Mommies have a tough job...

Gabe's Hand in Mine - 2 1/2 Months Old

Mommies have a tough job as it is. But no one should have to do what I had to do today! I had to hold my little guy for his 9 month shots. (I realize many a moms have had to do this!) Yes, yes I know he's 10 1/2 months old, but any time we had a doctor's appointment, the doctor's office would call and advise that the doctor was going to be out of the office. Frustrating! I only have Friday afternoons off, so it would really be helpful to me if they could keep the appointments. I've had this happen 3 times. I'm probably overreacting... the doctor probably had some sick child emergency. (or maybe a vacation or two to some beautiful place without snotty noses, spitup, chores, laundry, etc...?) Speaking of snotty noses, poor Gabey's got one! Thankfully, it's just a little cold.

Anyway, so back to the shots. I held him while they did one in each leg. He did very well. He only cried a little. THEN, they did a finger prick to check his iron levels and they took 3 of those small, thin glass tubes that they have to press to your skin. Oh, did he scream! I felt absolutely helpless. I just held him on my lap and kept my lips pressed to his head the whole time. I would've stroked his hair to let him know I was there with him, but the nurse had me restraining his arms! How inhumane is this!? Seriously, nurses should come in pairs for these situations (I know that is totally not practical, but dang it, I don't want to hold my baby down while he's in pain!)

Gabe went to bed at 6:00 tonight. I hope he gets some good rest and doesn't remember that his mommy was one of the "bad guys".

Seriously though, I know immunizations are good for babies and they help keep them safe, but boy are they sure hard on mommies! I guess when you love someone that much, no amount of pain is just no big deal ... you never want them to experience it at all.

Then & Now

Then, we took photos of ourselves outside. I remember this day - Greg would only throw the leaves up every once in a while, very quickly because we lived on a busy street. He didn't want ANYONE seeing him taking silly fall photos with his wife. He was such a good sport. This was actually the day of Hurloween. I remember thinking, "man I hope I get a good photo of Greg. This will probably be the one and only time I can get him to do this! We had a lot of fun that day.

Now, here's what I do instead:

Still, an absolutely fun day. I love that Gabe loves trucks and tractors (and lawn mowers). My two guys. My boys. My family. I'm so blessed to have them both.

Remembering

This time of year is always hard for me. Even though I think about our child that we lost to miscarriage everyday, it's especially hard now. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I think about what might have been with that child. I miss our child even though we never met. I also think about how God can see the tapestry of our lives while all we see are the threads that make it up. He knew that Gabe was meant to be in our family. Had I given birth to our biological child, we would not have Gabe. It's not a trade - I just wish I could have them both. They are both my children; one I have been able to raise and nurture and the other, I will always have in my heart.

This is Gabe's first Christmas. This thought has brought me so much joy. We are able to share our first Christmas as a family together. I do not take these days for granted. I love Gabe so much. Here is a picture of him in the jammies Nana got him:
Christmas is a time of joy - the birth of our Savior, time with friends & family, presents, snow, etc... I am full of joy to be Gabe's mom. I am thankful, so very thankful, that he is my son.

Happy 1st Thanksgiving!

1st Thanksgiving for Gabe at Papa & Nana's house

All of the cousins posing for Nana... I think it took 20+ takes to get this one!

The Things Gabe's Mom is Thankful for:

• Gabe's birthmom - she trusts us to raise him as our son.
• Gabe - my wonderful, curious, handsome son.
• Greg - the leader of our household, the most wonderful man and I am blessed to be married to him.
• Our families - both of our families are close with one another. We are so fortunate.
• My Faith - without grace and love from my Savior, I truly would not have made it through the ups and downs I've experienced in my lifetime so far. I have also known joy that only comes through salvation.
• My job - I'm able to work and help provide for my family.
• My friends - I have been so blessed to have friends that love me for who I am.

There are just so many things. My list could go on and on. Sometimes I think about the fact that we are born where we're meant to be. I mean, I was born here in the US, to my parents, who are Christians, who are hard-working, who love eachother, etc... I'm so fortunate. I think of the people who grow up in homes where the parents hate eachother. Or, children who never know a parent's love - those who grow up in orphanages with no hugs or kisses. That could have very easily have been me. God placed me in the family and life he wanted for me. I guess sometimes we need to step back and realize when things are hard, when money's tight, when clothes don't fit, when we're tired...

We're really blessed.

