The Smith Moments

When we going to Disneyland?

Seriously, the last week has been a nightmare!!  Well, maybe longer than that- I have stopped counting.  I had surgery on both wrists 2 weeks ago for carpal tunnel.  Both of my hands were nearly always numb toward the end of my pregnancy.  I assumed it would go away once the swelling went down after I delivered, and I lost some of this weight.  NOPE- so off to the orthopedic surgeon who assured me the surgery was simple and I would be caring for my babies that same day.  What a joke!!!  I couldn’t pick up Max for 3 days and I took pain pills for nearly a week I hurt so badly.  i am finally getting the stupid stitches out tomorrow, thank goodness.  Luckily, I can feel my fingers again and that is nice.

Elllie stared out the week with a fever and a horrible cough.  Since her asthma is so bad during the winter and each time she gets sick we took her in to the Dr.  She was able to get another daily medication to control her asthma and she got an H1N1 shot.  She also got her kindergarten immunizations.  Max had his two month appt. that day and he was 12 lbs. 13 oz.  Big boy!  He got lots of pokeys too- poor little thing!  By Thursday night Cohen was deathly ill and Jake stayed up with him most of the night, while I cared for Max every 2 hours.  Friday morning I called my parents at 6:45 asking them to take my other kids so I could run him up to Primary Childrens.  I kept putting it off through the night, as I knew Jake could not miss any work AT ALL or he gets in big trouble.  So my Mom came over to get Ellie and Jake’s sister Christie came up to watch Max.  It was so nice of everyone to help out, I really didn’t want to drag all the kids to the ER and expose them to heaven knows what!  Cohen was retracting a lot and having a hard time breathing.  He had a fever and a really raspy cough.  He was super dehydrated so they started an IV.  They did a viral pannel and everything came back negative.  They did an x-ray of his chest and told me they thought it was pneumonia.  Then they came in and told me since he needed so much oxygen they would be admitting us.  Yea.  So I called my best friend and she came to watch my kids all afternoon and cleaned my house- Love you Mares!!!

Cohen was there 2 nights and it was so horrible.  He was on oxygen for two days and finally the second day they were able to remove that.  Jake’s mom was so sweet and stayed both nights with Cohen.  The third day they took out the IV and we brought him home.  Final diagnosis- rhinovirus.  THE COMMON COLD are you kidding me?  I can’t even fathom how bad RSV season will be for us.  We are officially staying home for the rest of the winter!  The Drs thought Cohen just got a viral infection in his lungs.  They worry that he will be asthmatic like Ellie.  Luckily Max has only been a little sick.  He is still eating and he has not had any fever, thank goodness.  Cohen was so happy to be home yesterday, he ran around for hours coughing and smiling.  What a horrid weekend.  Jake’s grandma Fran passed away Friday afternoon as well.  Ellie adored her.  She cried for 45 minutes straight when we told her Grandma Fran was going to Heaven.  She just kept saying through her tears, “I don’t want Grandma Fran to die!!  She’s my Mom from a long time ago!”  Sweet baby, we’ve all been so stressed at this house. 

We took Ellie and Max to my sister Megan’s house for the day yesterday while we picked up Cohen from the hospital and Ellie had a blast.  She loves her cute cousins and played all day with them.  When she came home she let us know that she wants to go to our back to our old place and not have any brothers.  That’s alway nice to hear as a mother.  Today she is much happier though, Cohen has been hugging her and kissing Max a ton today, he’s so glad to be home.

We just want a break- when it rains it pours!   Thanks to our families and friends for all the help and support- we couldn’t do it without you!

You know how it is, 3 kids and no time to blog.  Melyssa and I barely have time now to update our facebook page.  Talk about feeling guilty, if I don’t update my facebook status its almost as bad as leaving home without my cell phone.  Anyways, we are surviving.  Melyssa just had CP surgery (child prevention).  Yes, I know I’m suppose to be the one to get it done but she does not want to be pregnant ever again.  So I said ok.  Luckily and I say luckily, I have been at my job now for 6 months and have qualified for sick time so I’ve had Thursday and Friday off.

So let me see if I can recap the first 6 weeks of baby Max’s life.  He sleeps during the day and is awake at night.  That about sums it up.  Its actually been pretty good over the last few weeks. He has sure been a cute baby.  He reminds us of Cohen.  Thankfully he is not spitting up like Cohen did.  And thankfully, he hasn’t caught any of this flu or h1n1 going around.

