happy half birthday!

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY MY DARLING LITTLE LADY!

I CANT BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY BEEN 6 MONTHS, TIME SURE IS FLYING BY....

growing like a weed

I was walking down the stairs today and looked at my beautiful silly girl in my arms, her new favorite thing is snuggling into your neck and laughing then pulling away, looking you in the face and doing it again. I looked at her in amazement, I thought she was so amazing before, but today she amazed me even more. She's becoming quite the character. All of a sudden everything is happening so fast. This evening while playing I sat her down and instead of her usual topple over onto her side she just sat there. She saw a toy, reached for it picked it up and went back to her sitting up straight position. In the tub for her bath this evening, instead of laying back and kicking all the water out she bent forward and held herself up and splashed with her hands until almost all the water was gone.  In the past week we have watched her at night make her way to the head of the crib until she could go no further, but we have yet gotten her to do it front of us...little does she know we can see her on the monitor. She must be waiting until the perfect moment to show us. She is just growing up so fast. It's hard to believe she is 6 months old. As I got up to feed her the other night I held her in her rocking chair. She was falling back to sleep in my arms and I couldn't help but get sentimental as I noticed her legs hanging over my lap and dangling over the side of the rocking chair arm. It seems like just the other day her whole body fit in the nook of my arm. She is getting so big! I think  we skipped right over 9 month clothing and we find ourselves already putting her in 9/12 mo. especially to get her the length, I think it is safe to say she will be tall like her mommy :)

She loves her veggies atleast...this was tonights dinner which was one of her favorites-PEAS! I don't know how tonight got so messy, but it did and we had fun and that's all that matters. She isn't a big fan of bananas and tomorrow we are going to start avocado! Mmmm

Sweet taters for my sweet pea

Set aside all of the milestones that have happened in the past 2 months since my last post (ie. her first tooth, her first scooch, her crazy growth spurt and her squealing with joy every time she gets excited and her rice cereal meals) today marked a new one. I went out and bought a sweet potato. they were on sale for 23 cents a pound, so i bought 2 sweets and it cost me 50 cents. I pulled out my baby bullet baby food maker and proceeded to make 7 servings of sweet potato baby food for my baby girl. I priced it out and on average a baby food jar is any where from 95 cents-$1.19  already I am proud of my effort and cleverness to make my own baby food. ( not to mention I know what goes into it, hence knowing what my baby girl is putting into her body).

Tonight marked the occasion of trying out the new food. I mixed it with her rice cereal and had a full bowl ready to go. She gobbled it right down and was looking for more! What a success :) She even tried licking the bowl clean when I turned to get a towel for a second. I dont know what she enjoyed more, the new yummy food or her fun bubble bath that followed (shes a little fish in the tub)

Addison 15 weeks old

Big Girl Crib

Last Night was the 4th time in 2 weeks that we have successfully been able to put Addi down for bed in her crib in her nursery. She was waking up at 2am every time we put her in her crib...but last night was a momentous occasion where we put her down at 9:15pm and she slept straight through until 6 this morning! It was so wonderful. Even now she is sleeping taking her nap in her crib, it has taken a very rough 45 minutes but shes finally asleep. It is now her first nap in her crib and not her snug-a-bunny swing! It was an easy night for her and was so hard for me. It was strange not knowing she was next to me in her bassinet, I missed her little noises and hearing her move. I thought it was time we start making a transition since she is now 12 weeks old. I also will be trying to put her on a schedule. I want to make it easier for Jerrod since I begin doing my Premier Shows later this month and they are all in the evenings, i figure if she has a routine it will make it easier on the both of them if I am not home at bed time.
She has discovered her tongue so is constantly sticking it out  and she is purely obsessed with her hands and toes trying to put them in her mouth as much as she can.
My mom got her a glow worm when we were home and she loves it, right now its her favorite toy and we play with it all day long.  I can't believe how much she is growing, it seems every day she is a little bit bigger and doing something slightly new. It is all going too fast for my liking...I just love my little girl to the moon and back, she is so perfect :)

little toes

Family picture out back of the Johnson

Today  marked two big milestones in Addison's life.
This morning she discovered her toes and i think she loves them just as much as me! She is constantly trying to touch them and looking at them. And if her legs weren't so long and if she didn't have her little belly i know they would be in her mouth.

