A much needed update

Hi there!  I apologize for the lack of blogging and pictures.  We have been very busy this month and have a few pictures to prove it.  My sister was in town from London last week and we were thrilled to spend so much time with them.  To say Tobin had a BLAST would be an understatement.  He picked up right where he left off with his cousins as if it has only been days, instead of months, of not seeing one another.  Here are some pictures of our time with them:

Last weekend my cousin, Logan, got married.  It was a beautiful wedding and we had lots of fun.  Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of Tobin (he was a ring bearer) in his tux before we sent him off to bed.  I'll try to track some down later.

Here are some sweet pictures I took this morning.  Heidi is five weeks old and doing wonderful.  We've settled into being a family of four and we're loving every second of it!

One week pictures

Here are some pictures from Heidi's very first week:

And not to be outdone by his little sister...

Heidi's Birth Day

We are getting settled back at home and enjoying our sweet little girl tremendously!  I just took Heidi and Tobin on a little walk and loved hearing him tell her all about the things he was hearing, seeing, and even smelling.  Tobin is a wonderful big brother already and I can't wait to watch their special relationship grow.

I wanted to share about our big day Tuesday, mainly for my own benefit.  I figured a few weeks of sleepless nights could wipe these precious memories away and I don't want that to happen!  Here's how it went:

One of our Smith family traditions is to go out for donuts on each of our birthdays and this was no exception!  Here's Tobin making his choice:

Here's the last picture of me with Heidi in my belly.  I was officially 38 weeks and 3 days along:

We checked into the hospital at 8:30 and the induction started at 10:30.  Labor started about 30 minutes later.  I was doing great with the labor and staying on top of the contractions.  However, I was discouraged when I found out I was progressing very slowly.  At 3:30, the doctor decided to break my water to get things moving a little quicker.  I had hoped to have a natural, drug-less labor and delivery but my plans quickly changed after my water was broken.  The contractions came so hard and on top of one another, I was not getting much of a break between them.  I was confined to the bed because every time I tried to get up and try a new position, Heidi's heart rate dropped.  The pain was also making my blood pressure spike to scary levels.  Two hours later, I got an epidural.  After the epidural kicked in, I progressed ridiculously fast!  At around 8:30, the nurse came to see how far along I was.  She looked at me and said "Don't laugh, don't move.  I can see the baby and I'm afraid you'll have her if you do anything."  My doctor arrived five minutes later and after three or four pushes, Heidi arrived at 8:41pm.  

We had Tobin in to be the first one to meet her.  He seemed a little hesitant at first, mainly because I had a nasty looking IV in my arm that he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of.  After lots of reassurance that I was alright, he wanted to hold Heidi and couldn't wait to introduce her to the rest of the family.  He is so proud of his little sister!

Here she is!

Hi everyone!  I'm going to keep this short as I'm about to go to bed.  I'll post more pictures and details tomorrow.  We came home today, and Heidi and I both feel great!  It was a long day on Tuesday, but she finally made her debut at 8:41pm.  She weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and is 18 inches long.  Here's our little girl (check out the beautiful dark hair!!): 

Heidi update

Well, after almost four weeks of bedrest, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm officially scheduled to be induced next Tuesday, the 28th!! My blood pressure has been steady but still too high. The longer the pregnancy continues, the more risk there is of me getting sick (as in HELLP syndrome like I had with Tobin...you can Google it easier than I can explain it). That's why my doctor is choosing to induce before our due date. Heidi is hanging in there and seems to be unaffected by the problem...praise God! She's measuring around 6lbs. and looks like she might be a petite little thing like the rest of our family!

I'm thrilled at the thought of meeting our baby girl in just a week! I'm slightly disappointed in not having that surprise "Oh...my labor is starting" excitement with either of my pregnancies (Tobin was induced, too) but I know that this is what's best for both of us. Please pray that my body can hang in there this week, that there won't be any type of blood pressure emergency, and for continued health for Heidi. Thanks everyone!!

P.S. Lesley & Jena - room/sewing project pictures are coming...I promise!!

Blessings in Disguise

As of Monday, I have been placed on bedrest due to blood pressure problems. Depending on how you look at it, it could be a gift to be able to rest and be lazy all day, reading good books, watching good movies, and letting others serve you. On the other hand, this could be a nightmare (my initial reaction)! I have to give up control over my home/work space...I can't do things like laundry and cleaning when I want them done, the dishes are being put in the dishwasher different than how I like it, I have to humble myself and ask for help, I can't take Tobin to the park or go for a walk in order to get his little-guy energy out.

Not fun, right? Wrong! I have learned this week what a huge gift it is to be placed on bedrest these next few weeks until Heidi makes her debut. I'm able to sit on the bed and play board games with Tobin, cuddle up and read book after book with him, play catch from the couch, and watch him delight in getting my constant and undivided attention instead putting off his needs/wants to do laundry, clean, or run errands. What a blessing!!

I feel as if this is a true gift to be spending this time with Matt and Tobin instead of tending to the tedious tasks of keeping a home running smoothly. Who cares if there's a cluster of dog hair and dust in the corner...it can wait. Who cares if laundry is not being folded according to my standards...let it go. I'm learning a lot about priorities this week and am grateful for these lessons before our little girl comes and our lives get the slightest more complicated.

Thank you, Lord, for showing me the importance of being a Mary instead of a Martha! I'm enjoying this much, much more!!

More Spring Break

Tobin has had an imaginary friend for a few months now. His name is Wall-E and he goes everywhere with us...to run errands (Tobin always makes sure he's buckled in), to the grocery store (where he rides in the cart while Tobin walks), and in the bathtub (Tobin washes Wall-E himself). He's a constant companion and sometimes we are even graced with his friends, Eve and Cockroach. This week, Tobin's Oma (Matt's mom) brought over a remote control Wall-E. This is a picture of how I found Tobin watching Sesame Street one morning this week:

They have become fast friends, and Dog tags along, too, of course!

Also, this week, Tobin started t-ball at his sports class. Here are some pictures of his basketball lessons from a few weeks ago and baseball, too:

Yesterday, we were able to go to Tyler to visit Matt's dad. It was a nice visit and a beautiful day for a drive. Here's Matt with his brother and dad:

We're sad Spring Break is over. It was nice to get a lot of work done around the house this week. Our backyard is getting beautified by a new vegetable garden and Heidi's room is almost done. I'll post pictures of both when they're all finished. Happy Monday, everyone!