Smith Family

Family Dialog

2009-10-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

Danielle: “Aiden, say ‘I.’”

Aiden: “I”

Danielle: “Say ‘love.’”

Aiden: “Love”

Danielle: “Say ‘you.’”

Aiden: “Me.”

Danielle: “Aiden! Say ‘I.’”

Aiden: “I”

Danielle: “Love”

Aiden: “Love”

Danielle: “You”

Aiden: “Me”

This is where I decided to try to outsmart him.

Dan: “Aiden, say ‘I.’”

Aiden “I”

Dan: “Love”

Aiden: “Love”

Dan: “Me”

Aiden: “Me”

Danielle: “Aiden, what are you?”

Aiden (grinning): “Ornery.”

Natalie Take Up Ice Skating

2009-01-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

Natalie's Mom-mom bought ice skating lessons for Natalie. She took to it very quickly and had a great time. Her instructor recommended helmets for the kids just in case.

Natalie Enjoys a S'more

2009-01-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

Did you know that you can make s'mores in the microwave? Natalie knows.

Natalie's Cast

2008-12-08T17:43:00.000-08:00

Ages ago I promised to post a picture of Natalie's cast. Here, at last, is a picture. You can see that her Uncle Jeremy has signed it, but it's hard to read. The cast comes off on December 16th. They'll use a saw to cut it off. It will be interesting to see how she reacts to that.

Natalie's cast

2008-11-18T11:17:00.000-08:00

Natalie got a cast today. It was quite a hassle trying to get that arranged. Most doctors' offices seem to unable to return a phone call, probably because of the all the paperwork requirements of the insurance companies, which were the other half of this headache.

But enough complaining. The orthopedist said that the fracture was minor and did not involve the growth plate. She should heal and not have further problems.

The staff at the orthopedist office was very kind to Natalie and let her choose the color of the cast. She chose purple. I'll try to post a picture later.

Natalie has to wear the cast for 4 weeks, mainly as a precaution against re-injury. After that she'll get another x-ray and may have to wear a brace for two weeks as a further precaution.

A colleague of mine told me that his daughter had to get a cast when she was 4 years old, and she then got the chicken pox under the cast. These days, kids are vaccinated for chicken pox, so Natalie should only have to deal with a little itching from time to time.

Natalie's Arm: A Very Minor Fracture

2008-11-16T09:10:00.000-08:00

Last night, Natalie fell at the play area at the mall (which our pediatrician calls "the germ pit"). It was a pretty minor fall. She was jumping off an object about 18 inches high, but didn't quite stick the landing and tripped, landing with her left arm extended. For the most part, she's as tough as nails, so when she wanted to climb into Mommy's lap and stay here, holding her wrist, we knew something was wrong. So we took her to a new urgent care center near the mall and found out that she had a very minor fracture near her left wrist. The x-ray below -- which the urgent care center gave to us on CD-ROM -- shows the fracture, called a "buckle" fracture. It appears in the x-ray as a little bump of the right edge of the bone. As the doctor explained it, kids' bones are pretty soft, and this is more like a crease than a crack. It should heal without any problem. We'll follow up with an orthopedist just to be sure.

Natalie has a splint on her arm now and may get a cast from the orthopedist. She woke up once last night crying, but with a little tylenol, she went right back to sleep. It's going to be interesting getting her through the basic daily routine with one arm. I'm not sure what we'll do about school on Monday if she can't figure out how to go to the bathroom independently.

The urgent care center, incidentally, was awesome. Our local emergency room is famous for 4-hour waits on Saturday nights, but the urgent care center got us registered, x-rayed, examined, splinted, re-examined and discharged in 30 minutes. And we didn't feel rushed at all; they just didn't waste any time. We were in the waiting room for about 2 minutes and went from there straight to x-ray. From x-ray we went to the exam room. The doctor walked in two minutes later and had already read the x-rays. And it went on like that, with each person being cheerful, empathetic to Natalie, and happy to answer questions. And it was a smaller co-pay than the Emergency Room!

Rollerskating

2008-10-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

Danielle took Natalie to a birthday party at a roller skating rink today. I have to admit that I thought this was not a great idea. I mean, what 4-year-old knows how to roller skate?

Apparently Natalie does. This came rather as a surpise to Danielle and me. She's never been roller skating before. But Danielle rented her a pair of skates that strap over her shoes, and she took to it like a duck to water. Not just skating around, mind you, but spinning in circles and skating on one foot with the other foot up in the air!

Incredible.

Lesson learned: kids can do more than you might expect. Let them try.

I'm going to take her ice skating soon. And this time I'll remember to bring the camera.

Aiden's first baby sign

2008-09-22T19:15:00.001-07:00

Aiden is not much of a talker. He babbles a bit, and likes to blow rasberries, but so far it has been just nonsense. Occassionally he'll stick with "ma ma ma ma," or "da da da da" for a while, but we've never gotten the impression that "ma ma" means mommy or "da da" means daddy. In the last two days, however, he has given us indisputable proof that he knows that baby sign for "light."

For whatever reason, Aiden finds lights fascinating (lights and wheels, actually; a future firefighter). He stares at lights and squeals with delight if I hold him close enough that he can touch the lampshade. Because of this intense interest, Danielle started showing him the baby sign for "light": hold you arm up high, open your hand and fingers wide, then close your first and open your hand two times quickly to simulate a light blinking on. Aiden watched closely for about two weeks and now he does it almost every time he see a light, whether it's a headlight, a lamp or the sun.

Tonight's demonstration, which prompted this post, happened when I was bringing Aiden in from the car and pointed out a plane that had just taken off. It was a jumbo jet with the landing lights on (headlights for planes), and lights were illuminating the clouds and mist in front of the plane. Aiden saw it an immediately made the sign for light. Then when we got inside he looked at the lamp, which was on, and made the sign again.

With this little bit of encouragement, we'll be trying to teach Aiden some more useful signs, like "hungry," "bottle" and "more." I suspect those three words will be some of his favorites.

Gifts

2008-09-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Natalie was very excited yesterday morning when I told her that I didn't have to go to work, and Mommy didn't have to go to work, and she didn't have to go to school. I think she really understands the concept of a weekend now.

Perhaps because she was so happy to be spending time with her parents, Natalie decided to paint a picture for me last night. When she was finished, I praised it like it was the Mona Lisa, and then told Natalie that I was going to hang it in my office.

It was like I gave her a present. She lit up with a smile and ran back to dining room to paint a picture for Mommy to hang in her classroom.

With all that giving going around, Aiden decided to give me a little "gift" in the bathtub. So I got to spend the night washing the tub with a solution of bleach.

Enthusiasm Wanes Fast

2008-09-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

Last night I reminded Natalie that she has school in the morning. She burst into tears and shrieked, "I don't want to go to school! I don't like it!"

I asked her why not. After a few sobs she said, "Because I'm not with my Daddy!" More sobs.

What can do but hug her?

As she started to calm down a little, I pointed out that when she's at school, I'm at work, so we're really not apart any longer on account of school. That, of course, was no help. "But I'm not with my Mommy or my Mom-mom either!"

Natalie went to "camp" over the summer, which consisted of half days at a kid-size gym, so she's had some introduction to being away from family, but I guess the two full days that she spends at school are probably hard on her.

I bet she comes around soon, though.

Rugrat

2008-09-12T05:34:00.000-07:00

It's been almost four months since we've posed anything about Aiden, so here's an update about him. Aiden is . . . large. At his six-month checkup, he was in the 90th percentile for weight and off the chart for length. The week before last he weighed in at 22 lbs 4 oz.

Aiden has a very different personality from his sister. He's inquisitive and will study an object, particularly wheels, for quite some time before putting them down. He's also an explorer, trying to find all the places he can get into, going after electrical outlets, plastic bags, pieces of paper -- basically, anything we're not supposed to leave lying around. In that way, he's helping us start to keep a tidier house. Of course, it's hard to keep the house tidy because of another of his qualities: he likes to be picked up and held. In fact, he can quite angry if you put him down, even for a second.

Aiden has something like 8 teeth now. He eats like a horse and will consume any sort of baby food that we put in front of him. He seems particularly fond of sweet potatoes.

Aiden has been crawling for a while now and is able to pull himself to a standing position with no difficulty at all. He's definitely much more mobile than his sister was at this age. We expect that he'll be a early walker.

One more thing about Aiden, he apparently doesn't know that babies are supposed to be afraid of loud noises:

Speaking of Back to School

2008-09-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

Danielle is going back to school, too. She had decided to go back to work full-time this fall, but then the county started having budget problems and was laying off teachers instead of hiring them. Then, a few weeks before summer was over, the county starting re-hiring some of the teachers it had laid off, and it looked like there might even be a few openings. So we waited, but got no calls for interviews.

Finally, a week before classes start, Danielle calls the director of human resources and says that she wants to know if there are any positions to interview for. Sure enough, there is one opening in the county, and Danielle is scheduled for an interview. It goes well, and there is only one other applicant, but Danielle decided to call human resources again. She says that she wants the job, but is willing to interview for other positions as well. Lo and behold, another position has just been created. It's in the school Danielle wants to work in (the one she liked best during her time as a substitute teacher), and it's for 3rd grade, which would be her first choice. She interviews and is hired on the spot.

So, at left and below, you'll see Mrs. Smith's classroom. Danielle has a hard job. While most teachers teach or one two subjects, and has students rotate through so that they only have to prepare one or two lessons, Danielle has her kids all day. So she teaches them everything, and has to prepare a full day of lessons. She's been working 10 or 11 hours days all week. Hopefully, once she finishes getting her classroom set up and gets more into the swing of things, she'll be able to work a more reasonable schedule.

Off to School

2008-09-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

It's official, Natalie is in school now. We enrolled her in a cooperative pre-school (which means that each parent has to be the teacher's assistant twice a month and be on a committee), and Wednesday was her first day. She'll go all day on Mondays and Wednesdays, and then half a day on Friday.

Natalie really liked her first day. The next morning when she woke up, she cried when I told her that she couldn't go to school becayse it was Thursday. And no wonder she likes it. It's mostly about playing with education toys, which are great, even though they're educational, because they're new to her. More importantly, preschool has the one thing she wants more than anything else in the world: other kids to play with.

