Big Sister

Mars is now a big sister and likes to help out her little brother a lot.

The jobs of a big sissy are:

1. Feed the baby (while talking on the phone)

2. Water him

3. Dress him in hot pink beads of course, and

4. LOVE him!

Little Marshmellow

Amara has many nicknames. Before she was born we planned on calling her Mars. When she started getting chubby cheeks at a few months old I thought she looked like a marshmellow so

I started calling her Shmarshie.

Now that she's older she only gets chubby cheeks like that when she stuffs her mouth full of food.

Little Chunky Monkey

Little Chuckie is now 6 weeks old and growing very fast! He is already 12 lbs and likes to eat like his Daddy.

He loves to sleep with both hands up in the air!

He is becoming more alert and has even smiled at us several times.

He likes to sleep in the bouncer (that is when Mars leaves him alone long enough to take a nap).

Amara likes to share toys with him and has even dropped them on his head a few times. Most of all she likes to take his binki from his mouth and then try to put it back in.

One Year Pics

Being the big birthday girl, we had Mars' one year pictures taken by my amazingly talented friend Erin with Pretty Pixel Photography.

She was also pregnant, so outside pictures were no longer an option in the hot Arizona sun.
Here are some of my favorites from her shoot.

Jaundice and Rubber Duckies

When we left the hospital little Chuckie's jaundice was pretty bad. After visiting his pediatrician and getting his heel poked a few times he was in the clear.

Although technically his first bath was at the hospital shortly after he was delivered, we gave him his first bath at 4 days old. I don't think it was his favorite experience. I think he enjoys it more now.

Home

After what felt like forever, we were finally discharged from the hospital.

We took our new little love home.

Charles Clark Hilbran 8.6.11

Well, he finally came on August 6 at 7:22am weighing 7lbs even and 20 1/2 inches long.

Here is the story...

I went in for a normal checkup on Friday and my blood pressure was high enough that the my ob said it was time to be induced. I was perfectly fine with the thought of that because I had been feeling ready to have this baby out for a while now. Being induced turned out to be a better thought than reality.

We dropped Mars off at her Aunt Mandi's house and headed for the hospital. They set my IV and started petocin right away. I had antibiotics that really burned! Labor was slow and the contractions were getting stronger but I was not dilated very far.

Sometime after midnight I was dilated to a 5 then the nurse anesthetist set my epidural and I started feeling better. I took a nap and was finally dilated farther when they broke my water to advance the labor. I started to gain feeling back - which was not good timing. I then dilated from a 7 to 10 in a matter of minutes and could feel every single contraction. Crap! I realized there was nothing I could do but sit there unable to move and breathe through each painful contraction as they came.

Poor Chuck being the loving husband he is, offered his hand for me to squeeze. I think he is still barely getting feeling back in his fingers.

Luckily within minutes it was time to push and 3-4 contractions of pushing and our little lovely baby boy straight from heaven was in my arms. I only pushed for 12 minutes, but they were the most painful minutes I have ever experienced! He was worth every second of the pain. Most babies are pretty ugly when they come out, but he was beautiful and perfect! (Even the nurses said he was a beautiful looking newborn).

Little Chuckie (as I am now calling him, though he has many possible nicknames) had dark hair just like I thought he would. He was of course not born on my birthday like Mars, but still managed to share my lucky number as he weighed 7 lbs even.

He was very mellow at the hospital and hardly cried at all and had no problems nursing right away.

We decided to name him Charles Clark Hilbran - Charles after Chuck of course it being a family name, and Clark after Grammpy. He has a wonderful strong name. Here he is with his namesake's.

Soon after he was born, Mars came to visit her new little brother. I am not sure she even really noticed him above her excitement of seeing Daddy and Mommy. (Now she likes to drop her toys on his head or feed him her bottle - what a good big sister!)

Girls in Dresses

Grammy bought Mars some cute dresses for her birthday - here is her in my favorite one.

Special Birthday 7.17.11

I am so lucky to get to share my birthday with my little love. She is the great joy in my life and is my Rae of sunshine every day.
On our birthday we decided to live it up and take advantage of all the free meals offered for birthday girls. We even got free meal for Mars because it was her birthday too!
Chuck surprised me with a bike for my birthday this year. I was totally surprised he bought it, but not surprised it was a bike because we looked at some earlier and I told him what I liked.
I always enjoyed cycling classes at the gym and have been planning on doing the ADA's Ride for a Cure, but then I found out I was pregnant this year and will have to wait until next year to ride.
Well now I have a bike and just needed to have the baby before starting training.

Mars #1 Birthday

Amara's first birthday was on a Sunday, so we celebrated the day before.
Some people are superstitious about this fact of celebrating before the actual day, but that is just nonsense.

Mars party was a tropical beach escape. Uncle Bubba loved us so much he sent a child's coconut bra and hula skirt for Mars for her birthday outfit. Isn't she the cutest hula girls you've ever seen!



We had a lot of friends join us in celebrating her #1 year and it was a lot of fun. Mars had a lot of presents to open with the help of Daddy. These are some of her new cuddly friends...

For the first birthday of our first child, we wanted the present from Mommy and Daddy to be special, so we bought her her very first car! No license required - hopefully she won't get as many tickets as Chuck.

After presents Mars tore into her birthday cake. This was the most sugar she had ever had and wasn't destroying it enough for Chuck so he stepped in to show her how it was done. I don't know that the chocolate every completely came out of that shirt.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY MARS BARS!

Baby Shower

Little Chuckie has been growing inside my belly and before he gets any bigger - he needed a baby shower.
We didn't have any boy clothes, so I was very excited to get clothes and hopefully more diapers that were desperately needed.

Chuck's mom and sister put on the shower and did an amazing job!
I was more than overwhelmed at how great everything was and how many people came.

THANKS Everyone!

Daddy's girl

Mars finally learned how to say Mommy, but I think she is still a Daddy's girl.

Don't they look related?

Amara Rae

We have always wanted Mars to enjoy books. Looks like she is enjoying looking at them even though she can't read yet.

Mars also enjoys playing with her toys including her little Ginger puppy.