Welcome Cori Belle

Well, before 2009 comes to a close tonight I wanted to post about the newest addition to our family. Little Miss Cori Belle Smith was born into the world on December 28th at 2:48 am. She was 7 lbs 14 oz, 19 1/2 inches long and absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Well, at least we think she is, but check her out for yourself! :)

I love the picture above of her and her daddy. Just look at the way he is looking at her. It melts my heart!

Sunday morning, the 27th, David went to work at the hospital as was scheduled. I felt a little different that morning as I was cleaning the ceiling fan in our bedroom. I decided around 10:30 that I wanted to go to the hospital to get checked out. I had been having severe contractions for 5 days off and on and thought I was never going to have the baby and I was hoping someone in OB could help me out! So, I called David at work and he came home, picked me up, and we drove back to the hospital. I got there around 11:30 and was dilated 4 cm. They said they were going to keep me and I would not go home before having the baby! :) So, they sent us on a 2 hr walk around the hospital and I had my last meal at Subway, mmm! They checked me in at 2:30 and put me in a room.

I labored on my own for a few hours before they decided to give me a small drip of pitocin to speed things up a little. At 5 1/2 cm dilated they put in the epidural. After 2 hrs of the epidural bring in, I could still feel the pain - especially when they put the catheter in, OUCH! Finally, they realized that the epidural wasn't working and they had to take it out and put in another one. Within 10 minutes of the new epidural I felt complete relief! Whew!

Dilating from 5 1/2 to 7 cm wasn't too bad. Dilating from 7 to 10 cm was painful, even with the epidural. Luckily going from 7 to 10 only took an hour and then it was time to push. I pushed for 40 minutes, during which I had contractions every 2 minutes. Pushing was great! I know that sounds crazy, but it was probably the best part of labor. Every contraction lasted about 45 seconds and during each I had to push 3 times for 10 seconds each, holding my breath during each push. It made the contractions painless, which I was so grateful for!

Finally, I could feel her head crowning. The doctor told me to push one more time and her little precious head popped out. The doctor and David both told me to look down and the rest of her little body slipped out very easily, with no more pushing. Seeing her for the first time was beautiful! The doctor immediately put her in a blanket and gave her to me. Finally, we were parents; a new family. Looking back, it was the most precious moment I have ever experienced!

Having a baby was such a great way to end the year 2009. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. The love David and I have for her is amazing and we fall more in love with her every day. We are cherishing every moment and praying she doesn't grow up too fast. It's crazy to think she is already 4 days old!

We are so excited to spend this New Year's Eve with our little one. I hope where ever you are, your New Year is just as wonderful as ours. God Bless you in the year 2010! Happy New Year!

Until next year...

Who needs a due date anyway?

Well, December 23rd has come and gone and no baby has arrived. Oh, how I love projected dates for a baby's birth! There is so much build up and so much to look forward to and then... nothing! The date just passes you by. I know she will come eventually. I keep telling David that she is going to stay in there until she is 21. He just smiles and says, "at least we won't have to deal with dating then!" Such the optimist! :)

I was sure she was coming yesterday ... David and I went to breakfast at Panera, then we came home and went for a 4 mile walk/jog. Yes, I jogged at 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant .. I will do anything to get this baby out! I had serious contractions all throughout the 4 miles - so bad they stopped me in my tracks and had me doubled over. Then, we went to church for Christmas Eve service and I had contractions every 5 minutes. Like I said, I was sure she was coming. But then, around 9:30 last night, all contractions stopped and I have had no action since!

Today is Christmas Day. It's 6 am and I cannot sleep. David just left for work - he has a 30 hour call shift today and I won't see him until tomorrow at noon :(. My parents and siblings are coming up to visit with me and we are having Christmas dinner with my aunt and uncle who live in town. Maybe today will be the day! Sharing a birthday with Jesus would be pretty cool and I'm sure David would love a little Christmas surprise at work! Please keep us all in your prayers! Merry Christmas!

Week 40... whoa that's big!

Until next time...
Hopefully there will be a baby girl to tell about!

Pregnancy Update!

For those of you who are trying to keep up with my pregnancy, let me fill you in on the latest. I left off last week with the news of if I was dilated at all on Tuesday when I went to the doctors they were going to induce today (only because my OB leaves to go out of town for a week starting tomorrow). Well, on Tuesday I was dilated ZERO centimeters! Come on Cori! It was a bit disappointing to hear the news of no dilation, but I have to remember that my due date isn't until Wednesday so really, I have some more time.