Addi's first geo-caching trip and first trip to the Giant Stairs!

Second big thing today-I put her down on her play mat for tummy time so i could put her clothes away...when i turned back around she was facing the other direction! I watched her and no rolling was involved, it was all squirming and muscles...my little baby was crawling! tooooo sooon! im not ready for that yet. I think it will be quite some time before a full fledged army crawl across the room, but its a start!

little girl is growing up

Yesterday we went to Addisons 2 month check up...although she is 10 weeks tomorrow (we were in maine during her 2 month mark) She is weighing in at 14 lbs 5.4 oz and is 24 inches long. She is in the 93rd percentile for her age. She is a very healthy little girl with a clean bill of health. UNfortunalty she needed 3 shots...that by far was the worst experience for me, she was so upset and i couldnt help or hold her as tears ran down her face and turned bright red in pain. I picked her up as soon as they would let me to calm her down. Today we took the band aids off-it was as if she had gotten pricked all over again. Poor babe. She has slept almost all day today, it had taken alot out of her yesterday.
2 days ago was no joy ride for her either. Unfortunately i learned a valuable lesson not to eat broccoli and breast feed. She spent the entire day crying and being fussy and didn't sleep from 8am until 10:30 pm. That was the day she broke me down and I had my first cry as well. I felt so helpless not knowing what to do.

I waited all summer for her to fit into a pair of little mermaid pjs i had bought for her when she was first born. She wore them for 2, maybe 3 weeks. So sad. She is flying through clothing and diapers. We got home from maine and we are now in size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothing.
While on our vacation we had a fantastic time visiting and sharing her with family and friends. We spent time up north at Jerrods moms house and even took her to her first parade at Dover Days. Then we went to my home on the islands where she went to her first Johnson Family Lobster bake!

HELLO!

HELLO! UPDATE ON MY LIFE COMING SOON...STAY TUNED :)

SORRY FOR THE LONG DELAY IV BEEN BUSY GROWING BIG AND STRONG!!

Clean Bill of Health for Addison!

Well today we traveled into Philadelphia to visit a specialist at CHOP (children s hospital of Philly) to get another ultra sound of Addisons kidney. It was enlarged at birth and had fluid in it the week before she was born. Luckily today the Dr  declared her perfectly healthy and normal :) Now with that out of the way and the jaundice cleared up we can finally breathe and relax on the health front. While in Philly we searched out Pats- a Philly cheese steak joint we saw on the travel channel and food network. It was super yummy!

I cant believe it has been a little over 4weeks since we headed into the hospital to give birth to the most beautiful precious baby in the world. Every day she amazes me in some way, weather it is smiling and grinning at me for the first time or cooing as she falls asleep in my arms. I fall more and more in love with her every day. Whiskey is becoming a very good big brother. He likes to sit right by during feedings and lays by her swing during her naps. Every evening we take family walks...Since she is now over 11 lbs I like to take her in my kangaroo pouch carrier to get the extra work out plus I like having her nice and close :)

4TH OF JULY

 HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

and life will never be the same..

Well,

It has almost been a full week since I gave birth to the most amazing thing God has ever given me. How has it been a week already? where has the time gone? We are still dealing with a few health issues. We went to the pediatrician yesterday and her jaundice levels had elevated again so we have to return to the hospital in the morning to get the levels checked yet again. I am hoping they are going back down or else she will have to go through photo therapy again. She is somewhat getting into the routine of eating...we don't have an issue at all when she is hungry, but its all on her time and only when she wants it and wants to be awake. Some times it is 4 or 5 hours in between feedings because she just wont wake up. But when she does eat, boy does she eat! She is also having to go on medication for her kidney. It was slightly inflamed and they will check it again in a month. Its so hard to think every thing will be ok when all I want is for my little baby to be healthy and ok.

