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

#29 FOR REAL

Indoor Rock Climbing

Ever since I attended orientation with my dad at Baylor, I knew I wanted to climb The Rock before I graduated. I talked about it with my friend Kristen, but never did it. We had made a list of things we wanted to do in Waco/at college before we graduated. *Hahaha, Are you seeing a trend in my personality?* At any rate time passed and the list was forgotten, maybe tossed aside to make room for parties & other college activities. Graduation came & went without a single attempt to climb. I knew if I was going to do it, I had to put it on my 30 Under 30 list. Ryan & I went down for the Baylor vs OU game (which we WON!!!!) and I took the opportunity to tackle The Rock!! Ryan was an excellent photographer since he had no desire to actually climb.

They lent me shoes. I always wondered about that!

"Kurt" from Glee was explaining what to do...

...I was making sure I understood.

I was reassured that this knot could hold an elephant. What was he implying?!?!

Here I go!

I was done at this point. The older I get the more I like being on the ground. I made it pretty far for my first time climbing!

Coming down was my favorite part!

So I finally conquered The Rock! I'm glad I was able to accomplish this.

The Rock

Here are some facts about The Rock, that I pulled off of Baylor's website

The Rock


- 52 feet

- Tallest free-standing climbing structure in Texas

- Bouldering, top-rope, and lead-climbing

- Instructional courses from beginner to advanced

This is before they added the grips & tape

#28

Take at least 1 picture of Ryan & I every month


Mark this as complete! My main goal was to have different pictures to chose from when I went to pick our Christmas Card pics and to document what we did throughout the year. I did it, now to print & organize them.... ha! I've printed all my pictures up to April 2011. That's not bad, considering prior to that I hadn't printed pictures since our wedding 5 years ago. My goal is really to print them every month so I don't get behind...maybe next year!

#25 For Real!

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


So this one has 2 parts. I can't volunteer without finding a facility & I couldn't find a facility without becoming a member of the Delta Hearts of Gold chapter of the Delta Society. Maybe I should explain how we got involved with this in the first place. When Nickel was in obedience school, he did such a great job that the instructor recommended we get certified in the Delta Society so we can go to nursing homes, schools or hospitals to visit with people. Studies have shown that pet partners have such a positive impact on the people they visit, that I wanted to share sweet Nickel with everyone! Here's where you can get more information http://www.deltasociety.org/ about what it is & how to become a Pet Partner. So...Nickel & I went and tested in 2009. He passed & was cleared to visit one on one or small groups. He doesn't like large or loud groups, so this was perfect for him! We never did anything with the certification and it expires in March 2013, so I thought this is the year to get it together!! I joined the local chapter & was mentored on where to go and how it works on a visit. I went to Luella Marrett Elementary School without Nickel to watch another Pet Partner read with 3rd graders. The kids were so cute & it was neat to see hear stories of how they had improved.

Our first visit as a Pet Partners team was to James L West Alzheimer's Center . The normal visit is about 30-45 minutes. Mike, one of the employees, gave us a tour & walked us around introducing Nickel & I to some of the residents. Mike said Nickel did so well that we stayed for an hour and a half visiting each wing. Nickel was exhausted, but loved getting so much attention & treats from everyone! We are scheduled to go every Wednesday afternoon after Thanksgiving! Yay! Also, I went ahead & scheduled Nickel's evaluation in December so we can go ahead with our new certification.

#19...appealed

Go Camping

While I thought I could go ahead & mark this one complete, Terri & Paige appealed it! What?!! Terri has travel trailer and thinks that would count as a more reasonable camping trip. So, the 3 of us are camping in her driveway in the travel trailer sometime soon. HA!! More details to come!

#16 FINISHED!

Read the One Year Bible

Ok, so I thought I could breeze through this since I'm a somewhat fast reader. NOPE!! I did read it fast considering when I started, but I forgot how long the Bible is. We read Daniel, Collosians & Job in church this year, so I didn't reread those. I know we did more, but that's what I actually remembered. I will admit, some of the Old Testament books did get skimmed over but I think that's ok.

I consider myself very lucky that I went to a Christian school growing up and we had a Bible class every year. In 7th grade I had Patti Weaver as my Bible teacher (I think it was 7th grade) and as I was reading through the Old Testament several of her lessons came back to me. My favorite was when the Israelites had to wonder through the desert & rely on God for everything. In class we hiked around campus and were so tired (Well I think Allison & I were exaggerating how far it really was, since it was the same path we had to run in cheerleading...I guess we were trying to feel like the Israelites! We even made up a song, but that's for another time). Mrs. Weaver had place some chips randomly on the path to represent the manna that God faithfully provided. I remember thinking what a fun surprise that was & how God continued to "surprise" the Israelites by providing for them. It's easy for me to read about their journey and say, "Well of course God is going to provide for them. How can they trust him one minute but not the next?" when this is something that I do on a regular basis. Being in real estate, I've learned that I cannot control what or how people react and their responses. If I could, man I'd be rich! I have learned and am continually learning that God has a plan & whatever is meant to be will happen despite what hurdles we are faced with.

#6...again

Take a Cooking Class

Our church offers a cooking class series for women. I'm in Betty Kilpatrick's class and Cathy is one of her helpers in the kitchen. It's so much fun! Betty is a phenomenal chef and I love getting ideas and recipes from her. Cathy got to share her acorn squash recipe, which is my birthday favorite! I love thinking that by sharing these recipes with each other that other families will have traditions and memories made around our class. We only meet 3 times per 6 months, so we're already finished. I think I'll sign up again. The recipe that I'm most excited about is the turkey! I can't wait to try it out .

#12 take 3

hahaha, yes there's a third painting party. Jill & I had a Living Social coupon to paint at Let's Art Party. We went the night before it expired & the class was packed! We didn't have time to eat before we went, so we had a pizza delivered to the studio!

Here's my finished project! There were no straight lines, so of course I loved it!

Here it is hanging (a little crooked) in my Dining Room.

This was someone else's in the class. I loved his colors!

I think Jill took some more pictures with her camera. This was a fun item on my 30 under 30 list, but I think 3 "Original Stef's" are all that will be in my collection!