTH.
Movement: She's still moving, but she's running out of room. Today Dr. Keller told me she's right up in my ribs. He doesn't think she's going to be very big, but she's about maxed out her current living quarters. It's a good thing she only has to be in there one more week!
Food Cravings: I still want a lot of fruits and sweets, but I really can't eat much at one time because this girl is infringing on my stomach space!
What I Miss: Sleeping and eating normally.
Symptoms: Fatigue
Best Moment This Week: Owen and I had a fun week together. We were able to visit some family and friends and even went to the zoo on Saturday with Jake and Kristin. It was fun to have some quality time with Owen before Miss Olivia gets here. I'm anxious to see how he reacts to sharing the attention.
What I Am Looking Forward To: Holding Olivia! I cannot wait to see who this little girl looks like.

It's crazy to think that I know what the weather will be like when Olivia gets here-we're that close to her arrival! It's supposed to be cloudy with a high of 79, in case you were wondering. ;)

Here's a picture of Owen and the giraffes from our trip to the zoo.
They were so close to the fence it seemed like we should be able to touch them!

The Shoes

Remember this post about these shoes?

Well, look what Meme and Papa got for Miss Olivia...

They are so stinkin' cute! Can't wait to put them on her sweet little feet!

Cool Dudes

Owen and his Grandpa Bruce (my dad) are pretty silly together.
They are definitely two of the coolest dudes I know!

Skype Time

My brother and SIL have been living half-way around the world for about a year now. We have been blessed to talk to them and see them regularly through Skype. God has even cultivated a special relationship between Owen and his uncle and aunt via the computer. Recently, Joe and Amberley moved into a new apartment which pretty much cut off their internet access for about a month. It wasn't so fun for any of us. Last week they finally were re-connected, so we got to talk to them again! We were all pretty thrilled, but I think Owen was the most excited. He insisted they come into his room and play. He then proceeded to dismiss me from his room-apparently he needed some good, quality time with his Cha Cha Joe Joe and Auntie Ams. Here's a video of him "reading" them a book. It was pretty sweet to see. He did not, however, show Joe and Ams any pictures, so they were left guessing. I'm so thankful for their special relationship with Owen and am also thankful they have internet again!

37 Weeks Down, 2 Weeks To Go!

Pregnancy Highlights
(This picture was actually taken last week at my shower.
Add a pound, but I pretty much look the same.)

How Far Along: 37 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 23 pounds
Maternity Clothes: Yes, but my shirts are getting shorter and shorter it seems.
Gender: Girl, Olivia ('Livia to Owen)
Movement: Yes, she's making me a little more uncomfortable these days and regularly pokes her foot out on the left side of my stomach.
Food Cravings: Candy, fruit and orange juice...but mostly candy. We have had a TON of Easter candy at our house.
What I Miss: Sleep. I was sleeping pretty well up until now, but apparently no more good sleep for me. I can't fall asleep very easily and once I do I have to wake up to go to the bathroom a couple times. I suppose I'll be ready for the sleepless nights with a newborn!
Symptoms: Sleepy.
Best Moment This Week: We had a fun, relaxing weekend as a family of three and were able to get more things done in Olivia's room. Owen also talks to Olivia in my belly leaving behind slobber marks on my shirt-he likes to make sure she hears him. :) Also, everyone keeps teasing me about the basketball I have hidden in my shirt. Three people have commented and today at my appointment, the nurse practitioner said, "Well, she's all balled up in there, isn't she?" I do love basketball-more playing and less being shaped like one. :)
What I Am Looking Forward To: Seeing Jacob hold his little girl and seeing Owen's reaction to his new sister. She's going to be here so soon!

I had my check-up today. I will only have one more Dr. visit before Olivia arrives. That's crazy!

Easter!

We've had a pretty relaxing day here at the Hill house. This morning we went to church, had a little Easter egg hunt, then ate some lunch-our traditional Sunday tacos. Here are some pictures from the day.

Owen before hunting for eggs.
He looks pretty excited, don't you think?

Looking for eggs.

The hunt was a success!
Owen was pretty interested to see what was inside all those eggs.
He was happy to discover that most of them contained chocolate.
Thanks Nana and Meme for all the eggs!

I was having a little trouble figuring out what to do this year for Easter. I want us to have traditions as a family, but I was having a difficult time getting into the whole "Easter" spirit. When I was growing up, we usually got a new outfit for church, ate a big lunch, had an egg hunt and received an Easter basket full of goodies-all fun things. However, I don't know what any of those things have to do with Jesus' death and resurrection. I just want to make sure I don't get so caught up and stressed with the commercial aspects of Easter that I forget to convey the real reason we celebrate. After a little research (very little), I discovered that the reason eggs are associated with Easter is because they symbolize new life. I like that. We can keep the egg hunt as long as we explain why there are eggs involved at all. We did that today. It was a short and simple explanation for our 2-year old, but it was important to me to share the meaning. Anyway, we didn't go overboard with traditions this year, but I've got a few ideas for next year that will help make the celebration meaningful and significant without getting lost in all the pastels and candy. I have to share one of my favorite traditions a couple we know does for Easter each year. Ryan sets up a tent in the living room on Saturday night and when his kids wake up in the morning, he excitedly exclaims, "It's empty!" I think it's so funny and clever-the perfect way to grab their attention and give him an opportunity to share the story of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection.

On another note, Easter Sunday (about 12 years ago) was the day I made a decision to accept Jesus' forgiveness and gift of eternal life. So, today is my spiritual birthday, in a sense. :)

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. John 11:25-26

Little Boys Love...

Owen got a few fun things yesterday. I found this backpack on sale when a local store, Three C's in a Pod, was celebrating its 3-year anniversary. I think it turned out pretty cute! Owen wore it out of the store and wanted to wear it in his car seat. In this picture he was showing his bag off to Jacob. He and his Dee-da watch a show on Saturday mornings called Jane and the Dragon, so he was excited to show Jacob his new dragon backpack. He even ran to his room and got some books to put in it-I'd say he likes it!


Owen's Nana, Grandpa David and Uncle Cade sent him an Easter package yesterday. There was candy, eggs, coloring books, and a bug catcher inside. We had to find a bug before we could take a bath. The bug then watched Owen bathe which I'm sure was a new experience for the beetle!

We hope you are enjoying this Good Friday! We're looking forward to a beautiful Easter Sunday!