mike, caroline, cooper & greyson

visiting poe springs in high springs, FL

2011-09-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

grandma and grey

greyson toes

cheese faces

serious cheese face

easter lunch

2011-05-04T21:37:00.001-07:00

so we were lucky enough to have mike's mom with us for easter this year. we had a great easter lunch with our friends the mcbride's...cooper was napping so hence the lack of his pictures at the table

a morning with cooper

2011-02-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

this morning cooper and i were having fun just hanging out in our pj's. so here is cooper checking out play-doh for the first time.....he was very excited about it initially

i showed him how to smash it and roll it and he only tried to put it in his mouth once :)

i think his favorite part was the smashing...go figure

little hands hard at work

cooper has also really been enjoying cars or as he calls them "trucks" his two favorite cars are two little tonka fire engines. he puts them inside his big wooden truck and wheels them around

he also thought it was super fun to push his matchbox cars across the coffee table back and forth with me and also just watch them crash

and of course the cooper "cheese" face

week 21

2011-02-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

here are ultrasound pictures of almost week 20... i took pictures with my phone of the ultrasound so the quality is not the best...sorry!!!

face shot of baby looking at us...really cool and a little creepy too

my favorite the profile shot

so i have been quite terrible about posting pictures and blogging about this 2nd pregnancy...so here it is!!!!

i feel great!!!! my 1st trimester i totally had the dry heaves and felt really tired...which i did not have at all with coop.....also this baby is a lot lower, likely because all my uterine ligaments and abdominal wall muscles are much more stretched out then before...also, now i have a small umbilical hernia. as a result, i need to use the bathroom a lot more frequently so i don't wet my pants when i sneeze or cough....so fun right? i've been terrible about exercising this pregnancy mostly because i work FT and then am home with coop when i'm not at work. nonetheless....excuses...so pray for me to be more organized with my time. the baby is doing awesome!!! all bloodwork and 20 week ultrasound were normal! mike can now feel the baby move and you can see little kicks if you watch my belly for a while. i started to feel the baby move at 17 weeks which is 2 weeks earlier than with cooper. the baby is about 10 1/2 inches long and weighs about 3/4 of a pound.

my growing baby bump

cooper's first stitches

2011-02-06T10:02:00.001-08:00

so i uploaded the pictures backwards...the 2nd two are the day after they were put in and the first two pictures are 3 days after they were placed

so here is what happened to my poor buddy.... he somehow decided to get into the recycling and pull an empty can out. it was the only can in there and i specifically pushed the lid all the way down so the sharp lid wouldn't be sticking out. apparently, cooper thought he needed to dig the lid out with his chubby little fingers. he promptly ran over to mike with the can on his hand and yelling "stuck, stuck!" i was at work so mike was able to remove the can and off to the ER they came after mike sent me a picture of the injury. cooper was very brave and i put 3 stitches in his finger. he only cried during the "needle" parts and kept saying "up" because we had him wrapped up in a sheet. he was so good and stopped crying as soon as the suturing was done. he's been super good about letting us change the bandage. he actually would get worried and say "uh-oh" repeatedly if the bandage would come off. as you can tell it's healing well and he's completely fine with showing you his "ouchie"!

maritime aquarium

2011-02-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

so these pictures aren't the best...but cooper had a great time visiting the aquarium with his buddy liam and checking out all the cool fish

creepy shark

coop loved running around these tortoise shells and looking for liam

scary eel

the turtles were really cool and quite large ...difficult to photograph with the glass and the darkness

oooh!!!! fish!!!!

we also watched the seals do tricks and get fed

and they had a special meerkat exhibit

look liam look!!!!

best buds!!!

the boys cheesing it up for the camera...we had a great time staying at the sullivans...thanks for having us!!!!

visiting babcia and dziadziu

2011-02-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

cooper absolutely loved going to the park with dziadziu everyday......he would just stand by the door and ask to go outside

on this day, mike joined them and as you can tell cooper is having the time of his life!!!

doesn't he look like such a big boy?

