Noelle Nicole Huntley

Precious Noelle was born on Monday, October 25th at 3:13 am. She was 8 lbs, 11 oz; 21 inches long; head circumference of 14 inches; and did I mention perfect? Noelle was chosen b/c we love the name (and thought it went well with Delilah), and Nicole is the middle name of Chris's sister, Kim. If she grows up to have half of her Aunt Kim's qualities, she will be a fortunate girl indeed.
She has lots of blonde hair and currently has blue eyes, but I think they may turn brown. I will write another post soon the labor & delivery, but for now I just want to share her first pictures.

Minutes Old

Hi, Sweetie. I'm your Dad

I already love you with all my heart.

That's my baby sister

Can I hold her?

Delilah kept asking to hold her, but only wanted to hold her for about 10 seconds at a time. Then she would look to the nearest adult and declare, "your turn!"

First of what I'm sure will be many pics with my 2 girls

First of many naps together

Our angel

We just came home yesterday and things are going well. Delilah simply refers to her as 'my baby' and is constantly looking for her and wanting to know what she's doing. Noelle is eating like a champ and seems to sleep best with her daddy. Chris is the proudest papa you ever did see, and I...well, I couldn't have a fuller, more grateful heart.

Two and a Half!

Precious Red is two and a half today! I know I've had some wordy posts lately, and this will probably be another one. But we all know that it will be picture overload when the new munchkin gets here, so bear with me.
I have no idea how much longer Delilah will be an only child...could be hours, it could be weeks. But I do know that these past two and a half years have been incredible. Most of the updates have been filled with what Red has learned and what she can do. I think that's b/c it's amazing to watch a little baby start to grow into a person who can walk and talk and read and count, etc. But now she's a little girl and I don't care about all that stuff so much b/c discovering WHO she is is a lot more interesting than discovering WHAT she can do. And she is pretty incredible.
-She is now very open to new people...especially other kids. She LOVES the playscape at Chik-fil-A, and acts as thought it's her own and she's the hostess. She welcomes other kids in, makes sure they take off their shoes, and offers a hand to help them climb up the slide.
-She offers unprompted 'Sorry's' when she realizes that she's made her parents mad.
-She HATES seeing people who are upset. She sticks her lower lip out and looks up at me and says, "why is he crying?" or "He's sad, Mommy"
-She often says, "I need a hug"
-She is super cuddly
-She throws fierce tantrums that last, on average, 30 seconds
-Like most toddlers, she likes for things to be done in a certain order. But there is a strong possibility that we need to make sure that she doesn't have OCD. I mean, seriously, just one time of putting on her right sock before her left sock wouldn't kill her.
-She is in love with pajamas and does anything she can to stay in them and not change into 'udder clothes'
-She's starting to make up little stories...we were on a walk yesterday and she told me that the yellow dog was hungry and that he was friends with the squirrel who lived in the tree.
-She's still into the Astros. We were watching a game the other day, and Chris pointed out former Astro Nolan Ryan...Delilah's immediate response was, "Where's Jose Cruz?". If you are an Astros fan, that comment is killing you right now. :)
-Favorite toys right now are books, play-doh, sidewalk chalk, and puzzles.
-Bedtime companions are Elmo and Stitch (from Lilo & Stitch). She still has a thousand animals in her bed, but those are the two that she wants under her arm.
-She is joyful. So very, very joyful.

Dear sweet Red, I cherish these 2.5 years of just you. You are beautiful and sweet and funny and caring and you are my heart.

Mommy loves you.

The Oft Unsung Member of Team Huntley

In the past two weeks:
-A realtor reported a gas leak in our Austin home
-The fire department showed up to check said leak 15 minutes before an open house
-Our A/C units were completely destroyed at our Austin home
-We learned that vacant home insurance policies don't cover theft, so we now have to purchase 2 new A/C units
-I developed a severe sinus infection
-Because of said sinus infection, my eardrum ruptured 4 times Tuesday night
-I have spent countless hours talking to claims adjustors, insurance agents, police officers, fire department workers, gas company employees, air conditioning repairmen, and doctors (while not being able to hear out of one ear)

In the past two weeks, I have been:
-tired
-sad
-frustrated
-tired
-in pain
-cranky
-tired
-hormonal
-depressed
-tired

In the past two weeks, Chris has:
-cooked basically every meal
-taken Red to school
-picked Red up from school
-picked up my prescriptions
-done all the grocery shopping
-given Red her bath every night
-put Red to bed nearly every night
-given countless foot rubs
-given countless massages
-rearranged work to be with me when I needed him
-done it all without complaint, without being asked, without hesitating

I thought I loved you as much as possible on this day. I had no idea...

