"Dad...You make a better door then a window!"

(Paul here) I have created a monster. She is getting so smiley and giggly now, but if you want to see it, wait for the commercials! Grandpa PD would be proud.

11 weeks old

Today Daphne is 11 weeks old. It has been the best 11 weeks of our lives. Every day is something new and exciting even if it's just a new face she makes. At Daphne's two month check up we had the much dreaded first round of vaccines. It actually went much better than I thought, but it helps that I think she's super cute and just want to cuddle her when she cries. I thought for sure I wouldn't make it through without crying myself, but I did. The doctor says that she's doing well. She is in the 50% range in weight and head size, but only 10% in weight. Since then she has started eating so much more. We nurse and then finish off with a bottle of 2 to 4 ounces. At the appointment she weighed in at 9 pounds 1 ounce (her birth weight was 7 pounds 3 ounces), but I'm sure we're up around 10 pounds by now. She is sleeping through the night almost every night now. We get to bed around 10 or 11 and she sleeps until dad gets up for work most mornings - which is at seven. Then the girls get to sleep again until around noon. I feel much better these days getting as much sleep as we are.

Today we just had a reunion of our baby class and Daphne was by far the cutest there (and the smallest). We sure have been blessed by this little angel of ours.

Paul has put together a website full of pictures of our little family. Please visit http://hillfamilypictures.com.

6 weeks

Here we are just 6 weeks into this journey of parenthood and I feel like we're pros. Ok, so there are times when neither one of us can calm her down for what seems like an eternity, but we are learning what she likes from day to day. She is starting to show off her voice more and more in a good way. She has learned she can make noises when she's not crying. I love listening to her as she has tummy and back time on the floor. I am also impressed that when she does cry she actually says "waaaa". When we get a good video of it we'll show you how her mouth actually moves when she says the "w" and how it really does sound like she's crying "waaa". Sometimes mommy giggles at her a bit too long, but we always recover well. She has started to settle into a pattern that allows sleep in chunks growing closer and closer to 5 hours at a time at night. It's amazing how much that helps me feel like a human again.

Bruno and Daphne continue to be great friends as you can see in the picture below. For those of you who know Bruno well, you know one of his favorite games is to take off our socks and throw them around the room. Well, he has discovered that Daphne also wears socks (and when she has footie p.j.s on he thinks she has socks on), and that sometimes she has socks on her hands (her mittens). He tries a little to take them off, and she just keeps kicking and waving around which of course only provokes him. We cherish these moments, but can't wait until she can really play with him.

(thanks to the Brock family for this outfit)

(thanks to "auntie" lori for her new dress)

(best friends)

One Month Old!

Today is Daphne's one month birthday. Things are going well for the Hill family. Tina is learning how to function on very little sleep (something she never learned to do during school) and Paul has transitioned back to work fairly well. Most nights we get at least one stretch of 4 hours if not two chunks. Daphne has a great appetite and so far the supply is there for her. She tends to be a bit more of a mama's girl these days, which I guess can be expected due to the amount of time we spend together - and the fact that I have the milk. I don't mind the middle of the night feedings, but the three hour awake time between 2 and 5 kind of wears at me. It sure helps that she captivates me with every little grunt and smirk she makes. One thing that Paul won't have to teach her is how to grunt out her farts and poops. She is a pro. She even makes the best little grimace face when she's working one out. It makes me laugh every time. We have discovered that she loves hanging out in the swing which helps mom out a lot. It allows me to get some stuff done around the house or catch a nap on the couch while she just watches the world around her.

Of course I have lots of other great little stories I would love to tell, in addition to her birth story. However, I'm sure that not everyone wants to hear them. So, if you want more details please call me or stop by. I welcome the company.

Bruno & Daphne

Just wanted to take a minute to post a quick video. One of the common questions we have been getting is "How is Bruno taking this transition?". I was watching Chuck, and Daphne and Bruno decided to cuddle with me a little.

It's a Girl!!

Daphne Grace Hill was born on February 8th.

I have finally caught up on some sleep (Paul posting again), and figured it would be time to give another update. We came home on Wednesday, our bed has never felt so good. Daphne's bilirubin was a little high and so the doctors had Tina on a pretty strict feeding schedule while we try to get that number to come down. As of Friday the pediatrician told us that Daphne was very healthy and we could start feeding her when she is hungry rather then having to wake her up all the time. Tina is an Amazing Mom, I have no idea how she is still functioning on as little sleep as she is, but she is doing it wonderfully. Her recovery from the C-section is going well and she is a pro at feeding our baby, Daphne has already gained more weight then she lost the first couple days.

I think thats enough updating for now, how about some pictures.

Hospital Couches are Comfy.....

(Paul here with an Update)

Tina's water broke today at about 1:00pm, we called her doctor who told us to go ahead and come in. We took our time packing up the car an getting the dog ready for us to leave. Around 1:45 we arrived at the nurses station at labor and delivery where they confirmed Tina's water was indeed punctured and that we won't be leaving until we have the baby. So far it's been a pretty calm adventure, we have taken quite a few walks around the floor here and Tina has been able to get some good rest and eaten her last meal for a while. Its now about 8:30pm, our doctor checked in and let us know that if we haven't began natural labor they will start some sort of inducing. That's where we are for now, I'm sure once we have the baby most of you will hear from us, just wanted to give an update of where we are at right now.

38 weeks and 4 cm down!

Sorry for the delay in the updates, but there really hasn't been anything to say other than we are still here and everything is going well. Today, however, we have something to report. I went in for my weekly check up and had a suprise. I'm dialated 4cm and 65% efaced. We still have 12 days to the due date, but we're not expecting to make it that long. I've been having a smattering of contractions, ranging from unnoticable unless touching the rock hard abs to actually having to stop and breathe through it. Luckily the harder ones aren't happening at work (except one that totally freaked out some of my coworkers and made me laugh). My doctor is currently on a trip to Hawaii for a medical conference for 2 weeks, so I got to meet the other doctor in the office today. She's just as wonderful and personable. I told my regular doctor last week that I was getting more and more comfortable with someone else delivering the baby, and that really may happen. I am thrilled that I have gotten this far without any significant pain, but I'm not too proud to think the rest of it won't kick my butt. Our goal is still to go without drugs as long as we can, but we'll see if/when our code word comes out.

So stand gaurd everyone, you are officially on call. My dad says I can't have her tonight (friday), but tomorrow is ok. I told him I would bear that in mind and do what I can. So, pray for safe delivery of both the baby and those traveling full of emotions for their little girl to have her own little girl.

Thanks so much for your support and encouraging words during our journey. We will update the blog as we have more news.