Second Christmas - Hiller Style

The Hillers had a second Christmas Day celebration since we were out of town for the actual day - so Saturday we had a big breakfast and opened presents with all the cousins. I think it worked out well because then everyone got to spend time with their in-laws and parents on different days. Here is a cute pic with all of the cousins - Ethan, Noah, Evie and Claire.


Yes, that is a purse (well, my gift card holder turned into a baby-sized purse).

Phil was looking posh in his new scarf - I had to take a quick pic!

Mom or Dad?

One fun discussion with the family over Christmas was - who does she look like? My mom busted out this flash from the past - a photo of me (yes, poster sized) at about 6 months old (so not an age-appropriate comparison... but still, very cute!). I guess I wouldn't stop crying so they took the picture anyway - I have this big tear rolling down my cheek.

I think Claire looks more like Matt - but maybe she has a little bit of me in there after all~

Christmas at the Johnsons

We went to CA this year (we do every other Christmas with the Johnsons) and Claire got to meet two of her uncles for the first time - Erick and Kenny. And we got to meet Erick and Megan's daugher Lily - she is already six months old! We can't let that much time pass again before we all get together!

There were babies everywhere, which is a change for our family. It's fun to have the girls all born within about a year of each other - they will have cousins to play with when they get a little bit older. McKinley was ready to play - but Claire is just too little still.

Now that's a good man!

We dropped in on Jacqui and Jeff Scott while in Salt Lake - Jacqui had her little girl Eliza just days after I had Claire, so we got to meet our little ones for the first time. I just had to snap a shot of our hubbies on diaper duty - gotta love it!

Trip to Salt Lake

We had our Vanguard Media Group holiday party up in SLC, so Claire had her first plane ride and trip away from home. My first plane ride was when I was 16 years old - Ali Steed and I went to EFY at BYU... so Claire is already ahead of me on her adventures.

We got to see Becky and her family, and see the lights at Temple Square. That is getting to be a tradition for me and Matt - our first trip together as a couple was to SLC where we went to tour the lights. It is such a great way to get in the Christmas spirit, and to actually experience snow and winter (compared to the 50+ degree weather in Vegas that passes for the winter season).

Shannon, Claire, Becky & McKinley at Temple Square

First Flight! Claire didn't make a peep!

Merry Christmas

She wasn't too excited about her Santa hat...

Meredith!

Meredith - I have not received one call or email about your baby boy! And my old number for you is now some old mexican guy :) I know you are not the best emailer, but send me some news for goodness sakes! I have been wondering for weeks about the baby.

And yes, I just dedicated a whole blog post to you, so you better call!

All in a Hard Days Work

Working from home has been a challenge, but we are starting to get a pattern down. Matt has been able to be home a lot too, which is nice. This is his slow time of year, since the weather keeps people from getting their cars detailed (yes, we actually have had rain the past two weeks).

When it's just me and Claire, I drag over the ottoman and lay her next to where I have my laptop set up, or today I tried out her little chair (the Bumbo, for those who speak baby product) so she was up close and personal while I worked. She isn't quite ready to stay in it very long - but her neck is almost strong enough I think. I just get paranoid - I even had a dream that she fell over in it, so I'm probably being overly cautious.

One unpleasant side effect from being back at work is that I think my new laptop is giving me carpul tunnel - the fingers on my right hand have been numb for about 2+ weeks now, and that's the only change I can think of. I need to go see a doctor, but who do you see for that kind of stuff? I brought a keyboard home from the office so I can use what I'm used to - that's all I need is to have to get surgery or something and not be able to use my right hand.... Let's hope that doesn't happen. Any ideas anyone?

Thumb sucker!

We are trying really hard to not let Claire be a thumb sucker, but she has been going after her fingers, and now thumbs, with a vengeance lately. She is very dedicated - and never gives up. I have to literally pry her hands (yes, both hands) out of her mouth to put in her pacifier. It is pretty cute though, I have to admit.

More smiles, all the time

We just can't get enough of Claire's smiles -she gives them freely, as you can see from this picture where she is smiling at her toy on the swing, one of our favorite baby inventions. She likes to sleep in it for most of her naps and sometimes I will catch her just smiling away at this little zebra.

