6 hours old and we're in love!

This is Auntie Ann posting for the proud parents...

thanks for letting me brag about the little bundle of joy!

Corrie was amazing throughout the entire labor and delivery. It was so beautiful to watch Phil support Corrie throughout the process and witness them experiencing the miracle of life together.

The nurses and doctors could not stop talking about Corrie's amazing poise and strength. She didn't use any medicine and hardly made a noise until the final contractions.

Clare is taking after her Auntie Ann with a full head of hair at birth.

Phil is a natural! When he first held her, Clare couldn't take her eyes off him. She loves her daddy! (And I think he's pretty enamored by her as well!)

She is perfect! Her skin is so smooth and clear and she has the cutest cubby cheeks!

Daddy loves his little girl!

Baby Hillary is HERE!!

Greetings from The Sunshine State!

We are excited to announce the arrival of our daughter, Clare Ann Hillary.

Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Time: 3:10pm
Weight: 7 lbs, 3 oz
Length: 20 in

Clare's name has special significance because The Hillary family started in County Clare, Ireland. Her middle name, Ann, is in honor of her only aunt on the Durham side... Corrie's sister, Ann. :)

Mommy, Daddy, and Baby are all doing well. We will send more updates and pictures soon.

Who is the REAL prego???

Yes, Corrie is still pregnant. Ann, on the other hand, is NOT. Can you tell who is who? Scroll down for the answer...

Obviously this isn't the answer, but it shows a funny shape that our little girl rolls into every once in a while. My whole body slopes downward, and we think that she must be mooning her daddy. The sister on the right is carrying a full-term baby, and the sister on the left is carrying a full-term watermelon. Unfortunately for Corrie, the delivery won't be as easy as it was for Ann. We all enjoyed her "baby" as a part of our dinner.

My mom and dad arrived today, so we're hoping that our little babe will finally make her grand entrance. Perhaps she was just waiting for Grandpa and Grandma.

Reflections at 4:03 AM

Yes, it really is 4:03 in the morning. I've been awake for over two hours, and I just can't get back to sleep. I just ate a bowl of oatmeal, checked my email (I enjoy all of the little notes of encouragement and comments on our blog posts), and then made a second bowl of oatmeal. Despite my frequent yawns, my mind is spinning too rapidly to fall asleep. So, what is keeping me awake? That's a great question...

I'm going to be a mother within a matter of days, and that is such a HUGE life transition. I've been blessed with a wonderful example, but I still have major anxiety about how I will fill this role. Everyone says that my instincts will kick in, but I still have millions of unknowns swimming through my mind. I'm sure that's "normal," but I also think it's part of what is keeping me awake right now.

My husband, the greatest man I know, is so supportive and encouraging. He's going to be an amazing father, and I've already seen him transition into that role. Phis has made this pregnancy such a blessed time, and I treasure every moment with him.

Here is a list of natural induction methods that we've heard in the last week:
- Eat pineapple (I'm allergic...too bad.)
- Drink raspberry leaf tea (I've gone through half a box in the last few days.)
- Eat spicy foods (Phil added Tobasco sauce to my salsa and Ann added wasabi to my sandwich.)
- Go for walks (My shoes are wearing thin.)
- Take a bath or shower (Well duh...that's kind of a daily routine.)
- Mow the lawn (Phil would kill me if I even thought about it at nine-months pregnant.)
- Walk up and down stairs (I think this strategy would lead me to a heart attack rather than labor.)
- Relax and watch movies (Ann and I have done A LOT of this one.)
- Massage (This is always great...not just a pregnancy thing.)
- Activate pressure points (Tried it...no luck.)
- Eat Eggplant Parmesan (We didn't know where to find any.)
- Drive down a bumpy road (Seriously...does that work???)
- Get a pedicure (Phil gave me an "at-home" pedicure...still no baby.)

- The MOST COMMON suggestion: "What gets the baby in, gets the baby out." (NO COMMENT for this one.)