here is our traditional "wigilia" (polish christmas eve). we always dress up a little, and start dinner by finding the first star out that evening (signifying the star of bethlehem) as kids this was really fun...now we kind of eat when everything is ready. next my dad read's the story of Jesus birth from the Bible and we give thanks for the one gift that truly matters.

as you will notice, there is always an extra place set at the table just in case someone should knock on the door and not have a place to go for christmas eve (signifying knocking at the inn)

my mom then serves the first course "barszcz" polish beet soup with "uszka" dumplings stuffed with wild mushrooms...this soup is a huge favorite

cooper's cheesing it up and ready to eat

and yes.....he loves beet soup...my little polish baby!

the whole family minus phill who was not able to join us this year

michael....cutting up the ham

and the turkey of course....our American part of Christmas

some other traditional polish foods include herring, some kind of fish, and "salatka" polish potato salad...of course we also have mashed potatoes, bread, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole etc. it's tradition to have at least 12 different foods on the table (for the 12 days of christmas...i guess)

after everyones eaten their 12 different fods...and my dad is finally finished...everyone anxiously awaits to be dismissed from the table by the sound of a ringing bell. my dad rings the bell and then it's time to open presents!!!!! in our home we always opened all our presents on christmas eve...now we save one for christmas morning too!!!

cooper having a blast in his new gator tent from uncle mike

more presents

picture with babcia "bab" and dziadziu "dziu"

we were also able to celebrate my dad's birthday with him....he turned 30 again this year!!!!

happy birthday!!!!

new years with the batias and friends

2011-01-22T18:04:00.000-08:00

meeting sweet baby campbell for the 1st time....what a cute little guy

so on new years eve we all headed to downtown celebration where they had a live band and lots of vendors and nontoxic foam snow that fell from the sky every hour for the kids to enjoy. cooper absolutely loved it and ran around like a crazy little monkey!!!! there were several other couples and young kids with us and it was so much fun to watch the kids be so excited about the snow and just have such a great time.

cooper exploring the foam

i think i love this stuff!!!!

i do, i do love this stuff!!! can we take it home?

our little fam

it did actually look like it was snowing...there were these machine foam thingies attached to all the lightposts and every hour the kids went wild as the snow came down......snow in FL! there was also fake ice skating on a teflon type surface with rollerblades.

cooper and his daddy

mark and brooks having a snack

my beautiful abbie and cooper

the kids anxiously awaiting the next snowfall

wait for it......

SNOW!!!!!!!!

buddies!!!

high fives!!!!

our good friends the batias which we so miss!

brooksy on new years eve morning

i don't really remember what they were looking at but i know they were excited to go outside

college roomies turned mommies....wow....how life has changed!

christmas at the smiths

2011-01-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

coop loved hanging out with his auntie liz

best cheese faces ever!!! i love this picture

coop had so much fun chasing the dogs outside and exploring sticks and the sink hole...he asked to go outside all the time!!!

getting down the stockings

coop getting into his stocking

sitting down to open presents by the tree

coop was very interested in this personalized ornament that lit up, that he received from the godwins...thanks!

coop loved playing with his new firestation...he was so into it!!!! too cute

gotta have some new gator gear!!!

coop also got his first piggy bank and loved dropping coins in it...thanks aunt liz and uncle jay!

it's never too early to start saving!

liz and jay at christmas dinner table

cooper's crazy cheese face

uncle chris, GG (great-grandma smith) and dad

christmas dinner

coop and me cheesing it up

pictures in front to of the tree

can he possibly smile any bigger?

the grandkids (and my baby bump)

family pic with GG

four generations picture

christmas in CT

2011-01-06T04:46:00.000-08:00

we were able to celebrate a mini christmas at home with just the three of us.....here is christmas eve dinner with some polish and and american traditional foods

cooper getting ready to eat

cooper and michael enjoying some "barszcz z uszkami" a traditinal polish beet soup with wild mushroom dumplings we have on christmas eve every year

cooper cheesing it up for our self family portrait

pictures with mama

pictures with daddy

Christmas morning...... getting ready to open some presents!!! Cooper loved opening everyones presents...the paper was just so much fun to rip off

don't forget the stockings!

our tree

oooh....a new book for cooper!!!

look at daddy's new mug!!!!

picking the perfect tree!!!!

