She's NUTS!

As I mentioned in a previous post, Ashlyn has a new hobby - collecting treasures. I have a centerpiece on my kitchen table that contains an assortment of nuts. And well, need I say more?!?...

2 Weeks

Time flys. Trent is two weeks old today - already!! I can not believe how fast these past two weeks have gone by. But, it is amazing how quickly he has become a part of us. We are no longer a family of three. There are four of us now and it is wonderful!

Trent had a doctors appointment today and he is doing very well. He is now 8 lbs. 14 oz., which means he gained over one pound in two weeks! I have a feeling he is going to get quite chubby! That just means there will be more of him to love :)

Week In Review

WOW! I can't believe it has been a week since I have posted. I feel like such a slacker! Maybe I am not the blogoholic that I thought I was! Not true, this has been an isolated incident, I promise. It has been a busy and fun week as we have been adjusting to having two kids. Brian has been off work since Trent was born and he does not go back until December 3rd! I have loved having him at home. I wish he could be home more often! We having been having great fun spending time together as a family. We have not done anything too exciting - it has just been nice to simply relax and play with our kids. Here are some pics of our week:

Our first family photo :)

A couple months ago, Ashlyn was wearing a pair of overalls with a pocket in the front. She became enthralled with putting little treasures in that pocket - food, toys, etc. The problem was that when she was not wearing her overalls, she no longer had her "treasure pocket". She quickly solved this by using her shirt - ANY shirt - as one big pocket. We are constantly finding crackers, fruit snacks, binkis, and small toys hidden in her big pocket!

These pictures were taken on Thanksgiving. We were sitting around eating pie, when I looked over to find Ashlyn stuffing oranges in her "pocket"! This was her biggest treasure yet! What a hoot!!

It is so fun having a boy! I am in love with this little guy. The only bad part about having a boy is the golden arch you get while changing a diaper. There is no controlling that one! I think my laundry has doubled in the past two weeks.

Ashlyn still loves her little brother. She loves to peak at him while he is sleeping. If she hears him cry she will run to his rescue, making sure he has a binki.

Ashlyn has been spoiled with presents since Trent was born. Maybe that is why she loves him so much! She got this My Little Pony from my friend Sandy - thanks Sand!

It is so fun having two babies in the family. Ashlyn was born just 6 weeks before Maggie and it has been fun to watch them grow together. Now we will get to see Trent and Maya grow together. Aren't they adorable?!

It is so amazing how tiny Trent's hands and feet are. I am excited to watch him grow, but I love how small he is now. It is a bitter/sweet feeling.

SO BIG!

When we got home from the hospital on Friday, Brian insisted that Ashlyn had grown. He was certain she had gained a few pounds and grown an inch or two. She did spend two days at her grandmom's house, so she may have gained a couple pounds! However, I think it was his perspective which had changed. It is amazing how big Ashlyn is, now that she has a baby brother.

Even little baby Maya, born eight weeks before, suddenly seems bigger. Although, I know that Trent will quickly pass her up in size.

Rivalry Week

Simply said...

GO UTES!!!

Our Little Guy

Sorry for the delay in posting pictures, we had some technical difficulties at the hospital. We are excited to show off our little guy! He is doing really well now. He has had some difficulty with breathing. They had to clear his nasal passages and he also had a chest x-ray to rule out the possibility of fluid in his lungs. Just so you know, I had to be the strong one - Brian got a little emotional. It is amazing what can make a tough guy cry!

Just minutes after he came into this world.

Love at first sight! Ashlyn loves her new baby brother. Trent has already been smothered with kisses from his big sister.

Proud Papa!

Trent has been such a good baby so far. He is a great sleeper - I am sure that will change.

Me and my babies!

Isn't he just adorable?! As you can see, he has quite a bit of light brown hair. We are in love!

Side note: A BIG, special thanks to my cousin Rachael for designing our new layout! It is perfect Rachael, you are the best!

Worth The Wait!

After 41 weeks, we are proud to announce.....

IT'S A BOY!!!!

Trent James Smiley came into this world at 7:25 pm. Weighing in at 7 lbs. 10 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long. I went to my appointment today at 2:40 and was dilated to a 7. My doctor said she was not comfortable sending me home, so I walked right over to labor and delivery. She broke my water at 5:30, and well, the rest is history! The delivery went really well. I only had to push for about 10 minutes. The best part of all is that he is healthy! Pictures will come tomorrow.

My Girl

A - Affectionate. Ashlyn gives the best hugs and kisses. All you have to do is ask for a big hug and she will throw her arms around your neck and give a big squeeze. And if you ask for a kiss, she will pucker up and give you a big wet one! However, the past couple of days when I have asked for a hug or a kiss, she has said, "No, no hugs." Then I say, "Please, can I have hug?", and she will oblige. I guess she is trying to teach me a few manners!

S - Sunshine. Ashlyn is my sunshine. She is such a happy little girl and makes me so happy. When I quit my job in June, I wondered how I would adjust to being a stay at home mom. But Ashlyn is such a joy to be with! I love spending my days with her.

H - Helpful. Ashlyn loves to help me when I am cleaning. She will hold onto the vacuum, which seriously slows me down, but I love that she is trying to help. She also dusts and mops the floor along side me. Hopefully this will continue as she gets older!

L - Loves to Learn. Ashlyn amazes me. She is so smart and she is constantly learning something new. She loves to learn new songs. Most recently she has been learning shapes and colors. And, she has caught on so fast! My favorite is when she points to the color orange and says, 'oranges'. She is just too cute, and smart to boot!

