It's been a while...

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. I have been very busy feeding the baby, packing, on "Vacation", etc. But, I wanted to write a quick note so that everyone knows, I haven't forgotten about the blog. Tomorrow we leave from Cali back up to Utah to bless the baby Sunday - and then we start our move across the country sunday afternoon. Once we get to South Carolina I will post about our recent adventures, and put some better pictures up of our little monster. She is getting HUGE, Andy and I just can't believe it. She is still adorable, and is sooo sweet. Lets hope we still feel that way after a week straight of her being restrained in her car seat.

Almost Done!!!!!!!!!

Well, Andy is in his last week of work! After next Tuesday night, Andy will no longer work at Walgreens, which means no more leaving me and little Stella for the night. I don't think anyone is happier that he is done than I am, not even him. Working the night shift at Walgreens has been great for Andy, and it has really been a good job, but leaving it behind doesn't make me the least bit sad. We are getting more and more ready to make our big move - most likely to South Carolina - and it has sure been a hassle. It will be nice to finally be settled into wherever we move, and get back into some kind of normal routine. As you can imagine, Stella is still beautiful. She has grown to 7 lbs. 5 oz. She now fits into her newborn clothes so she gets to wear more than just her same two outfits over and over. That is fun for me. She was able to meet many second cousins on the fourth of July and then meet her little cousin Jagger. It will be fun to see her interact with them when she is a little older. Anyway - I have a lot to do with little time - so I am off.

Little Milestones

Well, Stella's age is now measured in weeks rather than days. Bittersweet. She is now out of the bili light! We could not be happier about that. She has now met both Grandma and Grandpa Lund, and Grandma and Grandpa Smith are coming today! She has also had her first bath by mommy and daddy, seen her first deer in the backyard, started training for the olympics with daddy, as well as laid out for a tan with daddy, and picked berries and peas with with him as well. She has had her first manicure and pedicure (yes - mommy is having a blast). She sleeps all day, and stays up all night. Unfortunately, Andy is back at work now, so I get her all night long, and boy the nights are long. She is still teeny, but she loves to stretch out and show us how long she can be. We are still loving her more than anything, and feel so blessed.

Stella

This June, Andy and I had the most exciting day of our lives! We welcomed our most precious little baby girl - Stella Smith. She is, of course, the most adorable thing to ever exist! On Monday night, right after I dropped Andy off at work, The first contraction came. As I paced around the house all night, all alone, freaked out, in pain, and not quite sure what to do, I finally decided to pick Andy up from work a little early. (Driving in labor is not something I would suggest to anyone) We went to the hospital and were sent home after a couple of hours. The drive back to the hospital a couple of hours after that was the worst of my life. I was having contractions about every three minutes and throwing up in Andy's water-bottle (He was so sweet to me!). After I was checked in, I was left alone because of an emergency my nurse needed to tend to. So...when she came back five or so hours later, Stella was ready, and had been for quite a while I'm sure. However, the doctor was at home in bed. So they called the doctor, and the baby sat waiting, crowning, in the birth canal for 45 mins or so, and therefore had some problems with her heart rate. Luckily though, she was tough enough and pulled through just fine. (Andy was pretty ticked at the hospital staff!) She was born at 12:25 A.M. Wednesday morning. She weighed 6 pounds 6 ounces and was 18 inches long. She is itty bitty. We had to get her some preemy clothes and those are even a little big. Andy and I can't stop talking about how beautiful and sweet she is. Andy says that there is nothing like holding her in his arms, and I melt every time she looks at me. Since we have been home, she has had some pretty bad jaundice, and has had to spend most of her days in a bili light suitcase. She doesn't enjoy that much - and we don't either, but today her score has dropped, so her stay in the suitcase is hopefully almost over! Our lives are forever changed, and we could not be happier. We love her more than anything in the world.

Newlyweds Still

Yesterday, June 11th 2007, Andy and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary. The last two years have been the best of both our lives. I never would have imagined that I would have married someone so perfect for me in every way. (well except the part of him that likes kayaking down rivers, and the part of me that will never do that again) We have done a lot over the past two years, and who knows what kind of crazy things we will do in the future - but I am looking forward to a wonderfull eternity to come!

Maternity Leave

Well, I have finally finished my last wedding video. I am now done working - officially - until this baby is born and old enough for me to feel like I can escape long enough to shoot a wedding, and edit it. Feels good! Now onto packing and getting rid of things. Well, here are the latest pictures of me and my expanding bump. The outfit makes it a little hard to see what I actually look like - sorry.

The Power of Words

While trying to come up with a name for our Blog, I was reminded of the power of words. As Andy and I are preparing for the birth of our first little one, we are attending a Hypnobabies course. If you know anything about hypnosis, you understand the power of words and the importance of positive suggestion. So, in an effort to convince myself that these last few weeks of pregnancy (hopefully between 4 and 7 - no less, no more) are blissfull rather than uncomfortable, exhausting, and, well...retarded, I have named our blog Smith BLISS. (Plus I thought it was kinda cute). Let's hope this power of suggestion thing really works, especially during my fast and easy birthing time!