Maternity 2010

We just got the proofs back from our maternity session...so excited that Baby Girl is almost here!
Haven't blogged too much about this pregnancy and I'm not sure why. It's definitely not from a lack of excitement and it's not because we've done this before...I think we've just had so much going on that I get distracted and feel like I can't dedicate the time to document everything properly.
So before we look at some pictures, let's do a little recap of this pregnancy!

What may be surprising to some of you is to learn how long it took to make this a reality. We got pregnant with Delilah very quickly and were so in love with her that we actually started trying for #2 very soon...like 6 months after she was born. But God didn't agree with our timeline, so we didn't actually get pregnant until 15 months later. With all the changes we've had recently, I now know why everything happened the way it did, and I'm thankful.
Like my first, this pregnancy has been very easy. Not one day of nausea, and very few other symptoms. No swelling, no heartburn...just fatigue and hunger. I'm always hungry! :) I gained 54 pounds total with Delilah, and so far have only gained 40 with this one, so I don't think I'll get to 54 again.
This little girl has been EXTREMELY active in my tummy. I first felt her at 14 weeks and haven't stopped since...lots of rolls, kicks, jabs, and hiccups.
People say the 2nd pregnancy isn't as big a deal, but I think that's a little misleading. I think it's just that perspective has changed. When I was pregnant with Delilah, it was such a momentous occasion, and I needed everyone else to think it was momentous, too. This pregnancy is just as exciting for me, but I don't need for everyone else to feel the same way. It's enough for me to know the enormity of the occasion, and to just sit quietly with it by myself if I have, too. Not that friends and family haven't been showering us with love and attention...it's just that I don't need it the way I did the first time around.
I've spent the last 4 months terrified of how I will be able to juggle 2 kids. I've been much more nervous than I was before Delilah got here. But I've felt a lot more at peace in the last few days, so perhaps that means she's about to arrive?!
We feel so blessed to be adding to our family. The thought of another precious newborn to smell is heavenly and the image of our two little girls running and giggling together as they grow up is incredible.
I've reached the point now that one friend described as "the quiet solitude" that comes at the end of pregnancy. The point where you start to feel very introverted and alone (with no negative connotation), because you know you are fast approaching that point where it will just be you that can do the work. In spite of husbands and doctors and family, no one can join you in labor. I feel like I've even started to pull away from Red ever so slightly and I know she can sense it because she's been more cuddly than ever. Right now, it's just me and my baby and we are a unit...not too much else exists at this point.
I can't wait to meet her.

Let's Go to the Zoo!

Delilah has never been to the zoo b/c the Austin one isn't all that great. So we surprised her yesterday and took her to the wonderful Houston Zoo. We kept telling her all morning that we had a surprise for her, and when we got there she cried, "AAaaallllll the animals!!!!!!!!!!" Despite a lack of Delilah's favorite animal, the hippo, we had a fantastic morning...and we only got through about a third of the zoo.

Let's go!

First exhibit..."Can I climb in and pet them, Mommy?"
Looking with Daddy

Red was really sad that there were no hippos; monkeys were the only acceptable substitute.

About to give Daddy a kiss

At one point Delilah asked to stop and "take a breather, Mommy?" We cuddled on the bench and sang songs. Right before she hopped down again, Chris snapped this pic. I am SO PREGNANT!!!! :) I think walking the zoo was definitely more tiring for me than for Delilah...but oh-so-worth-it.

There is also a petting zoo and Delilah helped brush the goats. At one point she just curled up with one like she does with Runyon. The other kids were amazed by her bravery. :)

Worn Out.

Can't wait to go back...we all had so much fun!!