Two Weeks...

Wow, the past two weeks have just been amazing! I can't believe Gabriel is two weeks old already. We have had lots of help around the house, with Mimi, Dani, and Lauren coming to visit. Things are definately falling into a routine already. I don't know how I got so blessed, but Gabriel and Christopher actually take naps at the same time. I'm not sure how long it will last, but I'm loving it for now. Christopher loves to hold his brother and give him kisses. Gabriel is such a good baby...so snuggly and happy! Anyway, here are some pictures of what we have been up to in the past two weeks. We are off to the zoo tonight for the Spooktakular and then our Church's fall festival tomorrow...so I'll post those pictures soon.Christopher had a blast painting the pumpkins we got from Aunt Penne's pumpkin patch!

The weather was great last week, so we let baby Gabe get some sun on his belly. We had so much fun just sitting on the blanket and watching our new little guy.

We took these pictures just after I gave him his first bath...he's all fresh and clean. He really doesn't like his paci, which is a huge difference from his brother who LOVED his. We offer it to him occasionally, but he's pretty content without it.

Visitors

We had lots of friends and family who wanted to come see our new baby boy. I wanted to post just a few pictures of the visitors to the hospital .
My dad and his girlfriend, Dani, came up from Mtn Home.

Pam and Dalen, our good friends from church.

Papa Mark with his second grandbaby...and they have the same middle name!
Uncle Mat, our friend from church.
Uncle Sheldon, Chris' best friend
Chris' mom, Mimi, with grandbaby number 3...and four is coming soon.
And this is Dr. Scarrrow...she delivered Gabriel because Dr. Lehnert was off for the day.

Professional Pictures

We got some pictures taken the day before Gabriel was born, and then this past Thursday we got some more taken with our larger family. The link to view and purchase the pictures is: www.seemyprints.com. Type in our last name: chiarino. Then enter your email address and you can see our pictures...hope you like. I will get back on here and post some more pictures that we have taken as soon as I get a chance.
Things are going well around here. Chris' mom is helping keep our house clean...what a big help! Chris is busy with Christopher and I am busy with Gabriel. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do all this by myself next week, but we will figure it out.

Gabriel Steven has arrived!

Sunday, October 12 at 4:19pm Gabriel came into this world. He weighed 7 lb 10 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. I started having contractions in the middle of the night and we decided to drive to the hospital when they were getting stronger, around 7:00 in the morning. Chris thinks I'm crazy because I got out of bed and started getting ready and cleaning the house before we left for the hospital...women understand what I was doing though! Anyway, when we arrived, they told me I was dilated to 4 cm, so we started walking around to keep things moving, and before long, we decided to break my water. Well, then the contractions really started on strong. Not too long after that, I decided to get my epidural...I was dilated to around 7 cm by then. Well, after about another 2 hours or so the nurse checked me and told me I was 9 cm. Everyone had left the room, including Chris-to get a snack with Christopher. So, as soon as the nurse left the room I started feeling like I needed to push...and I was in the room alone! I called Chris, but his phone was dead...then I called the nurse. She checked me and said I was fully dilated and ready to push. About 5 minutes later Chris strolled into the room to find out how my progress was. He walked into a room full of nurses and delivery equipment. They locked the door behind him and told him that we were having a baby! I pushed about 4 times...no kidding...and Gabriel was born. I was so amazed at how fast everything happened. We are home now and so thankful for our beautiful healthy baby boy. He looks alot like his big brother, but his personality seems a little more laid back. Christopher is doing well also. He loves giving his little brother kisses and always wants to share his blanket with him.

Belly Pictures

We decided to take advantage of this wonderful fall weather, so we headed to the park to take pictures of the belly before it goes away! I haven't taken as many pictures of my belly this time around, and I have none of Christopher with me, so I had to take a few to remember what it was like to be pregant and have Christopher at this age.

It is such a fun time for him right now. He learns new words every single day and he is so proud of his new communication skills. He loves to learn and see new things. He reminds me of myself a little bit because he seems to be growing up so fast...I know I was like that when I was little. I am going to try to show him how to enjoy things in the present instead of always looking forward...something I'm learning as an adult!

Hopefully the next pictures I post on here will include our new baby! Stay tuned...