Okay, it's nearly 4:30 AM now. I may try to crawl back in bed. I think there will be a nap in my schedule for Tuesday. If, however, I go into labor, I will have to add my strategy to the list above: Wake up in the middle of the night, eat some oatmeal, and post a blog. We'll see if that works! :)

Yes, we're DORKS...

That's what happens when you're sitting around and waiting for a baby...you act like dorks! Phil has had the past FOUR days off of work, yet our little girls has shown NO SIGNS of arrival. He goes back to work tomorrow (Tuesday), and Grandpa and Grandma Durham arrive. Maybe she's been waiting for them to get here. Who knows what she's waiting for? We had our second Non-Stress Test (NST) today, and everything still looks good. She is in the right position, she showed a lot of activity, and her little heart was pumping away. We also got to see her on the sonogram, and the doctor and Phil noticed that she has chubby cheeks. I still can't distinguish one thing from another on that stinkin' screen, so I just listen to Phil's reactions. Apparently, everything looks great. I'll just have to wait until I get to see her in person...hopefully SOON!

Fully Baked...40-Weeks...Where's the BABY?

Still no baby! Phil and I were interviewed today, and the following link directs you to the coverage on our local news. Click on the "Play Video" link above our picture.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=86814&catid=8

We had a doctor's appointment this afternoon, and everything is still the same (2 cm. and 50% thinned out). It doesn't look like she will arrive tonight, but mother nature knows best.

My sister, Ann, is in town while we await the big arrival. She is taking GREAT care of me, and it makes Phil happy to know that I'm not home alone. I love having my sister here, and Little Squirt loves having her Auntie Ann here.
Phil LOVES kissing his daughter, and she always jumps when she hears his voice and kisses.
We've been trying EVERYTHING under the sun to "naturally induce" labor. The walking, spicy food (tabasco sauce mixed with salsa...pictured below), complete relaxiation, raspberry leaf tea, pressure points, and other methods haven't proved successful yet. Soon enough...

We will pass along the news as soon as we have some. Thanks for all of your support and encouragement. :)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

Today, August 6th, is my mom and dad's 31st anniversary! They've set an amazing example of how to build, nurture, and sustain a loving marriage. I've been richly blessed by their love story, and I can't wait to see where they'll be in another 31 years. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!!!

Today also marks the anniversary of my other "mom and dad." Pam and Tom Huissen are celebrating 20 years of marriage, and they have also been positive role models in my life. I'm so thankful for the role they have played in my life and the influence they have had on me.

Every year, on August 6, my parents and the Huissens share dinner together to celebrate their combined anniversaries. Therefore, I would like to wish them:

"Happy 51st Anniversary!"

39-Weeks and GETTING READY!!!

Today marks 39-weeks, so we are just one week away from our official due date. WOW! We spent the day doing some final preparations: assembling the stroller and swing, practicing with the carseat, and making one more trip to Babies 'R' Us. Doesn't my belly look funny? It really looks like I swallowed a watermelon, and it kind of feels like that too.
Phil was the handyman, and he put everything together. It will be even more exciting when there's actually a baby inside all of these contraptions.
Do I look like a natural? I may feel differently when I'm carrying a baby versus a teddy bear.

Tragedy Strikes!!!

After THREE years of growing this pineapple (and transporting it from Phil's old house to our current house), it was brutally attacked by an armadillo. As you can see, it is beautifully ripe. Phil patiently waited for it to reach its peak, and it was destroyed last night. When Phil went out to pick it this morning, I thought that there was a death in the family...the death of a beautiful pineapple.

Baby Boom at Busch Gardens

Our local news wanted to do a story on all of the new babies at Busch Gardens. Guess who the management chose to be the spokesperson/representative for Busch? MY HUBBY!!! (Maybe they wanted to give him some extra practice with the babies since he's so close to becoming a daddy.) Here are some of the still photos from the event. He was on the 5:00 news last night, and he will be in the newspaper tomorrow. What a babe! I'm not talking about the flamingos. :)


Here's a link to some more pictures: http://media.myfoxtampabay.com/galleries/BuschBabies0708/

Happy Birthday, Hubby!!!

