Lydia visited her Pediatrician last Friday. She is now 8 lbs, 1 oz in weight and she's 21 inches long! (And her head is 13 7/8 in circumference...not that you were probably wondering about that one!) WAY TO GROW LYDIA!

There's nothing quite as wonderful as being in Daddy's arms... Pure peace.

Oh Lydia, Lydia, Lydia... Why do you have your nights and days mixed up? Our sweet girl crashes after each feeding during the day, then is very alert after 10 pm when Mommy is hoping to sleep a bit herself. Her schedule at all hours of the day is to eat every 2-3 hours and then sleep, but last night for some reason she was super alert from 10 pm when I fed her until about 1:45 in the morning. It started with another case of the hiccups, of course - longest bout ever. Once those were gone, Mommy swaddled her, stroked her, placed in her bed, turned out the lights... and then listened to her make noise for the next 20 minutes until she got noisier and made it clear she wanted to get up. She acted hungry again, so I unswaddled her (she doesn't like to eat swaddled), attempted to feed her (she wasn't very interested once it was offered, though), changed her diaper, burped her, rocked her, swaddled her, placed her in bed and then the whole routine started again with her noises and wide eyes which suggested she was totally not ready to go to sleep. I'm sure you're thinking I should just let her make noise until she falls asleep, and of course I tried that, but she would make her usual and obvious feeding faces and get upset after awhile and how can I leave her there when she's telling me she's hungry? Plus she gets incresingly upset until I rescue her. Down the road I'm sure I'll have to adopt the whole "let them cry themselves to sleep" thing, but for pete's sake she's only a week and a half old, and if she tells me she's hungry, I'm going to try to feed her! Anyway, we did this whole routine about 5 times, at least, with her seeming satisfied and ready for bed, and then changing her mind. Mommy was a bit frustrated and finally started crying after 2 hours of this. By that time it was legitimately time for her to eat again so we did a normal feeding, burping, changing and swaddling session... An hour later, she was finally very groggy and ready to go to sleep for real. I placed her in bed at 1:40 AM and we both finally went to sleep within 15 minutes or so. Hallelujah. Our next feeding together was about 5:15 AM, so we did manage to get a few hours of sleep in.
I do absolutely adore her awake moments when she wants to look all around and have fun for a few before crashing the way newborns do. BUT I wish she would do it at 12:00 PM instead of 12:00 AM. :) Not every night has been like this... Some evenings have been more successful than others.
I love you Lydia Grace... You're a perfectly perfect newborn and you're just doing what babies do. You can do whatever you want. Mommy obviously hasn't had a full night's sleep since you were born and doesn't anticipate having one any time soon, but you know what? You're so worth it!! I adore you. At least this morning we got to see Daddy off to work! What a great way for him to start his day - with a Lydia smile! (More pictures coming soon.)

Check out picture #3 - she held this finger pose for about 10 pictures. Oliver thinks it's a baby gang sign.

Lydia is just the sweetest baby in the whole world... She's totally textbook and does exactly what is to be expected from newborns - sleep 18 hours a day and eat every 2-3 hours. Life is pretty much one long series of naps and feedings. At the pediatrician's office this week we learned that she was 7 lbs 6 ounces (she lost about 10 ounces of her birth weight in the hospital - totally normal). We were happy to hear the gain because it means she's eating enough. (As if we didn't already know that from the incredible frequency with which she makes diaper presents for us). Lydia is just a week old but already has a nickname: Hiccups Barron. She frequently had the hiccups in the womb and it didn't cease upon her entry into this world. She develops hiccups about 3-4 times a day. It's cute. Lydia spends her awake hours feeding, generally, but she also has some fun wide-eyed moments where she "plays" with us and looks right at us for awhile. We love those moments. They ususally come after a diaper change. She'll kick her legs everywhere and raise her arms all around and just have a blast. She's definitely enjoying the new free space to move that she didn't have in those final months in the womb. Daddy has been snapping pictures like crazy, of course. She's a great model.

