It is official ... Jason is the Big 3-0

Me and the birthday boy - being silly!

Behind the turntables ... one of this favorite places to be.

Jason's Nike swoosh birthday 'cupcake' cake -- including pictures of his
collection of Nike shoes! Pretty proud of this!

Pat and Audrey

Vince and Vico

The Bergstrom's

Rhi and Tiff

The Brown Family

Ayden enjoying a cupcake!

TanMan, Kenz & Mason

The birthday boy keeping the music going ...

Tim, Jason, and Jeremy

Jason and Shawn

Saturday was Jason's 30th Birthday - and what a day it was! I decided that I wanted to do something special for Jason that was cheap and fun! I rented a shelter at Smithville Lake and had a small birthday gathering. It was a BLAST! We were surrounded by our good friends, playing volleyball, having some brewsky, and enjoying tunes on the turntables per Jason aka DJ J-VINE! Even better, I was getting to throw a special get-together for someone special in my life! The kids played in the water faucet, soaked each other with water balloons, played with sidewalk chalk and bubbles, ate some Kool-aid Freeze Pops, and enjoyed playing on the playground. Luckily, the playground was within close distance, so the parents could watch their kidos and enjoy themselves, as well!

I have had a really hard time trying to plan, shop, and complete all the tasks that were necessary to pull this birthday part off. I had to try and make calls and get everything set up, all while Evan naps. Just another lesson I have learned in the world of motherhood ... nothing is as easy as it once was! :) I even took on the task of trying to make a special cake for Jason. I had originally tried to get a cake that looked like one of his pairs of Nike shoes (which he is absolutely obsessed with) - like the cakes on Ace of Cakes! However, I was quoted that it would start at $200 - that was just a quote over the phone - which could cost more once they saw what I wanted. I am NEVER paying that price for a cake and took things into my own hands. I couldn't figure out what to do, then on Thursday night ... it came to me! So I made a Nike swoosh out of cupcakes and then took pictures of his actual Nike shoes, cut them out, put them on sticks, and surrounded the Nike symbol with these cupcakes containing pictures of his shoes! The cake was a hit and I was happy with the way that it turned out! I always think that cakes made at home are so much more personal.

Side note: Whitney came over on Friday for a playdate and between Evan and Drake's naps - baked my cupcakes for me, while I was attempting to make potato salad. I was procrastinating and she kept me focused! What a lifesaver - thanks Whitney, it was fun!!! But Jason, Evan, and I left for a bit on Friday night and returned to around 12 cupcakes missing from the pan on the countertop. Daysia must have got ahold of them ... and I had to bake another batch of cupcakes ... ALONE! This can be quite a dilemma, if you know me. I may be crafty and creative but I lack in the cooking and baking section - just ask Jason! :)

We have many small circles of friends and it is a blast when we can all get together - Jason and I surrounded by some of our closest friends! April even stopped by before work to grub down ... thanks for coming, girl - wish you could have stayed! Volleyball was a blast, although the ball was as hard as a rock. Rhi has a massive bruise on her serving thumb, and I have forearms that are red with pinpoint dots - broken blood vessels due to that hard volleyball. It was boys vs. girls but no one really kept score- we were both pretty awful - but tried our hardest!!! Great times .... Happy 30th Birthday babe!

2 Month Birthday!

Silly face!

.... yet so serious!

Streeeeetch!

This is what I get to see every morning!!! :)

Yesterday, Wednesday, Evan celebrated his 2 Month Birthday! Each week that goes by, he gets bigger and changes so much. It seems like the past two months have flown by, in some aspects. But in other ways, it seems like an eternity ago that he entered our lives and we saw his precious little face for the very first time!

This week, as you read in the previous post, was a little hectic. Evan is smiling more each day - a purposeful smile! He is grasping on to things more and more. He loves to play Patty Cake and sing and act out the motions to the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Grandpa Smith even got him to smile while playing Patty Cake! :) He is able to hold his head up for long period of time. And last night, he even rolled over for his very first time! I am sure it was an accident, however, I put him to sleep on his tummy and when I went to wake him up to eat (yes, he slept the full 4 hour max) he was on his back - which he absolutely hates! He has periods during the day where he is much more content and will sit in his swing for a small amount of time. Daddy is really enjoying the smiles and the new periods of being content without screaming! The older he is getting - the better he is getting! :)

