our newborn

if i could just bottle as much of this newborn-ness as possible

18 months

ellers is a year & a half old! (almost 19 months now)

she is one happy kid. wants to sing, read, be outside, play itsy bitsy, help me with chores, man handle her sister coco, & talk to her friend bobby (whoever that is) on the phone or her hand or a tupperware up to her ear. she can say a lot but we're still working on uncle. it would make a lot of ppl happy. haha. our jellybean is content to entertain herself & for the most part, us too.

...when she's not honing her new art of tantrums. it's nothing bad yet, more like stubborness here & there. she easing us into it but it's on the horizon.

this is how she smells flowers. you so much as mention the word flower & she blows her nose @ them & says, "mmmmm!" with a grin on her face. :)

notice the fat lip & the bit of snot running down her pretty little face. clearly her daddy & gpa took these pictures unchapperoned.

she sure loves her papa bear. they go on walks & tell each other stories & look for birds & planes & superman.

thanks gpa!

hospital stay

i know, right? too scrumptious!

we had a lot of visitors & austin slept on the pull out chair in my room. he was beyond exhausted from traveling but insisted on staying at the hospital. he left every night to put ellery down at my mom's & with all her visits ellery practically lived at good samaritan too. (quick shout out to them: best hospital EVER) ellery loved seeing aust & cossette but every other visit she was not thrilled with me. :(

sisters!

cossette kelly hill

cossette kelly hill

july 24th, 2010 4:34pm

7 lbs 3 0z & 19"

welcome baby girl! we are so glad you're here!

long version: the chief was in florida for work & i went to my baby dr. for a routine appointment, where i was shockingly told that if i wanted to make it to friday for my husband to be there i needed to put myself on bed rest. say what?! it was wednesday, i was at a 5, & i was only 36 weeks along. they swore baby was fine but i wouldn't technically be full term til that sunday so i was quite nervous about that.

after much debating we decided not to fly him home but that i would 'be good' & wait. scary decision to make. ellery & i stayed with my mom for the next couple days where my cousin genie, my little brother michael, & the 'rents took care of everything all the while chanting that we could make it to friday. just make it to friday!

it took tropical storms, missed layovers, delayed & canceled flights, being rerouted to SFO, & me just about having a nervous breakdown before austin was home safe & sound. at 2 in the morning. on saturday. *another tx to michael for driving the trek to & from san fran to bring me my husby

i literally could not have made it another day. we went to the hospital at about 1:30pm. this is where they tried not to laugh in my face while they told me, 'you haven't changed at all, sweetie, you're probably not in labor, & we'll give you an hour then send ya home'. i felt like a freaking moron.

at 3:00 they came into the room with discharge papers & left paging the doctor & with me feeling not quite as stupid. it went fast, Fast, FAST! at about 4:20 they gave me an epidural & cossette came at 4:34. at about 4:35 the epidural started working. awe-some. :)

she is perfect. all is amazingly well, let alone for a preemie. we really are overwhelmingly grateful.

locks of love

i was starting to look like a big love mormon.

(being pregnant didn't help)
so genie cut off 15 inches,

& we sent it in to locks of love.

& while short hair is not my look, anything is an upgrade.

nesting

& who wouldn't hire this happy helper?!?!

first allergic reaction :(

long story short:

i have mass amounts of sympathy for anyone humongous pregnant.

i have mass amounts of sympathy for anyone with red hot, itchy, bumpy hives all over their puffy body.

i have mass amounts of sympathy for anyone dealing with either of these in hot july weather.

i am calling in some sympathy this week because i fit all of the above.

& am feeling super comfortable & attractive.

happy 4th

i was bitter that the 4th was on sunday but we had awesome food & company, we just missed out of my favorite part: fireworks. the 4th of july is hands downs my favorite holiday. hope ya'll had a blast!

family bbq

rockin' independence day dessert!  

our trio

'sweeeeeeng!'