It's been too long!

Where has the time gone? It has been too long since I've posted anything.

Let's see....Aubrey is about to turn 3 months old on the 17th! WOW...that went fast. She is still doing well. At her 2 month check up she weighed a little over 13lbs, putting her in the 90th percentile for weight! YAY! She's not as chunky as Cooper was though. I've been told that it's because she is trying to keep her "girlish" figure. She continues to add more rolls though each week...I love it! She rolled over about 3 weeks ago. Since then though she seems to have no interest in that matter. She has recently gained a dislike for the carseat (yipee for us), has been going through another growth spurt (boo for many night feedings), and likes to wake up earlier due to the time change (what can I say, we have a lot of early birds in this house!).

Cooper is now officially a 2 and a half year old. He has definitely gained a strong independent mindset. He likes to do things himself, which is fun to watch. It's neat to seem him grow in such a positive way and learn so much. He is very observant these days which I know he got from me (I'm a people watcher). School (Mothers Day Out) is going SO well for him. He loves his teachers and they love him. He comes home telling us what they learned about that day which is fun to here. He is so excited to learn new things which makes me happy....we will have an eager learner on our hands.

It's November 15th and we now have our Christmas lights up outside. Yes, I know it's early...but that's what happens when our neighbors put theirs up and Cooper fell in love with them! It was a lot of fun watching Randell and Cooper hang the lights. Now when should we put up our tree?!?! (Don't worry, we're not the first on our street to do that either. Our good friends and neighbors just put their Christmas Tree up today).

I'm doing lots of crafts these days. I am looking forward to having both kids sleeping at the same time for a good length of time so that I can get some sewing done. For now though the nights are full of sewing.

We are looking forward to the holiday season. This year will be lots of fun since Cooper is getting excited about celebrating Jesus's Birthday.

Fun Weekend

Double the Experience!

What a weekend we have had! Let me see if I can recap it in a great way.

Friday - I was able to enjoy a relaxing morning with Aubrey while Randell and Cooper went to buy a pallet of grass (we're really working on getting a functional backyard going). Aubrey slept on my chest for about 2 hours until I finally realized that I had to get ready for a dr's appointment. It is the first time since she was born that she has wanted and/or been able to sleep on my chest with no interruptions.

So we went to the hematologist for a checkup. The counts for Cooper came back the highest they have ever been...still not at the normal range, but we're making improvements! Aubrey's counts came back good as well. The doctor doesn't find any reason to be concerned, although we will continue visiting him every 3 months at this time. He's such an awesome doctor!

Saturday - Enjoyed a GARAGE SALE! Is it possible to enjoy one? Apparently it is! We had a garage sale along with 4 other moms from my moms group. It was a lot of fun despite the threat of rain all day. We made some great money and have decided that since there is still stuff left, we'll do it again next weekend! If anything it gives us a chance to be childless for a bit.

Last night (Saturday night) was the first BIG thunder storm that we've had in a long time. It woke everyone up except for Aubrey (sleeping like a baby!). Cooper got to learn about lighting, thunder, rain, wind, and who made all of it. It was a sweet hour in the wee hours of the morning. Thankfully we all went back to sleep.

Sunday (today) we finally got back to Sea World. We love Sea World. Aubrey did amazingly well. Cooper also enjoyed Sea World a lot more this time since he is older. Cooper and Randell even went on a roller coaster (the log ride). Randell said that after the first "slide" down Cooper was ready to get off. The look on Cooper's face coming down the second "slide" was priceless. I wish I could have gotten it on my camera. Next time we will get pictures.

What a great weekend...now if we can only get into a good schedule with Aubrey's sleeping...then we'd really feel like we've got it together.

Enjoying the Family

Aubrey is 4 weeks old! WOW...that has already flown by so fast. It's been my goal to cherish EVERY moment...even the cranky ones with Aubrey. She is such a great baby. We have been having some great nights of sleep lately which is nice. We're still working towards a schedule but I'm in no hurry right now. It's nice to know that one day a schedule will come just as it did with Cooper at 6 months!