The next steps are just to wait it out and hope she comes sometime in the next week. My doctor did make me an appointment for the 28th to see how I'm doing if I haven't had her yet. And, he promised that he wouldn't let me go past the 31st (which is a week and a half LATE by the way!) So, please keep us in your prayers. I know God already knows her birthday. He has had this day planned since the beginning of time. Who am I to tell Him my plans when his are going to be much better anyway! I'm just so excited to meet her .. and to sleep on my tummy again (I'm not gonna lie! :)

Here I am at 39 weeks. Will I make it all the way to 40? Only time will tell! :)
Until next time...

Extreme Home Makeover

All last week the ABC show Extreme Home Makeover was in the downtown Gainesville area re-doing a house. The family had dedicated their life to teaching music to underprivileged children and spent ALL their money on a music school, neglecting their own home. Five Gainesville families were on the list as of last Monday and on Monday morning, Dec 7th, this family heard the big news from Ty Pennington himself. They then were sent off on a vacation and the Gainesville community worked to bull doze the house and re-build a new one. The big "Move that Bus!" was this past Monday afternoon, Dec 14th.

Here's a picture of the house on Sunday afternoon. It's almost done!

David and I were able to go down to the site on Sunday afternoon. The site was open to the public for anyone to see, but our friend Lance who works for a local advertising agency was a sponsor of the project so we got VIP passes. Unfortunately, that didn't really mean anything other than there was a tent with food in it for us. We didn't get to go in the house or anything, but it was pretty cool from the outside.

Here we are with our VIP passes!

While we were there they shot one of the sessions, which was pretty cool to see. Ty ran out of the house to announce that some furniture had arrived and it was time to unload. They had to shoot that twice! Then, the entire Gator Marching Band, Albert & Alberta, and the Gator Cheerleaders marched down the street to the Gator Fight song with the furniture truck following behind them. Ty and 3 other designers dramatically moved the furniture out of the truck and into the house, along with some of the UF Basketball players who got to help. After all the moving was said and done the producers got on a loud speaker and said, "Well for the first time, that was a wrap! No need to shoot it again." If they hadn't gotten the coverage they needed, the entire furniture truck would have been loaded up again and everyone would have had to march down the street for a second take. Luckily they got it in one shoot! Check out the pictures below!

Here's Ty after his second shoot of announcing that the furniture truck was on it's way!

Ty and the 3 other designers waiting to unload the truck!

Here comes Albert, Alberta and the cheerleaders!

Then, the Gator Marching Band!

Unload that truck!
I have some great video of pillows being thrown out of the truck with the Fight Song playing in the background, but it was taking way to long to upload so a picture will have to suffice! :)

Here is a picture of me with Paulie. You can really see all that baby fat in this picture of me! Eeek!

It was so fun to get to watch some of this project unfold. The show should air sometime in February, I think. I can't wait to watch it!

Baby Showers!

I have been so blessed by family and friends as I prepare to have little Cori Belle (hopefully) in the next 2 weeks. Cori had her final baby shower this past weekend and I thought I'd post about the last 2 before she gets here.

November 21st, 2009, 10am-12 noon - Baby Shower hosted by Kristy Sutton

Kristy used her gifts to Cori to decorate her house. I thought it was such a cute idea! I put the letters that spell her name on the blinds in her room. It's precious! I can't wait to put her in that sweet outfit. Actually, I can because it's for a 6 month old and I don't want to wish her life away before she even gets here! :)

Lauren bought Cori her first Gator Cheerleader outfit! How sweet is that?!? I know there is a big discrepancy on David's side of the family about our daughter being a cheerleader, but she'll be whatever she wants to be and we will support her all the way! :) After all, her momma was a cheerleader!

We played a game where everyone had to guess the size of my belly with string. Kristy was right on! My sister was pretty close too.

Me and my little sis. She had only met a few of my friends at the shower prior to attending so as people arrived I introduced her to them. Everyone's response was, "Wow, you look nothing like one another!" I still love you sis, even if we don't like alike! :)

However, when I'm with these girls we get asked all the time if we are sisters! Kristy, me, and Lauren are captured in the picture above. I just LOVE these girls. They are the next best thing to sisters to me and I don't know what I'd do without them.

