Many Changes and a New Face

The year of 2007 brought many changes to our family, both large and small, tragic and wonderful. These changes have kept us so busy, in fact, that this is my first blog update in over a year. You may be happy to know that since my last entry the management has banned smoking anywhere inside the complex and the roaches are long gone.

In January Wendy began her first job as official Registered E.R. Nurse.

In February, Wendy shared with us the happy discovery that she was pregnant!

In March, a series of events occurred which ultimately culminated in the legal separation of Luke's parents in December and a tragic division of his family. Their family home has been sold. Jerry and Katie are currently living with Jerry's mother, Edna. Jerry is responsible for the full-time care of his mother. Katie has recently begun working in the Bakery at a nearby Ralph's where she is highly praised by customers, her coworkers, and her boss for her strong work ethic and creative talent. Jill and Amy have remained together.

In May Luke celebrated his 27th birthday.

In June I was 3lbs shy of my goal weight, having already lost 23lbs, when a strong and constant abdominal pain sent me to the doctor. The examination revealed an abnormally tender uterus and the doctor asked if I could be pregnant. I told her that I believed it rather unlikely, but not impossible. She ordered my blood be drawn for a pregnancy test just to be sure. If you know me at all, you won't be surprised to hear that after double checking the net for the name of the most accurate early HPT I dashed out to the nearest store which carried it and spent a long night waiting to use it. First thing that morning I had my answer. Pregnant. Unfortunately, because of the pain I was suffering, Luke and I experienced mixed feelings at the news. Just as I was about to call the doctor's office to inform them of my HPT results, they called me with the news that my blood test revealed I was pregnant. In the same breath, they told me to go to the hospital because it may be an ectopic pregnancy. Several tests and days of anxious waiting later, it was determined that the baby was properly implanted in my uterus and that my pain was the unrelated result of a severely pulled interior abdominal muscle. Finally, we could celebrate whole-heartedly. Five days later the unmistakable morning sickness set in.

In July I celebrated my 27th birthday and Luke and I took advantage of the free Las Vegas hotel accommodations we'd been given nearly a year prior and dropped Ethan off at Nanna's house for the week. Ignoring (or at least trying to) my constant nausea and- at times overwhelming- exhaustion, Luke and I hiked up and down the Vegas strip enjoying our first vacation alone since Ethan's birth. I coped by constant snacking, lots of liquids, and catching the occasional cat-nap in a hotel lobby chair.... okay, not really napping, but the hotel security at Mandalay Bay thought so. Apparently slouching (not laying, but sitting up with slouched posture) with your eyes closed while you wait the 5 minutes it takes your husband to use the bathroom, consitutes "sleeping" and warrants a tap on the shoulder and a brief verbal scolding from the nearest security guard who doesn't stop long enough to allow a response but simply keeps on walking down the hall without missing a step.

In August my parents brought their toy trailer down to a campground in Julian where Ethan and I joined them for a few days while Luke worked. Mom and I spent our time there in a marathon sewing session to create the quilt, crib bumper, and dust ruffle for Wendy's impending arrival. Dad and Ethan enjoyed a wonderful bonding time exploring the campground together while we sewed. Luke joined us for the weekend and we all had a wonderful time.

Also, in August, I had my 20 week ultrasound where we learned that I was carrying a monkey. Okay, seriously, we learned that I was carrying a boy, but it took a week to convince big brother Ethan that I was carrying a baby and not a monkey after he saw the ultrasound image on the screen, pointed at it and cried, "Monkey! There's monkey on TV!"

In September I attended Wendy's baby shower in Yucca Valley at my parent's house. She loved the things Mom and I had made for her.

Also in September I went back to work for the Miller family. I cared for the twins after school and on most school holidays during the fall semester. Ethan really enjoyed playing with the girls.

In October we spent a suspense filled 2 weeks wondering if Wendy's contractions were going to materialize into true labor. Finally, on October 11th, 2007, our precious Nathaneal Marc Smith came into the world weighing 7lbs 13oz- just 1oz bigger than his older cousin. I was blessed to be in the room supporting Wendy as she labored and when the baby was born. She was amazing! Nathaneal's birth is a memory I will treasure always.

