A Baby Shower for Finley Grace

I figured I’d better get a move on posting about Finley’s baby shower before she gets here! My due date is just around the corner and we are so excited to meet her!

Three of my dearest, sweetest, best friends threw the shower – Lauren, Kristy, and Emily. Oh, how I love and adore our friendship! I am so blessed to have such amazing friends!!

Emily, Lauren, me, & Kristy

We got together on a Sunday afternoon after church at Emily’s house to celebrate. It was such a sweet time of fellowship. We didn’t do all the traditional games you play at a baby shower for your first baby. We simply enjoyed one another’s company, had a few delicious snacks, opened a few gifts, and prayed. I think that was my favorite part of the whole shower – praying. Kristy wrote these heartfelt prayers out for Finley. They were the sweetest things I have ever heard. She passed them out for a few people to read and everyone prayed over me and Finley. I have SUCH a special group of friends!!

I pray these things for both my girls – and any other future children David and I have.

 

I didn’t need too many necessities this time around since we are having another girl. So, Finley got lots of cute monogrammed things. Cori even got a few things too! My mom and grandmother got a few things for Finley off our registry – FUNNY story!! I opened an ear thermometer and a crazy looking dog night light. I fidgeted with the night light for a moment wondering how it worked when my mom said, “You should know how it works, you put it on your registry.” To which I responded, “No, I didn’t.” After a few minutes of discussion, we realized that my mom and grandma had bought things off another Danielle Smith’s registry!! HA! Much laughter was had about that one!!

Here are a few pictures from the shower…

Mandi, Annie, & Lauren

Lacy & me – the jewelry ladies!!

My mom, me, & sister

Emily & Josie

Julie, me, & Em – almost all of our play group. We were missing Jen!

My mom & Mary Julia

David’s Aunt Claudia & Mama Jean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love these sweet gifts – a monogrammed Boppy cover, a new picture to hang in the girls’ room with their names on it, and a CUTE new born onesie! LOVE it!!

Thank you everyone for showering me with your love on such a special day!! Ya’ll are so sweet to me and my girls!!

Maternity Photos!!

I went to the docs again today for my weekly checkup with Finley. We got to see her on ultrasound today. She is so big in there that you can only see one body party at a time! No more profile pictures for Miss. Finley. She is doing great though! She is head down and Dr. Duff predicts she is a little over 6 lbs. He guesses that she will be around the same size as Cori was at birth. I’m just hoping she isn’t bigger!!

A few weeks ago my AMAZING college roommate who is an INCREDIBLE photographer made her way down to take maternity photos for us. She did them when we were pregnant with Cori and I was so happy to have her do them again for Finley. She is coming down to do newborn pics of Finley too – something we didn’t do with Cori. (Sorry, Cori Belle!!)

I think the pictures turned out BEAUTIFULLY! I love all of them! I’m having a hard time deciding which ones to print. I have a picture frame with spots for 3 pictures in it. Cori has the same frame with 3 maternity photos of when I was pregnant with her hanging in her room. Now, I have to decide which 3 to put in the new frame for Finley. Any suggestions??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I told you there were a lot!! And that’s not even half of them, just the ones we like best. It was difficult to even narrow it down to this many!! So, let us know which 3 to pick!

To see more of Stephanie’s work, click here to go to her website.

Swim Lessons

We have been going back and forth about whether or not to start Cori in swim lessons. I’m big on asking other people for advice. Some say it’s not worth it and the kids will learn to swim when they are ready to swim. Others say it’s a MUST. It was pretty much a 50/50 split. Then begs the question, what type of swim lesson will you do? A mommy and me lesson, a lesson with a group, a lesson once a week, a lesson everyday, etc. So many choices!  After MUCH prayer and discussion with David, as well as one of my dear friends just telling me to listen to my gut, we decided to sign Cori up for ISR (Infant Swimming Resource). It’s a pretty intense swimming program – the kids are one on one in the pool with the instructor, every day of the week, for approx. 10-12 minutes. I know 10-12 minutes doesn’t seem like much time, but it’s actually A LOT for those little kiddos! Oh, and did I mention that it’s a pretty penny to sign your kid up for ISR! But after only 2 lessons in the pool, I’m SO GLAD we made the decision we did!