Here are some of my Family Group girls (plus my sis). It has been so wonderful to have these girls from church to encourage me in life. Thanks ladies for all you've done for Cori and I!

December 6, 2009, 2pm-4pm - Baby Shower hosted by Stephanie and Stephanie Whitehurst
(No, it's not a typo!)

Here I am with both Stephanie's! Stephanie on the right is one of my dearest teacher friends as we taught 1st grade together last year. Stephanie on the left is a parent of a student I had in 1st grade last year. They are also sister-in-law's which is why they have the same last name! :) (Williston is a SMALL town!!)

This shower was so much fun because I invited a few of my old students and their moms. Above is Hannah, me, Ana, & Angelina. I know you're not supposed to have favorites as a teacher, but I just adore these 3 girls! They each have such beautiful personalities and I felt so blessed to be their teacher. I taught Ana and Angelina in Kindergarten and first grade. I enjoyed hearing all about their 2nd grade stories, but I sure do miss them!

Well, now we sit back and await the arrival of Little Miss. Cori Belle Smith (CB Smith as our good friend Lance calls her). I went to the doctor on Tuesday and he did an ultrasound to predict how much she weighs and to see if she is in the ready position. She weighs approximately 6 lbs, 7 oz at the moment and is ready to come on out! My doctor didn't check for dilation, but he will do that on my next visit next Tuesday. The bad news is that my doctor will be out of town the 18th-25th (during my due date!!) but the good news is that if I am dilated at all on Tuesday when I go in for my apt, we are going to schedule an induction on Thursday before he goes out of town. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some massive dilation!! We are so ready for our baby girl to be here!

Until next time...

37 Weeks

Okay, so I am really tired of looking at myself in the same outfit in front of the green wall too, BUT I just can't help posting the memories of my growing belly. Every week I ask myself how I am going to get any bigger, but somehow it happens. I just can't believe I am 37 weeks pregnant and Cori Belle will be here so soon!

Our good friends Donna and David just had their first little one, baby Isaac. Donna was a week late and had to be induced. She finally pushed out a 10 lb baby on Monday. Whew, 10 lbs seems like a lot! (Go Donna!!)

I went to the doctors for my 37 week check-up and there is no news yet of anything happening with delivery. Next week we will do an ultra sound to see how much she weighs (hopefully less than 10 lbs!!!) and to see what position she is in (hopefully ready to come out!!). After that, I will continue to go to the doctor weekly to see how much I have dilated and how Cori is progressing. She is still moving around A LOT in there. I can't imagine she has much room to move, but she sure finds a way! I have been having contractions pretty regularly, but I think they are just a good case of Braxton Hicks. My entire abdomen gets super tight and uncomfortable, but my doctor said that real contractions will be so bad I won't be able to talk or move during them. Oh, joy! I cannot wait! (insert sarcasm here!)

Please keep David, Cori, and myself in your prayers as this journey of pregnancy comes to a close. 10 months is a long time to be pregnant, but it does go by fast. We can't wait until she gets here!!

Until next time...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I can't believe Thanksgiving has already come and gone. This year seems to be flying by! Next thing I know it will be Christmas and we will have a baby here!!

Thanksgiving was a bit different this year. Dave, being a first year resident, had to work half the day (as well as the day after Thanksgiving) putting a wrench into our travel plans to see our family in Tampa. My whole family gets together every year at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Tampa - we missed all of you this year!! Dave's side of the family usually gets together at his parents house every year in Tampa, but this year was even a bit different for them as they went to visit Casey and Rebecca in Minnesota. And, Jamie, the most different of us all, spent Thanksgiving in Greece where she is studying abroad. That left us in Gainesville and Ryan & Missy in Tampa alone for Thanksgiving. Thankfully Ryan and Missy were able to come up and spend the day with us!

Ryan, Missy, Danielle (in tow with Cori Belle) and David

Usually there is a Smith kid picture to share on Thanksgiving, as well as a Russell/Carty family picture. Maybe at Christmas (Cori willing) we can get our family photos taken with one extra addition!