2010-12-26T19:06:00.000-08:00

after thanksgiving, we decided to get our tree. we bundled up and then headed to our local home depot with cooper, babcia and dziadziu.

not the greatest picture but the only one of the three of us on our christmas tree excursion

coop loved home depot!!! he ran around so excited that he actually threw up and then just continued running and playing. he had a lot of fun following the home depot tree guy around and just exploring all the things in the nursery.

so many trees!!!

ooh these have pretty shiny things on them!!!

our perfect tree.....a balsam fir that measured a good 8-9ft!!!!

cheesing it up with babcia and the little trees

gotta love the cooper cheese face...squinty eyes and all!!!

thanksgiving

2010-12-25T09:57:00.001-08:00

time for turkey!!!!

we were so thrilled to be able to have thanksgiving with my parents this year...thanks so much for driving up to chilly CT!!!

my mom made a delicious dinner and we had such a great time visiting!!!!

this is cooper's official "cheese" face...cute except that his eyes are always closed!!!

cooper and his daddy

cooper and his mama

this was an extra special thanksgiving because as we sat around the table after dinner and read off our cards of what we were thankful for.....my dad was able to read the great news of baby #2 coming in June....this was the first time we able to share our big news!!!! we then, of course, called the rest of our family on speaker phone and shared the news with them.

Cooper's Dedication

2010-10-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

while we were enjoying our family vacation, we took the opportunity to dedicate cooper to the Lord. it was such a special time to be with both sets of grandparents and liz and jay. we prayed over him and thanked God for the incredible blessing he is to all of our lives. may cooper grow up to be a mighty man of God!!!!

coop's first birthday in Florida

2010-09-04T08:26:00.001-07:00

so since i am a terrible blogger.... i'm going to post things here n there as i get to it so at least you can see some pictures...i just get overwhelmed and end up not posting because usually i just have soooo many pictures to choose from.

so this is in florida.....we had a wonderful week of vacation on the beach with family n friends.....here is cooper's birthday party. the pictures below are from his party and him eating cake!!!!

such a big boy!!!! walking all over the place...saying ball n daddy tries to say hello and very very chatty!!!

this is coop's awesome gator cake that his grandma michelle made.....how cool is that???

this is coop's personal birthday cake to destroy made by his mommy......i don't make cake very often so abbie helped me out..it's a funfetti cake with cream cheese icing and it was actually delicious!!!

love that icing!!!

look at our haircolor!!! love my little guys so so much!!!

our little family.....

he ate almost half the cake!!!! then i took it away......

bathtime since w had icing everywhere and yes that is a sprinkle on my eyelashes

a few firsts

2010-07-09T04:35:00.000-07:00

here's coper having watermelon for the first time, he seemed to enjoy it

next we decided to check out the grass. he didn't know what to make of it at first.....just kept pulling and playing with it and then of course tried to eat it.

what is this green stuff?????

yey grass!!!!!!

at the playground with grandma smith

2010-07-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

so this is from a while back but we were so lucky to have grandma smith visit and stay with us for 2 weeks this was one of the days we went to mike's work to enjoy the swings

loving the swings!!!

a visit to chicago

2010-06-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

we had so much fun visiting chicago. cooper and i stayed with the stroms and had such a good time!!! thanks for having us....we miss you!!!

here we are hanging out in the front yard....the stroms live on a cauldesac so its so nice to watch the boys ride their bikes and play with other kids....coop enjoyed the grass.....he's really into texture and enjoyed trying to eat everything

cooper loved playing with the boys and caleb and jackson took such good care of coop

cooper and emmett were instant buddies....coop followed emmett around and they seemed to hang out with each other and pass toys and germs back and forth a lot :) coop on a regular basis would take emmett's pacifier and chew on it and then throw it on the ground

riding in the chariot....super cool!!!! again the boys held hands at times and cooper would steal emmett's pacifier

random picture of me and coop at the park

how cute is jackson loving on cooper??? just out of the blue decided he needed to kiss his hand....freakin cute

jackson and caleb...so photogenic!!!!

