Monday, October 3, 2011

39 Weeks, 5 Days!

Well, I guess the end is officially near now!  Tonight at 8 pm Jason and I will be checking in to the hospital for an early morning induction tomorrow morning.  I can not believe it is here!  I have been flooded with emotions today ranging from sheer excitement to terror.  I am nervous about labor and also nervous about being responsible for another tiny human being.  I am both anxious to begin life as a family of three, and also a little sad that Jason and I will have to work for alone time when for so long we have had our little routines and date nights.  There really is nothing like the range of feelings, and I am sure it will continue to be a roller coaster tomorrow and the rest of the week!
My sister is here and my mom is on the way, and both will be a big help in coaching me through the labor and being supportive of Jason.  Audrey, Charles, Jack and Cindy are also on their way between tonight and tomorrow morning, and my dad will hopefully arrive tomorrow afternoon!  We can not WAIT for everyone to see, hold, and kiss sweet baby Amelia.  She (and Jason and I) have such a wonderful support system!  We are also looking forward to visits this weekend from Amelia's Aunts and Uncles, and bringing her home over the holidays to meet everyone else!
I guess the next time either Jason or I write, we will be parents! EEK! 

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

38 Weeks!

Hola to our dear sweet family members!  This week the reality of becoming parents has started to really sink in for Jase and me.  At my appointment yesterday I was 1 cm. dialated, and I started to get nervous!  I know this is good news and that we really WANT Amelia to make progress towards labor, but I guess I was in denial that we were getting close!  Now I feel like I need to scramble to think of all the things I need to go before I leave work, or things I need to make sure are in place before we bring Amelia home.  Hopefully I can get some nesting done this weekend. 
Everything else at the appointment was fine, and Amelia's heartbeat was great.  I go back next Wednesday at 39 weeks, and hopefully we will continue to be making progress!
Jason's employees threw him a baby shower this Monday and I drove to Savannah to surprise him as well.  His employees are so excited for him and were so sweet.  They all gave us diapers and wipes of all sizes and brands, which is perfect for us!  We feel so fortunate for all the help in diapers.  We also got a few cute sleepers, and this precious outfit that will make Amelia look like a cupcake (icing with sprinkle hat!). 
Work is still going ok for me, although this is the first week where I have really slowed down.  I just can not move as quickly and going from sitting to standing and vice versa is painful.  My feet, ankles, and knees are now swelling too which really irks me by the later afternoon.  I am so glad that the swelling did not pick up until this last month!  Enough complaining... everything else is groovy!  Our weather has warmed back up and the humidity is back in FULL force, but the forcast for next week looks great again!  I really hope Amelia can be welcomed with a beautiful fall day!
Everyone keep us in your thoughts as we try to mentally prepare, and as I try to physically prepare for labor.  Hope it all goes well, and everyone stays healthy.  Love you all.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

37 Week Update

Hello everyone.  We have reached 37 weeks!  Yippee!
At the appointment this afternoon by blood pressure was fantastic, and everything else checked out great.  Amelia's head is still now, and the doctor said she felt that her head was down farther and my cervix was getting thinner.  However, the doctor said I would still most likely be pregnant this time next week.  So I guess we will see how next Wednesday's appointment goes!  For as much as I would love for Amelia to get here, I am also o.k. with waiting until her due date!  I still have some things to get finished up at work so I need these next 2 weeks at work.

For this weekend, Jason and I are going to the Beach Sweep Saturday morning to clean an area beach with my Beta Club students.  Then we are hitting up a baby consignment sale in Bluffton, and I am SURE we will be watching our share of football this weekend.  Jason has to work next weekend, so this could be our last weekend home alone together child-less! 
We love you all and will update again soon!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