Last night Jerrod and i gave her her first sponge bath. she didn't enjoy it all that well, but she did enjoy her massage after right before bed!

Today I finally made my way downstairs. She tried her snug-a-bunny swing, which she found very entertaining. Then we headed down the road and had our two neighbors; Stephanie and Sara do her newborn photo shoot! I am so excited to see the pictures! I took one on my phone and I know what they will come up with is going to be so much better!!

She is going to sleep well tonight I think (although she already sleeps well at night). 

My mom and sister left yesterday..It was so nice to have them here...the time came and went too fast. I wish we lived closer so she could be around family more. But i have to remind myself that New Jersey is so much better than if we were still stuck in Arizona. My dad,  brother, sister in law and niece will be making there way here tomorrow evening to spend the weekend visiting. I feel so blessed to have gotten orders here to be close to the families.

As soon as I laid eyes on my little baby everything changed. I immediately couldn't imagine my life without  her. She is so perfect. Now lets all pray that we can get her two health issues under control and we can move on from worrying.

She's Here!

It's hard to imagine that my little angel will be 5 days old come the morning. After all the waiting, prepping and anticipation she arrived via c-section on friday morning june 15th at 10:23am. She weighed 9.2 lbs and was 22 1/2inches long. She even has a good head of hair! (I assumed she would after the acid reflux I had been suffering since December). My mom and sister made it to the hospital by friday evening and were able to come right over and see her after a long day on the road. She is more beautiful than I could ever imagine and I already don't know what I would do with out her. she has gorgeous blue grey eyes, only time will tell which way they go in color. She looks just like her daddy!




We were supposed to be released this morning, however Her jaundice levels were too high and we had to stay here an extra day so she could get light therapy. Perhaps it was one of the hardest days here emotionally. I have waited so long to have her in my arms and I have had to spend the past 24 hrs watching her in the nursery in what looks like a baby tanning bed only getting to hold her every 2-3 hours for feeding time. Around 6 o'clock this afternoon her levels had started to drop so we are hoping  the morning brings good news and she can go home.

My mom and  sister are staying until Wednesday morning. It has been so nice to have them here and for them to see Addison and be able to visit even though its all been in the hospital. Im so happy we are here and not in Arizona anymore. Family is more important than anything. My brother and Theresa, my dad and JJ are coming to visit this weekend to meet the newest addition. Aunt Lou and Aunt Peg will be here for a day trip friday with Jess. I love having the family so close atlast!

I am hoping that the worst is behind me physically recuperating. The surgery was a lot worse than I had expected, but mostly that is because of my bad reaction to the morphine that was given to me for the spinal tap. It made me very sick and nauseous for the first 18-24 hours making it hard for me to start breast feeding right away since every time I sat up or tried to stand and move I would throw up. The actual incision is still really sore but nothing compared to the first few days. I'm just ready to get home and out of this hospital bed..its so uncomfortable and not to mention I miss my animals who I'm sure think that I have abandoned them by now.

The hospital photographer came and put together a little slideshow yesterday, here it is!
http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=a26c8e69-ac15-421f-aeba-36239d549ba0&utm_source=wnshare&utm_medium=email&utm_content=wnshare_mom_babylink&utm_campaign=wnshare_button#
and heres the password 810401393259830

5am friday

They have moved us up to the first surgery slot on friday! We will be checked in by 5am and surgery is scheduled for 7:30. :)
So excited to see my mom and sister who are coming in friday evening and staying until next week. Im going to miss my daddy though who cant take such short notice because of work.Thank god for skype!
My brother and sister inlaw and niece will be visiting next weekend...there first trip to New Jersey to see us!

yet another change...

Change of plans yet again...we will be delivering Addison on friday! They had a cancellation and squeezed us in.

