Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Birthdays!!!

Here's a picture of the birthday kids!
Today is Evan's 30th birthday and Kendall's one week birthday! Thanks to everyone who sent cards and called to make Evan's day special. It's always fun to get something in the mail besides bills! We've pretty much celebrated quietly at home; Evan worked while my mom, Kendall, and I just hung out. Kendall is sooooo good! Today I even laid her in her bed a couple of times and she was content to just stay in there awake and looking around! Mom fixed Evan a steak dinner, complete with a cookie cake for dessert. We've had a great day!!!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Monday Doctor Visit



















I took Kendall to the doctor today to check her weight and jaundice. Everything checked out great! She weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces (after our 6 pound, 11 ounce visit on Friday) and the jaundice is all clear. Praise the Lord! I have been so impressed with the group of doctors we are using; the one we saw Friday even called Saturday evening to check on Kendall. Tomorrow she will be a week old--WOW!!!
My dad will be here on Wednesday to pick up my mom and they will go home on Thursday. It's been great to have my mom here, but I can even tell she is getting tired. Evan's parents will be here on Saturday and we are SO looking forward to seeing them as well. Kendall, especially, is ready to meet her Nana and Papa!!! Our Sunday School class is providing meals for us every other day for two weeks which is SO helpful!
Evan took these pictures on Saturday. She's pretty cute, huh?
Better run...it's feeding time!

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Getting tired of Kendall videos yet?

Too bad. :-)
Here's another one
I guess its just part of being a parent that you can sit and watch your baby, even when she isn't really doing anything.

Friday, October 26, 2007

We're Home!

It's my turn to post!!! Kendall is sleeping right now (thanks to her daddy...he can do the "cocoon" wrap like the nurses at the hospital...WAY better than what mommy can do!) so I wanted to get on here and share a few things.

We got home yesterday at about 2:00. Of course, Mawmaw (my mom) was very eager to hold her sweet baby girl. Having mom here has been such a great help. The afternoon/evening was pretty uneventful, but the night was pretty brutal. A combination of a lot of things...but as a new mom I just had a difficult time letting her sleep without me watching her or worrying about her. Finally, at about 4:00 this morning, I woke Evan up to "take a turn" and I was able to sleep from about 4-7; it was a good, hard sleep!

Today, we took Kendall to the pediatrician. She weighed in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces. The doctor was a little concerned about her jaundice, so we ended up having to go back over to Baptist East for another bilirubin test. Kendall checked out just fine and as of right now, we don't have to do the light therapy. We will go back on Monday for another weight check. Evan was able to work this afternoon and I was able to get some rest. After Kendall's late afternoon feeding, Evan and I went to Target while my mom stayed here with Kendall. It was nice to get out of the house and of course, I found some sweet little girl clothes!

I've posted a few pictures on here with explanations underneath, so you'll have to check those out. We have a couple of videos, too, that Evan will have to post later. One of them is actually pretty funny. Kendall isn't really doing anything, it's just the expression on her face (and listening to Evan in the background) that is hysterical.

Before I close, everyone keeps telling me that I need to write down things that have happened in the last few days that I really want to remember. So, I'm going to type them so you guys can "hear" them and then maybe someday I will transfer my memories to a scrapbook or something.

1.) Labor and delivery was not horrible. I won't put all the details on here, but you know how your wedding day is kind-of like a blur in your mind? That's how L&D was for me. It was a long day and it was painful at times, but many parts of it I can't really even remember.

2.) I was SO concerned about how Evan would be during L&D and with the baby after delivery. Even throughout the pregnancy, I would ask him, "Do you think you are going to like the baby?" It's not that I thought he wouldn't love the baby or be a good dad, I just wondered about it, because he just never got very excited about my pregnancy. Well, he was fantastic! During the whole process, he was so encouraging! He didn't even just stand by my head and hold my hand; he was in the middle of it and didn't even get sick! I think all his post show how much in love he is with our daughter, but it's just more than I could have ever imagined it to be. He even changed her first diaper! Several times I have caught him singing to her--his favorite song, the Razorback fight song. Daddy's and daughters will just melt your heart.

3.) Sorry, Meredith, but I have to share this. You can get on to Evan for it later. While we were in labor, Evan pretty much kept us in stitches the whole time. When the nurse was going through all the routine questions, she asked, "Do you have any family members with any genetic disorders-extra fingers or toes, etc?" As I'm saying "no," Evan replies with, "My sister was born with a tail." Seriously, Mere, I'm so sorry, but it was SO funny. The nurse was even cracking up.

4.) Sheila Smith was our the name of our nurse our first night at the hospital. No lie. To me, that was just a God thing. For those of you who read this and don't know, that is Evan's mom's name. She wanted to be here so badly when the baby was born, but there was really no good way for it to work out. I guess God knew that Kendall needed her Nana there, too!