Cooper continues to do very well with all of the adjustments. The one thing that has become more frequent are the "drama" that is added to a trip or small fall...or when we say it's time to go in. I can't decide if this is baby related or MDO related. Yes, he started "school" (mothers day out) last week and has done SO well with it. He's even napping for the teachers on a nap mat (my baby is all grown up). He has a lot of fun. This morning it was beautiful weather so we walked to school. I pushed him in the jogging stroller and wore (in the bjorn) Aubrey. It was a great 2 mile walk and Cooper really enjoyed it. I think it will become part of our MDO routine.

I have become very much into crafts. I have a great group of ladies that get together 2 Wednesdays a month to sit around, chat, and do crafts together. I'm starting with making magnet boards for the kids and then I'll be working on fun Christmas gifts for the kids and family.

Randell and I will be joining a running club (really just a group of friends with kids) soon. I am determined to train for the half marathon and I think I might have convinced Randell to do the same!

That's about it for now. More to come...I'm going to work on writing down all of the funny things Cooper does because I seem to forget when it comes time to blog!

Aubrey's 2 Weeks Old!

I am completely amazed that Aubrey is now 2 weeks old. It's amazing to think of what has been accomplished now in two weeks....well not a lot of cleaning, BUT I'm managing two kids on my own while Randell is at work....that's a great accomplishment.

Both Aubrey and I had our 2 weeks check ups today. Aubrey's checkup went great. She is weighing 9lbs 4 oz and grew 2 and a half inches (22.5inches long). I had been a slight bit worried that she wasn't nursing enough since she loves to sleep, but apparently what she is getting to doing GREAT work!

My checkup also went very well. I have lost close to 30 pounds in 2 weeks...WOW! Randell asked me the other day what it felt like to drop 30 pounds in just a few weeks....my answer, GREAT, I'm not pregnant anymore! :) I still can't fit into pre-pregnancy clothes, but I'm thinking once I get the go ahead to start exercising again that all the extra weight will just fall right off.

Cooper LOVES Aubrey. He gets very concerned with her when she is crying and will go tell her "It's okay Baby Sister". He also is a great helper with diaper changes and likes to "carry" her around (with our assistance).

Randell is also adjusting well. I think the hardest part for him has been having to wake up multiple times in the night when Aubrey wakes up. He is such a hard sleeper that it can sometimes take 5 minutes for him to become aware of what is going on.

Our life hasn't become totally crazy yet though, I'm still waiting for that day to come!

Aubrey’s Birth Story

38 weeks and ready to pop…that’s how I felt at least. I was SO ready to see my baby girl and was ready to have energy again to chase Cooper and play with him as usual. Since I had never really learned what real contractions felt like with Cooper’s delivery, I had no clue what I was “waiting” for to be able to make “The Call” to the midwives. I knew that I didn’t want my water to break (for many reasons, the main one being that I was GBS Positive), and so I WANTED the breath taking, stop you in your tracks, back killing contractions.

Starting on August 14th (Friday) I was laying in bed and my back hurt; not my lower back, but the middle of my back. Since it wasn’t my lower back I dismissed it for being achy and went on with the night. Sure I was having contractions, but I assumed they were Braxton Hicks contractions since I really had no pain with them at all. Any pain I had I would dismiss telling myself that this was not true labor and REAL PAIN would much worse. I woke up Saturday morning feeling fine; well I wasn’t having any more contractions….I was cranky, irritable, and swollen though. Again on Saturday night I felt contractions as I lay in bed, but nothing stuck to a pattern and they were just pains, not unbearable. I told myself that if I couldn’t sleep through them then we would call the midwife. Low and behold….I fell asleep and woke up at 7 on Sunday morning! 

Fast forward to Sunday night, 10 o’clock. I was in the shower and noticed that I couldn’t really “control” the leak. After verifying that this was not urine, I assumed that it was amniotic fluid. My plan all along had been to have my doula come to the house if my water broke without a pattern of contractions so that we could get me into labor. Well…my anxiety and curiosity got the best of me and I was full force on wanting to delivery Aubrey. I called the Midwife Office and found out that my favorite MW was on call….YAY!!! I talked with her for a bit and we both decided that I should come on in to see what was going on. We took our time, stopped and got a milk shake, some cash, and just enjoyed the midnight drive. We practically were skipping into the L&D floor, laughing, and talking as if this was a common thing in our lives.

