Firsts (Updated with 4-Month Stats)

Stella will be four months* next week, and she's at a really fun stage. She's so engaged with the world, really looking at people and things. She smiles a lot and laughs. I now feel like I might have an idea what comedians or other entertainers feel like onstage--it's kind of a rush to be able to make Stella laugh and smile. And we've noticed lots of new little activities and developments.

For awhile now, I've been handing Stella a little rattle she got from my friend Alison right after she was born. For a few weeks, she's been able to hold it. Then occasionally she would seem to take some pleasure in being able to make it make noise. Then, last weekend, I left her on the floor while I went to the kitchen when I heard a rattle noise. Tyler was in the bathroom, so I didn't think it was him. I quietly walked up and saw that Stella had rolled onto her side and was picking it up and playing with it by herself. It seemed like such an achievement! And it helped me feel better about not always needing to be engaging her and right there. Even though intellectually I know that's not necessary, since I've gone back to work, I want to make the most of our time together. But this helped me remember that sometimes being alone will help her do things she needs to do on her own.


You can see she's holding the rattle here, but really I just love the way Tyler and Stella are curved toward each other in this picture.

I haven't seen this particular first for reasons that will soon become more obvious, but apparently Stella can also hold her own bottle as she gets down to the last few ounces. This seems to be a relief for Tyler, since bottle feeding has been somewhat of a challenge.


Here's Stella chowing down with her own two hands!

Stella's also gotten to meet her first new baby friend from among our existing group of friends. While we've met lots of great new people with babies since our pregnancy, Todd and Christine welcomed Lucy into the world a few weeks ago. We went to visit and it was amazing the difference between 3+ months and 3 weeks. Someday it won't make any difference at all, but for now they are almost like two different creatures. We think it will be great to show them this picture when they're older!


Daughers and Daddies: Todd & Lucy, Tyler & Stella

And probably most momentous of all, Stella started rolling over! Unlike other babies we've heard of who are rolling from their stomachs to their back, Stella's decided to buck the trend and go from her back to her tummy. She spent a few weeks rolling onto her side consistently. Then she'd start to roll over but often get one arm caught underneath her. This video was from the first or second day she was really doing it pretty consistently. Now you can't set her down without her rolling over. The only problem is that she hasn't learned to roll back, so she'll roll, get tired of tummy time, fuss, we'll roll her back to her back, and she immediately rolls herself back to her stomach. This sometimes stops being cute after awhile, but it's entertaining to see how obsessed she is with her new skill.


Video proof of Stella's rolling abilities--now it's totally routine and an obsession

In some ways, these all seem fitting. Even though she's so young, one of the things we've noticed about her personality is a certain independent streak. (I have no idea where she might have gotten that from...)

And, to round things off, here are two recent favorites of mine:


Stella and the flamingo from Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Tim.


Stella on one of our Fridays together. I love her in blue since it brings out her eyes, but it will always make people think she's a boy...


So this day she also wore her first shoes to add a feminine flair to the outfit. They're so tiny and so cute.

* Stella had her four-month well baby check-up today. She is 16 pounds 1 ounce, 25 inches long and 16.5" head circumference. According to the doctor she's thriving and doing great, and she even handled the shots surprisingly well. No major post-shot meltdowns...yet...

Now and Then: A matter of perspective

First off, I feel like I should apologize since I've been absent from this blog for the better part of a month. With starting my new business, I am actually in front of the computer more than ever these days. But, at the same time, it leaves me in this weird situation where -when I am sitting at the computer- I feel like I should be either on-task (adding to my portfolio, tracking down clients) or really, really off-task (I'm looking at you, Comic Book Message Boards). So, that rarely leaves me in a situation where I feel like I should be doing something sort of on-task... or at least on-task for life, if not professionally.

That said, earlier today, I finally got around to doing something I meant to do quite a while ago: Uploading the photos our friend Breanne took of us. Breanne's been doing professional photography for a while now, so when she offered to come over and take some pictures of Sarah when she was pregnant, we jumped at the opportunity. Then, again, a couple months after Stella's birth, she came by to take some pictures. Sort of a "before" and "after" sort of thing.

Anyhow, you can now see a selection of the photos she took here. Enjoy Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents and Great-Grandparents!

Sarah actually posted a selection of the Stella pictures in the second half of this entry, so I won't bother posting more in this entry... well, except maybe this one...


(When she gets older, Stella is going to hate that I'm posting this picture.)

