Facebook Status - 01/04

Kelly Smith just got home from her 6 week check up and picked up ollie's birth certificate.

Facebook Status - 01/02

Kelly Smith ‎'s hair is in rollers, Ollie's mowhawk is fixed... now all we need is daddy to get home, take the rollers out and were off to Ava's birthday party!!! I can't wait to see her in her party dress.

1 month pictures

fear and love

(i just found this under my drafts and at first i couldnt remember why i didnt post it but as i read it i realized i didnt post it because it is kind of chopy and didnt make complete sense... but now i decided to post it because it is a perfect representation of me right now.. haha... chopy and i dont always make complete sense.. )

daniel came home from work yesterday and said that someone told him that there are two things you know nothing about until you have a child. number 1 is love and number 2 is fear.

i got to thinking about that alot last night and we discussed it for a while and it really hits all of our feelings over the past few weeks on the nose. i always heard people say that the love you have for your child is like no other and i never believed that because i felt that i really loved the people in my life so saying a statement like that i felt discredited my love but now i see it is quite different. it is a different love, a more unconditional love and since i am only 3 weeks in, i am having trouble expressing what i am trying to describe. so moving on to fear.

i fear everything now... from the smallest germ on my hand to the possibilty of the world ending during my childs lifetime, or his childs lifetime and so on down the generations... while these fears certainly do not control my life they are definitely a new aspect of my life. those carefree days seems to have ended long ago but now they are definitely long gone and the best part about that is that i am happy to see them go...

i know all this sounds smug but i am just relating how i feel about life now... its so different and while i am trying to figure out how my old self fits together with my new self i just stop all i can do is stop, smile, and think about the journey ahead of me.

Month By Month

Update

So after Daniel's amazing birth story i decided that we needed a quick post about the last two weeks but seeing as it has been the most meaningful and most special two weeks of our lives i doubt i can be short with it.... however the stubbornness of Ollie's paci actually staying in his mouth seems to have other plans for my day.. so this is what Ive got

We came home from the hospital on Friday, November 27th.... we introduced Oliver to Georgia which went better than i ever expected... sure Georgia was nervous and shaking but she seemed ok for the most part... although i had said the entire pregnancy that we were not going to have anyone over for several days so Georgia could get used to Oliver, it now seemed like Georgia would do well with guests and just the normalcy of our lives... so the Stevenson's, the Connor's and Pauly came by to meet and see Oliver... it was a nice afternoon but i tired quickly so a nap was needed soon after they came... that night Daniel's parents also came by with dinner... on Saturday we celebrated thanksgiving at my mom's and also watched the Georgia/ Georgia tech game at our place... thanksgiving was real nice... it was Daniel's parents, aunt Kathy, Jake and me and my mom..... after dinner 2 of my mom's friends stopped by to meet Oliver and then it was game time.... while the game was on Aunt Kathy took the most amazing black and white photo's of Oliver... we did some shots of him in our arms and you can really see just how small he is.. we even took a picture with our wedding rings on his toes (thanks dani for that awesome idea).... another highlight of the evening was the new nickname that Oliver earned... you see UGA has been playing horrible all football season and i have been telling Daniel that its cause Oliver isn't here and next year they will do better and yadda yadda yadda... so when Oliver came early and was here in time for the big rival and when Georgia tech has been playing soo good i knew the pressure was on Oliver to assist UGA with a win for his own sake as well as the sake of not making his mama look like a liar. And I'm sure i don't even need to write what happened but just in case... UGA won!!!! and Oliver received his new name of Ollie the Omen... way to go kid!!!

ok so onto some other highlights of our past 2 weeks... Daddy was off until December 3rd and since then he has worked quickly and efficiently to get home to his baby... i thought i would take more offense to the fact that i now see how much time he actually wastes at work but I'm not that surprised... i am just glad he comes home rather quickly to see us (Oliver.. lol)..... Daniel's first day back i could tell was a little rough.. he left for work around 9am and i got a text at 9:30 asking why i hadn't sent any pics or texts with updates yet.. haha.... we also had our first non doctors outing when we went to the park for all the guys to play a flag football game... it was a gorgeous day out and i was THRILLED to use our new stroller... that same day we took a stroll down the street to get Georgia out of the house and reward her for being a good girl.

