Tucker James Hill

Tucker has arrived!!!! He was born on July 14th at 9:27am, weighing 7 pounds 4 ounces and 20.25 inches long. The best moment of my entire life was when he was born. In my previous post I said we'll see if it's all worth it and my thought is...ABSOLUTELY! I admit it, everyone was right! I haven't forgotten all the complications or bad parts of my pregnancy but they don't seem as bad when I look at Tucker.

Our last meal as a family of 2:

We tried to eat at a fancy place, but had to be at the hospital at 5pm & none of those places were open yet, so we ate at Szechuan (our favorite Chinese restaurant).

My fortune:

Needless to say I cried! hahaha

Here he is:

His friend Rudder Mangum came to visit:

 



Our first day at home:

 

 

 



3rd Trimester in Review

Here are my thoughts from my 3rd Trimester (April-July). ***Just a warning, it's pretty honest thoughts!

*9 months is a LONG time to be pregnant

*Being pregnant is much harder than I thought it would be

*Everyone said it's worth it when you see your baby for the first time...my thought is "we'll see about that" ha!

*We're so blessed to have sweet family & friends to throw/attend showers & help us prepare for his arrival

*Braxton Hicks suck! I've had them the whole 3rd trimester along with contractions that were 2-4 minutes apart. Thumbs down for no baby yet

*Still in disbelief that I will actually be able to deliver this baby...is it a real baby or an alient?

*People say I'm glowing. What they're seeing is actually me sweating. It's 100+ outside & I'm burning up all the time.

*I can't get enough watermelon. When Ryan asked what it is I like about watermelon, I replied, "it's so watery & tastes like a candy melon" deep thoughts.... ha!

*I wish I had a sonogram machine so I could see him anytime I wanted.

*The weeks are dragging by, especially since I was put on bed rest for high blood pressure.

*I'm ready to see what our baby looks like! We can't wait to meet him!

Here's a picture of us after our 6th Anniversary dinner outside Eddie V's -

Second Trimester Update

Here were my thoughts at the end of my 2nd Trimester (Jan-Apr):
Project Central at our house! My to do list is a mile long & there's no end in sight. We have painters at our house so everything is in disarray & dusty. The nursery bedding was ordered from someone off Etsy & the furniture has arrived & sitting in boxes. Ryan is so helpful & so far my nesting hasn't driven him crazy yet! He's busy with softball & schola rehearsals

Work is picking up & I'm having trouble concentrating but am very thankful for the buisness! Fingers crossed that the biggest transaction of my career will work out.

The puppies are protective of me & Nickel wanst to check out everything I eat (maybe he's just hungry & clueless :) ha!).

I can't believe I'm 2/3 way done. I love feeling the baby move, but am so ready for him to be here so I can return to my smaller size & normal clothes.

Here is a picture of me in February (mid 2nd trimester) -

Photo Card

Cute Collage Boy Baby Announcements

Birth announcements, Valentine's cards, & invitations by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

This is our birth announcement. I'm trying to find time to address & mail them, but it's a lot harder than I thought it would be!

First Trimester in Review

Man, I was so sick I lost 4 pounds in the first two months! It took me about 14 weeks before I had some energy back & didn't feel sick. By the end of the first trimester I had gained 3 of the pounds back. I had a hard time eating anything with flavor, dry meat, Italian food & fish. I wanted everything to be bland. I loved fried chicken tenders with white gravy, grilled cheese, sausage/breakfast food, OJ & then pb&j - strawberry jelly only.
The best part of the first trimester (besides finding out we were pregnant) was hearing the heart beat for the first time. It was awesome! I starting bawling I was so relieved. The heart beat was so strong & was 155.
We called the baby Pip, which is an orange seed. The size he was when we found out about him. It is truly a miracle that this jelly bean will be a real baby!

Here's a picture of me & the belly at the end of the first trimester:

A lot of my friends are trying to get pregnant or are pregnant already, so it's a lot of fun to be able going through this life stage together.

The Night that Changed our Life

We found out Thanksgiving 2011 that little "Pip" will be gracing our lives. Here's a picture from that night (note my flat stomach, ha):

Ringing in the New Year

 

I can't complain about how we rang in the new year. We were on a cruise with my family that went to Cozumel, Grand Caymans & Jamaica. On the cruise Ryan & I shared that we were expecting a baby!!! They were so excited for us. I was already starting to have a little bump at 8 weeks & my clothes were getting tight. 