...but I will post a couple of the pregnancy pictures here, just because I love the lighting that Breanne captured, plus it's amazing to look back at pictures of Sarah in the final month of pregnancy. It's crazy how things have changed.



Anyhow, be sure to check out the whole set.

Also, finally, I thought I'd post one more picture. Not because its going to win any photography awards, but instead because I love what it represents.


Sarah took this photo last Friday while I was downstairs working. When I saw it later that day, it made me smile. I love watching the two of them together, and it makes me so happy that they share such a wonderful bond with each other. It's hard to put into words why it makes me so happy. I've literally tried to type it out a half dozen times now, but then gone back and deleted the sentence because its not quite right. So, let's see if I can break it down...

I love Sarah and my relationship to her, and I love Stella and my relationship to her. This photo is evidence of their love and relationship to each other, which is something I might see ever day, but not always notice because I'm there with them. Seeing this photo of them, without me there, reminds me of their relationship to each other. It's sort of physical proof of the love that -from my perspective- makes up the far side of our little family circle. And that's one of the most important things in the world to me. It makes me so happy that they make each other so happy

Anyhow, I think I still sort of botched-up and confused what I meant to say. But, oh well. If nothing else, its a cute photo of my girls hanging out together and it makes me smile.

103 Days

Well, we sort of blew it. Tyler wanted to mark Stella's 100th day by taking her out and having her feet actually touch the earth (something that hasn't happened in her life yet--remarkable until you think about how cold it's been since her birth). But between having book club that night and the exhaustion that hits me by midweek of working, we forgot all about it until her 103rd day or so, and that just didn't have the same ring to it.

But there have been other exciting developments. She's definitely grabbing onto things, like some of her animals and rattles, and now quickly moves them directly to her mouth. Stella's also getting more mobile and interested in the world, so she's often less interested in hanging out in her basket where she can't see too much. I found one of these baby seat things at a used baby store, and we amuse ourselves by setting Stella in it every once in awhile.


There's something cute and ridiculous about setting her up in this little seat. With her big diapers, I wonder how long she'll actually be able to use this....

Stella's also gotten really vocal and seems to like the sound of her own voice. It started earlier this week when she was laying in her bed going to sleep, just oohing and aahing until we turned the lights out. Now she seems to like to talk to Jacques the Peacock while on her activity mat.


Conversations with Jacques. We're still trying to learn the ins and outs of this language system

Unfortunately for me, Stella's changing her reasonable night schedule for one that's less fun and includes a 4AM squirm/whimper/wake up session.


Napping Stella--she looks big in her basket these days, but still pretty tiny in a real bed

We've had a fun past few days, with lots of smiles and fun times hanging out. Unfortunately, I didn't think about possible cabbage connections when I made a curry for lunch with some baby bok choy and got a reminder about how un-fun gassy, unhappy Stella can be. At least we know this will past, and I'll add another thing to the "do not eat" list.....

3 Months

I remember the day my mom headed back to Texas after helping us with Stella for the first week or so. She was telling Stella that her parents had no idea just how much she would change in the next few months. And it was so true.

In those days, it was pretty much eat, sleep, need a diaper change. While those are still pretty major components of our days, Stella has a whole new repertoire of interests and sounds. She has a favorite toy, smiles, and notices the cats. She loves hands (mostly ours, but also her own), has started rolling onto her side, and even laughing in her sleep (about the cutest sound ever). She's so alert, taking the world in--she even likes to flirt with herself in the mirror, as you can kind of see below.


Stella and the mirror

And she's growing big! She's probably 15 pounds and stretches well beyond the length of my body. (Also, at three months, she's wearing 6-9 month clothes-crazy.) It's incredible to realize that I've helped this little person grow from nothing to the size she is now, just with my own body.


Stella was such a little girl in this outfit--very pink and she kept pulling up her skirt like little girls do.


Thanks to Jeanne and Tim for this cute outfit--9 months, supposedly, but it already fits. And we got a smile in the picture!


Apparently sometimes Tyler amuses himself during his time with Stella by taking photos.

Of course, the other big change this 3-month milestone brings is my return to work. So far it's been going well. Tyler is doing an amazing job watching her four mornings a week, and we've been really happy with the nanny who's coming three afternoons a week so Tyler can get his new business up and running. I've enjoyed the mental stimulation of being back at work among my colleagues and clients. However, it is an adjustment. Pumping milk three times a day is challenging and can start feeling monotonous, but I'm happy to be able to keep helping Stella grow in these early days.