Her birthday will be June 15th on her 39th week mark :)

change of plans

Well, our 38 week mark has come and gone and with it some new news of the expected arrival. We spent last week visiting our high risk specialist and our OB trying to decide what to do. Addison is already 8.15lbs; just pushing 19lbs with still 2 weeks left until her due date and a possible 10lb baby. As of right now all of her weight is in her tummy and shoulders. Her head size  is about 2 weeks further along than is should be. After a long emotional discussion  with both Drs it has been decided to forgo a    scheduled Cesarean section. They are afraid that even if I could get the head delivered that her shoulders are so broad there is a very high chance that I could not get them out and we would be forced to have an emergency c-section anyways. Not to mention there were many other factors as well that could potentially put me or Addison into distress, and we don't want that.


For myself it was  a very difficult decision. I was disappointed that I would not be able to deliver her, that my body would not allow it. But as everyone pointed out we have to do what is best for her, because that is what is important. Is it what I had planned? no. But we went into this pregnancy with open minds knowing things might change and we needed to do what ever was best for our baby. It hasn't been an easy ride, but we are right at the end. This pregnancy didn't start out how we had expected, so why should it end smoothly? This little one is surely full of surprises. So as of right now her due date is the 19th, unless they can get me in earlier, or I go into labor by myself.
Recovery will be long and hard, which I am not looking forward to, but now we know at least that in 9days or less she will be here and I will get to hold my little girl. I am so anxious.

37 weeks and 4 days

 Today we had an appointment with our high risk specialist. With 27 days left until our EDD we found out she is already weighing in at a little over 8 pounds. Of course it can be give or take a pound in either direction when it comes to her actual weight at birth, but regardless she is going to be a big girl. Her head is measuring 2 weeks ahead and as the Dr put it; she has a chunky little round belly. Our little rolly polly girl! Good thing we didn't buy  newborn size clothing!

Two nights ago we had quite the panic of a night full of contractions, but since they were never consistent we didn't go to the hospital which was probably ok since it ended up being false labor. Shouldn't be too much longer now until the real thing! Atleast we made it through to our labor and delivery class last weekend.

spick n' span

I have spent all weekend being extremely uncomfortable and even more tiered than usual. The pressure is getting ridiculous and lower back pain has started. This morning i woke up and had a very unexpected burst of energy. I also had the sudden need to clean the house. I shampooed the carpets, polished the chairs and tables in the dining room, dusted everything in sight and then started on the window sills and floor boards. I guess my nesting instinct finally hit me. I think I will sleep good tonight. I have a Dr. appointment in the morning, can't wait to hear what he says, although they will not do a physical examination until 38 weeks and I am only 37 on friday. She keeps sticking her foot out of my side..I just push it back in. I guess I may have done a little too much cleaning today, my hands are now swollen...maybe tomorrow I will take the day off...

more maternity pictures

Maternity Pictures are done and can be proofed online at this site
http://sarakuecherphotography.com/index2.php#/proofing/
password is smith
enjoy :)

only 33 days until her due date!

Maternity Pictures

We has our maternity shoot session on Thursday with our friend Sara Kuecher...here are a few of the pictures she has released, the rest are still being worked on :) 

Only 5 more weeks until our due date!!

The Nursery

We are on the last leg of the pregnancy.We have 5 1/2 weeks left until my due date, however, 2 weeks ago Addison was already measuring in at 5lbs so the Dr thinks she will be between 9 and 10 pounds at full term. The Drs in my practice here will induce me at 39 weeks if she is already past 8 1/2 pounds and if she is at 9 pounds by 38 weeks we will be discussing a possible c-section. The Drs are pretty confident I will not go full term either way. We will know June 5th what the decision is since that is the day I will be seeing my High Risk Dr again and he will take all the measurements necessary to know where shes at. She has been in position for over a month and in the past 10days has severely dropped making it uncomfortable to do anything and constant pressure. Last night  I had 3 contractions in a row, and for a while I was convinced I had to be going into labor, however they stopped and im still here so it was all a false alarm thank god!

My mom and dad visited for the weekend  which was such a nice treat. We all went to the air show here on base saturday which was fun. My mom helped me move around furniture in the nursery until it was perfect! What do you think?

