He's Here!!

So much to blog about today, but will have to do that later. For now, enjoy some pictures of our new arrival--

Hudson Jay Smith born 12:24 pm. 8 lbs 11 oz, 20-1/4 in.

He doesn't look at all like Cooper did at birth, hair is slightly darker, and facial features are different. Profile is mine.  Just a precious boy, and we're all in love with him, including his older brother Cooper!  More later...

Cooper and Cordelia

Last night we had a special treat of having some of our Boston family in town for work (Nate's Uncle Tom, Aunt Delia, and their 9  month old daughter, Cordelia), and were able to join them at the hotel pool for an afternoon swim, and then dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. 

Nate's Aunt Denise and cousin Allison were also able to join us from SC, and my Mom went with us too.

Cordelia is Nathan's first cousin, she the youngest and he the oldest of their generation, a gap of 37 years.  This was our first time meeting little Cordelia, and with her red hair and gorgeous blue eyes, she is one of the most beautiful little babies. 

Allison and Cordelia

Cousins and second cousins!

Daddy and daughter: Tom and Cordelia

Aunt Denise and Cordelia

Cooper and Daddy

It was an enjoyable evening with lots of family.

39 Weeks -- Only 14 hours to go...

Today marks 39 weeks pregnant. My how the last 3 weeks have dragged on and on. Finally two days ago, my Mom arrived in town, and not only did I feel I could breathe a big sigh of relief having someone to help with all the things I couldn't / shouldn't be doing anymore, I also felt like this baby is finally about here, and these last physically trying weeks of pregnancy are almost at an end. We've talked for months about her coming, ans now she's here, and now the baby is almost here.

These few weeks have been bittersweet, knowing that my one-on-one time with Cooper is fast drawing to a close, and we'll both soon be sharing our time with another little guy.  Coop is as excited as ever to have his brother finally born, but I'm not sure yet that he understands just how tiny the baby will be. Tonight he was telling Nathan how he's going to teach Hudson how to drive Daddy's truck. Ha!

Tonight Nate and I went on a dinner date while my Mom stayed home with Coop. Such a treat! It was nice to spend a quiet evening in a non-child friendly environment, just the two of us. Haven't done that in more than 6 months. the only spoiler was that I kept having contractions, and had one in the parking lot on the way out that stopped me in my tracks, put me to tears, and made me relent to have Nate go get the car.  But if tonight is like last night, they'll eventually subside, and we'll be at the hospital at our scheduled time.

While my body is screaming to get this kid out, my mind and emotions are a roller coaster of thoughts from fears about a c-section and dreading the sleeplessness of the next 2-4 weeks, I mean years, I'm also so excited to hold this little one, to gaze into his eyes and introduce myself, and to see him interact with his Daddy and brother. Lots to think about tonight. What a change tomorrow is going to bring. It is so strange to already know the approximate time my son will be born. So different than last time with all the unknown. We'll see down the road if I like this route better.

Will post pics and such as soon as I feel able.  Meanwhile, here comes the baby!!

Mother's Day Past and Present

Today was a superb Mother's day.  It all started last night when Nate said he wanted to give me one of my Mother's day presents a little early, just the two of us.  My interest was immediately piqued.  He suddenly became very sweet and romantic, and said he wanted this Mother's day to be special, and wanted to do something extra special.  Then he pulled out a ring...and I cried.  You see, several years ago, when Coop was about a year old, I was finally kind-of able to fit my wedding rings back on my finger.  After pregnancy and weight gain, I'd been wearing a $20 sterling silver band I'd purchased at the mall when I was in my last few months of pregnancy with Cooper.  But one day a few years ago I decided to squeeze my wedding rings on, and wore them to work, only to have to take off the middle one--my diamond engagement ring--during the middle of the day because it was too tight.  I remember taking it off and immediately placing it in an inside pocked in my purse, and could swear that I put it in my kitchen ring/key bowl when I got home that night.  Needless to say, I'm not sure where/how, but I lost it.  My diamond engagement ring that had been around since our FIRST engagement was gone.  I was sure I'd find it when we moved a few years ago, but I didn't. And just a few weeks ago I came across that old purse, and dug through its empty pockets yet again in hopes that my ring would appear.  Many a tear has been shed over my carelessness with such a special (and expensive!!) item.

