Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Merry Christmas 2010!

(Above: Our silly picture with Santa. Got the kids all dressed up and Emmi all excited to see Santa, only to get there and have them tell us their computer system crashed so we would have to take pics with our own camera. Par for the course these days! We had a window of about 3 seconds before Bryce started bursting into tears so this is the most decent photo we got. Emmi is making a weird face and Bryce looks like he's terrified...classic Santa pic!)

Last year at this time we had one crawling baby girl. This year, a walking, talking almost-2-year-old and a 5-month old. Emilie is our little smarty pants. She can sing her ABC's, count to 10, and say anything a 5-year old can say. "Mommy, I'm making guacamole," she says as she contentedly works in her play kitchen that grandma and grandpa bought her as an early Christmas present. Excuse me, are you not even two yet, and saying words (with all the correct sound pronunciation, I must say) like guacamole in a full sentence?? At home she never stops talking. Around others, she is very quiet and reserved...much like her mommy in that way. Of course, since she is almost 2, she does have that "terrible two" streak in her. Like when I ask her to do something and she says, "I busy right now mommy." Or when she points her little finger at me and sternly says, "I NOT going to time-out!!" But what fun would it be if she was ALWAYS so sweet and loving?? ;) Emmi is very excited about Santa this year. Oh, and also the Grinch. "I love the Grinch mommy," she says, and in the same thought she tells me, "Santa is coming to town!" It just makes my heart melt every time.

Bryce is also coming out of his "baby shell" a little more each week. He is our future offensive lineman, weighing in at 18 pounds, 8 ounces, only 6 pounds less than his sister. Although with those huge hands, mommy still thinks he might have a shot at quarterback. But for now, he loves to sit in his bumbo and watch his sister play, loves to stand up (with mommy's help of course), and loves to sit on the couch and watch the game (whether it be football or basketball) with daddy. As long as his tummy is full and he's not being confined to his carseat (which he hates with a vengeance), he is a happy little boy. And with that smile, those dimples, big brown eyes, and long eyelashes, I am sure I will have to chase the girls away. It's hard to believe that next Christmas he will also be running around and talking up a storm!

Just a little over 2 years ago, I didn't have either of these 2 beautiful kids in my life which is difficult to even imagine now. I wanted kids more than anything else in the world, but I didn't realize the degree of absolute, pure joy they would bring me every single day. Emmi likes to say to us, "I love you THIS much" (with arms outstretched as far as she can reach). Little does she know, that doesn't even begin to describe how much she is loved back.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

What a difference a year makes!



Ahhh, fall...my favorite time of year! Hard to believe that last year at this time we were a family of 3 and Emilie wasn't even walking yet! What a difference a year makes!
Here is my Top 10 List of the differences from then to now:
Difference #1: Life is busier and crazier than ever
Difference #2: As you can see, it's much harder these days to capture a family photo
Difference #3: Dustin and I have to "tag team" getting ready in the morning. It goes something like this...Dustin feeds Bryce while I get ready, I get Emilie up while Dustin gets Bryce dressed, I get Emilie dressed while Dustin feeds Bryce again, Dustin gets the kids in the car while I carry the diaper bag, my pump, Bryce's milk, and my purse to the car, and Dustin gets ready while I take the kids to daycare.
Difference #4: Speaking of daycare, $1400/month vs. $700/month
Difference #5: I used to rush after work to go pick up Emilie as soon as I could. Now the only time I have to get anything done is between work and picking up the kids...so let's just say, Carol has the kids until at least 5:00 on most days
Difference #6: Any simple task, such as going to the grocery store or going to the post office, takes major planning on my part...I have to pretty much plan my whole week around it
Difference #7: The word "multi-tasking" has taken on a whole new meaning
Difference #8: Little baby boys are way more high maintenance than little baby girls
Difference #9: There is nothing more fufilling than watching your baby girl run over to her baby brother, give him a kiss, look up at me and say, "I love him" ...and watching him stare back up at her with "googly eyes" and a huge smile (with dimples of course!)
Difference #10: Twice the fun, twice the laughs, twice the love, twice the blessings

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Month #1 as a Mommy of Two!


