Week Two

Leo's second weekend home brought more visitors! My family :) G-Norm, Mom, Dad, and my brother Zach came up on Saturday and then my mom was able to also stay for the next 4 days. It was so much fun having them here! They brought Max's pool that they bought as a Chrismas present & Max loves it. He had so much fun splashing around in it.

Great Grandma Oma (Great Grandma Grandma) holding Leo. He is much easier for her to hold compared to Max!

Dad and Zach had fun throwing the football around in the backyard.

Uncle Zach holding his second nephew.


Max decided that he was going to be Erkle for a little while. It was hilarious! My Aunt Kathy also commented that he is on the next plane to Miami, lol. He would fit right in with the older folks down there, lol.

It was a fun visit! We can't wait to see them all again in a couple of weeks.

Splash Pad

Max needed some Mommy time a few days after we brought Leo home. I decided to take him to the YMCA's splash pad while Clint took Leo to the hospital to get his billiruben levels checked again. We had such an awesome time! Max loved playing in the water and of course, squirting me.

We plan on going back many times this summer!!

Family Visit

The Lockwoods were able to come and meet Leo the first weekend we were home- June 4th and 5th. It was a beautiful day, so the boys were able to play outside in the wiggle sprinkler Carol got them. Drake kept saying, "Baby EO, Baby EO!" It was really cute. The day was great, except Brandon threw his back out while trying to fix the sprinkler. He was in a lot of pain-- poor Brandon! I offered him some of my pain meds, but he was a trooper. Thankfully, he is doing better now. Here are some pictures of their visit.

Aunt Kelli remembering what it is like holding a tiny baby :)

Grandma Carol loves to snuggle with little Leo!

Let's Go Fly A Kite!

We decided to try and do something fun with Max a couple of days after we got home. He was being very good with Leo, however, he was definitely feeling a bit left out and needy. Clint thought it would be fun to get him a kite and take him out back to fly it. Also, Carol, Clint's mom was able to stay with us for a few days. It was so nice having her with us!! She helped out with cooking, cleaning, shopping, and entertaining Max. Thank you Carol!

Here are some pictures of Max's kite flying fun.

Leo enjoyed being outside for a little bit.

Carol and the Lockwoods also sent me these beautiful flowers while I was in the hospital. The combination of flowers is gorgeous. Thanks again!!

Coming Home

On Thursday, June 2, we were able to bring our little Leo home. It was so exciting driving with our two boys in the backseat for the first time. Even though I have done this before, I was still pretty nervous about what it would be like when we got home. Leo is very cuddly and likes to sleep a lot, so he was pretty tired the first night.

This is a picture of two day old Leo. His cheeks look so rosy :)

Clint and I had a great celebration dinner the night before we left. Filets, sparkling cider, and cake. Yum!

My mom brought these adorable baby buggy cookies. They were delicious!!

Doesn't he look so tiny in his seat?

The first night went great! Leo wakes up every 2 1/2 to 3 hours to eat. It will definitely take some getting used to. Max is doing really well with him so far. He loves to give Leo smooches and wants to make sure that he is happy. Let the fun begin!

Leo Michael Hill

Our beautiful baby boy, Leo Michael Hill, was born on May 31, 2011 at 5:12 pm. He weighed 7 pounds and 11 ounces and was 21 inches long. He is such an amazing little guy, at three weeks old we already cannot imagine our lives without him.

The delivery went perfectly! I was kind of nervous after my experience with Max, but this time it was awesome! Clint and I arrived at the hospital at 6:30 am and they started the induction process. I started having contractions after Dr. Fouts broke my water at 8:15. At 10:30 they were about 2 minutes a part, and when I went to the bathroom I had a much harder time walking. Only having contractions for a couple of hours is definitely much better than almost 24 hours! My parents arrived around 9:30. It was really nice having them there. My mom stayed with me this time for my epidural. It hurt much more this time in comparison- the doctor did not put it in the right spot at first and it hit some nerves. It felt like someone was kicking me really hard in the back. The next few hours went by pretty fast. Ken and Karan brought Max by for a little bit and I got to say hi to him. He was a little scared because I was in the hospital, but overall he did a great job!

Around 3:30 we started talking to my sister on Skype and I was about 6 cm. I started feeling more pressure and I couldn't concentrate as well on what we were talking about. I told the nurse that I thought I was getting close. She checked me at 4:00 and I was 10 cm :) At that point they got me ready to start pushing. My mom and Clint were with me the whole time. I am so thankful for them both. My mom was such an amazing motivator. She helped me concentrate and was there to give me water and a cold cloth. She knew exactly what to do! Clint was also very comforting and helpful. Thank you both for being there! It took about 45 minutes of pushing (that was still a workout) and then, Leo was born!

I loved how they were able to put Leo on my stomach right after he was born! Clint was also excited about getting his footprints on a hat- we didn't do either with Max because of his lungs. Max was so excited to meet his brother!

We are so happy and blessed to have Leo in our family!! We can't wait to watch him grow and change each day.

Diversity Day with my ELL Students

I do not post about my job very often (if ever) but I absolutely love it!! I just finished my 6th year of teaching middle school, and this was my favorite year by far. After teaching 8th grade LA and Social Studies for four years, and then one year of 6th grade LA, Reading, and SS, I was one of two teaches hired at Northwood to work with the English Language Learners. Fort Wayne has a very large refugee population and our middle school is one of three that offers classes to introduce these students to the English language. My students come from all over the world! Many of them are from Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Mexico, Sudan, and several other countries. They are all so excited to learn and try their best everyday to improve their English skills. I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to work with these great kids.

On my last day of work, May 27th, our school had its annual Diversity Day. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to share the wide variety of cultures that make up Northwood. I had several students participate in this day. We had so much fun! Max even came for the second half of the afternoon to meet my students and watch some of the performances. I think it was too overwhelming for him, but he still had fun. Here are some pictures of my classes and a few of the groups.

The following pictures are of a group of Karen students from Thailand. They were all Burmese refugees. They are performing a traditional Karen bamboo ceremony dance. Another teacher brought her students in to watch and learn part of the dance.

At the end of the day, I had to play the music for several of the groups that were dancing for the school. Max decided to help me. The day was a lot of fun! Looking forward to it again next year.