5.) Last night, Evan cooked dinner. It's not that big of a deal that he cooked dinner, really, he does that occasionally anyway, but last night it was just really good. He made fried shrimp. That wasn't really the best part of it, though. He made fried pickles, too. I don't know why that's something I really want to remember, but I do. I love fried pickles and his were especially good.

6.) My body is so sore. I feel like I just started a new exercise program. Labor is hard work!

7.) I thought that nursing was something that would serve it's purpose because it's cheap and efficient. I never thought I would actually enjoy it. I was wrong. It's just a sweet, sweet time. We are doing great with it. It's just God working it out for us!

I'm sure I'll think of other things later...but I just wanted to share those. Here the pictures. Hopefully, I can take some of her soon and play around with our camera and picture software and get some good shots of her awake. She has the prettiest wide eyes!



Going home from the hospital. You can't see it in the picture, but my mom bought her a sweet little white gown. It swallowed her. We changed her clothes when she got home. We put her in a Razorback shirt that (I think) was Asher Hester's shirt. Evan liked it! Kendall loves this white blanket. The Robbins family gave it to her. She will be crying and you can wrap her up in it and she stops. It's precious!
Kendall loves to suck her fingers. She was all over this thumb last night. Evan doesn't like it when she's sucking on her fingers. I think it's really sweet.
Kendall was resting on Mawmaw after her feeding tonight. Mawmaw got a BIG burp out of her!

Not a great picture but you can see her eyes. They are so big and pretty. She has some broken capillaries in them from the pressure of labor, that is why the right one looks red. The doctors say the redness goes away in a few weeks. Even with the redness, her eyes are still beautiful. She has LONG eyelashes on the top, just like her daddy!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Grace

Grace - "the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God."

Seven or 8 years ag0, I was usually too busy trying to score my next fix to care about anything else. My whole world revolved around making myself feel good, regardless of how I might be hurting the people who loved me. Who would have thought back then that I could be sitting here today with a beautiful wife and baby girl? I certainly didn't get from where I was to where I am because of anything I did to deserve it. Grace is the only possible explanation.

But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!

AMEN!

A Few More Baby Pics





Here are some more pictures and another video clip from the hospital. Hopefully Leah won't mind me putting the one of her on here. I'm pretty sure it was taken before she delivered.
I saw those flowers in the gift shop and figured my two pretty ladies needed some pretty flowers to brighten up their room.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Kendall Grace video

OK, I think I finally figured out a way to get these video clips to play on here. I'll try to take some more when I go back up to the hospital. I'm shooting these with our digital camera, so I think I can only take about 20-30 seconds at a time.




Kendall Grace Smith





OK, it's late and I'm beat and have to drive back to the hospital, so here's the basic info:
weight: 7 lbs 7oz.
length: 19 1/4 inches
born: 9:51 pm
Here's a few pics.

oh yeah, we can be reached at Baptist East Hospital at 502-897-8310
Rm. 310

i'll post more pics and maybe some video tomorrow.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Halloween on Hillcrest




Apparently, Halloween on Hillcrest is a very big deal in Louisville! Hillcrest is a street a couple of blocks away from our house, and since the beginning of October, Evan and I would drive down it and see everyone putting out their Halloween decorations. It's nothing like Arkansas-- with hay bales and jack-o-lanterns! People go all-out for this holiday and we've heard that Halloween decorations on this street are a bigger deal than Christmas lights. Supposedly, you can't even drive down Hillcrest on Halloween evening because it's so cram-packed with cars and people!

So tonight, Evan and I decided we would go for a walk to check it all out. We are definitely not "scary" Halloween people at all! We're much more all about It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, not Nightmare on Elm Street! Anyway, the weather was nice (a little warm for October) for an evening walk; and, well, I guess you could just call it an interesting sight to see!!!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Week 39 and Counting...

Here is the latest doctor visit update. No change. He said that I was 75% effaced, instead of 70%, but I am kind-of wondering if he just said that to be nice. Anyway, I have to say that I have been pretty bummed out this evening about the whole thing. Dr. Forrester said that if I hadn't had the baby by next Tuesday (which is my due date) that he would see me then, and we would talk about inducing. However, this time, he didn't seem as keen on inducing the next day (October 24th) as he did a couple of weeks ago. He said we would see if my cervix was more favorable and then talk about whether or not to induce that week or the week after. (Which could possibly make us have a Halloween baby if he waits that long to induce and I don't have the baby before, because Dr. Forrester's call day is Wednesday.)

