And I Thought Labor Was Hard...Turns Out That Was the Easy Part!

Wow, Harrison is two weeks old already! Time is just flying by. The day he was born almost seems like a distant memory...almost... :)

Now to the real stuff....This taking care of a newborn is no walk in the park, people. As if the final months of pregnancy weren't rough (i.e. haven't had a solid 8 hours of sleep since I don't know when thanks to a bladder the size of a walnut and a belly the size of a watermelon), when I'm finally physically able to comfortably sleep through the night, the new member of our family needs to be fed every 3 hours and as of late, doesn't like to go to bed till about 1 AM.  I better get used to it, huh? :)  Lucky for me, I'm not alone in this new stage of life, and Adam is doing an excellent job as head of the night shift clean up crew (i.e. diaper changes while I try to squeeze in an extra 3 minutes of sleep before Brittney's Milk Bar opens for business).

Don't let this angelic face fool you, this kid has a set of lungs and isn't afraid to use them!

Yes, I know 95% of you who read this have already experienced this newborn thing, so basically...this is for you, Fred and Erin. :)

Now that I got the worst of it out, there are many more happy moments than frustrating moments in our household, although sleep deprived moments outweigh them all. Harrison had his 2 week check up this afternoon and he weighed in at 9 lbs! He is growing like a champ! His gas smiles are the cutest and even when poop literally shoots across the bathroom at me and I narrowly dodge a messy bullet, he's still such a little cutie, I can't complain. :)

And you guys think you live in a small town...it turns out that there was another Harrison Hill born two days after our little man in Bellingham! We have to be careful because we see the same doctor and they just about mixed up our lab work today.  What are the chances!! Luckily, they have different middle initials...phew. Can the town of Bellingham handle two Harrison Hills?? We'll find out!

Adam has been busy completing various arts and crafts projects including this...

2 weeks isn't too early to start gently reminding him which college he'll be attending right??

Although if he wants to see a winning football season, he might try CWU :) I know there are plenty of Wildcats that read this blog, so he'll be in great company....

You may be wondering how the 4 legged family members are handling the newest addition... I'm not sure if Dudley even notices a difference, to be honest.  Gracie on the other hand, is very much enjoying the opportunity to cuddle all day long. She is loving it!

She also keeps an eye on her new baby brother...

Thanks again for all of the congrats on little Harrison, we'll be making the tour across the mountains soon to introduce him to all of our Yakima family and friends.

A Very Special Announcement

Welcome to the world, Harrison Foster Hill!

Harrison made his grand entrance on September 11th, 2012 at 12:30 AM through a fast and fascinating journey. (Side note: fascinating was Adam's choice of word, I have a few other select words that describe the 4 hours prior to his birth...)

I won't get into the super nitty gritty details, but the bullet point version goes like this.  I thought my water broke early Monday morning, but we weren't 100% sure.  After a few tests and an afternoon walk around the park, it was determined that there really was a rupture and that we needed to get labor going to reduce any risk of infection.  I had been having a few mild contractions throughout the day, but they were very mild, I didn't even realize what they were till they were halfway over.

The midwife suggested I take a dose of castor oil to start intestine cramps, which often cause uterine contractions.  We sent Adam to the store to pick it up (after very specifically explaining the difference between castor oil and Castrol oil...I did not need an oil change, thanks!)  Actually drinking the stuff was an ordeal all in itself and I'll be happy if I never have to ingest it EVER AGAIN! So....after a while, lets just say, the castor oil did it's job and contractions really began to pick up.  At about 8:45 PM, I was no longer able to talk through the contractions and really had to start focusing.  Adam called the midwife and she said she would meet us at the birth center.

On another side note: you remember certain little details after everything calms down that make you smile.  Like, how I knew Adam picked out clothes for me to wear to the birth center and it consisted of head to toe WSU gear.  :)

The drive down to Mt. Vernon was, as you can probably imagine, not super enjoyable for anyone in the car.  I apologize now for the constant opening and closing of the sun roof every 3 minutes for the entire 45 minute car ride...

We finally made it to the birth center about 11:00 pm and quickly realized this was going to be no ordinary delivery when we discovered we were locked out.  The midwife called another midwife in the practice and she quickly delivered another set of keys, but not before Adam's parents pulled up into the parking lot while I was mid-upchuck (thanks again, castor oil).  Not my best moment...