how adorable is this little buddy? look at those big eyes and all that hair...love him!

out for breakfast at walker brothers with mer....

cooper and emmett held hands on numerous occasions.....finally i was quick enough to capture it on camera.....so precious

having a picnic lunch at the zoo

love these boys!!!!! smooches......

mexico vacation

2010-05-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

we had such a great time in mexico...we relaxed and did nothing the whole time...all-inclusive is so great!!!! cooper's first international travel. we had to get him a passport and he did great.

he's such a happy baby so of course everyone loved him.

our hotel lobby had these really cool stars hanging in the this open ginormous tiki type hut

the beach!!!!! there was a private beach we enjoyed...rather small so we spent most of our time at the pool

cooper's first time with sand and ocean between his toes

look at that little smile

our balcony where we had coffee in the morning and drinks in the evening

little gator in the making

first time in the pool...coop loved the water

coop lounging in his little beach tent

cooper enjoying the mexican chair

my favorite beverage...a mojito....sooo good

swing bar....how cool is that? right on the beach

out to dinner with the husband.....baby sleeping in stroller...a nightly affair

coop took great naps by the pool everyday usually around 2 hrs.....yey for mommy....we layed the back of the stroller down and gave him something to cuddle with and he was out

cooper's tent

another nap.....poolside

smith toes....

coop refused to wear the cool shades i bought him

yet again so behind

2010-02-11T07:02:00.000-08:00

once again i haven't blogged for forever...so sorry...well, mike has the laptop so unfortunately....i can't post any pics because all the new ones are on the laptop.

so things are really great with us.......christmas was wonderful...we spent 12 days in FL....5 with each set of parents and new years eve and day with the batia's. we had a great time even though it was record freezing weather the whole time. pictures to come....i promise!!!!

cooper will be 6 months feb. 19th!!!! oh how the time flies...he's such a fun and happy baby and we're having so much fun being parents...he's changed our lives and in such an amazing way!!! you just can't have a bad day when you see this smiley baby boy and he's sooo smiley!!!! thank you jesus for such a great baby!

work is going really well for us...we work opposite schedules so cooper never needs daycare...one of us is always home with him which is great it just takes a lot of planning to spend time together and get stuff done.

i'm super excited because i just purchased my very first apple computer...a laptop macbookpro ...it should get here in the next 2-3 days and i can't wait...hopefully i will blog a lot more frequently!!!! also, my mom comes to visit feb17-21 so that will be super fun cannot wait to see her already and she's so excited to see coop for his 6mth birthday!!!! besides that all is well...i started running...but its really hard to find the time to run on any type of a training schedule. i'm signed up to run a 10 mile race in chicago in may with courtney and joy so i hope i can get myself in shape by then!!!! ok...time to go have some coffee....mmmmmm

2010-01-17T14:57:00.000-08:00

visit with brooke and cooper's buddy liam

2010-01-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

my good friend brooke and her little boy liam, who is 3 months older than cooper, met up at the mall to visit santa and just have a bit of a shopping/playdate. the boys did so good while the mommies did some christmas shopping...here we are in the food court getting some lunch

cooper needed a bit of a nap....he was all dressed up to see santa for the first time.....little outfit from auntie mer and adorable boots from susan morris

look st those rosy cheeks....

pretty blue eyes....

Thanksgiving in CT

2010-01-03T12:31:00.000-08:00

we were so thrilled to have my family (except for my brother michael who unfortunately had to work) here in CT with us to celebrate thanksgiving. my mom made an amazing meal and we soooo enjoyed time together.

the rudnickis, my parents and brother phill

our little family

my pretty mama

mmmmmmm...thanksgiving goodies

cooper not a happy camper in this one.....it was time for him to eat

this was cooper's first time sitting in his booster seat...he's such a strong little guy and sat up perfectly so he was able to be with us at the table

such a happy baby...he had his first try of some sweet potatoes...he' s still just nursing

special time with uncle phill

how freaking sweet is that

my 1st shots at 2 months old

2009-12-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

cooper did really great with his first round of shots. he only cried for a few seconds each time....i can't believe he's going to be 4 mths on the 19th. he actually goes for his second round of shots on dec. 16th. they grow so freaking fast!!! he's such a joy....such a happy, happy baby and a true little joy of my life right now!!!!