So for several years now, I've been wearing either just my anniversary bands, or that sterling silver band, which I didn't mind, since it was totally my own fault that the diamond ring was lost, and the other rings were sufficient to show I'm married, which is the whole point of a ring--right?

We've talked about getting a replacement ring "someday" when we can afford one I will wear for the rest of my life.  So when Nathan pulled out a ring last night, I was utterly surprised and thrilled.  My sweet husband searched and searched and for a ring that is very near to the same style and such as my original engagement ring.  I asked how he remembered what the band and setting looked like, and he said, "Well, I did have that ring for a long time, but I don't know, I just remember.  It's kind of an important symbol of our marriage."  I thought that was sweet.  While the size and quality of the diamond are certainly not the same, but scaled to what we can currently afford, I am THRILLED to have a diamond ring to wear with my anniversary bands again, but what's more is the thought and effort Nathan put into finding one that is so similar to the original.

So that was the beginning of my Mother's Day 2013.  Then this morning I awoke to the smell of bacon, and could hear the boys down on the kitchen.  Soon Cooper came upstairs and said, "Mom, come quick!  We have a big surprise for you!"  As I came down the stairs, he yelled, "Surprise!"  They had made me a nice big breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon and orange juice.  It was nice to sit down and have a breakfast together, even if it did mean we were late for church.

When Nate asked Cooper what he wanted to give me for Mother's day, Cooper said, "a treat and something for her hair because Mommy has pretty hair."  While Coop really wanted to get me M&Ms (which I don't care for), Nate knew better and convinced him that Swedish fish are my favorite, which they are.  The hair clips are to replace the ones Cooper likes to often play with and break.  Very cute gifts.

At breakfast I explained to Cooper that when he was born I became a mother, and that before then I was not.  He grinned when I told him he was the one that first made this day extra special.

Naturally on Mother's day, my thoughts turn to my own mother, and all the other women who have been mothers to me throughout my life--grandmothers, great-aunts, aunts, friends, church leaders, neighbors, in-laws, and the list goes on.  So many great women have influenced my life.  But rather than go through all of them, I thought today of three special Mother's Day memories.

First a Mother's Day memory about my own Mother.

My mother--Terry (22 yrs), brother--Jayson (24 months), and me (6 months)

When I was a teenager, probably about 16, my Mother's day gift to my mom was a card I'd matted and framed.  It was a Norman Rockwell, Saturday Evening Post-style picture of a woman dressed in an evening gown, doing her hair/makeup while sitting at a vanity, her daughter watching in awe.  I gave this to my mom one-on-one in her bedroom while she was getting ready for church that morning, and then played the song My Mother/My Daughter by Janice Kapp Perry for her from a cassette tape I had.  

Mother's part:
Sometimes when I see you, my daughter, my own
My heart fills with love seeing how you have grown.
Your hands once so small have remained clean and pure
Your heart filled with love helps my own soul endure.

The prayers that you speak give me faith to go on.
And the smile in your eyes gives me hope for the dawn,
Then I wonder why and give thanks that
I was chosen to be your mother.

Daughter's part:
I've watched you dear mother each day of my life.
I've seen how you smile through the joy and the strife.
I've needed your love and have known you were there.
I've seen how you help to bring answers to prayers.

The world that surrounds me is blind and unsure,
But with you as my mother, I'm safe and secure.
Then I wonder why, and give thanks that
I was chosen to be your daughter.

We had a good cry, and a long hug, and I remember that precious moment with my Mom.  Of course there are a thousand other memories or things I could share about my amazing and wonderful Mother, but that is one that came to mind today.  The lyrics to that song still pertain to my relationship with my Mother to this day. My mother is still the one I turn to for many, many things.  I love you, Mom, and am so thankful to be your daughter.

The second Mother's day memory I thought of today was May 10, 1998.

