Two Week Comparison

Ashlyn at two weeks:

Trent at two weeks:

Luke at two weeks:

I'm still not sure who he looks like more, but I am leaning toward Trent. I think he has Trent's nose and mouth and Ashlyn's chin, but it is hard for me to say at two weeks. We'll just have to wait and see as he grows. One thing is for sure, they are definitely all siblings! When Aaron and Monica came to see us in the hospital, one of the first things they said was, "He is definitely a Smiley!" After looking at these pictures, I can see what they meant!

One Week Pics, One Week Late

My little Luke is two weeks old today, but theses pics were taken a week ago. It is amazing how much joy this little guy has brought into our home in just 14 days. He is very much a part of the Smiley family and I couldn't imagine life without him in it. A mother's love knows no bounds and with each new addition to our family my heart has grown beyond what I thought possible. I feel truly blessed to have three adorable and healthy little ones to call my own.

Luke has proved to be a very good baby so far and has only made me wake up twice one night - all the other nights I have only had to get up for one feeding! How awesome is that?! He usually sleeps for a 5 hour stretch and then a 3-4 hour stretch. What a good little boy.

If he looks a little yellow in the pictures, it's because he is. He is my "yellow fellow" - he has breast-milk jaundice, which the pediatrician said should wear off by 4 weeks. I still think he is beautiful even with a yellow hue, but I still can't decide who he looks like. My mom claims that he looks like me as a baby. All I know is that I love this little guy so very, very much.

Family of Five

Newest addition: Luke Brian Smiley
Date: June 15, 2010
Time: 3:50 pm
Weight: 8 lbs. 5 oz.
Length: 19 1/2 inches

He is a miracle and I am in love. He is the sweetest little thing and has hardly made a peep in his 27 hours of life. The labor and delivery went remarkably well. We arrived at the hospital just before noon, my water broke at 1:30, I got an epidural at 2:45, I was dilated to a 10 by 3:15, the doctor arrived in the room at 3:40, I started pushing at 3:45, and Luke entered the world at 3:50 - it was a whirlwind! It is truly amazing how many emotions a mother can feel in such a short period of time. From extreme pain, anger, and frustration to sheer joy and love. I laughed, I cried, I swore a few times, I tried to rip off Brian's thumb nails, and I witnessed a miracle. It was amazing. He is amazing. And yes, it was all worth it.

No Birthday Baby

Today is my official due date, but no baby. I am just happy I didn't have the baby yesterday, my birthday. I had numerous people tell me, "Maybe you'll have the baby on your birthday!" - as if that would have been a good thing. No thank you! Besides the fact that I already share my birthday with my adorable niece Madison, who would really want to be in extreme pain and in the hospital on their birthday? Not me. So, we made it through the 12th of June without adding another birthday to the family and now I am welcoming any sign of full, active labor. But knowing my history, I am not expecting anything today, or even tomorrow. Trent was a week late and so I fully expect to go past my due date. But, hopefully I have this kid before the 23rd, since that is my adorable nephew Payson's birthday. June is a busy month!

Unfair Fight

Tonight I heard Ashlyn say to Trent, "Let's fight!" I looked up to see Ashlyn armed with a wooden stick...Trent had a dryer sheet.

A couple weeks ago after we had gotten home from church I asked Ashlyn what she had learned in primary. Her response was, "Someone threw rocks and made a boy fall down." "Oh. That was not a very nice thing to do. We don't throw rocks at people, do we?" Ashlyn gave me a peculiar look, but didn't say anything. "Nope," I said, "We don't throw rocks at people. That was not a good choice." Again, Ashlyn didn't say anything, she just looked perplexed. The very next day I was preparing our FHE lesson and had randomly chosen to talk about David and Goliath. As I was cutting out a picture of Goliath, Ashlyn came up to me and asked, "Who is that?" I told her that his name was Goliath. "Oh yeah, he fell over when the boy threw rocks at him." Ohhhhhhhh, okay. That makes sense. "You are right! And that was a good choice."

BBQ Season

Don't you just love Utah springs? One week you are watching a blizzard out your kitchen window and the next week you are BBQing up some delicious shishkabobs for an outdoor family dinner!

We had a great Memorial weekend complete with not one, but two BBQs and a family gathering in the mountains. We had the Hills over for a BBQ on Saturday. Spending time with the Hills guarantees a good time with lots of laughs. On Sunday we celebrated my Dad's 60th birthday with another BBQ. The food was amazing and a good time was had by all. So good in fact, that we sat around the fire pit and talked until midnight!

Yesterday we began our summer Lifferth FHEs at my aunt and uncles cabin by Sundance. It is such a peaceful setting and a great way for our large family to all be together. This tradition began years ago (maybe 10?) and generally runs from June to September on the first Monday of the month. I feel truly blessed to be apart of such a close and loving family and I love these gatherings.

We ended our weekend last night by cuddling up together on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and a movie. Remember when I longed for that day? Pure bliss.

Hopefully we won't experience any more blizzards this year, at least until November! Let's keep the BBQs going!