Team Smith

How cool is it that Savannah got to meet her Great Grandma Benninghouse?!

 It takes an act of God to get my mom to visit. Seriously. Some of y'all know the history of indecisiveness, financial instability and fickleness that arises when my mama, in her Texas drawl, utters the words, "I'm coming to visit..." ( She was born and grew up in Lubbock, but resides in Denver and the twang comes out when she is excited or scolding me :-) So I could not thank God, or the universe if that's your cup of tea, enough for  allowing everything to align and come together for her to have visited these past couple of days. Because I love her. And I love her in a deeper, different way now that we share the moniker of Mother. Every moment I get to spend with her, even when in disagreement, brings me much joy and reminds me how much she has sacrificed in giving me life and loving me. And she doesn't like to be in the photo, but I did catch her in at least one...At her request we took a walk and some pics today in Millennium park. Watch out Chica

In lieu of having a pre-baby shower, we had a Meet the Baby party! Thank you to my Aunt Rene for hosting this fete. We did have a registry because people kept asking us what they should buy the baby and when we said nothing, it was an unacceptable answer. So, in the end, I'm really glad we did it this way. People knew that Savvy was a girl and knew her name. And got to meet her! Which is the best part of all. I look forward to getting pics from Aunt Rene, but here are just a few. Also, thank you to Reverend Steve for letting us use the church! We have truly been showered, no pun intended, with love and are beyond thankful for our friends and family taking a moment to help celebrate Savvy's arrival and making Cass feel included! The phone calls, emails, flowers, cards and gifts are very much appreciated. I bought a box of thank you cards today and plan on starting those during the next 3am feeding :-) Aunt Rene and Savvy Delicious!!! Definitely keepi

We're walking around outside and Cass has to go potty. I suggested Starbucks, Matt suggested Old Navy because it was closer. Now the angel on my left shoulder knew the right thing to do would have been to walk the extra block and hit up Starbucks. There are two on every corner and the bathrooms are pretty clean. But the other angel, yes I have two angels and one has a halo that is slightly askew on my other shoulder, knew if we went to Old Navy there would be sales! Plus the added bonus of Matt getting his way, putting him in a good mood and solidifying my chances of taking advantage of the aforementioned sales! So, with no hesitation I told the hubby that his was the better suggestion and into Old Navy we went. While there, Cass got a balloon for good behavior. Then she walked around with Daddy while Savvy and I hit the baby section.  We do have a system of sorts. I pick out only stuff on sale, then take the pile to Matt and he helps me winnow it down to one item. On my way to

We are in the midst of week 2 with Savannah and can't believe she wasn't here before! It's funny what I remember and don't remember. I remember how to use a breast pump, I don't remember how much it hurt the first week in using it or that it's tricky pumping both at the same time and then removing the equipment without spilling milk! I remember waking up in the middle of the night, I can't remember the best way to fall back to sleep. I remember how to change diapers, I did not remember how often we should, and do, change them! Bit by bit, it's all coming back... And I find myself enjoying it more! The high anxiety and stress and fear I felt with Cass is not so much in the forefront this time around. So I feel better able and prepared to take care of her with confidence and an ease that was not there with Cass. But there is still a lot of unknowns and surprises- enough to keep me on my toes! 

When we tell people where we live they get all excited. "Oh you must love that!" "Look at all of things you get to do!" "Wow- that is amazing!" It might have been amazing 4 years ago when we didn't have kids. But living in the heart of downtown Chicago is not my cup of tea. I like open spaces. Lots of land. Ground floors! We live on the 15th floor in a highrise right off of Michigan Ave. And yes, there is a lot to do. There is a ton of shopping- some of my favorite stores are all within walking distance. We are three blocks away from the theatre district. Hundreds of restaurants line the streets all around us. But that stuff costs money! We just do not have the budget to take advantage of everything that is within walking distance. Nor the time. Or the energy! I will save thoughts on my personal challenge to be grateful for our situation and seek out the positive points for a later post. I will try not to complain too much about the noisy,

Well, we are still settling in, but week one has flown by! Cassidy is a remarkable big sister. She likes to hug and cuddle with Savvy as much as we do! Cass is a huge help; she hands us diapers and holds Savvy's binky and reads her stories or makes them up. But you can tell she does miss being the center of attention. Cass will stop speaking because Savvy can't speak. Or when we're commenting on some cute face Savvy made, Cass will say ,"Look at me! Look at what I can do!" and follow it up with whatever suits her in that moment, even if she is doing nothing at all! I get the sense that Cass is stuck between being excited over her sister and feeling upstaged by her. All in all though, Cass is still one very well behaved three year old who has experienced a lot of change in the last year and a half. She continues to crack us up with her sophisticated grasp of ideas and language with comments like, "Mom, I'm trying to grow up!" Savvy make

Savannah Joy Smith arrived October 5, 2012 at 10:35a.m. The week before we had gone to the hospital actually, thinking it was time! After a few hours, it was clear that Savvy just wanted to make sure we were ready. Yes, of the many nickname combinations and options available, Savvy is one of our faves. I'm so glad we had this practice run through! We found that we were not really packed with things we needed and logistically getting from our apt to the parking garage in the middle of the night is a challenge! It's too long of a walk for a gal in labor, too cold, creepy and long for a sleep-eyed three year old, too long for a sleepy Daddy to carry bags, supplies and a three year old, but you can't park in front of our building for long and you can't leave the car unattended! Whew! A strategy was to be created later. Not to mention, when arriving at the hospital you don't take the pleasant walk through the newly renovated and serene entrance to L&D that was