It all makes sense!

First let me start this off by saying how thankful I am, how blessed I feel and how I really feel like a miracle has happen to my sweet little Abe! Thank you God so much!

I took the boys last week for their 2 month and 4 year old check up and shots (with my mom, thank god!) and Oliver went first and checked out perfect.. I knew he would, not even a tear with all four shots (his eyes were probably all dry from all his other crying nonsense)!! And then it was Abe's turn, which I was nervous about... I really had a gut feeling something is wrong with him.

I told the doctor all my questions, concerns, his quirks and she informed me that she believes he has Tracheomalacia - which  occurs in newborns when the cartilage in the windpipe (trachea) has not developed properly. Instead of being rigid, the walls of the trachea are floppy. Because the windpipe is the main airway, breathing difficulties begin soon after birth.Congenital tracheomalacia is very uncommon.

Here are the sympotons: 

• Breathing noises that may change with position and improve during sleep (this is why we had to stay an extra day in the hospital, and he has since been a "noisy" breather and sometimes scary)
• Breathing problems that get worse with coughing, crying, feeding, or upper respiratory infections (he has a cold now so we know it does get worse at times, feedings have been downright a mess)
• High-pitched breathing (yes)
• Rattling or noisy breaths (his crying has always been a very hoarse quiet cry, to be honest it sounds like a cat is dying at times) 

What will happen/ how we are treating it: 

Congenital tracheomalacia generally goes away on its own by the age of 18-24 months. As the tracheal cartilage gets stronger and the trachea grows, the noisy respirations and breathing difficulties gradually stop. Persons with tracheomalacia must be monitored closely when they have respiratory infections.We also have been treating Abe for acid reflux,gas and colic (but now im not sure he was colicy) so we will continue that, such as feeding upright, twice a day zantac, lots of burping and gas drops. I also stopped nursing Abe, the doctor let me decide this on my own but he needs to be able to breathe easier when feeding as well as have a gentle formula that is consistent and not affected by what I eat (acidic foods, spicy, dairy, etc. all change the content of my milk and affect his windpipe). We started him on Doctor Browns bottles and by the first feeding, he was a changed baby and the feeding was not a mess or a battle. If things do not improve by 18-24 months, surgery may be required. 

I did some more research and spoke with my doctor and Abe's pediatrician and it seriously all makes sense now. I had (severe) polyhydramnios because Abe wasnt swallowing the fluid as much as he should have been! Had he been born ANY earlier we may have been faced with some heartbreaking and devastating situation. He really has a mild case of it, some babies born with this do not breathe when they are born and/or need surgery very early on to repair and put a stint in. My doctors were always amazed that my uterus was able to hold all that fluid  (6+ liters when you're only supposed to hold ounces) so well and I KNOW for sure now that there was a higher power helping my body. 

Our little family had an extremely rough summer, not only dealing with this but now I see that we were only given what we could handle. I am really really grateful for my sweet baby boy! 

Part 3 - Our Birth Story - Abram John Smith

Everyone is commenting on how big he is.. just like with my belly! I can see he is big too. But he is perfect!! 10 fingers, 10 toes, he's breathing, he looks great! He has dark hair and is doing great on his testing that they are giving him. He looks just like Oliver only bigger and has these cheeks that go on forever... I swear they easily go down his neck!! haha... He already has personality and crazy facial expressions which I love.

To be honest the rest is a blur... I have a doctor in between my legs, people everywhere, I cant stop staring at my baby and I'm just so happy and honestly so proud of myself... I know its crazy that I was feeling that in that moment but it had been a really rough summer. Daniel and I went through some pretty crazy stressful times and I held it together, kept this baby safe from all the what ifs and delivered without induction or C section like everyone had been telling me was going to be needed.

It was a truly amazing experience bringing sweet Abram into this world.. from the giggles in the bathroom when we found out we were expecting all the way to the tears in our eyes when he arrived. I love this little guy so so much and right now he is insisting on some milk.. lol ;)

Part two - Our Birth Story - Abram John Smith

So on Friday the 13th, I started maternity leave... I always made a big deal about working up until I deliver but that just shows how much pain I was in. The doctors told me to stop working... at this point I couldn't even stand up long enough to make Oliver's lunch for school!!

So that afternoon I had a doctors appointment... Daniel had to come with me cause I had Oliver and knew I had lots of testing (NST, ultrasound, "checking")... I was checked at a 1.5 which before that I had been pretty much locked up... I talked to the doctors and since my cervix was showing signs of starting it was ok to schedule an induction.... which I really didn't want but I couldn't be pregnant anymore... we scheduled everything for Monday night and went on our way.

That afternoon we ran some errands and then headed to Oliver's tball game. It was the first one and I took a ton of pictures and made a few comments to others like "just in case we aren't here tomorrow" or "I feel a little different today" that now looking back were signs... We left there came home and hung out. My mom had went to the mountains for a weekend church retreat so we were taking care of her dogs and just relaxing...

Between 10 and 11, I was having a lot of contractions and they were different than the thousands of Braxton Hicks contractions I had for the past 10 weeks. I kept having to pee after each one too... which was really different. Quickly they went from being erratic to every 10 minutes... I got myself up and did laundry, fixed my hair, straighten the house, Daniel put Abe's car seat and base in his car, etc... both of us were doing this stuff and silently we both knew what was happening but I didn't want to admit it and I could tell Daniel didn't want to force me. I sent Daniels mom a message asking if she would keep her phone by her in case I go into labor cause we would need to bring Oliver by... then she silently knew as well.

I decided to call the doctor on call after a few contractions almost made me throw up, as I waited for her to call back Daniel finally suggested we go to the hospital.. I said no, but was packing our bags so I knew we were... Finally I said lets go and we were out the door.

The contractions were 10 mins apart, lasting a minute and had been going on for like 2 hours... The doctor (midwife) finally called back and said we could go to the hospital and then they would send us home until we were in labor... she also called back with a morning voice.. she CLEARLY was in bed! Ugh. Daniel asked me if the "Housewife" would be delivering us... lol... he meant Midwife!

