The Smith Family

Lily's birth story

2008-10-16T18:39:00.002-05:00

It's 6:54am Sunday morning August 17th. I get up out of bed for my ever hour bathroom break and as I go to stand I feel I might just fall over. I literally crawl down the hall to get to the bathroom bc I just know I will pee myself lol. Then it hits me on the way back to the bed... "oh shit!, that was a contraction". I excitedly grab my phone and text James... I say "I just have a feeling but I think today is THE DAY!!!" So that was it, from that very moment I had it made up in my mind that today would in-fact be the day. I lay in bed for hours just waiting and waiting for another one to come.... no luck *sigh*

As I lay there on the couch rubbing my belly for what seemed ages Bailey looked at me and said "mommy. you go to the Dr. today and get your Lily out?" I replied " no baby, I thought so too but my Dr. apt isn't until tomorrow. " Lily responded with a sudden kick (one that took my breathe away) and then it began.... At 4:36 p.m the contractions began to flow. Bailey and I walked and paced the house. We sat and had a tea party with her baby dolls. The whole time I am still uncertain if this is the real thing.

At 6:30 I text James and I say it's time to come home I think she's coming tonight. So he brought home dinner and we sat around and ate. I took a warm bath and floated through the contractions. We all hopped in the car and got milkshakes and java chillers from sonic. Finally at 10:30 I decided that 6 hours of labor ,with my contractions averaging a minute and a half now and only 3 minutes apart, it was the real thing. It was go time!!!!

We checked into the hospital and got hooked up to the monitors. Success, I was at 6cm on arrival. As I lay there in that bed with my mom to my left and James holding my hand on the right I couldn't believe it was finally time. It seemed to take forever as the night progressed on. The later it got the more exhausted I became. I'm a fighter though and I had worked so hard to make sure this was a natural delivery that I was NOT going to give up. As the evening carried on the contractions got stronger. For hours they scaled off the chart(they literally wouldn't read any higher on the chart). I managed to talk and laugh and joke through most of them. James holding my hand the entire way.

3am rolls around and I'm at a 8 ( I had been for an hour) I beg my Dr. to break my water, she agrees. 4am rolls around and still no progress. I have been stuck at 8cm for over 2 hours now. The Dr. comes in and says she thinks we should start up some pitocin. My contractions had begun to slip off and she thought this would speed things up. I was reluctant to say yes but after 11 hours of natural labor I agreed. The Dr. left and said to call her when I was ready to push. I was devastated I had gone so far with no medical intervention (other than a IV) and now here at the home stretch they would intervene.

I lay there, my whole body in agony, I thought to myself... you can do this, you will do this just relax and she will come. I grabbed James hand and I squeezed it for dear life. I just lay there seemingly life less through the next 3 contractions. As I watched the on the computer screen I saw all 3 go off the chart... they were 30 seconds apart. The rest is kind of a blur...
To describe it best it's as if I was in a movie scene. You know the one where the scene is ultimate chaos and people are scrambling all around you. From the viewer the room is in slow motion, everything is going at almost a pause it seems. Out of no where I felt this sudden urge take over my body, I had no control over it. I looked into James' eyes and I said I have to push, she's coming. My mom rushed to my side and said just hang on the nurse went get the pitocin. she'll check you in just a second ( as she ever so softly stroked my hair, you know the way only mom's can do) I squeezed James' hand so hard I thought I might have broken it. I looked up at him with tear filled eyes and said I can't wait, she is coming. I can't stop her.....

My mom pulled the covers back and just as she did I said she's crowning. James, my darling husband, I have never seen him run so fast in my life, ran into the hall to grab the nurse. By the time he got back to my side he had enough time to grab my hand and Lily was on her way. The Dr. never made it. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, 7lbs. 13oz and 20 in, at 4:44am. As the nurse walked in she realized what had happen and quickly began to take over. I lay there, basking in the new mommy glow.. I had done it. I said I wanted little medical intervention and boy did I get it. I never even got the end of my bed dropped or my feet in the stirrups . She came when she was ready. 2 contractions was all it took. My body did what it was made to do.

