Major Mistake

Well, to start off our 3rd week as a family of three Sally and Veazy made a "Breakfast Visit" Sunday morning! It was the best visit by far. She brought pancakes and we got to hang out in our pajamas, catch up, and let Veazy meet "Suzy Baby" (that is what VZ calls her). It was such a fun morning. Veazy was so consumed with loving on Suzy and asking questions about her. It was the sweetest thing. He and Sally even sang to her. He is just a doll!

Veazy and Sally singing to Suzy.

Veazy was amazed that Suzy didn't have any teeth! Sally said that he talked about it all day Sunday. "Suzy Baby have no teeth"

Sally and I were outside, when we came back in we couldn't find the boys and Suzy.... Scott was showing Veazy how to hold Suzy. It was so sweet.

Suzy also got her first real bath Sunday. She loved it. We have been wishing her cord would fall off before we bathed her. It finally did, so we took full advance of the situation!

She is so relaxed!

This is where you can find Scott if Suzy has been sponge bathed or given a real bath.... He is in charge of her hair. Mommy always forgets to brush it :) I like it wild!

 My mom and best family friend suggested Rice Cereal for Suzy........ They said, "we gave it to you when you were 2 weeks old. It will help her sleep and fill her up better". Let me tell you something, DO NOT GIVE A 2 WEEK OLD BABY RICE CEREAL! We only gave her a tablespoon, but I can assure you that it was the worst idea EVER! I called my mom absolutely furious at 11 o'clock Monday night to come console my screaming child. Her belly was so full it was round and hard. She did not like the Cereal and she let us know it. We paid for that experiment all night long. Finally, around 4 AM she decided that she would quit fussing. Either she was tired of crying or she had given up. That was the worst experience that I have had as a Mama so far. I felt horrible for giving it to her and so dumb to listen to her Mimi and Teresa...... That was 26 years ago when she fed me, she must have been confused. We will wait until she is at least 6 weeks or older to experiment with that again! This was a major mistake that I can promise will never happen again.

We have had quite an exciting week. We got out of the house one day that was so pretty and went to Memaw's. We worked in the flower bed while Suzy relaxed her in stroller in the sun. She loved being outside. I wish that it would stay pretty so she could be out more!

We also went to The Hot Rod Shop to see her Papaw and Uncle Casey before they left to go to the lake house for the weekend. Suzy wore her Race Car outfit for the ocassion. After staring at her for twenty minutes Papaw decided that he wanted to hold her. This is a huge deal. He hasn't held her yet. He said she was too little... We were thrilled!

I dropped Suzy off at her Gigi and Pop's house this afternoon for her to spend the night. They wanted to show her off to all their friends, so I took them up on the offer. After I dropped her off I went to Southaven to do some nonmaternity clothes shopping!! It is so nice not to have to buy clothes that resemble potato sacks anymore. Scott and I are going to Como Steakhouse tonight with Zander and Steph and I cannot wait. I am going to miss my little stinker though. I cry every time I drop her off with her Mimi or Gigi. I hope after dinner I come home and crash for at least eight hours!! Sleep deprived!



I have noticed that a few things have changed around the Smith Household thanks to Baby Suzy. Here are some of the things that stick out to me at the moment-

1. I have to plan my outings (grocery store, visits with friends, etc.) around the time that she eats and sleeps. I have always been a "pick up and go" kind of gal... Not so much anymore. I have to precisely time our outings so that she is not hungry right in the middle of it, because when Suzy is hungry she is NOT happy. She will let everyone around her know that she wants some milk!

2. Scott is home now, so he has been cooking every night (for those of you that know me well, know that I do not like to touch raw foods so I don't cook or wash dishes, because I will have to touch the food after it has been picked through {I know... I am weird person}). When he gets supper finished we have to: A. eat in shifts or B. I have to hold her while I eat. For some reason every single night that supper is finished she decides that she will throw a screaming/crying tantrum. The past couple nights instead of eating at separate times I have just been holding her while I eat. I know it is a terrible habit to start, but I can assure you that I do not want to hear her be so upset while I am enjoying my dinner.

3. Trips to Wal-Wart, Sonic, and the tanning bed are heavenly experiences these days. When Scott comes home from work or when Memaw is watching Suzy I get to have a little "me" time. The best 12 minutes of my day (of alone time) is when I can sneak away and go to the tanning bed! It is ahhhhhmazing. The second best thing ever is if I can get to Sonic for "Happy Hour" during the tanning bed outing. Don't get me wrong, I love spending my time with Suzy!! I just need about 30 minutes a day to myself to keep me sane!

