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.

"Beautiful" Mess

Well, since my last post just a few days ago, I believe God did not like my bragging about finally feeling better! Saturday night I woke up at about 11:00 not feeling quite right. My stomach started hurting and I had the beginning feelings of a fever and a cold. My night was then ruined even more by the wrenching of every muscle in my stomach when I started praying to the porcelain queen. This post is not to describe the way this upchuck looked or how miserable I felt, but to let everyone know that I have the most amazing husband in the ENTIRE world!!! Jamie took care of me better than anyone ever has throughout my life (and I seem to be sick a lot with many different "nurses") He stayed awake with me all night long because he knew how much I hate throwing up by myself because I'm scared of choking. This picture is of my nightstand and holds the things Jamie got up for all night and all day on Sunday to help me feel better. It includes: Saltine crackers to settle my stomach (didn't work :) ) , glass of decaf coke on ice, ice water, gatorade, chapstick, a hair tie so I didn't throw up on it, a thermometer, peanut butter crackers, my prenatal vitamins, benadryl, kleenex, a bucket to spew in, and a washcloth to wash my face. All I had to do was moan or move in bed and he would get up and ask what he could do for me! Sunday was spent on the coach and he only left my side a few times throughout the day. We watched movies, tv, and took naps. I still wasn't feeling good by Monday morning, so Jamie took the day off work to make sure I was okay and wouldn't need to go to the doctors. I feel so overwhelmed by the love he showed me during this miserable time. Sometimes I seem to forget just how much I truly do love him, and since I've been pregnant and hormonal, I have to admit I haven't been the nicest wife to have. I believe that God does work in very mysterious ways, and maybe I had to go through this to remember how much I appreciate my husband and not to take for granted the love we share. I have never felt more love than I did this weekend, and I hope to never forget this feeling.

New Updates

So, it's been a long time since I've posted my last blog. Our internet quit working again...it would work one day and then be out for about a week. It's been kind of annoying for both of us, but I think it's back for at least a little while! :) However, I do have good news....I finally feel somewhat normal again!!! I haven't felt sick in about 3 days now which is a HUGE accomplishment. I have felt so secluded in the past 2 1/2 months because I've haven't been up to doing anything. I have become a complete couch potato. I realized during this time that I need activity in my life and I would not make a good hermit. I want out of my house more than anything by the time the day care kids are picked up. (Okay, so this has only been for the last 3 days since I only wanted to sleep all the days before this) :) We had 2 doctor's appointments last week. During the first the doctor voiced concern about our due date. Originally we were told that date was June 25, 2009, but when she looked at an ultrasound we had when I was 4 weeks, she realized I was 1 week further along. So, she scheduled another ultrasound....we were so excited and had to wait 2 WHOLE days until we could see our baby. It was amazing to see our little one and watch her move. It made all this sickness junk worth it!! It was determined that I was 1 week further along than expected...our new due date is June 18, 2009!! The best part of the day was that it took place on Jamie's 30th birthday! He said it was the best gift he could have ever been given!! The other gift I gave him was tickets to see the Temptations. (I really dislike them, but Jamie LOVES them) We are making the 2 hour trip to Merrillville tonight to see them and then returning afterward because he has a tournament game tomorrow morning. Nothing else new is happening in the Smith household, but stay posted because I am no longer a hermit and hope to start doing more exciting things very soon.

We have EXCITING News!!!

So, if you didn't already know....we are PREGNANT!!! I am only about 5 weeks, but it feels like a lifetime since we've had to keep this secret from all our family and friends! (we've only know for about 2 weeks but I am horrible at keeping happy secrets) We had big plans on when and how to tell our family about our news...we were going to wait until Christmas and wrap up an ultrasound picture in a frame to give to our parents as their presents. But, last Friday night I started feeling bad cramps that did not subside Saturday night, so Jamie took me to the emergency room just to ease my mind. The Doctor (who I didn't not like at all!) did not ease my mind...only made me feel even more scared. He said he believed I was having signs of an early miscarriage. I was so nervous, but I called an OB/GYN in Goshen who was able to schedule me for Wednesday...yesterday. This doctor was wonderful and showed us pictures of our baby. Okay, so it was more like a little black hole, but I immediately envisioned HER (yes, I want a girl!) with tiny little fingers and toes. He even gave us pictures to keep! We were so excited on the way home! I feel much better..no more cramps...and a little less worried. There is still that chance that everything will go wrong, but I'm trying to think of the good things that are happening instead of the sick feeling in my stomach (morning sickness does NOT happen in the morning for all women...I get mine at about 5:00 at night until the next morning making it next to impossible to sleep) I can't believe I have to wait 8 more months until I get to hold little baby Smith.

Our Wedding Pictures Are Finally In!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Weekend Fun

We had a pretty busy but exciting weekend. Friday we went to a Rail Cats game with Jamie's best man, Rusty and his girlfriend Leslie. The Rail Cats are a semi-pro baseball team in Gary. We had a blast and although the game wasn't too exciting, we made our own fun. Then, on Saturday, I went with my sister Carey, neice Ally, and nephew Xavier to Great America while Jamie, Rusty, and Leslie went to the water park in Valpo. Jamie hates roller coasters so he chose not to go stand in long lines all day. I do not believe anyone should have allowed my sister and I to take this drive by ourselves...maybe we're not old enough at 26 & 27! We got very lost in Chicago, Schaumburg, and everywhere in between! Carey said it was like war...just when we thought we were winning or getting on the correct rode, the other warriors trotted up to the top of the huge hill and started charging down after us to claim their victory (We got lost again!) As we sat in the car for 2 hours waiting to be able to park inside the park, she declared that she had been slashed and the other team was beginning to win the war!! This made the time seem to go by much faster. Although we had some major setbacks before entering the park, as soon as we saw rides, I got to see the world through a child's eyes with my 7 year old nephew. He has never been to a big amusement park and never ridden an "Adult roller coaster" (as he put it). He rode his 1st upside down coaster and didn't scream or cry! As we stood in line for 3 HOURS, he was so nervous but also extremely excited...it made me nervous and excited too even though I'm a pro at these! The weather was perfect...not too hot and mostly cloudy! We thought all was well, until we went to our car at closing and had to sit in line for another 2 hours to leave the park...Carey declared we had been defeated in our war. I fell asleep at about 1 am and was woken at 2am to Carey screaming VICTORY>>>We won the war!!! We had finally made it home and she did not get lost on the way...only drove through 3 toll booths without paying...oops! (She had to go online and pay more than double the toll). I will never forget this special time since we defeated many wars that day!!