I suppose her enthusiasm for school will fade over the years. Speaking of enthusiasm that will likely fade, Natalie loves her dentist! She was looking forward to her appointment all week so that she could get prizes and the hygenist would "tickle her teeth." When we left, she said, "I wish we could go to the dentist again." She had no cavities, otherwise her opinion of the dentist might have taken a quick downturn.

Benefits for Anna

2008-07-06T16:43:00.001-07:00

Hey there folks! Just wanted to pass along that there are some things in the works as a benefit to Anna. She is doing extremely well, but still has a long road ahead of her. She has such determination and spirit, and is pushing hard everyday. Because she has to take a leave of absence from the Baltimore County Police Department, she will lose some health insurance benefits as well as her pay. So, there are some benefits going on to help alleviate her medical expenses and other such things. One is in Rochester, NY (where Ron is from) and the other is a golf benefit here in Arnold (Bay Hills on September 8th). Here's the info for the NY benefit if any of you happen to be traveling there!!! Of course we can always take donations. I am sure we will work on something more local as well, and I will keep you all informed of that. Also, if any of you are interested in the golf benefit, let us know. Dan, who does not golf, is planning to participate along with a good friend of ours! I believe they do this stuff in teams of 4 (I know less about golf than Dan does!), so let us know!!!

Also, I still have the rubber gray bracelets that say "Strength, Courage, and Double "O" They are $5 a piece and the proceeds go directly to Anna.

BENEFIT CONCERT FOR ANNA OTTO
Routine Surgery Turns Traumatic

Anna, went to University of MD Medical Center on Tuesday March 4th for same-day surgery on her jaw, to correct TMJ. Due to complications from Anna’s
surgery, she experienced a brain hemorrhage, which put her into a coma for several weeks. Four months later Anna is still in the hospital, but continues to improve. She is awake and alert, but still has a long way to go. Anna works for the Baltimore County Police Department, but will have to take a leave of absence because of her injury.
The reason for this benefit is to help Ron and Anna, due to the fact that Anna is losing
some of her health benefits and all of her pay.

Please join us at
“The Roost”
4853 W Henrietta Rd
Featuring Music by Local Band 50/50
Sunday, July 27 at 2pm
$10 Presale/ $15 at Door
Family $30
Admission Includes Happy Hour Prices for Food and Drinks
Door Prizes and Auctions
To purchase advance tickets, or if you would like to make a contribution to the
“Anna Otto Fund”,
Please contact Julie Cunico @ (585) 581-1001 or julie.cunico@frontiernet.net

FYI: Julie is Ron's sister. If you are interested in making a contribution outside of the benefit, you can contact me no problem. Julie is in charge of the NY benefit, and has been a tremendous support to both Anna and Ron throughout this ordeal!

Recital

2008-06-15T17:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Connie we have some smuggled video of the recital. It was a long day, and despite having strep throat, Natalie did very well.

Natalie:

Me:

Natalie's Dress Rehearsal

2008-06-11T07:04:00.001-07:00

O.K. I am going to be putting up a regular informational blog here in a little while, but I wanted to put this up as a sneak peak for all of you that are going to the recital or for those who aren't able to go to get a chance to see her dance. For the dress rehearsal we had to have full make-up and costume.

There are only two little girls in Natalie's class, Natalie and Abigail. Abigail was on vacation for the past couple of weeks, so it had only been Natalie in class on Friday. She was starting to get lonely..."It's not as much fun without Abigail." That I can understand with how much of a social butterfly Natalie is. Anyhow, when we arrived for the rehearsal, Abigail was nowhere in sight! The teacher and all of us crossed our fingers, but Abigail still hadn't arrived when it was time for the girls to go on. So, they sent Natalie out by herself. She took cues from her teacher on the side but performed for the small audience all by herself. By the end of that performance, Abigail had arrived, but she was not happy. She cried, and screamed, and they talked her out on stage, but only Natalie did the dance. Abigail stayed in the background crying. So, they asked if we could stay for a little while, and they would try to get the girls on again to see if Abigail would give it a try. I had to race home to get myself ready, but my mom stayed with the kids, and said that Abigail and Natalie did get a chance to get back up on stage, and this time things went a bit smoother. I have no idea how the actual recital is going to turn out, but one thing I know for sure is that Natalie will have no problem performing!!! She keeps asking me who is going to be there, and then telling everyone Aunt Joyce is coming, and my cousin Chloe is coming!!! She is quite excited. She told me that she had " a little bit of stage fright, but not too much."

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8900242728576200265&hl=en

May 14th, 2008...Finally a word...

2008-05-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hi All! Yes, it has been entirely too long since we last made a post. Things have been fast and furious around here lately, as most of you already know. We were finally getting somewhat used to being a family of four when life decided to throw some curve balls.

First of all, for those of you who don't know my best friend Anna has been in the hospital since March 4th. She went in for "minor" surgery on her jaw. There were some complications of the surgery that left her in a coma for awhile, and she is still recovering at this moment. Anna is making tremendous improvements, but it will be a long road.

That same day I was rushed to the ER only to discover that I have a bad gallbladder. Never fear, that bad boy is coming out tomorrow (May 15th). I am nervous about that, but am confident that things will go as smoothly as possible.

The next morning Dan was in another car accident, which resulted in the total loss of our second car the Elantra. Fortunately, he was not hurt in this incident. We are now the proud owners of two new cars, and thus two new car payments.

I also went in, unexpectedly, for surgery at the beginning of April. That went well, and I am ecstatic that is now behind me.

Now that all of that is out of the way, on to the stuff you all have been waiting for:

Aiden and Natalie are doing very well. Aiden is now 4 1/2 months, and Natalie is anxiously awaiting her 4th birthday. We registered Natalie for pre-school this year. She will be attending the Magothy Coop Preschool in Pasadena. The coop means that parents help out in the classroom, which makes it really nice and personal. As as teacher and a parent I love this idea. At his last appt (April 25th) Aiden was a whopping 17lbs 14oz (95th percentile) and 27 1/4 in (97th percentile...wonder where he gets that from). He started smiling at the end of February, and laughing soon after in the middle of March. His favorite things to laugh at, besides big sister Natalie (whom he adores and gets very upset if she ignores him) is having his feet touch his cheeks, playing peek-a-boo, and jumping up and down either in a jumperoo or on Mommy or Daddy. Around the second week in April I noticed he picked up the drooling habit and was "biting" me a bit. Well, lo and behold on April 18th his bottom two teeth popped through!!!! I still cannot believe it. Natalie was easily 7 months or so before her teeth started coming in. Aiden has been rolling over since late March/early April, and while he has not quite begun to crawl (yes, I realize it is still very early for this) he does dig his toes in, pop his bottom up in the air, and then slide across the floor on his face. It doesn't seem very comfortable, but he is like a little inchworm. I thought I would have several months left before I had to worry about him being mobile. I've said it before, "What am I going to do with a boy???!!!" We have not settled into a routine yet, but we are working on it. With everything that has been going on, it's been difficult, at best, to get anything really productive done.

Natalie is still enjoying ballet very much, and is looking forward to her recital in June (the 14th at Northeast High). She LOVES Aiden, particularly his head, and has been a great big sister. We have experienced a bit of trouble with adjusting to a baby in the house, but all in all I can't complain too much. We have to occasionally remind her to be gentle, but she just wants Aiden around all of the time. She loves to show him how to do things. Dan or I usually have to hold Aiden just so and say (yes we are fed our lines), "Watch Sissy brush her teeth. Aiden, do you see Natalie eating her vegetables?" Both Dan and I have found that our patience is much thinner than it is. Part of that is just the hustle and bustle of life in general, but we are both convinced that at the age of 3/4 children lose their minds. At first I was concerned. I thought it might just be Natalie. But, I see my friends' children and my niece and nephew exhibiting very similar behaviors, and their respective parents also at their wits end. So, it's just the age. Dan will say it is the "willful disregard" of what we tell Natalie, and the endless questions that do us in. Yes, we get the typical "Why" or "How" questions. Those aren't so bad. It's the, "Daddy, tell me what question I want to ask you; " or "Why do I love to collect caterpillars?" When we can't give her the right answers (and how could we since, well, we're not her), she becomes furious!!! Just recently she has been getting into some heavy conversation though. I think a lot of it has to do with the events that have taken place recently, and just natural curiosity. I mean in one night Dan went from explaining the creation of the Earth (big bang theory) through evolution. A few nights later we discussed God, Jesus, and heaven. Natalie wanted to know where heaven is. I thought Dan did a wonderful job explaining it to Natalie. He told her that we can't see heaven until we die and our soul goes there (we had a long discussion about what a soul is, how it gets to heaven, how it gets out of your body, etc.), and because of that people like to pretend it is up in the sky. So, we're thinking that it is definitely time for pre-school, and we're also talking about taking her to church sometime. We just need to find the right place. Probably a local unitarian church, but we'll see. It never ceases to amaze me how bright Natalie is. Yes, she's my child, and I am going to think that. That's cool, because those of you who are parents get to feel the same about your children. I just am in awe of this little person that is a part of Dan and I...even if I want to strangle her at times. I mean she is a typical toddler/preschooler in every sense of the word...good and bad. But, I am so proud of her thoughtfulness, imagination, and compassion. This morning, in fact, she thanked the Earth (something she has been talking about since Earth day) for "being the best planet." Oh yeah, and she gave her brother oxygen the other day by waving flowers in front of his face. This, the result of our conversation about how plants and trees are necessary because they put oxygen in the air that helps us breathe. She's our little tree hugger!!!

So far this year we have taken a few small trips with family. We went to Longwood Gardens early in the year with Dan's family. Even Aiden enjoyed this trip. We also were lucky enough to go to the Baltimore Zoo in April with our cousins from NC. That was a great time, and Natalie enjoyed playing with her cousins Alex, Chloe, Samantha, and Ginny! Well, that's about enough for now!! I am posting some pics, which I know is what you all really want anyhow. I promise we will get more up a.s.a.p. (hopefully Dan will have time to work on that while I am recouping this weekend), and we will be sure to post more blogs.

Hope you are all well!!!!