I cant thank my parents enough for being here and helping me with all the little things around the house that needed to be done. Organizing the house and moving furniture and just making it perfect for the arrival of our little baby.

Tomorrow Sara will be taking my maternity pictures, I cant wait, she does such beautiful work and Im happy to be giving a friend some business :)
Pictures will be posted once they are done.

Showers in Maine

Two weeks ago i was fortunate enough to be able to drive home to Maine with Danielle for a weeks vacation with my family. The trip consisted of a trip to fat boys where Danielle and I feasted on the best hamburgers and shakes known to mankind that can only be found in Brunswick..Mmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Chelsea and I went to the spa and I finally pampered myself with a my first ever spa pedicure and manicure. I can no longer reach my toes so it was a wonderful treat and I could definitely get used to that! My best friend Samantha took me up north to visit Jerrod's side of the family for a wonderful baby shower that they threw for Addison and myself. It was so wonderful seeing everyone,we haven't seen them since Christmas. After the shower Sam and I headed back to the islands to stay the night and await the next morning for the Johnson Family baby shower at my moms house. Sam and I were able to have  some quality time together finally being able to catch up and visit...our last girls night before I will have Addison in tow. The next morning we went to the Seafood Grille for breakfast and then headed up to my moms for a beautiful shower.

Patricia (our wedding photographer) even came down and brought her camera and took some pictures! Heres the link if anyone wants to check them out.http://www.kivalogallery.com/erin_shower/ I am lucky enough to have her come and shoot my maternity pictures as well! It was so nice to see some of my old college friends as well, it had been since my wedding 2 1/2 years ago roughly that I had seen alot of the guests at my shower. My mom, sisters Chelsea and Theresa did such a beautiful job decorating and cooking. I had such an awesome time being home it was hard to leave especially knowing I wont be back until August and I will be a mommy!

good morning 3rd trimester!

Still suffering from a bad case of sinus congestion for the past couple of days, i at last found a comfortable position to get some sleep in and was able to get in a full12 hr snooze last night. I have been miserable since I cant take any medication and toss and turn leaving me dragging during the day. But last night was for some reason the most amazing sleep I have got in a really long time! It was nice waking up feeling at least sleep wise refreshed and knowing it is the beginning of my third trimester! Hellllo week 28. In the past week the reality check has really started to set in and im starting to think I am not prepared at all and do we really know what we are getting our selves into? Im assuming this is normal in all first time moms because on the flip side I cant go a day without getting completely giddy and excited to have my little girl in my arms.

Tomorrow morning Jerrod and I will be attending a baby shower on base put on by the march of dimes and shriners. The guest list is made up of military families depending on your rank, which baby it is and if you have attended the appropriate classes to get prepared for your new bundle of joy. We were so excited to get the invite. There will be cake and food and of course PRESENTS!

I am working on refurbishing the combo unit to go in the nursery. I just ordered custom hand painted dresser knobs (the old ones needed to be replaced anyways) they match the forest friends decor perfectly! and are actually waaay cheaper than any cheap knobs we were finding in the stores. score for me! so excited to get them in and add them to the finished product. Now we just need to find some strong people to help get the massively heavy piece of furniture upstairs...with my pregnant belly and jerrods bad back we cant do it :(

This week we also signed Addison up for daycare at the CDC. I am planning to return to a full time job in the fall or atleast part time...so we went ahead and signed up just incase. If Jerrod ends up getting orders to deploy then I will stay home and wait till he gets back to work full time.

Only time will tell...

my little english cucumber!

According to my handy dandy app that informs me of Addisons growth comparing her to vegetables she is now the size of an english cucumber. This is probably the most ridiculous app I have ever seen but get a kick out of the veggies she has been compared to over the weeks and find it very hilarious.

On other news she has begun kicking and punching (or is it head butting?) me at the same time like shes doing a little bit of tae bo in my belly making it jump and bounce all over the place all at once. Jerrod and I get a kick out of watching my belly move at night before bed, since she is most active when I am laying down relaxed. What an amazing experience!