So we dropped Oliver off, stopped for gas and got to the hospital... In the car ride my contractions went from 10 mins to 6 mins apart and I was screaming in pain... We walked in the after hours ER entrance and the workers at the desk both pointed for us to go left towards labor and delivery... My contractions are now 4 mins apart... I knew now that the midwife was wrong and they were not sending us home.. we were fore sure in labor!!

We get checked in and the annoying nurse who kept talking about herself over my screams tells me I am at 5 and we are having a baby!! It feels exactly the same as when they told us we were having Oliver.... excited, scared, happy... absolutely amazing!! They bring us back to the delivery room and its the same one as last time!!! :)

Daniel calls our parents and my mom doesn't hear her phone but that's ok cause I don't want her to leave the mountains.... I had to wait for the epidural cause there was an emergency C section was going on so to calm me they gave me some medicine that the nurse said would taste like a margarita I am drinking from a straw....it was exactly like that... she said it would wear off quick and it did and the anesthesiologist still wasn't ready so they gave me something different that I didn't like at all!! It made me sleepy and my head wobble and made me nauseous. I don't remember much with that medicine but I do know I got some sleep but had weird dreams. I remember dreaming about my dad, I don't remember what the dream was but I know he was with me and that's why I dreamt about him!

At 5:45 I was at a 7; 90% effaced and -1..... and they broke my water with a slow leak.. the doctor discovered that I had meconium in my uterus (poop from Abe) so the resuscitation team would have to be on stand by when Abe was born to suction it out. I was scared. We thought things were going really fast at this point and I finally got the epidural.... and things just stopped!

I stalled at 7 FOREVER!!!

Morning came, Kathy came, my mom came, Gigi, Papa and Oliver came, Father Tim came, and we waited.. finally I moved to 8, then to 9... still we waited... I was starting to hurt more and more but didn't want to press the epidural button cause I wanted control when I pushed. Finally the pain was unbearable again and I was nauseous.. they checked me and it was time to push!!!

I pushed through 9 contractions... with 3-4 pushes at each contraction... I did some better than others but really I gave it my all.... its kind of hard to do all the things needed at once... pull your legs up... breath in and hold it, push like your pooping (but I didn't actually want to poop), etc... I was making a lot of progress and could tell his head was right there but the doctors still weren't in..

Finally Dr. Little came in and helped.. I guess I had my eyes closed cause he yelled "Kelly!, open your eyes and look"... I saw Abe's head and then his butt!!! I watched Daniel cut the cord!! I remember looking up at Daniel and smiling, both of us with tears in our eyes... It was sooo precious!!! Such an instant love again!!

Our Birth Story - Abram John Smith

Wow.. He is here, he is beautiful and he is ours.. I simply cant believe I am so lucky again.

Being pregnant with Abram was a blast... We went to Savannah together on a girls trip.. Chattanooga for a country festival, the beach and all the typical nonsense I seem to get myself and my boys into. As much fun as it was it was also very stressful...

Around the beginning of July I was huge... not everywhere but just my belly... I looked full term and wasn't even 30 weeks yet! EVERYWHERE I went people would comment about my big belly and stare in disbelief if they knew how long I still had to go. To strangers I began lying and saying things like "a few more days"... it really was crazy. When I got back from the beach the craziness of my big belly went from... I have big bumps to a very scary dark place. I went for my normal monthly checkup and when Dr, Harrison measured my belly he noticed that it had grown too much in the 4 weeks. He said it was probably nothing but I needed to go to the Gainesville office for them to do more tests and I had to go right away... So we did more tests and they determined that I had Polyhydraminos..... it is too much fluid in the uterus, here is the definition....

Polyhydramnios (pol-ee-hy-DRAM-nee-os) is the excessive accumulation of amniotic fluid — the fluid that surrounds the baby in the uterus during pregnancy. Polyhydramnios occurs in about 1 percent of pregnancies.
Most cases of polyhydramnios are mild and result from a gradual buildup of amniotic fluid during the second half of pregnancy. Severe polyhydramnios may cause shortness of breath, preterm labor or other signs and symptoms.

So I found out I had a severe case... My fluid numbers hung around between 35-45 and they are supposed to be less than 25 and go down each week. I now had answers for why I was so short of breath, or for my fainting spells and obviously my big bump... but the scary dark place was why I had poly.... it could be for no reason, or it could be a problem with the baby swallowing, other birth defects, cleft lip, downsydrome, a blockage in the stomach or intestines. Ugh... so scary... I had to meet with another specialist but my appointment wasn't for 5 long long days..... luckily, the ultrasound person did a secret 3d ultrasound for me to help me rule out cleft lip and see that my baby at least looked ok... He did and that's where I got the picture for the twinsie post...

so luckily after all that drama everything turned out PERFECT and he looked fine... of course worry was still ALWAYS in the back (front) of my mind.... there is a huge risk for preterm labor however cause the amount of weight in my uterus it could burst at anytime... I had a big boy in there and about 6 liters of fluid! They said to expect delivery around August 11th!!!

Luckily he stayed put... which is great cause he is healthy and safe inside me BUT it was a nightmare for me. I couldn't walk far, stand up for long, sleep in bed, etc. but it was going to be all worth it... When things got really bad or hard I went and sat in Abe's room and cried and prayed and JUST knew that we would get through it!

And we did.... see part two.

Twinzies!!

Oliver on the left approximately 29 weeks and Abram on the right at almost 32 weeks. 

Abe Update

Oh Abram John... you are going to be a little handful for Momma aren't you? Since we have come back from the beach when I was 30 weeks pregnant.. (omg its only been 3 weeks... time is moving soo SLOWLY!!) things have been interesting surrounding you.

On that Tuesday I went for my appointment at the Braselton appointment and Dr. Harrison thought my belly had grown too much in the 2 week span. I was measuring 4-6 weeks ahead where as the appointment before I was measuring only 2 weeks ahead which had been consistent. I went to the Gainesville office where they did an ultrasound and saw that there was too much fluid and Abram was measuring large as well. At this point my fluid level was in the 33cm, it is supposed to be between 5 and 25. Abe was 4lbs 6 oz.. He was supposed to be just at 3lbs. They set me up on weekly ultrasound appointments and kind of left things at that and told me he would probably be here early.

