2015 came to a dramatic end for our family. After the loss of my grandma on the 20th, our attention turned to the impending birth of our new baby. Five days past his due date and with only a few hours to spare in 2015, Finnley David Smith was born on December 31st. We didn’t know he was going to be a boy. We didn’t find out the sex beforehand. We had our girl named picked out, Annabelle Helenka, but we didn’t have a boy’s name chosen yet.
Poor Finn spent the first day of his life without a name. Actually you could say he spent his entire first year without a name! He got to experience a little over 10 hours of 2015 before the calendar changed over. We finally decided on his name the next day.
I’ve never spent New Years in a hospital before. It was pretty quiet. Had I not randomly woken up at 11:55 I would have just slept right through it. As far as the delivery went, it was a relatively smooth and uneventful experience and everyone involved is doing great.
I’ve been gorging myself on the snacks that I packed in my bag and watching football. The overall experience has been wonderful and fairly similar to our other experiences. Of course I know what to expect by now so I’m getting the routine down. One of the best moments of having a new baby is when your other kids get to meet him or her for the first time. It is such a sweet and tender moment.
Our other kids were so excited to meet Finn and everyone wanted a turn holding him and he was showered with kisses and head rubs. The kids were also very intrigued about mommy’s belly not being so big anymore. They needed to look at it and touch it.
I’m interested to see what the transition from 4 to 5 kids will be like. The transition from 2 to 3 kids was by far the most difficult for me. Transitioning from 3 to 4 was rather easy, I’m hoping going from 4 to 5 will be similar. It’ll be a bit of a transition too with my wife being off work for the next 3 months. We’ll have to get in a good rhythm with both of us always being around. Hopefully I can get some of those projects done around the house I haven’t been able to do.
Well, I wish all of you the Happiest New Year and I hope 2016 turns out to be wonderful for all of us. Let’s all try to be nicer to people on social media (and in real life too). That’ll be my new years resolution. Thank you to everyone for all of your thoughts, prayers and well wishes on the birth. They are very much appreciated.
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Congratulations on the arrival of your beautiful son! What a super way to spend the New Year! And the family pic of your now 5 children is adorable! Hope your wife and Finn are feeling fine:) All my best to you and your family!!
Thanks Lia! New Year’s Eve parties will never be the same again! 🙂 A blessed new year to you and your family as well.
Congratulation on the new arrival! That definitely is an exciting way to spend the new year. I’m glad to hear everyone is ok.
Thank you. It was certainly different than any of the New Years I’ve ever had. 🙂
Congrats Mike!!! Pictures are great, especially the one of Finn and Ela. So happy for you guys. Good luck fitting that wife… I mean, 5th child into the daily routine. 😉
Congrats! Our 5th child was due on the same day as yours. He has still not come and now it seems min to min. I just found your blog and it is interesting. I’m also a SAHD(13 yrs) now. 18-16-11-7- one soon!
Darrel, thanks for stopping by. I imagine by now a congrats is in order for you as well. 13 year SAHD, that’s awesome! You could give me a few pointers I’m sure. Enjoy your newest addition.
Interesting to read about the relative difficulty of each new kid for you. For me, 0 to 1 was difficult, but 1 to 2 was no biggie. Like you, 2 to 3 was toughest yet, but 3 to 4 was pretty seamless. 4 to 5 was by far the most difficult transition, but it’s mellowed out now. The difficulty of adding number 5 acted as a strong catalyst to improve me as a father (specifically as a disciplinarian & teacher) and as a husband (serve more.) You are a blessed man. May our God continue to bless you as you transition from 4 to 5 children.
4 to 5 was the hardest?!?! That’s not what I want to hear! Lol. I was counting on this being no big deal. Famous last words…
I do feel blessed. Maybe number 5 can be a great catalyst for me too! Thanks for dropping me a line.
Congratulations Mike! Welcome baby Finn Absolutely adorable! I loved the story about baby Finnley voyaging through hours of 2015 without a name…
I always read your posts and think to myself: “I can’t wait to be a dad someday!”
Thanks again for giving a great glimpse into an awesome SAHD life!
Congrats pal! Young Finnley had to be a welcome blessing to take your mind off that gigantic egg Florida laid in their bowl game!
Thank you and no kidding that football game was embarrassing.
Congratulations on the arrival of Finnley. Does it get any easier after the 3rd? Phew…Personally I am done making babies.
I’m not sure it gets “easier” but it doesn’t get much harder after number 3. ha