3 weeks old and growing...

After sad goodbye to my mom on the 1st it was impossible to think that we could manage on our own, but alas, we have been on our own for a week and time is ticking away. Mike is due home in just over 4 weeks (yay!) and my dad arrives next Saturday for a week-long stay to help out and to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with us. Since Tatum's arrival time has seemed to pass rather quickly which is great because it could be the opposite. I continue to learn something new everyday and we are beginning to establish somewhat of a routine.

Tatum continues to do wonderfully and she is already up to 8lbs. 15oz. which means that she has gained over a pound in 3 weeks. She is a very mild-mannered baby and she only cries when she is truly hungry or just desiring to be held. My neighbors and friends from the squadron continue to be a wonderful help to us by walking the dogs and cooking meals. Life will be so great once Mike returns and can assume the role of daddy.

Some recent pictures...

Going for a ride (which always puts me to sleep)

What? I have to take a bath!

Going to my first Halloween party

I do smile...but not necessarily at anyone in particular

Welcome Baby Smiley!

Well I have finally found an opportunity to sit down and begin to catch up on life, e-mails, phone calls, and house work. Pretty much anything outside of sleeping and eating has been neglected over these past 2 weeks due to the anticipated arrival and the OFFICIAL arrival of Baby Smiley.

After 2 long days of failed induction attempts Tatum Smiley arrived via c-section on Wednesday, October 17th at 7:31 am weighing 7 pounds 14 ounces and measuring in at 20 inches. She was 10 days past her due date so her arrival was met with great joy and excitement. Since Mike was not able to be here in Maine, my mom was at my side throughout the entire process of both the induction and the c-section. After a few more nights in the hospital we brought Tatum home on Saturday, October 20th. Since coming home Tatum has been a joy to have around and she has a wonderful personality.

Just a few minutes old

Going home for the first time

Waiting, and waiting, and waiting!

When will baby Smiley arrive? That is the big question now. I would be lying if I said that Sunday was an easy day...for 9 months October 7th has been circled on the calendar but it has now come and gone. Fortunately for me, my mom arrived last Wednesday and her company has been greatly appreciated at this time because I am very tired and the extra hand has been great to have around. The dogs have also enjoyed having her around because she has been giving them lots of love and attention.

We will keep all of you posted on the exciting news as it occurs but until then it is just a waiting game.

40 weeks

4 weeks left!

Labor Day Weekend at Popham Beach

This past weekend I had the opportunity to join some friends for an afternoon of fun at Popham Beach, a local state park here in Maine. Popham Beach just celebrated its 400th anniversary this past week so it has been around for a long time! It was great to spend the day at the beach soaking up some sun and enjoying the beautiful Maine landscape. The beaches and landscape throughout Maine are different from any other place that I have been before.

Off-shore island in the distance

Maine's beautiful landscape

Lighthouse off in the distance

Enjoying the beach at 35 weeks

34 Weeks!

Back Home

After a long 1300 mile trek from St. Louis to Maine, we have finally returned home and begun to settle back into our normal daily routine. We had a great time while in St. Louis as it was great to see our friends and family however no place is quite like home. Also too, the dogs and I had enough of the 100+ degree weather that has been looming over the central midwest. Now that we are home the countdown begins until Baby Smiley's arrival and Mike's return. Let us know if you will be in the area as we would love to see you!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

Yay...Eli is 3 today (if only we knew what we had gotten ourselves into)! Here are a few pictures of our little bugger over the past 3 years:

Winter 2004

He loves his big sister Sadie (Spring 2005)

Summer 2007

Weekend Fun!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to join two great friends from high school, Tanya and Melissa, in Houston for a girl's weekend. Tanya was in Houston on business all week so we decided to plan a weekend trip since we live so far apart and it is not often that we have the chance to get together to have some fun. These days it is especially hard to meet up regularly because Tanya lives in Hawaii which is not a short trip! We had a great time shopping at the Houston Galleria (which took all day) and eating lots of good food, including some great local Tex-Mex. It was pretty crazy to realize that the next time we get together I will be a mom with a baby in tow!

Yay...Baby presents from Tanya!

Also too, we had the chance to meet up with a friend of mine from Maine, Amanda, who is living at home in Houston while our husbands are deployed. Amanda picked us up on Saturday night and took us out to some local hot spots for the evening which was a lot of fun. It was great to see Amanda as we were overdue for catching up since having left Maine!

Amanda, Tanya, Melissa, and I (with a BIG belly!)

Baby Shower Fun!

This past weekend Mike's sister, Melanie, hosted a baby shower at her home. It was so much fun to get together with family and friends to celebrate Baby Smiley. I was lucky too in that some family as well as a good friend from graduate school made the trip to St. Louis to help celebrate the day with us. We had a great time playing games, eating cake, and opening presents - all of which were so wonderful.

Mike's mom planned all of the games that we played and it was fun to learn how many different "Baby Shower" games there are out there. We started the afternoon sniffing diapers filled with melted chocolate candy; the goal was to determine what piece of candy was in each diaper. If only real diapers smelled like melted Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! We then went on to play "The Price is Right - Baby Style" in which you guess how much certain baby products cost. I lost big time which means that all the recent trips to Babies R' Us have done me no good. After a fun game of measure Lindsey's belly it was determined that my belly already measures 41.5 inches around. If it is already this big at 29 weeks I can only imagine how big it will be when I am full term in late September! Our friend Kari won the game as her piece of string was an exact match to the size of my belly. It was only appropriate to end that game by digging into the yummy vanilla and chocolate cake that we had which was graciously baked by the same lady who made our wedding, one year anniversary, and Mike's graduation from Medical school cake.

In sum it was a great afternoon and it was made very clear how excited everyone is to meet our little pal!