My sister was

here for the week and helped me get the nursery painted..We just did a large accent wall a beautiful super light pink called 'pompom'. It came out perfect and we love it! It is just enough color to add a little pop Since most of the bedroom set we picked out is in neutrals it adds the perfect little girly touch to the room. :)

My mom and her 2 friends Dee and Penny were here for the weekend and helped us celebrate Jerrods birthday with our first BBQ of the year as well as St. Pattys day. Always nice having family here and anxiously awaiting my trip to Maine with Danielle next month for a week.

I feel like my stomach is now officially out of control and there is really no hiding it. But who would want to? I LOVE my baby belly and love showing it off. It is the one thing I have always looked forward to during the time I would be pregnant, I think a pregnant belly is just beautiful! and im trying my best to keep it all baby. So far so good, but we still have a ways to go

and my appetite is doing anything but slowing down...when I see something that looks good I just have to have it right then and there like my life depends on it. Luckily it's mostly been fruits and veggies (ok and the occasional bag of keebler elf cookies) but oh well...I will start seeing the Dr more frequently starting the end of this month, but Addi seems to be right on track with size, weight and all that and the Dr informed me that they will not let me go any later than a week past my edd which is nice because we know she will definitely be a June baby (I had a fear she would go past July 4th!)

Oh and don't think I spelled my little girls name wrong, we will be calling her Addison, and as many have already guessed her obvious nickname we are spelling it Addi, not to be confused with Addie or Addy. Just thought id make it viral so there is no confusion later on as I have seen it spelled several different ways in baby books. :)

Addison's Bedding Set

I came home from a sub job to find my bedding set had arrived! I am so happy with it and excited (considering we picked it all out before we were ever expecting and we never saw it in person). It came with a fun patterned sheet but I put on the soft pink one my mommy brought us so it will match the wall once we paint the room. Plus i needed to add a touch of girly pink. I love the crib skirt

which has a little raccoon peeking out of the bottom ( we have the crib raised up so he doesnt show right now) but he will when we begin to lower the mattress :)

We have begun to slowly buy diapers and wipes...a mixed variety of brands and sizes every other week when i do groceries depending on what coupons I can find ..but slowly we are starting to stock them up.

Registry Links

So we have had several people ask about our registry...i'm happy to say that i think we have officially finished it up!

We are registered through 2 different ones.

Target

and

www.Myregistry.com ; http://www.myregistry.com/public/Erin-Jerrod-Smith

For both search for me and Jerrod

this last one is great because it has several different stores and online stores through it, unfortunately we have only been able to locate our bedroom set through online stores so i took the liberty of trying to track down the cheapest prices for those items. It is the Forrest Friends set by Carters.

Anyways, if anyone has any questions about the registries or items feel free to ask or talk to my sister. No items are duplicated on the 2 different registries so please remember to check off any thing that might be getting purchased. Now that that is out of the way...

Every one have a great weekend!

Big Belly = No Yogalates

Today I worked on a few more projects for Addisons room.

The bottom one will not be done until she is born since a picture of the three of us is needed to complete it.

The OWL one is my own version of something i saw online to buy...why buy when i can make it? Took me all morning but I am very happy with how it came out..it looks alot better in person, the picture doesnt do the colors justice at all. My husband is an angel for buying me my cricut at Christmas, and the fact he picked out cartridges he knew i would use for the babies room gives him extra points. I LOVE this thing! Me and Chelsea even made cute dividers for Addison's closet to separate her clothing by size so it will be easy to find what i need using it :)

Hopefully The nursery will begin to be really put together in the next couple of months. My sister is visiting next month and will be helping with the painting of the room. My mom bought us a beautiful glider rocking chair while she was here visiting that matches our natural wood colored furniture theme. We have a crib, changing table and combo unit ready to be put upstairs as soon as Jerrods back feels better and we can find some help getting things up the stairs.

I cant believe today marks our 23rd week. Time is really flying now and the good news is that we have yet to hear about deployment orders for Jerrod , this could be a good thing or this could be a bad thing but we are trying not to think about it and focusing on the pregnancy.

It feels as if my belly has come out of no-where.