This week has been a tough one in regards to sleep. Evan seems to think that he can sleep and mommy is going to hold him the entire time. He is starting to enjoy snuggling more and more. So after 3 nights of doing his bedtime routine, following by 2-3 hours of trying to get him to sleep - mommy finally put her foot down. We have been making him self-soothe for the past couple of days - for both naps and bedtime. He does good for his afternoon nap and throughout the night. The problem times are early morning and early afternoon naps, and that first time to put him down for bedtime. He is such a little stinker and fights it so bad. He will cry for 15 minutes, calm down for 5 minutes and then start the process all over - eventually going to sleep. Who knew that a child could cry and cry and cry for that long!?!?! But mommy and daddy are working together, keeping each other strong, and making the self-soothing work. I can defiantly see the change, but we just have to stay strong and keep the routine. There is nothing worse than listening to your little guy scream and cry - and do nothing! It is just instinct to go get
them ....

Evan has had really bad gas and tummy issues since we started him on his medication - Carnitine - which is for his enzyme disorder. It upsets his tummy so bad that he will wake up from sleep, due to pain. It breaks my heart that we do all we know, and sometimes nothing will work. We had the worst day, thus far, yesterday. His tummy was hurting so bad that he would keep his legs stretched out - so hard that his toes were pointed. If I would move him or adjust my arms, he would scream. Poor guy! Plus, we seem to be having pooping issues at times, as well. So Jason and I are trying to decide if we should go get another opinion on if he needs this medication or not. As a nurse, we always look at risk vs. benefit and we are just not sure of the benefit. We got a very general description of what the medication actually does - but I want to know if it is absolutely crucial for him to have it. Kids in the UK do not even get this medication and all studies are not conclusive on if the med helps or not. So, we are questioning if we should go out of state. However, that would mean that his care would also have to be provided out of state - which would not be feasible for when he is sick and needs admitted in the hospital. We like knowing that his Dr. is only minutes away and that when he does get sick, the hospital is also minutes away and he will be in the care of a Dr. who specializes in the MCADD disorder. Jason and I just want what is best for our son. If the Dr. would tell us that it was absolutely necessary for him to be on the Carnitine and would affect his health if he stopped taking it, we would continue to give it. I would never put my son's health or life in jeapordy, of course, but we need more answers and more education on the medication.

I return to work in just 9 more days! I am nervous, yet a little relieved to get back to work and get back on my normal schedule. I know that Jason will do great at home with Evan - but I know that I will be an absolute mess the first few nights. Luckily, I only work 2 days in a row and then I have a long 6 day stretch off. It will feel good to see my work crew, have some adult interaction, and get a break from having puke on my shoulder and listening to my son cry. I am sure that every mother can sympathize and understand this feeling!!!

Our Busy Memorial Day Weekend

Evan hanging out in his diaper - trying to stay cool

The birthday girl - HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY AUDREY!

'E' trying to get the icing off his face - look mom, no hands!!!

Mase dogg cheesing for the camera

TanMan showing off the kicks we got him for Christmas!

'P' with his birthday presents!

'P' with one of his present - it was a hit!

Evan slept the entire time ...

Mason attempting to hit the pinata

'E' hitting the cupcake with the help of Mommy

What a trickster - he can see thru his blindfold.... silly 'P'!

My 'hunk' - stretching out after his loooooong nap!

Kenz's turn to hit that flying cupcake

Jon about to walk across the stage ...

Liberty H.S. Class of 2009


My little bro is now officially graduated.

Evan and I at graduation!

This weekend was a super busy weekend with a hectic twist! It all started when I went to turn on our A/C and it wouldn't even come on. It ended up that we had to suffer out a few days until we could get an estimate on a new A/C and furnace - as well as have them install it. The last two weeks have been full of unexpected home repairs. Just to give you an idea of how the Smith luck goes, the A/C wouldn't work, our door handle on the bathroom door stopped working and we couldn't get into the restroom, our basement flooded with the 5 inches of rain, our washer stopped working, we had to have our main drain and bathtub snaked, our ice maker fixed, and a small flood in our laundry room/storage room. It seemed like one thing after another kept going wrong! But it is all now fixed and we have our new A/C and furnace - pumping out ICE COLD air as I write this entry! Due to the problems with the A/C and the weather being humid and in the 80's, we ended up spending the night with Jason's parents on Sunday night. Evan was not getting good naps at home and he was super grouchy - all due to the humid air. We finally broke down and took them up on their offer.

