April: the month of Eleanor (and other stuff)

It's been over a month since I posted (Where was my reminder Christina??) I'm gonna have to make a habit of doing this weekly, and i promise to try and stick to it this time. Really. I swear.

April was a hectic month in the Gill-Smith house. We had Eleanor's birthday in Seattle, multiple family visits, and then a little adjustment for Gavin's new job. We'll go in chronological order to make things, well, logical.

We flew back to Seattle for Eleanor's first birthday. Gavin and I couldn't believe a year had passed since that crazy day(night) in the hospital. I remember the first 24 hours of visitors and doctors and nurses, then the slowest drive home we've ever taken (Gavin swears it everyone was driving like a lunatic that day), and finally it was just the three of us. It doesn't seem possible that a year has passed since then. We celebrated the milestone, and the fact that Christin was in town, to have family photos taken by Jamie/JLV photography. she has taken some amazing photos of our family and didnt disappoint for Eleanor's one-year-old photos.

See! I told you they were awesome! Eleanor's birthday party was the same day and the theme was "Somebunny turns ONE!". We had colorful cupcakes, bunny decorations, and little Easter baskets for all the kids -complete with bunny glasses, bubbles, and even bunny crackers. And so many people came to celebrate with her, my parent's house was jam packed full of people. I'm pretty sure Eleanor's favorite part was her cake, but only after we cut a slice off for her. there was no getting her fingers dirty for this girl.

The following day was Easter -the other reason we went home that weekend. We went to church in the morning and then spent the day with the family, finishing the day and our weekend at Grandma and Grandpa Wendler's for Easter dinner. We were on the early flight home Monday morning, since Gavin still had to work that day.

So, while we got to fly home, Dad, Jennie, and the kids hopped in their car for a nice long drive down to Folsom! They spent a week with us, sightseeing and enjoying the great California weather. We went to Six Flags discovery Kingdom, Folsom Prison Museum, and Alcatraz. It was really fun to spend so much time with them after being gone for two months. After they left we had a couple of days until we we got to enjoy more visitors: Papa and Nana Johnson! They were on their way up from Arizona for the summer and spent the night not too far from us. Gavin took a day off work and we spent the day together relaxing and catching up -though I'm pretty sure they were more excited to play with the baby all day. 

The surprise to round out the chaotic month was the news that Gavin left the dealership he was working at and is now a finance manager at Roseville Kia. This dealership is a bit smaller than the one he came from, but he seems to like the people and there are a lot of opportunities for him to try new things and learn more than he knows now. He gets along with his new coworkers really well and his commute is shorter by about 10 minutes. the only downside is the long hours, but those are a little offset by his guaranteed 2 days off now! like I mentioned earlier, its an adjustment, but one we are fully capable of making -we are a pretty good team after all.

That rounds out our April. Crazy, chaotic, and jam-packed, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

It's like Instagram, but with a baby

A photo diary of Eleanor eating. Enjoy!

Pasta! She does have an Italian heritage. 

She really does love her veggies, but eats everything green first. 

A little toast for an upset tummy. 

Zucchini face mask! 

Don't judge ... You know you wanna try it. 

Beets! 

Chocolate chip pancakes. Best eaten from a towel while sitting. All the rage btw. 

Carrot face mask! Seriously, you gotta try it. 

And last, but not least, her favorite food: remote control. 

One month down!

February is over and I'm still here (and sane). Our first official month in California as a family was successful in my book. The apartment is put together, though the walls are still blank; we know the lay of the land, though still exploring and finding new things (restaurants, stores, etc.); and our daily routines have taken shape and are becoming more stable. We are definitely comfortable in our new home. 

(Eleanor in her "play area ... Aka the living room)

(Lucky likes being on the porch, and Eleanor loves the fresh air).

There have been a few growing pains though. Gavin and I had to get back into a routine that involved each other -being apart for over two months meant getting back into a "joint rhythm" as opposed to the more independent one we'd both been living. It took a week or two but I like how we've come back together. It feels good to have my partner in crime back. 

I've also had to make the huge adjustment from working-mom to stay-at-home mom. I'm still not totally used to it but I'm getting there. There have been a couple of meltdowns (both me and Eleanor) and part of me misses the challenges working offered, not to mention being able to talk with adults all day. But I've grown a lot as a mom and I've learned a lot about my daughter as well as myself.

