the leitch-mcgivor-smiths

how can a job get any better than this?

the leitch-mcgivor-smiths

the leitch-mcgivor-smiths

the leitch-mcgivor-smiths

the leitch-mcgivor-smiths

the leitch-mcgivor-smiths

tess

i've been very distracted from my blog this last month but have a VERY good excuse for my truancy. Marc & i have been on a journey to adopt since may of last year & on wed. july 8th we got a call from our adoption lawyer in LA saying he had a fabulous match for us, but we had to be in LA on friday as she was due on tuesday! Dropping everything in the midst of a hornby summer was a challenge but away we went. We met our birth mom on friday & spent a great few days all getting to know one another. She is delightful! Bright, funny, intelligent, sweet, articulate, beautiful, open-minded, healthy, strong & courageous. Her birth father is living in another state so we met him on the phone. A true southern gentleman! Honest, caring, open, inquisitive, determined, gracious, intelligent, strong & tender. If i sound like i'm gushing, i am. But not for no good reason. These 2 young people are truly amazing. The foresight, selflessness & caring they have is really something to behold. Absolutely no exaggeration. I tell you.

On wed. july 15th at 12:15am we got the call that her water broke so we rushed to pick her up & take her to the hospital. We were honored to go through labour & delivery with her. Baby tess came hard & fast - she was born at 3:45am at Cedars Sinai in the heart of Beverly Hills. What an entrance! And 24 hours later she was released into our care & has been with us ever since. We could not be happier. Or feel more blessed. It is an absolute honor to be given the opportunity to adopt someone's baby - & the depth of gratitude we feel for her birth parents is unfathomable. They have given us a family. A baby girl. True joy. The place you both hold in our hearts is so deep & wide & full, & we hold you there in the warmth of our love, respect & gratitude for the choice you have made for us all. Tess is blessed to have been brought into the world through you both & we are honored to be a part of your lives.

and now i am absolutely thrilled & delighted to introduce you to tess nicole armstrong-was. 7.7 pounds of pure, sweet love & joy...

tess

these were all shot bathed in the shade of the malibu sunlight. The colour of the evening sun in southern california is absolutely divine. What a place to be a photographer. It's so rich you can almost taste it. But too hot to have a new baby out in it (or a husband, it turned out). So we met it from our safe haven of the shade. Lovely...

oh, & 'they' will tell you babies don't smile at 1 week old. It's 'gas', they'll say. Bah. Don't believe a word of it. Baby tess started smiling at us just days after she was welcomed into the world & hasn't stopped since. There is pure delight in that little face. Proof below...

& a little sleepyness...

& some more smiling....

& all stretched out...

tess

some more yum...


& a little something more to smile about...

one of tess' first cultural events... an evening at Olsen's Farm as part of the Hornby Festival. All dressed up in new duds made by her cousin wrena (hat) & auntie linda (blanket) to see Chic Gamine. Great show. Lovely outfit. Gorgeous eyes. Fabulous baby... (did i mention those lips? And cheeks? And that nose?... oooo, & the fingers... & toes... & tummy... ALL completely, totally YUMMY!)

tess & us

we're awaiting the arrival of our dear friend & fabulous photographer vicki gannon in sept. to launch our first official family photo shoot. For now, here's a glimpse of us with our newest family member.

tess & frannie

tess & her big sister frannie. Sweet frannie hopped on a plane from calgary almost as soon as we made it home to come meet her new baby sister. It was love at first sight. Tess got fun new clothes & heaps of love & snuggling for a few precious days. It all goes way too quickly. We miss you, frannie! (& ps... PLEASE get your lovely butts out to the coast for good sometime soon, ok?)

tess & ryan

tess & her big brother ryan. First coffee shop visit. Deep, sweet love is found everywhere! Victoria, where ryan lives, feels a little further away now we have tess. Hopefully we'll be carving deeper grooves into the highway down island as we visit more often. We miss you, ryan!

tess & kat

kat is marc's fabulous cousin who made her home ours when we were in LA. The payback - she was the first of our family to meet & hold & be with baby tess. We're hoping that evens things out a little. Kat you are a true delight & a rare gem. Thank you for all you blessed us with.