Although it was a different kind of Thanksgiving than most, it was still wonderful. We went over to our friends, Chauncey and Rose, house for Thanksgiving. Everyone brought a dish and I have to admit, I think it was the best selection of food at Thanksgiving I have ever experienced! I made sweet potato casserole, which was delicious! It was my first time actually contributing to Thanksgiving dinner. (I know, I'm 26 and I can't believe it has taken me this long to cook for Thanksgiving!!) Any of my family members who are reading this are probably thinking, "What, not only did you make sweet potato casserole, but you put something that's not white on your plate?!?!" Haha! Yes, I sure did! Normally my plate consists of mashed potatoes, white corn, and turkey, but this year I had mashed potatoes, green been casserole, corn bread casserole, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, and turkey. Look at all those colors! I would have made you guys proud!! :) I should have taken a picture of my plate, but below is just a sample of the food. There was more spread out on the counters. We are abundantly blessed!


This year, I am so thankful for a healthy, precious baby girl growing inside of me. It's a strange feeling to know there is an actual human being in there, kicking and punching me constantly. Growing a baby is truly a miracle and a gift from God above. I feel truly blessed this holiday season to be starting a family with the love of my life. I am more in love with my husband every day and can't believe God made him just for me. Thank you Lord for all your blessings you have bestowed upon us! We pray we can give back to you the way you have given to us.

Maternity Photos!

Last weekend my college roommate, Stephanie came to visit us! Stephanie got her degree in business, but has decided that she would like to be a professional photographer. I must admit, she is good at it! She has been taking pictures for quite some time now and even has her own website - http://www.mariestar.com/ Be sure to check it out! Even though Dave and I aren't posted up there yet, I'm sure she'll be adding us to it shortly! :) Below are just a few pictures she took out of the hundreds! I hope you like them as much as I do!!

These pictures were taken of me approaching 35 weeks. Is that a big belly or what?!? I love the little green monster that was captured with me in the picture above. Taking these pictures was such a wonderful and fun experience. Thanks Steph! You did an AMAZING job!!

Until next time..

Playing Catch-up!

If you know me well, you know I can't sit still for very long! I was trying to enjoy all my morning "free time" since I was just coaching cheerleading in the afternoons, but my "free time" soon turned to complete boredom and I decided I should get another job! Yes, at the time I was 8 months pregnant deciding I needed to work 2 jobs just to keep myself busy. Pregnancy has made me crazy! :) So, anyway, I applied to substitute teach at a church pre-school, which quickly turned into a 4 day a week job! I absolutely LOVE it! The experience of teaching 3rd, 1st, kindergarten, and now pre-school is just wonderful. I actually think I might want to get certified in pre-k. Teaching half a day doesn't sound too bad to me! :) I think I'll add it to my "to do" list!

All that being said, I have been running from one job to the next for the last month and haven't had much time for blogging. Since my plan is to print all my blog posts from 2009 to make a scrapbook (yes, I quit real scrap-booking and have found blogging much easier, not to mention CHEAPER!) I have to spend a little time playing catch-up! Hope you enjoy!

I'll start with Florida/Georgia... Dave and I traveled with some good 'ole Williston friends up to Jacksonville for the big game. Thanks Steph and William for the GREAT tickets! We enjoyed a yummy tailgate in the parking lot of the stadium and even got to see some old friends (Dan, Sara, Beth, and Andrew) while we were there. Our seats were amazing as we sat on the 20 yard line, 12 rows up. We were literally sitting on top of the covered area where the Gators ran on and off the field. Tim Tebow even looked up at me and smiled! (Well, maybe not directly at ME, but I'll just pretend he did!) It was another Gator victory with the Gators winning 41 to 17. Dun dun dun dun dun, Go GATORS!

Here's our yummy tailgate! The game was also on Halloween, hence the pumpkin jar. We thought we might get some trick-or-treaters at the game! :)

Lauren, Annie, me, and Stephanie all hanging out at our tailgate. Do you see baby Cori in there?
Check out just how close we were! My picture of Tebow turned out blurry! :(

The very next weekend I went down to Tampa for my first baby shower since hearing we were having a girl! It was such a wonderful time! My mom and David's mom threw the shower together. I loved watching both grandma's work together to prepare for little Cori Belle. She is already so loved and she isn't even born yet! She got tons of great gifts and lots of sweet baby clothing! I can't wait for her to get here!

Mama Smith, me, and my mom.