Y - "YES!" Ashlyn is very agreeable. Her new word is yes. I am sure that she does not understand everything that I tell her. But, whenever I explain something to her and say 'is that okay?' or 'do you understand?' she says, "Yes!"

N - NEVER a dull moment. Ashlyn is a crack-up! There is never a dull moment when she is around. She is constantly making me laugh. From the time she was born, her Grandpa Lifferth has commented on her sense of humor. And it is so true! She has such a funny personality.

I love my little girl. I am so blessed to have her in my life.

Patience Is A Virtue

Whoever said this was never 4 days past their due date...



Actually, I do feel like I am being pretty patient. I could have been induced this weekend, but I decided to wait it out. But honestly, I really thought I would have had this baby by now. My 41 week appointment is on Wednesday. I think I'll be going :(

No News Is Good News...

NOT TRUE!!! I really wish I had some grand news to share. But alas, still no baby. I did in fact make it to my appointment yesterday despite what my doctor thought. And I did make another appointment for next week. I am 40 weeks pregnant today. If I have to go to a 41 week appointment, I will be quite frustrated!

I am dilated nearly to a five. Not much different from last week. But, I still can not believe I have not gone into full-blown labor yet! Because of how far along I am, my doctor did give me the option of getting induced. I am not sure I want to go that route. I was induced with Ashlyn three days before her actual due date. My doctor wanted to induce me for two reasons: I was dilated to a four (sounds familiar), and I was measuring big. Brian was a big baby and my doctor was worried that Ashlyn was going to be a big baby. She wasn't though, she was a perfect 7 lb. 8 oz.

Since I was induced with Ashlyn, I really want to know what it is like to go into labor naturally. Plus, I think it would be more exciting to go naturally than to schedule the birth. However, if I make it to my next appointment, I just might change my mind! Feel free to make a new guess as to when this baby will come. And I also want to know if you think it will be a boy or a girl.

And The Survey Says...

I did not sleep well last night. Surprise, surprise. I was up more than usual, and I tossed & turned a lot! Because of this, when I called Brian this morning, one of the first things he asked me was, "Are you ornery today?" I told him that asking if someone ornery is not a nice question, regardless of their mood. He disagreed. I told him to ask some of the ladies around his office their opinion of the question and then get back to me. In the mean time, I thought I would conduct my own survey. Is asking, "Are you ornery?" a rude question???

Big Sister

Since the day I found out I was pregnant, I have wondered how Ashlyn will react to the 'new baby'. It has made me sad a few times thinking about how this will affect her. Ashlyn has been my world for the past 20 months and now she will have some competition. Soon I will not be able to give her all my time and attention. I have tried to talk to her about the baby, but really she has no idea what is coming. When I ask her where the baby is she will point to my belly.

She likes to give the baby hugs...

and kisses.

She is such a sweet girl. My hope is that she will still feel loved and will always know how important she is to us. All in all, I think she will love being a big sister and she will be a great one.

What A Woman!

Yes, that is my husband! Brian dressed as an old maid this year. He made a pretty scary looking lady. I would not let him hug me while he was was wearing the dress and wig, it was just too weird. Brian hasn't dressed up for Halloween for about 6 years, but it paid off this year. He won two contests! At my cousin Jen's Halloween party, Brian won for "Best Male Costume". He then dressed up for work, and won 1st place! He was awarded $50.00 for braving this get-up. Way to go Bri! I should also mention that he shaved his legs for the occasion! I think he had so much fun, he just might dress up again next year :)

Our Little Devil!

My original idea for Halloween this year was to have Ashlyn be a rabbit. She does a very cute bunny impersonation by wiggling her nose and I thought it would be adorable. Then at a recent doctor visit, I was looking in a parenting magazine and saw this cute little girl devil costume. I thought it would be perfect and would fit Ashlyn's personality so well! So I got online, looked it up, and it was $50.00! That only included a tutu, horns, and pitchfork - tail and bodysuit not included. I thought that was a bit much, so I made it myself and I think it turned out pretty darn cute. And the whole ensemble cost half that price, which included the tights and shoes! It really is fun to make costumes for kids. Last year I made Ashlyn's monkey costume. It is a satisfying project, especially when it turns out well.

I took Ashlyn to Brian's work place and she caught on to the trick-or-treating idea very quickly! It only took a couple times before she began walking ahead of us, into each office saying, "trick-or-treat" and holding her bag out for a goody! She had a lot of fun and she loved the attention. I then took her to my dad's work place to get more treats. I think she would love this as a daily activity! Later that night, we took her trick-or-treating with Ben & Maggie through my parents neighborhood. By the end of the day, after these three events, I think she had gathered enough candy to last a whole year! And she loved every minute of it! Holidays are so much more fun with kids.

If you have looked at Monica or Mindy's blog then you have already seen this next picture. But what I love about this photo and what you may not have noticed is Ashlyn. If you look closely, she is plugging her ears! Apparently the chaos of the group photo was too much for her!

What a fun day! Happy Halloween!!

The Countdown: 1

Just one week to go. Only seven more days. Less if I'm lucky. More if I'm very, very unlucky. For most people a week doesn't seem like much, but when you are nine months pregnant it seems like an eternity. I am dilated to a 4 and 100% effaced. My doctor said she would be surprised if I made it for another week, but I made another appointment just in case. I wish I fit the norm when it comes to labor. Instead, I have been having irregular contractions for a couple months. Some of them are pretty strong, but I never take them seriously because they are never consistent. And I just keep slowly dilating. Any guesses on when this baby will make its debut?