He’s definately a tummy sleeper, I put him on his back and he starts fussing.  Of course I haven’t laid him on his tummy yet, he just sleeps on mine.  For the first couple weeks we had Grandma Liz over here staying the night with him.  I don’t know how we would have made it if it wasn’t for her. 

I did get my first smile today from Max. 

Cohen is doing very well.  He is so big now and is such a boy.  Its been weird having another boy just because Cohen has been my buddy for the last 20 months but now its hard to imagine not having two boys.  I can barely even imagine what it was like to be married and no kids, sorry, ha.

Right now we are focusing on getting Cohen to say a few words.  He went in for an evaluation and they said he needed intensive speech therapy.  I’m not so ready to spend the money yet.  So I am focussing on reading to him more and trying to do more interactive activities.  One thing he has missed out on is Sesame Street because he sleeps in til 8:00 and Ellie wants to watch something else. So we watch some of the Sesame Street DVD’s at night. Plus he’s got a sister that does all the talking. I can’t wait until Christmas, we found this tool bench online and I just know he is going to love it.

Elyse is doing great.  She is back in preschool now and loves it.  She just got a progress report and the teacher says she is doing great and has made huge improvement over last year.  Elyse has also figured out name calling.  She calls us fancy pants, silly pants and other stuff.  She has really started to talk back now – and she just turned 4!

She had a very fun birthday the other week.  We had Melyssa’s family over on Friday and then we went to the Cabin on Saturday.  She got like 3 barbies and 3 Ken dolls plus other stuff.  We have this pile of barbies in her room, I just want to secretly toss out but I think I would be tried for murder if I were to do that.  And I guess with turning 4 she didn’t become any less shy.  Every where we go she talks to everyone.  We dropped by my old work yesterday and she went everywhere and talked to everyone. 

She’s been kind of spoiled over the last 6 weeks because one of us have been sleeping down stairs with the baby and so we would pull out our blow up mattress and let her have a sleep over.  Or she would sleep in our bed.  Now she throws this fit that she hates her bed and hates her room and she just wants to sleep with Mommy…serenity now!

Melyssa is doing good.  Though after having this surgery, she is in a little pain.  But overall, she has done pretty good since having Max.  After the last two days, I am again amazed by her.  Watching three kids ages 4 and under is a lot of work.  I left yesterday, not really in any mood, but she came down and I had the kids in the car, and she asks me where I’m going and I say, “I need to get out.”

For me, work is going well.  I’ve been able to get over the learning curve but I still have a lot to learn.  I always have a ton of projects to work on which is good.  I’m going to start promoting my side business again and look for some extra work.  www.mymediahero.com. 

Well we got the holidays coming up.   It will be fun but its always a lot of work and with all this flu crap going around it might be best to not go out as much.

Here are some pictures.

We are so excited to announce the birth of baby Max.  Maxton Russell Smith is his full name.  He was born 9/12/09 at 7:23pm weighing 7 lbs 11 ounces (our biggest) and 19.5 inches long. 

The labor, well it really started three weeks ago but it didn’t really do much until last week.  We came in on Saturday knowing that Melyssa’s doctor was in.  She was checked and there was enough difference from her doctors appointment on Wednesday to get the ball rolling.  We were admitted about noon, epideral went in about 2:00…oh thank goodness for the epideral. 

At 6:50 Melyssa was having a lot of pressure.  We called the nurses but they were on a shift change.  Finally about 7:10 the nurses came in and the doctor came in about 7:15.  Within 2 or 3 contractions he was out.  Its so hard to believe that this baby has been in Melyssa for 37 weeks.  He is such a beautiful child.  It is such an amazing miracle that God allows us to participate in.  This gives me a new appreciation for my wife and the pain that she had to endure.  I don’t know how those pioneers or any woman gave birth before medication.  On behalf of my wife, thank goodness for an epideral.

Max was actaully bruised a little from coming out so fast but he has healed pretty good.  He spent two hours in the NICU getting checked and he did great.  I took off about 9:00 to relieve Liz from kid duty.  Both kids were up about 3:00 in the morning and we all watched a movie for a bit then went to bed.

I brought the kids up to the hospital Sunday morning.  They were so excited to see there little brother.  Ellie of course adored him.  We were so shocked to see how Cohen reacted.  A month ago when Amanda brought McKenna over he just screamed at her.  But all he wanted to do was hold Max.  He would put out his arms and grunt, his way of communicating of course.  Then when he held him he would make these soft cooing sounds.  It was the cutest thing.  He kissed him and patted him. 