More family resemblance

2008-01-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

O.K. Danielle here for a brief moment. I was looking through some of our pictures, and came across some old ones. I have been taking most of the credit for the looks of our children. I have always stood by the fact, however, that Natalie is now looking more and more like Dan and that Aiden was born with, at the very least, his daddy's eyes. Well, here is a picture to take in. This is actually Dan...but I swear to you this is Aiden in disguise!!! By the way, baby boy is now 11lbs 10oz and 22.1in long. He's doing well, but is in reflux meds (thank goodness). They seem to be helping a bit, but it's still too early to tell. Natalie is still enjoying being a big sister, and I think we are finally getting somewhat used to being a family of four. I am feeling much more normal now...so bring on the visitors (if you so wish)!!!!

Somebody call Guiness; I think we have a record here.

2008-01-12T06:50:00.000-08:00

Aiden pooped on the ceiling.

This entire post will be about this event, so if that's not the sort of thing you'd like to read about, then you might want to browse through the older posts and see if there are any that you missed. Or you can look forward to my next post, which will be a nice one about Natalie's joy at being a big sister.

Ok, now that we've gotten rid of those people, we can continue. So, as I was writing, Aiden POOPED on the CEILING. Mind you, this was not as a result of a game of Spiderbaby (think Spiderpig from the Simpsons Movie). Aiden is too little to appreciate being Spiderbaby -- unlike SpiderNatalie, who laughs uncontrollably -- so we haven't tried it. Even if we had tried Spiderbaby, he would have been wearing at least a diaper, and, in keeping with the law of gravity, one would expect that a game of Spiderbaby would result in poop on me, rather than poop on the ceiling. But I'm starting to digress. The point is that Aiden was on this changing table, which sits 32" above the floor, when he managed to poop on our 8' ceiling:

This actually happened about two weeks ago, just a day or two after we brought Aiden home. I had his diaper off in order to change him, and shortly after peeing on me, he had a particularly explosive bowel movement. I hadn't noticed the mess on the ceiling or the wall at the time, because, frankly, it never occurred to me to check whether he had pooped on the ceiling. So it was the next day that I happened to notice a stain on the wall. Investigating the source of this stain caused me to notice another stain on the wall, and the stain on the ceiling. If one drew a line connecting these three dots, it led right back to the changing table.

I think this may be record-worthy because of the distances involved here. First, he got the ceiling. Based on the way I usually place Aiden on the changing table, I measure the distance between the stain on the ceiling and the launch-point at 6'8":

This picture was taken with the camera on the changing table at the approximate launch point. In order to avoid a distorted sense of scale, I set the focal length of the lens to 35mm, which, for a digital SLR camera, is approximately equivalent to the focal length of the human eye.

With the camera set up the same way, I measured the distance to a cluster of stains located between 7'3" and 7'8" away:

Thanks to my lovely assistant who helped hold up the tape measure, albeit with a lot of sighing and eye-rolling.

Finally, the one that I will submit for consideration as the world's record for distance covered by poo propelled unassisted from an infant less than 1 week old: a wall 9'8" away:

Because of the angle, it was too difficult to get a picture of this one with the measuring tape in place, but the stain is located behind the nightlight, which appears near the center of the frame, just to the right of the first round wooden post.

So that's all for now. As you might imagine, we have quite a bit of cleaning up to do, and not just because of this incident.

No. of times Aiden has peed on Daddy: 6
No. of times Aiden has peed on Mommy: 5
No. of times Aiden has peed on the new carpet: 8

A Little Family Resemblance

2007-12-26T08:02:00.000-08:00

Aiden at 1 day old.

Natalie when she was a few days old.

I think Natalie's forehead is a little taller and her nose is a little longer, but other than that, they look quite a bit alike. Danielle says that their mouths are different, but I'm not convinced.

Happy Birthday Aiden!

2007-12-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

Aiden Daniel Smith was born at 6:23 pm on Christmas Eve. He was 9 lbs. 13 oz. and 20 3/4 inches long. That makes him and inch or two shorter than his sister was at birth, but over a pound and a half heavier.

Aiden started on his journey at about 2:30 am on December 24th, when Danielle's water broke. She wasn't having contractions then, so we took our time getting ready and headed to the hospital at around 3:30. Danielle starting having contractions every 3-4 minutes along the way.

When we arrived, Danielle seemed to be in active labor, having strong contractions every two to three minutes. She continued to have them for several hours, but after 11 am, she stopped making progress. Her doctor convinced us to try Pitocin at around 1 pm. But Danielle, being exhausted and worn down from almost nine and a half hours of labor, decided that she would not be able to bear the pain of Pitocin-induced contractions without an epidural.

The epidural turned out to a great decision. Danielle got a little sleep while she had her strongest and most frequent (and painless!) contractions. Unfortunately, after a few more hours of hard contractions, she still hadn't made any more progress. Danielle's doctor recommended a c-section around 5:30 pm. Although it was the last thing she wanted, Danielle agreed that it was probably best for Aiden.

The surgery started about ten minutes after six. Around 6:23, we heard the doctor and her 3 assistants all gasp simultaneously and cry out "Oh, my GOD!"

That, of course, threw Danielle into a panic. But we quickly realized that it was not an aortic hemmorage that has caused them to cry out, but rather shock at Aiden's size. The rest of the dialog among the surgical staff went something like this:

"Wow! That's a big baby!"
"That's 11 pounds, at least."
"I'll bet 11."
"Get that baby on the scale; I can't wait to see what he weighs."
"Ow! He bit me." (the surgeon)
"That's future linebacker there."
"Oh, he's peeing on me."
"He's breathing well. Nice and pink, that's what I like to see."
"I'll help you clean him off."
"Oh, he's peeing again."
"He got me that time."

A few minutes later it was all, "congratulations," and "here's your baby." It turns out that he was not even quite 10 pounds. But he was more than big enough. A mark on his head showed that no matter how long Danielle had pushed, he would not have come into the world any other way. So the delivery was not what we had intended, but we feel like we make all the right decisions.

Danielle says that surgery was painless, and that she did not even experience discomfort while the surgeons pushed and pulled on her belly. In fact, the only discomfort she experienced was from her IV, which was rather poorly placed in a small vein in her hand.

Danielle is now experiencing the pain and discomfort of recovering from major surgery, but Aiden is by every indication, happy and healthy. We expect to come home on Thursday.

Aiden managed to pee on the nursing staff a third time before we left the operating room. We're going to have to be careful about keeping him covered.

Under New Management

2007-12-23T14:34:00.000-08:00

Dan here. So I think this blog thing is supposed to be my deal now. What does that mean for you? Probably less frequent and shorter posts, and almost certainly poorer spelling.

So here's what new (I started this post a month ago, so actually, these things aren't really new any more. Consider this fair warning about the future quality of these posts):

(1) Baby shower. I thought we shouldn't have a baby shower because we've already had a baby and we have most of the stuff we need. But, I was told in a diplomatic sort of way that I'm apparently a baby-grinch, and that I should just pipe down and clean the house.

Anyhow, we had the party a few weeks ago. It was a huge success, with a much larger turnout than we expected. I think Danielle was a bit overwhelmed by the preparation and the number of people, but she had a great time. We received many thoughtful gifts. Many thanks to all those who helped make the day special for Danielle, and a special shout-out to Mia, Anna, and the Moms (Turner and Smith), who all went way above-and-beyond in helping us get ready.

Not that anyone cares, but I vacated the house during the estrogen onslaught, and went to see Dan in Real Life, which was very good.

(2) Carpet. We bought a lot of it; just shy of 900 square feet. It looks great. We should have done this a long time ago.

Those of you in the market for carpet might want to know this about Home Depot's much-advertised special featuring whole-house carpet installation for $199: it does not include removal or disposal of the old carpet, which adds $299 to the price. It also does not include installation on stairs ($4/stair) or moving furniture. After learning all that, we went elsewhere.

Pictures

2007-12-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

Nikki was in town from Texas a few weeks ago. Amanda and Josh stopped by to catch up on old times.

And here are some pictures from Thanksgiving at Grammy and Granddad Smith's. Aunt Connie helped the kids make a gingerbread house.

Natalie loves her cousins. And she especially likes to shower Alex with hugs and kisses, whether he likes it or not. (Connie took this one.)

Grammy bought T-shirt transfers for the inkjet printer. Every kid got a T-shirt with his or her picture on it. Natalie is decorating hers with a fabric marker. (Connie took this one too.)

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!!!!

2007-12-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

O.K. First off, thank you to all of you for the well wishes for Aiden's speedy and safe entrance; however, it looks like it will not be nearly as speedy as we had anticipated.

First: The good News:

Baby boy is doing great, though still inside. He is moving around, growing, doing everything he's supposed to. I had an u/s yesterday when I went in for my amnio appt. I was starting to get nervous about things like the cord being wrapped around him and all that stuff, but the nurse said they listen to the blood flow to make sure there isn't an issue and everything sounds great with him. She laughed several times because Aiden would get extremely annoyed with the poking and prodding. She asked, "Does he always move around this much." YES!!!! That's why he needs to come out...he is too big to move this much!!!! It actually hurts now!! Anyhow, the point of that is that he looks extremely healthy and happy to stay put for now. They estimate him to be 9lbs 14 oz (yes, 2 oz shy of 10 lbs). But, as the nurse said they are just estimates and they are based on measurements of the limbs, head, belly, etc. So, it is possible that he is just very long and not necessarily all weight! So, I am going to be wishful thinking that he is over 9lbs, just not that much!!!

Second: The irritating, disappointing, lies...

