Hallie: 1 month old!

Hallie was one month old yesterday! It is crazy how time is flying by with her! I only have two more weeks at home with my babies! Parts of me are ready to go back and others really enjoy being at home! I am so glad I enjoy what I do or it would be a struggle to go back. Hallie is a really good baby! She sleeps and eats very well. I think she is even more clockwork than Chance was which is saying alot!! She has officially dropped one of the night feedings and is only down to one around 3 am or so! I am pumping to go back to work and she has never not finished a bottle! She would drink and drink and drink if we let her only then to spit everything back up (hence the need for pure pumping and bottles right now!) That being said my husband is the greatest husband and daddy!  He helps me during the night to pump, feed her and put her back down!  This would not be possible without his help!  I love that man!  Not many husbands would do this!  Little Hallie has her mommy's temperament so far! She gets mad pretty quickly but the next moment is just fine. Ben calls her little Megan!! I calculate based on my home scale she is around 8.5 pounds now! She gains weight pretty quickly! She loves her lamb swing just like her brother and spends LOTS of time there sleeping. She is not phased too much by her loud brother. She pretty much will sleep through all his commotion! She is smiling more and more!  Enjoy her one month pics in her crib!

This awake time is for the birds!

Chance: 22 months old!!

Our little man turned 22 months old yesterday!  Hard to believe he will be 2 in just 2 months.  It breaks my heart and excites me all at the same time about him growing up!  He is a joy to be around!  He has a sweet spirit about him.  He is very concerned about his sister's well-being.  If we are going somewhere he is the first to ask if Sister is going.  He wants to make sure we don't leave her believe it or not (surprises me it is not the other way around)!  I visited work today and he wouldn't let me leave her side and wanted to make sure that we kept her by our side!  Unfortunately we have started the fit and temper tantrum phase which is very hard on both mommy and daddy with a newborn as well.

Fun Facts:

• Can sing all of Jesus loves me very loud and clear (requests it multiple and I mean multiple times a day)
• Likes to play chase with Dada (his new word for daddy when he really wants him to play with him)
• He has quite the imagination.  He has a set of small stuffed animals from Gran that can do spectacular things such as drive boats, fight fires, and swim in the water
• Has started requesting what he wants at meal time (not always such a great thing) He is a condiment fan (loves ketchup and ranch dressing)
• Can tell you that mommy tells the kids at work to bite down and brush their teeth
• Tells you that daddy works with bobcats, dump trucks, backhoes 
• Favorite shows on television are Robin Hood (the old school version) and Bolt.  He watches too much now that I have to have down time to feed a newborn!
• Will tell you where we are going once he sees the road we are on such as Gran's house, Granddaddy's house, etc!
• Has "attempted" to climb out of his crib!  He is still too scared as he says he will hurt his head.  I love that he has a cautious nature about him.  Took the bumpers off and has helped curb this for a season! 
• Gets pretty upset when his sister cries!  He goes into a little panic mode and tries (throws) to give her her pacifier!
• Loves to be outside! 

Old picture but love it!!

Week 3 at home with the kiddos!

This is week 3 (oh my goodness) of being home with the two kiddos!  I hate how time flies by!  I have had so much help it is unbelievable!  Debbie (Ben's mom) or Tiffany (our nanny) has been here to help with Chance keeping him occupied and happy!  It has been a lifesaver let me tell you!  I have had a few mornings and afternoons with just the two and it is manageable but I will never turn down an extra playmate for Chance! 

Hallie got her first "real" bath this week, has started to smile (2 weeks just like her brother, crazy I know, and it is not gas:)), had a playdate with her buddy Mason, and started sleeping in her own room!  She is a very good baby and we feel so blessed to have her!  She still does not have too much awake time the usual max is an hour at a time!  Chance and I had a "date" yesterday at lunch to Chick-fil-A!  It was so special to spend some one on one time with him!  It was also nice for this cooped up mommy to get out of the house! 

Working like "mens" outside with dad!!

Visiting the Nichols!
Our first outing as a family of four!

Hallie and Mason

Date with mommy!

Hallie with Dr DLG

Real bath

Big brother looking on!

In her crib!!