cooper's halloween costumes (yes i'm still catching up)

2009-12-13T20:02:00.000-08:00

the cutest little peapod

roaring like a little dinosaur

rocking it out in his dino oufit

fall photo shoot by mama

2009-12-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

Apple Picking with Babcia

2009-12-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

self portrait

my mom picking apples up in a tree....with heels on.....she's crazy!!!!

sweet cooper

First Pumpkin Patch (yes i know it's dec)

2009-12-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

yes, once again i am ridiculously behind on blogging but forgive me. here are some pictures of cooper's first pumpkin patch visit. my mom came out to visit for halloween and we took cooper to lyman orchards and picked out a pumpkin and lots of yummy apples.

most of the pumpkins were sorta green

i love my babcia

a pumpkin just my size!

coop was pretty mesmerized by all the pumpkins and we had a hard time getting him to look at the camera...of course

Cooper's Birthday

2009-11-06T06:02:00.000-08:00

this was our room and the baby warmer

anxiously awaiting my baby

it's a boy!!! first photos of cooper!!!!

here we are right after delivery
cooper was born at 8:10pm august 19, 2009 he weighed 8lb 42 oz and was 21 inches long
yey...he's finally here!!!!

cooper and babcia

look at that face!!!!!

proud daddy!!!

meeting grandaddy smith

and grandma smith

this is our amazing doctor....Dr. Sharon Goldberg...she was wonderful!!!

first diaper change by the new parents.... a team effort

comparing hands.....

the totally "newborn" look...goopy eyes and all

we had special wrist bands that everyone had to check on all three of us before taking the baby anywhere.....security was a big deal

1st family photo

the traditional newborn hat and receiving blanket that every baby in the US gets....or else it seems like they're all the same

this is another security thingy...the alarm would go off if someone tried to take the baby out of the hospital or tampered with the anklet....these booties are special....these are michael's booties from when he was a baby that the smiths brought....michael's feet were too big so he never even wore them....so cute

the grandparents decorated our door for cooper's arrival home

cooper's birthday cake

balloons, bubble gum "it's a boy" cigars and flowers.....thank you everyone!!!!

this bonnett is also michael's...he wore it home from the hospital when he was born...it's one of those special things you keep for your wedding and then cut and it turns into a handkerchief...someday we'll give this to your bride cooper!!!!

cooper's first car eat experience....welcome into our lives little peanut!!!!

a sampler of our professional pics

2009-10-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

pictures with cooper

2009-10-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

smooshy lips

mommy time

daddy time

checking out my mobile

kisses from mommy

fave pics of cooper

2009-10-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

so, yes.... i am a terrible blogger......but michael is partially to blame. he often takes the laptop to work and i am unable to use it....nonetheless, here are some of my favorite pictures of cooper. i still am planning to post some "birthday pictures" and of course some more recent ones of our growing boy.

cooper got soooo many cards from friends and family he fell asleep while reading them :)

big yawn

this is cooper's face when he's done eating and will not take anymore.....he shoves his lip out and refuses to take anymore....such a stinker

this is one of my fave pics....he snuk in a little smile....love it

caroline's day

2009-09-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

so just wanted to share my thoughts i guess....adjusting to being a milk making mommy machine is interesting....challenging and in many ways amazing.....love having a baby. however it's definitely an adjustment since i need to nurse cooper every 2 1/2 - 3 hrs it puts me on the weirdest schedule making it challenging to get things done...plus there's the whole exhaustion of it all to keep up with but then there's also the joy of looking into that little face...i cannot stop kissing his little face.....so crazy that he's really ours to keep....sometimes i just feel like i'm nannying again...esepcially when mike works ( he works 8:30am to 10pm) and i'm just counting down the hrs till he gets home.....kinda like i did when i used to nanny.

today i wanted to get so much done since mike was home....but that didn't really come o fruition...i did however make breakfast and dinner and did a gazillion dishes.....and sort of started packing for our FL trip....we leave on thursday.

