Shhhh, don't tell.....

I have a secret that I'm dieing to share!!....we recently had family pictures taken for our Christmas cards and I absolutely love them! The reason I have to keep them a secret is because Jamie asked me not to show anyone until they get their Christmas cards so it will be a surprise. Buuuut......I just can't wait, and I mailed out the cards today. :) The pictures of Parker, Jamison, and I were taken by an eighth grade teacher, Heather Baber. She loves taking pictures in her spare time and decided to make it her hobby to provide families with wonderful pictures at a reasonable rate....she charges only $30 for 1 hour worth of candid and posed pictures. I don't think her camera ever stopped clicking during the whole hour, and we were given over 100 pictures to choose from. Oh, and the best part was that $30 is the only charge she has...after she's finished, she hands you a CD with every picture she took so you can develop pictures anywhere and you have complete rights to all pictures!!! Here are a few of my favorites:

This past weekend we went back home to take more pictures with my family...all 15 of us!!! It was a very interesting day, but one we will always cherish. We had these taken at Picture People in Merrillville...the total cost for a CD there was $250....a HUGE difference!!

1 Dad + 1 Mom + 2 Sisters + 1 Brother + 1 Sis-in-law + 1 Husband + 1 Son + 4 Neices + 2 Nephews + Me = One gigantic family picture!!!

1st pic: My 2 Sisters, Brother, and Myself; 2nd pic: My really adorable family!; 3rd pic: My Neices and Nephews, plus Parker (all the Grandchildren)

So, now that I have shared a secret with you, please don't tell Jamison! Like I can keep a secret (you all just found out how good I am at that) I will most likely tell him as soon as he walks in the door tonight! :) We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!

Parker Jamison Smith

Wow, has it really been 9 months since I wrote anything on my blog? I mostly post pictures and events on facebook or myspace, so I apologize that I have let down any blog friends. But, I have found a new love in my life in the past 4 months...the most handsome man in the world, my little Parker!! He was born on June 23rd, 2009 at 6:37 am. I was 5 days overdue so I was induced, but the induction started Monday the 22nd at 9am. My contractions became horrible about 2 hours after it was started and I was only 2 centimeters dilated. I was given an epidural and the pain immediately stopped. :) I have no idea how women give birth without medication....I bow down at their feet because I was a baby and needed some so soon. So what if I couldn't feel or move my legs or my feet, I was able to be in hard labor while playing on the computer, reading, and playing games with Jamison. I told the nurse to bring on the contractions, I could handle anything at that point. :) I pushed for about an hour, took a nap, wathced tv with my nurse and Jamie, tried pushing again....and about 6:30 am the doctor came in and woke me up to tell me that I had spiked a fever and the baby's heartrate had dropped a couple of times so he wanted to get him out as soon as he could. He decided to use the "caveman" way and pull the baby out with forceps....Ouch! I later learned from my nurse that no other doctor in that hospital still uses forceps...and I happened to be the lucky one who got that doc!! While he was placing the forceps around Parker's head we all heard a crack and the machine that kept track of his heartbeat went blank. Everyone stared at the machine and then turned to the doctor wanting to know if everything was ok with the baby. We soon realized that a nurse stepped on the plug and unplugged the machine. Parker came out perfect weighing 8 lbs. 12 oz. and 21 3/4 in. I immediately realized I had given birth to a much smaller version of Jamie! He looked exactly like Jamie's baby pictures.

Parker is now 4 months old and it a completely different baby than the one we brought home from the hospital! He rolled over for the first time at 5 weeks and has not stopped...he now contiuously rolls to get any toys out of reach! :) While I was pregnant everyone told me how fast this time will go, but I didn't realized how right they were at that time. I love watching his new milestones every day. It's like looking at a whole new world with eyes of wonder and excitement. Everything is a first for him and it feels like Jamie and I get to experience these things all over again too. Babies are a true miracle and blessings from God.

Here are a few recent pictures of our amazing little man....