3.5 Weeks Left!

News from the Smiths in Hardeeville:
Jason is doing good at his job.  He seems to really love his co-workers and what he does day to day which is so wonderful to find in a job.  I think he is ready for a step up in responsibility, and I guess we will see what happens over the next year. 
School is flying by for me.  I have some trying students as always, but for the most part, I truly enjoy my students and the content I teach.  I am not in love with AP World History, but mostly because US was my first love and I am so much more comfortable with that content.  Again, we will have to see what happens next year to see what I will teach.
Our little "home" is coming together as we add all of Amelia's things.  We seem to clean more often and reorganize everything.  We are eager to try out some of our new toys and things that we will be using daily once she is here.  We plan to do some cooking over the next 2 weekends to prepare some meals we can freeze and then use once she arrives.  Any ideas for things that freeze well and do not take up a ton of room-- let us know!  My mom made us some mini meat-loaves, but other than that, we have an empty freezer! (Well besides my awesome Magnum ice cream bars).
The weather has been beautiful this week with very cool mornings in the low 60's and highs in the 80's.  I think due to the record setting HOT summer, I had forgotton how nice the weather can be down here in the fall.  It is back in the 90's this week, but at least I know cooler temps are around the corner.  We can't wait to take Amelia for stroller walks in the cooler weather in October and November. 
My 36 week appointment this past week was great!  My blood pressure remains low/great, Amelia's heartbeat was good, AND her head is now in the right position!  My doctor did a quick ultrasound to confirm and her head was down and butt was up!  She seemed to be extremely squished in there with knees, elbows, arms and legs everywhere.  My doctor noted how long she seemed- about 18.5 inches already.  She did not mention anything about her weight, but I am measuring on week so I guess she is just average (at this point should be about 6 pounds).  My internal check showed that I am not dialated yet and that she has not dropped, so no progress towards labor yet.  I go back this Wednesday for another check!
I am going to post some updated pictures of the nursery since we have added bedding, and all of our lovely gifts and decorations.  See most of you soon!




Saturday, September 3, 2011

Shower #2!

First off, a big thanks to our other faithful readers, Grandma, Pops, Nana, and Auntie Lauren ;)

Things are flying by in the Smith apartment.  We now have a swing, bouncy seat, and diaper caddy loaded and ready to go.  Jason has put the carseat base in the back of my car, and loaded our hospital bag into the trunk.  Some wonderful friends of mine threw me a baby shower at work this Friday and we got some precious clothes, gift cards, diapers, and unique homemade and personalized gifts!  We also got to play "Pin the Sperm on the Egg" and the fact that Adriana and her mom handmade the sperm with pipe cleaners and googly eyes made my week! 

In other news, I had my Open House this week at school and my AP students' parents seemed to be very "concerned" that I was pregnant.  Oh well right!!  Since the majority of my leave is unpaid I am not legally able to "work" on my leave.  I am creating lessons for my sub, but once I am gone parents can not harrass me every week about assignments.  This was a big relief for me because I didn't want to feel like I was working while I was gone.  I only have 3 weeks and 4 days of work left!  I can not believe how fast August has flown by!  For those who are coming down for Amelia's arrival, I am going to email some directions to the hospital.  We can't wait!
I have my 36 week appointment this Thursday to do my Strept culture and hopfully an ultrasound to see Amelia's position.  We are still hopeful that she has turned on her own and is getting ready to "lighten" or drop.  We will keep everyone posted!
Jason is working this weekend, but has off Labor Day which will be nice.  We will probably just sit around, refold and smell Amelia's precious clothes, and go shopping with gift cards! 
We love and miss everyone- see you soon!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Getting So Close!!

First, a shoutout to our sole reader Grandpa Charles :)
Second, Jason and I can barely believe how quickly the last weeks are flying by!  We had our AMAZING shower, where we were blessed with so many beautiful and useful treasures.  Amelia is one lucky little girl.  We feel like the nursery is almost ready, but still have a few essentials to get for the bathroom and for feeding.  This weekend our goal is to pack a bag for the car to take when we rush to the hospital!  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  We searched for an online checklist but feel that many of those lists have you packing your entire home! 
Jason and I attended Childbirth Class last weekend and really felt that it benefitted us and helped us get more excited about the end.  It was really great to tour the hospital and see the rooms where all the action will be happening ;)  We are impressed with the personal attention given to moms, dads, and babies at Hilton Head Hospital due to its small nature.  The woman who taught our class also taught my breast-feeding class, and will definitely see me and Amelia before we leave the hospital (she may even be Amelia's baby nurse).  It will be nice to see a friendly face during the delivery!  The rooms seem nice and as mentioned, it is a small unit so it feels personal. 
I have my 34 week check up tomorrow, where the doctors will still be feeling if Amelia remains in the breech position.  I am almost certain that she still is due to how she is lying and pushing.  We will have another ultrasound at 36 weeks to check one last time!  I hope she can get turned and into position over the next 2 weeks!
Returning to week has been tiring, but it does help the time pass more quickly.  I am focusing on writing maternity lessons so that when September 30th comes, I can drive away and not look back until mid-December! 
I think this is all the updating we have for now, but we do promise to try and be better about writing so we can share this time and when Amelia is here with everyone back home!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Amelia's Nursery

