Our first days together

Thank you to everyone for all the calls, texts, emails, cards, and gifts this week! It has been the best week of our lives and we are so grateful to have such wonderful news to share with you all! Baby Evelyn Lily, or Peach (to some of you), is such a treasure...Its as if we've received all the best things in life--all at the same moment on Saturday! The feeling is very much like other mothers have described--the instant you have your baby in your arms, life as you know it changes. Its been incredible! She is an absolute delight and we cannot wait to introduce her to you all!!

Although we didn't believe it was possible, life at the Smith home just got better! Love you all!! XOXO

She's finally here!

Announcing the early arrival of our baby girl, Evelyn Lily.
Born Saturday, August 23, 2008 at 2:15 PM.
She weighed 6 pounds 11.6 ounces and was 19.5 inches long.

Week 39

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Information provided by babycenter.com

Baby news...

Hello everyone! We just returned from our weekly appointment and so far there isn't much to report. The baby has dropped and she's in the correct position, but who knows when she'll decide to grace us with her presence?! Last week our doctor said if I deliver on our due date she expects little miss smith to be about 6.5 pounds.

As of today I still feel great...just very tired! The swollen hands and feet count is still under 5 days for the entire pregnancy and I was able to go 36 weeks without even the hint of a stretchmark on my belly...sadly, they finally made their appearance heading into week 37.

Time seems to be passing very quickly now as we prepare for the big event...It doesn't seem real that we are going to have a baby at the end of the month! While we've had all year to prepare for her arrival, it is still difficult to imagine that in such a short period of time a brand new little person can be created! God's design is so amazing!

As many of you may know, this pregnancy has been incredible for us! After hearing several horror stories, I am fortunate to say that it was much easier and better than I expected. I truly enjoyed this season in my life and honestly, I am a little sad that it has to end (but oh so excited to meet our baby girl!). I thank our family and friends for all the support, and I thank God for His unending mercy and grace!

Hope all is well with our loved ones!

XOXO

Lilies are my favorite!

Thank you to my wonderful husband for the special delivery today! I've been expecting a UPS package of baby items from my mom, so to open the door and receive these was such a sweet surprise!

Week 38

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)
Information provided by babycenter.com

Week 37

The baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Information provided by babycenter.com

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home...

Well we are finally getting settled in to our new place and it feels wonderful! There is still so much to do, but at this point we are pleased with the unpacking progress. There are pictures to be hung, a basement to be finished, a nursery to complete, and a few boxes that still need attention...yet we aren't letting all that work take away from the joy we feel! Every day we find ourselves talking about another feature of the house we both love and thanking God for blessing us with our new home! After all the ups and downs in our housing search, we finally find our perfect starter home and it suites us very well. The neighborhood is great, the location couldn't be better for us, and we will be ready for the baby just in time!

36 Weeks

Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term. Most likely she's in a head-down position, but if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version, where she'll try to turn your baby by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Information provided by babycenter.com

Home Sweet Home

We are now officially home owners and we couldn't be more excited! After a very long search we finally found a place we loved and we closed this afternoon. This weekend will be a busy one as we pack up the townhouse and unpack at our new home. Our first stop when we left the title company was to get a new gas grill for Eric--of course!

Purchasing our first home has been a goal for Eric and I so we feel incredibly blessed! We look forward to welcoming our family and friends into our new home!

I will post pictures as soon as I can.

XOXO

Week 35

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight

Week 34

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Information provided by babycenter.com

Week 33

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Information provided by babycenter.com

Week 32

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb.

Information provided by babycenter.com

Week 31

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Information provided by babycenter.com

Update

Pregnancy:

May 30 - First (and so far, only) time my ankles have been swollen. June 14 - First (and so far, only) time my hands have been swollen. Presently, I do not see any belly stretchmarks...but they have popped up in a few other, unexpected places. I wonder if I'll ever wear a bathing suit again...

Eric and I have yet to commit to a name for our baby girl. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, but we both agree--choosing a name before we meet her just doesn't seem right. We have to see her and spend time with her first.

At this time the baby is healthy and developing right on schedule. I am up 20 pounds and feel great! Thankfully, being pregnant has been much easier than I expected! I hope its a good sign for the labor portion of this whole experience!

Home buying:

The house we were set to close on (on June 25) had a flooding issue in the basement, so we cancelled the contract. We are so happy this issue came up before we actually owned the house! Now we are back at square one and getting ready for a house-touring-blitz! Again, we just want to give all the glory to God for shielding us from the wrong house...we are beginning to wonder if He is preparing us for something yet to be revealed (if the prayers of a righteous person avail, Grandma Sophie and Grandma Christy might get their way sooner than expected).

Family life:

Family life continues to be a blessing! After three months of me leaving the work place, our relationship continues to blossom daily in unexpected ways. Our first year of marriage was better than either of us could have imagined and we look forward to the many ways it will mature and develop in the future. Being at home has given me the opportunity to slow down and really enjoy every day!

We want to thank all our family and friends for their constant love and support as we prepare for this next chapter in our lives--All the kind words, prayers, cards, gifts, text messages, and emails have been much appreciated!

Week 30

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.

Information provided by babycenter.com

Week 29

Your baby is growing rapidly now. This week he weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is getting bigger to accommodate his growing brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. Every day, about 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton, which is now hardening. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester.

Information provided by babycenter.com

Week 28

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can open and close her eyes, which now sport lashes. This movement is more of a reflexive blink than a deliberate opening and closing, but it won't be long before she's batting those beauties at you.

Information provided by babycenter.com

Mi casa es su casa

Thanks to everyone for your prayers during our housing search!

A day after my return to Kansas City, we saw a house and put in an offer. The seller accepted and we just had it inspected this morning. The inspection went well, and Lord willing, we are closing on June 25!

While we are not surprised that God continues to be faithful and an amazing provider, we are SO THANKFUL for His grace and abundant blessings!

VACANCY: Summer is our favorite time in Kansas City--its beautiful outside, the city market is open, and there are lots of great activities going on! We currently have two open guest bedrooms and would love to host visiting friends and family! If you visit before the end of June, we live right by the pool! If you visit after June 25, you can be part of the moving chaos!