We were so excited to take Lydia home on Sunday morning, and then the Dr. advised that they keep our sweet girl for a couple more days due to a mild to intermediate case of jaundice. (our blood types are different... something to do wtih my blood creating antibodies that she had to fight? Crazy.) We hardly noticed it...she didn't really turn all yellow and I don't think we would've had any idea had they not noticed the increasing level of bilirubin in her blood. The bilirubin count was higher than they like and they wanted to give her the bilirubin lights treatment before sending her home. Thankfully, they discharged Mommy from Postpartum before admitting Lydia to the Pediatrics unit, and Oliver and I were allowed to stay at the hospital and sleep in her room with her. Poor Lydia had to be placed in an incubator under special lights for 2 days and nights! It was hard on Mommy and Daddy, because we couldn't take her out to hold her except for 30-40 minute feedings. I kept projecting onto her that she might be sad, which made ME sad, but honestly she hardly noticed what was happening because the lights are nice and warm and she was still pretty much still zonked out from the whole birthing experience. She had to wear special goggles to sheild her eyes from the bilirubin lights. At first they broke my heart and we cried feeling so sad that she had to be in this special crib with huge goggles and no one to hold her... But God gave us peace about it and we realized she truly was okay. The goggles even became funny. She looked like either a superhero or a fighter pilot. She never complained through the whole yucky experience, except when the nurses, blood test lab people and vitals would bug her with blood pressure checks and blood tests. Finally on Tuesday morning the pediatrician said we could go home! Our girl is perfect! Really it was never a dangerous situation... They just wanted to be sure her bilirubin level didn't continue to go up once we got home. It was all more precautionary than anything. After being the hospital since Thursday night, we were SO ready to go home! Mommy needed fresh air and a break from all of the nurses and doctors who would bug us just about every hour on the hour. Oliver was wonderful and so supportive. He took good care of us and ran all of the important errands and dealt with paperwork and insurance, etc. He was right there with his little girl the entire time and made sure we both felt okay about everything. The whole experience just made us all the more grateful for a healthy, beautiful baby. We realize that many parents have to go through much more critical experiences and I just can't imagine... We are so happy to have Lydia home and out of that hospital! Enjoy these pictures of Lydia under the bilirubin lights... We can laugh about it now, but hated it in the moment!

LYDIA IS HERE! Lydia Grace Barron was born on Friday, April 11th at 11:06 AM. She weighed 7 lbs, 10 ounces and was 19.7 inches long. She is GORGEOUS! Mom, Dad and baby Lydia are doing great. Naturally we have a LOT of pictures and video to share with you very soon. For now, here are a few.

The Belly Meter at week 36 weeks. Going to the Doc today - will report back later!

More from the Bahamas... Notice in the second picture the bird is eating Oliver's head. Seriously...he was. He was picking his hair out one by one, so he was eager for the guy to hurry up and take the picture already!

We're back from our "Babymoon" to The Bahamas! Oliver earned the trip at work and I am so proud of him! He's a hard worker. It was either great or horrible timing, depending how you look at it. We couldn't take advantage of things like snorkeling and mai tais and a lot of time in the sun or on my feet...but we were able to take full advantage of several days without a schedule of to-do's, and instead just pure relaxation and all inclusive ammenities! We loved having this time together - just the two of us - before the little one joins us. Thank you to God for this blessing! (And thanks to HSBC too!) It was a gamble to travel at this stage in my pregnancy, but with peace in our hearts and permission from my Doctor (although reluctant) we went anyway. We were just under the wire of the official air travel cut off date. As soon as we landed in America again I said to Oliver, "Ok, now I can go into labor!" Not that we're ready anyway...but at home we have the security of knowing we're In-Network with the Insurance company and our daughter will be born a US resident!