I scheduled the amnio last week for this past Thursday. There was some confusion about when the results would arrive. At first, I was told possibly not until Monday (Christmas Eve). To which I replied, "Then there's no point, because I will be 39 weeks and would not need an amnio for induction). So, after talking to the lady at the health center I decided to keep the appt. and chat with my dr. at my next appt. (which was this past Tuesday). She asked if I had scheduled the amnio, and I told her yes but that we needed to discuss the timing issue. During that appt. she said that she would get results from the amnio within a couple of hours and if they came back saying that Aiden's lungs were mature, then she would induce that night. So, based on that information Dan and I agreed to go along with the amnio. She even had her staff call to "make reservations" for yesterday. When I called back to see what I was supposed to do before and/or after the amnio, the staff at the office said that my dr. was waiting to hear from the director of ob at the hospital to make sure they could get me in Thursday night. I was confused, and kept calling to find out because neither Dan nor I wanted to do the amnio if it wasn't going to make a difference in induction. So, I made one last phone call as I was waiting to be called back for the amnio appt., and the office said they would get back to us w/in 20 min. So, went ahead with the ultrasound (which had to be done anyway), to check on the baby's well being and weight. We told the girl doing the u/s our predicament and that we were reluctant to move ahead with the amnio w/o hearing back from my ob first. So, the nurse and dr. that were supposed to do the amnio came back to talk with us, and said they didn't really see the point since I was so close to being 39 weeks and that usually these appts. are in the morning (o.k., but that's not up to me when I call and this is the time I am given!). This dr. didn't think I would be able to get in until at least Friday afternoon time. He said he would call Dr. Duroseau to talk about it and decide whether or not we would proceed with the amnio. They came back and said, "No amnio. Dr. Duroseau said she will see you 6 a.m. on Sunday the 23rd." Well, I was irritated and relieved at the same time. I am kind of glad that I did not need to get the amnio, but the whole reason we were considering this anyhow was because we did NOT want to come in on Sunday since that would be I wouldn't be home until Christmas Day at best (not counting if a c-section would be necessary). So, I had to continue on with my Non-Stress Test (something I've had to do every week since about 34 weeks), during which I called my dr. and said, "No, we will not be here Sunday...unless he comes on his own then. If he's not here by Christmas, then feel free to schedule something anytime after that."

So, the new plan is, if he is not here by Christmas I will be going in either Wednesday the 26th or Friday the 28th. You know what this means though...he's going to come on Sunday (or Christmas Eve)...all on his own!!!!!

I have been having some serious contractions since the appt., so I am hoping that it actually won't be much longer and he will come on his own.

So, we're waiting again!!!!!

It is time!!!

2007-12-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

This is just a brief update for those of you who don't already know, but Aiden will be arriving in the next couple of days at the latest, either on his own or with some help. I had a follow up appt. yesterday and significant progress was reported.

____________________________________________________________________
This might be TOO MUCH INFORMATION, so I suggest if you don't want a couple of details you stop reading!!!!!!!

I am 3-4 cm, and 50%. The baby has dropped (I thought he did that awhile ago, but evidently not!!!), and is at -1 station (he's low but not quite engaged yet). So my dr. tried to help me along again, to see if things would get started on it's own. Other than a few contractions, not much is going on right now.
_______________________________________________________________________

O.K. Now for other information that may not be too scary for you!!!

If Aiden does not decide to come on his own before tomorrow afternoon, I have an amnio scheduled to make sure his lungs are developed. The dr. has already reserved space for me, assuming that everything will come back o.k., so that I can go right to L&D upon receiving positive results. She will induce me then if everything checks out. The reason the amnio has to be done is because I am technically still 38 weeks, and because of laws/sue happy people/dr. discretion, she will not induce me before 39 weeks without an amnio. That would be Sunday the 23rd, and I didn't want to do that because even if things went exactly as planned, I would not be home until Christmas day. That wouldn't work with Natalie!!!! We kept going back and forth about this, but all of us think it's for the best that Aiden comes sooner rather than later, and with the progress I have had, it seems it was in the cards anyhow. I would like to have him come on his own, but he is getting so big and besides being extremely uncomfortable, I am worried about the complications that can result from having a big baby. Of course, I say that now, and he'll come out weighing like 7lbs!!!!!!

Anyhow, we will keep everyone posted, and will get pictures up a.s.a.p.

Halloween, Funny Stories, and Some Updates

2007-11-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

Halloween went pretty well. Natalie was excited to trick-or-treat with her friend Ray. Ray was Bumblebee from Transformers, and Natalie was a purple-monster...a friendly one though (despite putting on her costume promptly growling at anyone in view!). Both kids were very excited and were able to knock on the door and say the traditional "Trick-or-Treat!" They only needed a few reminders to say "Thank You," and only a couple of times did we have to prevent the kids from inviting themselves into someone's house!!! Ray was great at striking up a conversation with just about every neighbor, and it was oftentimes funny and cute! For one house, Ray was first to the door. Natalie was a little behind, and by the time she reached the door, Ray had already knocked, made his plea, and received candy. The neighbor knew Natalie was coming, though he closed the door to get more candy. Natalie was very worried, screaming "TRICK-OR-TREAT!" She did not want to be forgotten. As I mentioned, she lasted about as long as I did, so that worked out perfectly.

I have realized that Natalie is picking up more and more of what we say and do. So, we really need to start being more conscientious.

***I overheard her playing with her pretend cell phone, talking to April (who lives at the airport!!!! She has mentioned this several times over the last couple weeks. I had to explain that April does not live there, but since she lives far away she flies on a plane to come visit. Natalie only recalls us going there to pick her up so, naturally, she lives there!). Well, with this phone, when you close it, it rings as if the phone is receiving a call. Natalie pops it open and mutters, "Ahhhh! It's a telemarketer." She's also very good about telling anyone how annoying they are.

***Last Friday I told her we had dance school that night. She loves it, so she says to me, "Mommy, I don't want to dawdle today. I don't want to be late for dance school. I'm not dawdling!"

***Mom-mom has been accompanying us on several shopping trips lately, since I can't really handle walking around very long. Well, there are times when Mom-mom seems to disappear without a trace. On a couple of recent trips, we finally caught up with her, and when Natalie saw her start to walk ahead or in a different direction she screams out, "Mom-mom don't bugger off again!" I can't help but laugh. I realize that I mumble to myself something to the affect of, "Mom-mom has buggered off again! Where is she!"

***Over the last couple of weeks, Natalie has developed a fear of smoke detectors. She has a "Little People" book where the kids go on various field trips. One of them is to the fire house. One night, as Dan read this story to her before bedtime, she asked a ton of questions about the fire house. She's not afraid of firefighters, but she really dislikes the engines because of the loud noise (funny, I never thought anything loud would bother Natalie, but fire engines and fire works do). Dan talked about different firefighting things for a good 10 minutes or more, including telling her that mommy and daddy used to be firefighters and pointing out the smoke detector in her room. He went on to explain the purpose of the detector and what happens if there's a fire. Ever since then she's been afraid that it's going to make noise. After a particularly rough day trying to get her to nap, (I walked up and down the stairs a good 6 times...normally something I can handle, but not in my current condition, and pleaded over an hour and a half that the smoke detector was there to protect her...blah, blah, blah...she didn't buy it. In fact she said, "You and Daddy need to protect me." I told her we were doing that by having the smoke detector...not good enough. I finally broke down with "I'm sorry I'm doing a sucky job, but you need to go to sleep NOW. I am NOT walking up these stairs again!" Of course, I felt even worse after that)...anyhow I digress, Dan had to lay in her bed one night for awhile to get her to sleep. I was afraid that this would start something we didn't want to deal with, so the next night Dan agreed to sit in the chair, the night after that he sat on the steps with the door open, and the next night he sat on the steps with the door closed. She still mentions her fear of the detector, but for the last couple of nights she has gone to bed without needing any extra support. I think it helps that she seems to be transitioning to no naps, so is getting tired earlier and is actually eager to get to bed. Now, if I can just make sure she gets to bed earlier, we might eliminate some of the tantrums that have started!!!! (Since typing this post a month ago, Natalie's fear seems to have subsided. She will often inform us, "I'm not going to be afraid of the smoke detector anymore." We have been getting back into a normal bed time routine, and that has been great).

***Natalie loves getting her hair cut. Once opposed to the Cartoon Cut gimic, I realize that for Natalie it is a great thing. She has always been pretty easy at trying something new, but I truly wasn't sure how she'd be with getting a haircut. She LOVES it and will often ask to get her hair cut. She loves getting shampooed, and will say,"This feels so good." Of course that's after multiple reminders to the lady to "be careful not to get it in my eyes or pull my hair." She will also comment on the cartoons as she is getting her hair cut, and will continuously remind the cutter to "be careful! Don't cut yourself with those scissors." After one particular trip about a month ago, I decided to fluff out her hair! I didn't have them dry her hair (it was still fairly warm at the time), and so with it being wet and combed through, the curls were not bouncing up yet. Natalie became irritated with me, exclaiming, "Mommy! I just got my hair cut! You're messing it up."

***Just a few days ago I was making some faces and mildly (for once) groaning over my aches and pains carrying this large child around! Natalie asked me what was wrong, and I said "Your brother just keeps growing and growing." Natalie walked up and put her face to my belly and said very calmly but assertively, "Brother, stop growing in there."

***Natalie is still loving dance class, and actually will be in a recital on June 14th at Northeast High School (where I graduated from!). We decided to take her to see the Nutcracker Ballet, being performed at Northeast, as part of our holiday festivities. We gathered with some friends and family and explained to Natalie about the show. I also read her the story the day before so she would have an idea of what was going on (for my benefit too, because I have never read that story). She LOVED it! She was great throughout the whole first act. Of course, the timing was a little poor as the show started at noon. So, by the time the second act came around, Natalie was hungry (despite having a snack), and becoming more irritable. She decided that she was done watching everyone else dance, she wanted to put on her "costume" and dance on the stage. She informed us that she would not be scared to dance on the stage. When we told her that it wasn't her turn right now, but she would get a turn when she was done learning her dances at dance school, she couldn't handle it. She did manage to pull herself together and finish watching the show, and was very happy to grab a quick bite to eat and then head to Anna and Ron's for cookies and playing (especially with Milo and Otis...their cats). A day or so afterwards I was commenting on how good she has been, and how proud I was of her listening so well and being good for me. She said, "You are? But not like at the ballet when I was freaking out." I could hardly contain myself. She is definitely my child!!!!

