Missing Poppy

A kiss from Poppy

It is unfathomable to me that it has been one year since Poppy passed away. I can still hear his booming laugh, see his twinkling eyes and feel his scratchy whiskers as he put his famous "bear claw" on me. I am at a loss for words to describe this giant of a man and so I will defer to the words I spoke at his funeral...

When I was about 4 years old, I helped Poppy plant his garden. He dug the holes and asked me to put one seed in each. We paused at one point and Grandma took a picture of us: him leaning on his hoe, and me looking up at him, waiting for my next job. That is a photo I will always treasure, of my gentle giant of a Poppy lovingly directing me and including me in his world.

Poppy's love for his family was as organic as his love for the earth. He joyfully and lovingly attended to the needs of his family. He sowed unconditional love in each of us. He carefully removed any weeds of bitterness and resentment from his own heart. He fertilized with joy, gratitude, laughter and a heavy sprinkling of his favorite stories. He tended the seedlings with compassion, devotion and his sweet, easy way. He reaped a harvest of abounding love from a family who can't bear to let him go.

My Mom had a beautiful relationship with her Dad. She looked for and found the same qualities she loves so in her father in my Dad. It was those same qualities that I saw modeled in my Poppy and Dad that first drew me to my husband, Benjamin. It's clear to me that these are all gifts from Poppy, the man who modeled all that is good and honorable. For this and for the many gifts Poppy has given, I am thankful. I can see his sweet eyes, wet with emotion telling me how much he loves me and for that I am most grateful.

I love you Poppy.

On this day I will cherish the memories that are never far from my mind. I will look at his picture in Eleanora's room and tell her once again of the amazing man her Poppy was.

Big Girl!

Stylin' for her first dinner at Guadalajara's

Eleanora is growing in leaps and bounds. She loves to talk while we read her a story (we are sure she is reading along!) or sing along to any tune (her favorites are the Beatles and "Rubber Duckie"). Last week she rolled over from her back to her side for the first time in order to snuggle up to her Daddy.

Exhausted after "tummy time"

Of course the big news in the Hoffman household was the Steelers Superbowl victory. Eleanora cheered for the black and gold at her very first Campbell party. The food was glorious and the company fabulous as always.

Happy Inauguration Day!

Regardless of how you feel about President Obama's policies, today was undoubtedly a huge step forward for racial equality in America. It makes me very proud to be an American!

I spent most of the day to soaking in the momentous occasion. Thanks to Erin, Eleanora was dressed appropriately for the day's events!

New Year!

It's been a busy time in the Hoffman Household. We're adjusting to life at home after a glorious visit to PA for the holidays. After a very smooth flight, the first order of business was the baptism of Eleanora on 12/21. She was an angel for the service and even let out a little yawn as the water was trickled on her head. We were blessed to have her baptized at the wonderful, sweet little church my grandparents helped to found. As a part of the service, a funeral pall was dedicated in Poppy's honor. The entire sermon was about Poppy and Eleanora. It so beautiful and we are thrilled that Poppy's memory was a significant part of this special event.

Eleanora's first Christmas was wonderful. She even gave us a wonderful gift - sleeping for 8 hours straight on Christmas Eve! It was a wonderful time with the Gibson/Petri clan with lots of 1st time meetings...loving great Aunts and Uncles, great-grandparents, and Uncle Joel! Our long-standing traditions continued to be tweaked and adjusted to include our little bundle of joy and fun!

Natalie getting tips on the accordion from Aunt Michelle - our family expert!

Our time with the Hoffman/Benton clan was also wonderful. We spent lots of time at Grandma Eleanor's house where Eleanora got to meet Aunt Erin, Aunt Kay and cousins Mark and Laura. It was great to spend time with family!

Eleanora also got to meet some new friends in both Pittsburgh and Erie. She hung out with Isabelle, Georgia, Keegan (who has made us seriously consider arranged marriage for our girl!), and her newest cousin Avery.
Ella also had several "firsts" during our time at home. She rolled over at Mena's twice and once at Grandma B's. She also found her voice! She had been cooing occasionally before, but now is singing/talking all the time! We love to hear her sweet little noises along with her happy, drooly smile!

We miss our family and friends so much already - the time really did fly by! The only consolation is we are enjoying the warmer weather in Tucson. Eleanora wasn't such a big fan of her snowsuit!

Two Months Old!

The little peanut is now two months old! She is busy smiling, cooing and just being generally adorable. Her favorite hangouts are in the crib staring open-mouthed at her mobile, on the changing table, and the bathtub.

She had her 2 month check-up last week and now weighs 10 lbs, 12 oz and is in the 50th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height. She also had her first round of shots which was traumatic for all three of us!

Her mother's daughter, she loves all things Christmas. She is mesmerized by the tree (it instantly stops any crying fit...we've discussed leaving it up all year round!), and like all good Gibsons loves to dance around the kitchen to Christmas music. She is a Christmas Miracle!

Hooray For Ben!

