Welcome, Baby Boy!

Lincoln Eli Hipp

officially came into the world, our family and our hearts

Monday, December 1st, 2008 at 6:25pm.

He surprised us all by weighing in at a whopping

8 pounds, 14 ounces

and is 20 inches.

Everyone has a birth story, and since we're basically just sitting at the hospital waiting till we can be discharged tonight, I'll give you the short story on Baby Lincoln...

I started having back pains about 4am Monday (boo- back labor again!). By 7am we were throwing Georgia in her car seat with a cereal bar and heading out into the morning rush hour to get to the hospital. Side story- on the way to the hospital the lady in the car behind us was rear-ended by the car behind her and she skidded to a stop inches from our bumper. Praise God-because I was not stopping for a fender-bender!

We met Matt & Sandy at the Summit and literally threw Georgia in their car with her toys and gear and headed on to the hospital. (THANK YOU aunt Sandy for watching her all day for us!) My mom was due in town Tuesday for Georgia-duty, so we were so grateful for the Phelps being our back-ups. Mom caught the first flight in to Bham and made it in time to be here for Lincoln's arrival, and has had Georgia for us since then.

I got admitted, and they hooked me up to the monitors, but after 2 hours I was not progressing much so they sent me on my way. This did not make me real happy b/c I was still contracting and just knew I was in real labor! Larry & I headed to Panera Bread to get some lunch and contemplate our next move. I kept contracting all thru lunch and as we finised our last bites, I looked up at Larry- "My water just broke!"

Yes- in Panera Bread.

Truly, I was thrilled because now I knew they would admit me to the hospital! So we left probable health-code violations at Panera and headed back- by the time we got there I was sitting in a puddle! I dripped my way up to my Dr's office, who confirmed my water had broke (duh!) and I finally got a room, a gown, and some meds!!

That was really the exciting part- from then on it went as well as could have. I labored, got my epidural, continued to labor, went from 6cm to 10cm in an hour, pushed for 25 mins, and my baby boy was born! The whole room gasped "whoa!" as the little chunker came out- even the doc had predicted him b/w 7-8lbs. Compared to Georgia who was 7 lbs 6oz, he is truly huge! He has adorable, pinchable, puffy cheeks, rolls on his arms and legs, and a double chin! He's beautful, healthy, eating well and a miracle! God has certainly blessed us with our babies and we are so grateful and give Him all the glory for them!

We go home tonight and will really start life as a foursome. Georgia came up to see her brother for a few hours, but mostly just ran around the room getting into stuff, like normal! She gave brother kisses and hugs and told him to "hush" as he wimpered- so bossy! I think it'll become more real to all of us as we get settled in at home.

Thank you for your prayers- we'll post more soon!

Being Thankful

This Thanksgiving I feel I have so much to be thankful for...

for a wonderful husband, who not only works hard to provide for us, but also daily gives me love, encouragement and laughter. I am also thankful that he brings music into our home, and shares that passion with his little girl. And I'm very thankful that he (mostly) kept that same little girl occupied with the Macy's parade while I did last-minute Thanksgiving cooking!

Thanksgiving smiles with Jonathan, Georgia & Larry

for a beautiful, healthy, smart, silly daughter who fills my days with giggles, lessons in patience and constant reminders of how blessed I am by her. Right now I am thankful for her continued ability to communicate (it makes such a difference when she can actually understand and respond, even with one-word answers!) and -usually- thankful for her willingness to help- she loves to take things to the trash can, put her cup in the sink, and pick things up off the floor for me!

Georgia shares Thanksgiving pie with Grandpa

for a sweet puppy dog, who, despite his moments of aggravation and noise, loves my little girl as much as we do and lets her play with him, on him, around him, lay & sit on him and truly tries to be gently with her in return!

Georgia plays drums with Bernie

for my family, who never lets the miles between us feel like any great distance. Larry & I are both thankful for the effort Grammie & Grandad put forth to make sure Georgia not only knows them, but also recognizes their voices and already has fun memories with them.
for my in-law family, who also put forth effort to love on Georgia and are always willing and excited to help with her. For the kisses and hugs they share with her especially!

Hipp siblings: Tyler, Heather & Larry

for friends that call to check on me when I'm sick, email me for dinner plans, and even send presents from across the ocean! For those that stay in contact even when I slack and love me despite these shortcomings!

and mostly, I'm thankful to the Lord, who daily sustains me with His promises. I know I deserve none of these that I'm thankful for, yet He continues to bless me. And for that I have a thankfulness I cannot describe!

Hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, and you had your own moment of thankfulness. We sit and wait now for our next little miracle- a baby boy, due to make his appearance within the week! Keep us in your prayers for patience, our last moments as a family of three, and that all goes well when it's time for him to come... stay tuned!!

Daddy's Jeep Weekend

It was time once again for the guys to head out to the woods with their toys. Larry and a group of friends had their annual Jeep weekend at Grey Rock off-road park. It's a beautiful peice of land in the hills north of Birmingham. Georgia and I enjoyed going out there on Saturday to see Daddy and run around. She definitely has some "country" in her as she LOVED running around after Jason's dogs, scooping rocks and picking fallen leaves for her bucket, and generally getting dirty! It was a windy, cold, wet day, but we enjoyed the fresh air.

The Hipps & the Banana Boat

(that's Lincoln under my coat, not a beach ball!)