God is so amazing and i'm so thankful for the many blessings He gives us...especially the little things we take for granted like beautiful flower and warme breezes......

just random thoughts.

final belly pictures

2009-09-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

so this is me at 40+ weeks pregnant....my final pictures before we got to meet cooper

whoa belly!!!!

time to say goodbye to the baby bump

Cooper Nelson Smith

2009-09-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

so all these pictures are sort of going to be out of order....but i just need to get some up already right????? so here is our new baby boy cooper nelson smith!!!!!

first ride in the stroller...please notice the gator colors...that was not by coincidence

it was a short walk because it was dusk and mosquitoes were out having a party...bad!!!! we did not bring the mosquito netting.....we'll learn

first time in the carseat after coming home from hospital

checking out my new fun toys...thank you matt and corey!!!

i have the coolest boppy pillow...so comfy!!!! thanks to mama jane!

deep in thought

check out my sweet onesie from the matteis.....you're soooo invited!

mommy time

this is cooper's first bottle feeding (i pumped) we had to give it a few test runs to see how he would do since i had a bridal shower coming up and was going to be away for about half the day...luckily he did great!

tooo cute!

babcia and dziadziu rudnicki

(grandma and grandpa in polish pronounced bob-cha and jaw-jew)

my mom was with us for 3 weeks and my dad also came for 4 days....1st grandbaby on both the smith and rudnicki sides so cooper got lots and lots of love

yes that is a gator on his little outfit

he loves this sea horse which plays music and his tummy lights up....thanks brooke and liam!

maternity pictures

2009-08-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

girls weekend april 2009

2009-07-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

so i have so much to blog and catch up on.....starting with girls weekend and celebrating megan's engagement (of course she's now married) anyway, 1st weekend in april a bunch of us Florida girls were finally able to get together to reconnect and catch up it was so wonderful to see all of them!! part of this weekend was megan's wedding shower which i unfortunately didn't make but it was so very fun to go out to dinner, have a girls sleepover at megans beautiful new home and breakfast the next day.....

megan, katie (very prego with her 2nd baby girl), leslie (also very prego with her 2nd baby boy) ash....has one baby boy, aubrey, and me prego with my 1st

ash and aubs...my sweet girlies

the bride to be looking so gorgeous and radiant

my such good frined aubrey whom i miss so much!!

tiffany, leslie and ashley

this is brooks batia...he's trying to make out with me..love that face

abbie with her first baby boy brooks

abbie, me and brooks....i miss my friends sooooo much!!!!

brooks was so well behaved the whole time at dinner

crazy kristen, ash and aubs

abs, me tiff, and megs....my beautiful girls what a treat it was to see you!

the funny stages (mike's comedy improv group)

2009-05-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

our beautiful friend amy

lindsey and me

so most of you know mike is involved in the new haven theatre company and does improv comedy in random places around CT and regularly in new haven. this was their last show as they are taking the summer off. here you can see some of the crazy antics that go on.....too difficult to explain what's actually happening in all theses scenes but it's always random silliness

look at that gorgeous face

mike mattei and mike smith...such a cute couple

more crazy improvisation tactics

silly face and belly for the camera

the ladies..... lindsey, amy and me

it was so fun to go out with friends......we so rarely go down town for anything so it was a special treat and the show was really funny. mike also has been in a play all month which we went to see last night. it's called glen gary glenross and was quite good...i dont have any pics from that. the play runs thurs-sun for another week (a total of 3 weeks) so mike has been pretty busy with that. what a little star i have!!!!