Well, I made it through my first month...and the past 2 weeks of being on my own at home everyday with an 18 month old and a newborn! The past couple weeks have just been trying to settle into a routine. And my #1 goal has been acoomplished: To get BOTH kids napping at the same time!! Woohoo!! The other thing that helps the situation tremendously, is to get out of the house at least once a day. Whether it be, going on a walk, making a trip to Target, meeting daddy for lunch, or going up to Papa's ranch for a swim in the pool. Even if it does take us 45 minutes to get out the door!

BRYCE: Our precious baby boy has turned into an eating machine. He is "hooked up" to mommy pretty much 90% of his waking hours. This makes it difficult to get anything accomplished such as showering, getting dressed for the day, eating lunch, or tending to Emilie. But somehow I seem to pull these things off eventually...however they are sometimes accomplished while Bryce screams his head off in the background. He is sleeping a lot better at night, ever since Dustin and I figured out that he needs to be swaddled so he doesn't startle himself awake. On a good night, he will sleep 3-4 hour stretches. On a bad night, he is awake every 2 hours. Thankfully, the good nights are out-weighing the bad nights at this point. And let me tell you, this boy is wiggles and moves more than any baby I've ever seen. It's difficult to even hold him sometimes because he's moving around so much...bobbing his head, kicking/pushing with his feet, and flailing his arms around. If this kid isn't an athlete, I will be surprised! He's a strong little guy already! He is so much different than Emilie was, who would just lay on us and chill out for hours. However, she would "chill out" so much that she wouldn't eat, which posed a big problem for nursing. At least Bryce is a good eater! My favorite part about Bryce so far is when he is actually content with a full tummy and wide awake. He intently looks up at me like he is listening to every word I say to him. I love that sweet face of his!

EMILIE: Big sis, Emmi is doing better than expected in getting used to having a little bro around. She gets so excited to see him and says "Bryc-ee", runs over and kisses and touches his face. It's the cutest thing ever. She does have her moments where she wants all my attention and tries to climb on me while I'm feeding Bryce. She has also said a couple times, "Bryce down," in wanting me to put him down. Emilie's language continues to grow amazingly. She is using 2,3, and 4-word phrases! "Oops, I drop it; Miss you daddy; Love you mommy; Silly daddy!; Funny mommy; Mommy do it; Bless you Bryce!; I want a (apple) juice; it's a airplane; where daddy go?" Just a few examples...that's the speech therapist in me! She has grown to love the following: shoes, horses, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Dora. She spends probably 75% of her day trying on and taking off her shoes...and everyone else's! My mom says I used to do the same thing when I was her age...funny. She also had her first horse ride with her Papa on his new horse, Tabby. Typically Emmi is very timid and leery of new things and takes awhile to warm up to them. Not the case with Tabby. Nana asked if she wanted to ride the horse and she said, "Yeah," told Nana to "open" the gate...and climbed right on the horse with Papa. I couldn't believe it. I think we have a cowgirl in the making...a cowgirl who is obsessed with shoes! ;)

Emmi goes back to daycare on September 1st and I go back to work on October 1st. Hopefully I get a little better at this "mommy of two" by then! ;)

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Bryce Robert Smith


Bryce Robert Smith, was born by C-section on Monday, July 12th at 3:09 pm.
He was 8 pounds, 3 ounces and 21.25 inches long.

We are all glad to be home together! Bryce is doing great, mommy is recovering slowly but surely, daddy is loving his bonding time with his new son, and Emilie adores her baby brother. Bryce is a wonderful, content little baby. He is a very good little eater but sleeps very well in between his feedings. And he absolutely loves to be held. He has such a sweet little face and a big dimple in his left cheek, which I love! It was the first thing I noticed when the doctor pulled him up and showed me his face for the first time.

