Eliza Juliette Smith: A Timeline

4 Months Before

3 Months Before: Mommy working for Earth Day

2 Months Before

1 Month Before: Baby Shower

2 Weeks Before: North Cascades Scenic Loop

1 Week Before: Discovery Park

1 Week Before: Discovery Park- Baby has dropped

12 Hours Before: We took this right before we let for the hospital

5 Hours Before: This is your due date! Amazing!

15 Seconds After

1 Minute After:  Mommy is proud!

2 Minutes After: Daddy is in love.

3 Minutes After: First Eye Contact

40 Minutes After: Grandma's First Glimpse

1 Day After

2 Days After

1 Month Later

2 Months Later

3 Months Later

4 Months Later

Sick

Eliza has had a cold for over 10 days now. It started as a runny nose, then turned into a little bit of a cough. You can see in the video that her energy reserves are shot.

Twins

There is so much excitement that surrounds pregnancy and the imminent birth. But nothing is as thrilling as picturing and dreaming what your baby will look like. Will she have dark curly hair like her mommy? Will she have her daddy's nose? Of all the things we talked and dreamed about, we never expected Eliza to be her daddy's twin. She even has his hairline! One of my friends said, "It doesn't seem fair that you went to all the work and Wes gets a mini-me." Our nurse at the hospital had a theory that when babies are born, they resemble their fathers the most so that the fathers love and nurture them. Regardless of whom she resembles the most, there is no denying how adorable and precious she is. We love you Eliza!

Love at first sight

1 day old. This is when we discovered the hairline.

They love to cuddle.

Already looking up to daddy.

They look so much alike. (Hmmm... is that the same gray shirt in every picture? Just saying...)

Going on a walk together.

I think she might be sassing him here. She might look like Daddy, but we are pretty sure she has mommy's personality. Watch out world!

So cute!

How funny is this? Used an iphone app to get the glasses on her.

Making silly faces.

When daddy babysits, I always get cute pictures emailed to me.

Hanging at the coffee shop.

On a walk together.

In the front pack.

One of my favorites. This is definitely going in a frame.

Eliza and her Dogs

Eliza has two dogs, Hank and Quinn. Hank is a mutt. He's a mix of Golden Retreiver, Border Collie, Blue Heeler, and Circus Dog (American Eskimo). He's kind of grouch and sometimes we call him Cranky Hanky. He's also reaaaaaaaalllllllllly lazy. So lazy, in fact, that if it is raining out, he won't go outside. Truly. He didn't go outside until 5 p.m. on Saturday. Keep in mind that we live in Seattle. How his bladders and kidneys handle that is a mystery. But we love Hank. He's 7 years old and has always been a loyal, good dog. Eliza was VERY upset on Sunday night and Hank became alarmed. He followed us from room to room as we tried to console her. We know that he will always be there for her. Especially when she's in her high chair throwing food around.

Hank

Quinnie is a pure border collie. Pure craziness, energy and spunk. He loves to go running, catch frisbees and toys. He knows the names of some of his toys and will bring them on command.He's also very lovable and cuddly. He was the baby of the family until the real baby arrived. He doesn't know what to think of Eliza right now. He's a little bit jealous that he's not getting as many hugs and kisses as he used to. Don't worry, he still gets love every day. We think he is going to be Eliza's protector. She's been sick this week, and he constantly gets up in the middle of the night and peeks over the edge of her bassinet. On Tuesday, I caught him 1 inch from Eliza's face. She was giving him the biggest smile and he was wagging his tail. They are going to be best buds.

Quinnie

Nothing makes Eliza laugh harder than when daddy throws the toy for Quinnie. It's going to be fun to see how these relationships will develop over the years.

Faux Poo

What is a faux poo, you may be wondering? It's when you hear that unmistakable rumble come from your baby's bottom. You go over, sniff the appropriate area and conclude that "number two" has occurred. You undress baby, layer by layer. Legs and arms are flaying, baby is giggling. You are starting to get suspicious. You open the diaper. Empty. Hmmmm. That, my friends, is a faux poo. Eliza did it twice today. She thought it was funny.

She's good at entertaining herself

I thought it was funny how she was playing with both hands.

Thunder Thighs and Cankles

Working and Raising a Baby

A lot of people say that having a child is one of the hardest things you do in your life. Although I agree with that statement, I would say that being a full-time working mother makes this endeavor harder by the nth degree. I'm not just talking about the lack of sleep and the hazy days. No, I'm talking about how does one complete the simple day-to-day tasks such as making dinner and cleaning the house? I'll show you!

First, save the mound of laundry for Sunday. You're busy cooking, so it's easy to do the laundry and cook at the same time.

We cook all of our meals for the week on Sunday. That way when we come home from a long day of work and day care, all we have to do is pop our delicious home-cooked meal in the microwave.

Oh, what about the dogs? Luckily Hank is super lazy and doesn't mind sleeping the days away on his blue chair.

Quinnie requires a little bit more love and attention. As long as we walk him and throw the frisbee, he's content.

While the laundry is being washed and the dinners are being cooked and the bathroom is being scrubbed and dog poop is being picked up, it's helpful when the little Diva decides to nap (as opposed to the infamous nap-strike).

If she's not napping, then it's helpful to plunk her into her "circle of neglect." Don't worry, she still gets lots of snuggles and kisses.

After everything is cooked, cleaned, and washed, the whole family goes on a walk. It's getting cold so Eliza likes to be bundled up!

Whenever we are feeling weary and overwhelmed, all we do is take one look at this face and we know it's all worth it. Nothing revives the spirit like a good snuggle with a cuddly little baby.