I guess i should do a paragraph on our doctor's visits since they consumed a lot of our first 2 weeks... every time we went to a doctors appointment so far it has been bitterly cold and raining... our first one was on Saturday the 28th.. Oliver had lost a lot of weight and was down to 5 pounds 3 ounces... he also had a high belly rubben (spelling ?) so he had to sit in the window in some non direct sunlight for a few hours a day... Monday the 30th his weight was up to like 5 pounds 7 ounces and his belly rubben was better... we decided we couldn't go back to the Longstreet clinic that the hospital sent us to so we called and got an appointment with a pediatrician that i had already interviewed... the one the hospital referred us to just didn't meet our standards at all... so on Wednesday the 2nd we went to the new doctors office and Oliver's weight was back up to his birth weight and we fell in love with this pediatrician... BUT he did sense a slight irregularity with his heartbeat and sent us to a cardiologist just to be sure. we immediately went to the cardiologists office at gwinnett medical where they did an EKG and some other testing... it was unbearable watching our 7 day old baby hooked up to all these machines and wires all over his body... but the visit was very informative and the tests and ultrasound of his heart proved that everything was just perfect with Oliver's heart.. It was however the LONGEST few hours of my life... i honestly feel that taking a bullet to the stomach would have been much easier and i also knew then that this experience made motherhood feel so real to me.. and i absolutely LOVE the feeling

more stuff on Oliver's first 2 weeks.... he is a good sleeper.. i usually have to wake him up to eat.. Since his weight is doing so good during the night i let him wake me up now and it is about every 3-4 hours that he wakes me up.. There was a night or 2 where he seemed to have his days and nights mixed up but he was still happy so it was hard to get frustrated... He really seems to be a good baby so far but i knock on wood saying that cause i know it could change quickly...

it's time for him to eat now so ill wrap this up.. i know it was kind of scattered but i am proud that i got some stuff documented and feel caught up with our blog now.

Our Story (by Dad)

