Gabrielle Elise

People have been asking why Gabrielle Elise?

Well Kelli liked the name Gabriel for a boy.
I said, "No way."
She said, "Gabrielle for a girl?"
I said, "Sure."

Not to mention the fact that Gabrielle was really the only girl name we had picked out that Meredith could actually say. Gabrielle means "heroine of God".

We stuggled with the middle name for a while. We even thought about it being Peyton since Gabbi shares birthdays with Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts. However, minutes after Gabrielle was born Kelli said, "God is good! We have another healthy baby." I knew then that Gabrielle's middle name would have to be Elise. Elise means "my God is bountiful".

God is good indeed!

(As a side note, I must tell you all that we will be having another baby. I need to have another boy so I don't have to swim in the Estrogen ocean alone.)

We got TP, yes we do!

So we came home from the hospital on Friday with the new girl and this is what we found. Apparently, Meema tried to TP our house and couldn't really throw. That is why everything is at ground level.

Our girls!

We used to think we had a small almost two year old until Gabrielle came along. As you can see, she is a monster! Meredith, that is.

Grandparents came!

All the grandparents with our girls!


Grandma Staub checking out the new addition.


Grandpa Staub and Meredith looking for "Goldbug". I don't know who enjoys it more!

Plus one...GIRL!!!!

God is so good! At 3:28 pm we added the newest member of the Staub family - Gabrielle Elise. Mom and baby are both beautiful and doing great. Here are some pictures of the day...

This guy says, "No pain, no gain! Read the shirt and get 'er done!"


What a beautiful, healthy little girl! Already we can tell that she is nothing like her sister. This one is quiet and laid back. Rarely cries. I have a feeling this one may be a little soft spoken. Wait, she is a Staub, that will never happen.



My three girls...how I love them!


Here is happy mom (post meds). Labor was fast and painless, at least for me, I am pretty sure it was good for her too.

Still "with child"

It is offically one day past my due date. I've been experiencing constant pressure and irregular contractions since last Friday, but baby is apparently not ready to exit the womb. That's fine with me of course, as I begin to realize more and more each day that soon I will face the harsh reality of having to take care of a newborn again. Meredith woke up in the middle of the night last night and at first I was thinking, "Man, this sucks." Then I realized that I will have to get used to multiple feedings during the middle of the night when the baby comes. Ouch!

Hopefully everything with the delivery will go fine. Right now, Aaron and I are so anxious to find out if our baby is a boy or girl! Please keep us in your prayers during the next few days!

KELLI 40+ WEEKS PREGNANT WITH SECOND CHILD. (notice the little girl standing at the front door)

KELLI 40+ WEEKS PREGNANT WITH MEREDITH BACK IN APRIL 2008.

MER CONTINUES TO ADORE HER DOLLS WHILE ACTING VERY MATERNAL TOWARD THEM. WE TELL HER EVERYDAY ABOUT THE BABY IN MOMMY'S TUMMY. WE TOLD HER A FEW NIGHTS AGO THAT IN A FEW WEEKS, SHE CAN TAKE A BATH WITH THE BABY AND THAT'S ALL SHE TALKS ABOUT NOW. AARON ALSO TAUGHT MEREDITH RECENTLY TO SHOUT TO MY BELLY, "COME OUT BABY!" SHE THINKS THE BABY IS NAMED "LAUREN", WHO IS HER FAVORITE BABYSITTER.

SHE'S MIMICKING DADDY, WHO IS OFTEN LISTENING TO HIS IPOD. MER STICKS THE PLUGS FROM AARON'S PLAYSTATION IN HER EAR AND WALK AROUND DANCING AND SINGING.

MEREDITH DOESN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND THAT THE NEW GEAR WE BROUGHT UP FROM THE BASEMENT IS NOT FOR HER.

New toys!

Jessie is a miracle worker when it comes to toys. She ran to us when she heard someone was giving away a free train table. AND she posted an ad on craigslist for us because she knew we were looking to buy Meredith a "house" for her birthday. This house retails for $520 and we got it yesterday from a family for $75!!! Now, if she just had a little sibling to play with...
We've already been busy driving lots of Daddy's old hotwheels on the painted roads!
The house came in 7 different pieces, two of which had to be strapped to the top of our minivan for about 40 miles. Daddy had it together in 5 minutes. Notice Kate and her puppy Diego in the background. They came over to see Meredith's new toy!
Even a bay window and a welcome mat! (can you tell Mommy is more excited than anyone else?)
The house has a nice kitchen inside. There's even a spot for a phone and as soon as she saw it, she said, "Call Meema!" We joked that because the house is 66 inches high, that Meema can play in there with her!
Anything for Daddy's princess.

"Uncle Tim" Got Married!

This past weekend our good friend and Meredith's god father, Tim, got married to his longtime girlfriend, Holly. Aaron was a groomsman and Meredith was the flower girl.
"Uncle Tim" and Mer at the reception.
Meredith with "Aunt Holly" at the dance. Holly was a gorgeous bride!
A good shot of Meredith's dress. We were trying to keep her busy during pictures.
The four of us. :)
The outside world saw a cute flower girl all day. This is the reality of Mommy's world all weekend. Sad to admit, but I was even letting her eat nothing but m&m's for supper at the reception. Anything to keep princess happy.

Gracie came!

My parents, sister and niece visited us from South Dakota last week. Here's some pics of Mer and Gracie together.