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!!

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!

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.

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

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!

Every little moment...

Our baby girl is now 9 months old. Amazing, or what? We found out at her well visit on Thursday that she now weighs in at 19 pounds, 3 ounces and is 28 1/2 inches tall. So in three months she has grown about 2 1/2 pounds and about 2 1/2 inches. We have had many "firsts" the past 3 months. Emilie's first camping trip in a tent, her first Halloween, and her first Bulldog football game and tailgate. We also have hit some big milestones, most importantly the one that has made mommy and daddy's job a lot tougher overnight...Emmi is mobile! Yes, she is crawling and crawling fast. It's amazing how a little baby can get from point A to point B in a matter of milli-seconds. And usually point B involves something she's not supposed to have. She'll crawl right through a pile of toys just so she can get to something FAR more interesting to her such as the blinds, Tessa's bone, magazines on the coffee table, the entertainment center, or a tiny white cord buried under the carpet along the edge of the wall. Nope, we are never bored around here anymore! :)

Emilie is now eating all kinds of veggies and fruits that mommy makes for her. She has tried zucchini, carrots, yams, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, apples, and pears. Most recently she has fallen in love with chicken and bananas. She is starting to learn how to pick up little pieces and feed herself. She has even appeased mommy by mimicking the sign for "more." She also says "mama" and "dada" a lot, but not always in context. And she melted mommy's heart today when she moved her head towards mine, puckered up her lips, and kissed me...3 times! Does it get any better than that??

Emilie's first birthday is approaching quickly. With all the holiday activities coming up I know it will be here before we know it. It seems like yesterday I was walking around at Christmas with my big 'ol pregnant belly and it was hard to imagine her being here with us. Now I'm watching her crawl across my living room. Sometimes I wish I could just freeze frame time. But I know time isn't gonna stop for me... so I just enjoy every little moment :)

My Big Girl

Yes, it's true what I have been told a million times by every parent I know...it goes by so fast!! My baby girl will be 8 months old tomorrow! She is continuing to grow and change every day. She is just on the verge of crawling. She gets up on her knees and rocks back and forth, however she has decided to take after her daddy in moving backwards from there! Yes, Emilie has inherited the infamous "backward crawl." We think it's funny but she gets frustrated because she gets further and further away from the thing she's chasing! She also loves to imitate sounds, sing to music, and pull Tessa's hair (poor Tess). She has learned to clap her hands and wave bye bye. She has started eating veggies (made by mommy) twice a day. Her favorites so far are yams and butternut squash. And lucky for us, she is a great sleeper! Goes to bed without a fuss between 8-9 and wakes up between 6-6:30.

Over the past couple of months Emilie has had her first trip to the ocean, her first time camping in a tent (with bears and all), and her first Bulldog football game. Unfortunately, mommy had to take her home before kickoff, thanks to the ridiculous Fresno heat in the middle of September. We also had the priveledge of dedicating Emilie to the Lord, at our church this past month.

Emilie just makes everything in our lives better. She brings joy to every day...every situation. No matter how tough, hectic, or stressful things get in our lives, it's all forgotten when we see her bright eyes and big smile. She brings perspective to everything. She is our happy little girl!