On Valentine's Day, our friend Breanne came to do a photoshoot with Stella. Here are just a couple of the cute shots she got. Of course, we had to get at least a few naked baby bum shots, too!


Stella, almost three months


Mama and babe--and a preview of Stella's current fascination with hands


The happy family


Tummy time


Baby feet


Happy parents, naked baby--and no accidents, amazingly enough!

Just as we didn't know what lay ahead in the first few weeks, we still can't really imagine what she'll be like in another three months. But it's been an amazing adventure so far, and I can't wait to get to know Stella better in the days ahead.

Back to work!

Sarah went back to work for the first time since Stella's birth and, as you might imagine, there were tears shed by all involved parties. I think, as much as Sarah is eager to get back to work, there is an equal part of her that regrets having to spend time away from Stella. And, it was only as she was walking out the door that I feel the reality hit me of how little time they'd spent apart since Stella's birth. Before yesterday, I think the longest Sarah had been away from Stella had been, maybe, and hour.

Luckily, her company is a small one that has allowed some flexibility with her schedule, so at least for the immediate future, she will only be working three full days, one half day, and get Friday's off completely!

As for Stella, she was quite a trooper on her first day away from mommy. The idea of being feed from a bottle for a better part of the day seemed confusing for her. But, she made do by snacking lightly from the bottle and saving the main feast for mommy's return that evening.

And, what about me? Well, on Monday, I sent out this message through email, Facebook, and several other venues:

Hello everyone,

As most of you know, the last few years have been eventful and exciting ones for Sarah and I. From our Round of World journey to buying our first house and the birth of our daughter, Stella Rose, just three months ago, life has been an amazing and ongoing adventure for both of us. It is with this same sense of adventure and optimism that I'm excited to announce my next big endeavour: the creation of Tyler Hill Illustration and Design.

After over eight years working as a contractor and in-house designer, I've decided to go freelance. I think that this will be a great opportunity to not only continue to grow as a designer, but also to focus more on illustration work opportunities.

To help kick off my new freelance career, I've redesigned and updated my portfolio website, General Theory of Creativity. The new site includes an expanded selection of illustration, design and Flash work I have created personally and professionally. In addition, it features my resume, contact information and a link to my ongoing art blog of the same name. Please check it out and let me know what you think!

So, perhaps you have a project I can help you on. Or maybe you know someone who might be in need of a designer or illustrator. Or, perhaps you are an illustrator, designer, developer or photographer yourself and are interested in working with me on a future project or just grabbing coffee and "talking shop." If any of these things are the case, don't hesitate to call or email me.

Finally, a quick personal note: I'd like to thank Sarah for her support on this decision. It takes a special sort of person to go: "Let's see, we have a new baby, a new home and the economy is in the toilet... Yes, I think now is the perfect time for you to go freelance!" I'm lucky to have found her! And this wouldn't be possible without her.

Thanks, everyone, for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you!

-Tyler
Tyler Hill Illustration and Design, LLC
206-375-0883
tylerhill75@yahoo.com

As you can imagine, and as I hopefully convey in that message, I'm really excited about trying to go freelance. After roughly eight years working for in-house design teams, I've been feeling like I've sort of explored that route as much as I'd hoped to. In addition, I'm using this as an opportunity to push my illustration skills, since frankly illustration was the reason I initially got into design in the first place, and has always been my "first love," so to speak.

Finally, and just as importantly, I'm happy that this will provide me a greater amount of be with Stella. Through some creative schedule juggling, and the help of a nanny who will be watching Stella for a couple hours a day, three days a week, Sarah and I have managed to engineer a schedule that should hopefully provide us both with plenty of time to focus on our profession, without having to leave Stella with childcare eight hours a day, five days a week. If everything works out according to plan, I will be very excited about the future! And for the lives we will have created for ourselves!

Of course, that is a lot of "if"s. And, if we've learned anything these last couple of years, life's fond of curve balls. So, we'll see how things go. But, honestly, I'm really optimistic.

OK, now I could ramble more about my new adventure into freelancing(and maybe at a later date I will), but right now, I feel like I should probably be working on getting some clients! Stay tuned!

My Valentines

I'm not particularly sentimental about Valentine's Day, and because a business trip took me away for the day itself a few years ago, Tyler and I started celebrating on the 13th. We realized it was a great way to celebrate our love without feeling like we were totally buying into the commercialism of the day itself, and it had the added benefit of being the halfway point of our wedding anniversary. Plus restaurants are less busy since most people are planning to go out the next evening.