Went to the Doctor today. She estimates the baby's weight at about 5 lbs, 8 ounces! They say these estimates (based on her measurements during a sonogram) can be off by as much as a pound... but really she's right on track with her growth the whole way. Apparently now she should gain about 1/2 pound a week (and Mom is supposed to gain a pound a week for her weight and all the other fluids and what-not that go along with it). It was another good appointment. All's well!

Oliver calls this bookshelf/toybox his "Everest". Needless to say, it wasn't easy. Once he mounts the back onto it and tightens things up a bit, it's finished! Yea!

Super Dad does it again! Easy as 1, 2, 3.

We got our crib today!!!! Oliver is assembling it right now. We got a couple of other fun items for the nursery as well. I'll post pics very soon!

It does snow in Texas! Here's a snapshot of our backyard a couple of days ago. (It was 67 degrees the day before.)

The Belly Meter

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! We had a great doctor's appointment today. We were given straight A's, as usual! Lydia is doing great. She's 3 lbs, 9 ounces, growing, growing, growing. Is she going to be nearly 11 lbs like her Daddy was? Yikes. My glucose screening test came back "perfect", her heart rate and the reactions they listen for were great, her fetal movement is great, I've had zero contractions or other complications... All in all, we're blessed and excited and thanking God that everything has been so wonderfully smooth with my pregnancy. I feel pretty great most of the time. I have to brag on Oliver... He has attended every single baby appointment so far (and there have been a lot of them since August!). I know it's not always possible for the Dad to be there, as much as they all want to be. I would understand if he couldn't come to every appt. But I'm fortunate that Oliver's work is close enough to the Dr. and he has made time to come to all of them. I love it that he has heard every heartbeat that I have and been there for each of the special moments. The video camera always comes with him...for the grandparents. Lydia is traveling with me for work this weekend. Surely she is going to LOVE flying in airplanes - she's had a lot of experience already. This is likley to be my last work trip though. Time's up. Nothing else is scheduled and I'll keep it that way, I think. Oliver and I are taking a Babymoon in March though! Romantic, beautiful Nassau, Bahammas!! Oliver earned the trip through work for being a top performer this year. I'm so proud of him! It will be really nice to be somewhere really beautiful when I'm really HUGE.

THE BELLY METER. Oh my... Lydia has clearly TAKEN OVER. The last pic was about a month ago, so we're due for another. We'll update the meter at that time. Last week I had the standard 28 week glucose screening test (tests to see if you're at risk of developing Gestational Diabetes). I haven't received the results back yet, but will let you know when I do. We're beginning to shop for our baby registry and it's fun...but who knew there were so many varieties of absolutely everything for your baby?? Lucky for me my sister is willing to go shopping with me to interpret the world of baby goods. Oliver and I had fun trying though! We especially liked the Dallas Cowboys pacifier.

I kid you not, Lydia kicked during the final minutes of the Superbowl as well! Clearly she intends to support her Daddy's interest when it comes to the NFL.

This is Oliver. Today I felt Lydia kick! You'd never believe what was happening around us the moment I received my first type of communication from my little girl. Lydia is certainly a chip-off-the-old-block like her dear old dad. Nicole said I should put my hand on her stomach because Lydia was moving, so I placed my hand on her right side and that's when I felt a slight vibration. To be honest, I asked Nicole if what I had felt was just a grumbling hungry stomach or digestion or something. Since I hadn't felt a baby move before I expected a tap of some sort not a vibration. Nicole assured me Lydia was moving - and then it came - a punch from Lydia assuring me she was up and enjoying the moment. What was it that kept my precious Lydia's attention and prompted her to send a "love message" to her dad? Overtime in the Giants vs Packers NFC Championship game.

So everyone's been asking... We'll happily tell you! What will we name our little girl? Lydia Grace Barron. Lydia is a family name on both sides of the family tree, but we chose it for Oliver's grandmother ("Omi"). They were very close and Oliver always hoped he could someday name a daughter after her. We chose Grace because we love the meaning. God extends unending grace and mercy to us every single day. The exact definition is "God's free and unmerited favor for a sinful mankind". Without his grace, mercy and forgiveness, we would be lost and far from Him. On this earth, we should always be ready to extend grace to one another as well. After all - we all need it, and what better way to show God's love to others than to be like Him?
So what if we're surprised and it turns out to be a boy?!? (It happens.) Well we have a name picked out for him, too. We'll save that announcement just in case a little boy is still years down the road.