Also, on the evening of Sunday, October 21st we were driving home after an afternoon of shopping for Ethan's birthday party scheduled for the following weekend, when we began to notice more and more smoke the closer we got to home. When we arrived home we immediately turned on the news and discovered that there was a huge fire in Ramona, several miles east of us. As you know that fire and others in the San Diego region rapidly grew and spread causing major destruction, costing homes and lives. For a large portion of the time when those fires burned, our own home was given varying levels of evacuation orders. Fortunately, our unique location (immediate access to a freeway entrance & a view that allowed us to closely monitor the fire closest to us while it was still miles away, etc.) allowed us to safely remain in our home while thousands of others fled to crowded evacuation shelters. In the end, the closest the fire ever came to our home was 6 miles away with at least 3 canyons, dozens of homes, and hundreds of condos between us and it. Never the less, the ramifications continued long after the danger passed for us. It took weeks to unpack all the things we'd packed in anticipation of fleeing at a moment's notice, but worse was the worry and stress of trying to decide what to do about Ethan's 2nd birthday party which had been planned to happen at a historic train park one of the areas hardest hit by the fire. The park itself and the immediate surrounding area had been spared from burning, but the close proximity of the fire had rained ash and debris all over the park and the air quality in the area underwent daily change as we grew closer and closer to the day of the party. I spent an entire day fruitlessly trying to find an indoor alternative we could afford and anticipating the loss of all the preparations we'd made for a train themed party- something Ethan is VERY into right now. In the end, God blessed us with a wind that blew the air clear and clean enough to venture outside without fear just in time for the party. At the last minute, after several testing trips to the park to check it's condition, we decided to go ahead with the party at the park as planned, and it really went very well. Everyone had fun and even though the train was officially closed due to the debris on the tracks, the clean up crew working on it that day, gave Ethan a special birthday ride around the park before all his guests arrived that day!

Another milestone was passed in October when Ethan made the switch from his Splash Babies Swim Class that we took together to the Transition Swim Class that he took with just one other student and the teacher. The first day of his new class he wasn't too keen on getting into the water without me, but just a few minutes into the class he was happy and having fun again. At his next class he had no problems getting in the water with the teacher. He no longer needed Mama in the water with him. A bit teary-eyed at this sign that my baby was growing up, I was also relieved not to have to continue to squeeze my increasingly pregnant body into a swimsuit every week.

In November we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family in Yucca Valley. By then I was very pregnant and very tired. What I didn't realize was this would turn out to be the beginning of a very miserable period for me. For the next month and a half my pregnancy caused me constant pain and continual exhaustion that left me barely making it through my days. Poor Luke ended up with all the housework and caring for Ethan most evenings on top of working extra long days at work. His lab is working under a pressing deadline and he's been working extra hours for months trying to finish his current project.

In December we made our trip to Yucca on the weekend before Christmas to celebrate with my family since we planned to celebrate with Luke's father, sister, and Grandma Edna on Christmas day. Unfortunately, about 5am Christmas morning Ethan came down with a sudden fever and we had to cancel our plans. Instead we had a pajama clad Christmas at home. Fortunately Ethan wasn't feeling too miserable to enjoy Christmas and we were able to have our Christmas celebration with Luke's family on New Year's Eve instead.

December 28th Luke and I celebrated our 6th Anniversary while Ethan spent a fun weekend at Nana's house.

By the end of December my pain and exhaustion were too much for me to continue working. Ethan was disappointed not to be seeing the twins on a regular basis, but we will continue to visit.

In January, Ethan continued his Transition Swim Class lessons, Luke continued working extra long hours and some weekends, and I slept every moment that I could. Although the continuous pain had lessened, Braxton Hicks contractions began interrupting my evenings more and more frequently as the days passed.

In February our evenings and weekends were consumed with reorganizing the apartment for the impending arrival of our second son. Luke continued to work extra hours, Ethan took a break from his swim lessons in anticipation of the baby's arrival and I continued to sleep whenever possible.

At about 12:30am on Monday, February 25th (my Estimated Due Date) I was officially in active labor. It quickly became apparent that the baby was in a less than ideal position and this wasn't going to be an easy labor. With Luke, my mother, and my doula at my side, I spent the next 55hrs laboring at home. Ethan spent this time first with Grandpa Mark and later with Aunt Katie. By about 4am Wednesday morning I decided we'd run out of options and it was time to go to the hospital and try to get this baby born. After an epidural, the breaking of my waters, and more time, it was decided that this baby wouldn't be coming out as hoped and that a Cesarean Section would be needed. About 63 hours after active labor began (at 4:58pm on Wednesday, February 27th, 2008) Quintin Mark was born weighing 9lbs 15.8oz (just 0.02oz shy of 10lbs!!!) and measuring 22.5".

March finds us happily adjusting to our new life as a family of 4.