Sawyer Glenn Smith - One week old/birth story

I can't believe my sweet little Sawyer is already one week old (yesterday actually)! He has truly turned our lives upside down and inside out and I am loving every minute of it (yes, even the ones in the middle of the night)! I knew he would change our lives, but I honestly wasn't prepared for just how much. He has changed the things we think about and worry about, he has changed the way I love Glenn, and how much more I love Glenn. I never knew I could love a little person as much as I love Sawyer!

We have had an interesting first week with our little man. I had to have a c-section on Wednesday because Sawyer was breech. Not only was he breech, but he had his feet down in my birth canal, legs crossed, with his hands folded behind his head like he was sitting in a lounge chair on the beach. This is certainly indicative of his overall laid back personality so far. When Sawyer made his big debut on Wednesday, March 7th at 1:22pm, weighing in at 7lbs, 8oz and 20 inches long with lots of hair and great lungs Glenn and I both started to cry. Glenn got to go over and see him and was immediately smitten with that boy. He took some pictures and then came back around to show me. I was able to see/kiss on Sawyer all wrapped up for about 2 minutes, then they took him and Glenn to the nursery for his first bath, footprints, and vitals. The c-section itself wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was completely painless (thank you God and my spinal block), and I had a great team of people working on me. After Glenn and Sawyer left my BP dropped and that's when I started to feel really bad. There is something very humbling about being in a room full of strangers with everything God gave you out there for everyone to see, and to be throwing up on top of that. Giving birth will definitely break you of your vanity! lol! The whole surgery only took 50 min from start to finish, then I was taken to recovery where I was hooked up to all kinds of monitors and just rested. About 20 minutes into recovery (an hour after he was born) I FINALLY got to hold my sweet baby boy. It was a totally surreal experience! He latched on perfectly right away, and after he ate I was able to hold and snuggle him until we were wheeled to our room. Glenn was waiting for us when we got to our room and we were able to have some sweet time just the 3 of us before all the grandparents came in. Sawyer is the first grandchild for everyone, so needless to say there were 6 very excited grandparents on the 4th floor of Piedmont Henry Hospital on March 7th!

That whole rest of the day is kind of a blur, as I was feeling terrible and could only keep down ice chips. By Wednesday night they had me up on my first walk - 12 steps to the bathroom. Trust me, that felt like an accomplishment! By Thursday night, after some solid food, a shower, and some pain meds I was starting to feel human again. We got to go home by noon on Friday and all the grandparents came over to the house and passed around Sawyer.

He was been a really great baby. He HATES to be naked, and have his clothes/diaper changed and will certainly let you know that this is not his idea of a good time. But other than that he is pretty much content all the time. He was nursing okay, but was quickly getting frustrated as my milk wasn't coming in. He also developed some pretty hard core gas, so that made for a long night on Saturday. (God bless the makers of Milacon drops!) We went to the Dr. on Monday and found out that he had lost down to 6lbs, 3oz. (down a pound and 5 ounces since birth). He was dehydrated and hadn't pooped since Friday. My milk finally came in Monday night so when we went back on Tuesday he had gained half an ounce. The weight gain was encouraging, and our Dr. said he looked really healthy, and that he wasn't very worried about the weight loss since he looked so good, and had shown a small gain. We go back today for another weigh in. He's been eating like a champ for almost 48 hours (and has had 2 HUGE poops - yay!), so we are hoping and praying for a more significant weight gain!

There is certainly nothing like a new baby to make you worry over things you never worried over before and to make you excited over things you were never excited over before (ie, pooping and peeing). We love him so much, and it grows more and more each day. He has the cutest little face, and I could literally stare at it all day long! He makes the best faces - and he keeps Glenn and I laughing and snapping pictures all day long.

Glenn has been an amazing dad and husband! He has gone above and beyond to take care of me as I recover and to take care of Sawyer. He is very hands on and loves to be right there with me as we change him, I feed him, getting up at night, etc. He loves his boy and I can tell they will have a very special bond for the rest of Sawyer's life!

Pics to come - and an update on his weight. Prayers would be appreciated!

great education blog giveaway

Erica over at Erica's Elementary Excitement is hosting a fabulous giveaway! Get on over there, check out her blog, and enter! Good luck pals!

http://erica-elementaryexcitement.blogspot.com/2011/06/beginning-blog-giveaway.html?commentPage=4

busy, busy, busy

Alternate title - showers and sewing

Whew....what a past 2 months it has been! I'll just hit the high points here, because we have been busy!

- our roof is fixed, and there have been no wasps!!!!!

- hosted a baby shower for Sarah with my sweet life group girls - it was cute and a good time

- sewed, sewed, sewed...

