Happy Birthday Isaac!!

I can hardly believe it, especially because I have most definitely not aged it, but Isaac is 12 years old today! Wow sometimes I still can’t believe that we have a son that old!

Just as I did with Gabriel – I wanted to take some time today to reflect on what it was like bringing Isaac into this world and share with you what an amazing young man he is becoming.

We were young, naive and inexperienced when we were pregnant with Isaac. I loved kids, had done lots of babysitting growing up, but was really in no way prepared for what it really meant for us to be expecting a child of our own!

I remember in the beginning being so self-conscious about how my body was changing. I wasn’t always comfortable about how I looked and this new experience pushed that envelope a bit! But feeling those first kicks and seeing that ultrasound made us both so excited!

As new parents we did a lot of reading and took some of the classes that would prepare us for labor etc. (Yeah right! No offense to the people who put these on, but I had no idea what to really expect when the time actually came!)

It was a Monday morning, very early 1-2am and I woke up and felt “funny”…I was sure that I had heard/felt a “pop” and upon further examination discovered that my water had broken.

I think we maybe called my parents and then headed over to the hospital in Vermillion to see what they had to say. They verified that my water had broken and that I was 2cm dilated. They gave me this card that said something like “Do not Stop, Do not pass Go, Go directly to Sioux Falls”.

So that is what we did – went to SF and began the VERY long labor process to bring Isaac into the world! Lets just say that things weren’t progressing like I had hoped and the whole “breathing through the pain” went out the window at hour #1!

I can’t say I remember many of the details except that I cried A LOT and apologized A LOT for all of my crying and begged and begged for an epidural that I couldn’t have until I was dilated to a 4, which took hours. Once I was able to have that things started to progress a little faster, probably because I was able to relax a little!

One memorable moment – and I apologize this is going to be a TMI moment – so skip it if you don’t want to experience it with me – but Dominic’s aunt Monica stopped up to see us and said she had some advice to when it came to pushing the baby out. She said just remember to pretend you are “pooping out a watermelon”. I didn’t get it at the time – but when it came time to push I got it and it worked! Thanks Monica!!

The whole time I was pregnant, my doctor at the time, told me she was sure that the baby would only be about 7lbs or so. I didn’t look real huge so I guess she figured I had a smaller baby inside me.

She was wrong!! Isaac came into the world around 8pm that evening and was 8lbs 15oz – he was a BIG boy! And perfect in every way!!

Isaac, being our first, has had to endure our parenting mistakes and blunders. He has been the one to be the first to experience all those new things with and it has been so much fun! I found a picture of us together at his kindergarten graduation and I can’t believe that he is now in Middle School. The time has gone too fast!

Isaac has been such an amazing help to us with Gabriel. He is patient, kind and caring and has expressed his excitement about the new addition to our family. He is everything that we could want in a son – and then some.

Today I feel truly blessed to have Isaac in our family. I know that God has something very special planned for him. Isaac has a huge heart and love for people and it shows in his everyday actions. I can’t wait to see where His road takes him and I am so proud to be his mom!

Happy Birthday Isaac may this year be extra special for you and may you know what a gift you are to your dad and I! We love you!

Convicted

Have you ever had one of those times where you have felt very convicted about something? Where it seems like God is trying to send you a message through others?

Well I have been going through one of those times recently! Several weeks ago I posted about Dominic’s comment about limiting the time we spend watching TV. And I shared how this thought initially makes me a little “uneasy” as I have become so accustomed to having the TV on at all times.

Wouldn’t you know that since then I have seen articles on the internet about the very topic, received e-mails from Family Life Today titled “What are you letting your children watch when you watch TV”, read of other bloggers who have had 2 years of a TV free environment and most recently listed to our pastor give a sermon and challenge us to where we are spending our time.

Alright already – I get the message! Although still hesitant I find myself more and more becoming critical of the sitcoms you see on TV now. Most, even those at 7pm, use inappropriate language, send messages about relationships and dating etc that I don’t want Isaac to be seeing as an example and although funny at times, overall just don’t do anything to add to our overall quality of life. Now Food Network and HGTV on the other hand…..

Justify, justify, justify! It is so easy for me to justify.

I still can’t honestly say the TV is going off for good – but once again I am feeling very convicted about how we are spending our time, what we are allowing our kids to see and what impact that is having on our family.

