Home Sweet Home

I have a few minutes until T's next meal so I thought I'd catch you up.  Travis arrived home Friday afternoon around 2:30 pm.  We are so enjoying getting settled in together.  Our love for him grows stronger each day and already cannot imagine life without him.

Getting ready to go home!!

In front of our house.  Notice that these are outfits #2 for T & Mom.  Diaper pee malfunction about 30 seconds after the first pic was taken.  Awesome!

Proud dad!

Smitten mom!

Enjoying some sun with dad.  This is about 2 minutes before T pees on himself for the first time.  Dad got a litttle cocky with the diaper change and T shot pee all the way over his head.

Proud grandpa!

Check out these eyelashes.  They will drive the girlies crazy one day!

Proud great uncle Mickey!

First sponge bath:

Life doesn't get any better than this!

 

Thanks to all of our friends and family for all of the well wishes.  We are so blessed.

Every good and perfect gift is from above.  James 1:17

Travis Brandon Hill - August 25, 2009

Travis arrived safe and sound at 9:12 am on 8/25/09.  He weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 21 inches long.  Will share more about the birth when time allows.  Here are a few PICTURES to tide you over.

We could not be more blessed or be more in love with each other or our little guy.  Thanks so much for the prayers.

XOXO,
Brandon, Gara & Travis

Light at the End of the Tunnel & 38 Weeks

We just got back from our doctor's appt.  Everything looked great and we are set for an induction on Sunday if he hasn't come before then.  My cervix is "favorable" so hopefully an induction will go smoothly.  We ask for prayers as we end this exciting time and look forward to starting the next phase as a family.

How far along?: 38 weeks.  (Technically, 38 weeks & 3 days)
Total weight gain:  Approx. 50 lbs. during the whole pregnancy.  Amazing.
How big is baby?:  About 8.5 lbs.
Maternity clothes?: 100%.  If you are very short, you'd see a few inches of belly at the bottom because nothing is long enough.
Stretch marks?:  Even my stretch marks have stretch marks.
Sleep?: Could be worse.  Just God's way of getting me ready!
Best moment this week?: Learning that T is coming on Sunday if not before.
Food cravings?: Nothing is safe. I will eat anything and everything. :)
Labor signs?: I have been having some "contractions".  I wasn't sure they were really contractions instead of just pains, but the doctor said that they must have been real contractions since I was progressing so nicely.  Yay for favorable cervix.
Belly button in or out?: Flat and very shiny from the stretch.
What I miss:  Feet-free ribcage.  He enjoys sticking them up there in the night.  Very nice.
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting our son for the first time and seeing his beautiful face.  Just marveling in God's most precious gift.
Milestone: Finishing up last minute touches and scheduling the induction!  Baby Elizabeth is here - Kimberly & Tyler welcomed a perfect baby girl on Friday.  Kimberly was amazing, and I look forward to joining her on the flipside.
 
XOXO,
Gara

Elbow Grease

We had several sets of helping hands to help us get things ready for Travis on the weekend of the 14th.  We are so glad we did - it is amazing the amount of stuff that needs to happen before the little one arrives.

Lovey & Pepper were busy in the kitchen.  Pepper brought all sorts of goodies (including homemade chimichangas which are to die for) and Lovey made chicken parmesan and enchilada casserole all for the freezer.  We should be set!!

Grandpa and Travis's great uncle Mickey were also in town.  Mickey is the more managerial, analytical type so we put him in charge of figuring out and executing mom's food saver.  Success.  You should see how small the chimichangas became. 

Pepper had ironing duties & Lovey was busy at the washer & dryer.  We think we did about 15 loads of baby laundry.

Not sure what Mickey was supposed to be "supervising" at this time, but I'm pretty sure he failed. :)

Brandon built and stained a shelf for Travis's room, and he and dad installed it.  It looks so great.  I absolutely love it.

I also contributed plenty and have the ankles to prove it.

It really does take a village to get ready for baby.  We have been so blessed with love and support from so many friends and family during this remarkable time.