This year we had planned the 13th to be our first post-Stella date night. One of my colleagues at work had generously offered to watch Stella for us, and we had picked a restaurant we had been meaning to try for quite awhile. Beyond the annual tradition, it also seemed a nice way to also mark the end of my maternity leave, with all three of us home together. Alas, it was not to be. All three of us had been playing tag with some kind of cold, and Friday was my day to be laid low by a general sense of ickiness. Instead, we got some spicy fried chicken, watched a few episodes of Michael Palin's Pole to Pole series, and went to bed early.

We've had a few momentous Valentine's Day moments (two years ago, we left for our RTW trip this day), but this one seems special because it's our first with our newest Valentine Stella. You hear about falling in love with your baby, and it's true. I'll find myself just gazing into her eyes some mornings, just transfixed by her sounds and movements. You know it's love when you adore everything from the smiles and squeals to the frowns and the farts.


One of my new favorite Stella pics, taken by Tim while he was visiting. Also known as the "Stellagator" picture


Sarah and Stella on the bouncy ball--the answer to all the world's (or at least 99% of Stella's) problems.

But this experience with Stella has also shown me new parts of Tyler to love as well. During some of the more difficult early days when I was sometimes exhausted, overwhelmed and emotional, he showed such compassion and patience and love. And he's an amazing dad to Stella. I love watching him singing her new songs, flying her around the room, giving her "baby spa" time or bouncing on the ball even though it hurts his knees..and he hates it. She's a lucky little girl to have him for a dad. And I'm lucky to have him as my husband.


An action shot of my valentines!

Beyond the lovefest, we've had a few other photographed moments in the last few weeks:


Some of Stella's cohorts from our midwifery clinic at our monthly get together to commiserate with each other and see how all the babies and new parents are doing. It's pretty ridiculously cute to watch six babies lined up on a couch.

Hanging out with Uncle Tim and Aunt Jeanne who came to visit from the Bay Area. They were both so great with Stella--I know she missed their attention and games after they left!

Stella actually awake on a walk during Tim and Jeanne's visit--generally she sleeps the whole time.
Baby legs! One of the downsides of being a winter baby is we hardly ever get to actually see Stella's body since she's always bundled up. Here she's wearing some new baby legs (baby leggings)--so cute!

Oh, and remember how I mentioned hearing slurping last time? Tim got this video while we were driving around last weekend:


Tasty fingers

I see you baby!

Two weeks from today I'll be halfway through my first day back at work. In some ways, it's hard to believe. My maternity leave has passed by quickly--and largely in a bit of a blur. And while I'm a bit anxious about this new transition (I feel like I can hardly get anything done now; how will I get anything done when we add work to the equation?), it's also helping me enjoy these days with Stella that much more.

Of course, I'm still going to miss her and worry about stuff like having enough breastmilk on hand while I'm away, but part of my feeling better about going back to work has to do with some changes Tyler's making professionally. Rather than going back to a full-time design job, he's going to make a go of it as a freelance designer and illustrator. Which means that he'll hopefully get to do more creative and professionally fulfilling work...and be home with Stella more. We're going to need less child care, and even when we do, he'll be downstairs working. So while the financial aspects of starting a new business can be a little scary, both of our minds are much more at ease about Stella.

And now that we've figured out what foods I shouldn't eat, she's a joy to be around--smiling and interested in things. It's amazing to see her world expand a little day by day. Lately she's been really into sucking on her hand and fingers. She's been trying to for a long time, but she's recently gotten enough motor control to get them where she wants them and to keep them there, so now we regularly hear loud slurping noises.


Looking cute in a sweater knit by Nana.


More of that morning's photo op


Night-time cutie. You can't really tell in this picture, but we like to call her "hombow baby" in this hat


I kept wanting Stella to be more of a sling-baby. She's finally old enough to face forward and seems to like this a little more.


I get a lot of comments that Stella looks like Tyler. In this photo from this morning, I totally see it.


She can be a daddy's girl, as evidenced by "reading" comics with dad last night.

You always hear that dad's play with kids differently. Here's some video proof (it will make more sense if you have sound):



Now we're off for a walk in this lovely sunny January weather. This weekend, she'll finally get to meet her Uncle Tim and Aunt Jeanne!