I'm not real sure why I've been so disappointed about this visit, I really haven't had my hopes up about going into labor earlier than my due date anyway, and even from the very beginning of my pregnancy thought it would be kind-of cool if I went a week over because the baby would be born on Evan's 30th birthday. I think today it was just frustrating because a few weeks ago, he seemed pretty big on inducing on the 24th, and I was seeing an end in sight. Adding another week to that is a little discouraging, being that I am pretty tired of being pregnant and am just ready to have that little baby in my arms. Also, Dr. Forrester seemed really unsure about inducing next week or waiting another week after that and when he said, "We can talk about it at your appointment next week and then YOU can make a decision," it just kind-of got me. (The doctor event thought I was about to cry and handed me a box of tissues. I held it in, though!!!) I just really don't want to have to make a decision about inducing at all! I want the baby to come when he/she is ready, but I really want him/her to be ready before the last week in October! The thought of being pregnant another week at this point is just frustrating!!!

So, I've just started praying that this baby will come BEFORE next Tuesday, that way NOBODY has to make a decision about when to induce. To all my praying friends, will you pray with me?!?!? I guess until then, I will keep walking and eating spicy foods. Tonight we had chili (like it's cold enough for it) and tomorrow it's quesadillas!!! Maybe that will speed up the process some!!!

In addition to being bummed out about all that, I also have developed a VERY scratchy throat over the last couple of days and am wondering if it is the on-set of a sinus infection, since that's how mine usually begin. Dr. Forrester looked at my throat when I was in there today and said it wasn't infected, so I am just praying it doesn't escalate into anything more. I totally don't want to be sick while I am giving birth!!!

On another note, I have to share a cute nephew story. My mom called this afternoon because she went to Jonesboro to read to Jackson's preschool class and to watch Coby play football this evening. (For those of you who don't know, those are my sister's kiddos.) Anyway, Jackson had no idea that Mom was coming to read, so when she walked in, he was completely surprised and excited. Mom said that Jackson introduced her to ALL his friends in his class. She also stayed to have lunch with him and took some pictures of Jackson and all his classmates. Anyway, she said, "Jackson, go stand by your teacher and let me take a picture of you with your teacher." Very willingly, Jackson went and had his picture made with his teacher. When mom finished taking the picture Jackson said, "Okay, Maw-Maw, you go stand by my teacher and let me take your picture with her, too!" So, mom had to go stand by Jackson's teacher to have her picture made! Too precious! I know Mom had a fun day with her boys!!!

Sorry for the book and being such a "Debbie Downer." I guess I just needed to get all that off my chest tonight!






Tuesday, October 9, 2007

38 Weeks

Not much changed at my doctor visit today। I was still dilated at 1.5 cm and 70% effaced. Dr. Forrester did say that the baby had dropped down quite a bit. His actual words were, "If this baby gets any lower you might see a head!" (HA!) I am two weeks away from my due date and Dr. Forrester felt pretty sure he would see me again next week, but said after that it would be pretty questionable. I am actually really hoping I make it through the rest of this week. I'd like to get a full week of tutoring in and my bible study meets Thursday for the last session, and I really don't want to miss that, either! I guess we will see! I have been able to rest a little in the last couple of days, which has been so good. The day after a sleepless night is brutal!

On another note, I want to brag on my husband for just a minute, because I know he won't brag on himself. Evan has hit the busy part of the semester, with papers, projects, and tests weekly and is doing great! I think on most of his assignments he has made A's, and in fact made 107% on a test in his most challenging class. I was informed, though, that 107% was NOT a perfect score; there were actually 9 bonus points possible. Whatever. I still think a 107% is fantastic! Evan really is doing great in school, not that I really expected anything different!

I better go for now...we will keep you posted on any changes with Baby Smith!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

don't waste your life



Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Week 37

I went to the doctor today. I was still dilated at 1.5 cm, but was 70% effaced instead of just 60%. Dr. Forrester said that my weight had dropped and that was a sign that I could go into labor. I think I just had on different shoes! :) I tested positive for Strep B, which only means that they will have to give me some antibiotics when I go into labor. I don't think it's that big of a deal.

I did ask Dr. Forrester what he would do if I made it to my due date and still hadn't delivered. He said since I had progressed this far that if I made it to my due date, he would probably go ahead and induce labor the next day. My due date is October 23, so that means the baby will probably be here by October 24. I'm not to sure how I feel about inducing; I really want the baby just to come when he/she is ready, but we'll see. Until then, I'll just keep walking and see if that helps speed up the process any! At least the end is in sight!!!

Oh, I got a couple of new "orders" today. One for a canvas and the other for some change of address cards. They are still from friends and family, but I don't care. I am glad to have some projects to work on right now. I'll post some pictures once I get them finished!