The guys had a good time too, though I think they froze in their tents at night. Thankfully Larry didn't hurt the "Banana Boat" in any way, and now he has hundreds of hours of video to sort through. I know all the "jeep wives" are excited to know that a new Wheeling movie is coming soon! :) Of course, all these pictures are of Georgia while we were out there, and no pictures of the actual jeeping... maybe we'll post some video soon (aka. some day!)!

Thoughts of Fall

Fall is here, with it's brisk winds, gray skies and bright but cool sunshine. Outside the window the trees compete to find the perfect shade of orange for their last color of the year. The smell of a homefire burning touches my nose. It's the time of year that urges us to snuggle up together on the couch, making Christmas lists and tearing out recipes while watching the leaves get blown across the yard. Time to put on a pot of stew to simmer and light a cinnamon candle on the table. To slip on fuzzy socks and my favorite corduroy, at-home-only shirt.

Now, will somebody please read this to my daughter! This year, thoughts of snuggling up are constantly interfered on by a one-and-a-half year old with energy like I've never seen before. Georgia doesn't know, or really care, that the brisk winds outside are the perfect excuse to make a cup of tea and pull out a book to read. She sees the leaves racing across the yard as a beacon to come out and play a game of chase. Even the squirrels, out gathering the last of their winter loot, entice her to scamper and find her own little treasures.

We also have a large basset hound, Bernie, who is generally sprawled on the floor next to the couch, so as soon as you put your feet down you step on him. But he loves this time of year when he can sit out on our porch and sniff the many scents of fall in the wind. He likes to find a sunny spot out there and just lounge and sniff to his heart's content.

But now every time he scratches at the door to be let out, Georgia is there with him.

"Side, Side!!" she says in her sweet baby voice, with that hint of expectant joy that children get when they think they'll get something just because they asked.

"Pheas", she adds, since saying 'Please' guarantees delivery, right?

I try to explain to her the brisk winds, the gray skies, my hot cup of tea, but she refuses to be understanding.

"Side!" she says again, a bit more urgently, as though I don't understand that if she doesn't go out now that big yellow leaf will forever be blown away and out of her reach.

I try a new tactic with a bit of urgency in my own tone, explaining that mommy is truly weary at 8 months pregnant with a little brother, and that I may not even be able to reach my feet to put my shoes on to go out and certainly not pull a jacket around my expanded belly.

"Shoos!" She abandons the door to run across the room. Oops. She know we put shoes on before going out and I had to go and mention them. She tosses her pink sneakers on the couch next to me and runs back to the door, reaching tall to turn and turn the baby-proof knob on the handle.

"Side!!' she says once more, with that beautiful smile that gets me every time.

And I know my plans have changed from enjoying this beautiful fall day from the couch to getting outside and experiencing it through my little girl's laughter as she races across the yard, bringing me leaves of every color. And I smile and enjoy the moment, because I know there's always her afternoon nap time to get my cup of tea!

I've been TAGGED...

I was "tagged" by Diana to blog on 7 things about myself... I guess any 7 things, or 7 things you may not know about me... let's see how this goes!

1) I grew up on a sheep farm in Newberry, FL- outside of Gainesville, home of the Florida Gators. Yes, I know how to sheer sheep, butcher sheep, and the taste of sheep poo. (apparently I thought it was raisins when I was little- thanks for watching out for me, mom & dad!) I grew up barefoot and sunburned!

2) I always chew my food equally on both sides of my mouth- ex: this morning I was eating fruit loops. 2 loops for the right teeth, 2 loops for the left. If I have an odd number I bite it in half. I do this almost without thinking now, but I know it's a little strange!

3) I've participated in sports since joining my cousin's baseball team in elementary school. (I did great cartwheels in left field!) I ran track & cross country exclusively from my sophomore year of high school thru my sophomore year at Auburn. I loved the 800meters in track and never really liked cross country! Now I don't run a single step, though I sometimes think I'd love to be back in it- I'm lazy without a team and my knees are completely shot!

4) Larry & I both had a Chevy Celebrity as our first car, as did my best friend Janet. The Celeb was a great first car- the door handle didn't work from the inside, the radio was iffy, it would constantly stall out, and the whole car vibrated violently if it was going over 70 mph, but it could squeeze in 5+ friends on its bench seats and drive thru anything! Also, Larry & I both had Jeep Cherokees as our 2nd cars! We knew it was meant to be when we found this out! ;)

5) My family always believed in vacations and so I've done a lot of traveling. Larry & I have tried to do as much as possible BK (before kiddos) and hope to share our adventures with them one day...In the States I've been as far as Hawaii, Seattle, CO & New Mexico, and as north as MI, NYC & DC. Outside the US I've been to Puerto Rico, Ireland, England, France, Spain, Italy, Morocco, China, the British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, & St Thomas...

6) I had braces twice. I got them for the first time in 5th grade, and got them off in 7th grade. But by my junior year of high school my mom noticed my teeth shifting slightly- even though I was diligent about my retainers! Wanting to get her full money's worth, she demanded the braces go back on, so I had braces my whole senior year of high school, getting them off just before graduation. And this was before they had the clear kind! But now I have pretty teeth!

7) I love to read and, if I have the books and time, available, can read a book a day, no matter how long. But that is usually with fiction books- give me an autobiography or "advice" book and I may never finish it!

This was harder than I thought. And it was only 7 random things... I don't know how Diana listed hers in such short sentences. I guess I'm just long-winded!

Who's next?? I tag - - - Sandy & Shireen - - -