The next week the fluid jumped from 33 to 44 and I knew it had... I could feel it stretching and ripping since my last appointment.. Clothes were way tighter and I was really uncomfortable... And now scared to death cause it should never be jumping that high. They said it was probably nothing but it could be an issue with a blockage in Abe's throat or belly. They couldnt see any issues though. I left there convincing myself and my mom that everything was fine.. I just knew it.. but deep down in my heart all I wanted to do was cry cause I was scared... You see with Oliver I followed every rule.. I ate everything I was supposed to do and stayed away from everything that they thought could be harmful.. this time I have still been good but I ate some deli meat, I drank some caffeine and I even sipped the first sip from Daniels beer whenever I opened one for him. What if I harmed my baby?? The hardest part of this was I wanted to sit on google and research and get lost in my fears but I have Oliver with me so I have to act like everything is fine. It was so hard but now I see Oliver was with me to keep me from going further to places I didn't need to.

This week was the hardest.. I saw the doctor on Tuesday and went back again on Friday and they were sending me to a specialist on Monday. They started me on NST tests each time I come to the doctor which I was a little familiar with cause I had one the day before Oliver was born. The doctors told me I have appromimately 6 liters of fluid in my belly and to pack a bag cause I was basically liable to pop at any time. I also washed and gathered all our beach towels just in case. The NST tests showed Abram was doing well inside me so that was good. He was just playing in the pool inside me!! It took forever for it to be Friday but I went to the doctor alone and the NST was good and the ultrasound tech was amazing and snuck some 3d pictures for me. I had read that clef lip and birth defects cause alot of fluid... and guess what? ABE LOOKED perfect... my heart immediately calmed.. and this time I knew that we were part of the 65% that have high fluid for no reason.. And I also got another pleasant surprise.... I had seen that baby face before.... Abram seriously looks 100% like Oliver in utero! :)

I calmed down for the weekend and was very calm in seeing the specialist that Monday... Although still extremely uncomfortable and at this point... 32 weeks I was downright in pain!! The specialist did an hour long, very invasive ultrasound regimen and we got to see Abe from all angles, colors, everything... and we also got to see that 3d picture of his precious face.. Daniel wasn't at Fridays appointment and even though I showed him the picture I bet he was glad to see it at the specialist with me. The specialist said he didn't see one thing that he thought was an issue so I was good to go back to my regular doctor!! Also my fluid had dropped back down in the 30's. :)

I read on google that your fluid peaks at 34 weeks and since he has been measuring ahead I think I just progressed faster than normal.. and maybe that's what caused so much fluid... also this time, I didn't swell up like I did last time, so maybe my body just produces alot of water and this time it stayed in my belly. I really have no idea, but at this point I am ok with that. I still need to be careful since I still have Polydraminos and I go for weekly or bi weekly check ups but things this serious have settled some.. now onto my other pregnancy issues! ;)

Dan's the Man!!

The first two texts are July 25th and the third one is from today!! I am so proud of this man for entering an industry where he had no training, no knowledge of anything and with a leader that we were warned against. Daniel has really grown and impressed me more in the past year than I ever imagined. I really cannot express how proud I am of him for getting this far....

Even if the next text said he is scared "shitless"..... To which I brought the conversation back to me and reminded him of other things he was scared "shitless" about. lol :)

I cannot keep up!!

I cant believe I have slacked off again... well actually I can cause its me and I can never keep this thing going... I see that I left off somewhere after Oliver's surgery...That was the worst 10 days of my life. I still have no idea what was happening to my little boy which is hard to process but he is better... so so so much better. He doesnt snore anymore, hasnt had a runny or stuffy nose since and I would redo those 10 days of hell again in a second to make him a healthy, well rested child.. Although, he has started this WEIRD smelling of the fingers thing that I am going to kill him if he doesnt stop. UGH!

I see that I let off my last entry with good hopes for days 9 and 10 and all my hopes came true. The night terror, seizures went away just like Dr. Thomson said they would... He is a brillant, brillant man! Life went back to normal.... and which is probably why I havent written since... normal in our world, is BUSY!

Right now I am reviewing my fb to do some catch up posts and talk about my lil bun in the oven!! :)

He said...

Me- "Oliver, tonight I am going to go buy a bahing suit so we can go swimming!"

Oliver to Amma - "Yay, Mommy is going to go buy a bathing suit to fit over her big belly!!"

FB 5/25

Day 9: My baby is back!! They weren't kidding about us needing to just wait 10 days... He is about 80% his normal self and only one night terror thing last night!!! I am soo stinking excited.

Oliver to Gigi

"It hurts so HUGE... like so big.... its getting only a little tiny bit better"

LOL.... Today seems better... the living room is scattered with toys, he is playing and my heart, mind and sole is happy.

Worst Week Ever

Day 5 got worse... after I posted Oliver couldnt get out of his nap.. It was horrible...

Day 6 was bad too...

Day 7 had a horrible morning but I saw some signs of improvement. Only 2 night terrors that night. Was able to attend his baseball party!

Day 8... ok, so far... woke up wasier than previous days but was still weird in the am. I tried to go to work and the separation anxiety was so bad that I had to wait and try it again later... Finally I got to work and he was ok. He finally went potty after a 20 hour stint so I am sure he is dehydrated. But he is doing good while I am at work.

Keeping good thoughts for Day 9 and 10... and if there are no changes.... someone in the medical professional world will help us on Day 11 for sure!

Day 5

With 4 night terrors in 5 hours last night today is rough.... by far the roughest day so far...

He is in pain, I am too scared to give him the strong medicine but Tylenol may not be working. He says his tummy hurts.

I am off work today... There was major tragedy in Oklahoma with the worst tornado I ever heard about.. I cant watch it.

I am VERY thankful for what I have... I feel for those with less or who are suffering....

I will be strong again after his nap. 