We made it inside and everyone was super supportive as I moved from the bed, to tub, to birth stool.  Badda bing, badda boom - Harrison was born after about 20 minutes of pushing at 12:30 weighing in at a whopping 8lb 9oz, a full four long hours after my contractions really got going.  So as you can imagine, he had a little bruising around his face.  I'm not sure why he wanted out so fast, I thought I was doing a pretty darn good job of housing the kid, but he had different ideas apparently.

Since both Harrison and I were happy and healthy, we were able to drive home around 4:30 that morning!

The past few days have just been a wonderful whirlwind, learning the ups and downs of taking care of a newborn.  Harrison is an awesome nurser and a decent sleeper...sometimes he just doesn't want to fall asleep! :) Who can blame him though, there is a lot to ponder in the middle of the night...

Just two guys, hanging out...

It's obviously very tiring being 2 days old and all....

Loving being held by Aunt Tay

Our little happy family.

Thank you everyone for all the love! We can't wait to introduce Harrison to you all!  A special thanks to my Mom who stayed with us for a few days, filled our fridge with delicious food for the next 3 weeks, gave us personal baby 101 lessons, and gave us a few much needed sleeping breaks in the early AM hours. Love ya!!!

House Hunting and Attack Deer

So this past week, we have gotten a little more serious about looking at houses for sale in town.  On Saturday, we met a real estate agent named Dan, and he showed us three different houses.

Let's talk about Dan a moment.  A mechanical engineer by trade, 5'8", 220 lbs, the three most fashionable S's you can combine (socks, shorts, and sandals), and a button-up shirt in which a few buttons looked like they were hurtin' to stay sewn in. He also drives a brand new black Cadillac STS. He was quite proud of his recent upgrade from the '07 model, which didn't quite have the power the new one does... A picture of paradoxes, that man was. Despite his Bellingham-esqe attire, Dan was very nice and helpful in telling us more about the city and neighborhoods we were interested in.

Now back to the houses...The first two were OK, but not really what we were looking for.  The third one literally scared me. I'll explain.

There are areas of Bellingham that are still pretty rural, even though there are houses and neighborhoods.  The third house was in such an area.  We were looking out through one of the side windows and Adam points out a mama deer and two babies (yes, I still consider them babies, even though they probably weighed about 200 lbs.).

See them in the back yard? Pretty cool from far away......

I thought, "Oh cute, they are eating some berries in the side yard!" And then I thought nothing more of it until we went to look at the back yard and the deer had wandered into the yard, quietly eating grass and shruberry, minding their own business.

We started to walk to the detached garage when the mama deer decided we were a little too close for her comfort and made the oddest sound I have ever heard...a funny sort of snort, and Adam claimed her nostrils immediately got snotty (the things you notice...).  At this point, I decided to head my pregnant self back up the stairs to the deck and watch from above (if I could have ran, I would have, but it was more of a wobble/waddle.  Adam wouldn't admit it, but he scooted pretty darn fast into the garage, he claims because he really was interested in seeing the garage...I think he just didn't want to get snotted on by an angry mama deer (which I don't blame him).  Dan, who we determined makes a much better real estate agent than wildlife tour guide says, "I've never heard anything like that, Adam." Dan also hunts (well, if you want to get technical, and Dan apparently did, he is actually a soccer player who would go on hunting trips with his brother, but not actually hunt, only enjoy nature). Hmm.

After a few more snorts, the deer family meandered their way back to the side yard, across the street, and off to wherever they were headed next.

The angry deer will definitely be taken into consideration should we make an offer on this house.

Hopefully we'll see a few more places soon! We'll keep you posted!

P.S. The nesting may have begun as I made an apple crisp today from an apple tree in our front yard.  I felt very domestic. And it was YUMMY!!!!!

Hello Fall!

Hi all!

Time for a quick update! No baby yet, but we had a great "labor" day! :)  We spent the weekend soaking up some sun in Hansville and enjoying our last long weekend just the two of us, plus some high quality family time with the Hills.

Only 4 weeks to go!!

Gracie enjoyed some sushi.

...and shellfish...this girl knows how to eat!

Dudley's just happy to be back on the beach...we like it because we can see him from long distances...

Only about 2.5 weeks left at work, and baby Hill could be here any day, pretty much!! We are sooooo looking forward to the addition to the family!