Well, its Sunday night and we are all exhausted.  Kids are in bed, Melyssa is doing well and hopefully we all can get a good night sleep.

My 37 week appointment was yesterday.  I cried through the whole visit.  I have been having contractions just about every 4 minutes for the last 20 days.  I’m dialated to a 3 and 75% effaced.  I went into labor and delivery 4 times over the Labor day weekend.  Every time I was sent home not progressing enough to stay.  My doctor stripped my membranes and still nothing has happened.  I also went to an acupuncturist who was so awesome.  I loved my 2 sessions with her.  It was super relaxing and my contractions definately became much stronger when I was there.  So today my Dr. called me and let me know that she’s on call Saturday.  If I haven’t had Max by then, and I’m still contracting, I can go in and she’ll help me out.  Thank goodness!!!! 

The kids are super excited to meet baby Max.  I am nervous to go through another labor.  My last experience was so painful.  I am a sissy- I wish I could havestarted my epidural as soon as I fould out I was pregnant!!    I am however thrilled to have another bundle of joy to love, and then try to get this weight off me. 

It’s weird going past 37 weeks, this is the most I’ve ever been pregnant.  Ellie was 37 weeks to the day and Cohen was 36 to the day.  i don’t know how Moms go to 40 weeks and beyond- they are saints!! 

Ellie is loving Pre-school.  She is doing so well this year, with the exception of talking a lot to her BFF Alyssa.  Cohen hates when we have to leave Ellie there.  He loves the toys and the kids.  Jake took him to nursery for the first time on Sunday and he loved it!  I was really surprised because he is such a Daddy’s boy- I though he’d scream the whole time.  But he does love strangers, and the nursery leaders adored his hugs and loves. 

Cohen turned 20 months on the 8th.  Ellie is going to be 4 on the 9th of October.  I can’t believe my babies are growing up so fast!  I sure adore my kids!  Even when they are little stinkers- like today Ellie keeps saying shut-up.  I hate that!!  She’s learning so many new phrases and words from everywhere.  She says stupid this stupid that.  It makes me crazy.  The other night when my parents were here and we were at L and D, she got frustrated with my Dad.  He couldn’t get the video going quickly enough for her and she said, “Oh Papa just let me do it, you are getting to be an old man and you are gonna die soon!”  We all thought that was hillarious.  He’s 53, pretty sure he has a few more years!! 

I am so relieved to know the baby will be here in a few days.  I am so tired, we are all so spent.  Hopefully Jakes few days off will go slowly and we can all enjoy a little family time.  We will be complete, the love of my life, and our 3 babies.  I can’t wait!

Melyssa turns 37 tomorrow, pretty exciting! Well, it would be more exciting if we were having the baby.  I guess he will come when he is ready. 

Labor day weekend was pretty fun.  We drove up to Brighton Sunday night hoping the elevation would add some extra pressure but it didn’t.  Elyse and Cohen sure loved hiking.  Ellie’s selective hearing  kept my heart rate up.  She met this girl and we walked up with her family.  Well, she and the girl practically ran up the hill climing up rocks and everything.  Cohen and I did the best we could.  Finally I was able to coax her down.

Saturday we visited my parents.  Grandma and Christie took Ellie up for Swiss Days.  So we took Cohen to the toy store and it was heaven for him.

Work has been pretty good over the last week or so.  I need to find some extra work to help pay for all these medical bills.  I’m definately not looking forward to January, I have to start paying back my student loan.

Well, hopefully the baby will come this week.  Pray for us.

Jake

I had my second to last progesterone shot today- hooray!!  I am finally 34 weeks and so glad i’ve made it this far.  Next wednesday will be my last shot, thank goodness.  What a long pregnancy this has been!  We are all ready for this little boy to join our family- hopefully in 3 weeks.  I am really getting nervous about this new bundle of joy coming.  Ellie is sooo excited for baby Max to get here.  Cohen has no idea what is really going on,  but I know he will be hatin’ it when his brother comes and he has to fight one more sibling to sit on Mommy’s lap.  Good greif- I know the kids will adjust fine, but the no sleep and everything else that comes with newborns makes me a little stressed.  I am one person that needs my sleep or I cannot function.  Hopefully this baby will be a good sleeper- I am praying for that.  Although, we seem to be up every night with Ellie or Cohen, or both (like last night) so what’s one more?