Tonsils and Adenoids Part 3

Sunday morning was rough.... He had such a laid back Saturday that I knew it wouldnt be the same luck for me. We got up and I thought he was awake.. He wasnt thrashing but he wasnt normal. He wouldnt drink and he was grabbing his throat, I tried to give him his medicine but he just spit it out on me... I was getting so fustrated.. He was getting so fustrated...We went to the couch where Daniel got up and came to help. We got him to take some medicine but he couldnt drink... I then started giving him Gatorade through a medicine syringe and that seemed to help or make him come around... We were lazy for awhile after.... Sunday he was good... He gave up the paci and the medicine but was still a little whiny.. We went to Gigi and Papa's for dinner and he was such a good boy.. He still wasnt into eating but I feel like we have a few days to really dive into that issue.

We went home and Oliver was wide awake.... he couldnt get comfortable or still when we were going to bed at 11pm.. I was over exhausted from cleaning all day. Earlier Prince Oliver informed me that our floor had lots of dirt on it and he didnt like to step in it. (Nice, huh) Finally he went to sleep and Daniel and I were following right along... Oliver was sweating so bad.... like bullets of sweat... I remember telling Daniel how I once googled night sweats in kids and how of course it meant cancer. We went to sleep...

And not even 2 hours later Oliver had a night terror... I dont remember why we knew this was what it was but we tried comforting, waking, pulling him out of the room to calm.. nothing for like 20 mins... Finally he went back to sleep... Then poor Daniel started his sneezing fit... neither of us slept.... Daniel sneezed and I was on Google, WebMD, Baby Center.... all finding out that it was indeed night terrors!

My readings lead me to see that it happens in less than 10 percent of children after surgery, most commonly tonsils and adenoids... Night terrors peak at age 3 and 1/2.... 2 checks.... It could be worse after having caffeine or lots of sugar late in the day.. check 3... it could be worsened by weaning off medicine. 4 checks... the kicking could get very violent... check 5.... it could last for 2 weeks!! OMG! I read that you shouldnt try to sooth them, they cannot hear you... just be there, make sure their surronding is safe so they dont get they dont get hurt by their thrashing or kicking and let them get through it.. they will not remember it when they wake up.. which was soo good to hear... After that he had two more.... It was horrifying to not calm and comfort him and make it better but I think it was the right thing... The last one seemed shorter by maybe seconds and the kicks were the most violent so maybe he was fighting off what was going on. I dont know.

It definitely is the scariest thing I have ever dealt with as a parent.... We both prayed so hard last night... It not only hurts bad cause its my child but he is such a good strong boy through all this.. So trusting and brave... He even said that Jesus and God and Grandpa John were with him through his surgery.

I know we will get through this... I know it will make our love for Oliver greater.... I know it will make us better parents... I know it will make us wiser... and I know it could be worse.

I just want my baby back!

Tonsils and Adenoids - Part 2

We went to bed... I was exhausted... I had gotten up at 5:30am to give him some Gatorade to drink before the 6am cutoff... We fell fast asleep in my bed when I guess about an hour into it, he woke up screaming and pulling my pony tail that must have been in his face. We tried to calm him but were having issues... We finally did, got him something to drink, some medicine and figured he was in pain. He was breathing out of his mouth and I was afraid it had dried up what we had tried to keep so moist. We got him to go back to sleep but the only way he was comforted was to be held, for me to be walking and by request he wanted me to sing the National Anthem... haha!! So I did just that.... I walked the house like I did when he was a baby and teething, I sang what words I knew of the National Anthem, as long as I got... home of the Braves, he was happy..... and we made it through.

The next day was odd.. He was ok but not... He was spiking fevers consistently when he needed his meds.. never over 100.9, which they told us to call if it reached 101, and he wasn't drinking... I was starting to get concerned... The afternoon and evening were better and he was actually good when Daniel got home... which I loved cause I looked like a total liar (sigh!) but happy he was ok. I did even go into work for a few hours and he was fine at home. He hung out with her and fell asleep in her arms.. She was singing to him as he requested and he sat straight up and hit her in the mouth and went straight back to sleep... So weird right?... Everything else was normal.. We went to bed early again and everything was fine.. We slept through the night with minimal interruptions.. He seemed to be very restless and running... and he even sat straight up and threw an imaginary ball at one point...

Saturday I worked but I think he was good... they were lazy and he was now fully addicted to his paci, and was whiny.... I made plans to cut back the spoiling, meds and pacis on Sunday before we created a full on monster.. We went to the mall Saturday night and he was good besides what I mentioned above... His voice was now sounding like he was an extra high pitched baby girl.... It was hilarious and I couldn't help to just stare at him when he spoke... Today he was drinking much better... but not eating at all.

Saturday night was rough... Oliver had a little trouble sleeping but all I really remember were the intense storms.... like crazy, constant lightening and loud thunder. It woke Oliver up and he was scared but luckily in our bed already.

To be continued...

Tonsils and Adenoids - Part 1

I knew I should have been posting each day about this whole ordeal but things seemed to run so smoothly that I didnt think there was much to say... To be honest I am not sure why I feel the need to post about every detail of this chapter but I do. Like I have mentioned... this blog is FOR SURE more for me and my memories than anything else.

Week of surgery was great... I tend to keep Oliver over informed on things so we had talked in length about what was to exactly happen, how it was ok if he was seperated from us and we even got a book from the library about what they were going to do. I dont know if Abe will respond this well to things like Oliver but it works for him. He was actually even excited about it. Recently Jason Heyward from the Braves had surgery so you know its like the cool thing to do... (note to self, have talk about jumping not off Brooklyn bridge if J Hey does, lol)... Day of surgery went great too... He slept all the way to the hospital, didnt see Daniel and I sneaking breakfast in the car, let the nurses do all their vital testing, took medicine like a champ, went back to the operating room without a single tear and woke up calm and happy. Daniel and I did great too... We couldnt be upset or nervous, or at least show it before hand cause Oliver really was doing so good. Daniel, however had to be the one to take him to the O.R. (I couldnt cause of being preggers) and when we met up in the post op room, I took one look at his face and we both lost it for a few mins. Daniel said he did great.. they put the mask on him, which made him nervous when the nurse first talked about it but I showed him a pic on fb from when I was having him and had one and he was fine after that... He put it on, looked over at Daniel who did a thumbs up and within 30 seconds was out. Once he was out, still with his eyes open, he started to arch his back and breath weird, which they told us could happen.. The doctor assured Daniel he was ok and told Daniel to follow another dad back to room 18..... Nervous, upset and appeared to be creepy Daniel, followed the guy back to his room and then a nurse helped him find his way...