Happenings this past week

We brought Hallie home on Monday morning around 11am!  It was wonderful to be home.  Ben's mom brought Chance home around lunchtime and he was so excited that we were home.  He seems to really like as he refers to her "baby sister."  He has even given her a few kisses.  He enjoys seeing her in the morning and saying good night.  It has been fun to see him with her.

My parents came in that evening and my dad left on Wednesday and mom will leave tomorrow.  It has been a busy week!  I definitely think this time around is much easier than when we brought Chance home which seems funny to say.  I feel better than I did with him, not as tired through the night, and making the transition to 2 kids is easier than 0 to 1 for sure!

Hallie is doing well.  In one week she reached her birth weight again.  She is of course a great sleeper throughout the day and usually has once "episode" at night where it takes her a while to settle back down.  We did have a very scary moment on Thursday evening.  She had a chocking episode in the hospital with mucous and we thought it had resolved itself (as they said newborns do in the first 24 hours).  Well not the case.  She was really struggling to breathe and we could not clear the mucous with just the bulb syringe.  The Lord was watching over us and after a call to EMS and the fire department at our house, she was able to clear the mucous and seems fine again.  We took her to the pediatrician and really no explanation on the episode other than the fact she may be developing reflux.  She seems quite content after feedings, really is not fussy, and just the occasional spit-up so I do not know!  So keep our sweet thing in your prayers! 

Enough of that!  Enjoy pictures of our new family of four!!!

Going home from the hospital

sign from the church Love it!

Best picture of us leaving:((

Pops and Hallie (Chance's favorite show Bolt in the background)

MiMi and Hallie

My two little kiddos:))

Private concert with daddy

Weight check with cousin Gray!  Big boy little girl!

Chance had "friends" come visit!

Chance brings me toys as I feed Hallie

First bath.  She peed on her daddy just like Chance did@@

Visit with Granddaddy

Hallie and her grandmothers

Hallie's Happy Day

We have finally got to meet our little girl!  We started preparations for the hospital on Thursday night!  Chance sang Happy Birthday to Hallie before bedtime three times.  He would have kept going if we would have let him!  He calls any Big day a "Happy Day" and we were all so excited for Hallie's Happy Day! 

We had a morning at home before checking into the hospital at 10am.  I would like to say it was relaxing but believe it or not we were busy right up until we left. Katy was my nurse again and had everything ready for our arrival!  Katy is such an awesome friend and nurse and I am so thankful for her spending her last day at work before maternity leave herself taking care of my family!  Katy I cannot express how grateful I am to have you as my friend!!

The delivery was delayed a while due to Dr DLG running a little late so we didn't get taken back for anethesia until about 1pm.  My anesthesiologist and nurses were wonderful!  So....at 1:38pm Hallie Ray Hembree made her entrance into the world.  She was pretty non-responsive at first but pepped right up after some coaxing!  The first thing we noticed about her was how tiny she was!  She weighed in at 6 lbs 6 oz and was 18 3/4 inches long!  She also has a pretty good head of dark hair.  Pops she has your hair! 

We stayed in recovery for a while and made it to our room around 5pm.  We got settled and Chance came to visit his sister around 6:30.  She "brought" him a few books, and he was very excited and wanted to read them to her!  Other than that he was content playing with the sleeping bag Ben brought.  He was excited to bring Mommy and Hallie flowers.  He was so proud he got upset when they were taken away! 

My sister surprised us by coming down on Saturday!  I have not gotten to see Harlan (her little boy) due to restrictions on traveling.  So her sister-in-law Katie drove them down.  I was shocked to say the least.  The two cousins got to meet each other in the hall and I finally got to hold my new nephew.  He is so sweet and has the most beautiful eyes. 

Fast forward a few days and we are waiting to go home in the morning.  This c-section has felt much better than Chance's.  Other than nausea it has not been bad at all!   Ben and I are falling in love with this little girl!  We can already see her Mommy's fiestyness when things do not happen right away!  Enjoy all the pictures!

Before we left the house.  Last as our family of three!

Best buddy Katy! Both 39 weeks with Hallie and Mason

Hubby and I in front of our welcome board

Here she is!

Mini version of Chance Russell:))

Seeing Mommy and getting his books from Hallie

Reading to Hallie

Our Family of Four!!

Aunt Stacy and Hallie

Aunt Megan and Harlan

Our little cupcake

Daddy and his girl