This week I have a big “to-do” list to complete in preparation for Thanksgiving at our house next Thursday, so I may be able to pull myself away from the TV a little more in the next couple of days.

I am no “Superwoman” here and don’t claim to know it all – much really, but it is interesting to me the ways in which God challenges me. And I know that even if I am resistant He will still be finding ways to work on my heart. Thankfully He is patient!

7x7 Prayer

I have a new link on the side bar to a blog that is one of my favorites. Angie has decided to be intentional about praying for her kids 7 times a day. The idea is that in various times throughout the day we can pray for and over our children. While they are sleeping, waking, eating etc. With each situation she has found a relevant bible verse and is encouraging parents to pray these verses over their kids. I love this - what a great way to pray God's Word into the lives of the ones who are so important in our lives.

So if you are interested in joining this prayer movement - click on the picture 7x7 prayer on the side and it will link you directly to the list of seven bible verses! May our children be blessed by our intentional prayers for them!

Halloween

I finally figured out how to post a photo to my blog - I will try to do more now that it seemed to work. But for now here are the boys in their costumes for Halloween.

12 weeks and counting!

Today we had our 12-week doctors appointment. I almost can’t believe that we will be starting the second trimester. Although I am not really feeling any better and I am starting to get more headaches I am trilled to know that up to this point everything is going as it should.

This has been a tough few weeks for me because I am in that in-between phase – where besides feeling sick, I don’t look too pregnant yet and I can’t feel the baby moving yet – so it still almost seems surreal to me.

But each visit comes with reassurance that things are just fine. The heart rate today was 165bpm, and although I can’t tell, the doctor said that it sounded good – no problems. I shared how I was dealing with this anxiety about things being ok and she said “Don’t worry so much about things – just trust God with this little one”.

And she is right – that is what I need to be doing. Trusting that God is taking good care of this new addition to the Smith home. Know that whatever happens – good and bad – He is there to walk with us and I should spend more time trusting that He has us in His care!
Today I am so thankful once again that I am experiencing this miracle – Thank you God!

Cravings

So far I haven't had any of the "traditional" cravings that one has when pregnant. I haven't had a pickle yet and ice cream only a couple of times. But lately I have been craving one thing - a lot!

Chocolate!

I don't know what the deal is but it seems to be my "it" item the past several days. And to make matters worse, due to to season, it is readily available in large quantities in my house right now.

Today at work I had a good portion of one of those large Symphony bars...you know the ones that are the extra big bars that they sell at Wal-mart for $1.75 each. I keep taking it out of my drawer and havig "just one more piece".

This will not bode well for me if it continues in this quantity. I have to take it easy!! Maybe I can have another apple or a cheese stick....right after I finish this one last piece of chocolate! :)

Letter to our child

I commented yesterday that the days seem to be slipping away from me. I have been so excited about this pregnancy and don’t want to forget how I feel during this time so I decided to find some way to document some of the things I have been thinking and feeling so that in years to come I won’t forget or take for granted the true gift that we have been given right at this moment. I got this idea from another blog in which the mother put together a compilation of letters that she wrote to her son before he was born. It seemed like a precious way to celebrate the life that is growing inside of me.

Dear little miracle
Did you know that is what you are to us, a miracle? Not just because of the months and months that we tried to have you, but also because you hung on through my surgery in early September. We didn’t even know about you then and might not have had the surgery done if we had. But God did, and He had something special planned for us in you. When we saw you on that first ultrasound and heard your tiny heart beating, we almost couldn’t believe it was true! We celebrated initially with caution, worried that something might happen but you have continued growing and now at almost 12 weeks along, we are able to openly express our joy over your presence.
We got to see you in another ultrasound almost 2 weeks ago. You were active and kicking and it made us laugh seeing your little arms and legs moving around. Your heart rate was strong at 178bpm. We are so very excited to be given the opportunity to add another child into our family!
Isaac and Gabriel are excited to be big brothers. Gabriel said he hopes you are a girl. He said he won’t play dolls with you but he will play "tools" with you. He did say that he thinks he can be nice even if you aren’t a girl! Isaac has been praying for you in his Sunday School class. His teacher told me she knows how much he cares about you already! Can you see the impact you are having on our family?
Today I am grateful just to be allowed this experience once again. I know that God has a special plan just for you and I am excited to see what that is in the years to come! Welcome to our family little one. We love you!
Mommy