The Smith Family

Friday, April 20, 2012

March, in a nutshell

March is a busy month around here. Hansen and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary on March 9th, and we both celebrated our 35th birthdays this month.

I didn't get any pictures of our anniversary, but Hansen took me out to sushi! YUM. Sushi is one of those pregnancy no-no's so I was so happy to have a chance to indulge again in this favorite food of mine. He surprised me with tulips (my very favorite flower!) and a bracelet he had made with 3 aquamarines, the stone of March, representing each year we've been married. It was a very sweet surprise.

Next up, Hansen's birthday on March 12th. We had a small birthday party for him at home-- burgers and cheesecake, two of Hansen's favorite things.

Eloise had fun helping with the candles. She's really starting to understand the concept of a birthday so she loved being involved in each event. Note, the homemade sign from Eloise. She's becoming quite the artist!

Later in March we had a joint birthday party for me and Hansen at the Smith's home. We were so happy to have Phil and Krissa there. It was the first time they met Gabriel.

The birthday kids. Do we really look 35? Boy, am I feeling old!

And here is some GREAT news. We are so very happy that Krissa is joining the Smith family! Woohoo! She is an amazing girl-- intelligent, cute, funny and nice. The whole package! We are really looking forward to the wedding in July.

Here's a shot of Eloise participating in one of her favorite new past times: helping mommy cook! On this day she asked for cupcakes. Daddy took her to the store to pick out a mix and I helped her with the execution. Eloise is very independent and likes to do it all herself. It makes for a very messy experience. Oh well! Some things are worth the clean-up time.

And here are some shots of our growing boy. He's so sweet! He's a cuddler, much to my happiness.

Eloise and Pop-Pop

March was a great month! Phew. I'm almost caught up!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Grammy Cindy

Here's another shout-out to family. Yay for Grammy Cindy! I was lucky enough to have my mom stay with us for TWO weeks after bringing Gabriel home from the hospital. It was so wonderful to have her here. I was spoiled with delicious home-cooked meals, help with cleaning, and someone to play with Eloise when I was oh-so-very-tired. Thank you Mom! And THANKS to my Dad for letting her stay so long! I'm sure she was missed.

We did a little photo shoot with Mom before she left. We were hoping to capture her with the kids, AND to get some shots of our new little family. As you can see, Eloise was having a rough time-- I'm sure this transition is so hard for her, so I have empathy for all the angst she must be feeling. I just can't help but laugh at what was actually captured on film. We never did get a nice family shot!

So far, so good.

Yes, you're seeing it right. She slapped him a good one. I think it was meant to be a love tap.

Breaking down.

Hitting rock bottom.

And, in the end, putting on a brave face. And little boy slept peacefully through the whole thing.

Pop-Pop and KK

I'm so grateful for family. I totally hit the in-laws jackpot when I married Hansen. My kids are very blessed to have Rees and KayLynn as grandparents. Eloise adores her "Pop-Pop" and "KK," as she calls them. They helped us so much during my pregnancy with Gabriel, and then took care of Eloise while I was in the hospital. I was able to feel at peace during my time away from her. I knew she was in the great care of people whom she dearly loves.

Hansen captured some pictures of one of Eloise and KayLynn's trips to the park, while I was with Gabriel. I love getting a glimpse of the fun she had while I was recovering:

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

One Week Old

Big Sister

Monday, April 16, 2012

Gabriel Hansen Smith

Our sweet baby boy joined our family on February 15, 2012-- just two short months ago! It's time I recorded this sweet and sacred time in our lives.

Gabriel was almost a Valentine's Day baby; very apropos considering we feel he is a perfect love note from heaven! I want to record his story for our family history. I had been in early labor for a couple of weeks. I was having really regular contractions and had been dilated to a 3 for 2 weeks. Needless to say, I was physically and emotionally tired and so ready for him to come! On the morning of the 14th Hansen gave me the best Valentine's Day gift by staying home from work. It was such a nice break to have him run after a very energetic Eloise, while I got to rest. Hansen took us out for lunch and a little shopping so I could do some walking (in hopes to speed up my labor), and also let me take a very long and much-needed nap. It ended up being such a lovely day with our girl, and a special memory since that would be the last day of our family of 3! That evening I became concerned because I couldn't feel the baby moving much. I did the kick count test and didn't feel him 10 times in an hour so I called my doctor. She wanted me to come in right away. Once we got to the hospital all concerns were relieved (turns out he was a very large baby and was just running out of room to move!). The doctor decided to keep me and we gave my labor a little encouragement with pitocin. Thank goodness for that! I only labored 8 hours with Gabriel, a marked improvement from the 19 it took with Eloise. The best part was once it was time to push it only took 4 minutes! Every woman who has birthed a child knows what a blessing that is! All of my predictions about his size were true-- he was BIG. He weighed in at 9 lbs 7.7 ounces, and 22 inches long! He was born at 8:26 am.

As long as I can remember, I hoped to give a child a version of my namesake. I'm so happy that Hansen's family tradition is to name the first son after the mother's maiden name, with the middle name being after the father. It was a happy moment to honor my Gabrielsen line, and also give him Hansen's name, which honors his mother's maiden name. This little boy has a strong heritage on both sides of his family and we were excited to give a nod to family in his name. I'm pretty sure that my Grandma and Grandpa Gabrielsen would love this little boy and be happy that there is another "Gabe" around.

In the short time he has been here he has blessed our family so much. He is such a sweet and calming influence to our home. My mom always called me her "Joy Baby" because I slept and ate well, I didn't fuss too much, and had an overall calm and pleasant disposition. I can certainly call Gabriel a "Joy Baby." The above describes him perfectly. Hansen and I feel so blessed to have him in our home.