My Midwife did a double take at me and we agreed that I was not the typical “in labor” type of Mom-To-Be coming in the doors. We got all situated and set up to see what was going on. My Midwife checked to see if my bag of waters had broken and it was determined that it had not. I was so BUMMED! I couldn’t believe that I was about to be sent home. She decided to see if I was dilated just to see if we could figure anything else out. Low and behold I was pushing 5 centimeters AND apparently what I thought was Braxton Hicks contractions were REAL contractions that apparently really bother most people….just not me!! YIPPEE….I’m admitted .

The hours started ticking by and there was not a lot of progression. We walked, did stimulation, massages, slept (since we hadn’t slept at all) and nothing was doing the trick. My contractions were still doing nothing to me except tightening up my belly. When the next Midwife came in she pretty much laid it out in black and white terms for me. No real progression for a few hours, stuck at 7 centimeters, 90% effaced, 0 station means 3 possibilities; Break the bag of waters, Pitocin (NO NO NO), or continue waiting for labor to kick in. We decided to go the route of breaking my bag of waters AFTER I had 2 hours of walking then stimulation, walking then stimulation. That finally started to kick things into gear. I had 4 or 5 contractions that I had to slow my walking down for and not talk too much.

At 2:45 pm on August 17th my Midwife broke my bag of waters. While she was explaining to me that it could take up to 2 hours for me to kick into a good pattern of contractions, I had to stop her because a MAJOR contraction was hitting me hard. I got off the bed because that was NOT helping the pain. I made it to the bathroom where I sat on the toilet while my doula got the shower ready. The shower was HEAVEN. We had planned to go walk or whatever…but that was not needed. The only thing I wanted was the shower. My contractions were in full force then. I remember even feeling Aubrey flip into the ideal birthing position while in the shower. I finally thought in my head that I COULD NOT take anymore (typical transition thought). I NEEDED meds if I was still not progressing. I knew though that there was no way I was going to get my Midwife back in 30 minutes after breaking my water just to check me….so I did what most pain struck laboring moms would do…I yelled that I felt PRESSURE and was going to push! I wasn’t sure if that was the true feeling…but it got everyone’s attention!  After checking me I was at 9 almost 10 centimeters. Again though, I couldn’t stay on the bed…so I stood by the bed waiting for the magical feeling of knowing that THIS WAS IT!

When that time finally came I was so happy. I thought to myself, “Sweet, pushing is the easiest part”. Which in all fairness it is….it’s the home stretch of your entire laboring process. ALTHOUGH….when people describe this as a “ring of fire” type feeling…they aren’t kidding. I was told to push with my contractions, which I had been nervous about before because I couldn’t imagine how you would know when to push…but I knew! So I started pushing and very quickly stopped pushing. My thoughts… “Who does this? I am putting myself through this pain!” After a very assertive “quick” pep talk from my Midwife though I knew there was no turning back. I had wanted an all natural birth and I wanted to truly “Labor” as it was intended. 4 pushes later and Aubrey Elaine Smith was born at 3:44 pm on August 17th.

Looking back I’ve been able to evaluate the entire process. Would I have an all natural childbirth again? Yes. I’ve now had both types of childbirth, one with an epidural and the other with NO MEDS at all! I’ve experience the difference in both mom and baby from both as well. Aubrey was latching and nursing like a champ from the beginning, her coloring was so healthy looking, and she was so aware. Cooper was a healthy baby when he was born also, although even the 40 minutes of an epidural that I had with him before delivering had effects on him.

I was up walking around that same day….actually only 2 hours later I was walking around, carrying Cooper, and feeling fine. In all honesty I feel so healthy and ready to get back to normal life that I KNOW that natural childbirth is the way to go.

Aubrey Elaine Smith is HERE!

A birth story will follow soon....although to tie you over until then, there are pictures up under The Smiths link.

Aubrey Elaine Smith was born on August 17th 2009 at 3:44pm. She came out weighing 8lbs 13 oz and 20 inches long. She is doing GREAT.

37 Weeks!!!!

It is officially safe to deliver...did you hear me BGS? :) I am SO ready to carry BGS in my arms rather than in my uterus. I'm so happy that she is content, big, and happy....me on the other hand....I'm just big!

