Baby Julia has arrived!

Julia Belle Ryan arrived in this world on Friday, October 1st, 2010! She weighed 8 lbs, 10 oz, measured 20.5 inches long, and her head was 14 cm. She was born at 7:15am via c-section. Tim and I had to be at the hospital at 5am on Friday morning, and we were in the operating room by 7am. The operation went smoothly, and she is perfect! She has a head full of hair! We stayed at the hospital until Monday and were finally discharged around 1:30pm. Visitors at the hospital included Grammy and Big Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa, Wills, Aunt Stephanie, Manon, and Christina. Thanks to everyone who came to meet Julia and spend time with us! Also, a big thanks to the grandparents who took care of Wills (and Fletch) while we were in the hospital!

Today is Thursday, so we've been home for 3 nights...my Mom has been here and been a HUGE help! Jules (as Tim and I have come to calling her) is doing just great. She eats every 1 to 3 hours, and when I say "eats", I mean "eats really well"! She is doing a great job nursing and sleeping and even trying to hold her head up. At night, we set the alarm for every 3 hours to feed her - it takes about an hour for her to eat. Tim has been awesome getting up with me for every single feeding.

She had a touch of jaundice (so did Wills), so we had to make 2 trips to the hospital and 1 to the pediatrician to get her blood drawn. The appointments were pretty noneventful and her jaundice level dropped from Tuesday to Wednesday, so that was great. Her weight on Tuesday was back up to 8 lbs, 3 oz, which means she's gaining! She dropped down to about 7 lbs 14 oz while we were still at the hospital.

Wills is totally LOVING his baby sister. He wants to hold her and kiss her and pet her and change her diaper, and of course, play with her. I am so proud of him.

Now, for the fun stuff...pictures!

It's 4:36am...

And Tim and I are about to leave for the hospital! Baby girl will be here today! Around 7am, if all goes well...I am so anxious!!!

Best Birthday Ever!

Wills has had a birthday extravaganza! It kicked off with a birthday weekend - grandparents, aunt Stephanie, Bo and Louise all came to Atlanta to celebrate with Wills, and he loved it! We had a party on Saturday morning at Wills' favorite bouncy place, Kangazoom. They did an awesome job and took care of everything. The theme was (surprise!) Toy Story 3, specifically Buzz Lightyear. After the party, we came hope, napped, and opened presents! Wills got a Cars racetrack (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!), a soccer/lacrosse/hockey goal (thanks Grammy and Big Daddy!), a new outfit, a Buzz Lightyear telephone, a Toy Story 3 garbage truck, lots of hotwheels cars, a puzzle, and a spaceship, just to name a few things. He loves every single one of his new toys, that's for sure.

On Monday, Wills' actual b-day, he had whatever he wanted for breakfast (hashbrowns with cheese and ketchup), then Tim and I met at the school around 3 for a little birthday celebration with apple juice and cupcakes. I'll post those pictures soon. Then Wills got to come home early and open his present from us - Toy Story 3 Legos, which he calls his Lego Duplos - he actually saw a commercial a few days ago and told us that was what his Daddy was going to get him for his birthday :)

Whew - what a weekend!

Updates

So, as Wills is about to turn 3, some very big things are happening in his life! He is such a big boy...

• He will be a big brother in about 2 1/2 weeks! Wills is very aware that he is about to have a little sister, and he seems pretty happy and content about it. He knows that she will be born at the hospital (just like him) and he says he will come and visit us there. I think that he thinks his sister is going to be just like him when she gets here - a few days ago, he told me that we need to go buy his baby sister some Tinkerbell underpants!
• Speaking of underpants...Wills is doing great with potty training! I swear, 2 weeks ago, he was not interested at all and it was a struggle to get him to go on the potty at home (he does fine going at school, although he was wearing a pull-up). Last Tuesday, he told me he wanted to wear underpants to school, and he has worn them every day since! He has even gone a couple of days with no accidents! Amazing! How darn cute is this picture?!? Check out those abs...

• Wills can count all the way to 20! He also knows his ABCs. I have the cutest video but couldn't get it to download.
• Wills loves Buzz Lightyear, Lightening McQueen, books (we read 3 to 5 books every night), his big boy bunk bed, his Fletch, his tools, and TV (especially the shows Calliou, Curious George, Dr. Seuss, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). He also loves to play outside with the boys in the cul-de-sac - Andrew (4), Christopher (2 1/2) and David (1). We have our own little baseball team here.

• Wills' favorite drink is apple juice. He likes to eat waffles or pancakes for breakfast every single day (I have to make them in bulk and freeze them so that we have enough!). His favorite other foods include apples and peanut butter, bananas, clementines, peanut butter and jelly, cheese quesadillas, rice and beans, fig newtons, spaghettios, and ice cream.
• For Halloween, Wills wants to be Buzz Lightyear. He has been saying that for about 3 months and hasn't changed his mind yet. We've already got the costume...

Labor Day at the Lake

We went to Lake Hartwell in SC for Labor Day with Tim's co-workers. It was Wills' first time to the lake (and my first time in a long time!). The view was beautiful, and Wills got to go on a boat ride, swim in the lake, and go fishing. He had a blast! He also loved the hot-tub! We bought him his own mickey mouse fishing rod that came with a red gooey fish (just like on the TV show). I think he really likes fishing - he didn't catch anything, but he could have stayed out there for hours casting the line into the water. Just like his Big Daddy!!

Andrew's Birthday Party

Our neighbors' little boy, Andrew, turned 4 a few weeks ago, and Wills and I went to his birthday party at East Cobb Park. The theme was, of course, Buzz Lightyear, and Wills had a great time playing and exploring. He is loving pizza these days, too, so he enjoyed the lunch.

Wills and Louise - "Brother and Sister"

Louise (aka Weezy Peezy) was here a few weeks ago with my sister, and it was awesome to see how much fun Wills (aka Willsy Pillsy) and Weez have together. They call each other brother and sister (and sometimes "honey") and pull out every single toy that Wills has. These pics are of them inside Wills' play house with almost every toy inside with them.