This past weekend, Ben ran the Tucson half-marathon. The fact that he trained hard enough to achieve his personal best time despite a very busy schedule of studying, researching, diaper-changing, and being a devoted husband and father is pretty amazing. Eleanora and I braved the cold morning to cheer him on, although she chose a more mellow approach...


I'm so proud of Ben's accomplishment. He is the model of discipline in every way, structuring his days to maximize his time with Eleanora and I while often working late into the night to keep up on his school work. Despite his incredibly long hours, he is always the first one up with Eleanora changing her diaper and comforting her in the middle of the night. I know I don't tell him often enough how much I appreciate his tireless efforts. To top it all off, he is just plain fun to be around. I know Ella agrees!

Thanksgiving

We have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving...

Eleanora got to meet her Grandpa and Gram Hoffman for the very first time a couple of weeks ago. They were a wonderful help with laundry, dishes, fixing the furnace (yes, we need it occasionally in Tucson!), and hanging bookshelves. Most of all, they got time to snuggle, bathe and adore their sweet grandaughter.

Ben has started her early!

Natalie traveled to Tucson yet again (that's 3 times in 5 months - I'm so lucky!) to spend Thanksgiving with us. She was her normal Cinderella self - spreading her cheerfulness around while being a tremendous help. She cleaned, scrubbed, laundered, organized and baked leaving us with a sparkling, treat-filled home ready for Christmas!

We spent Thanksgiving with Ben's Aunt, Uncle and cousin. The turkey was grilled, the food delicious, and the company divine.

Although we are sad our visitors are gone, we are excited to head home for the holidays in just a few weeks to introduce Eleanora to the rest of her amazing family!

Adjusting and Enjoying

It's been a busy couple of weeks of adjustment in the Hoffman Household. Adjustment to being a family of three (without live-in help!) has been tougher than I thought it would be. For someone who loves making and crossing things off her lists, I've had to adjust my expectations of what is a successful day by measuring it not in tasks completed, but in spending time with my rapidly growing and ever-amazing daughter.

Eleanora is more alert every day. She is becoming more interactive by following our movements, making lots of fun noises, and showering us with new expressions and smiles.

Matching Dad/Daugther Shirts

Loving Bath Time!

More Eleanora Pictures

Firsts

On Monday, Ben and I had our very first post-baby date. My Mom watched Eleanora for an hour while he whisked me off for a romantic lunch for two. I'll admit, I was a little nervous about leaving her for the first time but she slept in the "magical sling" the entire time and didn't even notice I was gone. Ben and I feasted at a nearby restaurant on yummy Greek food and some quality alone time. It was a perfect first date!

Over the weekend, Ben and Eleanora showed their University of Arizona pride together for the first time before Ben headed off to the Homecoming football game with John.

While he was gone, Erin came over to have a little ladies night with my Mom, Eleanora and I. The night started off great, but Eleanora neglected her hostess duties in favor of a good old-fashioned crying fit. Erin was a great help - putting together the swing, doing dishes, and spreading her cheerfulness around. Hopefully next time, Eleanora will be a little more polite to our company!

Today was Eleanora's two week check-up. She's in the 5oth percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height (up 2.25 inches since birth!). Ben is already making plans for her volleyball career!

Grateful

I have been so blessed to be surrounded by various members of my immediate family for the last three weeks. My Mom arrived in Tucson a week before Eleanora, allowing us some sweet time together to finish my last few nesting projects, taking long walks, and just being together.

Both my Dad and Natalie arrived within 24 hours of Eleanora's debut. Mom, Dad and Natalie were able to visit with us each day in the hospital. Introducing Eleanora to her new home for the first time surrounded by adoring family was so special. Our house was literally glowing, it was so clean (thanks, Mom!), and I can't imagine a more excited welcoming committee! The many hands to help in those first crazy days was invaluable. There was always someone willing and able to soothe, burp, or just cuddle our sweet girl while I caught a nap, had a meal, or just rested.

Natalie's visit was brief, but I'm so glad she was here to witness Eleanora's first few days. We are already counting the days until she returns for a blissful week over Thanksgiving!

In addition to being a super baby soother, Dad was also an amazing help around the house with a million little projects Ben hasn't been able to get to with school. He hung a multitude of pictures and paintings, bookshelves, and just generally tinkered around to make our house better. His week here was wonderful and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Sad to see Opa go!

My Mom just left this morning (sniff, sniff) to head back to Erie. In her three glorious weeks here, it was like there was a magical spell over the house. Every time I'd wake from a nap or time in the nursery, I'd find the house sparkling, dishes done, laundry folded and put away, and the next meal ready to go. She is also a fountain of practical baby advice, tips and tricks, and is an expert at keeping Eleanora happy.

I am beyond grateful for such a loving, supportive and unselfish family who made this transition to parenthood so wonderful.

We have a couple weeks just the three of us before we welcome Ben's parents for a visit. We can't wait to introduce them to Eleanora!