We have been hard at work on Amelia's nursery.  We did buy a new crib and changing table, but we have been recycling old furniture or using consignment stores to fill on the gaps!  It has been fun searching for the perfect rocker and wall decorations, and Jason and I had a very crafty night as we painted and decorated some letters also.  We can't wait until the shower on August 6th so we can finish decorating!




2nd Ultrasound




Well at our 2nd ultrasound, they told us it is officially a GIRL!  Yippee, Amelia Hope will be joining us in October!  At this ultrasound, they also confirmed that her heart clearly had 4 chambers and all was well.  We got to see little Amelia sucking her thumb, and it was so so precious.  These pictures were taken at 22 weeks and we are now 28 weeks so she has grown leaps and bounds by now!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Half-way There!

Can you belive I will be 22 weeks pregnant tomorrow, which makes us over half-way there!  We are so excited!  Our 20 week anatamy scan went really well, and the tech said she "thought" it was a Girl!  We go back tomorrow to confirm that and check out the 4 chambers of the heart one last time.  Since it is a girl, we are naming her Amelia Hope, and we just know she will be precious.  The last 2 weeks Amelia has been extra active, kicking and flipping around, and Jason has even felt her for the first few times which has thrilled him!  I took Amelia on her first plane ride this past weekend to visit Milwaukee, WI to see my friend Alice and her fiance Cam.  Amelia handled the plane ride better than I did; I hate flying!  We had a wonderful time sightseeing and eating cheese.  The weather was also much cooler which was a needed break from the 90-100 degree weather we have been experiencing down in SC.  As the school year winds down, and summer begins, we are excited to get Amelia's nursery put together, and to visit with family and good friends back home and at the beach.  I will be turning 30 in 2 weeks, and cannot believe how blessed I am to be entering parenthood at such a wonderful time.  We will put a picture up of our next ultrasound on Thursday!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Daycare Drama

Oh Baby!  We have been researching daycares.  Sigh.  What an overwhelming experience!! (and we do not even live in a big town!).  First, everyone that you ask will have a different opinion or each daycare.  So that was not really helpful.  Second, both Jason and I work early morning jobs; I need to be at work by 7:15-7:30 and Jason needs to be in Savannah by 7:30 also.  SO, most daycares in our town do not open until 7 or 7:15.  Annoying.  Also, because we both commute, nothing is really close to either of our workplaces.  We are still touring all of them but it has come down to either we need an early morning drop off in Bluffton, OR we will have to find a center on the Island. 
Our next big surprise was how much CRAP you have to send with your baby for daycare.  I am talking about 3 sets of crib sheets, blankets, burp cloths, extra clothes, bottles, passies, kleenex etc. etc.  It only seems like so many things mostly because we don't have any of this yet for ourselves.  It just reminded us of all the things babies require and that we do not know how to use some of them either. 
Lastly, every time I visit a center, it seems to be chaos and babies everywhere.  I know they are fine and the ratios are legal, but I just worry about leaving such a young infant.  I know this is normal and it will get easier, but it is still hard!
We are visiting many this week and on the 19th after our doctor appointment, so we will let everyone know where we decide!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Sticky Bean Smitty

Well, since we have gone public on facebook, we finally decided to update our blog!  We promise to write more since we have a bun in the oven and hope to be connected to friends and family back home through the blog to share our experience.
First, meet little Smitty:

This picture is actually "old" now as it was taken at 10 weeks, and we are now 15 weeks!  Smitty has surely grown leaps and bounds since then (and so has mommy).  Seeing Baby Smitty at 10 weeks was such a job because he/she was bouncing all over the places flapping his/her little arms and legs.  We have our anatomy scan on May 19th, and then we can stop calling him/her a bean or an it.  We can not wait!
At our last appointment, the heartrate was down from 155 to 145, so we are still leaning towards little Andrew instead of little Amelia, but of course no one really knows! 
No other new news to report besides the bean.  Jason and I both are happy in our jobs and even happier to be working the same shift together.  We will soon learn my fate about my contract extension for next year, and as soon as we do we will be shopping for a bigger place to live so everyone can come down and babysity for us.
Much love.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