Some of you may be wondering about a big part missing in this blog post.  We are so sad to say that we lost a member of our little fur family a few weekends ago.  Tom was our first little love child and we miss him so much.  So many of our memories involve that porky little puggle, but we can see little bits of Tom's personality coming out in Gracie, so we think a little bit of his spirit is still hanging around. :) Don't worry, he'll have an entire blog post devoted to him in the future, but it's a little tough for us to look back at pictures just yet.  Thank you for all of the caring support through the hardest loss of our life together.

I'll try to keep a little more current on the posts, especially as we get closer to the big arrival!! :)

~Brit and Adam

Almost Ready for Baby!

Hi everyone,

A few weekends ago, a lovely baby shower was thrown in honor of little baby Hill and it was soooo awesome to see everyone!! This kid has many friends and family awaiting his arrival!!

Taylor did an amazing job at planning the whole thing, down to the water bottles and hand-frosted cookies (which I'm still working on making disappear from my freezer)! Everything looked incredible!! A HUGE thank you to her and also my Mom and Grandma for helping prepare for the shower.  It was a great success, and I was thoroughly exhausted after a long day of visiting, present opening, game playing, and of course...eating! :)  A special Thank You to my Aunt Judy for traveling all the way from San Francisco to attend!!!

Enjoy a few pictures!!

Look at that spread!! YUMMY!!!!! I must say, my absolute favorite was the marshmallow cream cheese...Tay knows how to keep the pregnant lady happy!! And I got the leftovers....woo-hoo!!!

Water...good to have to wash that marshmallow cream cheese down....

Games and gifts!! Thanks to everyone who played the "Guess how big around Brittney is" and guessed smaller.. :) 

Yeah....it was a long day...not sure what is better though...this picture with my eyes closed or ALL THE OTHER PICTURES with my right eye only half way open....pregnancy does some crazy things, I tell ya....

There, that's better...Although, I don't know why I was the one with the "man pose" and Adam didn't have his arm around me....

And of course, the always appreciated "Toddlers & Tiara's" pose with the happy grandparents to be.

Covering the major Washington Universities in this picture.  Harrison is gonna have some big decisions to make in about 18 years....Thanks for the great shower, Tay!!  

Thanks to our family and friends, we actually feel like we could be prepared to welcome a baby in the next few weeks (!!!).  Still so hard to believe, but he'll be here before we know it and we can't wait to introduce him to you all!

As for non-baby related news, a big congrats to a fellow accounting couple, Fred and Erin, that finally made it official last weekend and tied the knot!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!  We are happy, happy, happy for you!!!! (I'm still mad at Macy's for not including my super awesome gift note with your gift, though).  Next month, (although we won't be able to attend), the trifecta of married accounts will be complete and our future plan to take over the world will commence, one debit at a time....well, with the corresponding credit, of course... :)

Our summer is still going full steam ahead and although we have had so much fun staying busy and seeing friends and family this summer, we are looking forward to a few quiet weekends before the baby gets here. But first, we have a fun weekend planned with Kerry and Mike and then Labor Day in Hansville with the Hill family, our last big hoorah as a 2 person, 2 puggle, 1 ancient white beagle family...

As always, thanks for reading!!! :)

Soaking Up the Sun

This last weekend, we stayed classy on our visit to Kahlotus...

Our own little oasis.

It was HOT!!! As you can see, I originally was in Taylor's spot, but decided that after Gracie took a little swim and the water turned a considerably browner shade, I'd be better off sitting on the side and enjoying the view from there... :)  The pool kept everyone one cool for a few hours.  It felt just like an all inclusive resort.  Pool, drinks, sunshine...what else do you need??

We (meaning mostly Mom and Taylor) spent some time getting ready for the baby shower next weekend baking up a storm. As unofficial taste tester, you guys won't wanna miss out on this!!!

The dogs enjoyed the warmer weather too...

Gracie is growing bigger and bigger and can pretty much hold her own against Tom. She also knows the command "sit." She's a quick one!!

Tom, who also grows bigger and bigger, doesn't look too cuddly in this photo, but I promise he is still as cute as ever.  He has also mastered the sit/stay command! They grow up so fast.....

Dudley gets whiter and whiter, but continues to keep on truckin' through life.  He has NOT learned any new tricks.