I have been feeling more and more "pains" which get my hopes up, but then they go away and nothing seems to be sticking to a good rhythm yet. I've begun taking Evening Primrose Oil to possibly help get the cervix ready to deliver and I'm back in full swing of working out...at least walking as much as I can. Tomorrow begins my daily visit to the gym.

In Cooper news....I thought he was regressing with his potty training. Last week was a difficult week for pooping for Cooper. We went through 3 days of accidents in his undies which is the most we've had in the 3 weeks of potty training. I think it upset him more than it did me. In fact, I wasn't really upset, I was just tired of running him up and down the stairs to the potty so that he could try and go (our two story house has NO bathroom downstairs....a mistake we won't make in our next house!). I found the root of the problem....and solved it with plenty of fruit and juice. It's nice to know that it wasn't regression per say as much as pure constipation.

In fact, Cooper pretend played the CUTEST thing ever this evening. After dinner he went to play with the garden owl which had been brought inside (long story). He took the owl to the place where Cooper's little potty normally is, sat him down, and instructed him to "make the water move" (go pee-pee). He then rolled the "door" (my yoga ball) in front of the owl and waited for the owl to be done. At the time that the owl had made the water move, Cooper flushed the pretend toilet. We were amazed....

THEN after playing a little with other toys, Cooper went and got his baby doll (another long story) and said that she needed to go "poo-poo". He took her to the same spot that the owl had sat previously, put the "door" in front of her and instructed her "5 minutes baby" (we tell Cooper to sit for 5 minutes if he has said he needed to go but won't once we get to the toilet) and then said "go poo-poo"! This went on for about 10 minutes because Randell and I were laughing SO hard!

I am amazed at everything that he is processing and understanding these days. It is a little scary to hear my words coming out of his mouth though.

We're praying BGS gets here before next Friday (the 14th)....pray with us PLEASE!

All - Most - There!

Most days lately I am irritable, moody, and swollen. Today I get to add having an achy back to the list and a headache! My patience has begun to run REALLY thin too. But in all, I'm so happy that I'm still pregnant! :) The goal date is August 7th. I will be 37 weeks then and can deliver a healthy baby without the big fear of the nurses rushing her off to the NICU. I'm also trying to enjoy the pregnancy as much as I can right now since this could be the last time I'm ever pregnant. I'm also working REALLY hard on loving on Cooper in his moments of craziness as I know he can sense changes coming.

We went to the Midwife on Monday and here is the update. We got a bonus ultra sound which shows that the baby is weighing 7lbs 1 oz. Obviously there is a margin of error with those measurements, but if they are close to exact then this could mean that I'll be delivering a big baby! The midwife also measured my belly and said (sadly) to me that I'm already measuring close to 39-40 weeks....I was only 36 weeks at the appointment! I'm finally getting my first stretch marks too on my belly....one more reason why I'd love to go ahead and deliver soon!

We meet with the doula tomorrow. I think beginning tomorrow we'll begin a lot of natural induction methods to help stimulate labor, if my body is ready for labor that is. If not, then we'll be sitting back and waiting!

New Things Everywhere!

To start off I'm 35 weeks now, well almost 36 weeks! YIPPEE!!! So many people keep telling me I will probably have this baby soon because she's so, SO low, but we all know it's always up to the baby! Nothing too new with news concerning the baby...her room is ready, we even moved the crib into her room! Now we are finalizing our bag packing and trying to have everything ready for THE moment.



In Cooper news...he is now in a big boy bed and wearing underwear. That's right, no crib or diapers for our little guy. Nana come down from Fr. Worth last week and helped with both transitions. Cooper even pooped in the potty for me twice yesterday AT someone else's house; he's such a big boy now.



Even though we have rails up on his big boy bed, he managed to fall out of it the other night. It scared him and us, although he seemed fine afterwards. Well, apparently when he fell he must have injured his kidney because today he started having blood in his urine. We go tomorrow to get an abdominal ultrasound. Truthfully, this is almost an answer to prayers in that Cooper's urologist had scheduled another VCUG (yearly check) for the 26th of Aug (2 days before my due date). I was already going to have to reschedule it, but also just didn't want to do a VCUG since Cooper hasn't had another kidney infection. His hematologist had suggested getting an abdominal ultrasound instead of the VCUG. Of course we went straight to the hematologist today and he scheduled the ultrasound, so now I can cancel the VCUG and will only need to reschedule one IF anything comes back showing the need for it! Praise God!