week 27

2009-05-16T18:48:00.001-07:00

so here are some new belly pictures.....i'm starting to feel a little large these days....clothes are just generally uncomfortable but otherwise i still feel really great. i'm wearing my bella band ( the white elastic band over regular pants in this picture...i love that thing! i basically just pull it over unbuttoned pants and on my belly for support)

the baby at 27 weeks ( well it will be 28 weeks on thursday) is about 16 inches and weighs about 2.5 lbs. baby is now able to open and close his/her eyes and is still working on rhythmic breathing and developing it's fatty tissue layer and his/her tiny brain is rapidly growing on a daily basis. i feel the baby moving all the time which is my fave and you can often see my belly moving around a bit. chores are getting harder to do...i cleaned the house yesterday and it took me twice as long since i had to take lots of little breaks. work is still going great. i'm going to chicago at the end of the month to visit with all my chicago peeps and courtney and meredith are throwing me a baby shower so i'm super excited about that.

holy belly!

24 weeks

2009-04-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

so here are some belly pictures a 24 weeks. i am still feeling fabulous and enjoying the babys' frequents movement. also, if you observe my belly for a while you can see it moving from the outside. it's really cool and sometimes really weird when the baby is flipping around. the baby is about a pound and a half in weight and developing it's tastebuds and teeth buds as well as surfactant in the lungs which is going to help for oxygen exchange. he or she should really be gaining some weight this month, about 6 oz per week. size wise it's about 8.5 inches, the size of a standard letter envelope. i have purchased my first 2 pairs of maternity pants, which i am wearing in this picture but i'm still able to wear a lot of my regular clothes. i still feel like my regular self and have had no sickness or other complaints...praise God for such an amazing pregnancy!!!!

cruise pictures: semana-dominican republic, st. thomas and boat pictures

2009-04-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

first day on the boat....enjoying the warm weather on the windy deck at our departure party and cook out

dinner at one of the many restaurants

breakfast buffet time...one of our faves....mike ate bacon everyday, which he loves, and i had a special order omelette and tons of fresh fruit...so good

water everywhere!!!!

more dinner pictures

towel animals!!!!

our first destination...semana.. in the dominican republic....a pretty poor and impoverished place but we were able to book a tour with some locals and go on a hike to see a beautiful waterfall and go to a private beach which we really enjoyed

a local donkey

beautiful views

we saw banana, plantain, mango, coconut and cacao (chocolate) trees

the hike to the waterfall was really cool here is one of the streams we hiked across

pretty impressive waterfall

this was our guide that led us to the falls

local poultry

and of course the beach!!!!! the guides had some kind of deal worked out where we were able to come to this resorts private beach and hang out...it was perfect!!!!

that tower is the elevator that leads to the resort. there is also a tiki bar and lounge chairs as well as water sport rentals right on the beach for us to enjoy

lounging

mike reading and listening to some tunes

so there was this weird bridge that you see in a lot of the pictures that seemingly led to two small deserted islands....who knows why...we explored it a little....but it looked bit sketchy

the one nice part of town where the casino and shops are for the tourists

here you can see the bridge in the back ground

leaving semana

this was our little ferry boat that took us to and from the boat

in the stardust theatre waiting for some great show to start

out on the deck

more towel animals....mr. bunny

mike in the morning....slow to awaken

so this is me after the gym, so not the most attractive pictures, but i thought my belly looked huge since i was wearing tight clothes you could really see my baby bump

hello baby!!!

this is st. thomas.....it rained for a good part of the morning so we didnt get any beach time on this island but we did do some shopping and just enjoyed the day

a cold carribbean bruski

thats our boat in the background

and we're off!!!

cruise pics: tortola and day at sea

2009-04-20T07:24:00.001-07:00

arriving in tortola.....we hopped in a taxi that was going to take us to a beach of course

some of the views on our way up the mountainous terrain.....our little taxi/van thingy literally sounded like it was going to blow up any minute...everyone was passing us...including scooters...this ended up being a very adventurous trip to the beach and we were very glad to have made it to the beautiful beaches without blowing the engine

more picturesque views as we putt-putted through the mountains on the way to the beach

the big boats

so amazing!!!

what a view...i'm relaxed already!

warm, blue, carribbean waters....aaaah!!!