***A few weekends ago Natalie attended a sibling preparation class at St. Agnes. She enjoyed it, for the most part, which made it somewhat worthwhile, otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it. She was able to diaper a baby doll, and learn to swaddle. I think the most interesting part was when they got to see a real live newborn in the nursery. Natalie was really enthralled. The teacher talked about the umbilical cord and other stuff, including feeding the baby. Breast milk was talked about a lot, and as I've mentioned Natalie soaks up everything. So, right afterward she is telling us, "When I was a baby I liked breastmilk." She fumbled over the words at first, but never fear she has them down now. Dan and I didn't really know how to react. We didn't make a big deal out of it at all, but wasn't sure how comfortable we would be with Natalie sharing breast milk stories with everyone she meets!!! A few days later we are putting her to bed. I read her a story and then she starts talking about milk. We talked about white milk, and chocolate milk. She was talking about not wanting to be a big girl, but a baby (which was new, since she has never expressed this kind of typical behavior in a soon to be big sister). We were explaining that it's cool to be a big girl because of the things she can do and eat that her brother won't be able to at first. She said, "Babies drink milk." We agreed. Then she asks Dan something to the effect of, "What's that milk taste like." Well, Dan, being the literal person he is, is trying to answer the question directly and explain to her that the milk babies drink isn't a different taste just a different kind. I could tell by the way Natalie was prompting him that she understood that, but she had forgotten (or just wanted to hear daddy say) what it was called. So, I whispered to him, "She wants you to say Breast Milk." So, he obliged, and she thought it was wonderful. "That's right, breast milk!" "Why do babies drink breast milk?" Since then we've had numerous stories of how her babies have come out of her belly and they like to drink breast milk. See, this is the stuff that I don't know how to deal with being a parent! I just say something like, "Well, that's good." hoping the subject changes!!!

Anyhow, things are going pretty well with me. I get to go to 2 appts. every week now. I am officially 36 weeks now (I was about 32 when I started this post!), so I go to my regular doctor every week. On top of that, because they think he is going to be a big boy (see Dan's upcoming post for more details), I have to go to the hospital to get a non-stress test and biophysical profile every week. Basically, they just do another ultrasound to make sure the baby is moving, practicing breathing, and that there's enough fluid in there. They also hook me up to monitors to see if a) he's moving, b) his heartbeat goes up when he moves, and c) if I am having any contractions, and if so how the baby responds to them if they are significant. I've had 2 so far, and Aiden has passed 100% both times. So that is definitely good news...of course unless that means he is too comfortable in there. I am ready for him to be done!!! I am already dialated some, and my OB is definitely hoping that the baby comes soon...basically any day now. We'll see how that goes.

I was feeling guilty about taking so long to post, so I decided to get back on and finish this up. I see that my wonderful husband has started another post (not finished yet) to sort of take over. For this I am so grateful. Hopefully you will get some better more concise updates ;) The typing is not a problem for me, it's getting the pics up that gives me a headache. He's much better at that, so hopefully he can keep up on it among the million other things I ask of him ;) Having said that, I am posting this now so that I can get it out there. There are no pics, but I will make sure that either this post is edited, or Dan includes them on his upcoming post (which should be soon)!

Hope you are all doing well!!!

From last post through October 31st

2007-10-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

I know I need to be more consistent with my posts, if for nothing else, but that I can't remember anything anymore. Things are still going fairly well, but with 9 weeks left before Aiden is due (and we think less than that by the time he actually comes) we are starting to feel the pressure.
I have been trying to get Natalie to more and more activities with our playgroup, but it has now become harder. Some of our adventures included a trip to Homestead Gardens to visit some animals and look at pumpkins, Trick-Or-Treating at Annapolis Mall, and recently a Halloween Party. We also took another trip to visit family in WV.
Natalie is very excited about Halloween and all of the Fall Festivals. She has had the opportunity to see and pet a lot of animals, which she loves (especially the horses - God Help Me!). When she went trick-or-treating at the mall, she seemed to be more excited by looking at all of the other kids' costumes, often exclaiming, "Look, there's Cinderella. Ha! Ha! There's Buzz LightYear...I like Buzz LightYear!..." She met up with "Diego" at the germ pit, and that was all she wrote. Her and Diego played everywhere together, and if she lost sight of him you could hear her call, "Diego, Diego!" Of course, Diego didn't top a boat load of princesses though (Annapolis Mall has updated their "germ pit" and it now includes a row boat that the kids can climb into. At one point it was full with every kind of Disney princess you could imagine...Natalie couldn't resist). Many of the store workers who were handing out candy enjoyed Natalie's "Purple-ly monster" costume. Natalie got a kick out of that, and will tell you that people loved her "little tail." Secretly, o.k. it's no secret, she loves the little tail also!!!
Here's a somewhat funny story for you. Now that I am huge and have a hard time bending over, I opt to throw Natalie in the shower with me rather than give her a bath (if I am on my own). Well, that is proving to be a bit difficult now. My belly sticks out pretty far, and the other day Natalie is in front of me as I was reaching for the shampoo. Well, she felt a little crowded, and said "Mommy, my brother is in my way. Tell him to move please!" I had to explain that it wasn't that simple! Ahhh...so it begins!
On our trip to WV, Natalie had many exciting adventures. We intended on riding a real coal-operated train through Cass, WV. Cass is where most of my Dad's family, including my dad, grew up. It's a small town that used to thrive on the lumbering yard there. The Cass Scenic Railroad has become a huge tourist attraction, and we found that out quickly when we couldn't get a seat on the train (it sold out). We hung around for awhile, but the next train wouldn't leave until 5 and it's a 2.5 hour round-trip. By the time we would get back it would be dark and cold. Not good for scenic pictures, or an extremely pregnant mommy, who would have needed to eat right away!!! But, Natalie had fun none-the-less, playing on the swings and toy train, and looking through the old country store. My aunt, uncle, and grandfather ran into some people they knew from when they lived there some 40 or more years ago! Natalie also got to meet a "real live Bambi!" There is a deer in my Aunt Lisa's neighborhood that had been cared for by a family (I am not sure of the circumstances behind that, but they bottle-fed the deer for some time), and it is pretty tame. Natalie loved playing with, and feeding the deer. I was a little nervous, though, and made sure I explained the difference between a pet and a wild animal to Natalie. I think she mostly got that, as she was pretty careful with the deer, but did not want to leave the deer on its' own for a minute!!! I am posting a link with all of the pictures from the trip...there was some great scenery on the way to Cass (and that's a big deal coming from me, since Mother Nature and I do not get along, and looking at leaves isn't really on my list of the most exciting things to do).
Some of the pics posted on the blog include the famous "Scionwistisis" (see previous blog on earlier trip to WV). Natalie was very excited to see the family again, especially Great-Pop-pop. There's also a pic of a pumpkin cake I made for the Halloween party. I am usually not this creative or ambitious. It turned out pretty well in my opinion, though it wasn't nearly as pretty as the one on the recipe I was going by!! But, it seemed to be a big hit at the party, as there was very little left. I am thankful for that!!!
Aiden and I are doing fine. I went in a couple of weeks ago for a follow up ultrasound. The dr. just wanted to check the placenta and baby again. Everything looks good, but they want me to come back in 4 weeks (well, 2 now) for another. They said that the baby is measuring big. You don't have to tell me that...I knew! They say Aiden is in the 89th percentile, but I truly don't know what that really means. At 29 weeks he was measuring about 3.9 lbs, and avg. for that gestational age is just under 3. That doesn't seem so big to me, but the docs want to keep an eye on it. When I went to my follow up ob appt. yesterday she said I am measuring 33 weeks (I am really 31). She guesses the baby would be about 9 lbs at this rate. I told her I thought I could handle that, but 11 or 12 lbs might be pushing my limit! She explained that this is why they want to check Aiden's growth again. She said that if the baby moves to the 95th percentile, they start talking induction. Personally, whether on his own or with some help (though I would prefer on his own) I don't mind him coming a bit early. I am banking on my 37th week, which is the week including December 15th. I am ready. The aches and pains are getting pretty bad, but I know it's all for a good cause!!!! Oh, and we're still debating on a middle name. I think Daniel or Connor are our top two choices, but we haven't officially decided yet.
Oh, and funny story (well to most other than me). I was trying to cook grilled cheese. This is something I usually can do. But, my mind has not been up to par lately, and I forgot that I was cooking (not good, I know). Well one side of the sandwich was charred pretty well. I tried to scrape it off, but it wouldn't work. I hoped beyond hope that Natalie would just eat it (I couldn't make another because I didn't have enough cheese, and that's what she wanted for lunch), because I was not feeling very well, and I was trying to get the pumpkin cake done for the party. I showed her the sandwich, and apologized. She said, very matter-of-factly, "You not a good cook Mommy!" Well, given how I was feeling I thought I would have had a meltdown, but I couldn't stop laughing. She ate the sandwich though, with no other gripes. She said, "I like the burnt stuff mommy." Yeah right, but thanks for humoring your mother! She has definitely been testing Dan and I lately. There are no terrible 2's, it's terrible 3's. But, overall, I am so proud of person I see her becoming. We are so lucky to have her, even if at times I just wished she stop talking ;)

Halloween went really well. Fortunately Natalie only lasts about as long as I can handle. She still made out like a bandit and really enjoyed trick-or-treating with her friend Ray. I will post those pics as soon as they are downloaded.

Pics from this summer - Natalie swimming (I just realized I never posted these):
http://picasaweb.google.com/open.mynds/Swimming

Homestead Pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/open.mynds/HomesteadGardensTrip

WV Pics!
http://picasaweb.google.com/open.mynds/WVOctober2007

Up to October 3rd!

2007-10-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, has it really been this long since my last post? We have had a few things going on, some pretty major as you can see from Dan's last post.

Natalie is still doing fine. She's been keeping up with her dance classes, and really loves them. She gets extremely excited when I tell her it's almost time for class. I think she is also very interested in going to pre-school. We didn't feel it was necessary for her to have two years in a pre-school setting, so we decided to wait until next year to start. I hope she keeps up the enthusiasm. I don't know if there are any programs (aside from a daycare center) that will start in January. If so, we may think about doing that. At least then I would be able to see her off to school for awhile (since I plan to have a full time job next Fall). That would also give me some time to have some one on one time with Aiden (Oh yeah, by the way, did we mention that we finally decided to stick with Aiden as the baby's name? We are still contemplating the middle name, but so far no agreement).