8am came pretty quick.....the last thing I remember on Tuesday night before falling asleep was telling Kel to document all of her contractions and if they don't go away, call Dr. Harrison's office as soon as they open. Having to work at 9, my alarm went off, without fail, at the same time as it does everyday....and I managed to push the snooze button twice, like I do every day. I got up, showered and began to get ready for another day at the golf course. While in the shower, Kelly called the doctors office to tell them that she had been having contractions all night.....When I fell asleep that night, they were 30 minutes apart. I checked her documentation from the night and noticed that they had slowly gone from 30 minutes apart, to 20 minutes apart to 15 minutes apart. Dr. Harrison's office said to come in to get checked out....even though Kelly had been there the day before and nothing was happening. Kelly thought it'd be best if we loaded the car with our hospital bag and car seat, just in case....I unloaded the cornhole and junk from the UGA game I had gone to the weekend before....and loaded up the back with an overnight bag, cameras and the carseat......We both called our work to tell them that we were headed to the doctor to get these contractions checked out....we knew it was nothing and told them that we'd be in around lunch time....hopped on 985 and casually headed north to Dr. Harrison's office....wait, back it up for a second...we HAD to make a detour through the McDonald's drivethru for sausage bisquits and hashbrowns. Like clockwork, Kelly grimised in pain every 10 minutes, but found time to down her Mcdonald's...(I did too, but I wasn't in labor.) We actually joked around about what we would do if they said we were having a baby that day....We agreed that we would panic a little bit, call our mom's and head to the hospital. We got to her OBGYN around 9:30am, checked in and waited. It seemed like an eternatiy, but the nurse finally called her name and just like the previous nine hundred visit's I sat in the chair outside the restroom, while Kelly went in to give her urine sample. The nurse took one look at her pee and said she was pretty sure she was in labor.....what does she know.....I'm not even sure she's a real nurse...I've only ever seen her collect Kelly's pee. She escorted us into an exam room where, like the previous nine hundred visits, she gave Kel a gown and instructed her to strip down. A very southern mid-wife came in a few minutes later and like the previous nine hundred visits lubbed up her finger and jammed it up Kelly's you know what to check her cervix for dilation.....you could've heard a pin drop in this tiny little room....."ohhhh girl.....you are having a baby today!" she said with a huge smile! Kelly was 5 cm dilated! she was in labor all night and just sat around in pain until I woke up and got ready...what a wonderful wife. The mid-wife instructed Kelly to get dressed and head on over to NE Georgia medical center....there, they'd administer her epidural and break her water....and eventually, deliver our son into the world.....She left the room.................again...pin drop. Kelly and I looked at each other and busted into a hysterical laugh. We were certainly not expecting that.....Kelly stood up, threw away the gown and just before she could put her underwear on.....SPLASH!!! Again, Dr. Harrison, Dr. Lake, we apologize for the water stain in exam room 4. While Kelly got dressed, I went outside and called our mom's. For some reason, nobody seemed to be in quite the rush we were in...on tv, they make it seem like such a time sensitive ordeal....Kelly's mom was going to take a shower and get ready and meet us there....Kelly, of course told her to hurry!!! My mom had to call my dad, meet him at home and they'd see us at the hospital in 2 hours....2 hours??? Oliver will be walking by then!!! We were on our own.....The drive to the hospital is a blurr....we both called our work to tell them that we would not be working that day....called a couple friends to spread the word and before we knew it, we were flying into the parking lot, catching air on the speed bumps! Sorry again, babe....didn't think about the pain you were in. We found a parking spot and headed in.....stopping on our way to take a picture of ourselves walking into the hospital. The lady at the front desk was expecting us....I guess the doctor's office called them. Apparently, they've done this before. A nurse took us back and got us settled into LAD8 (labor and delivery room 8). She got Kelly into her gown and got her IV started. She was super nice, as was the other nurse that was getting kelly hooked up monitor's....meanwhile, I sat there and watched...texting and emailing the world that Oliver was on his way. I actually took control of Kelly's phone too....so I was on camera and phone duty...which with her phone, also includes facebook. I have zero experience on facebook...so my day suddenly looked like it was gonna be a long one....Kelly had it easy! The anisthesiologist came in next....she had a student with her and after recovering from stage fright, went through all of the instructions and information regarding an epidural. (I was filming everything and she appeared nervous to be on camera.) Kelly agreed on the terms and signed her life away! I was allowed to stay in the room while they drugged up my wife...yay. (those that don't know me...blood and needles make me a little weak.) I sat on the opposite side of Kelly, holding her hand while she prepared the world's largest needle! Yeah, I couldn't help, but peak. Everything went well...Kel was so brave and strong....she laid down and caught up on her text messages. Kelly's mom was the first to show up....we watched, as she walked through the parking lot...hair still wet...Once she figured out she had to PUSH the door, she made it into the room. We waited.....Nurses came in and out all day to check on Kelly and make sure she was comfortable. About 45 minutes after the epidural, I curiously asked Kelly how her legs felt...I'm not a doctor, but I know they're supposed to be numb. She said she could still feel them...nothing felt any different. The nurse heard her, and puzzled... said she was going to call the anisthesiologist.......Without delay, she came back into the room with that student again and apologized....apparently, she had contaminated the original and chose to use another that turned out to be too small...so, long story, short, she had to start all over! She took it out and started on the new one....this one wasn't as easy as the first. Kelly felt her tapping on her spine...yikes. The best part was mid-way through this one, my parents walked in.....They were quickly escorted out of the room to wait until Kelly was set. Finally, the epidural was in and working.....Kelly was numb from the waist, down...very quickly. I walked to the waiting room and told her mom and my parents that we were ready for them to come back....again....we waited. At this point, they weren't even checking the cervix yet....the monitor was showing inconsistencies with the contractions, so they knew we still had some time....so again, we waited. My Aunt Kathy was next to arrive. She's very good with photography, so that made Kelly happy, because apparently, I wasn't taking enough pictures or video. Finally, around 2 or 3, they started checking her cervix......they'd send family out of the room, check her, and I'd walk down that long hall and tell everyone to come on back in.....where again, we'd wait. Kelly's friend, Laura was the next to arrive......she was in a rush, but by now, we were taking bet's on the time of birth, weight, and length of the baby.....we even got some nurses involved. Kelly was stuck at 7.5-8 cm's for the longest time. The nurse couldn't give us a time...she just knew it'd be before midnight. Great, we'd been there since 10am....and now, it was 4pm.....and again, we wait. By now, Kelly had done her makeup and plucked her eyebrows....I was a champion on facebook and cameras.......They came in again to check the cervix...This time, she was at 8.5 cm's....but not quite ready to push....so I walked that walk again to get everyone back in the room....At this point, I'd made that walk about six or seven times....and all I remember is that I saw the same nurse sitting at the same station all day....I don't think she accomplished anything that day. Everyone came back to the room...where again, we waited. We'd been through two shift changes, three nurses, two epidurals....and many stories with the family. at 5:25, our nurse came in to check the cervix again.....finally!!! 