They are definitely brothers!!!

Connor Owen Smith Newborn Picture

Garrett David Smith Newborn Picture

We will see if they grow up to look alike, but right now Garrett is looking a lot like his older brother!!!

3 Weeks Old

It is hard to believe that Garrett is just over 3 weeks old! We are still adjusting to life with two boys. (I am trying hard to remember why I thought just one infant was so difficult!) For the most part Garrett is a very good baby. He eats about every 3 hours, and some days he has his days and nights confused. That makes for a long day for Mommy! He is still a little peanut and in newborn clothes and diapers. I have tried to put some 0-3 months clothes on him, and he is just swimming in them. He is not a big fan of his binky, but we are still trying to give it to him when he is fussy. Connor loves his baby brother and loves to give him kisses and hugs. Connor also loves to climb into wherever Garrett is. That makes it hard for me to leave the room or go to the bathroom with both of them in the same room. I think that they will grow up to be best buddies!

Brotherly Love!

Brotherly love...isn't it a beautiful thing?

Introducing Garrett David Smith

Smith, Party of 4

Cousins, 4 boys and 1 girl

Garrett David Smith

Aren't I a cutie?

Sleeping in Grammy's arms

Fast and furious are the words I would use to describe Garrett David's arrival into this world! I woke up on Thursday, June 3rd to my alarm. Connor had his first dentist appointment at 8 am, so I wanted to get showered and ready before Jason got up. I had a few contractions in the shower, and thought well this could be the beginning of labor, but I have a while. As I was getting ready the contractions kept coming. I woke Jason up, and said that he may have to help me with Connor's dentist appointment because I was having some contractions. Then about 10 minutes later I said, "I think we are going to have this baby today!" An hour after I woke up my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. I called my doctor and headed to the hospital. We quickly dropped Connor off at our old neighbors. We were going to drop him off at our sitter, but I didn't think that we could make it. After a horrible car ride to Clarian North, we go to OB triage to be checked. Well, needless to say I was 9 to 10 centimeters and ready to deliver any minute. I quickly got an epidural (yes, you can get one that late!), and in less than 30 minutes Garrett David was born. Labor began at 6:30 and ended at 9:41 with the delivery of a 6lb 6oz 19 in long baby boy.

We had some ups and downs in the first 24 hours. He was in the NICU for several hours because he had trouble transitioning after birth. He had too much fluid in him lungs that didn't get squished out during delivery. We thought that he had a broken collar bone, but that turned out fine. We also battled jaundice for the first week or so. Now things seem to be on the up and up. He looks a lot like Connor, but does not like his binky like his big brother. Connor loves his baby brother very much. He always wants me to hold him, so that he can give him hugs and kisses. Hopefully this love will last!!

It's big boy bed time!

Out with the old...

and in with the new!!!!

I love my new big boy bed! Too bad I don't like going to bed in it!!!

What a struggle it has been to transition Connor from a crib to a bed. He began climbing out of his crib at the beginning of May, so we quickly converted it to a toddler bed. Once he showed no interest in staying in the toddler bed, we thought we would go ahead and try the full size bed since we needed the crib mattress for the baby anyway. He now just fights us tooth and nail to go to bed. We have tried to set a new bedtime routine, where I lay in bed with him and read books. That does not work. My hope is that soon we can figure out this new bed thing. It makes for long evenings for Mommy and Daddy!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Oh how I love my little man! He told Daddy that he wanted to get me flowers for Mother's Day. (He actually just likes to smell the flowers and point them out when he sees them.) When I woke up Connor had left a beautiful boquet of flowers on our kitchen island.

This was my first Mother's Day in May 2008. Connor was just about 4 months old. Look how much my baby boy has grown!

This is Mother's Day 2010. A horrible picture of me, but both of us just woke up from naps. Actually, Connor fell back asleep after I tried to wake him up several times. This getting out of the crib and transitioning to a toddler bed can take a lot out of a little guy. I am also 34 weeks pregnant, so I was not too happy about being in front of the camera!

My Sweet, Sweet Boy

There are sometimes that I could just eat Connor up with a spoon because he is so sweet. There are also times when I would like to whack him with a spoon, but we won't get into those times. His personality and vocabulary are definitely blossoming. Here are some of the sweet things Connor is doing now.

* He loves babies! When we went to the indoor play place at Trader's Point over spring break, he began playing ball with a baby (about nine months old or so). Connor's idea of playing with him was to hand him the ball and say, "Here you go baby" in the sweetest voice ever. Then Connor would take the ball away, only because he wanted to give the ball back.

* He is well aware (or at least we think) that he is going to have a baby brother. He walks into the babies room and says, "This is the baby's room." Also, when you ask where his baby brother is he will lift up his shirt and stick out his tummy. At first I thought he thought we were asking him where his belly button was, but now he lifts up his shirt and says, "Baby Brother."

* He loves to hand me things and say in that sweet voice again, "Here you go, Mama." It is so funny how he changes his voice so it is more high pitched when he thinks he is doing something nice.

* We have finally learned to say, "Please", "Thank You," and "I love you." We are not to the point where he does them appropriately when asking for something, but at least he is learning.

* Connor also knows how to say "Sorry." At first he would just say it to me for no reason. Now all of a sudden when he has gotten into something he shouldn't or done something he was not supposed to he comes to me and says, "Sorry, Mommy."

* Brushing our teeth is a big event in our house. Connor will grab his stool and move it in front of the sink. He grabs his toothbrush and turns on the water. He likes it when we brush our teeth together. He likes to spit every time I spit. We have had to put safety handles on the doors, because he likes to go in and brush his teeth so much. We are afraid he will turn on the hot water and scald himself or get into something he should not.

* I swear when I sneezed today Connor said, "Bless You," I know I say it to him all the time, and I am sure that Miss Kyle at daycare says it as well. It just caught me of guard that he knew when to say it.

He is a really sweet and funny little boy. He loves to dance, and he pretends to fly around our house all of the time. He also loves to go fast. Every time we are in the car it is, "Go Fast, Mommy." He also likes to ride his bike fast, run fast, go up the steps fast. The kid is in a hurry. Jason and I crack up at him all of the time. Our house is definitely filled with more laughter since he has been around!