Nickel Volunteering

Here are some pictures I took of Nickel when he volunteered at a school for the Delta Society. He did so well & the kids loved him!

I'm in the process of filling out the application/test so we can go back! 

30 Under 30 In Review & #24

30 Under 30 In Review & Leave my 20's in style

Here's my colorful, completed list! I had so much fun this year. It was a great way to end my 20's and begin a new chapter in my life. My favorite things I did this year were (in no particular order):

1. Make & Paint a Piece of Pottery - Michelle & I did this and I had a blast making pottery. It was very relaxing (until I had to paint it) and I left wanting my own potter's wheel! 
2. Host a Formal Dinner Party - It was a blast to eat delicious food and get all dressed up with our friends!
3. Plant & Grow Tomatoes - Now a yearly tradition at the Hill house is planting a garden! Ryan & I love to work on it together.
4. Take a Picture of Ryan & I every month- while some months it was a pain, it's fun to look back & remember our year together.

All in all, I'd say I've left my 20's in style! A lot of people are wondering what I'll do next year & have suggested 31 before 31. Well, I think I've got something better in mind!

#20-21

Sell $6million in Real Estate (20) & Pay off HH Loans (21)

I fell short of my goal, but have positioned myself to meet it next year. I won't have to sell as much overall to make more money since I'm on a higher split with my new company. I'm not disappointed since so much is out of my control & people's circumstances change to prevent them from buying/selling. I know that God is in control no matter how big or small the circumstance is. I believe He won't let me take a leap of faith (by not having a steady salary) and then not provide as long as I'm working hard. His timing is better than what I can plan, so I just have to trust that everything will work out. Guess what...so far it has! It makes me grateful that I'm not in control, there's just so many details in everyone's life that I couldn't account for!!

Since #20 did not happen, #21 could not happen either. HH Loans are Ryan's private student loans from law school. We have paid off about half before 2011 and I was hoping to finish them off in 2012. It's not a total loss, we have set it & Sallie Mae loans up for payments and are making generous payments to the principal each month. HH Loans should be paid off in 2013 and Sallie Mae loans are set up on a special program since Ryan works for the government.

#10

Host a Murder Mystery Dinner Party

Ryan & I decided this would be a good idea for my 30th birthday party. I bought a kit online from DinnerandaMurder.com and the theme was Murder at the Four Dueces which took place in the 1920's. Here's a link for the background story & more info: http://www.dinnerandamurder.com/games/4deuces.htm We invited friends & encouraged costumes and I think everyone had a great time! No one solved the murder, but it could be that there was too much wine flowing to think that clearly. I wasn't feeling that well and ended up having a stomach bug that weekend, so the details are little hazy. I'm waiting on pictures from friends & will post them soon. Here's a short video...excuse the language.

Trevor was murdered.....                               Meredith was starting her investigation!                                            

November Recap

November Recap

So I thought I already published this, oops!

5 days left...Here's my progress:

1. Run a 5k

2. Sew a button on & it stays

3. Blog about 30 under 30

4. Eat Indian Food

5. Master 3 or 4 Greek dishes – Saganki, Passtiso & Moussaka, Baklava

6. Take a cooking class

7. Go to Canton with a friend

8. Plant/grow tomatoes

9. Host a formal dinner party

10. Have a murder mystery dinner party - Scheduled for December 2nd

11. Host a family holiday

12. Paint a painting

13. Make & Paint pottery

14. Get more involved in the community

15. Learn/invest in the stock market

16. Read the One Year Bible


17. Go camping  I will do a second camping trip with Terri & Paige, but we haven't set a date yet.


18. Decide on a hair color

19. Plan & take a cheap weekend getaway

20. Sell $6 million in RE in 2011 – I have some closings set up for November & December and more clients that may be making offers. I will fall short of my goal, but am doing what I need to do to meet this goal next year.

21. Pay off HH Loans - This was directly related to #20. We've paid off about half, but this will hopefully get done by June of 2012. We did get Sallie Mae set up, which was the actual end goal!

22. Get my Broker’s license

23. Get CRS Designation


24. Leave my 20's in style

25. Find a facility & start volunteering for the Delta Society with Nickel


26. Hang a light fixture

27. Add curb appeal to our house

28. Take at least 1 picture of RH & I every month

29. Indoor rock climbing


30. Learn to sew a quilt & apron with Michelle & Jenica