Now I know I said I would try to get better at Blogging, especially now that we're so far from most our family and friends, and I've been slacking. So my promise is to post once a week at least and if I don't then yell at me (Christina is good at this). 

In the mean time, keep up with us on Facebook and Instagram. We also love phone calls, FaceTime, Skype and snail mail! Just ask if you need any of that info. 

We love you all! 

(Attempted family photo at the park!)

It's been one week.

One week since Gavin and I packed the last few remaining items into our Jeep and headed down to California. One week since I set foot in the beautiful state of Washington. One week since our family and friends have seen us (with very few exceptions). One very long, tough week, filled with all the feels one can have.

The road trip down to California wouldn't have been the same if Gavin (and Lucky) hadn't been there with me. They made the drive away from home a lot easier and proved to be fun to travel with. With Backstreet Boys sing-a-longs, side trips to see "where it all started" in Medford, Oregon, every third rest stop, and some of the most beautiful countryside we've seen, we finally made it to our apartment in Folsom around 9pm.

Once in Folsom, we focused on getting the apartment unpacked, set up, and organized. We'll be here for the next 10 months at least. My mom flew down with Eleanor Saturday morning.As hard as it was leaving her in Washington while we drove down, we didn't want her to have to endure a 12+hour road trip, and there was no room in the Jeep. My mom stayed until Sunday night, which gave us two full days with the much needed extra hands and emotional support.

View from our balcony most mornings.

Name spelled right! Starbucks Miracle.

Well, time to wake up the kiddo. Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom I'll hopefully be able to update everyone on a much more consistent basis. And next time I'll include pictures of the baby. :)

Im slack-a-lacking

Sorry for the lapse in posts amigos.  Gavin is gonna work on getting the wifi working at the house to make it easier for me to post. I have all these amazing pictures and videos of Eleanor, but they're all on my laptop. Ugh. On a better note ...

Our baby girl is 6-months-old!!! 

It's so crazy to think that it's been half a year since she came into our world. I now completely understand why adults always seem so amazed by how fast kids grow. I look at Eleanor and Im just in awe at how she has grown and developed and learned about herself and the world around her. My baby is so big now! 

I consider it a huge blessing that she has such a curious personality. She loves to see and touch and eat (haha!) EVERYTHING. Gavin and I joke about needed to get her carpet samples because she loves running her hands over carpet. We bought her a little safety glass mirror so she can see herself and she is always curious about the baby that stares back. She always seems just content to watch everything happening the world; to observe and explore with all her senses. It's a beautiful thing. 

Ill try to post a bunch of 6-month milestone pictures and posts through out the month. Her doctor appointment is on the 14th (I think) so that'll get a post too of course. Ill also start posting all the awesome videos I have of her. 

Autumn has arrived.

Like so many other people, Fall is my favorite time of year. I start getting out all my sweaters, order my Starbucks hot, and don't get odd looks when I wear a scarf. The leaves change, the air gets crisp, and the pumpkins grow. Yep, autumn is my favorite. 

Our little pumpkin is growing too. She's getting longer by the day and she's super active. She doesn't crawl yet, just scoots and rolls, but she's ever so close to crawling. She can get herself up on all fours and she can move her legs as though she wants to crawl, but she hasn't quite gotten the arm movements down yet. Instead she gets in the right position and rocks back n' forth. 

Her curiosity is growing each day too. She is very interested in Lucky and his fur. I figure the different textures is what she likes. Lucky is pretty amazing with her too. He is very good with her -better than we ever thought he'd be. He lets her "pet" him, pull his ears, and stuck fingers in his mouth and nose. It's cute to see. 

Just two more weeks before she's six-months-old. Where has the time gone? From spring to summer and now fall. 

Five Months Already ... Crazy.

Eleanor Anetta Smith is 5-months-old. 5 months in this world and she's already learned so much. 

She knows if she cries one way she'll be held and if she cries another way she'll get milk. She knows her hands can help push her over or grab her favorite toy or help get her toes into her mouth. She knows her name is Eleanor. She knows her mama and her daddy and shes starting to know some of her grandparents. 

She is amazing, our little love bug, and watching her curiosity grow and her discovery of the world makes us so incredibly happy. Before we know it she'll be all grown up and watching her own children ... now there's a thought that makes a mommy emotional.