4. Mine and Scott's sleeping arrangements have changed. He sleeps in the bedroom and I sleep in the twin bed that is in Suzy's nursery. I thought that Suzy would sleep in her cradle in our room for a couple weeks then I would trust her digital monitors enough to put her in her baby bed, but that hasn't happened yet. She is in her baby bed now, but I am too paranoid to sleep away from her. She is a bit overprotected. I am literally 3 feet from her and still watch the monitors to make sure that she is still breathing and moving. I hope this soon will pass. I miss my bed.

5. I have always been a weirdo about poop and smells, but these days I do a "Poopy Pants Dance" when Suzy goes number two. I am absolutely thrilled over a dirty diaper. We are still having a few issues with her bowel movements, so poopy diapers are the best!!

6. I find myself holding my iPhone all the time so I can get a good picture of her. I can bet that I send at least 25 picture messages a day! I, of course, do not have my phone ALL the time, but whenever I think she may strike a pose I have it ready! I am obsessed with her!

7. I am a bath taker... I love a good bath. I take up to three a day! Now, instead of a quiet bath, Suzy is sitting next to the tub in her Nap Nanny. The whole bath tub experience is polluted with my baby talk and her babbling and it is absolutely precious. How did I survive without her?

8. I am a singer these days. I didn't say I was good at it, but I am at least trying. She was being fussy the other night so I started singing to her (I was desperate). She finally quit crying. It was either because she wanted me to stop or she enjoyed it. I told Scott about it and he ever so politely explained to me that she just wanted me to stop. I will admit... I cannot sing at all!!

I will leave you with a funny story- A couple nights ago I was outside in the garage and I heard Scott screaming to the top of his lungs. I ran inside and he was yelling, "I am gonna need some help in here". When I walked into Suzy's room I saw poop everywhere. This little 6lb baby shot poop all the way across the room and all over her changing table. She had some major pressure built up. It was so bad that I had to get our steam cleaner out to clean the carpets! Then, yesterday Sharon was visiting us while I was feeding her. When her feeding was over I decided I'd just change her diaper on the couch.... Me being lazy was NOT a good idea. She shot poop all over the couch and me! I had to change clothes and break out the upholstery cleaner. This little girl is bound and determined to ruin every stitch of fabric we have in our home I believe! But, "YAY for poop"!!

Lola loves Suzy.

She is 3 weeks old today!! Happy, happy girl.

First Two Weeks

Our first two weeks have been like a rollercoaster ride. We have had our ups and downs, good days and bad, and great nights and not so great nights. I would not trade one moment for anything in this world, though. Suzy is by far the greatest thing that has ever happened to Scott and I. Motherhood is a job that no one could have prepared me for. All the helpful hints that everyone shared with me before her arrival were great, but no one told me about things like: babies having problems pooping, switching formulas, nipple sizes for bottles, oh the list could go on and on.....

Week One

We got home Monday the 9^th around one o'clock. As soon as we walked in the door the whirlwind started. She started fussing because she was hungry and I was not prepared to feed her. I had bags to get out of the car, lunch waiting on me, and a shower calling my name. That is when it hit me.... My life is no longer about ME, it is all about HER. After that realization I strolled into the nursery with my bags still in my car, my lunch getting cold, and unshowered and prepared to feed her. I was breastfeeding, which took me a lot of preparation. Scott had to help me mound pillows and the boppy at just the right height and then get her situated. This process along with her feeding took a good hour. I produced plenty of milk for her, but the breastfeeding didn't last long for us. The time consuming process, the lack of sleep, and her feeling bad put a stop to the madness after 5 days of doing it. I gave it my best shot, but it just was not for us. She wasn't happy and I wasn't happy. The last day that we tried breastfeeding was a nightmare. Everything that Scott said to me, every time she cried, every time it was feeding time I bawled and squalled. I quit breastfeeding and she seemed much more satisfied and I was actually sane again. I think that breastfeeding is great, but it just didn't work out for us. The week went on with many sleepless nights due to her tummy being upset. I thought she may have a little colic after researching her symptoms, but I think now that it is just gas and pooping issues. Sunday we had newborn pictures, which was an absolute disaster. Rachel came to take her pictures during her normal "awake time". I should have known better. Rachel is great and handled it amazingly... Me on the other hand, I didn't. I think I cried or teared up as much as Suzy did. Suzy did not like having her picture taken... not one bit. After two hours of her screaming I finally called it quits and just hoped that we would get some good pictures out of the ones that Rachel had taken. I got our CD full of images back and they are great! I am very pleased. I hope that the three month pictures go a little better :)