That's about it for us for now...I'm tired most all of the time and I can't decide if it's due to the pregnancy, the heat, or both! I am ready for the fall weather!

Fire Station!

As most of you know, I help organize a GREAT Stay At Home Mom's Group on the NW side of San Antonio. We have so much fun keeping the kids active and keeping our sanity (if that is possible).

Anyhow, I was able to schedule a tour with a local fire station today for the kiddos. It was a lot of fun and educational for the adults. I didn't know there was so much to know about how it all works.

The kids were mainly interested in the Fire Truck though of course. Although once they had the chance to go into the truck and explore, most of the kiddos froze. But we still got some great photos. Cooper had a blast and LOVED the fire truck from afar. He is a brave 2 year old though and sat in the truck and shook the hand of a "Real Fire Man" that was dressed for a fire (mask and all).

It has begun!

Sleepless nights, multiple trips to the bathroom, grunting when standing up after sitting on the floor....it has all begun!

I don't remember feeling so many aches and pains at this point with Cooper's pregnancy. My only reasoning for this is that it's because BGS is SO low! My waddle has already begun as well; please BGS arrive sooner than Aug 28th!

I'm getting serious this weekend about getting BGS's nursery ready....I've been a HUGE procrastinator with that this time around. At this point in Cooper's pregnancy the nursery was complete, the baby shower had happened, and we were packing our bags. I feel a lot more scatter-brained these days when it comes to getting these things lined up!

32 weeks...the countdown begins!

I'm 32 weeks along, BGS is measuring 34 which tells me that she's still growing very healthy and at a steady pace! I've gained a total of 35 pounds so far....eek! I'm determined to make it to 50 pounds I guess! :)

I haven't swelled up like I thought I would be yet. As much as I think I will swell by the time 36 weeks comes around, I'm trying to also think positive and keep drinking a TON of water to hopefully keep all swelling down! My blood pressure is great as well; hopefully that is a great sign that I won't have similar complications with this birth.

I have had some very reassuring conversations with a few of my friends who used the same Midwife group that I am using. While there is one MW that we would LOVE to have, all three are obviously great. There is one MW though that scares me a little because she can sometimes think more like an OB when at an appointment. I have heard from my friends though that she is GREAT in the delivery room. I will be happy with any of the three MW's that is there with me through L&D.

We have now come across a stump in the road. The other day I was looking up the meaning of the name for BGS and came across another name that I like. The new name still begins with the same letter and has the same number of letters in the name. I've learned that Randell is not much help on this one either! While I want input from family and friends, I don't want anyone to know the name! UGH! Also, Cooper already knows the baby's name from what we have been calling her. Decisions, decisions....

Cooper is still doing great with everything. We have had a lot more play and Cooper time lately. Today he played ALL day (minus nap) at an indoor play room. It is GREAT! We made it almost the entire day without any injury. Then he was going down the slide on one of the bouncers and decided it would be fun to ride down on the edge of the slide. Needless to say he met the floor face first! He has a swollen lip that is slowly bruising. It was a pretty nasty fall. My daredevil child though went right back after eating a popsicle to prove that he could slide down the slide with no injuries. Boys will be boys!

30 Weeks.....eek!

Today I had my 30 week appointment with the midwife. It was a great appointment as usual. I'm doing fine and so is the baby, which is always a great thing to hear.

I am 3 pounds shy of my ending weight with Cooper...Lord help us all! ALTHOUGH...Baby Girl is also measuring at 32 (equivalent to 32 weeks), not just 30! The midwife's prediction is that she will be bigger than Cooper was. That makes since though, this labor and delivery I want no medications, so it just fits that I have a bigger baby! :)

She is already head down....way way down. The midwife doesn't see much possibility of her turning into a breech position which is great news. Who knows, maybe since she's so low she will come at about 38 weeks and not 42 weeks!

We went and visited my family in Ft. Worth this past week. There are some great pictures posted (click on The Smiths under that Photo section). I realized on our way home that I should not be in a car anymore for long periods of time....my back hurt, I was have BH contractions and was worn out! So, from now until the baby gets here we are not going to be traveling.