Im not sure when it really got there, but there is no denying im pregnant now! She is kicking me constantly and the dreaded calf leg cramps have started almost every night. I have always got them since I was in high school on and off but EVERY NIGHT! Needless to say if anyone has some good advice for diminishing them even the slightest bit it would be much appreciated...and don't bother telling me to eat bananas because I already eat about one a day.

Last night I went to yogalates (a combo of yoga and pilates) which I have not done since before I was pregnant..well, after spending the first 1/2 of class not doing much of anything because I wasn't allowed to by the instructor because of being pregnant I quickly realized it might be a class I will start up again after my pregnancy. Mainly because once we got into things I could do my belly kept getting in the way and I couldn't move around it! Forget trying to do the best stretch ever in the easiest position child's pose, I could barely get bent over my stomach to reach to the ground and then Addison began to kick me throughout the entire cool down as if saying 'really momma? don't ever do that to me again!' Not to mention my balance is absolutely terrible now-not really a good trait to have for yoga. I think ill stick to my walking and water aerobics that i'm starting next week for my fitness for now.

22 1/2 weeks

Yesterday was our 22 1/2 week check up with Dr Debbs. My mother and sister were here so we got to bring them along and have them in the ultra sound room during the exam. It was so nice having them there for the full anatomy scan! It was confirmed that she is indeed a girl and that she has very long legs!! (go figure). Her spine looked beautful and we watched her kick up a storm (well, they watched and i felt it) She also sucked her thumb the whole time and we watched her mouth move in the sucking motion as her little fingers went in and out of her mouth. We got this great picture of her doing it! She was being a little stubborn and not wanting her face photographed and never gave us a nice profile shot like they wanted, but oh well. Both the technician and Dr Debbs said she looks perfect and I wont need to see him again until may 1st.Oh and shes already 1.3 lbs! finally past that 1 lb mark!

Other big news this week: We are ready to reveal her name...our precious little girl will be called Addison Kay Smith. :)

Early wake up call

Early this morning I was woken up by a funny feeling in my stomach. Thinking it was gas bubbles I didnt think much of it...but then the feeling started moving all around my abdomin, and didnt stop for over 15 minutes. I quickly realized it was the wonderful sensation of my baby girl kicking me. I have been so anxiously waiting to feel her move and have felt left out having every one tell me they began feeling there baby well before where I am in my pregnancy. I laid there and just enjoyed her dancing around punching my insides (sounds kinda weird I know) but it was like the real proof that my little girl was in there and telling me no more sleeping in get up and do something! Needless to say I was too wide awake to sleep any longer.

Last night I spent some quality time with my cricut and started making some DIY baby nursery decor. I found some frames laying around in storage bins that will be painted later on once i get to the store, but for now they are black.

Hi! My name is...

Fresh off of a bad case of what we now think was food poisoning...im finally feeling amazing and back to normal. Today is my official 20 week mark putting me at the half way point in my pregnancy. Jerrod and I have settled on a name and have been talking to her every night. Don't bother asking because we are keeping it a secret for atleast 2 more weeks..but we promise to tell as soon as we have our full anatomy sonogram on the 17th. So glad we can move past calling her 'baby' and 'it' and referring her by her name now :)

We got a changing table yesterday for the nursery..piece by piece it is coming together. I can't wait to really start decorating and putting it all together.

It's a .....

Well well..today we went in to see Dr Debbs our hi risk specialist and after much frustrating time using the sonogram (baby was once again not cooperating) he told us if he had to put his money on it he would say that our little bundle is a girl! Jerrod was right i was wrong, there i said it. Probably good since we have only settled on a girls name anyways (don't even bother asking because we aren't saying yet ;) But we are thrilled and both so happy. All that matters is our baby is born healthy. Now it is time to finally start some REAL baby shopping...I love shopping for little girls! YAY :) Now onto the next anticipated moment in the pregnancy...the kicking!