We cried for a few mins but then gathered ourselves.. We knew we had about an hour but it really went by soo fast... Soon they brought our shivering baby back into our arms and we held him and stared at him for probably another hour... Daniel went to the pharmacy and Oliver could be woken up to adjust (I was baby holding a 3 and half year old) and to drink.. The nurse took some vitals and once he started to wake up we were able to get dressed and leave. It was too good to be true... All the other kids were crying and fussing in other rooms.

We got home and he was good... He played and cuddled, ate actual food (pb&j, cookies), fought us on drinking like any other stubborn kid would do if their parents wanted them to do something and of course, he LOVED all the attention.

Then it was bed time.....

FB 05/10

I am entering a new stage of parenting and it is hilarious...Last night Oliver got on the phone with a friend (Danielle Connor), their conversation was precious... I have also been making plans with his best friend from school mom to get the boys together this summer.... I felt like I was asking this lady out on a date, but glad to find out her son thinks Oliver is his best friend too, so I wasnt creepy!

FB messaging with Oliver and Amma

Tricia - r rfoit ituvx5tpglhkbop[yt5tgbhyuj nm kjluyhjnuuu

 

Kelly - hi oliver tyre smith

 

Tricia - rohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhi

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabe

 

dear abe: dear oliver tyre smith. i want to come out & play with my big brother oliver./ mommy told me all about him. i'm in here all by myself. love abe

 

Kelly - lol.. what?

 

Tricia - that is the story oliver just told me. & that he loves abe/

 

LOL! I bet he used his high pitch baby voice to tell that story too! I CANNOT wait to see him as a big brother!!

Doctor Dates Pics

Sweet profile pic



Boy parts!



My brave buddy!



Serious Doctor picture

In the room all by himself. The light above the door is the "IN USE" notice.

Doctor Dates

How fustrating!! The 2nd appointment and probably last appointment I bring Daniel to it takes us two hours to get in and out. We had a 9am appointment so they wouldnt be behind and there wouldnt be a long wait and the doctor we are scheduled to see is on call and is in an emergency c-section. So instead of telling us, they sit us in the waiting room to do.. well, just that! We finally get seen I complained and they took us and we get to talk to the midwife. I asked about the fainting episode and she confirmed its common and how to avoid it from happening... we also ask about some sharp pains which checked out to probably be a muscle spasm... it waas good to hear that i actually still have muscles!

Then we got to see sweet Abram.. who Oliver thinks is the coolest little brother ever now! ;) Last time we "saw" him Abe was doing the peace sign... this time he was doing thumbs up which is totally Oliver's thing right now.. So Oliver thinks he is the COOLEST little brother ever! Abe looks perfect. He is long!! His head is above my belly button and his feet are on my bladder, which explains alot! His heart has all four chambers, we could see his toes and fingers and spine and everything looks fabulous! We also saw him "drinking" and could see his little tounge swallowing and his mouth opening. We even got a very good pic of his boy parts again.. this boy better not show his stuff this much out of the womb!

We got a video and I sat with my mom (and Oliver, of course) last night showing her everything. I pointed to above my belly button and said this is where his head is... Oliver is the most condesending tone says.."No, his head is up here (grabs his head) just like ours!" He wasnt looking at me but I suspect he was rolling his eyes... Three year olds have to keep on top of their moms I tell you!! :)

After we left Abe's appointment we flew back home, threw Daniel out of the car and drove to Oliver's apppointment to avoid the $30.00 less than 2 hours cancelation charge. We got there right on time! I was taking Oliver to the doctor today to check a bump on his face. He fell 5 weeks ago from running on the couch and banged literally bounced his side of his head / left eye area on the stone end table we have.... After the bruise and swelling started healing this itty bitty bump camp up.. they said it could be an orbital fracture, meaning when he hurt his face a piece of bone broke off and is in his face! It could also be scar tissue that takes longer to heal. We went over to the Xray place and Oliver did phemononal!! He didnt like the bracelet but other than that he did amazing. He went into the Xray room all by himself.. He hopped up on the table and did just what they asked of him. I could hear him talking to them abut becoming a big brother when I was outside the room. He really is a good boy but he also really likes to be examined by doctors and stuff.. He is actually excited about surgery next week!

Then... we went somewhere to take care of my needs.... and all three of ours actually....

WAFFLE HOUSE!!

Busy Boy

Oliver has been quite the busy boy lately!

Fishing - last weekend we went to Alabama to attend Katie and Benji's babyshower... I dont know either of them that well but I do love me some Paula and wanted to support her and since the girls would be doing that the boys suggested doing a little fishing at a stocked lake that a friend of Al's owns. Oliver's first fishing trip!! :) We piled "6 deep in the Durango" and made the 2-3 hour journey which was fun in itself.. The boys had a blast fishing and it was sooo adorable to hear Oliver tell us about it. Papa helped Oliver and they caught quite a bit... One really really big one actually... it was the size of Olivers body!

Swim Lessons - I signed Oliver up for Swim Lessons with Swim Atlanta and it has been going great. The first week was a little dramatic as Oliver got into the pool when class was ending but the past 2 weeks has been great! So good that I actually went to watch... Last summer it was a disaster when i would go watch cause he was sooo clingy.. This time, he jumped in, took turms with the other kids, worked well with the teacher and had fun..... She didnt have him swimming on his own just yet but I trust she knows what she is doing... I could tell that he definitely didnt like to float on his back! I can work with him on that this summer since I will spend alot of time trying to beat the heat!

G Braves Parade - Was soo stinking cute... Oliver is truly a HAM!! He was walking on that field smiling, waving and just loving being in the "spotlight" haha..... I got great video and pictures but I was so sad cause Daniel, Elaine and Kathy all missed it. After the parade, Oliver came back to our seats and Brian McCann was warming up in front of us... Oliver spotted him and started screaming "Brian Can", "Brian Can" haha... He was soo excited to see him! The game was miserable... it was cold, raining and the food line took liek 40 mins to get through. We didnt stay too long. I look forward to being able to do this again next year! SOOOO cool!!