The next big event was taking maternity pictures! I think I'm going to make that a post of it's own because I just love them so much! You'll have to wait for the next blog post.. coming soon!! :)

8 Months Pregnant!

Well, here we are ... 32 weeks in! I can't believe I have been pregnant for 8 months! David and I were sitting around talking about how long I have been pregnant last night and we just couldn't believe where the time had gone. These next 8 weeks will fly by, I am sure. Although we are hoping she comes in 7 so we can actually spend Christmas in Tampa with our families, but this is the one time she actually gets to be in control in all her years of childhood! She better enjoy it now because I don't know when it will roll around again! :)

She moves like crazy and I can actually feel body parts poking out at me. Sometimes she rolls over so her back is poking the front of my belly. It is the most uncomfortable feeling because it feels like she is literally pushing so hard she might come out! With all her crazy movement, looks like she may take after her daddy. Oh the horror stories I have heard about David when he was a kid!! Please start praying for me NOW that she will not be as poorly behaved as my husband! :) (Love you honey!!)

I am very much enjoying being pregnant and don't want to wish these 8 weeks by too fast. This is the only time I get to be one with my little girl. It is such an amazing bonding experience. Although, having her here to hold will be the most precious thing I could ever imagine.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that well and full.
Psalm 139:13-14

What a weekend!

Well, this was the first weekend David has had off in over a month! Those doctors sure do work a lot of hours! It was such a nice weekend to have David home especially with the weather finally cooling down! David loves the cold weather. I'm pretty much on the opposite side of the spectrum, but I must admit the weather this weekend was beautiful! I was outside in the 57 degree weather in short sleeves! Thanks for all the extra blood flow to make me warm, Cori!

We started our Friday evening off with a nice date to Chili's (we used a gift card of course!) Oh, how I love gift cards to Chili's, or to any restaurant for that matter that allow us to have a date night! :) Dinner was followed by Gator Growl, which was probably the best Growl I have ever been to! Usually I leave Growl a little disappointed, but this year was awesome! Dana Carvey was the comedian and did a tremendous job playing to both the student side and alumni side. The Jabbawockeez were there and had an outstanding performance. What an incredible group of dancers! They also walked in the Homecoming parade earlier in the day, which I walked in as well with my cheerleaders. As the cheerleaders and I were lining up to begin our walk, the entire Jabbawockee group walked by us and gave all of us high-fives. So cool! :) Growl closed out with a live performance from OAR, which was amazing! It took me right back to my college dorm room sophomore year (Well, Dave's dorm room actually!) I remember him and Dan playing OAR's hit, "Crazy Game of Poker" over and over again. It was such a great night with my hubby and live entertainment. Not to mention, the weather in the Swamp was so nice!

Jabbawockeez Performance!

OAR's Performance!

Saturday started with a little college game day and then the Gator/Arkansas game. Since we don't have student tickets this year (tear!) we were unable to attend the game, but it was nice watching it together at home. I was on the edge of my seat the entire game, trying not to throw things at the TV every time the Gators fumbled the ball (4 times by the way!!). Luckily a win is a win, but I did not like the way we got there! Oh, and by the way, Gary Danielson is the WORST college football announcer I have ever heard! Does he have something against the Gators or what? He could barely mumble anything nice about Florida. CBS needs to get some other commentator for the Gator games. I might throw something at him next time!

Not only did David and I get to spend time together relaxing this weekend, but we also did some work! Our good friends Lance and Lauren went out of town this weekend to a wedding in Kansas. Earlier in the month Lauren's parents called us about doing a "While you were out" makeover on Lance and Lauren's kitchen. It was so much fun! We put in new counter tops, tile back splash, a new sink & faucet, and new track lighting where the horrible florescent light once was. The best thing is that Lance and Lauren have NO IDEA! David and Lance have been talking about re-modeling both of our kitchens in the past few months, but neither thought it would ever come to fruition. Lucky for Lance and Lauren, their kitchen dreams have come true! They fly in from Kansas tonight and get back in town around midnight. I can't wait to hear their reaction!

To the left is the before - florescent lights, white counter tops, no back splash, old sick and faucet. To the right is the make over! Wow! It's amazing what a little lighting, color, and newness can do for a kitchen!

Let's take a closer look...
Old Sink!

New Sink!

Old Kitchen!

New Kitchen!

I just can't get over the new homey look and feel. We hope you like it Lance and Lauren! It's our turn next! :)