Butterflies

Yeserday morning I was awakened by a promise that had not been fulfilled last month. Jerrod had said since he had to work on my birthday he would make my birthday pancakes that weekend. Things happened and we got distracted and it was forgotten about. So, better late than never I had 26 pancakes to eat yesterday followed by a belated happy birthday song! :)

Later,after a wonderful Patriots victory last night surrounded by friends and food, Jerrod and I headed off to bed . As I laid there trying to fall asleep I felt something funny going on in my tummy, thinking it must have been the buffalo chicken dip Jerrod had made I prepared myself for some serious indegestion and heartburn. But it felt differnt. I realized right away it was a wonderful sensation that all my friends had told me about but i was so nervous I would never realize what it was and confuse it, for say indegestion. It was the feeling of small buterflies over and over and over again, the small movements of my baby sumersaulting and dancing up a victory dance storm. I relaxed and just laid there and enjoyed it. What a wonderful way to end my day!

Week 17

Today is week 17! I can't believe how fast time is flying by, in less than a week we will be finding out if we are having a little boy or little girl...the suspense is killing me! I have found 2 books I absolutely LOVE. Belly Laughs by Jenny Mccarthy; its a great comic relief book that is down right honest and says what every pregnant women is thinking but too shy to tell anyone, and a book my sister got me for Christmas called How to be a rock star momma by Skye Hoppus (my man Mark Hoppus from Blink 182s wife). Both have been so helpful with everything from pains, wardrobe issues and well...several other things that unlike Jenny Mccarthy I prefer not to make public.

I spent most of yesterday playing with my new cricut Jerrod got me for Christmas. I am having so much fun making fun Forrest friend critters to decorate my pregnancy scrap book and to make wall decals for the nursery, we are doing a (Forrest friends theme) I have been making little owls, deer, squirrels, foxes ect. They are so darn cute! Here is the momma and baby fox i made, its my favorite so far!

Good Morning Baby!

GOOD MORNING BABY!

16week update

Happy 16 weeks today baby smith!

This week has been pretty hectic with the incoming of the new year and adjustments to the weather that hasn't quite decided if it is winter or not here, one second it is bitter cold leaving you running to the house after getting out of the car or it is so warm you can get by with just a light layered sweater. There was a dusting of snow the other morning when i awoke and Whiskey made it quite clear that he does not appreciate it like my bassets in Maine do. He refused to go outside and when it was finally necessary he pottied right on the porch not even 2 steps out of the house and raced back inside. That Arizona winter really spoiled him, he is such a baby now when it comes to the cold.

Yesterday brought a very long day at the hospital while I waited on Jerrod to have his first of two back surgery's done. The plus side is that there is a 5 guys hamburger joint in ocean city and even with the meds and half doped out of his mind he was still able to make sure i remembered to stop for his post-surgery treat. Its funny the energy men can muster in the name of food in a time of pain.

As for me, I have felt better. I have been suffering from some pretty bad migraines this past week and my energy was alot lower than its been in a while. I have just felt very 'blah'. Luckily I was able to pull myself together to go out to dinner with our friends tonight for our first trip to hibachi and now I am hooked! Mmmm (thanks danielle and Bryan for the invite!) I am hoping my energy will come back by this weekend, just running to the store real quick felt like it drained me of everything i had.

I cant get over the fact that i am now in my 4th month. I feel like it has flown by and not to mention since we found out so early (3 weeks) It blows my mind. We are almost at that half way point and the only thing we have even begun to prepare for is putting together a crib that my mom got us...and boy wasn't that interesting! Still waiting to hear about Jerrod's deployment orders, we should know relatively soon about a date/location until then it weighs heavily in our minds not knowing, as if there's not enough things to worry or stress about in life. On the bright side, i'm finally getting that 'baby bump belly' and I absolutely love it. I have always thought about being pregnant and the one thing I was most excited about was the belly, I think pregnant bellies are so beautiful and wonderful and doesn't bother me at all. I hate reading magazines with woman complaining about how they gain weight and they cant fit into there clothes and yadda yadda... well what did you think was gonna happen? The baby has to grow SOMEWHERE!

Anyways, have a marvelous weekend :)