OH BOY, OH BOY

I have some exciting news to share (you've probably already heard), but let me shout it from the rooftops.....Jamison and I are having a BABY BOY!!!!!!!!!! Okay, so I know ever since the day I found out I was pregnant I have been calling this baby a girl, but I was wrong...that's for Jamie because he says I never like to admit it...I WAS WRONG and I have never been more excited to admit that! :) We had our ultrasound appointment on Feb. 5th and the technician checked every inch of the baby for about an hour. Jamie held my hand and I fidgetted the entire time waiting for the words "You are having...." . We learned that all his measurements are exactly where they should be at this point, his brain is developing well, he has a strong heartbeat (this is why I thought he was a girl early on) , he has the cutest tiniest feet, he likes to wave to his mommy and daddy in the pictures, and he may be an acrobat since he likes to do somersaults in the womb. Then, after the first hour, the technician finally says very casually.."I see his scrotum and penis"....I felt like I couldn't speak. I guess I never even thought it was a boy all along...I wasn't expecting this news. My face grew hot and I think I just about had an anxiety attack. I didn't know what I was going to do with a boy. I knew how to dress little girls in pink frilly dresses and baby bonnets in the summer. I know nothing about boys, their toys, sports, and anything that I may need to know. This moment quickly passed when I looked up at Jamie and saw the biggest smile on my husband's face that I have ever seen! He has also been saying he thought it was a girl, but was dieing for a boy first. I then started thinking of how wonderful it is going to be to have a baby boy! Just thinking about having a little Jamie warmed my heart and put a smile on my face as well. If he's anything like his father I will have nothing to worry about. I will learn all I need to know along the way! All signs pointed to him being a boy...I guess I was just looking past them. We have had a boy's name picked out since before we were even pregnant...we were discussing baby names at Hacienda right before Landon was born with Matt & Alicia, Amos & Jess, Jenn, and John and Jessica. Matt and Alicia didn't want to tell the names they had chosen, but everyone was giving names they liked. I don't know who brought up this name (it may have been one of Matt and Alicia's rejects), but thank you to whoever said it.....Parker!!! His full name will be Parker Jamison Smith. I really wanted a Jamison Christopher Smith Jr. years ago, but Jamie was a little against it so we decided to use his name for the middle name instead. Right after we left hacienda we talked about how much we liked that name and if we ever had a boy we wanted to use it. Who knew it would be this soon?!! We got the nursery furniture at the beginning of January, but it hasn't come out of the boxes yet. Yesterday we received the bedding we ordered, so now we can paint the nursery!!! I will post pictures when we are finished. We miss all of you and can't wait to see you again. Parker wants to be out so he can play with Tyler, Landon, and Greyson...look out Grace and Baby Girl Hahn..the boys are taking over!! :)

Belly Galore

Well, as you can tell our little bun in the oven is growing up quite a storm in it's safe haven. My belly feels and looks huge to me, but the nurses tell me I've only gained 3 pounds!! I don't know how this is possible, but I'm definetely not complaining! :) Jamison and I have been keeping ourselves very busy lately. He starts taking classes for his masters degree this saturday. They meet in Elkhart about 2 to 3 saturdays a month all day, so that means our weekends are going to be much shorter. Because of this we have been trying to spend as much quality time together as we can without spending too much money. It's funny how my life has changed in such a short time...I no longer want the expensive dates or fancy presents. Now I cherish all the little things my husband has been doing for me lately. Yesterday he had the day off and I only had 1 baby to watch for the day. We didn't get to bed until 1:00 am that morning because we went to visit famliy this weekend. Jamie set his alarm early (I didn't hear it over my loud snoring that has been added to my pregnancy symptoms) and was up when the parents brought the baby at 6:30 am so I could sleep in! I finally woke up at 8:00 and found Nathan sleeping in his bed. Jamie offered to listen for him to awake while I took a shower and got ready for the day. When I finished I found Jamie vacuuming the kitchen floor while Nathan played in the living room. This moment meant more to me than any gift he has ever given me. I have no concerns on what an amazing father this man will be. This past saturday we purchased our nursery furniture!! The room is waiting to be painted until February 5th when we find out if we're having a baby boy or a baby girl, but I am so anxious!!! I find myself just walking into the room to stare at the huge boxes that hold all our baby's furniture and wondering what our child will look like in his or her crib. It is such a miracle to be carrying another life inside you. We are looking forward to what God has in store for us with this little munchkin and can't wait until the day He blesses us with this child.