I love how her eyes get all crinkly, and sometimes one eye goes first into full smile mode. She is our little pirate sometimes. Thanks Michelle for this cute outfit!

This girl will have more pictures of her taken in her first three months than my entire childhood. The beauty of digital!

First Meetings

Claire met many new people over the Thanksgiving holiday - her Uncle Matty, Grandma and Grandpa Johnson, and honorary Aunt Becky Baird. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and blessed Claire this past Sunday. I still need to take a photo of just her in her dress, but you can see it in the group shot. I wanted Claire to be able to see all the love and support she has from her family and friends - we are so greateful to all of you who came, some from great distances. Matt gave her a wonderful blessing - I love how spiritual he is. I know this blessing was on his mind for quite some time, and he wanted it to be perfect. Well, it was. Anyway, here are some new pics - enjoy!

Britain's Got Talent

So maybe it's all the hormones still racing around inside of me, but I totally cried while watching this amazing performance on the show Britain's Got Talent. You will be amazed how fast Simon's face changes when this salesman starts singing:

http://www.maniacworld.com/Phone-Salesman-Amazes-Crowd.html

Check it out - it makes you feel like anyone can do anything!!!

Back to Work

I officially go back to work tomorrow, and I have very mixed feelings about the whole thing. On one hand, I get to still spend most of my time working from home. I will go into the office or to client locations for meetings, and I will attend my board meetings and networking events, since my job focuses on business development. Typically, the holiday months are slow PR months, so I asked to stay home during these next two months. But starting in January, I will be spending more time in the office and will have to find a more permanent childcare solution.

For now, Matt is going to help out playing Mr. Mom when I have meetings (so long as it's not during his classes), and then I will need to find babysitters for the other odd times when our schedules don't work out.

I guess this is baby steps back to work, so hopefully I don't lose it this week being away from Claire...

Smile Fest!

"Babies are such a nice way to start people."

Sorry CS Lewis....

So, Claire was a Lion, I was a Witch, so we decided Matt had to be a Wardrobe... this inspiration came a bit too late, so I was out shopping at 4 pm when we had a 6 pm Halloween party to go to at church. So, how do you make a Wardrobe costume? Matt came up with a clever idea - he could wear a robe, and then at our church party, he could wear a "Pinnacle Ward" sign... get it... ward-robe... yeah, it was a stretch. But we had fun. I realized too late that we never got a picture of the whole family, so you'll just have to see how cute Claire was as a little lion. She was very snug in her costume, but did not like keeping her paws on.

Smiles!

It is so fun to see Claire smile, and know that it isn't gas :) She is actually recognizing us, which is so fun! She flashes a really big smile, but my camera is too slow to catch it most of the time, so here are a few glimpses of her grin.

Photo Shoot

We had Claire's first official photo shoot yesterday - and the photographer was nice enough to post a few pics to her blog, which I copied and included here because I just can't wait to get the final ones. So, they have her proof/copywrite stuff on them, but you get the gist. We had fun taking them, but newborns are not always cooperative... we did a shot where Matt is holding her head and shoudlers and I get her bum and legs... well, Claire decided that was the pefect time to go to the bathroom all over everything! So glad I had the bottom half!

I wish we would have done these when she was a bit smaller, just because I love those shots when the little baby is curled up in their daddy's arms... but Claire was probably never small enough to fit in just our hands... she is getting so big!

Anyway, thought we would share.

Pics

Here are a few recent pics of Claire and Matt - I am still hiding from the camera due to the "still five months pregnant" look that I am sporting...

Stay tuned for some pictures of Claire dressed up like a little lionness for Halloween... now Matt and I need to figure out our costumes...

What I've Learned So Far...

I've decided that being a mom is really the only way you can truly appreciate your own... I had no idea how much time and attention goes into raising a child, let alone five kids like my mom did. And I had no idea how much you can love this little person who we just met, but who has been with me for almost 10 months before she was even born.