Yesterday was Phil's 29th Birthday! We had a fun celebration at home and then treated ourselves to a movie date. For a while we thought that there was a chance that our little squirt could be born on daddy's birthday, but that didn't happen. She'll be here soon enough! :)

Jackpot!!!

As I was walking through the neighborhood this morning, I came upon the perfect yard sale for a family expecting a little girl...THE HILLARYS! I couldn't believe how much stuff they had, and I had to walk back home to get the car...and my wallet. Here's a glimpse of the jackpot! We ended up with 2 shirts, 5 pair of pants, 5 complete outfits, 6 onesies, 6 full-body sleepers, 9 dresses, a bouncy seat (with a rainforest theme), a Bumbo chair, and a pool floaty. The grand total was only $30. It costs more than that to go out to dinner, fill up the car, or even buy just three of those dresses at normal price. Needless to say, I was VERY EXCITED! Being the Queen of Frugality, this was a shining moment! :)
Here are some of my favorite outfits. The only thing that will make them cuter is when they're being worn by our little squirt. We can't wait!!!

You Know You're "Growing Up" When...

You Know You're "Growing Up" When...

* You wake up at 7:00 and feel like you've really slept in. :)

* You research sales on diaper prices and drive to the appropriate locations to get the biggest bang for your buck (using three different coupons, and a series of manipulation, we purchased $24 worth of diapers for $2 yesterday...now that is EXCITING).

* You consider it a "good weekend" when you get the garage organized (notice the creative placement of the wheelbarrow in picture three).

* You spend your birthday money on a utility sink...and get EXCITED about it. Phil just finished this project, and it's a great addition to our garage.

Little Joys...

Back in college, Jessica Oosting (a dear college friend) and I always talked about "little joys." Think of all the little things that bring you joy within a day! Today was full of little joys: the first pineapple of the year was ready to be picked and devoured. It's a cheesy picture, but you get to see our baby pineapple and our giant baby.

We also spotted this unique rainbow cloud. It was next to the sun, which made it different than most rainbows. Needless to say, it brought us joy.

WATERMELON!

Phil and I have always referred to our living/dining rooms as the watermelon combo (we wouldn't dare use the word "pink" to describe our decorating choice). On Saturday evening, our dear friends, Sarah and Tory, came over for dinner (which appropriately included watermelon) and games. We quickly realzied that Sarah and I perfectly matched the watermelon rooms. It gave me a silly excuse to take a picture and thus create a blog post.

Nesting

We're nearing the end of our pregnancy journey and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little squirt. Phil had the day off, so we checked a number of "to-dos" off of our list. We hung a few things in the nursery (check out the ADORABLE giraffe swimsuit...thanks, Sara), read a chapter from our Good Night, Sleep Tight book about how to help our baby develop a sleep schedule (thanks, Rachel), and ran a bunch of errands. It was a GREAT day! At our doctor's appointment, on Monday, we learned that I'm 2-centimeters dilated, and that the baby has moved down to the -1 position. Our doctor predicted that I will deliver before our due date, but we're not holding our breath. She'll come when she's ready, and we can't wait for that day! :)

Surprise Shower at Busch Gardens!

Today was a special event for Phil. A few of his co-workers arranged a surprise baby shower, and I was lucky enough to be in on the secret. I was in Phil's office when he showed up for the "meeting," and he quickly figured out that something was up. The beautiful quilt was made by Ruth, Phil's partner, and we love the bright colors and the special touches. THANK YOU, RUTH...for the quilt and the wonderful shower. :)

The umbrella stroller will be GREAT for all of our little outings. Thank you, Lisa and Steve!
This outfit may be slightly large for our little peanut at this point (however, my enormous belly may suggest otherwise), but it won't be long before she's running around in it. Thank you, Birgit!!!

We feel incredibly blessed by the thoughtfulness and generosity of Phil's work "family." :)

Where's the FILTER???