Friday night, Evan stayed with Jason's parents so we could have a 'date night.' We only asked for them to watch him for a couple of hours, however, they wanted him to spend the night. It didn't take long for us to agree and make our plans. We started our night dropping the lil' guy off. This seemed to be much harder for me because he has been so much better lately - I kissed him over and over! Jason's dad told us to take the convertible for the night - as if we were going to tell him no. We went to Pizza Shoppe for dinner and I had my first beer in a year and a half. I was toasty off of two! Then we stopped by Apes and Dex for awhile. We then headed to Walmart to get gifts for the birthdays we were going to be celebrating on Saturday! Funny how this night would have been classified as 'boring' before Evan, but now it was exciting. It is so nice to have that break and spend quality time with Jason! We promised we would never let our children affect our marriage - each relationship would be treated equally! It was a magical night ... although I know that sounds so corny!

Saturday we had Audrey's 1st birthday party at Macken Park. It was fun to get all our friends together, see everyone's children playing and having a great time, and enjoying the wonderful summer food. The kids were able to try and hit the pinata - making some priceless pictures! Preston's birthday was on Memorial Day so we gave him his gift - which happened to be quite the hit. Jason had sooo much fun picking it out the night before!

Saturday night we headed to my brother's high school graduation from Liberty H.S.! We went to dinner with my family, grandmother, and grandmother's friend. We then we to Municipal Auditorium for the event. My brother graduated among nearly 700 other students - crazy to think that they all fit in one school! Evan wore a onesie with a tie on it - and he behaved the whole time - dinner and graduation.

Monday we just relaxed at Jason's parents for most of the day. We came home in the afternoon and got back to life in our house! Our house is now, finally, all in working order! We are just waiting for something else to go wrong. Jason and I have changed Murphy's Law to Smith's Law because if anything can go wrong - it will go wrong! As for now, we are enjoying the A/C and being able to finally wash our clothes again. Our luck should be getting better sometime soon, surely ....

Has it really been 7 weeks?

Evan says HELLO!

Wearing daddy's 'camilitary' hat - with a little smile!

Daddy kissing the boy .... muah!

Evan in his PJ's before our 1st family trip
to the grocery store ...

My peanut asleep - what a cute sight to see!

Daysia and Frank the Tank enjoying the sun

Basking in the sun ... in the dirt ... with a smile!

Evan and mommy at Mindy's Wedding Shower!

Our version of a family photo - Evan complete

with a MU shirt and Nike shoes!

Hard to believe that another week has passed by! And another week closer to me having to return to work. I have really been dreading each day passing by because it is one day closer to me going back to work. I am looking forward to getting back to a normal schedule, seeing my friends and coworkers, and seeing my patients and families. However, I am a little apprehensive about returning to work, which means Jason will be home alone with E.T.! I know that Jason can take care of him, I am just protective of my lil' man and want everything to go well for the both of them. I am nervous because Evan is getting up every 2 hours and Jason will be working a full day after being up a lot of the night! At least when he is waking me up now, I am able to stay home during the day - taking little or no concentration or focus. I know everything will work out - I am normal mother worrying! :)

This last week has been good, yet trying! Evan is a snacker and likes to eat 2 ounces, fall 'asleep' and then wake up 20 minutes later - ready to eat again! I am not sure how to break this cycle because he is unconsolable when he is ready to eat. In fact, when I start to hear him stir, I get his bottle ready - therefore he will not scream at the top of his lungs upon waking up! The kid is a bottomless pit and eats and eats and eats ....

This week he has really started to focus on people's faces and objects. He will follow you with his eyes, if you move! He has started to grasp onto my hands when I am feeding him. I will feel a little hand patting my arm, from time to time, when I am putting him to sleep - while I am patting his back! He is mimicing more each day - really trying to figure out his tongue. And his head control is getting even stronger and he is able to hold his head up if you are sitting him up. He loves to make noises - we are always hearing how alert and noisy he is! He is going to be a smart boy!!! And even better, he is smiling more and more each day! He continues to smile at mommy and daddy - even more than last week! I LOVE IT!!!! I am still trying to get that perfect picture of his smile. I posted the picture of him in his daddy's hat - the best picture of a smile that we have so far. Mommy is taking tons of pictures - trying to get that smile on camera!