Photo Op

I was so fortunate today to be able to take some photos of the Lyonses first grandchild (in the womb). I had so much fun and I'm continuing to get practice! I love the idea of a heart made out of the parents' hands with the baby in the middle. I also added a Bible verse:

I also got these:

How exciting is the birth of your first child. Natural birth or adoption, they are both such an amazing experience. I'm so glad I got to capture some of these special moments.

And, one picture of me & Gabey:

Fall Fun & Fabulous Friends

What a good day today. Greg's Mom & Dad watched Gabe while we did some Christmas shopping and while we picked up our new whirlpool tub (yipee!!). After that, we came home and Greg and Gabey rode the lawnmower to pick up the leaves in the yard. Gabe just loved it! He had so much fun with his Daddy. I also took advantage of him leaving a hat on:

To me, this picture is so stinkin' cute. He just got this coat and hat today (We bought it on Jinxi's behalf for Gabe's Christmas gift) and he looks so adorable in it! What a little workin' man.

Then, after outside playtime, we went to our friends', the Lyonses, house for dinner. All of their kids are home and for some reason they wanted to hang out with us! The Lyonses are very dear to us. When we were completing all of our paperwork for Gabe's adoption, we had to find personal references. The Lyonses were one of the families that we asked to write a letter. We have always enjoyed spending time with them and feel as though they are a part of our family. They have been so good to my son. We also think they are great parents. They've taught us a lot about family (and weiner jokes! - Steve!!) They are expecting their first grandchild and we know they will be wonderful grandparents.

Well, that's about it for today. I'm exhaused. The house is a mess. The laundry's not done. And I've got a movie Tivo'd. I know what I'm doing...

Photography

Well, I got a second round at senior pictures! One of my co-workers asked if I would take her son's senior pictures. Would I? Heck yes!! I had so much fun. The above one is one of my favorites. Here's a link to see the rest:

http://www.macro-hard.com/ryan/

I also had some time on Friday to take Gabe outside for some fall pics. That was fun too! He's just too cute.

I'm really having fun with photography. I am just not sure what to do with it yet. I mean, there are 4 other photographers in my town with much more equipment than I have. I definitely think I have a "knack" for it, but I don't know - will it just be a hobby? Can I consider this a talent? I just feel so uncertain about it. I'm going to need to be praying.

Gabe is doing great - other than having a sore throat and ear infection. I think we're doing good - he'll be 10 months tomorrow and this is his first ear infection. He also weighs 22.5 lbs now. Also, the doctor called him a Brut today! He thought he was so strong!! Tell me about it! Try changing his diaper!

That's all for today... Gotta go, sick boy just woke up.

Falcon Pride!

Believe it! Here's my little bro, aka Uncle Dan, on senior night with my parents. They look so proud. We all are! What a season for my little brother. They will face their 3rd playoff game next weekend. We haven't made it to this round since 1974 - when my uncle's team won the state championship.

When my brother was 9, he and my two sisters were in a near fatal car accident. No one knew if Dan & Aunt Ne would survive. Thankfully, Lindsey had only minor injuries. As we look on at him out on the field and see all he has accomplished, we are just so thankful that God blessed us with him. It's hard to believe he's already a senior. He's had a fantastic year - something to be proud of. He's made a lot of memories and I'm just thrilled for him.

Today, we took Gabe to the mall to start our Christmas shopping - or so we thought! We didn't get much Christmas shopping done, but we did get some new Sa-Weet pillows for our bed and a few things on the sale rack at Baby Gap. I LOVE Baby Gap - I wish I could buy all the new stuff they've got out!

I can't end the post without a pic of the Gabraham:



As Grandma Smith always says, "Ain't he cute?"

Baby + Hat = Tantrum

Ok, here's a nice little story about a boy and his mom going to the park to swing. Aww, look at this handsome little man enjoying the swings!

Ok, here's that same little boy getting a little ticked because mom wants him to wear his shoes and put on a hat since it's a bit chilly outside.

And finally, here's what a tantrum looks like! The entire way home from the park, Gabe decided he was not going to wear his hat and every time he took it off, he was going to look up at Mom to see if she saw him remove it and throw it on the ground. Mommy stopped the stroller each time (many, many times) and calmly -with other Fall weather enjoyers watching- said, "Gabe, Mommy said you need to wear your hat." Each time, he got mad and people looked.

Whatdya gonna do? This parenting thing is challenging! But then, tonight, we went to Walmart...

My son was sitting in the cart looking at the toys and reached for me. He kept on reaching and said "uh, UH!". I picked him up. You know what he wanted?

To give his mommy a hug and kiss.

Tantrum? What tantrum? I'm a sucker for that little guy.