And life is funny - it's like all these little tests come into your path along the way to either make you a better mom, or drive you crazy... I can't tell yet which one is happening to me. :)

So far, a few funny things have happened to me that I think only happen to moms - and here are a few things I've learned so far, some fun, some serious:

1. Your baby will be a perfect angel while you go shopping at Target after finally getting yourself a shower that day, plus makeup (a big day around here), but then just as you are wrapping up your trip she will poop her pants and cry the whole way through the check out line... Murphy's Law

2. Guaranteed, when you jump out of the shower only to find a crying baby waiting for you, and decide to nurse her sans clothing, the doorbell will ring... and ring... and ring... forcing you to run downstairs in your towel to greet the flower delivery guy who you hope you'll never see again (true story).

3. There is nothing better than seeing your man cuddle your baby and whisper little lovey things to her... Matt makes up little names for Claire, it is so cute! I love him so much!

4. Your baby will always look better than you do - we went for a walk today and ran into our neighbors who wanted to see Claire. We had her dressed so cute in all pink, wearing her little white Keds and a pink and white bow in her hair. Matt and I were practically in our pajamas and hadn't showered yet. Nice!

5. This whole experience is why people have more kids - any amount of pain, discomfort, or stretchmarks is totally worth it!! We are smitten with Claire, and are learning so much about ourselves and being parents.

Thanks to our parents for all they did and still do for us!

More Pics

Claire and the Family

Claire got to meet some of our family for the first time this past week - my aunt Cindy and uncle Kevin Poppe live here in Las Vegas and they are my only family in town, but they were on a cruise when Claire was born, so we all got together with their kids and grandchildren for dinner so they could finally see her (she will be 4 weeks old on Monday - time is flying by!)
The kids were very curious about Claire... Matt was changing her diaper on the couch and they all just gathered around her instantly... I thought it was a cute picture, but Cindy said I was so calm to let all those kids be near my baby... I guess I don't know any better :)

Matt's dad Phil also got to hold Claire for the first time this week - he had been sick before and didn't want to hold her just yet... which we appreciated, being the new, paranoid parents that we are. So, we took a little mid-week visit up to North LV to visit - Evie, Claire's cousin, liked to touch Claire's feet, and I think she thought Claire was like her little doll that she plays with.

Claire Bear

So far, Claire Bear is our favorite nickname for Claire, although we have had a few suggestions for E-Claire, which is also pretty cute. Here are a few more pics that we finally got off of our camera - enjoy!

ps - total sneeze count, per Matt, is 55 :)

Week 2 Update

So, we made it through our first week as new parents. My mom and dad left this morning and I felt very alone. Matt was off at school already and I kind of had a little tear-fest when they said goodbye. I thought - you are 29 years old, you shouldn't cry when your mom leaves you. I could blame the hormones, but I really am a bit nervous about doing this without her.

I think Matt and I have been doing pretty good taking care of Claire - she is a good eater, not fussy, and so darn cute that it seems to come easily... so far. But everything else my mom took care of - food, laundry, the house, etc. I am so appreciative of her taking a week to be with us - now it's on to a dose of reality for us.

Another new change for our family is that Matt has been asked (and has accepted) an assignment to teach early morning seminary. For those of you not familiar with this, it is like a Sunday School class for high school students, before school. It starts at 5:45 am and it's 5 days a week. I know Matt is so excited to do this, and he is a great teacher. In fact, the 16-17 year-olds he teaches at church now requested that he be asked to teach. The selfish part of me is thinking - I don't want to share my husband right now... I need help! So, I am praying to find patience and to be really positive.

He started on Monday and so far, so good. I'll have him tell a bit about the classes once he gets more into it.

5 Days Old

This is Claire Abigail.
Vitals: 7.6 lbs 20 ins (after first check up yesterday)
Hair: black with curl
Eyes: dark grey/brown
Ears: cute
Nose: cute
Hands n Feet: double cute

Claire's interests are wiggling like there is no tomorrow, drinking- mostly milk, and sleeping- most of the time.


We really enjoy having Claire. She is more fun now that she has come out to play. Shannon hasn't had much sleep, but Claire and I sleep- well, like babies. She hardly cries and we are hoping this trend continues for the next 20 years. After that she's on her own and she can cry all she wants too. We'll post new info as soon as we can manage a few moments!