Of course not everything is bliss as a parent of a newborn. I am having a hard time not being able to really be Emmi's mommy like I'm used to. I can't even pick her up because of the surgery. Consequently she has become very clingy to her daddy and doesn't like him to be out of her sight. That's just her way of dealing with all the changes affecting her little life the past week. At 18 months old, she is still a baby herself and needs constant attention.
We have been blessed these first couple of weeks to have help first from Nana and Papa (Dustin's parents) and this week from Grandma and Grandpa (my parents). It has been wonderful getting dinners cooked for us and to have help with daily chores and with Emilie. We are so spoiled!!

All in all, even with the exhaustion from getting used to the midnight feedings again and from adjusting to having another child to take care of, I feel overwhelmingly content. I look at Dustin holding Bryce, and Emmi sitting next to us on the couch, and I feel so complete. We are our own little family and it feels so amazing!!

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

On the Countdown...


Yes, I'm on the final countdown...12 days from today we are scheduled to meet our baby boy!! My C-section is scheduled for July 12th, his daddy's birthday! It makes me a little nervous because my doctor is going to be out of town the entire week before, so I'm hoping this little guy holds out until then. Before I go on, just a short update on his big sister...our Emmi.

Emilie continues to amaze us everyday. I can't believe at 17 months old, how smart she is! She's like a little mini person running around and talking non-stop. Of course her mommy speech therapist has been writing down all her words, a list that grows longer everyday. We are up to almost 100 words and about 15-20 two-word phrases. Some of which include, "love you, bless you (yes, in response to a sneeze), clean up, all done, good girl, (ex)cuse me, No Tessa, and her personal favorite...."NO MINE!" We've been working on eliminating that last one ;) Emilie loves to dance (especially the "booty dance"), sing, and have books read to her. And as a result of her ornery moments, she has also learned to put herself into time out...until mommy and daddy ask her if she's ready to be a good girl and she says her favorite response, "yeah," and comes over and gives us "loves." She talks non-stop and the sound of her sweet little voice just melts my heart every time I hear it. Of course, she does give mommy and daddy a run for their money at times as well. But from what I hear, that's part of being parents ;)

Back to "baby brubber"...the nursery is ready to go, my hospital bags are packed, and he already has a closet-full of clothes, thanks to lots of hand-me-downs, and presents from friends and family. We even have the car seats and double stroller ready to go in the car!! Those are the ways in which we are prepared. But with that, there is a lot we cannot really prepare for. First of all, it's still totally surreal that we will have a newborn in the house in less than 2 weeks. I see my sister with her 2 week old baby boy and I think, am I really gonna have one of those??? Of course, I'm little anxious about the surgery and going through the recovery again. I'm also curious to see how Emilie is going to handle this huge change in her little life. And I'm wondering what the heck our life is going to really be like with 2 kids under the age of 2!! But the truth is, all that is out of my hands right now. So although I'm a little nervous about the unknowns, the overwhelming feeling I have is excitement. I just can't wait to meet him. I can't wait to see Emilie give him kisses. I can't wait to see his daddy hold him. And most of all, I can't wait to hear another sweet little voice someday call me mommy.

And I bet you all can't wait to hear his name! Ha! Stay tuned....12 more days!


Thursday, April 15, 2010

All things are possible...


After 1 year of Emilie posts, it's time to introduce the new addition to my "road to a miracle" story...our son!! Wow, that sounds surreal to say and to see on the screen! And so the story goes...as you all now know, we are expecting a baby boy in July. We have never gotten pregnant on our own so we thought, why use birth control? If it happens, it happens. Well, it happened! We were surprised right around Thanksgiving time with a positive home pregnancy test. Had to do several double takes and even look at the instructions a hundred times to make sure I was reading the results correctly. Was this really happening? But it's impossible! Well, after 3 more ultrasounds, it is finally starting to sink in. We are having another baby! I've grown up in church and I've heard this Bible verse a million times. But never has it proven more true in my life than now:


Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible." Matthew 19:26


God has blessed us with the most beautiful gift in the world, our daughter Emilie. Didn't think anything could top that. Didn't even need anything to top that. But God had more in His plan for us than we had even hoped for. He has also given us a son. Yes, I truly believe that with God, all things are possible.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

I'm One!


