Hiester Family Antics: 04.11

Finally! It's been a whopping THREE WEEKS since our lives were blessed with Livi Claire...and she's finally making her appearance on "Hiester Family Antics". I have no excuse. I am not sleep-deprived, as I have a wonderful sleeper and a helpful husband. I'm not overwhelmed, as I have Kurstin and Elissa, my round-the-clock Robben Handlers. I'm not lacking in energy. Quite the contrary. I have as much energy as I did when I was pregnant, which was nothing short of superhuman. I prayed for it to continue post-pregnancy, and it seems God saw fit to answer that one in the affirmative. In any case, we're here now...

The Hiester Family is proud to introduce

Olivia Claire Hiester

Born March 23, 2011 @ 7:58 in the evening

6 pounds 3 ounces, 19 3/4" long

With a full head of hair :)

Livi is a good little girl. She eats well, sleeps well, soils her diapers well... At night, we've gotten up to 4 1/2 hours of sleep at a time! As you can see, she has LOTS of dark hair (which has already lightenend considerably since birth), which is a catalyst for the #1 most common comment from friends, family and strangers alike: "Look at all that hair!" She also has some pretty long eyelashes, which, ironically, are blonde. She has super long fingers, like those of a concert pianist (or a basketball player, though I'd prefer the former). And her toes are even longer. Not normal long. I mean LONG! Her daddy says she'll be able to perch on things...branches, telephone wires, etc. The general consensus is that she looks like Mommy (yippee!), especially if you see my baby pictures. I'm thinking the eyes might be Todd's though. She certainly has my lips: shape and color; but thankfully not my ears :/

A quick Mommy report: the pregnancy was easy, as pregnancies go, blessing me with a mere 16 pounds and no stretch marks... and leaving my belly button intact :) I was scheduled for a C-Section on March 28, but went into labor on the 23rd. I didn't really believe I was in labor because there was minimal pain involved. The only real clue was the consistent intervals between the contractions. After some coaxing from the doctor's office and an extracted promise to go to the hospital (now, NOT when my husband gets home from work!), I drove myself, in the rain, while filing my nails and texting (mostly at the stop lights) to let people know what was going on. My doctor came and declared it Livi's birthday, set up a date with the anesthesiologist, and, in his own words, went and had a couple shots of Tequila before my surgery :) Livi was born at 7:58 pm on Wednesday night and we got to come home on Friday afternoon to a housefull of excited siblings. My recovery has been swift and actually hasn't felt like a recovery at all. I feel no physical limitations and my energy is actually better than it was a year ago from now. This time around, having a baby has been very easy!! Robben is officially a BIG BROTHER... and a proud one at that! He loves his baby sister so much. Though I can't say the transition has been completely smooth and painless, Robben does NOT exhibit any signs of jealousy with the new addition. He loves to look at her and touch her (not always with permission), and is greatly distressed when she is unhappy. He admires God's handiwork in her "small ears" and "little bootie". He likes to discuss with me all the things he is looking forward to teaching her "when she is bigger", like jumping on the trampoline, playing with monster trucks, and going up on the roof (which, for some reason, is his measure of "being big"). He coos to her in a very high-pitched voice, saying things like, "it's okay Honey, Big Brother is right here." Now if only we could eradicate this sniffle/cough of his, he'd be able to spend more of this precious time with "his baby".And naturally, Robben is not the only proud older sibling. All three of the girls wait ever-so-patiently for their turn to hold Livi; they all stare at her endlessly, proclaiming her cuteness ad nauseum; and they are all willing to help in any way possible and, I think, consider it an honor when called upon. Most surprising to me is Tyler's interaction with her. I don't know why- I know the kid, I know his sensitive side. I guess I just get lulled into ignorant oblivion by his INsensitive side, which is the more common of the two. He, like the girls and Robben, loves to look at her, marvels at the little quirks (like the obligatory post-meal hiccups), and exclaims over the concentrated cuteness. Last night, when he arrived home fairly late from a track meet, he was to be found in her room, leaning over the cradle, just looking and, I daresay, admiring :)

The other Hiesters are comparably enthralled with the new hatchling. The first time we took her to their house, all 5 of them stood around oohing and aahing over each little expression that crossed her sleeping face. I think some may have been moved to tears at the pouty face that preceeds a bout of crying (which, when sleeping, doesn't actually come to fruition). Sydney, Brooklyn and Payton have a hard time forming a sentence other than, "she's so cute" when Livi is in their midst. The twins are nothing short of enthralled by their new little cousin: Brooklyn asked me today if Livi Claire is full-grown :)

In addition to family members who will remain NAMEless (my mom and sister-in-law), several people have threatened to take her home with them. I've had a few people even politely ask if they could have her :) We all knew that Livi would be a VERY LOVED LITTLE GIRL, and we see evidence of that all around, even in her first 3 weeks of life!