Introducing...Eliza Claire

Our precious little girl arrived on her due date, September 16th, at 3:18 a.m. She weighed in at 7 lbs., 15 oz. and measured 21 inches long. The delivery went smoothly but because of there being meconium (baby poop) in the amniotic fluid, she had to have her lungs suctioned out for a good 15 mintues after her birth. Probably due to that stress, her blood sugar levels were on the low side, so she spent from Tuesday to Saturday in the NICU getting dextrose (sugar) through an IV as well as antibiotics for any possible infection. This was all mostly precautionary, and she is now doing just fine and is gaining weight and adapting to being at home and getting into a routine. We are all madly in love with her, especially big sister and big brother, who have been very eager helpers and baby holders! There are a few additional photos of Eliza that a friend of ours took while she was in the NICU. She has posted them at http://shesabeaut.blogger.com/

Summer Fun

We have had one wild and crazy summer, with FOUR trips taken in July alone! Add to that the fact that we started our home school back up in mid-June to allow for a break in September (when baby #3 is due). We have spent the majority of this month getting ready for baby and squeezing in more school, with the goal of having six full weeks of our curriculum completed before I deliver.

Our first trip was a visit to CA for the DiLiberto family reunion, followed by a stay in Newport Beach and trips to both Disneyland and Legoland. The day after we returned from CA, Dave and I went down to College Station (for the first time in over eight years) for the Texas Firefighter Olympics. Dave's softball team came in fourth, so no medal, but we had a fantastic time. About a week after that, Dave, Jack and my dad left for NYC to attend two Yankee baseball games and an Oldtimer's game (check out the cute kid on the Jumbotron), while my mom, Hannah and I drove to Missouri to visit the Laura Ingalls' Wilder Home and Museum. We are so glad we had the opportunity to take all of these trips, but as always, it was nice to get back home.