Engagement photos - Oct 2004

I get teary-eyed just thinking about it.  That is the day that Nathan first asked me to marry him, and it happened to be Mother's day.  After church that day he said he wanted to go for a drive, and we drove all the way from Cambridge, MA to Stoneham, MA.  He wouldn't tell me where we were going, and when we got to Stoneham, he got a little lost and frustrated, but then recovered, and pulled up to a cemetery.  I immediately knew he was taking me to his mother's grave.  It had been many years since he'd been there, and he had a little trouble finding the headstone, so I got out of the car and started to help him look.  I found it, and remember calling him over, and then left him alone with his mom for a bit.  He came back to the car, teary-eyed, and asked me to come with him.  We visited the grave site and talked about his mom, and shared a special moment.  Then we got back in the car and drove to my parents house in Lexington, mostly in silence, both lost in our thoughts.  As we pulled into the driveway, Nate turned off the car, but stopped me before getting out.  I'll never forget when he said something like, "Chrystal I took you to meet my mother today because I wanted her to know you.  I wanted to introduce her to the most amazing woman I've ever met, and wanted you to meet her before I could ask you to marry me."  We'd talked a little about getting married before this, so it wasn't a complete shock, but I started crying, and said, "You really want to marry me?"  And he said, "More than I've ever wanted anything."  The ring didn't come until a few weeks later when we went to a park with a big hill overlooking the Boston city skyline, but I count that Mother's day as the day he first proposed to me--such a special day.

My third Mother's day memory is from today as I thought about my first Mother's day with Cooper, and then the second little one that is about to join our family this week.

First Mother's Day - May 2010 (Cooper painted the frame and flower for me at daycare)

I am so blessed to be having another child.  As a young child, it was my dream to grow up and be a mother.  When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I seldom answered with anything besides "a mom."  Having these two boys is truly a dream come true.

I am thankful for all the mothers who have shaped my life, and the life of my husband.  There are so many, too many to name, but you know who you are.  We love each one of you, and wish you all a very happy Mother's day!

A Cooper Day

Despite us all being sleep deprived for various reasons, our tired day ended up being great. Nate had to work from the wee hours of the morning, so Coop and I had until noon to ourselves. We ran some errands, ate lunch, and then I was wiped out and needed to lay down to stop contractions. I laid down and had a mommy exhaustion moment and shed a few silent tears.  Coop brought me a tissue, kissed my cheek, and climbed onto the couch beside me for a snuggle. I turned on Curious George for him, and basked in the love from this little guy. So sweet.

This afternoon we ran a few baby errands, and Coop was a good sport.  Afterward we went to an arcade/ kiddie ride place for a bit. First off--cotton candy while Dad bought tickets.  Yum!!!

Cooper and Nate went on the bumper boats...

...and the race cars.  Pregnant women not allowed, so I got to sit and be their camera-weilding cheerleader.

Coop finished up on a few kiddie carnival-type rides, and then played a few arcade games. The games are all about him doing it himself, no matter how short-lived that may make it. He says he had a great day, and I'm thankful we had such a nice afternoon/ evening together as our last hurrah, just the three of us, all focused on making sure Coop had a good time.

Tonight it was just me and Coop again for bath/stories/bed as Nate ran an errand, which I'm certain was mother's day related, so I tried to not complain about contractions or being tired.  Coop was an angel for the bath/bed routine, which is a miracle considering his behavior of late. I think he needed the one-on-one as much as I did. Two favorite moments of the evening:

1. Singing bedtime songs, I kept making up words to make the song silly to see if he knows the songs the children are singing in church for their mothers tomorrow.  So instead of the right lyrics "Mother Dear I love you so. I'll try the whole day through to please my Heavenly Father; I'm so glad he gave me you." I would sing something like: "Mother dear, I love you so, I'll try the whole day through to tell you no and kick you, so you'll send me to my room." There were 2 or 3 wrong versions of each verse I came up with on the fly, putting in words that reflected some of the behavioral struggles I've been having with him lately. He giggled and giggled, and asked me to sing more "silly wrong words." After singing the right words, he snuggled up, and then kissed my cheek and whispered, "I wuv you, Mom." 

2. Second favorite moment of the evening, when Coop called from his bed, "Mommy! I really need you to come flip over my pillow to the cold side!" Gets me every time! :)

End of School Party

Last week was the culminating event of our preschool co-op. With two out of us four moms being just weeks from having babies, it was a welcome end.