I again birthed another baby girl... without an epidural, without any pain medication and well without a doctor . I don't know how I got so lucky to have these to precious angels in my life,but I did. I am forever without a doubt the luckiest mommy alive. So here's to you Lily Marie-Grace. My little girl who just couldn't wait... I love you.

Lily Marie-Grace Smith born august 18,2008 at 4:44am. 7lbs. and 13oz. 20 inches long. God's second gift to me :)

Bailey's birth story

2008-10-16T18:35:00.002-05:00

well her story starts at about 30 weeks. I developed Pre-e and was immediately put on bed rest for it. I then had dilated to 2cm and 50 % effaced by 32 weeks. So when I went in for my 37 week check up (a Friday) and my blood pressure was through the stinking roof the Doctor decided Monday was the big day.

3:30 a.m August 22, 2005 we arrive at our hospital. Shaky hands and bags packed ready as ever to enter the unknown. My husband and I walked through those emergency doors hand in hand. We COULD do this, we were ready. Off to labor and delivery we were headed. Join us in our journey....

They hooked me up at and got my pitocin started at 4 a.m. I'll start my actual labor story by saying NEVER again do I want to be induced again unless its medically necessary lol... I was in for a long day!!!! As soon as the drugs got going the contractions started coming, and coming strong! But I had a plan, I was going to have this baby "naturally" (of course induced isn't really natural, but I knew I wanted no pain meds). So we are breezing right through these contractions and little did I know that these damn nurses like to see me in pain (lol only kidding) As soon as my contractions got a steady flow it was time for more pitocin. Which stands for... more pain. Yippeeee!!!!

I wasn't "progressing" like they wanted so they broke my water bag at 3 cm. Well I stopped at 4 for about 5 hours and then they realized that I had another thin water bag. Once they broke this one progress improved. I must say from 5-8 was EXCRUCIATING!!!! I had known about labor but was not informed that in addition to this, back labor was to be expected bc of the pitocin...ouch :) As I reached my breaking point I looked up at my husband and cried. I just said "i can't." It was then followed by a soft whisper in my ear..."you can!!!!" and I did. With every fiber of my being I fought. I fought to have some what of the birth I wanted. They checked me and *sighs* I was 8!!!! Oh happy day, almost done......

This brings us to the end.... HAHAHA the most "humorous" part of my labor. They had just checked me and I went use the bathroom. As i crawled back into bed I looked at my husband and said "oh no, I think I have to push" He informed the nurse and she said there was no way I was 10 yet bc she had literally checked me 5 minutes ago and I was 8 cm. to try to relax and she'd be back in 15. As I propped my fat ass up in that bed I yelled "I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO TAKE THE BIGGEST SHIT OF MY LIFE AND DON'T TELL ME IT'S JUST PRESSURE, I HAVE NO DAMN DRUGS" She obviously got the hint and gloved up again. Surprise surprise......TEN!!!!!!! I informed the sweet nurse I WAS NOT waiting around to be coached to push and if I had to I was. so she better get the doctors butt up there.

My doctor had just enough time to walk in and throw her gloves on. My best friend was along for the ride to take pictures of my birth. While my husband stroked my head he remained silent, he knew better. But Allie, dear sweet Allie proceeds to tell me "honey you are doing such a great job your are almost done" I immediately turn into Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde (grabbed her by the shirt mid push) and yell "shut the f#$% up! don't you say good job to me, you tell me to F$%^ing push" (lol poor thing) with that said my delivery room went SILENT. No one spoke a word, no one counted, no one said to breathe. For the first time in my 13 and a half hours of labor it was just the way I wanted... peaceful. 5 pushes and that beautiful baby was born to a silent delivery room. as the room filled with cries of laughter and tears, the world was still silent for me. Time stopped in that very moment when our eyes met. As I laid there and held that precious gift, and felt my husbands lips touch mine... it was done. My life was forever changed and my heart and my family were whole.