Abe's kicking / Surprise Braves game!!

I want to say finally but that  isnt accurate... I think I was just more ready for it to begin this time cause other friends of mine are closely in their pregnancies as I am and they are feeling their babies... But at 19 weeks,

Besides a few flutters here and there, nothing like these consisitent kicks... I hadnt felt much of Abe (besides his my increasing diminshing waistline)..... but on Monday, he let me know that he is definitely a Smith boy and is going to fit in perfectly with his dad and brother (my other two sons).

There has been this social trend lately with people surprising their children with trips to Disney.... So for Oliver's version we did it for a Atlanta Braves game... He has been asking since the season started... he thinks he is too good for the G Braves games.. Lol... So we told him we were going to dinner (which Daniel and I ate two burgers, one order of fries and two cokes for $45!!), he dozed off in the car and we woke him up standing out in center field (well not in center field but where... you know what I mean)

So at the Braves game, Oliver and I went to the kids play area, walked back to the home plate patio where Daniel likes to watch the game, up to the fourth level to the base running area, down to the batting cages and pitching area and back to the kids play area before I nearly "died" again. Daniel took over from there and I went and sat and a picnic table... The Braves were making a come back which the crowd, Daniel, Oliver and you guessed it... Abe.... all partaked in the Tomahawk Chop to support the team...

HAHA!!

And he hasn't stopped since! :)

Oliver's 1st Parent Teacher Conference

Literally his teacher said.... "He's perfect!" I couldnt contain myself.... Elaborate!!!

She went over a listing of tests they do with the kids... He is very good at being logical... YAY!! That fine quality of doubting Santa and all the why questions you could dream of are paying off!

Some examples...
Concept of two - She held her hand out and asked for two of something that was in front of him (which there was more than 2 of), he handed her two and she kept her hand out... some kids his age will continue to give to you cause your hand is out... Oliver told her that he already gave her two.

Muffin Tin - She has a muffin tin out with multiple 8 different shapes.. She asks them to sort them in the tin.. Oliver does, and then tells her there isnt enough room for the other two shapes..

It was fun hearing about what he does when he isnt around me. I am so proud that he is becoming a well behaved, well socialized boy. I of course filled up with tears after I left!!






Cut with scissors - hurries to go back to playing



Closed circle

Note on how he holds his crayon - will need to teach better but fine for now

Mimick's teachers circle, horizontal line and vertical line

So much to catch up on!!

Here is my list....Ill post indiviually on each.

Abe kicking!!

Oliver's Parent Teacher Conference

Parade at G Braves/Swim Lessons/Fishing

My near fainting episode

Half way there! (Pics)

20 week checkup (Tuesday, 7th)

"My babe Abe"

if he is anything like the ladies man his brother is, then some lil picktailed girl will be calling Abe that by the first grade BUT......

Peanut Pics - 16 weeks

Abe giving the Peace Sign

Here he looks like he is meditating.. sitting "Indian style" and bowing his head

Now he is kicking the placenta

And finally he took his hands off his stuff to show us his boy part... and he is still kicking away

Being my own Medium

I'm sitting here watching Long Island Medium... LOVE this show!! And have tried to put myself on every list to meet her one day cause Teresa is my dads kind of chick...Watching this has made me realize that I may or may not have ever written about the stories of my dad coming through, which those experiences makes me like this show... So for documentation or redocumentation, here I go!

Long before my dad was ever very sick he introduced me to Daniel.. then one of his last coherent conversations was Daniel asking for my hand in marriage.. I know why I am obsessed with tying everything up in a neat bow such as this love story.

Before my dad passed he has his own room since he would get uncomfortable and couldnt sleep well. He told my mom once that he would pass away on a Wednesday near the front door of the house. Sure enough when hospice came to help he was moved to a hospital bed in the living room near the front door and he passed away right after midnight on a Wednesday.

The night my dad passed.... I always knew he wouldnt offically go with me around.. The day he died I left their house went to Daniels parents house where I took the most restful nap of my life and woke to my mom calling me in the middle of the night..I sometimes feel like he sent me to take that nap cause i didnt sleep again for days. When the funeral home people came to take his body away my mom, Daniel and I stayed in another room so we didnt have to see it... And after they closed the door the living room TV went from mute to full volume. For the next few weeks weird things would happen.. We would see yellow butterflys everywhere, couldnt find something and later it would suddenly appear, toilets would flush and so on. For months the tv in that room where he stayed turned on at the exact same time everyday just to static.

The most amazing signs I have gotten or seen from my dad (im sure there are a TON that i have missed) were through childbirth and through Oliver. Oliver's due date was orginally December 15th. He was obviously born on 2 days after my dads birthday and I ALWAYS knew it was a way to turn a sad time of year into a happy one. Three years later I can tell you that it has been very successful in doing so. Now I sit here pregnant with Baby Abe who was completely not planned to be on the way so soon (soon in our eyes, we were hoping to get preggers this summer) and Abe's due date is September 22nd.. I thought this was significant cause my moms birthday is the 23rd but I think it might be a way to make Septembers better. My dad passed away in September and as in the case of Oliver I think he helped us with this!

The day that Oliver was born we went to the hospital and they admitted us and sent us to a delivery room... Instantly as I walked in there was a very large picture on the wall of a yellow butterfly. He couldnt have been more with me if he was standing there in the flesh.. My dads thing since I was a little girl was yellow butterflys.. He LOVED them.. He would buy my mom and I yellow butterfly earrings and necklaces and it was just such a symbol of his presence.

Once Oliver started talking he spoke of Grandpa John often. A little too often for how much we spoke about him. Oliver would tell us that Grandpa John says goodnight, i love you... or spins his head around all the way... (in reference to how Daniels dad would stick his tounge out as a funny joke.. I can totally see my dad telling Oliver "oh yeah, you think Papa is cool, watch this!" ...