We're having a girl!! It's official. Sort of... We're 90% sure it's a girl. That's the best guess our Dr. could give us, but I've heard that's about as certain as it gets. So now we can quit calling our precious child an "it"! SHE is growing so fast now. Her mom is 26 weeks along, always hungry, and our little girl is about 2 lbs in weight. She has definitely mastered kicking! I guess really she's just moving around and enjoying the extra space while she's got it. Over the next few months she will begin to fill out this gigantic soccer ball in front of me.

I realized today that our baby is the coolest baby ever, because he or she has already traveled to a lot of great places. This fall I had a busy travel schedule for work. Oliver joined me for a couple of trips, so it was fun. Our baby has already traveled to Aspen, Colorado Springs, Denver, Amarillo, San Francisco, Baton Rouge, Fresno, Honolulu, Sioux Falls, Hot Springs and Albuquerque. Obviously now that I'm further along my travel has slowed down to almost a complete stop, but wow - our little one is already a member of the jet set!

On December 17th we had a routine appointment with our OB/GYN. I feel so blessed that Oliver has made time to attend every single appointment so far. He wants to hear that little heartbeat as much as I do, and it's great for him to hear the Doctor's advice and answers to questions, etc. In this appointment we hoped to learn the sex of the baby. But...he or she's little legs were curled up and closed and would not budge!! Oh my goodness! Our next appointment is in mid-January, so hopefully then... Meanwhile Oliver's buddy Ryan is e-mailing him on a regular basis from Chicago to find out if we're having a boy to marry one of his little girls. They've already agreed on a dowry.

And he painted the walls too, of course...

Painting the ceiling...not an easy task! But SUPER DAD did an outstanding job!

Why, oh why did we decline learning the gender of our baby?!?? We had our ultrasound (so cool!) and told the Doc we didn't want to know. "We're waiting." That's the decision we came to (before I was even pregnant, I think). Oliver, especially, is all about waiting til April 28th for the big suprise. He's one of those people who doesn't want to watch previews for movies or TV shows, and he refuses to read the back of the DVD box for a summary of the plot. He says that seeing the unwrapped presents under the Christmas tree and waiting in eager anticipation to find out what they are is more fun than actually knowing what they are. Anyway, I decided I could wait, too, and we would do things the "old fashioned" way. It would be great for Oliver to come out of the delivery room and announce "It's a boy! or "It's a girl!"
But that was last week! THIS week we had an ultrasound and o my...it is amazing. I asked the doctor if he was able to identify the sex of the baby and he said "Oh yes, definitely." As soon as Oliver and I stepped out of the office we were both (BOTH) second-guessing our decision not to find out. Probably because the ultrasound was a bit like being introduced to our baby... He or she was so clear and moving a lot...little hands and feet and a super cute face...and suddenly I couldn't imagine continuing to call this child an "it". Knowing the gender would make things more intimate somehow. Anyway, over the next couple of days we went back and forth... should we find out, or shouldn't we? Oliver quickly returned to his "I can wait til April" position, but said he would fully support finding out as well. What to do! After much deliberation (and a little prodding from the soon to be grandmothers) we called our Doctor to see what the file said. The file said "undetermined"! WHAT?!? Evidently the Ultrasound Doc doesn't even document the gender if the parents say they don't want to know...for added security, I guess. We've watched our 8 minute DVD of the ultrasound a dozen times, at least, analyzing every white mark or gray blob to try to figure this thing out but...no luck. We have no idea what we're doing, really. So at our next appointment, our OB/GYN promised to screen and see if she can determine things for us. Her sonogram equipment isn't as sophisticated as the Ultrasound, but she promised to try.