My doctors visit was good today.  My sugars are way up again.  My blood pressure is up from what it usually is.  Luckily, I haven’t dailated any more than the last week.  I am still pretty swollen, gotta love summer pregnancies!  Even with the contractions i’ve been having, I haven’t had to visit Labor and Delivery for over 2 weeks YEA!  Our new ward has been so amazing.  They’ve brought dinner in at least two times a week and it has been so nice.  We feel so blessed to be surrounded by such loving and kind neighbors and friends.  Most of the people bringing us meals we’ve never met, since our new ward was formed only a few weeks ago.  What a blessing the Church is in our lives!!!

Poor Jake has had the craziest couple of months.  His new job has been so stressful.  They work him like no other.  He works weekends, goes in very early and stays very late.  Yesterday for example, he left at 6 and got home around midnight.  then this morning he left before 6 again.  Our kids have been whining like crazy for their Dad.  It’s so hard.  I wish I could find Jake a better job, but no such luck in this economy.  I guess we should just be grateful he has a job.  Arrrggh.

Ellie will start pre-school on the first of Sept.  We are all looking forward to that.  She has been so bored with me this summer.  Luckily all the fam has really helped us out by taking her and letting her run.    Cohen has been doing better with eating.  We have finally changed over to whole milk, and he’s doing okay with that.  I am so glad to see him eating, although it never seems like he eats enough. 

I sure love these little kids.  They are just like sunshine.  We are constantly laughing at what Ellie comes up with.  She says the funniest things.  And Cohen is just a doll.  He is so snuggly and loving- it’s the best.  We are excited to see what little Max will be like when he arrives.  I am so grateful to Jake for sacrificing so much to support our family.  I am also grateful to have such a wonderful Mother- she is truly one of my best friends and has helped me more than she will ever know. My parents are the best!  Thank goodness for families,  the Lord truly knows what he is doing- blessing us with these amazing people to help us when we are in need!  Thanks to all our friends and family whose prayers we have been greatly blessed by.  I really appreciate all the love and support we have been shown.  Here are Ellie and Cohen meeting their new cousin Mckenna.  Boy do they love her!!!  Can’t wait for our own bundle of joy to arrive!

Well it finally happened.  Ellie’s life long dream fulfilled.  She has been waiting her whole  life, all 3 3/4 years for this event. 

SHE RODE A PONY! 

And not just any pony, but of course the one she picked was named “Prince.” 

After months and months of asking, we finally had a weekend that was open so we ventured out to Gardner Village on Saturday.  I was feeling pretty good, and it was only 82 degrees when we left at 11:00.  We made it to the petting zoo and Ellie and Cohen had so much fun.   Ellie got to pick out of 5 ponys which one she wanted to ride and she chose the beautiful white pony.  The worker girl took her behind the gate and put her up on the saddle.  At first she looked a little apprehensive and whined for Mommy, but we all cheered her on and she was fine.  The kids rode around the little circle about 5 times and by the end Ellie was yelling, “yee haw- ridem cowgirl!”

After the horsey ride we all went into the petting zoo.  Cohen proceeded to yell excitedly at all the baby animals.  Ellie got to pet and love the piggies, the baby goat, the sheep and the little cow.  We saw the bunny and the chickens in their coops.  It was such a  fun time.  Well worth the money for the 20 minutes of excitement!Nice tooshie shot Mom.  It’s no secret i’m a horrible photographer

We then walked around the little shops and found a candy store with ice cream and drinks.  We sat down outside on a bench and enjoyed our treats.  Ellie happily announced to the world, “This is the best day of my whole life!!!”  The lady walking by busted up- it was such a cute comment.  Then, just as we were finishing our sweets, a bird pooped on Jake’s neck.  Ellie’s best day ever, and Daddy gets pooped on.  Oh man!  Luckily we had plenty of baby wipes so we cleaned him up good and went to lunch. 

Cohen enjoyed dumping his cup of ice water all over himself and Jake.  We tried to make a quick exit after lunch, both the kids were spent.  Ellie cried and cried on the way home, she loved that day so much she wanted to go back.  Now every day she asks if we can go to the petting zoo.  I don’t think we’ll make it back for a while.  I suffered 3 hours of contractions after our morning out- not fun.  Maybe next spring we can take the kids back for another visit.

So now Elyse can mark riding a pony off her life long list of things she has to do!