This year we went through the alphabet A-Z, and also covered numbers 1-20, and then counting by 5s and such. Cooper is almost a full year younger than the others, but I am thankful for this no-cost option for his first preschool experience. He learned a few letters, and lots of social skills. I learned that I am definitely NOT cut out to be a teacher of small children outside my home or church. Entirely different in a learning environment, and I just don't have the patience for it. Although, I WAS pregnant for the whole time, much of it very nauseous and suc, so maybe it's not all that bad.

The culminating event was for the letter Z. The party was "Z is for zoom, zoom, and zoo. We had a road rally for the kids at my friend's cul-de-sac, letting them eide bikes and such which they could decorate if they wanted. The big hit were the two battery-powered cars some of the kids had. Coop would hardly get off to share with other kids. I was having contractions all morning and didn't get any pictures of them riding bikes and such.

After that we had a picnic lunch and the kids all dressed up as zoo animals with some cute foam masks I'd found. There were a lot more kids, but only a few would take a picture.

The grand finale was a pinata, which the kids never could break, so we finally ripped it open and shook the candy out for them, or we may have been there for hours!

It was a fun morning, and a fun way to end the year.

37 Weeks - Full Term

I am SO relieved to have made it to 37 weeks with this baby. The last 5 days have been a bit nerve-wracking as I've had lots of contractions and other "the baby is coming soon" symptoms. I was so afraid that he was going to arrive late Saturday night because I'd been having some awful contractions from 11 am Sat to 2 am Sun. When they didn't stop after laying down for a bit, I got scared and started making a plan for "what if" that night (my on-call friend was out of town, so finding someone for Cooper was my main worry). I now have two on-call friends. :) But long story short, the contractions did eventually subside, and here we are 5 days later with baby still cookin'.

Went to the doc today.  First the nurse came in to get the baby's heart rate and such, using the little doppler.  Hudson was turned funny and it took her a minute or two to even find it.  Those few minutes usually have me nervous, but since he's been moving so much lately, I knew he was just at a weird angle.  Anyway, so the nurse kinda pokes him with the doppler wand, and he totally kicked right back at it!  That made us both laugh.  Then as if in defiance, he moved and moved and moved.  My belly looked like something possessed.  Oh wait, it is.  The nurse couldn't believe how much movement the kid made.  He's just as active as Cooper was before birth.

Then the doc came in and I told him all the ins and outs of the last two weeks, and said, "Long story short, Dr. K, there better be some kind of progression, or I think I'll just cry."  Without the gory details, there is some progression toward birth, but not a lot (if you want details, text or call).  I'll take anything at this point, and it was enough to keep me feeling like all the discomfort hasn't been totally in vain.  If I had to guess though, I'd say I'll make it to my c-section date of 5/16, but it's gonna be a looooong, uncomfortable two weeks.  But I can do anything for two weeks, especially something with such a great outcome.

I asked the doctor if he could guesstimate how big our boy is currently.  Taking into account that they really can't get a very accurate measurement by pure feel, he said if he had to bet, he'd say Hudson is right around 7.25 lbs currently.  I asked his prediction for birth weight, and he said at least 8 lbs, more like 8.5, if I make it to 5/16.  I was hoping for a little bit smaller baby than Cooper was.  Little bit is all I'm gonna get--maybe.  Cooper was 9 lbs. 1 oz, so looks like his brother is gonna be a contender, except that this time we're making the deadline a week (and two days) earlier.

This picture I took on Sunday.  Hudson was turned funny, and my belly looked like a bullet or something.  I took this and sent it to my Mom, but thought it worth keeping as a permanent blog memory.

This one was taken this morning.  I put on this shirt, not having worn it my whole pregnancy because I remember it being kinda big and baggy with Cooper, and also because I just barely ironed it.  It's one that's such a pain to wash and iron--not worth it.  But after my ironing escapade the other day in an effort to be productive while taking it easy, I finally ironed it.  However, the girth of my baby bump just about exceeds the limits of this blouse.  It was as tight as could be.  I was determined to still wear it and not waste all that ironing effort--ha!

At this point I am thankful for every day Hudson is able to continue growing in the womb, making sure he's as strong and healthy as can be, but at the same time, I'm SO READY for this to be done.  Uncomfortable doesn't even begin to describe it, especially now that he's dropped so much.  Two weeks and counting down every minute...