- hosted a baby shower for my sweet friend Lanie Beth with another great group of girls - it was BEAUTIFUL, and such a wonderful time

- sewed, sewed, sewed

- hosted a couples wedding shower with Christina and Rachel for Katie and Nick - we did an entertainment theme, so we played Battle of the Sexes (the boys won) and the Newlywed game (Glenn and I won!), and everyone brought Katie and Nick things for game night, or date night, or parties they would host, etc. It was a blast!

- sewed, sewed, sewed

- attended a baby shower for my dear friend Allison Barton in Macon - it was so great to see her and Noah (or at least her cute Noah belly), and to see Lisa and Shane, and other people I hadn't seen in too long

- attended a lingerie shower for Katie - so.much.fun!

- attended Nick and Katie's wedding - it was GORGEOUS, and I had a blast cuttin' a rug out on the dance floor with all my Momentum peeps - Momentum really represented on the dance floor that night

- we are now giving Brooklyn injections twice a week with a trial medication to see if it keeps her allergies at bay....yes, she's the first animal to do this trial in our vet's office...ever - oh we love our little HM dog!

- went to NC to see my family for an early mother's day, Evan's 2nd birthday party, and for Caleb's prom - that's right...my baby brother went to prom! yeesh, I'm old! He was so handsome, and Landis (his girlfriend) looked beautiful, in their matching Carolina blue! It was a great time with my mom, Mark, and Caleb, but as usual too short!

- my best friend (of 17 years) Jamie, her husband Eric, and girls, Bella and Lauren (Tot) came for the weekend - it was so much fun! Jamie and I can always just pick up where we left off, our husbands love to discuss and debate theology, and her girls are so precious, and such a hoot! We went to Noah's Ark, ate lots of goldfish and strawberries, went to church, and had a great time visiting ....I can't wait until they come back!

- got to visit Brad, Lanie Beth, and precious Rowan in the hospital - Rowan is perfect, and just lovely (as we all knew she would be!), we just love her to pieces!

- went to Birmingham to visit Glenn's Papa, and his mom and sister came up too. It was fun just hanging out with family, and we did a little shopping, a LOT of eating, and we got to meet all of Papa and Rose's friends in their senior's sunday school class....that was a hoot!

- last day of school was Friday!!! YAY!!! I only have to go back Tuesday and Wednesday and then I'm officially done for 2 months of glorious summer vacation!

Here is what we have coming up:

- today we are going to get our free Chick-fil-a spicy chicken sandwiches (check out their website to see how to get yours free), going to Ikea, and then taking dinner to Brad and Lanie Beth

- tomorrow is my BIRTHDAY! (the last year of my 20s....I should have a bucket list or something!)

- my dad and Glenn's parents are coming to help us replace the wall in our living room where the water was leaking in - that's going to be an undertaking

- my parents are coming to town to go to the Braves/Tigers series - Mark and Caleb are big Detroit Tigers fans, so that will be fun.

- we are going to Pensacola for our annual 4th of July celebration with Glenn's family

- Glenn is taking one class this summer

- I am going to attempt to get my sewing room as close to complete as money will allow this summer

- I had to move classrooms again, so I will be working on getting the new one set up this summer as well - hopefully this will be my last move for a while!

wow...are you tired yet?! I am exhausted just seeing it all typed out....

So, that's why I've been a bit MIA lately....hopefully things will calm down a little bit so we can get some rest! :)

some thoughts and emotions

Last May Glenn and I started trying to have a baby. We were very excited and thought it would happen right away. I expected that I would be very close to meeting our little bundle right now. But it didn't happen. By about September be realized that with Glenn back in school we wouldn't be able to afford a baby. This was probably the most difficult realization for me because I have wanted nothing more than to be a mother. So, we stopped trying....and a few weeks later I suddenly had 10 friends who came up pregnant. Now, please don't misunderstand me! I am THRILLED for my friends, and I know they will make amazing mothers, and I truly believe that each of those babies is very blessed to have each of those sweet women as mothers. But I couldn't help thinking, it should have been me. I struggled for longer than I would like to admit, and still do sometimes, with self-pity and let's be honest, jealousy. With God's help I am getting over it, and had really gotten over it, until last week.