Natalie is also still having a lot of fun playing doctor. I probably encourage her since I frequently ask Dan to take my blood pressure (something I have become OC about lately). She told me the other day that she had to check me out. We went through this whole routine where she strapped the bp cuff on and "pumped" it up, announcing "It it says 27; you're o.k." Then she listened to my heart, and then said, "Mommy, I have to put sticky stuff on your belly and listen." It took me a second to realize what she was talking about, but I remembered that she has been to several of my doctor's appts. and thinks it's funny every time the doctor puts the gel on my belly to listen to the heartbeat. Natalie also loves to tell stories and hear other people tell stories. She started a story for Dan one day with this..."When I was your age..." Pretty funny!

Last weekend she went with mom-mom and pop-pop to Ms. Debby's farm for a festival. There were hay rides, pumpkin carving, and animals galore. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but here are some funny things that my mom mentioned happened on her adventure.

Natalie really enjoyed the Fall Festival at the Houck's. She enjoyed a great hayride with Pop-pop, Mom-mom, Ms. Debby and Eddy and all the other children. We saw deer, horses, goats, cows, dogs, cats, and chickens along the way, while Natalie munched on strawberries, during the ride smiling and laughing the whole time.

We all gathered around the campfire to listen to Natalie tell her campfire story, and carve out pumpkins. Ms. Debby helped to find the perfect pumpkin for Natalie, while Ms. Linda helped her carve and decorate the pumpkin. Unlike Trinity, Natalie was hesitant about sticking her hands into the pumpkin to pull out all the guts (as the children called it) of the pumpkin, replying, "this is messy and gross!" About a half hour later, after a lot of wipes, Natalie was holding her own right along side the other children, in pulling the so-called guts out of her pumpkin. A fine job she did!

Then Lauren, Trinity, and Natalie ran and played for hours in the dark. Each with their own lights to see where they were running in the night (those light-up boots helped Mom-mom keep track of Natalie's whereabouts). Natalie received a lot of compliments from the adults at the festival about how smart she was and a very good girl (bragging was in order of course)!

Natalie and Trinity entertained all Ladies, Gentlemen, Boys and Girls (as Natalie announced) by singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and the ABC song.

The girls than proceeded to run and play hide-n-seek again, however, Natalie had an advantage this time, when Ms. Linda gave her a light that fit around her head (the coal-miner type) leaving her hands free. She was very excited to be wearing this light.

Speaking of doctor's appointments, we have had some follow-ups with new information. I had my second ultrasound on 9/25. This time it was at the Women's Center in St. Agnes (the hospital where I will be delivering). I LOVE this place because the U/S techs are very thorough, personable, and make sure "you" are aware of everything they're looking at. Plus, you get the results right away...the doctor on staff comes in when the tech is done and gives you the report. This is where we went from the get go with Natalie, so I was a bit surprised when I went to American Radiology for Aiden. Anyhow, the doctor said that the placenta has moved, and I should have no problem having a "regular" delivery (provided that everything else goes as planned). Then he mentioned that Aiden's kidneys look normal, and we thought, "Good to know, why is he singling them out?" He explained that the first u/s report indicated that one of the baby's kidneys appeared distended. What? We never heard anything about that! When we explained this to him, he double checked that he was in fact dealing with the right people, and confirmed. He said it's not uncommon for kidneys to appear this way in an u/s if the baby is producing urine at the time, and the fact that everything looks completely normal now suggests that was what happened during the first u/s. I will be going back on October 22nd just for one last follow up on Aiden and me.

A few days after the u/s I went for my glucose test. Fun stuff! I was a little nervous this time around. I have had a problem with low blood sugar for awhile, but nothing with high sugar (though it does run in my family). I had such a rocky first trimester with eating, and often feel like my sugar is out of whack, so I was afraid there might be a problem. Well, I had another o/b appt. this past Tuesday, and the doc said I passed with flying colors. Yeah...no 3 hour test!!! She also indicated that the baby's heart is fine...pause, what? I choose now to express my concerns about the fact that we didn't know any of the possible complications (with the exception of the previa) before my follow up ultrasound. I feel a little better having had the discussion, and there shouldn't be anymore surprises!!!

All stated, Aiden and I are doing fine, aside from the fact that I have severe heartburn (I am up to 150 mg of Zantac 2x a day), and was concerned about possible contractions (let's just say it wasn't contractions!!!). I was in obvious pain a few times, which concerned both Dan and Natalie. Natalie was so sweet and would come rub my back, and ask me what's the matter. I am somewhat surprised I wasn't offered Ginger Ale. Aiden also likes to sit very low, and who am I kidding he kicks, rolls, punches, everything real low. For all of you mommy's out there, you know this is not comfortable ;) I made a comment, more to myself, that Aiden is trying to come out...perhaps through my belly button. Natalie overheard and thinks this is the funniest thing ever. So, don't be surprised (or alarmed) if she mention that her brother is trying to come out!!!!

Pictures will be coming soon!!!!

2007-10-03T07:31:00.001-07:00

Farewell! thou are too dear for my possessing.
Or, It is finally time to get rid of this heap.

Last Thursday, on the way home from work, I drove my car under the rear wheels of a passing 30-foot-long box truck. They say you should make every effort to experience life, but I don't recommend this particular experience.

As a lawyer, I'm not supposed to say this, even if they put me on the rack, but the accident was my fault. Anyway, I'm fine, and the other driver was fine, but my car was not fine. We haven't officially heard from the insurance company, but we can't imagine that it will try to repair the car. The cost of repacking the airbags is alone probably more than the car is worth. So, last Saturday, Danielle and I bought a minivan, a silver Kia Sedona. She drives fewer miles than I, so she'll drive the gas hog, and I'll drive her Hyundai Elantra. Here's what's left of the Malibu, which I bought brand-new almost a decade ago:

Natalie Makes Me Laugh

2007-09-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

Post by Dan.

With Natalie around, I laugh a lot more than I used to. Here are two very funny (IMHO) things she said this weekend:

(1) Pretending.
Natalie loves to pretend. She pretends we're going to the beach, to the park, to the grocery store, but most of all, she loves to pretend that one person is bad (a ghost or a monster, perhaps), and the other person is good (a prince, or a nice wolf, or whatever). She is almost invariably a princess who needs to flee from the bad person and be saved by the good person. Of course, this raises a few concerns about her view of the role of women, but that's another story.

On Saturday, Natalie and I were playing in the living room. She was a princess, and was warning me that a bad witch was coming and was going to turn her into "a stinky mess." You could see the gears turning in her head as she said "and I'm the princess and you're the prince and there's a witch and Mommy is the stinky mess witch." Then she ran around the house for 15 minutes screaming warnings about Danielle's every movement. ("Oh no, the stinky mess witch is coming!" "Run from the stinky mess witch!" "Save me from the stinky mess witch!")

Danielle did not find this nearly as amusing as I did.

(2) The chocolate fountain
On Sunday, Danielle and I were taking Natalie to a family game night organized by her moms group. We were asked to bring bananas for holding under the chocolate fountain that the hostess was going to provide.

I wanted Natalie to be excited about going to the party, so I decided to tell her about the chocolate fountain a couple of hours before it was time to go. We happened to be outside at the time I told her, and that's probably a good thing, because otherwise my hearing might have been damaged. As I explained what a chocolate fountain was, Natalie's eyes grew bigger and her jaw dropped. In a matter of seconds, she was bouncing up an down, and when I finished, all the energy her little three-year-old body could muster exploded in cheers as she sprinted around the yard, waving her hands in the air and shouting "The most beautiful, wonderful, happy, terrific, greatest, beautiful, wonderful, yummy, happy thing! A CHOCOLATE fountain!"

August 29th through September 11th

2007-09-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

We have been pretty busy these last couple of weeks. Friday the 31st, was mine and Dan's 5 year anniversary (though we've been together for 12). We didn't make any extravagant plans, but thanks to Mom-Mom keeping Natalie overnight, were able to enjoy a nice dinner at Windows On The Bay (the restaurant where our reception was held), a movie, and then the next day we took in the Renn Fest. Oh, and of course we had our traditional anniversary cake from Sugar Bakers! Our plans were somewhat threatened when I broke my toe on Thursday. It looked pretty bad, but all is well now!
Dan and his mom worked on more of our household projects on Sunday and Monday while Natalie and I hung out. On Monday Natalie and I went to Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop's for a last minute Labor Day cookout. My grandfather, who recently lost his wife, was here and the friends that my mom and dad grew up with were able to join us. That was really nice, and funny to hear all of their childhood stories. My grandfather had a blast, and I was happy to see him with a big smile on his face, or laughing at the boys.
Tuesday, September 4th, I took Natalie to Clark's Elioak Farm. It's a a petting zoo/play area that is only about 25 minutes away. We were able to feed goats, ride a pony, and take a hayride. It was a fun time for everyone. The next day we met some friends for lunch and Natalie got to burn off some energy at the "germ pit" (our term of endearment for the play area at the mall). Thursday we took a little break, but Friday heated up again. We went to the Extreme Bounce Zone again for story time. It really is a good deal...they have about 20 minutes of story time for the kids, then time to bounce on everything, and they provide a small snack and craft project. I was impressed that Natalie and I made it there, early no less, since it starts at 9:30!!!! It really was a lot of fun, so I think we'll try to make that a regular trip! After the bounce zone we picked up Mom-mom to go shopping for a bit, and then off to Natalie's first Ballet Class. She LOVED taking the ballet lessons. There are only three little girls in her class. One of them is the daughter of a friend of mine from high school. The parents do not stay in the room with the class, so I was a little nervous, but there is a huge window where we can look in on the instruction. I was very proud of Natalie for listening to the teacher, and trying out everything the teacher asked (Natalie gets easily frustrated if something doesn't go right the first time, or she thinks she can't do something). I couldn't hear what exactly was being said in the class, but a few times I caught Natalies typical excitement as she shouted "Sure" or "Yes!" I have to say she was just too cute. She came running out of there, and said "Mommy, I did a great job!" I hadn't officially registered her for the class, because I wanted to find out if she would like to continue. I asked her afterwards if she wanted to come back, and she was very excited. She wanted to go right back in for another class! I had to tell her we needed to wait until next week! So, I registered her, and provided that she keeps an interest, she will most likely be in a recital in June.
On Sunday, Dan and Natalie went on Uncle Casey and Aunt Connie's boat with them along with Alex and Chloe, and Grammy and Grand-Dad. I drove over the bridge to Kentmorr Crab House to meet everyone for lunch (I wasn't really up for a few hour boat ride). Lunch was great, and Dan said that Natalie was having a great time on the boat. We are always talking about safety issues with Natalie, and there is a little cartoon short on the Disney Channel ("Lou and Lou Safety Patrol") that discusses safety as well. She is very quick to point out "safety violations." In fact, one day Uncle Jeremy was leaving on his motorcycle. He came back to the house saying something about needing his helmet. Natalie said, "That's right Uncle Jeremy. Because that would be a safety violation." Anyhow, it makes it easy on us since we don't really have to fuss about seatbelts and stuff. So, we went over the "rules" for the boat, and the fact that she would have to wear a life jacket. Dan said when he was handing her down on the boat, she became slightly apprehensive and said, "But, I need my life jacket!" She LOVED the boat ride. Evidently she squealed each time the boat bumped over a wave. Alex, Chloe, and Natalie also fished that day. Natalie caught a few fish, and the kids giggled each time they reeled in a fish and touched its' side.
Today we finally had another doctor's appointment. I received the paperwork to go in for the glucose test, and the doctor gave me a prescription for a higher dose of Zantac since my heartburn is just about unbearable. The doctor said that everything looks fine, but that I do have to go back for another ultrasound. Evidently the last one showed that I have a "Borderline Partial Placenta Previa." A placenta previa is when the placenta implants itself directly over the cervix. = no exit for the baby, along with other potentially serious complications. A partial placenta previa means simply that it's only partially covering the cervix. My doctor also stated mine was borderline, so I don't know for sure that mine is covering any part of my cervix or just really close to it. The doctor noticed the look of shock and fear on my face, and told me that she wasn't concerned at all. She said that most of the time the placenta will move (it doesn't actually move on its' own, but as the uterus grows it sort of migrates with it), and that it looks promising for me since I have had no bleeding or other symptoms. So, we'll see when I go back for the next ultrasound if it did indeed move. I am hoping so, because I would really rather not have a c-section. Plus, one of the major complications of placenta previas is significant blood loss. I'd rather not go through that again. So, I am a little nervous, but am also extremely positive about the next ultrasound showing no problems.
I think that is all for now. I am posting some pictures (including Natalie playing her computer game. She has become quite good at using the computer and I am amazed how well she does with some of the games), and will update everyone again soon! Hope you are all doing well!