Let me start by saying that I really enjoy being pregnant. Even though things are getting awkward, and my body is acting in ways that I never imagined, I still think that this is one of the greatest stages/honors of life as a woman. This picture was a couple of weeks ago, so you can only imagine that I've gotten bigger since then. In fact, I feel like I've grown more in the last two weeks than I have in the last two months combined. I've been SHOCKED, in the past week, to hear what some people say without thinking about how it's going to sound. Here are a few examples of the comments I've heard this week:

"You must be carrying twins.

If not, you've surely got a balloon in there."

~ A complete stranger at church

"Oh look...you've got little watermelons on your ankles.

Imagine what they will look like by the time you finally deliver."

~ My next door neighbor upon seeing me in sandles

"Are those blotches and discolorations on your face

a result of your pregnancy?"

~ Dental hygenist

(What if I would have said, "No...what do you mean?" That may have made her think a bit.)

"How much longer do you have?" When I said, "Just under a month," he responded back with, "I would have guessed a couple of days by the looks of it."

~Home inspector for our new windows

Which one is your favorite? Which one do you think is the most offensive? Thankfully, I don't take it too personally. I just laugh about it and think about the comments that I would respond with...if I didn't have a filter.

NEW Windows!!!

Our big project (home improvement) for the summer was replacing a few of our windows. The original windows were single pane pieces of junk that were more than thirty years old. As you can see, the aluminum frames were a bit outdated, and they fogged up on a daily basis. The old windows let SO MUCH HEAT into the house that we had to keep the shades drawn all day. We added a picture window instead of doing three opening windows, and we love it. Now we can keep the blinds open all day, and the new windows don't allow any heat in the house. They have some magic feature, with a non-visible tint, and they will be much more energy efficient. YEAH!
We also replaced our sliding glass door and the window in the nursery. Unfortunately, there are still nine windows that could be replaced, but we can only afford to do it in small phases. We're thrilled with the first phase. :) We must be "growing up" when we get so excited about new windows.

Scalloping or Jellyfishing???

For our anniversary this year, we decided to treat each other to one of our favorite outings: scalloping in The Gulf of Mexico. We've done this for the past three years, and we LOVE it! Unfortunately, this year was a COMPLETE BUST! Apparently, we missed the countless "red flags" along the way (no brake fluid in the van, low air in most of the tires, burnt out lights on the trailer, and dark clouds). That was only the beginning of our woes...
The water was infested with jellyfish. There were literally HUNDREDS of them, and we couldn't find a single patch of water without a lingering jellyfish. To me, they are the cockroach of the sea...disgusting and intolerable.
Phil, on the other hand, was DETERMINED to find some scallops. After a 2.5 hour drive to The Gulf, and a 6-mile boat ride to our favorite scalloping spot, he wasn't about to let the jellyfish win. He bravely jumped in the infested water in hopes of "limiting out" with a few pints of scallops.
These nine little scallops look sad and lonely, don't they? In the past, we've come close to filling the livewell (which definitely exceeds the limit and results in DAYS worth of scallops). Today was a different story. If we were to add up the cost of our trip (between gas in the boat, the van, and all of the little fix-up jobs along the way), each scallop would be worth about $20. That's quite a thought, huh?
Phil swimming through the maze of jellyfish. I stayed in the boat this year... as the photographer of such a blessed event.

As you can see in the background, the sky started changing color (which is even more evident in contrast with my STARK WHITE belly). Before we knew it, we were stuck in a MAJOR Florida storm. Within moments, we were soaked. Quite honestly, I was a bit scared. Being 8 months pregnant, and trapped in a thunder/lightning/rain strom, wasn't exactly how I pictured celebrating our first anniversary.
Phil kept us safe by finding a little island that shielded us from the storm. We hunkered down and let the storm blow over us. After about thirty minutes, we were freezing cold (a rare thing during this time of year), soaking wet, and ready to be on land. We couldn't take a picture while the storm was on top of us because it would have ruined the camera.
We made it out alive, and we drove through heavy rain on the entire trip home. Phil remained calm and collected throughout the entire day, and it endeared me to him on an even deeper level. While it wasn't the most romantic anniversary, we still had a great day together...and that's all that really matters.