Week Two

Suzy continued to be very fussy through the nights and afternoons, so I got a little paranoid and alarmed and started calling the pediatrician every day. I guess they got sick of me calling... The scheduled me an appointment to just come see the doctor. That made me happy. The doctor informed me that Suzy was just unaware that she controlled her bowel movements and that she would eventually learn. He told me to switch formulas and get some faster nipples so she got the feeling of being "full" better. He also told me to check her temperature rectally every other feeding to stimulate a movement. We have been doing that and things got a little better. It still isn't great, but it is better!

Scott had to go back to work this week. The news of that made me extremely sad. It is amazing how wonderful he has been throughout this transition. He is so attentive and helpful. I knew he would be a great daddy, but I had no idea how great of a daddy he would be. With him being gone I have been on night and day duty. I have been very tired, but have been working through it. I have been trying to nap when she naps, but it is pretty hard to do when I have a house that needs tending to as well. Suzy and I have gotten out a couple times. The first trip was to the pediatrician, which went great. We also went to my mom and Scott's mom's work to let everyone meet her. She did great then, too. Everyone loves her! How could they not? Of course, I try to get by Sonic a couple times a week to get a Route 44 Diet Coke :) She doesn't mind my dollar a day indulgence. She likes to ride!

My mom, Scott's mom, and my Memaw have been so much help. I am so grateful that they are so close. Gram (Scott's mom) stayed with us Saturday night so I could get some rest. It was absolutely wonderful!! I fell asleep at ten o'clock and didn't get up until nine the next morning. I slept so hard that I woke up sore.

Delivery Day

Everyone kept telling me that this weekend was 'the weekend'..... I guess they were right!!!! Suzy is here and she is absolutely perfect.

When I woke up yesterday morning I was very "crampy" and had my "bloody show" (is that too much information?). I texted a few girlfriends and asked them if losing it meant much or if it meant that I would go into labor soon. I got all sorts of responses, but my favorite one was Mandy Hartsfield's... She said, "it could be hours, it could be weeks" hahahahaha! Such a broad response with no definitive answer!! I was like, "gee thanks, Mandy"! Absolutely loved it. The "cramps" kept coming, but I assumed that it was from passing the 'show' so I didn't think much of it at first. I went outside with the pups and watched the rain and rocked in my rocking chair trying to make the tension stop... No luck. Got up from the rocking chair and a slow, wet, trickle ran down my pajamas. This was at about 7:30 AM. I wasn't sure if I had involuntarily peed my pants or my water had indeed broken. I texted Haley (the most amazing nurser ever) and Jill (because she said her water breaking wasn't a gushing sensation either). Out of all three of us none of us knew it was my water or just pee. After about 15 minutes I knew it had to have been my water, because the contractions started. Next question- Are they Braxton Hicks or the real deal? Haley told me to take a bath or shower and see if the contractions stopped. They didn't. Then I walked around the house trying to clean. Never stopped. When they were 10 minutes apart and coming fiercely I decided that I would get in the bath tub again and start getting ready for the hospital. The news of me taking another bath to "get ready" for the hospital didn't settle well with Scott. He was so aggravated with me for not getting my act together that he was starting to get snappy with me. I, of course, thought that he was being ugly.... He was not. He was being smart... I was not. After I had a bath, shaven legs, and straightened hair we headed to the hospital. By the time we got to Batesville I thought that she would make her arrival in the car. The pain was super intense. That was the longest drive to Oxford ever. We weren't there long before they gave me an epidural and made me start pushing because when we finally made it there I was 7cm dilated. Scott made a call to our family and a couple friends. My phone was dead, so if he didn't have someones number they just didn't know. Everyone made it just in time for delivery. It was a super quick experience (thank goodness). It was a whirlwind, actually. I was at the hospital for about 2 hours and Suzy made her appearance. She is absolutely amazing. She weighed 6lbs 5oz and was 20 inches long. She has a head full of dark hair and beautiful skin. I am overjoyed to have her here. I never knew you could love something so much. She is our world!!