Little Miss Sunshine

Almost eight weeks later

This is Lily watching football with Eric.

Its hard to believe that almost eight weeks have passed since Lily arrived and changed our lives! While I truly enjoy watching her grow and discover new things each day, another part of me feels as if the time has passed too quickly! Everything about having a baby has been incredible and I absolutely love love love every minute of this experience!

Honestly, we expected these first few weeks to be much more work than they actually were! Once we were able to spend time together as a family, the parental instincts developed naturally and very quickly.

Lily is just the latest of many many many blessings God has bestowed upon us! She is a great listener, whether we read her Good Night Moon or Leaves of Grass and she always has something to contribute when we speak. Lately she has shown a greater awareness of herself and actually put her thumb in her mouth (previously she had only put her little fist near her open mouth and it was never for more than a few seconds).

Lily loves listening to music! I believe I helped her develop this interest--From the very beginning of my pregnancy I used to put an earphone by my belly when I listened to iTunes at work so she could hear the music too. I know there is no evidence to support my theory, but she has shown a preference for the Continuum CD and Jack Johnson...

Is this merely a coincidence??

Home video

Home movies

When we're not busy taking pictures of Lily, our next favorite hobby is filming her! She has already grown and changed so much in the five weeks she has been with us, I don't want to miss out on anything new she might do or say!

My brown eyed girl?!

So its not official yet, but we suspect Lily's eyes are turning brown like her Mama's!

My girl

Well its been about five weeks with little Miss Smith in our lives and we couldn't be any happier! She currently goes through 12 diapers a day, she wakes up twice at night to eat, and she sleeps really well! These last two days she has been especially social and she and I have enjoyed many conversations together as she tests out her vocal capabilities. Lily is already 10 pounds and has great head control. Her eyes are still gray-blue and we are curious to find out what color they end up! Yesterday she was awake for 5 hours straight giving me lots of time to play, read, and sing to her. She is very alert and always looking around. Its incredible how much information she processes every day!

We are still in awe that such a precious gift was given to us! Its hard to believe that she is part of Eric and part of me, rolled into one tiny body. For all the stories we heard about how being a parent changes one's life, it is only becoming real for us now that she is here. Some days I still can't believe that only five weeks ago, she was a little stranger moving in my belly. I probably repeat this phrase too much but I have no other way to explain this experience--It feels like she has always been a part of our lives!

I thank God for all the blessings we've had in our lives, but this one is by far the greatest! It is so awesome that Eric and I met as an unlikely pair seven years ago, and all along, God would have this sweet moment planned out for us!

One month old today!

All things bright and beautiful

I am absolutely in love with my daughter! She is the sweetest gift!

Words cannot express the joy she brings to us...

She is absolute light and life; All things bright and beautiful!

2 Week update

Its been two weeks since Lily arrived and we are still on Cloud Nine! At her doctor's appointment we learned that she is now 20.5 inches long and weighs 7 pounds 12 ounces--she's growing so quickly! She cried her first tears at the doctor's office, laying on the cold scale as she was weighed. She goes back in October when she'll start receiving her shots--We are not looking forward to that day.

So far Lily is still on a consistent 3 hour eating schedule with long naps in between each meal. From the time we brought her home she has been very alert and already holds her head up on her own for a short time. She is very vocal and spends most of her time making noises--even in her sleep!

Eric and I are so in love with her--its surprising how someone so new and small suddenly means so much to us both! I am already sad when I imagine the day she goes away to college and we don't get to see her every day! We are also amazed with how quickly I have been able to recover from the pregnancy (THANK YOU to the grandmothers for all the help we've had these last two weeks--the recovery wouldn't be possible without you!!). I gained 32 pounds during the pregnancy and am already down to only six pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight (unfortunately that six pounds seems to be in saggy skin). My incision has also healed very well--its about as thin as a pen mark. I think its important to say that I was so blessed during the pregnancy and delivery--everything was much better than I expected!

After a great visit with Grandma Sophie and Great Grandma Minnie, Grandma Christy arrived to spend some time with her very first granddaughter. We cannot wait to bring Lily home to Washington in October so she can meet the rest of her family!

Family Pictures

Family pictures

You are my sunshine...

Our first week home with Lily has been just amazing! She is an absolute treasure! As first time parents, we weren't sure what to expect, but she's adjusted well and is such a happy baby! We've had a handful of diaper mishaps and one spit up event...and we are enjoying every moment! Lily is an excellent sleeper and is a great little eater--she already passed her birth weight! We've had lots of visitors and already been on a few outings--she does very well in social situations (of course!). Lily keeps us entertained with all the cooing and facial expressions she makes--she is such a joy to have in our lives! We hope you all get the chance to come visit or spend time with her when we go home in October!

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!