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!