Cooper's doing great. He had lots of fun with his cousins and is still talking about them. Today is actually the first day of him sleeping in his Big Boy Bed for nap time! He did very well with going down easily and such.

27 Weeks

WOW! I am so amazed at how fast this pregnancy has gone. I know once I get to the last 4 weeks it will seem as if it is dragging, but it's amazing that I'm already 27 weeks along.

We have decided to go with a Doula for this birth. We had thought of taking a Bradley Method Course and then being on our own with our midwife during the L&D. After talking with the midwife, she recommended that the course wouldn't be as beneficial to us as a doula would be. We interviewed a few of the doulas in the area and found a GREAT doula. She is a wonderful Godly woman who believes in allowing the female body to do what it needs to do to birth a baby. She is also not going to yell at me if I end up insisting on an epidural, ALTHOUGH she knows how strongly we feel against any meds during L&D and is prepared to get me through it. We meet with her again next week.

We're also going to take a few cool courses from a Maternity store in town that are offered for free. Those should be fun and interesting. Other than that, the baby continues to be low, she lays, sits, kicks on my bladder 24/7. I really feel that effect of going to the bathroom and then not even 10 minutes later questioning if I went to the bathroom recently because I just HAVE to go again.

Cooper's doing great as usual. He's talking up a storm. We went for his two yr appointment yesterday and the doctor was HIGHLY impressed at his communication and behavior (of course he didn't have a tantrum there!) Although she was impressed with how well he handled her poking and checking him all over. He didn't cry and was actually more curious about the instruments she was using.

Little things that he is doing that amazes me:

*when we drive by his MDO, he says "School Mommy, School" as if to tell me that we need to go to school b/c we haven't been in a while!
*he said "I Love You" today to me without any prompting...it was so sweet
*he gets on to the dogs for me all the time, especially when they are barking!
*this last weekend we had some friends over and their family. They have a 5 month old baby and Cooper did amazing with him. He would put a blanket on him and even insisted the he take his paci, even when the baby spit it right back out.

We go to see the midwife tomorrow. I think this month I have gained the MOST weight! EEK!

25 Weeks

We're at week 25! Well...I guess to date we're at 26 weeks, but who's counting. :) I saw the midwife last week and everything looks great. The belly is measuring just fine, I think I gained a pound or two, and I'm already swelling! YIPPEE!!! It's going to be a long summer with sausage toes.

Other than keeping up my hydration and attempting to loose my craving for chocolate and chips (my two BIGGEST cravings), everything is going great.

Two on Tuesday

1 Year Ago Today…..

We were celebrating your 1^st Birthday. It seems like yesterday that we were decorating the house with balloons, streamers, and happiness in preparation to celebrate YOU! Family and friends joined us in celebrating your 1^st year of life. It is such a great memory.

Over the past year we have cried, laughed, and screamed (or at least wanted to) as you’ve grown into a TODDLER! It’s almost funny to think that there were times we felt like we wouldn’t even survive the first year….and then, along came the second year.

In August we cried for and with you at times during one of the worst months of our lives. Not knowing the unknown, we trusted the doctors who were caring for you. With flying colors, you have overcome so much. It’s a reminder to us every day of the blessing that we have; a healthy, happy boy who isn’t sick like the medical books say he should be. It’s been nine months since those scary moments, and you still prove how strong you are every time we visit the specialist. You have taught Daddy and me so much about strength and courage even when having to have your finger pricked every two weeks.

You go to school now!!! It’s amazing. The little “Mama’s Boy” that I had created (secretly happy that you are a Mama’s Boy) walked right into the room at school and was ready to play and learn with new friends. You have grown so much since going to Mother’s Day Out. You play WITH your friends, not just next to them. You are a talking machine. Your smile melts the hearts of your teachers and even the other teachers at MDO. You are a true blessing.

At 18 months, we (yes, both you and me) decided it was time to quit nursing. I cried the first night, you cried the second, but by the third night it was as if it had never happened. I am so thankful that we had 18 months to share a great bond that will now last a lifetime.

You run, jump, and climb all the time. You dance like a rock star. You make us laugh, you make us worry. We are blessed to have not had an ER visit resulting from a fall, broken bone, etc. You are a daredevil. You try something and even if you fall and get hurt, the boy in you rushes you back to what you were doing to try again.