Emilie turned one on Friday, January 22, 2010. We celebrated her birthday on Saturday, the 23rd by having a birthday party at our house with family and a few friends. She had an absolute blast! After a few minor setbacks, our Dora bounce house finally arrived and the party went off successfully. The kids bounced until their hearts content and Emmi basked in the glory of being surrounded by those she loves. The theme was ladybug, of course, and after having a week straight of storms and rain, the day was cool, but sunny and beautiful! Emilie's favorite part, of course, was the cake. She started out very lady-like by dipping her finger in the frosting. But by the end, she was just picking up the entire cake and shoving it in her face. And for about an hour afterwards, she just kept saying, "yum yum yum" over and over again. It was adorable!

Now, to bring this whole 1st birthday party thing full circle from where this whole blog started, I'm going to put it in the perspective from two parents that have been down the "road of infertility." Dustin and I have been to what seems like 100 first birthday parties for many precious little ones. There was a point in our lives where we questioned whether or not we'd ever be able to attend one for our own child. At that point, it made it difficult to attend many of those birthday parties. Not that we weren't happy for those who were able to celebrate, but it really served as a reminder of what we didn't have. For all those who have been through the infertility struggle, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Well, throughout all the fun on Emilie's birthday there wasn't a moment when these thoughts were not in the back of our minds. As Emilie sat there staring in awe at everybody surrounding her singing the "Happy Birthday Song," Dustin and I looked over at each other. In that look just between the two of us, we knew all the heartache we had gone through did not compare to the joy we felt in that moment. To realize what we had been through and how blessed we were to have that moment, was really indescribable.

Thank you Emmi for being who you are to your mommy and daddy. You will never know how special you are to us. It's hard to describe, but one of my favorite Martina McBride songs does a pretty good job. It's called, "I just call you mine" (playing now from my playlist). Everytime I hear it, it reminds me of my Emmi. Here are the lyrics to the first verse and chorus:

I pinch myself sometimes to make sure I'm not in a dream

That's how it seems

I close my eyes and breathe in the sweetest moments I've ever known

It feels like home

And here I am I want to be your everything

There you are

Turning winter into spring


And everyone who sees you

Always wants to know you

And everyone who knows you

Always has a smile

You're a standing ovation after years of waiting

For a chance to finally shine

Everyone calls you amazing

Yeah

I just call you mine

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Almost-1st Birthday


Only 2 1/2 weeks away from Emilie's 1st birthday! I can't believe it's been a whole year since I held that tiny baby in my arms! There are times where I miss that, but at the same time, I love who she is now. It's amazing how quickly she picks up on things. She absolutely loves to imitate sounds, noises, and even some words. Her favorite thing to do right now is "roar" like a tiger..."rarrrrr!!" It's the cutest thing ever. She is also such a loving little girl. She gives kisses and hugs like crazy. She waves "hi" and "bye bye" without hesitation. In fact as soon as I pick her up at daycare in the afternoon, she starts waving goodbye to Carol. Her word repertoire consists of: "mama, dada, Tessa, uh-oh, and up." She is also quite the music enthusiast. Anytime she hears any type of music, whether it be on a TV commercial, a song on the radio, or music coming from one of her favorite toys...she starts to dance and clap her hands. I think it's all those dancing shows mommy watches ;) Whatever it is she does, Dustin and I just stand in awe at the fact that she is ours. Happy almost-1st birthday Emmi Rae!