Duluth, Minnesota

This past weekend I had the opportunity to fly up north to Duluth, Minnesota with my mom where we visited with my 86 year-old great uncle as well as with my uncle and two cousin's who drove up from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was a great opportunity to spend some quality time with my family since it has been 4 years since I last saw my uncle and cousins and 8 years since I last saw my great uncle. Additionally, it has been 20 years since I last visited my family in Duluth so it was time to make a return visit.

Many would ask why Duluth? Duluth is the childhood/early adult home to both of my maternal grandparents as well as it is the place that my great uncle and many generations of family on my mother's side were raised. It was great to drive around and see all of the places that had special meaning to my mom: 1. my grandparent's childhood homes; 2. my great-grandmother's home (where my mom spent most of her summers as a child); 3. the church where my grandparent's were married as well as the hotel at which their reception was held; 4. the family plots at Calvary Cemetery (home to many generations of family); and 5. many local haunts that my mom went to as a child.

In addition to squeezing in time driving around town and visiting familiar sights, my mom and I drove to the Glensheen Mansion, home to the Congdon family who had settled in Duluth in 1908. The home has been maintained by the University of Minnesota since it was gifted to them by the family in the 1970s. Today the interior remains decorated as it did in 1908 and little has changed. All of the original furniture remains in the home as do many of the family portraits, left as they were when the last daughter died in the home. The home is surrounded by beautiful gardens and superb lake views that are now maintained by the U of Minnesota. Until 2004 the gardens were maintained by the son of the original head gardener who moved to the home in 1908. With temperatures in the mid-70s it was an ideal day to walk around the home and gardens.

The Glensheen Mansion

Enjoying Lake Superior

Our Little 27 Week Old Pal...

Here are a few updated photo's of the baby taken this past week. During the ultrasound he/she was sticking their tongue out. You can notice in one of the pictures that his/her mouth is open (however the tongue is not visible). It was very tempting to inquire as to the baby's sex however it will be a great surprise come October 7th. The ultrasound tech offered to do a 3-D scan so as to catch a glimpse of the baby's face however he/she would not stop wiggling so I was only able to get a nice view of the calf and foot!

Photo #1 (mouth is noticeably open)

He/she is very active these days as evidenced by the kicking, rolling, and twisting that is occurring in my stomach. While having my nails done today I sat and watched in amazement as my stomach appeared to be bumping and twisting!

Photo #2 (foot in front of face)

4th of July in St. Louis

While Mike celebrated the 4th of July overseas, I had the opportunity to join some friends for music and fireworks under the St. Louis Arch at the annual Fair St. Louis. While it was quite crowded and very humid it was fun to sit under the arch and listen to music in the company of good friends. While we were there, the Goo Goo Dolls and Lifehouse performed in the open seating concert. Unfortunately for us, we did not learn that the arch served as a good noise barrier until we ventured out of the park en route to the car - we just thought everyone was talking too much to hear! As the evening wound down the skyline and the arch from below made for some great shots.

25 Weeks, 3 days and counting...AND growing!

Summer 2007 Adventures

For those of you who did not know, Mike's job has taken him to far away lands for the next 6 months. When he returns he will be a new Dad so it will be quite an exciting homecoming! Since Mike is gone I took the opportunity to travel west to see family and friends for the summer. The week after Mike left I packed up the car and the two dogs and drove 1300 miles away from Maine to St. Louis where I am staying with my mom (who very thankfully accompanied me on the drive). While here I will be able to visit Madison, WI, Duluth, MN, and make a trip down to Houston for a girls weekend reunion with some friends. In addition, many family and friends are coming here to St. Louis to visit while I am in the mid-west. If you will be in the area any time between now and mid-August please give us a call as we would love to see you.

Since Mike was packing up for 6 months we tried to maximize our last weekends together doing "touristy" things in Maine. The day before Mike left we enjoyed taking a Puffin Cruise out to a small island about an hour north of Brunswick where we were able to catch a glimpse of Puffins in the their native environment. This was something that Mike wanted to do before leaving so it was great that we had the opportunity to go as they are only active in the late-spring to summer months. We are looking very forward to spending the next 2 years in Maine because it is a beautiful place with so much to offer.

One of the few Puffins that we actually saw...you have about 2 seconds to snap a shot!

New Harbor, Maine

A short pictorial update...

Here are a few pictures of some of our adventures over the last 2 years:

Pemaquid Point Light House, Pemaquid Point, Maine (May 2007)

Pemaquid Point Light House, Pemaquid Point, Maine (May 2007)

Good times in Pensacola, FL with Tara Dever and Khristina Hoover (Sept. 2006)

Horseback Riding in Alabama (Autumn 2006)

Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii (March 2007)

Machu Picchu, Peru (August 2006)

Melanie Smiley's Wedding; St. Louis, MO (Summer 2005)

Mike's Med School Graduation, St. Louis, MO (May 2005)

A quick life update...

Hello family and friends! As many of you know, the past two years have been filled with many life changes and several moves around the country with the Navy. Since May 2005 we have lived in Virginia Beach, VA, Pensacola, FL, and now Maine. In between the moves and the life changes we have had the opportunity to travel to many wonderful places such as Peru to visit Machu Picchu and Hawaii to see some friends who made the move out there last year. This past April we finally settled down for what feels like a long time (2 years) in Brunswick, Maine where Mike will serve as the Flight Surgeon for a P-3 Squadron at NAS Brunswick. Most excitedly, we are expecting a baby this October so life will again be bringing us a new and exciting challenge.

Since it is not easy to see and talk to everyone as often as we would like, we have started up this blog in the hope that we can keep you updated on our life and the adventures and everyday encounters that we experience. Enjoy and please keep in touch!