this post rated "R" for some nudity

parenting: THEN

parenting: INTERVENTION BY CARSON

(he cut out and explained each of these "reminders" for me on how to be a good mom, like, "don't forget to feed baby addelyn," "always remember how tiny her feet are," "get the milk out if you're going to be gone somewhere," "remember her age," [33? okaaaay...] etc.):

parenting: NOW...a well-fed baby (hello, cheeks) on her way to church for the first time.

how about an "a" for effort?

you are what you eat

if that adage holds true, then, judging by the selection in our fridge at this moment, i and my family have the choice of being one of the following:

- strawberry jam
- grape jelly
- milk
- eggs
- miscellaneous (and probably old) condiments

the end. seriously. that's our fridge, and our cupboards are hardly faring better. all i know is, i could really go for some fresh fruit and chocolate right now (not necessarily in that order). i think i'll break down and head to the store tonight...late...alone... :)

the purpose of life

last night, we went to help paul's brother john & his family move some stuff into their new (and beautiful) house. carson was such a big helper, and i told him so, to which he replied, "yep. dat's why i was born."

duly noted.

noon...or midnight?

who cares?

fare thee well

if this post had a soundtrack, it would feature paul sobbing uncontrollably, intermixed with brief periods of mildly depressed silence and carson's asking, "why did we sell daddy's truck?" over and over.

this has been an awesome vehicle for us. some kid a few cities away is way happy about his new acquisition. he should be.

moving on: does anyone want to sell us a honda civic? or a 4-door toyota tacoma? for cheap? thanks a mil.

count my many blessings

seriously, lately i've been overwhelmed with how blessed i am: (forgive the cheese of this post...but these things must be documented, right?)

- addelyn is here.

- i'm thoroughly 100% completely loving this newborn stage. (um, actually, 6% of that is a total lie until my body's ridiculous milk-production tendencies are regulated.) i actually didn't enjoy this phase so much with my other two--not that they weren't lovable; i think i was just a little stressed out in doing everything "right" and had expectations 18 miles high. i'm managing those expectations (fabulous advice, jessica) and am so happy...

- ...even when addelyn had some major gas pains in the middle of the night last night and was screaming inconsolably for 45 minutes until she burped and calmed down and fell right asleep...

- ...i'm encouraged by the fact that i've learned to "read" babies a little more. addie certainly makes her wishes known with some good yelps (in the spirit of the olympics, i'd rate their difficulty to be about a 5.4, with an execution of 9.1, maybe higher during diaper changes), but instead of freaking out, i'm able to meet her needs quickly, and she usually calms right down. life is funny that way--what used to be hard is made easier with experience.

- she's just so stinking cute. and funny.

- carson and layla have been great. i'm not just saying that--they really have been. they play together pretty well lately, with just occasional hitting/yelling spurts (yes, that's progress around here. judge us.). they set up "beds" for themselves and addie on the floor in her room while i'm feeding her and wait patiently to play with or read to their sister. they try to be such big helpers, and i'm trying to give each of them lots of extra attention. it's a win-win.

- i found carson sitting by his baby sister this morning, singing her a song softly (the "softly" part of that is a feat in and of itself). and she was staring up at him intently. so sweet.

- layla totes things (e.g., binkie, blankets, stuffed animals, burp cloths, boppy, etc. etc. etc.) all around the house to wherever addelyn happens to be, just to keep her stocked up and ready.

- paul is a super-good dream come true.

- his family's not half bad, either. :) especially when my mom's on the other side of the world, they've been great.

- so many friends & family have helped me/us out with meals, playdates/babysitting for the older kidlets, gifts, photo shoots (julie, i can't say it enough--you have mad photog skills), moral support...i wonder how i got so lucky.

- we sold our 4runner last night, less than 24 hours after putting it up for sale. although it makes paul pretty sad (he loves that truck, "it's like taking away my manhood"), i'm ever so grateful it sold fast so we're not stuck with 3 vehicles and a scooter to mash into a 2-car garage.

- so many more, but i need to get some work done while our household is sleeping.

life is beautiful.

amazing feet

addie does this fold-up thing with her feet, which are extremely long and therefore quite hilarious in this position because they resemble reverently folded arms/hands. heh.

and, side note: is there anything more tender than a dad/newborn sleepfest?

addie anne

born friday morning. two dimples, mile-long fingers, and quite a little beauty. currently, she seems to love her sleep as much as we love her. and that's a lot.

p.s. layla looked at my belly last night and announced that i have aNUDDER baby in my tummy. sighhhh...

math lesson

MINUS

EQUALS

ADDELYN ANNE SMART

AUGUST 15, 2008

6 LBS 15 OZ, 20.5 INCHES

we're in love

PIH strikes again

looks like smart kid #3 is on her way, whether she likes it or not. my fingers are crossed that she's healthy!

non-traditional headgear

catch the fever.

never mind...

...looks like little butch will be cooking a little while longer. :)

today's a weird day

so, for those of you who don't know, i had high blood pressure at my dr's appointment last wednesday. he (my dr) wanted to see me this morning to check things out (i was induced a little early with both carson and layla for high bp). it's strange to think that by tonight i could maybe have 3 kidlets, or i could not.

either way, i'm still a little disappointed that the "nesting" bug didn't really hit me this time around. my house is a disaster. dah well. let's boost this little one's immunity from the get-go, eh?

carson pics

we took carson to get his 4-year-old pics taken yesterday. (when you log in, use my name [if it asks]; username is "bnsmart" and password is "carson.") it was a thoroughly entertaining experience AND we got some good shots. so, you know, win-win.

he seems so grown-up, yet still so little. either way, i think he's a cutie. and i just realized from looking at these--i think he has my jawline.

am i ready for this again?

at some point during the course of nearly every day, i think to myself, "what the heck were we thinking? i can't handle another kid. i CAN'T." these aren't just idle threats, either. at the time, i really seriously mean it. and, if i'm being honest, i'll probably mean it again. today, even.

but, then again, who would willingly pass up a chance to be the parent of these precious little persons?





not i, my friends. not i. (heh...but paul just might, on occasion, be willing to rent them out for a short time...yes, that's newborn projectile poo artistically decorating his shirt.)

our "new" kitchen

BEFORE:

AFTER:

what can i say? paul's a master.

baby naming woes

i think i've mentioned the really great name choices we have so far for this baby (t minus 20 days): tractor paul smart and The Baby Sister.

to alleviate the pain of having to decide between these questionable options, we played a little game last week as a family where the kids (and paul) would say a name out loud; if the baby moved or kicked, it meant she liked the name and it would therefore be considered.

i am not lying when i tell you that we played this game for a long time, and the ONLY name she responded to was paul's suggestion: butch.

awesome.

you've got to laugh

when your kids communicate with their soon-to-be sibling by pressing their mouths up against your belly button and YELLING into your tummy. (which is, i must admit, preferable to their poking their little fingers deep into that same belly button and trying to "tickle" her.)

#3 will have no excuse for not recognizing her siblings' voices. none.