Come on out, Travis.  You have so many people patiently (or in Brandon's dad's case - not so patiently) awaiting your arrival.

XOXO,
Gara

T-man's delivery guesses

This is a summary of the guesses that I've received so far including some that I got via e-mail.

UPDATE - I'm deleting you if we go past your date. :)

Katy Smith 8/25/2009 11:41 AM 8 lbs. 8 oz. 22.5 inches
Dawn Jenkins 8/26/2009 3:00 PM 8 lbs. 7 oz. 20.75 inches
Ann Skaer 8/26/2009 8:37 AM 7 lbs. 7 oz.
Jane Campbell 8/31/2009 3:00 PM 8 lbs. 20 inches
Alicia Woods 9/1/2009 5:30 PM 8 lbs. 13 oz. 21 inches
Lovey 9/3/2009 5:45 PM 8 lbs. 4 oz. 22 inches
Aunt Gayle 9/3/2009 9:45 AM 8 lbs. 11 oz. 22 inches
Lindsey Graham 9/4/2009 2:16 AM 8 lbs. 6 oz. 21 inches
GrandPa Sam 9/7/2009 2:23 AM 8 lbs. 3 oz. 26.5 inches
Pepper 9/10/2009 6:38 AM 8 lbs. 9 oz. 20 inches
Lanetta 9/10/2009 7 lbs. 22 inches
Brooke Holland 9/12/2009 7:14 AM 8 lbs. 12 oz. 21 inches

37 Weeks

How far along?: 37 weeks.
Total weight gain: Up several pounds from 10 days ago. Most of it appears to be water weight in my CANKLES.
How big is baby?: 8 lbs. We had our growth ultrasound yesterday. Everything looks great, but if we go full term, he'll be over 9 lbs. Yikes. We meet with our regular dr. next Monday to formulate a game plan. I'm making some progress on my own so it looks like I would be a good candidate for an induction at 39 weeks if that is what we decide to do. Our dr. only delivers one day a week so we may try to schedule it around her or we may hold out for 9/1. We have been praying about this decision for a long time and hope to have some clarity about what is best for us and Travis.
Maternity clothes?: 100%. Only a few of them still fit.
Stretch marks?: Yep.
Sleep?: I sleep pretty good about every 3rd night. The heartburn is still pretty terrible so that hasn't been helping.
Best moment this week?: Seeing our maternity picture proofs. Spending the day doing baby laundry with Pepper & Lovey. Pepper brought over Brandon's coming home outfit and Lovey is going to put some more elastic in the legs so that we can have T's picture made in it. Brandon & my dad (Grandpa) installing T's shelf in his nursery. Seeing Travis's big melon on the U/S yesterday.
Food cravings?: Nothing is safe. I will eat anything and everything. :)
Labor signs?: I don't think I've had any. I keep trying to figure out what a contraction feels like, but I'm pretty sure that since I have to ask, I haven't had one.
Belly button in or out?: Flat and very shiny from the stretch.
What I miss: Sleeping late. I just can't do it anymore. I'm guessing that my best sleeping days are over!
What I'm looking forward to: Getting the nursery complete. The only thing we are waiting on is his name in rope that goes above his crib, and it should be here next Monday. We look forward to doing a tour of the nursery with our new snazzy videocamera once it gets installed.
Milestone: Hitting "Full Term". Getting all the baby laundry done! Lovey, Pepper & Grandpa stocked our freezer with homemade goodies. So awesome to know that we won't starve. :)

Received Arnold the Snoring Pig as a gift for T-man this weekend. It is a riot! I highly recommend it.

