Big Baby Boy!

            Sweet baby boy at 29 weeks!  He weighs 3 lbs. 12 oz. already!

I had an ultrasound yesterday to make sure that baby boy was growing well, to check amniotic fluid, and to make sure blood flow to the baby was good.  I have been taking medicine for high blood pressure so they just wanted to check everything.  When I had the cerclage and got diagnosed with high blood pressure the doctor told me that both of those things could cause low birth-weight.  Well...not this guy!  He was actually on the big side, 3 pounds 12 ounces already!  We are beyond excited about that.  Needless to say, no trouble with blood flow or fluid at all!  It was weird to see the baby at 29 weeks, since with Josey we only had the 20 week ultrasound.  This little guy just seemed so chubby and filled out already.  The tech was so nice and worked a little while to get a good picture of his face for us.  Baby boy had his nose pushed up against me and wouldn't move.  He loves to snuggle his Mommy already :)  I'm thinking even though his nose was a little squished that he has my nose for sure.  But of course everything else is all Daddy/Josey.  Definitely another little Daddy-clone for sure.  It is amazing to me how much all of our boys look alike.  When we saw this little guy at 20 weeks I thought he favored Asher more but now I'm thinking Asher just hadn't filled-out as much as the other boys yet and would have looked just like his brothers.  I have actually had moments of thinking I would like a girl sometime, but with all these handsome boys how could a Mommy ask for anything else?   He is such an amazing little miracle.  He needs a strong name for sure.  Mommy's body has put a lot of stress on this little guy and he is just cruising along and thriving.  I am already so proud of my new little man!

Summer time has begun!!

                         Josey singing his solo at Tiny Tots 3-year-old class graduation on May 15th. 

                                   Very proud of our big boy!



Josey finished his first year of preschool.  I can't believe how fast it went.  I met with his teacher yesterday for his conference.  I am so impressed with what he learned this year.  Of course he is "all-boy" and doesn't show the most interest in learning his alphabet or sitting still in general.  She said he is pretty busy and always wanting to be active opposed to sitting and working on letters.  He has learned to share better and has matured alot.  I think we have some work to do this summer on recognizing letters and writing them.  I'm sure we can come up with some fun ways to practice!  Josey will start in the four-year-old class in the fall.  Can't believe it's only one more year until he is at Westside with me. 

Josey practicing taking care of babies!  So sweet!

This summer will be fun.  Josey has already planned out that we need to go to the splashpark often, have sleepovers with his cousins, play outside for hours everyday, and do lots of other fun stuff.  So far (in our first two days of summer) we have played in the sprinkler, painted several pictures, and played every board/card game we have.  I think we will really enjoy this summer together as we get ready to welcome our new little guy!  Josey has gotten really excited and wants to know everyday if it's the day the baby will come.  I hope my mom and I can make all the baby bedding soon.  Mike will start tackling painting the baby room soon too.  I think I've decided what I want..at least for the moment :)

Mother's Day 2012

I had a wonderful Mother's Day.  We went to a Naturals baseball game with my Mom and family.  It was an interesting game.  Four times it started pouring rain and we had to run for cover.  We finally left after the last rain delay.  It was definitely memorable though!  We came home and had dinner with Mike's mom.  I spent some of the day just thinking about how blessed I am to be a Mom to all my boys.  I thought about each of them and how special they are to our family.  I can't believe our newest little guy will be here in a few months!  We recently found out that my mom is having some serious health problems, so the day was a little emotional for me.  I know she is strong and will be ok, but I hate what she is facing.  I have never taken my mom for granted, but it is hard not to see her through a different set of eyes now.  I worry about her constantly and just want a perfect outcome for this situation.  We won't know for a few more days what her treatment will be so the waiting is hard.   I know that she is strong and will do great with whatever option she chooses.  I am beyond blessed to have a mom as great as she is!

Josey is 4 years old!

              Josey with his cute litte cookie from almost-Uncle Tommy :)

 Mommy and Josey went to Walmart on his bday.  Of course he had to wear the crown and wanted to buy 1000 cheeseballs.  Who could say no to this guy?!