I haven’t written in months.  It’s not for lack of valuable experiences, but more a lack of a tactful way to express myself.  My Mother taught me if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.  So I will say nothing and that about sums up the last couple of months.  The last three weeks I have been into the ER 3 times and Labor and Delivery 4.  Between contractions, nausea and headaches we must be close to meeting our insurance deductible.  I am now almost 30 weeks along.  I have only 6 more progesterone shots and boy, am I happy about that!  We are trying to rest as much as possible, to keep this little guy inside as long as possible.  It seems to be getting more difficult as the weather is getting hotter and it doesn’t help that my children just want to be outside ALL the time.  I can’t be out 5 minutes without getting ill.  Just a few more weeks- that’s what I keep telling myself.  Thank goodness for family and friends who offer support, love, meals and babysitting!  I am one grateful mommy!

Poor Cohen is still puking- at least once a day or more.  He is lucky enough to go on Thursday and get a scope done on his little tummy.  I am not excited for this.  At least he will be put out- unlike the last test where they tied him down to a board and made him drink some horrid pink chalk mix.  That had to be one of the worst moments as a Mother- watching your child scream and not being able to do anything for him!  That test showed that everything was working well- so on to the next.   He has his 18 month appointment tomorrow, I can’t believe what a big boy he is getting to be.  I am sure when #3 comes that he will seem even more grown up to me.  It kindof makes me sad, his baby time has been so sweet!

Ellie is constantly wanting to see her friends and go go go.  That doesn’t work so well for me right now.  Both kids had the flu last weekend and have lingering coughs and runny noses- I keep telling her when we are all better that she can go play with her friends.  She had the funniest conversation with Jake the other night.  He laid his head on her and said, “you are my Ellie bear.”  She quickly responded- “Dad!  I’m not made of cushion!”  He asked what she was made out of and she replied,”BONES!”  She had been extra kind to Cohen lately, letting him play with her toys and take the things he wants.  She is so excited for her next baby brother to arrive.  When she met her cousin Mckenna for the first time this week she said, “Oh cute!!!  Look at her little bones!”  When Mckenna yawned she was so surprised and said, “look at her little gums!”  I guess she now knows that babies have little everything when they are born!

We have had such a busy summer and now seem to be slowing down.  (At least I am slowing down.)  Hopefully this baby can stay put for another 6 or 7 weeks.  I can’t wait to have my body back- even though it is about twice the size it was 4 years ago.  Yuck.  Hopefully this little boy will be a good sleeper so we can get into a new routine and get back to some sense of normailty.  We are all eagerly awaiting his arrival.  And I am eagerly awaiting the day I can fit into my “skinny jeans” again.  Ha ha

I am so grateful for Jake and all he is doing.  If  anything gets done around here- he does it.  he’s even been helping with the laundry and grocery shopping.  He continues to rush me to and from the hospital, Drs appointments, shots, and my weekly pre-natal massage.  (Heaven!!!)  I am so thankful for such a sweet and supportive husband.  I don’t know what we would ever do without you Jake!

So somehow we are surving and hope to make it to September to celebrate the newest Smith addition!  I will make Jake post some pics later- I have no patience to upload photos and then go through and pick some out.  I know, that’s pathetic but true.  There you have it! 

Well its been quite a while since we’ve posted anything.  Everytime I think I have the energy to write, something comes up.  For me, job is going well.  It’s stressfull and demanding at times but that is how most jobs are I suppose.  I look back and wish I took some IT classes, maybe next year I can do something in computer science. 

Melyssa is doing pretty good or as good as you can be with two and a half kids.  I definately do not want her job!!! She does so good though at watching the kids and keeping them busy.  She has 8 more projestorone shots left which means at least 8 more weeks until baby Smith arrives.  Elyse is still the star in the family.  We’ve got her enrolled in a dance class which has been pretty good. It goes Tuesday and Thursday.  Tuesday is more ballet and Thursday is tumbling.  She definately likes the tumbling more than the ballet.  I think she is destined to be a cheerleader.

Cohen is walking around everywhere and is starting to get in to trouble.  He is such a sweet guy.  He still has reflux.  We’ve taken him into the Pedeatric GI (gastro interologist, something like that).  They said he looked pretty good. He’s got the goos and the gaas but now words let, but it will come soon.

So in the last six weeks we put patio stone in our backyard which is really nice.  Its so peaceful to sit outside and read the paper.  I was in Gillette Wyoming for work one week and then recently in Canada for a week.  So that has been pretty rough for Melyssa.  Thankfully I am done traveling for a while.  

We saw Transformers last night.  It was freak’n awesome.  I wish I could see it another three times but will have to wait for the DVD.

Well, wish I could think of more but my brain is worn out.