We made our first official family trip to the grocery store! Evan was strapped to his mommy, in his carrier, and he slept the entire time! I felt horrible because the store was FREEZING and mommy forgot his blanket at home. Note to self: Don't forget the blanket when going to the grocery store!

It is hard to believe that next week, Evan will have been a part of our family for 2 months! It is already somewhat hard to remember what life was like before he came. Life hasn't really changed all that much - other than my main focus is to Evan, then Jason, and then the dogs! Aside from bathtime, my favorite times with Evan are when we are alone and ''talking'' and when him and his daddy are playing! There is no better feeling than seeing the two people you love, most in the world, together and loving each other! I love having a family and look forward to each and every new day!

6 weeks and growing!

In his big boy clothes!

He is a nakie boy - peeking over daddy's shoulder on his way to a bath

This is one of the men I spent Mother's Day with!

The morning after his first night sleeping in his own big boy bed.

Sleeping peacefully

Daddy giving Evan a bath!

He LOVES bath time! He leans into position and
just relaxes in the warm water.

All ready to go 'bye-bye'! Another activity he loves to do!

Sad face ...

... and there's the lip! Awwwww.

Up close and personal.

Another close shot.

Hard to believe that we are at six weeks old - maybe harder to believe that I have survived the first five weeks! :) Evan is six weeks today and the last week has been a week of great improvement and small little special milestones. He is able to hold his head up with pretty good neck control. He loves to be up on mommy's shoulder all snuggled so he has really gotten to work those neck muscles. He is focusing much better because we will have little 'stare-off's' and he will just look at me with those huge eyes! He smiled at me today for the first time. This child has been 'smiling' since his first week - but today I was talking to him and making noises with my mouth. He was staring at me and then smiled! It was priceless!

Evan had his first playdate with Baby Drake! Mommy and Whitney went shopping for the boys - which was the first outing for Evan with a friend! We had a blast. I carried Evan around in his little baby carrier, which was enjoyeable for mommy! Whitney and I even had a hilarious moment where I was trying on a sling and Evan was smashed and bunched up! He didn't care - he was asleep. However, it is a hilarious memory that Whitney and I will always remember. Funny how such a simple trip, turns into an all day event - stopping for bottles, getting them in the car, and out of the car. What used to take Whitney and I an hour, now took us four hours!!!

This past week has been a huge week for mommy! After Evan going nearly 12 hours without having more than just an hour long nap, mommy made some changes. I researched ways to help Evan go down for naps and how to establish our nighttime. So, Evan has spent 2 nights in his own bed - in his own room. The first night we tried this, he slept his first four consecutive hours during the night. He would normally wake up every 2 hours, ready to eat. Now he is waking up every 3-4 hours. He is much less fussy during the day, and goes right back to sleep after eating at night. Today, he took 4 naps. We have established our bedtime routine. Evan gets his bath at 7:30, I take him in his room and rock him while feeding him. After he eats, Evan goes to bed. We have now been doing this for about 5 nights and it is working! When he gets a little older and will sit more still, I will add a book in there too.

This week, after having such a productive week - for both of us - it clicked for me and I now am starting to soak up the bliss of motherhood. Today, I sat in his room - rocking him for a nap - and we just snuggled and enjoyed the time together! Yesterday, wearing my carrier allowed me to 'snuggle' with me. He slept, tight to my chest, the whole time we were shopping! It feels good to start to learn special things about him. I know he likes to bounce, if a position isn't work - try another, he likes mommy to make noises with her mouth, he has no patience when it comes to waiting for a bottle, he likes classical music, he loves to look outside, he LOVES bathtime, he knows he is getting a bottle when you put the bib around his neck, and he likes to sleep snuggled in his positioner - to make him feel secure. This is what being a mom is all about - learning those special things about your children! I think the exhaustion and frustration held me back from letting me understand, but it is all coming to me now. I love this little boy more than I love myself! A co-worker and I were talking about a patient today. After I got off the phone, it made me stop and think, what would I do if Evan was taken from me right now, at this instant? It brought tears to my eyes and overwhelmed me, which made me realize how hard it must be for our patients parents.

I am looking forward to seeing what we have in store for week six! They grow so fast and I do not want to miss a thing. I cannot wait for all the little milestones and accomplishments we have in store for us!!!!