Déjà Vu?

Does he have red hair like Reed? Is he dark like Emily? The big questions since his birth has been "who does Smith look like?" Well, in some of his pictures at least, he bears a strong resemblance to his cousin Anne Parks.

Anne Parks
Smith


Anne Parks
Smith

Smith

We went to visit Smith yesterday. He's just precious! Before we left, we all noticed that he looked pretty yellow. Emily and Reed took him to be checked out and ended up spending the night in the hospital. His bilirubin count was high but has come down with treatment. When I talked to Emily earlier, she was pretty sure they'd spend one more night. Please keep Smith in your prayers - and remember Emily, Reed and my mom, who's there to help, too. They are exhausted. Here are some pictures of Smith at home...


Anne Parks, Rambo Reed and Stella playing ball

Meet Smith!

It's been a long and exciting day. Smith is healthy and strong and no longer needs oxygen, Emily is doing great, and Reed is one proud daddy!

Reed announcing that Smith had arrived.
Smith in the nursery

Reed taking a quick nap on a bench in the nursery viewing room.
Smith was born at 1:16, and at 5:00, Emily finally got a chance to really look at him.


The question of the day has been "red or brown hair?" Well, it's actually sort of strawberry blonde.

He's Here!

Stephen Smith Stringer arrived today at 1:16pm. He weighs 8lbs and is 21 inches long. He's healthy and strong but needed some oxygen for a few hours. He's just being brought into the room for the first time. I'll post pics once Emily has a chance to get a good look at him.

Clock-Watching

Emily checked in to the hospital at 5:00 this morning and is doing great. We all arrived around 8. Emily's gotten her epidural, and the doc thinks that Smith should arrive around lunchtime!

This tiny little diaper and hat are ready and waiting for Smith's arrival. We can't wait!

Sissy+Tomorrow = Mommy

Sister Emily will be a mom tomorrow! Because of high blood pressure, she'll be induced at 5 am. Please keep her, Reed, and baby Smith in your prayers tomorrow. I'll post pictures as soon as I can. In the meantime, here are some pics of Smith's room that we worked on this weekend. The pictures really don't do it justice; it's just darling! Em has lots more pics on her blog here.



Smith is named after our great-grandfather (Ganne's daddy), Smith Hughes. That's him (in the center) before a football game in 1924.

These are flashcards. I think they look great. If you stare at them long enough, you start to see white dots between the corners of the cards.
Emily removed the closet door to give her more space in the small room.

The curtain, a last-minute addition, was made from a twin bed sheet, and the changing pad cover was made from its pillowcase.

See you soon, Smith!

BABYsitting

Anne Parks and I have been in Starkville for a few days "babysitting" Emily, who is in her 37th week. Reed had to be out of town for a few days and Em didn't want to be alone. She drove to our parents' house on Monday, but when the time came to drive home, she didn't feel well. So, Anne Parks and I drove her home. She had very high blood pressure at her check-up on Thursday and has had to take it easy (an almost impossible task for Emily!). I've tried to make her keep her feet up while Anne Parks and I have helped get the house ready for the newest member of our family. The doc wants to see her again on Monday. Looks like cousin Smith could make an early appearance!

Flamenco Anyone?

Our friends, Jessi and Creighton, sent this to Anne Parks for her birthday. It's from Spain and fits her to a tee! She absolutely loves wear it as you can see...

4th of July

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend filled with family and fireworks, a cabin and a casino, a golf tournament and a garage sale. The whole family usually spends Christmas at our cabin, but this year MSU went to a bowl game, and Emily and Reed had to spend the holiday in a hotel. This weekend, we had a kind of "Christmas in July" to make up for it.
The weekend was off to a good start when, on Friday, my dad, Andrew, Reed, Jason, and my uncle Dan won a golf tournament in Kosciusko. That night, we drove over and ate dinner and watched the fireworks at the Golden Moon (seen below).

Mommasissy (Emily) holding up the "Golden Moon" (while carrying a child) - quite a super-woman!

Anne Parks in her red, white, and blue


my mom and dad The McQueens
Uncle Drew and AP
AP and the boys
my mom, sister, and dad


Mommasissy and Rambo Reed
Anne Parks was in awe of the firworks. She kept saying, "Look, Mama! Stars!"

Andrew and Reed couldn't help but make fun of how Emily was sitting. She was not amused.

Saturday morning, my mom, Emily, and I had a garage sale in Carthage in my granddad's old office building. We had a lot of fun and made some money, too.

The sign says, "Come On In! More Inside!"

Emily had the place set up like a boutique. Fancy, huh?
Clothes were in one room; housewares, books, and baby items were in the other.

These shoes where gone fast.

However, no one seemed to appreciate the Beatles or Betty Boop.

After a day of hard work, Mommasissy and AP took a much needed nap. Later, Daddy grilled steaks, and we roasted marshmallows around a campfire. What a fun weekend!