CB started her lessons yesterday. She cried the WHOLE time – hysterically screaming mommy and daddy over and over again! I think it had more to do with the fact that I handed her to some lady she’d never met before than anything else. She’s not afraid of the water. … She did SO GOOD though, screaming and all! The instructor is this sweet woman who has the sweetest voice when she speaks to the kids – so encouraging! She worked on teaching Cori to hold her breath under water with her eyes open to look and swim for the wall. They pretty much worked on this the whole lesson, as well as today’s lesson. It’s pretty amazing to watch and Cori is catching on fast!

Here are some pictures from yesterday – bless her heart!

 

Today, after her lesson, I took her to the pool in our neighborhood to have some fun and practice what she has been learning. I could tell a difference the moment we got in the pool. In the past she has been SUPER tense in the water. Not afraid, just unsure of what to do with her little body. Today, she seemed so comfortable! She would put her face in the water on her own, kick her feet with ease, and she absolutely LOVED every minute of it. So funny how she will cry the ENTIRE time during the lesson, but do the same thing with me and truly enjoy it. Before starting lessons, I would let her go under the water and when she came up she would definitely need a minute to recuperate. Today she seemed to hold her breath with ease – after only 2 lessons!!

I’m so excited for my little girl to learn to swim. After 2 lessons she is already swimming to the wall from about 2 feet out. Is she a pro? No, but she is learning so fast! It makes the time and money investment SO worth it! Can’t wait for tomorrow’s lesson! :)

36 Weeks!!

I’m 36 weeks and a few days today. Today is an exciting day though because my SIL Missy is currently in the hospital getting ready to deliver her first child – a sweet little girl named Jona Lily. We just can’t wait to meet her! Pray for her as her progression has been a little slow since her water broke this morning at 3:30 am and last time I spoke to her (around 1pm) she was only 2 cm dilated!! All you prayer warriors out there – pray for her progression to speed up and a quick delivery sometime today!!

As for me, I went to the doctors today. I am currently 1 cm and 50% effaced – which is what I’ve been now for the last 2 1/2 weeks! Doc said that the baby’s head is LOW – like he could feel it in place, ready for departure! Cori was the same way and still 5 days late, so you just never know! I go in again next Tuesday for one final ultrasound to check weight, positioning, etc. It’s getting so close, yet it feels so far away at the same time! We took a new pregnancy pic yesterday – that belly is getting BIG!

 

 

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of baby: Finley is almost 6 lbs. … Comparable in size to a soccer ball! It actually looks like there is a soccer ball in there too! HA!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 26 lbs – man, that feels like a lot!

Maternity Clothes: Still wearing maternity tanks from Target DAILY :) and maternity shorts. Gotta keep it comfortable in this HOT weather!

Gender: It's a girl!!! Finley Grace Smith

Movement: Still SO MUCH movement!! She moves in such a way that it makes me uncomfortable at times. I am so curious to see what her personality will be like considering the ridiculous amount she moves in there!

Sleep: HA! What sleep?!

What I miss: Being able to dry off my legs and feet with ease after a shower! I almost fall over every time!

Cravings: Right now, I’d like a smoothie! :)

Symptoms: Still heartburn – oh and a HUGE belly!!

Best Moment this week: Still hanging in there with the girls at the gym! Oh, and a super SWEET baby shower thrown by my friends over the weekend. Post to come!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ya’ll, I am scared! Look at the difference in size!!! Ugh! I actually measured 37 weeks today at my appointment so maybe that means she will be here early! :) Pray for me!

Sweet Girl

I just had to pop on here real quick and share something about my sweet girl.

Last week we received a video monitor in the mail from David’s aunt and cousins for Finley. We never had one with Cori and were ecstatic to finally get one!! We hooked it up right away and have been loving it ever since! A few minutes ago I happened to walk by the video monitor and check on Cori as she is taking a nap. Much to my surprise, I saw her sitting in the corner of her crib, holding her baby. As I watched for a few minutes she would cradle her baby, feed her the a bottle, hug her tight, kiss her head, and repeat the process over and over. It amazes me to see the motherly instinct in her even as a small child. I have never sat down and taught her how to care for a baby. She just knows and that melts my heart. I LOVE my sweet girl!!

Preview picture of our Maternity Pictures to come. I LOVE them!!

Here she is listening for her sister in the womb. I can’t wait to watch them grow up together and become the best of friends!