                                          Cars birthday cake

He loved his party at Chuck E Cheese's!!

Josey is now 4 years old!  How did that happen?  He is such a smart, funny, and loving little guy.  He loves going to school and hanging out with Nana and Pawpaw.  He is really into playing soccer in the backyard, so he got a soccer goal for his birthday from us.  We celebrated his actual birthday with family at our house.  He requested bratwurst and hotdogs for dinner.  Weird kid, too much like his Daddy!  We had a great time playing outside on a nice evening.  Then on Sunday we celebrated with his school friends and his cousins at Chuck E Cheese's.  It was great and we were all exhausted afterwards!  He won over 700 tickets.  He was a real good sport letting everyone fuss over him and going along with everything Chuck E wanted him to do.  There is nothing that makes my heart happier than seeing him having a blast.  Love my big boy so much!

24 Weeks!

It feels awesome to be 24 weeks along today!  I can't believe it has already been 12 weeks since the cerclage.  I'm feeling pretty good, except for having some pretty bad headaches the last few weeks.  My energy is pretty good, just have to fight the urge to "overdo it."  I think I'm fine and then end up feeling uncomfortable and aching after doing too much.  Just thankful to be able to do most "normal" things.  Mike got to feel the baby kick last week, and tonight Josey felt his baby brother.  This little guy is so much more active than Josey ever was.  I think God knew I needed a constant reminder that he is strong and healthy in there!  Sometimes it is really distracting, and has even made me feel nauseous a few times.  I love it though...nothing better.  I'm thinking we may have a more "active" little boy on our hands this time.  Josey has always been calm and laid back.  May be time for payback :)  No really great ideas for names at this point.  We've been thinking and thinking but nothing has just jumped out at us yet.  I don't think we will be naming him until he is in our arms, so we've got some time.

A Little Brother!

We are so excited to announce that we are having another sweet baby BOY! Yes, if you have been counting that would be baby boy Smith number 5! After Josey, and our three angel boys, we were pretty sure going into the ultrasound that we would be welcoming another boy. We took Josey with us to see the baby. We chose to keep the gender a secret from him, so we could surprise our family on my birthday. He was excited to see the baby moving on the screen. The baby was so active it was hard to get a good picture of him! The one above is my favorite because it just looks like he is so content snuggling up with his Mommy :)

Yesterday I baked cupcakes with blue filling in the middle. At my birthday party we passed out the cupcakes and surprised our family with the news. It was a lot of fun! I feel so incredibly blessed and thankful for this healthy little man that will be joining our family this summer!

19 week update

I started feeling the baby move right at 15 weeks! Now I can really tell
when it kicks. I cannot even put into words how amazing it is to be experiencing
that again. It has been a bit of a rollercoaster since the surgery at 12 weeks.
My cervix is still not in the right place, so the stitches can cause a lot of
pain. It makes it pretty uncomfortable to walk or stand very much at all.
However, I do have a device that helps to keep the cervix in place during the
day so I can keep working. I am taking really easy, and sitting more that I
normally would while teaching. I am so happy just to be able to keep working.
The doctor believes that around 24-28 weeks the weight of the pregnancy will
pull my cervix up into the right place. Can't wait for that to happen. My blood
pressure seems to be under control with the medicine, so that is a relief. We
will be finding out what we are having soon. I am so ready to start making
things and decorating a nursery! There are only about eight weeks of school
left, so I will be able to slow down and enjoy the last part of the pregnancy
after that. Josey is getting really excited about the baby! He will ask
questions and talk about the baby every now and then. He usually says it is a
sister but the other day he said maybe it's a brother :) I think we will all be
happy either way! Josey will turn 4 next month, unbelievable! I have no idea
where the time goes. This week we are enjoying Spring Break. He is pretty much
busy all the time. I am enjoying our Mommy and Josey time so much. He is so
funny and so smart! Most of the time I am either amazed at what he is talking
about or cracking up at his funny sense of humor. Love my little man so
much!