The coolest story I have was one night when Daniel was bowling... Oliver and I would watch how to videos teaching us to hip hop dance and dancing around the house was something my dad and I would do when i was little... one night when we were doing this Oliver said to me "I love you" in a whisper and then said to me thats what Grandpa John says to me... I ALMOST died.. I asked him about 6 more times and he said the exact same thing.. This was when Oliver was just two or even younger!! Oliver also points with his middle finger, just as my dad did!!

Ill finish more later.

A Simple Reason

on why I LOVE him so much!! The "Are you kidding?" made my heart skip a beat!!

Goodbye Piggies!

Even though I haven't seen them in months because of this cold, long, miserable winter (its been a cold winter but not THAT bad) we have had, Im still going to miss them!

See y'all in the fall! :)

My Lot In Life.......

is to be surrounded by handsome Smith men!! And I couldn't be more excited... To be honest with you Abe (it's soo nice to call him by his name) I thought I wanted a girl this time.. one of each and be done, seemed easy enough right... but over the past few weeks CONSTANTLY thinking about finding out what my sweet baby was, I had twinges of sadness to think I wasn't having another boy.. Here are my reasons.

Boys love their mama's!

Oliver is going to figure out that I am not the coolest girl in the world one day... and with the number of girlfriends he has currently, my time may be running out.

I have plenty of hormones (even when I'm not pregnant) for the entire household.

I have become a boy mom PRO.

Tball - Is soo stinking precious.. I couldnt imagine not watching my childs first at bat ever, all over again.

A girl would be expensive... I already indulge in the finer boy things, I would be WAY worse with a girl.

I am OBSESSED with the name Abram, Abe.

I can still call Daniel watching the kid(s), Boys days, boys weekends.... and then I can have my girl days, weekends!!

I'm not done building our family and if Abe would have been Ellis (or Etta)... we would have been done. I knew the moment I peed on that stick that I didn't want that to be the last time for there to be two lines.

And cause God choose this child for me... And I cannot wait to see why!!

 Sweet baby hands reminds me of the grasp reflect he will have around our fingers!

 A little alien like, but so sweet.. Not sure the pic captured it but his hands were holding his head.

 He turned away, I guess he was done or was showing us his little butt butt.

This pic if blurred but he flashed us the goods on screen and before the tech said anything

I KNEW what we were looking at! This pic also shows his little toes!

He was kicking up a storm too. That should be fun in a few weeks

.

Love you little AB!!

Our offical report

This was how I let the Facebook world figure it out.. It got about 30 "Like's".... some must just think its a cute picture of Oliver with a blue balloon cause they do not even know I am pregnant, other's got it!

I don't blame those that just liked it for Oliver and a balloon... It's a good picture!

Hairbows or Hotwheels?

This time we (I) decided that waiting until 16 or 20 weeks was just ubsurd... I mean I found of like the day I missed my period at week 4 that we were preggers again for Pete's sake... How could LIFE just expect you to wait to see what your whole world is about to be about.. lol.. I am kidding sort of..

The sibling dynamic ALWAYS intrigued me.. Without "real" siblings (I'll admit, I had a few pretend ones) I always wondered what it was like in a house with more than one child. NOTE: I must say that I am and usually have always been secure and happy in my only child state.

Is Oliver going to pass down his toys and teach his brother to use them, guide his brother to be cool and not naive (I was very naive and blame this on no older siblings).. are we going to mirror Daniels parents and have two boys that are 3 years and 10 months apart? Am I really the BOY mom I claim to be? OR

Is our whole world going to change? Are we going to easily find cute baby clothes everywhere I turn? (I pride myself on having a well dressed toddler boy since stores usually have NOTHING cute for boys) Are we going to be going to ballet and gymnastic classes or scoping out cheerleaders for more of a reason than for Oliver to pick out "the one I yke (like)"....

Part of me isnt ready to give this mystery up... Part of me is thanking LIFE for letting my mind wander at 3:30 on a Friday afternoon... but the other part of me wants to connect with this little guy or girl inside of me like I did with Oliver.. I want to know what kind of room to start prepping.. I want to tell the world. I want to know........

and honestly, I dont even want to wait til noon tomorrow!

"My baby"

Today at church Oliver went to children's chapel and the teacher asked children what they were thankful for....

Oliver proudly and excitedly raised his hand and said..... "My baby!"

He may already be one of the most attentive, loving and sweetest big brothers ever!

And he is 100% right.... we are all very thankful for our baby!

Week 12 pics

Smith mama's 

Post weekend bump (and messy room)

 Oliver (and Dumbo) at the doctor with momma

My little man held my hand during the blood pressure check, rubbed my belly while waiting on the doctor, gave his "baby" a kiss and even tried to listen for the heartbeat by putting his head on my belly when the doctor couldnt find it. Could I ask for anything more?! NO WAY!

Peanut pictures!!

Week 8 picture (Monday, February 11th) - First ultrasound - a lil blurry and still has "tail"

 Week 12 pictures  (Tuesday, March 12th) - Baby S has flipped; got to see him/her kicking and moving arms; doctor could not detect heart beat on little machine so we HAD to do an ultrasound.. thanks baby!!  :)

O-love!!! Tball edition

I am obsessed with Oliver... sure he drives me INSANE but he is everything I EVER imagined I would want out of a kid. For instance:

Tball - This boy has a little bit of talent going on in this area... Actually maybe at this age it is 100% heart but it is amazing.. At his first Spring season game (season 2 of playing) he got a great hit out to second base off the T; then he got a hit off the pitch!! YAY!!! While out on the field he got the ball twice and once when he did he picked it right up and threw it to first base and if this wasn't Pre- Tball that person would have been OUT! For Oliver to even get to the ball is a miracle because 14 other kids in the field are trying.. well maybe 10.. 4 of them seem to be drifting off into space (like Oliver last season, sorry kid)... and Oliver is by far the smallest, hence slowest so it is a tough task. Then on Sunday I wasn't able to go to the game but Daddy and Oliver informed me that he got two hits off the pitch but they were foul balls. He also was being a great teammate when in the dugout sitting on the bench he was calling out to Caleb who was at bat, saying "get a good hit... you can do it!" hahaha!! Daniel was being the 3rd base coach and said he heard Oliver yelling that and turned around and Oliver was the only one sitting on the bench watching the game! So cool kid, so cool!!