Last week Glenn came home and told me about this dual degree program that Ga Tech and Clayton State are doing that would enable him to get a Electrical Engineering degree at Tech and a Computer Science degree at Clayton State. This would enable to him to get a better job, and make a bit more money. All things that are great. However, it would also mean he would have to go to school for another year. This means that he won't be done for 4 more years. 4 more years! We will be 33 and 34 when he graduates. This also means (because I've been thinking a bit selfishly lately) that I won't be able to have a baby until I'm 33 (at least - if I can even get pregnant, but I can't go there yet or I'll completely lose it!). 33 for baby number 1. We want two kids....so I'll be even older when we have baby number 2. I have to be honest and say that I was a lot panicked at the thought of being almost 70 when my kids are only in their mid-30s. So, after being upset and talking through this with Glenn like an adult instead of a spoiled child. I first thanked him for working so hard for us, to give us a better life in a couple of years. And then we talked about the fact that when he graduates I would most likely be able to be a stay at home mom, which is what I have always wanted.

So comes the thought...will it be worth it to wait until I'm in my mid-30s to have a baby if I get to be a stay at home mom and really enjoy being a mom vs. having a baby now, and having to work extra jobs just to pay for daycare and never get to see said baby? I think yes. It's not easy to say that because what I really want is to be a mom now and for it to just work out so that I can stay home. But I realize that's not reality. And that's obviously not God's plan for us...it's just my plan. I'm still not 100% thrilled with this situation that I'm in, and i have a feeling I will have more a a few breakdowns over the next 4 years as it continues to feel like I am the only one without a baby. I just have to keep telling myself that it will be worth the wait, and that it will all work out, and keep praying that God will get me through this, because I really can't do it myself...I won't make it through these next 4 years without him.

Again, let me be clear that I AM very happy for all of my soon to be or new mommy friends! Please do not take offense to this...this is just me being honest.

the big day

Well, today was the big day...the day of my 5K. I have been look forward to/training for/having anxiety over this day for months. I went into it thinking that I was fairly prepared. I was able to run/walk two other 5Ks this week (not official ones, just me at the park), and I started at completing it in 5o minutes, the next time I shaved off some time, completing it in 47.5 minutes. My goal for today was three-fold...(1) To finish with dignity, (2) to finish in 45 minutes, and (3) to not slow my friends down. I was able to finish with dignity, but I'm afraid I did slow my friend down a bit. However, she was a great encourager, and with her encouragement I was able to finish the race in 42.5 minutes....2.5 minutes faster than my goal! Yay!!! It's been a long journey to get here, and I have an even longer one ahead of me as I continue to run and try to get in shape, and to become healthier and thinner. It's going to be a long road, and I will not give up. My race is over, but my journey is just past the starting line. I am finally starting to see some tiny results, and while it's not happening as fast as I would like for it to, I am determined not to give up until I get to where I want to be.

In conjunction with this I have started reading Beth Moore's new book So Long Insecurity. I am about a third of the way into it, and it is rocking my world...which is just what I need! I am going to blog more about that later, but if you haven't gotten the book, I HIGHLY recommend it...go get it today!! Okay, here is a before and after pic of my 5K team:

Glenn's 30th birthday part 1

This weekend Glenn's parents came to town to help him celebrate his birthday. Glenn's actual birthday is this Thursday, March 18th. He will be the big 3-0! I can't believe we are almost in our 30s...Glenn much sooner than me...but still, I'll be joining him in a year and 2 months. Crazy, cause most days we still feel like we are 18!

Anyway, Saturday night we went to dinner at Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse...let me just say....YUUUUMMMMYYY! It was super good food, and a fun atmosphere. It was like having dinner inside a very fun hunting lodge, complete with talking buffalo head. Apparently the moose is their mascot of sorts, and right in front of the restaurant, they had a giant moose made of wood. Now, I have a love for mooses (I know that's not the correct plural, it's just more fun), so we had to take a picture by that cute guy.

On our way to the restaurant we saw the most vivid, huge rainbow I have ever, ever seen. It was incredible. The picture doesn't do it justice...it was so beautiful! I like to think of if it as a little sign that the best things are yet to come, and that our 30s will be even better than our 20s. I know...it's just a rainbow, but let me have my moment! :) Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure:

Zoo date

Last Saturday, Glenn and I went to the Atlanta Zoo. It was Educator Appreciation Day, so I got in free and we got a discount on Glenn's ticket....yay for super cheap trip to the zoo! We haven't been to the zoo together since we were first dating, in fact, the zoo is where Glenn first referred to me as his girlfriend. It was sweet. :)

So anyway, we just took our time wandering through and looking at everything we wanted to see. We spent a long time in the reptile house because Glenn wanted to see them feed the viper....I was not so thrilled, and I could have lived my whole life without seeing that...but he enjoyed it. The zoo was super crowded, but we were still able to see everything we wanted to see and only had to wait a minute or two for people to move along. It was a really fun day, and I'm glad we had the opportunity to go and spend the whole day just being big kids. After the zoo we went to have ice cream, which is always fun! :) Here are some picture for your viewing pleasure!