We've been receiving a few baby gifts here and there and we are oh so grateful for all of the generosity and love coming from our family and friends.  Every day we feel a little bit closer to being somewhat prepared for baby....

New baby carrier...Thanks Tony! :) I would have tried it on, but the whole watermelon sized belly thing kinda stopped me...

Hopefully we'll see most of you next weekend at the baby shower/BBQ! I think it might finally set in that in less than 2 months we'll be welcoming our little guy into the world...but as of right now, I just cannot imagine it! :)

Hi everyone!!!! Computer is finally up and running and I can update you with everything that's been going on...settle in, folks, this could be a long one....

Where do I begin?? Today marks Baby Hill's 32 week gestation birthday!!! So on the early end, he could be here in as little as a month or so! Wow, it's gone by fast and yet, I feel like I've been carrying around this pregnant belly for some time now.  The way he moves around, I'd swear he's already big enough to come out...but he can't, has to cook a little big longer. :)  He has quite the sense of humor in that kicking my ribs while I'm trying to fall asleep seems to keep him quite entertained...

This was actually taken  a few weeks ago, but I don't think I've changed much the last week or so....and that's my glass of chocolate milk.  Take THAT heartburn!

Nursery sneak peak...I'll take better photos soon...we are almost done with it!!! :)  Those are little giraffes on the rocking chair.  I chose the fabric and reupholstered it all by myself!!  That sewing machine is getting some heavy use! :)  Thanks, Mom, for helping us paint and shop!

Our newest family member, Gracie, is a tornado of energy and enthusiasm.  She runs, jumps, and plays like she's a full grown puggle! She now has no problem jumping up on the couch, so Tom has resorted to the bed to get away from her.  I think he goes there to collect his thoughts and get a little rest without his Mini-me pouncing on his head or chewing his tail.

"They call me Screws Loose Gracie!!!!!"

Of course, their relationship isn't all chaos and energy....

Puggle Snuggles!

Since it's been nice out lately (70's), we try to let the dogs out to get some fresh air...unfortunately, Tom has taken on the roll of Elmer Fudd and continues to chase rabbits across our yard and into the field next to us.  This usually isn't a problem, until he gets stuck in the heavy overgrowth and can't find his way back out...We attribute this to stubbornness and/or slight stupidity...we are working on it... :)

Believe it or not, we've been feeling a little more a part of the community... We took a birth class the last few weeks (which, believe me, is a full post in itself), and actually met a few other couples having babies in the next few months that we could actually see ourselves hanging out with in the future. The birth class itself included drawing lots of "birth art" (Adams favorite...which color feels most alive to you?!?) visualization, acting out late labor contractions (the birth coach, NOT me, so don't ask for a reenactment), and much more "right brain" activities.  Luckily for both Adam and me, we could always count on a snack halfway through. :)  The other couples all had great senses of humor, so for the most part, it was entertaining.  The priceless looks the of the dads when the instructor pulled out a postpartum pad the size of a sleeping bag made the entire course worth it.. :)  We did learn a few "left brain" important things, such as pattern of contracts to look for, breathing and pushing exercises, some birth lingo...All I can say is when little man is ready to come out, it's gonna be a roller coaster ride and Adam better not hog the soaker tub at the birthing center. :)

In the travel department, we've had our share of adventures.  A few weeks ago, we went to Dallas to visit some friends for a long weekend of pool time and summer sun, since we hadn't been getting much at our place.  Oh, it was so great! I thought for sure I'd be wanting to sit in the air conditioned house for the whole time, but the heat didn't bother me as much as I'd expected.  I witnessed 2 grown men dancing to Britney Spears on the Kinect dance video game, so I'd call it successful...Adam was soooo successful at it, he ripped his pants...It was so nice to rest and relax next to the pool, enjoy the weather, and not get woken up at 5 am by two hungry puggles!  Tay and Kellen were nice enough to watch the dogs while we were gone, although from the texts we got, it may be the last time they do...all thanks to Captain Soft Ears Dudley and his musical beagle bark.  I'm sure they have some entertaining stories from that weekend....If you guys are up for the challenge, we need another dog sitter in November... :) Any takers??

Well, I'd better get back to my Olympic viewing...those male volleyball players can't cheer themselves on!! :)  We'll keep everyone posted on our adventures the next few weeks, we have a lot going on! :)