High Speed January

Well, so far this first month of the new year is flying by!
We had a great time in Gboro for MLK weekend celebrating Jack's birthday, and see my family as well.  Although I love our time in Gboro with everyone, slowly, our home in S.C. is becoming home.  We are sometimes eager to get back to our little routines.  It is nice to be happy in both places.
So far, our favorite Christmas present is Audrey and Charles' gift of the BluRay player and Netflix!  We love being able to watch our favorite movies and shows instantly!
Even though our week was short after MLK weekend, is was a busy one.  I had my monthly bookclub meeting, which I look forward to each month!  We keep attracting new amazing women, and keep reading great books!  This month we read The Lace Reader, and we also found out that The South Magazine is going to do a feature article on our bookclub.  Miki, our founder, had the great idea of starting an Adventure Book Club, where after every book the host picks an adventure that correlates with the book.  It has been a blast so far, and I look forward to every adventure!
This past week I had a day of professional development, which is pretty much a bunch of teachers that sit around and complain about everything.  My profession is so hard to stay positive in!  I hope I can stay optimistic for a few more years.  I also had a girls night with some of my amazing coworkers, and then Jason and I went on a date on Saturday night.  We searched and searched for some awesome Bluffton restaurants to visit, and of course ended up picking La Hacienda.  Will we every stray from chips, salsa, and margaritas??
We are looking forward to February as we are hosting a SuperBowl party!!  Also, I will be heading out of town for a while to chaperone our school's Model U.N. team.  We are competing at Georgia Southern University where we placed 2nd last year.  I am excited to see so many bright high school students debate about the world's pressing problems!
As always, come visit if you wish! We love you!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Winter Weather

Well, it is official!  I got my first 2 hour delay of the year!  Yippee!  I know most of the South is getting mucho snow and ice this week, but I was so excited to see Freezing Rain on our forcast that I could barely get to sleep.  The roads were fine driving in this morning, but inland areas were right at freezing so the whole county had to delay.  The school pretty much fell apart this morning with teachers and students not knowing about the delay, no bell schedule, etc.  I was just happy for my 2 extra hours of sleep!

We are excited to come home again this weekend to celebrate Jason dad's birthday!  We are also excited about the 3 day MLK weekend!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Even LAMER

Ok, well I think it might be hard to catch up on everything Jason and I have done since October.
Here is the short and sweet:
We had the BEST time with dear friends Megan and Sean who came to visit!

We also had an awesome time enjoying Savannah around Halloween time.  We took a haunted walking ghost tour with Audrey, Charles, Lauren, and Alan! Then I took a traveling hearse tour with my book club (in honor of Pride and Prejudice).  Then... we went on a haunted pub crawl with Jack and Cindy! I think I know all the ghost stories now, so come on down next year!
Other highlights of fall include going home for the official weekend of Halloween and seeing Jack Henry trick or treat.

November had its ups and downs.  I was able to travel home for Thanksgiving, but without my hubby who had to work the entire week and weekend.  We also have been struggling in our attempts to start a family.  This has been both humbling, emotional, and an exciting time in our relationship.
December FLEW by!  I had my FIRST oyster at my staff Christmas Party Oyster roast (it was ok), we went to another neighborhood oyster roast, attended the Bluffton Christmas Parade, and some of my girls from work had an enormous cookie party! 
We were able to come home for Christmas, and though it was a whirlwind of family, friends, snow, and food- it was a GREAT time for us!  We really miss everyone in NC, but it did feel like "coming home" when we drove back to SC.  We took down Christmas, cleaned and organized, and are ready to enjoy 2011.
Work is going good for me.  I had excellent observations in the fall, and am starting a new chapter of the National Beta Club of my school.  Jason is also doing well in work.  Had a good performance evaluation in October, and really really hopes that the first shift vacancy could possibly be his soon (fingers and toes crossed!).  We hope to have more visitors once the spring time arrives. 
I will try and post more pics of our Christmas visit soon.  AND I will try and update more frequently! Hugs to all.