Here are a couple of links to videos from the fishing trip Sunday:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2794575437020964493&hl=en

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4110842059871477340

Some links to more pics!

http://picasaweb.google.com/too.many.dan.smiths/FamilyFishingTrip

http://picasaweb.google.com/open.mynds/NatalieSFirstDanceLesson

http://picasaweb.google.com/open.mynds/LaborDayParty

From August 6th to August 28th

2007-08-27T10:26:00.002-07:00

O.K. I know it has been way too long. There has been a lot going on, and either I haven't had the time to post a new blog, or haven't really felt like it.

To start off, following my last blog, Natalie and I took a trip with Connie, Alex, and Chloe to Ocean City for a one night adventure. That was really fun, though really, really, hot! We got to OC just about dinner time on Tuesday, unloaded the car, and went off in search of food. We finally settled on a nice Italian place, and the kids were amazing. We then walked to the end of the boardwalk so that the kids could get on the rides. Connie mentioned it was 18 blocks, but it truly wasn't that bad on the way down. I am really glad we didn't have to walk back though! The kids loved the rides, and Natalie enjoyed them even more having her cousins there to ride along. They took turns picking which ride was next, and riding with one another. Alex and Natalie rode this rocket ship that zoomed round and round, and would also lift up and down as one of the passengers pulled on the handle. It took a bit for them to figure it, so the rocket sort of bumped and skidded until it took flight, which they both thought was the best. We could hear them laughing out loud as they came around. I found myself laughing out loud just watching them. We all got on the ferris wheel. That was a little much for me, it wasn't a very large one, and went kind of fast. My belly barely fit in there, and the heights were freaking me out a little, but in the end it was nice to be able to ride at least one ride with Natalie.

That following weekend we received some bad news. My grandfather's wife has been battling liver problems for years now, and we received a call Saturday that she was back in the hospital not doing well. By the next morning I had messages that she had passed. It was completely unexpected, as she has been really sick for some time. But, she had been going back and forth, and I think everyone just expected her to come home, even if only for a little bit, this time. We haven't visited as often as I used to as a child, but they are the only grandparents that I really have. This is a huge change in our family, and while I am glad that she is no longer suffering, I'm a little nervous about what this means for the future of our extended family. My grandfather, as expected, is not taking this well at all. Not only has he lost his wife of 31 years, but his whole way of living must change. We went to Petersburg, WV this past weekend for Donna's memorial service. It was nice to see the family all together, especially since that rarely happens anymore and is probably even less likely now, but I wish it could have been under better circumstances. Natalie went with us this time, so I tried to explain to her before we left about the memorial service. We haven't really had big talks about death, even though Natalie has recently lost her Great Pop-Pop on Dan's side of the family. I told her that Donna was very sick and the doctor's tried to help her but she couldn't get better. Natalie suggested we try to give her Ginger Ale, but I explained that we couldn't because she died. Natalie was very sympathetic, as if she understood, and said, "Oh, I am very sorry for her." I told her that Donna would be with God, and about the memorial service. I wanted to explain that people would be sad because they would miss Donna. She actually slept through most of the service, but in the end really enjoyed seeing the family even if it wasn't under the best circumstances. As a family we are still trying to figure out what we can do to help one another, and keep my grandfather on his feet.

While we were in WV, we stayed with my aunt Lisa. She has a grand-daughter about Natalie's age, so there are toys and things for Natalie to get into! Almost immediately Natalie latched onto this stuffed white tiger. She loves animals of all kinds, particularly stuffed ones. She has taken to naming her animals. We have a cat named Lucifer, after the cat from Cinderella (her new favorite movie), a horse named Molasseees (yes, it's eees on the end). Well, this tiger she found at Lisa's is no different. Normally, we can decipher her names pretty well (she has been talking for a long time), and can normally figure out where she came up with the idea. This one was a little more tricky. Natalie named this tiger, and I truly have no idea of the spelling, Scionwistisis!!!!! We had to laugh every time she called the tiger!

Something else that happened in these past few weeks is that Natalie has declared that she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. She was watching a bit of Barney (I know, I forbade that show in my house when Natalie was first born, but she hasn't formed a great attachment, and she loves singing and dancing, not to mention dinosaurs in general), and the kids were discussing what they could be when they got bigger. She came up to me and said, "Mommy, I want to be a doctor when I grow up. Daddy can be a firefighter when he grows up." I had to laugh, and we talked a little about how Mommy and Daddy have been firefighters. She then grabbed a doctor kit that goes with one of her dolls, and informed me that I needed a check-up. Evidently I didn't have a temperature, but I did have throw-up in my heart. I was concerned, but Dr. Smith gave me some medicine and I felt much better. She still likes to check out Mommy and Daddy, or have us give her a check-up. This really has made it nice for visits to the Doctor and Dentist. We are so blessed that she is an easy going child when it comes to these visits. In fact, she had a dentist appt. last week. The hygienist asked her if she could brush her teeth with some red stuff, and Natalie simply said, "Sure" picked out a toothbrush and let the lady go to work. The lady turned to me and asked, "Is she always this easy going?" As a flurry of temper tantrums and other impatient outbursts (which she gets from me no doubt) ran through my head, I had to still answer yes. We have never had a problem with her at the dentist or doctors. I hope that keeps up, especially after her 4 year check-up next year. She will be receiving 4 shots!!!!

Last Wednesday Natalie and her cousins, along with Pop-Pop went to visit the Science Center. The kids love that place since they can touch everything, and we've all had a membership that has been going to waste. Natalie did well, and didn't even want to stop for lunch. Finally, at around 2 or so I had to tell her we needed to eat (Mommy and her brother were starved), and then we could come back for just a short while longer. I think both Natalie and Pop-Pop enjoyed the exhibits.

One of the things that Natalie has really started doing a lot lately is turning to me and saying, "Mommy, I love you." It's got to be the best feeling in the world. She has really shown a lot of compassion and empathy for others, whether she sees someone who is sad or just not feeling well. Mom-mom was sick last week, and Natalie was devastated that she couldn't go for a visit. She was talking to my mom on the phone and said, "Mom-mom I will do magic, and say the right magic words so that you will feel better." She was very excited when my mom called the next day and was doing much better, so Natalie got to spend the night. She's always very quick to take care of me too, if I don't seem to be up to par. If someone squinches their eyes, because of pain or thinking, or makes some other gesture that indicates in any minute possible way that they are not happy, she will say, "What happened to your eyes?"

As for me, I am doing pretty well. I am getting huge, and I will be getting a t-shirt that says, "No, I am not having twins!" With Natalie I got large all over. So far, I have only gained about 5 pounds (at least that's what it was at my last doctor visit, so it could be more now), but really it's mostly in my belly. My heartburn is getting really bad, and it's hard to breathe after I eat, but we're hanging in there. I am looking forward to doing some substituting now that school is back in!!! I don't have an updated pic of my belly just yet, but I will post one later this evening...promise ;)

Dan and I are looking into buying a minivan. We'll keep you posted on how that goes!

Well, I think that's about it for now. I promise weekly updates now that things have settled a bit. Hope you are all well!