10cm's!!!! Before I could get up to go tell everyone, she was sitting on the foot of the bed and and ready for Kel to push....what?? Push??? We've been updating everyone on everything all day....I have to tell them!!! She had other plans....She told Kelly to push on her next contraction and like a champion, she did......Not like she was supposed to, though....so after a little coaching from the nurse, we were ready to push again on the next contraction. She called Dr. Lake, who was on his way....This time, Kelly pushed really good and it was noticable on the baby monitor because his heartrate dropped after the contraction....meaning he wasn't appreciative of the pushing. There wasnt' too much concern, but just to be safe, the nurse told Kelly to take the next contraction off. This gave me time to send a text to Laura to spread the word that Kelly was pushing. I also took a second to update Kelly's facebook......"SHE'S PUSHING!!" Kelly caught me during that one....she asked me what I was doing...In a rush....all I could come up with was "thinking." Dr. Lake showed up.....talked medical talk with the nurses and waited for another contraction....He got in there and did his thing while Kelly pushed...with three nurses surrounding her, encouraging her like drill sargents....meanwhile, I just held her neck and whispered sweet, comforting encouragement.....Kelly said it was like the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other....I, of course, was the angel. After a couple of pushes, Dr. Lake told it to us straight.....He was adamit that the baby and mama were fine, but it looked like he was wrapped in the cord, and that was what was causing the heart rate to drop. He told Kelly that she could keep doing it like she was doing, but it might take a couple hours....or he could use a vacuum to help speed up the process. He wasn't too confident in that either.....he said he'd try three times and if that didn't work, they'd have to do an emergency C-section. We both put all of our trust in him and told him to do whatever he had to do to get us our son the quickest and healthiest way. The first vacuum attempt was unsuccessful.....but he thought it helped....He was pretty confident that he'd be able to get him on the next push. He jokingly emptied Kelly's bladder, thinking it'd created a little more space for young Oliver to manuver his way out.....Dr. Lake kept the mood very light and joking the whole time.....from his Thanksgiving story, to pretending like he was peeing in the bowl that Kelly's bladder was being emptied into, he kept smiles on everyone's faces the whole time. What would end up being Kelly's last contraction came and without hesitation, Dr. Lake hooked up the vacuum and started pulling while Kelly pushed her hardest....screaming, while the devil nurse screamed in her left ear and her angel husband whispered in her right. I glanced over just enough to see a little head full of hair pop out.....at 5:49pm, Dr. Lake grabbed and pulled our beautiful son out like a Bassmaster pulls a lunker from the lake. Kelly and I, again laughed hysterically.....mixed with tears of joy! All my fear of blood and hospital's went right out the window.....Dr. Lake gave me the clippers and told me to cut the cord.....I didn't hesitate. Now, just because I can cut the cord, Doc, doesn't mean I want to hold the bloody clippers all night....I just stood there....bloody hands and clippers......"here you go doc.".....as I handed them back. A rush of joy and anxiety rushed through my body! All I could think of to do was cry....kiss my wife and tell her how proud and in love with her I was. She did so good.....who needs lamoz??? You can throw that crap out the window.....as long as you have devil nurses and an angel husband....The nurses took our son to his pre-warmed bed to clean him up....I hovered over them and snapped pictures like I was a tourist looking at the Mayan Ruins......They could tell I was nervous when I was talking to Oliver from ten feet away......"you can get closer, Dad....he wont bite." I teared up again and moved in to meet my son. ten fingers, ten toes.....penis....yup.....he's perfect! We had a son! The only thing I remember for the next half hour, was my phone ringing just as Oliver was getting cleaned up....It was his future godfather, Shaun.....I could've answered, but all Shaun would've heard was me, Kelly and Oliver crying. The doctor stitched Kelly up and the nurses got everything all cleaned up.......and I made that long walk again.....I must have been glowing, because every nurse congratulated me....I got to the waiting room, where now Shaun and Jessica had joined the group.....Walked through the door and attempted to announce the birth of my son....but again...lost it as I hugged my dad. They could tell that he was here. Kelly's mom went back to see Kel first, while I sat in the waiting room and showed off the pictures. By 7pm, everyone was in the room, admiring our newest family member....We were going to go to our room at the next shift change, so again, we waited........We collected our things....and once room #2229 was ready, we moved in. By now, Paul and Danielle had made it to the hospital with little Madi. My parents and Kelly's mom waited until we got to our new room before leaving...they had been there all day and needed to rest up before assuming grandparent responsibility. Kelly and I were starving....so Shaun and Jess went to Wendy's for us....that was probably one of the best burgers I've ever had....and that Diet Coke, was soooo cold and thirst quenching. Laura, Shaun, Jess, Paul and Danielle stayed for a while, passing Ollie around and laughing with us. It was so nice to have everyone there on this special day. Kelly and I will never forget the people that came to see us, and the ones that sent such nice messages throughout the day.....Kelly will probably forget the emails I sent back and fourth with the boys while waiting all day.....We were three days from UGA vs. GT....so naturally, we were talking a little smack to one another....at one point, Robert even called me out, saying he thought my wife was in labor...He called me a true fan for defending UGA in emails while my wife was in labor right next to me..What else was I going to do....we were just waiting......Anyway, November 25th, 2009 to a lot of folks was the day before Thanksgiving...and they were worried about picking up some potatoes and cranberry sauce on their way home from work....but for us and our closest friends, it was the day that we were all blessed with a beautiful angel...Oliver Tyre Smith was born at 5:49pm on November 25th, 2009. He weighed 5 lbs, 12oz....and measured 19 3/4" long. Our lives will forever be changed...and we wouldn't trade it for a thing. Thank you to our family and closest friends for all of your love and support. We love you all!