Love and Marriage!!

One post a week for the last month – what’s gotten into me?!?! :) Our family has been on the go lately, but this past weekend Dave and I were finally able to have some down time – and ALONE time!! :)

(Almost) every year, Dave and I go on our church’s annual Marriage Retreat in St. Augustine over Memorial Day Weekend. We’ve actually been 4 out of our 5 years of marriage!! Every year enriches our marriage in so many ways and it always gives us time to reconnect and rest from the ever so busy day to day lives we live. This year’s speakers, Jeff & Debbie McElroy, spoke on the Armor of God and boy was is GOOD!

¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:13-17

 

Marriage is definitely something Satan yearns to destroy. Just look at the divorce rate among us. By putting on the Armor of God each and every day, we can protect ourselves from the thing that Satan wants. God created marriage to last a lifetime, and that is exactly what I want for my marriage, which is exactly why we need HIM in the center of it all.

It was so good to be reminded of that. How often have I put off my quiet time because I’m just “too busy”? My quiet time is the sword of the spirit. If I haven’t spent time in God’s word, how then will I be prepared if battle (or conflict) arise? One thing we definitely took away from the weekend was putting on the shoes of peace. Cori has been transitioning to one nap a day the last few weeks, which means I have LESS time to get things done during the day without her following me around repeating, “mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy!!” (Another reason I haven’t blogged as much!!) Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE hearing those words from my sweet daughter, but it makes getting my “to-do” list done a little bit harder and I end up still running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get things done well into the night, when I should be spending quality time with my husband and family. SO, David and I decided that if when he get’s home, the “to-do” list isn’t done, we simply just need to move it to the following day. That way I can focus on the important things and our household can be a bit more peaceful. So far, it’s going a bit better. We have had to spend this week working on getting Cori’s routine back on track – that’s what a weekend at grandma’s will do to ya! HAHA!! Just kidding, mom!

When we weren’t listening to our wonderful speakers, we had lots of downtime to spend together. Saturday we spent some time at the pool. The pool feels AMAZING when you’re as pregnant as I am!! We also got to go to the movies to see the new Pirates movie in 3D! We haven’t been to a movie since I was pregnant with Cori – we actually saw Avatar the day before I delivered her and I had contractions the ENTIRE movie!! That wasn’t the case this time around. :) After the movie, we went to Saltwater Cowboys for dinner, which was delicious!! Crab stuffed shrimp and some yummy sauce on them – YUM! They also had the BEST house salad I’ve EVER had!! That dressing was to die for! … We had some great conversations, watched the sunset over the water, and even stopped for ice cream on the way home. Now, that’s my kind of date night!! Here are some pictures from our night out…

Can you see those cute little Mason jars we had as water glasses on our table? During dinner, we decided that we don’t like the glasses we have at home so we are going to sell them all and buy various Mason jars to have as glasses instead! HAHA! Very important conversation!! :)

 

 

Sunday we loaded up after our morning session with a few great friends to head to the beach! Actually our WHOLE table from the retreat as well as a couple from another table went to the beach together. It was so much fun!! At one point we were all out in the water getting pummeled by the waves and body surfing. Two pairs of sunglasses were lost! Thankfully, mine and David’s were not one of the two!! Finley must have felt right at home as I bobbed up and down in the water. HA!

Sunday night at the marriage retreat is always a fun night of dancing!! Every year, David and I do some line dancing, which is a fond memory of the summer we met and how our relationship all began!! This year, we were asked to actually teach a few dances to all 75 couples that attended the retreat. We had a blast! David actually put on the microphone headset (yes, like Justin Timberlake – he kind of looked like him too! haha!!) Can you just see David now with a headset on teaching people to dance. What a perfect fit!! Everyone has such a great time! We shut down the party at 11 pm when it was just us and our small group of friends left. I WISH I had pictures!!

After Mondays session, we headed down to Ocala to pick up our sweet little girl, but not before taking a picture with our table from the weekend.

David & I, Jonathan & Lacy, Travis & Shannon, Lance & Lauren

I just realized that David and I are the only couple NOT holding hands in this picture!! I promise we really do love each other!! :) … We had a wonderful time, as always! And, it was so nice to get some time away ALONE together before Finley arrives and we adjust to life as a family of 4. We were so thankful for this time, but can’t wait to see our family grow!!