XOXO,
Gara

36 Weeks

How far along?: 36 weeks.
Total weight gain: Up a few pounds from 2 weeks ago. Travis is still measuring 2 weeks ahead so I'm still attributing most of the weight to him. :)
How big is baby?: 6-6.5 lbs. We will have a growth ultrasound on the 17th so they will make a guess then.
Maternity clothes?: 100%. Occasionally, I can wear an XL t-shirt of Brandon's on the weekend, but not in public.
Stretch marks?: Yes, yes, and yes. So sad, but I'm not sure how it is humanly possible to avoid them altogether.
Sleep?: Moderately successful. Everything is getting increasingly more difficult including get out of bed for the many pee breaks. I swear Brandon reaches over to give me a gentle nudge in his sleep now.
Best moment this week?: Finishing up all of our classes. We just finished the breastfeeding class last week - it was informative and Brandon was such a trooper!
Movement?: When he has the hiccups, everyone knows it. Makes me happy that his lungs are getting stronger and stronger.
Food cravings?: I made Pepper Steak last night. I haven't done much cooking during this pregnancy, but it was yummy to have a homecooked meal.
Labor signs?: None unless general crankiness is a sign.
Belly button in or out?: Flat.
What I miss: I'm still dreaming about the Potbelly turkey sandwich (hold the onion and oil) that I'm going to have in the hospital.
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing Travis on the ultrasound on the 17th and getting a guess as to his size. Lovey and Pepper are coming over on Saturday to help wash all the baby stuff. Should be fun!
Milestone: Getting the car seats installed and the bags packed. We are ready!

XOXO,
Gara

Only God Knows For Sure...

But, I thought it would be fun to have our family and friends make a guess as to when Travis will arrive and what his stats will be when he gets here. This is also to honor the 29 day countdown!!!

Leave a comment with the following details:

Your Name
Predicted Birth Date and Time
Predicted Weight at Birth
Predicted Length at Birth

Our estimated due date is September 4th.

Happy guessing!!!

Ag Workers Shower

On July 25th, we were blessed to have a couples shower honoring baby Travis at Brandon's dad's office. A bunch of our family and friends attended as did some of the employees. Most of the employees there have known Brandon since he was born and it was so neat to be able to share this special time with them. There were probably 50 or so people in attendance, and we were able to have a yummy bbq catered lunch and super cute cake!! See all the pics here!



A huge chunk of the employees from the company my dad works for were also able to attend. I've known most of them since I was a teeny tiny kid. They are definitely an extended family for me. They've seen me graduate high school, college, and law school plus get married so I'm so glad they were able to be a part of this next adventure too. Grandpa (my dad) got us a camcorder - what an awesome way to remember all of Travis's firsts!



Brandon's dad (Pops) had a chance to welcome all of the guests and flashed this cute pic of Brandon when he was about 4 months old!



Of course, Pops had to get Travis his first rifle. I was happy - I was afraid it was going to be a pony. :) Brandon's mom (Pepper) got T-man his convertible car seat which he will get to use once he is out of the carrier one. Looks like Pepper is going to be looking out for T's safety and Pops is going to be creating mischief. No surprises there.



My sisters' gifts did not disappoint. Sonnet added to the aggie overalls that I had made for Kyler when he was little. What a neat idea and tradition!! Mona had her grandmother make us an aggie quilt complete with pics of us so that T-man would always have us around even if we were gone.





Lovey made Brandon a "Dad's Diaper Duty" apron filled with all sorts of necessary items including goggles, mask, gloves, tongs, and a "wee shield". It was hilarious!



I think this might have been Lovey & Pepper's favorite gift!



We got an amazing amount of loot including tons of handmade stuff which I just love. A ton of the employees went together for this mountain of diapers and wipes. Brandon and I are hiding a huge portion of it. I said that this should get us the whole way through and everybody just laughed at me. Apparently not!!!



In my 34th week, I currently win all belly battles. :) Here I am with our great friend, Katy, who is the tiniest 26 week pregnant person ever, and here I am with Brandon's little brother, Uncle Blake. Hmmm, not sure about that one...





Here is a pic of Granddaddy (Brandon's mom's dad) - he will be Travis's great-granddad. So awesome that T will get to know several of his greats.



AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST - THE WHOLE FAM-DAMILY!



Pops, Nana, Pepper, Brandon, Gara, Lovey, Pop, Grandpa

Just 8 of the many people anxiously awaiting T's arrival. We have the most amazing and supportive families EVER!

Weekly doctors visits start on Friday!

XOXO,
Gara