Within the next few months I’m convinced that you’ll be potty trained, talking in full sentences, and teaching your baby sister all about life. That’s right, in 3 months you’ll have the pleasure (or pain) of hearing a baby cry at all times of the night. She’ll be cute, cuddly, and lots of fun. You’re going to be a GREAT Big Brother.

You continue to teach us new things everyday. You remind us of the “little joys” in life that help us sit back and give thanks for what we have. You test the boundaries and learn lessons yourself. We are greeted with your morning smile and hug. You give the BEST hugs and kisses.

It’s amazing how fast 2 years can go by. We look forward to many more years of laughing, crying, and screaming with you!

So here’s to you, Cooper James Smith…Happy 2^nd Birthday (May 12, 2009)

Today is....

Today Is The Very First Day of the Rest of My Life....

This is the beginning of a new day.
I have been given this day to use as I WILL.
I can waste it....or use it for good, but what I do today is important,
because I am exchanging a day of my life for it!
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place
something that I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain, and not loss; good and not evil; success, and not
failure; in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for it.
I will try just for today for you never fail until you stop trying.

23 Weeks

23 weeks in and baby girl is STILL super low. I thought I felt her kick my ribs about a week ago and actually got excited that there was a possibility of her moving up a little. I don't believe that has happened though. Not too much has changed. I have gained a few more pounds and now can't seem to fill myself up with food...I'm always hungry!

We go back to see the Midwife on the 13th.

Cooper's doing great. He can now say that he's two while throwing what looks like gang signs to show his "two" fingers. He also knows the baby's name, but don't think you can get it out of him. The few people who have tried already only got a sly smile from him as if to say "I'm not supposed to tell you!"

We are gearing up for Cooper's 2nd birthday....I'm sure we'll be amazed and surprised with all of the new things we get to learn, do, and enjoy.

21 weeks

21 weeks down, 19 to go...hopefully! I've been feeling pretty good. I began running again. I am now doing about a mile 3 times a week along with some strength training, and my yoga/pilates/tai chi classes. I feel GREAT physically.

The baby is really low....meaning really pressing on my bladder. If I remember correctly, I carried Cooper pretty high for the majority of the pregnancy. Oh the differences.

Cooper is doing great. He's almost 2! I think we are on the edge of getting 2 yr molars which I'm not too thrilled about. I'm actually dreading the molars, although I will be happy if they can come in before the baby arrives. He is learning his colors and knows almost ALL of his animal sounds. It's great to watch him put together his puzzles so quickly and know that he continues to learn.

We've entered into some tantrums and fits. He really is my strong willed child. We are trying to have an open mind and really keep learning as we go and not become TOO frustrated....oh it is hard though!

Sonogram @ Week 20!

We're 20 weeks along with Smith Baby #2 and man am I showing! It's very true that you show faster with baby #2 than you do with your first kiddo.

After debating over the subject of finding out the sex of the baby or not, we decided it would be best to find out. ALTHOUGH, the one thing we wanted was for it to memorable, and it was. Since we actually knew the person doing the ultra sound (Randell's Mom), we were able to enjoy the experience very much. We are 90% sure that Smith Baby #2 is a GIRL!!! We are glad we found out so that I can buy all the pink things in the world.

The baby is moving a lot these days. Sleep is interrupted frequently with trips to the bathroom. Cooper loves giving the baby kisses and saying "I Love You", which is the sweetest thing in the world.

A Quick Update

A quick update from the Smith Household:

I am 14 and a half weeks along. I still can't do that well with food yet. It's not that I'm throwing it up, but nothing sounds good, looks good, or tastes good to me. I keep trying to push food down me but I don't think I'm doing a great job of it. I have to date gained 3-4 pounds after loosing 9 in the beginning. I'm sure my Midwife will not be too thrilled, but again I CAN'T eat!

Cooper's growing, talking, and becoming much more of a fun toddler. He is able to communicate almost all of the time. The potty training is going really well. We have a potty chart that has stickers ALL over it these days. He's still in diapers, but I have a strong feeling that come this summer we'll be done with diapers for a month or so!