Here's a link to pics from OC (thanks to Connie):

http://picasaweb.google.com/constance.phelps/OceanCityAug2007

Week up to August 6

2007-08-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

Well, this past week and a half has been pretty uneventful. Natalie and I came down with the summer plague, so we took it easy for most of the week. Grammy was in Ireland for just about two weeks, and on the 31st we celebrated Grandad's birthday with dinner at Bill Batemans. It went o.k., though I was completely miserable with my stuffy nose! This past Saturday we went to Baby Allison's birthday party. It was in Greenwood, Delaware this year. The party was a blast, but it took us twice the amount of time to get there (nearly 3 hours to the hour and fifteen it should have). Natalie had a blast in the little blow up jumper there, and of course the pool. Unfortunately we don't have any pictures from the party itself. I am going to try to take some pictures of Natalie swimming today. She has become very comfortable with the arm swimmies, and really enjoys doggy paddling around on her own. Yesterday we went to Grammy and Grandad's for dinner to welcome Grammy home from her trip to Ireland. It was a very nice visit. The dinner was great, and the kids had a fun time running away from "Goggle Man." While we were there, Grammy handed out the souveniers. The girls received cute little Irish dolls, and Alex received a double decker bus. He was even interested in the box! He asked Natalie if she wanted to look at the pictures, and during this time she leaned over, gave him a hug, and exclaimed, "Alex, you're the best!" Natalie likes to listen to her kids songs when we drive in the car. One of the songs is "Make New Friends." A few times she became a little sad and said, "I don't have any new friends." So, we talked about all the "old" friends she has, like Ray, Zack, and Baby Allison. We also talked a little about some of the "newer" friends she has through our playgroup and other places. She then said, "Alex and Chloe are my friends." I told her that was true, and then she said with such enthusiasm, "And they're my cousins!" Now, whenever she hears this song, she likes to name off the friends she has. She even asked about some of our friends' and family pets, and if they have friends.

The other big news for this week is that we had our ultrasound this morning!!! I haven't received the official report on how everything is, but nothing glaring was mentioned, so there doesn't seem to be any cause for concern. My next appt. is September 12th. We also didn't think we would be able to find out the sex, since the baby was being very stubborn!!!! But, in the end after a few trips back to that area, the technician seemed very positive of her declaration! For those of you that thought Natalie would be having a baby sister...WRONG. She will in fact have a baby brother sometime around the New Year! They told me at the ultrasound the due date is December 29th...just a few days before my doctor's date of January 1st. We'll see how it goes, we have nothing but time!!!! Natalie, Mom-mom, and Grammy were able to join us for a few minutes at the end of the ultrasound. Natalie was very intrigued by seeing the baby on the monitor. She exclaimed, "Look, the baby is moving." When the technician said it was a boy, Natalie got so excited and looked at Dan and said, "I am going to have a brother???" When Dan confirmed this, she announced to the room, "I am going to have a brother!!!!!" We were very excited that she was so excited. Just last night, she told us she thought the baby would be a girl! We were concerned that she would be disappointed if she didn't get what she ordered so to speak!!! Here are some pics!!!

Natalie's Party and Following Week

2007-07-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

O.K., so I start this thing and I'm already behind. But, I promise weekly updates from here on out! Natalie's party was Saturday the 14th, and it was quite a success. There were so many people here, which was wonderful. We had a blast, though at times I did feel like I was running around like a chicken with its' head cut off!!! It's a good thing we took a lot of old toys to Grammy and Grand-dad's garage sale, because we needed the room for all the new stuff. Natalie wanted ponies, and that's what she got! There are ponies of some sort everywhere!!!! She also received a lot of money and gift cards, which we've allowed her to spend at various stores. So far she has picked out a Cinderella dress, Chutes and Ladders, CandyLand (which we made sure to inform her ahead of time did not include real candy), a few movies, a jump rope (the girl loves jump rope...even if mostly to pretend it's a leash!), and a book or two. She still has so much left over, so we're debating on putting it in the bank or letting her spend more! Thank you cards are going out, so you should receive those soon! It really was a nice time. As tradition would have it, we got a big cake that everyone could eat and I baked a 6 in. cake just for Natalie; however, this year my decoration did not turn out in the least (neither did the cake for that matter)! But, never fear, kids do not know better, so we put it down with a handful of forks and Cousins Alex and Chloe joined right in on the cake eating.
One of Natalie's friends also helped this year, so the cake was enjoyed nevertheless! A friend of ours, who used to be our roommate when we lived in Arnold, stayed with us for several days following the party. Lori has a 13 month old little girl, and it truly was a blast. There were some trying times, but good practice for Natalie learning to be a big sister! At one point Bree was relaxing with her mommy, and Natalie decided she would read her a book. So, she took out "Are You My Mother," (which she has memorized), and proceeded to read. If a stranger came upon this scene he/she probably would have thought Natalie was truly reading, but it is definitely memorization (heck! we've pretty much memorized the story too with the numerous times we read it before night-night).
The Monday after her party was Natalie's 3 year check-up. She measures 37.5 inches tall, which we somewhat expected since she was allowed to ride the roller coaster at Dutch Wonderland this year. At the doctor's office they said that was the 60th percentile and said she is just above average. I was a little surprised since everyone informs us that Natalie is tall. Now that I look back at the paper they gave us she is in the 68th percentile, which is more like it, but still far from the 90th that she was in at a much younger age. She seems to be right on track with everything. We bought a few pre-school workbooks that we work on together. She always looks at me as we finish a page and exclaims "I'm learning!" or "I've learned!" I am glad that she enjoys doing these activities. I find it hard to "play" with her...I never seem to get it right as daddy does; but, the board games and workbooks have extended our "play time" together. I am just trying to figure out how to start her writing letters. I feel like she's too young for this now, but I know that in preschool they start writing. All of the workbooks have writing pages, but I just don't know how to get her to hold the pencil properly. I guess that's why I'm an Elementary teacher and not Early Childhood.
Friday of last week, we went to Extreme Bounce Zone in Millersville. They have a story time and bounce time for children 4 and under (which makes it a bit safer for the kiddies). The theme was ducks, and Natalie got to actually pet a real duck. She LOVED that (have I mentioned that she loves animals?)!!!! She did a lot of bouncing, and made a duck out of a paper plate, construction paper, and feathers. I couldn't help her with the big climbing slides this time, so she gave one of them a try all by herself. The first time she needed a hand by one of the people that worked there, but by the second time she had it figured out. One of her friends, who is a bit older, from the playgroup we are in was encouraging her the whole way. She was almost to the top when she looked up at him and said "I am doing it! I am so proud of myself!" I was really excited to hear that because Natalie tends to get frustrated quickly when she can't make something work just right (I have no idea where she gets that from!), and a couple of times she has said to us, "I'm can't do that. I'm not good at that." I was a little concerned when I heard this, but continued praising her when she would do things on her own. It was a great ending to a very tiring, overwhelming, and patience thinning week!!!!
As for me, I am just over 4 months pregnant now. August 6th is the date of our ultrasound, so we should hopefully find out what we're having. What does everyone think? I am feeling much better now, except that I already feel so huge!!! I've only gained 3 pounds, but my belly is really out there. My "big" clothes are still way too big, but my "small" clothes are now getting a bit snug. So, I go back and forth between maternity and big clothes!!! When I wear maternity clothes I really look pregnant, other than that I just look fat!!!!

Natalie's 3rd Birthday

2007-07-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hi All! I figured now that Natalie is three years old, and we have another one on the way, it's high time that I start getting things together and sending updates and pictures (especially since we have many) to everyone. Truth be told, I am not as technologically savvy as I once thought I was, so I resisted the effort to use the computer to help send out many updates. Plus, my last year of school really took its' toll. But, Dan and Connie convinced me that using this blogger site is really easy, and now that I have no homework or portfolio to complete, I have a bit more energy to put forth into sending updates. We'll see how it goes!

This first blog is about Natalie's 3rd birthday. I cannot believe she is three already, but in some respects I can't believe she's only three. She officially turned three this past Tuesday, July 10th. We decided to surprise her with a trip to Dutch Wonderland for the day. It turned out to be a wonderful time. Natalie is much like her mommy and daddy in that she loves rides. Last year we went to Dutch Wonderland with cousins Alex and Chloe, but Natalie was not quite big enough to get on many of the rides she would have liked to...especially the roller coaster. But, not to fear, she has her daddy's genes, so she has sprouted up a lot in the last year, and rode the roller coaster 4 or 5 times on this trip! I was a little jealous, since I couldn't do many rides this year. I am just shy of being 4 months along with our second baby, and the doctor's do not recommend amusement rides when you're pregnant. I managed to get on a few with Natalie, and also enjoyed the water park as a welcome break from the heat. The heat was not nearly has unbearable as we thought it would be, but let's not kid ourselves...it was HOT! That actually worked in our favor a couple of times that day. Not a lot of people were at the park to begin with, so despite arriving a little later than we planned (surprise, surprise!), Natalie rode about half the rides before lunch time. We then decided to hit the water area, where Natalie proved to be a bit more courageous than we expected. She loves the water, but is not happy about going under. Daddy took her on a slide where she went under, but she bounced up after a moment of sheer shock, smiled, and before I knew it Dan had her going down the water slides on her own!!!! Our time there was cut short when a thunderstorm passed through. But, unlike 2/3 of the people there, we decided to wait it out. So, by the time the storm was through it was 10 degrees cooler, and more than half the people were gone. No more lines for rides!!! Natalie rode every ride in the park that she was able to, save for one slow moving tour boat (Natalie does not like the slow rides...she is definitely a thrill seeker), and some of her favorites she rode 4 and 5 times. It seems that her favorite ride this year was actually the log flume. She kept wanting to go back to that one. We also enjoyed a break while we watched The Frog Prince show at the park. Natalie loved to watch the "frog princes" dive into the pool, and thought it was the best thing ever when they splashed us thoroughly! We decided to head home around 8, and told Natalie that she would be able to pick one thing from the gift shop as a birthday present. She immediately latched onto a $50 stuffed giraffe (the child LOVES animals) that was not quite as tall as she. We spent the next half hour showing her everything in the gift shop hoping to dissuade her from the giraffe. In the end, a stuffed chicken and baby chick, and a princess cape worked! Thank goodness! After stopping for a late dinner at Cracker Barrel, we made it home just before midnight to discover that our power had been out for about 12 hours. Fortunately, there was a fleet of BGE trucks working in our neighborhood, the house wasn't really bad, and we didn't lose much from the freezer/fridge. We decided that we would stick it out, and within a half hour the power was back on! So, all in all, it was a great day! Tomorrow is Natalie's party, where we'll see many of you. Natalie is very excited to see everyone, and is looking forward to cake! We'll send an update about the party, and then hopefully I will be on track to send something once a week!

Here is a link to som pics from the day.
http://picasaweb.google.com/too.many.dan.smiths/DutchWonderland?authkey=G5VciDx5BpA

Love,

Dan, Danielle, Natalie, and Baby Smith