I believe I mentioned in our last post that I had a doctor's appointment the next day and we'd see what the doctor had to say...turns out she said I was dilated to 4 cm and she was admitting me to the hospital! That was at about 2:00pm, Thursday the 25th. Of course I had driven myself to the appointment because Billy was at work and mom was home with Alexa, so I called both of them and Billy was able to leave work early and pick mom and Alexa up (as well as my bag for the hospital!) Meanwhile, at the hospital, they got me checked in and went ahead and hooked me up to some pitocin to help things along. Mom, Billy, and Alexa arrived around 3:30. Mom entertained Alexa in the waiting room while Billy stayed with me, and at 5:45 pm (EST), our little 7 lb 1 oz 19 inch baby boy arrived! As most of you know, we named him William Brody Hill (William after my dad and Billy) and plan to call him Brody. We've attached some photos and will update with even more in the days to come.
Alexa had done really well and it is so cute to see her interact with him! I could go on and on about how amazing these last few days have been, but for now, I'm just going to post these photos and check on my sleeping son!
Only five more days until my due date! I know babies arrive whenever they want, and he could be early or late, but it's really hard for me to believe that the time is now so close! I find myself having a hard time focusing on anything other than the impending arrival of my son and finally getting to meet this little person! (I'm sure that excitement would be the same even if I wasn't outgrowing my maternity shirts and actually had shoes to fit my swollen feet) However, I am glad he's held on this long since my mom arrives Tuesday and my dad will be here on Friday, and I'm looking forward to the visit with my parents as well as the extra help! Alexa is still doing well--she is at such a cute age right now and keeps us entertained constantly! (I know these stories are much more entertaining to a parent, but I'm going to share them anyway!) She has gone to my last two appointments with me since Billy was at work and tells everyone (nurses, people in the waiting room, etc) that her baby brother is in my tummy. At my last visit, the nurse asked Alexa if she could have her baby brother. Alexa studied her very seriously for a moment, then responded, "Noooo."On the 14th, we finally had a chance to go to a local church. We told Alexa the day before that we were going to go to Sunday School the next day and she was so excited, she didn't want to go to bed that night. We had found the church in the newspaper and then looked at their website, but really had no idea what to expect. When we arrived Sunday, we were shocked at how HUGE it was! It's comparable to some of the large churches in Houston, which are much bigger than anything Billy and I are used to. Luckily, they had a welcome center to help us figure out where to go. Alexa was all smiles and twirling in her new spring dress that her Aunt Misty had bought her, and the lady at the welcome center asked her how she was doing. She stopped twirling momentarily and said in her loudest voice, "I want to go to Sunday School!" They showed us where her classroom was and even though she had never been there before, she waltzed right in and started playing-no tears, no hesitation! Everyone was really nice and they encourage small groups so the church does not seem so large.Anyway, I finally took some photos of the house with furniture--it's still not completely unpacked and the house is not clean in these photos, but the lighting is best in the day, and with an eager two-year old who loves to play, the house never looks clean during the day! :)
I've also included a few photos of Brody's room-still a work in progress since there is nothing on the walls, but I figure he won't be too concerned about that! His closet is so cute with the tiny clothes hanging in it and all the blankets and shoes and little hats!
And lastly, there are photos of Alexa "practicing" being a big sister! She loves her babies and takes them everywhere with her (literally--she even pushed one of her babies in one of her little strollers to the park).
We're still waiting for Billy's "permanent" orders, but they say this week (it could be a very eventful week!) so hopefully my next post will contain the info that his orders have indeed began and include photos of the newest addition to our family!!
Despite my good intentions, three weeks have passed since I last posted an update! It's hard to believe how quickly the last three weeks have passed, and yet even harder to believe that in three more weeks, I will either be one day past my due date, or holding my son!
So, to update you on the last three weeks...Billy and Chad (our brother-in-law) arrived safely on April 26th. I had my first doctor's appointment and toured the hospital maternity ward on April 27th. On the 28th, our furniture arrived and my brother came up to help the guys unload it. They had everything moved either into the house or the garage by that evening! Chad had to fly back to Salt Lake City on Saturday and we spent the rest of the weekend (and all of last week) trying to find a place for everything!Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, let me just say thanks again to all of our wonderful friends, family, and neighbors who helped us pack!! Your help was so appreciated and everything arrived safely!!
As you can see by the photos below, Alexa is enjoying playing at the neighborhood park as well as at the much larger playground on Ft. Jackson!
She also had a great time during her stay with Aunt Misty and Uncle John, playing with Bruiser (yes, he's a YORKIE!), blowing bubbles, and of course, making brownies!! (good thing she doesn't get spoiled!)
As for our other little one, Brody seems to be growing more every day--at least I am! My new doctor had another ultrasound done and as of April 28th, they estimated he was about 5 lbs 14 oz! I think he'll definately be a bigger baby than his sister, who was only 6 lbs 11 oz at birth! I have my appointments weekly now, which really makes the time go by. This past Tuesday, Misty and I painted the nursery and Billy put the crib together, so at least when Brody does decide to make an appearance, he'll have a place to sleep!
As for Billy's orders, we are still waiting on them, but they say we should have them in another 7-10 days. The process just takes so much longer for a reservist to be put on active duty, and apparently, they are doing lots of packets right now. In the meantime, his home unit is allowing him to complete "make-up" days for the two drills he missed (April and May) as well as his two week annual training-all at Ft. Jackson so he can stay here with us!
That's about all for now! I'll try to post more this week with photos of the house-now with furniture, and hopefully with news of when Billy's orders will officially begin!