We have gone back to the specialist concerning his WBC and unfortunately found out that the count has plummeted right back down. Cooper's still healthy, so we are continuing our bi-monthly trip to the specialist for a finger prick.

Randell still has a job! YEAH!!! His company went through another round of layoffs about a month ago. Please keep him and his company in your prayers. It's a wonderful blessing that he works for such an amazing company and we'd really like to keep it that way.

We've posted new pictures to the site. Go and check them out!

9 weeks - 31 to go!

I am getting into my ninth week of this pregnancy and have already had my ups and downs. Mood swings have happened, but I'm sure not to the intensity as they will within the next 31 weeks!

I don't seem to have "morning sickness", instead it's an "all afternoon into evening" sickness! If I can be in bed by 8, then I'm normally doing great. Eating dinner is hit or miss. I'm actually going to attempt cooking meat tonight to see how well I can take it! Randell has been GREAT with cooking and cleaning in the evenings.

I have not gained weight. Instead I think because of my lack of appetite throughout the day, I've now lost about 8 pounds. I'm not too sure how my Midwife will react to that next week, but I can probably safely assure her that I will gain all of it back PLUS another 40lbs most likely!

On a "funny/sad" note....the other day I had a mom from MDO come up to me and say "Oh how cute, you're already showing!" I wanted to punch her! I wanted to say "I'm only 8 weeks along! This is just Cooper weight that's never gone away." Instead I smiled and said thanks, even though I was brewing inside. As if she didn't remember with her kids, a baby at 9 weeks is the size of a lima bean! Moms that have gained enough weight to show by then need to be put on a diet! I know that I'm not showing and if others think that my skinny self is showing, well then so be it!

I go see the Midwife next Wed. I'm very excited. We'll get to hear the heartbeat for the first time.

On a different positive note. We took Cooper to his regular appointment with the hematologist a few weeks ago to see where his WBC counts were at. The counts came back at a 2.1 (normal range is 2-7.8). This is the FIRST time we've had a count this high since we found out about his neutropeania. We'll be going back to the doctor for yet another test on Feb 2nd. We're staying positive that his counts will continue to increase and that it wasn't just an illness!

Our Growing Family

I've decided that I want to track this pregnancy a little closer than I did with Cooper. Since I'm home and have the time (thank GOD for naps!), I figure I can focus a little more on spreading the exciting and not so exciting news of my pregnancy.

We went to visit the Midwife last Monday. With Cooper we used a regular OBGYN Doc. He was great, we loved going to his visits and talking with him. We felt really comfortable about the pregnancy and labor(all natural). Although, when the time came for me to be in labor and deliver, my doctor was out of town! So, of course, we were stuck with a doctor, who was great, but still not MY doctor. A lot of things happened during Cooper's labor that I think would have been handled differently if my doctor would have been there.

SO, we have chosen a midwife, same group practice, but a midwife. She is awesome. A little side note about her is that when we went to our first appt with Cooper's pregnancy, she was the one to check on me and did the first heart beat. When we saw and heard it, she called Cooper a "Bump of Stuff." To this day, that's why we call Cooper "Boss"!

Obviously we're not too far along in this game yet. I get to go back and visit with the midwife in Jan. I'm so excited. A great positive thing also is that their office is VERY inviting to children. They encourage that the siblings come to all appts, no matter how active they are, so they can feel apart of the process as well.

So, to this date we are about 6 weeks or so along, I haven't really gained any weight yet (thank the Lord!), but I already feel "fat" in some regular clothes. It's amazing with Cooper's pregnancy I was excited at the first point of me "showing" even when I really wasn't. Now, I'm trying to prolong me having to wear maternity clothes. We'll see how long I can make it.

I have stopped on the half-marathon training for now, for the main reasons that I don't want to do anything to harm this pregnancy. I am still very strong in my yoga/pilates and regular weight lifting and cardio training. I plan to get right back into training for the half-marathon once the babies born. I'll have a few months to train before the Rock N Roll marathon.

The hangover-type sickness is here and doesn't look to be leaving anytime soon. I wish it would and I think Randell wishes it would too. We've eaten out the last two days mainly because cooking and our "healthy" food doesn't sound good to me AT ALL!!! I'm craving sour limes and cheese enchaladas already.

And now for a nap!