It is soo amazing watching him play tball.. I overhear comments from people who are standing around watching and even some from people who stop to watch how small Oliver is and gets up there and swings that bat around like he is really Jason Heyward... Oliver has even started to do some headnods as if Coach Chris is giving him secret signs (I don't know what they call them).

Too too fun I tell you!! :)

Girls Weekend (and maybe a little boy?)

 A little hotel photo shoot (at the Inn at Ellis Square, Ellis!?)

 

At Savannah Smiles... The dueling piano bar... The piano player wanted to know why I wasnt partying... Laura shouted it at him and then he brought me on stage to introduce the next generation of Savannah Smiles... The pic is horrible but its at the angle I hate and he wouldnt let me look at Tami and Laura. :) 

Big Brother and Peanut

LOVE THEM!!!!

My Head is Spinning

I still cant wrap my mind around the fact that we are going to have another baby, then toddler, then child... Oliver is going to have a brother or a sister!! I thought the second time would be soooo.... ummm less surprising, less nerve wrecking but its not! I have all the same feelings as I did with Oliver and I love it!

So far we have told my mom, Daniel's parents and Daniel's aunt... We will tell Jake and Christina on Friday and then wait until our appointment on Monday, February 11th to actually see our lil peanut and see the heartbeating and so forth.. i don't know why we are waiting because if we do end up having a miscarriage it is something I will talk about to people but I guess I will wait until I deal with the loss to discuss. It's honestly KILLING ME not shouting it from the rooftops!!

Daniel and I have tried to go on about normal day life but he has had more of a distraction than I have. The Falcons were playing in the playoffs and won the first game but lost the second which he happen to get tickets to go to. We have been talking about our lil poppy sead non stop though and even had a jump start on some names.

Girl - already decided but of course we will consider other names - Etta Paige Smith
Boy - having trouble with the middle name but right now it is probably - Abram Jude Smith

This could change possibly a million times over, our complete boy listing looks like this:
Abram - Hebrew - High Father
Walter
Howell
Max
Elliot
Levi
Lincoln
Parker
Remy
Duke
Winston
Warren
Albert
Ramsey

Our girls list looks like this:
Etta
Ellis

LOL

The Chinese Birth Chart which was right with Oliver and most of our friends says GIRL... I can really go either way with what I want which is good cause I dont have much say but the idea of being surrounded by nothing but sweet boys who love their mama sounds great but dressing a little girl and ballet classes well.... sounds expensive! lol

I think we will find out around April 22nd. That is when we will be 18 weeks.

I asked for it....

So the other day I was feeling worried.. Worried that I wasnt feeling pregnant.. So I did what any sane woman would do.. lol .. I went out a bought (the cheapest) pregnancy test I could find just as a reassurance that I still was...

btw.. I am!

Welll that day I was sooo sooo sooo unbelieveable tired.. I went to bed at 8 and slept til 8 the next morning and was still tired. But I feel great.. I cant remember when the nausea started with Oliver but I think it had at this point.

Well then last night... Daniel and I were meeting at Buffaloes to have a little date night. We had just had a horrible day of storms in the North Georgia area so it was raining and gross out. But I was in a great mood and I was totally jamming out in the car to the Britney Spears, Will I Am song. I guess a wreck or something had happened in the opposite direction cause two firetrucks and two ambulances passed me, so I pulled to the side and waited.. still dancing, of course... And while I am still dancing I found myself bawling crying concerned for the people in the emergency.

Haha! If that's not pregnancy hormones I dont know what is!! I immediately called Daniel and told him how hilarious this was.

written 1/31

Couldn't have pulled it off it we tried!!

I don't remember when but Jessica and I have been joking, talking about getting pregnant at the same time and how cool it would be to be in it together and have the kids be the same age but!!!! I never expected it to actually happen.. lol

That's right.... It a Smith thing is moving into the next generation... Jessica is 9 weeks pregnant to my 6 weeks pregnant... Umm yeah, we are 3 weeks apart. HAHA!!

Shaun and Daniel were at bowling together last night and we outside chatting about something Daniel said when Shaun said... So.. Jess and I went to the doctor today and she is pregnant..

First let me stop and say... WE ARE SOOOO FREAKING ECSTATIC FOR THEM!! I honestly cant tell if I am happier for them or for us!  I love Shaun and Jessica with all my heart and they are a great Aunt and Uncle and Godparents for Oliver and I KNOW that they are going to make the most amazing parents. I am so excited to be there for them as they venture into this world and meet what a little Shau-ica would be.

So then after Daniel congratulated and elated in Shaun's news... (although that sounds very gay)!... he told Shaun... Well your not going to believe this but Kelly is too...I picture it in my mind to be giggles and smiles and everything girly and it really may have been but Ill never know for sure. Daniel and Shaun both agreeded that they are going to need each other these next few seasons... Daniel probably scared Shaun with some over dramatic stories of how horrible pregnancy is but I guess it ain't that bad cause you did this to me again!! (lol)

Then Shaun and Daniel had a good ole laugh at Jessica and I fake drinking at girls night last tuesday!!

After Daniel sent me this text,

I couldn't even wait for him to answer before I called her.. When she answered I simply told her that I was fake drinking wine at her house last week... she said so was I... and I screamed and we talked about it. Then in a moment of clarity she said, "wait, why were you fake drinking wine?" lol

it was one of the best conversations of my life!!!

written - 1/30

A lil white lie...

Me trying to be sneaky so the girls at girls night wouldnt notice me not drinking... I am (was) a bit of a wino!

 I didnt know how long we were keeping the secret so I needed a reminder of the formula used to make this.


Side note: It is not juice so dont drink it like you just took a jog through the desert... you will blow your cover...

Luckily this night someone else was trying to cover up something so she was far more concerned with sneaking fake wine herself than me pounding White Zin.

Pregnancy Photos

The morning I found out.... 4 weeks along... Headed to the doctor to confirm.

Rumors are VERY true that you show MUCH MUCH quicker the second time.... or I may have just had a big breakfast... who knows. Here I am 5 weeks.