And so it begins....

2008-10-16T17:34:00.003-05:00

I guess to explain how this family came about I'll have to take you back a few years. Well, five years to be exact.

Once upon a time...
OK I'll cut the crap ;) James and I some how managed to find each other amoungst all the crazed chaos, also know as college. It was by a happy mistake that we met actually. A mutual friend of ours was trying to fix him up with a friend of mine. Thankfully she wasn't nearly as interested in him as I was. I had no idea that one night, one hand shake, or one conversation over a drink would change my life.

It was an unexpected kind of love James and I. I was very outgoing, no one was a stranger, always an optimist and you never had to wonder what was I was thinking. James on the other hand was very reserved. Always keeping to himself what he was thinking or feeling. Which obviously meant we had some barriers to break in the beginning. For the most part we started out through a string of conversations mainly consisting of me talking and him listening. Slowly as the minutes turned into hours, the hours into days, and the days into weeks the rolls were changed. I learned to be a listener and for the first time in his life he learned how to feel. And we both learned how to love.

This love, our love, was real love. The kind that shook the stars from the heavens. It didn't take us long to know that we were the ones for each other. Young and foolish we were and eloped on June 24, 2004. With 90 dollars to our name, barely a roof over our heads and no jobs we decided till death do us part. Crazy, yes we know and like they say hind sight is 20/20. It would have been alot easier to wait and save but this was it and anything worth having was fighting for. He, was worth fighting for. So hand in hand we began to take on the world. When we said for better or worse and for richer or poorer we meant it. What a great story we'll have to the kids one day. It was the single easiest decision we'd ever make. We had love and for us that was enough.

We always knew we wanted a family. Three children were always in the picture for us.It wasn't long in the marriage, 7 months, before we discovered that we were expecting. Ecstatic and terrified at the same time we began our family. It was quite a journey for us. I think we both evolved into people we never thought possible. We were parents and before we knew it the doctor placed this precious baby in our arms. Bailey Claire arrived on August 22, 2005.

Bailey boo, our oldest baby girl. What a wonder this child was. I always knew I wanted to be a mother but I wasn't prepared for the impact she would have on my heart, on my life. I always assumed that raising children was the most rewarding job in the world. I had know idea just how right I was. She is brilliant! A ball full of energy. Always able to bring a smile to my face on the hardest of days. She's a curious one, always asking why and yearning to know more. This one will be the one who shows me what it was really like for my mother raising me. Bailey is definitely an extension of myself. The firecracker in my life.

Like I said earlier we always knew we wanted a large family. So when we found out we were pregnant for a second time I was in awe that God had blessed our lives yet again. This pregnancy flew by. On August 18, 2008 Lily Marie-Grace entered our family. This is our little one who just couldn't wait (but that's another blog). Like her sister she is beautiful. Wide eyed and wonderful she is. A smile that could melt any ones heart. This precious baby was a gift to our whole family. She's the more laid back of the girls. Hopefully I'll continue to have some balance between the two. LOL Our sweet little Lily-pie.

So there you have it. The summed up version of our beautiful family. I am so amazed each day how far our family has come. Who knew that two young college sweet hearts could bring such great things to the world. I guess we always knew though. We knew we were capable of great things and no matter what we achieve in life our greatest gifts to the world will be our children.

Before I was a mom...

2008-10-16T12:36:00.000-05:00

Before I was a Mom I never learned the words to a lullaby.I never thought about immunizations.Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.Pooped on.Drooled on.Chewed on.Peed on.I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.I slept all night.I never looked into teary eyes and cried.I never got gloriously happy over a simple little grin.I never sat up for hours watching a baby sleep.I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.I never knew that I could love someone so much.I never knew I would love being a Mom.Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.I had never known the warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.