silly pics in the water

baby bump love

you know you're on vaca when you're surrounded by coconut trees

baby bump getting some sun

a pelican to see us off the island

departing tortola..... our ship is on the left

the main pool deck of the norwegian dawn

martini "mixology and tasting" presentation...... basically free martinis

here we are in the stardust theatre where we saw many wonderful shows throughout the week including comedian performances, magicians, broadway shows and our favorite.... 2nd city improv comedy....so funny

this is shonda our cruise director....always with a smile making sure we are having a great time

this is the finale show "bollywood" a broadway with belly dancing and with all sorts of incredible acrobatic stunts

the crew doing their last performance

this was in one of the lounges at the "all white dance party"

laying out on the deck

Visiting with Family

2009-04-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

so since mike and i were fortunate enough to get away for a week together on a cruise to the carribbean.....we flew into orlando and spent the day with both sets of parents before our departure. orlando is probably the most central location between gainesville (where the smiths live) and melbourne (where the rudnickis live) both being 1 1/2 hr away or so. anyway, we met up and went out for lunch and then went to a theme park called "the holy land experience" which is modeled after events occurring in the Bible. there were a lot of dramas and mini musicals as well as artifacts and a beautiful prayer garden. at the end we were able to see a drama of the crucifixion and resurrection which was really powerful and had everyone in tears. it was great to be with family, even if only to spend the day together. we then headed south to my parents and my dad drove us to miami the next morning to leave for our vaca!!!! thanks dad!

my dad pretending to be samson and knock down the pillars

my cute parents in the prayer garden

me and my mom in front of the temple

both moms, me and belly

almost week 20

2009-03-24T19:14:00.001-07:00

my growing belly...so i will be 20 weeks on thursday....can you believe i'm basically half way done? so crazy!!!! i'm still feeling great. i can now feel the baby move reguarly...it feels like little thumps in my lower abdomen. today i even felt a thump with my hand from the outside of my belly...so cool! hopefully, michael can feel it soon too!

baby bump!!! so the baby at 20 weeks is developing sleeping patterns...hopefully they are really good ones....nice and long. the baby is also practicing swallowing and breathing as well as fully extending it's arms and legs. the baby weighs about 9 oz and measures about 5.5-6.5 inches. (that 8.5 inches at 18 weeks was an error...i must have been having a mindless pregnancy type-o)

like i said, i'm feeling wonderful....no complaints...i do have a cold right now so it's frustrating to not be able to take decongestants and other cold meds which are a no-no in pregnancy....i'm pretty much limited to tylenol. i still have not bought any maternity clothes but i did purchase a "bella band" which is an elastic band that you can wear over your unbuttoned pants and it looks like a tank top and supports your belly as well as holds up and covers your open pants....designed basically so you can wear your regular pants longer...yey!

18 weeks today

2009-03-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

WEEK 18
i know i'm way behind on the posts...so i had my 2nd OB appt yesterday and everything is going well. no ultrasound this time but the heartbeat is in the right range and strong and regular...there's a baby in there after all!!! i say that because i really don't even feel pregnant. i have been feeling really great!!! no morning sickness or anything...honestly except for my obvious little baby bump....which now everyone is noticing...even my patients....i really don't even feel pregnant....what a blessing!!!!! i do sleep a lot more than my normal 6-7 hrs per night. i have only gained 3 pounds so far...i'm surprised too but glad....and since i have always had random food cravings, nothing really new or different in that department. mike and i did start our baby registry this past week and that was really fun, a bit overwhelming, but made us feel like we're actually getting ready for a baby to come!!!! so crazy. my pants are definitely getting tight but i have not yet purchased any maternity clothing....that might be my next venture. according to the books, the baby is now about 8.5 inches long and weighs about 7 oz. i should be able to feel the baby move any day now. they say it feels like a flutter or gas bubble so who knows????? the fingerpads and toepads are formed and the fingerprints are staring to develop this week as mostly everything else has formed. also, the baby's first meconium (poop) is forming in it's intestine and last week the baby started becoming aware of external sounds....so he or she can hear us now!!!

WEEK 17
so mike was taking random crazy pictures of me while i'm eating fresh ciabatta bread with butter...yum! i wasn't in a picture taking mood hence the lovely facial expressions.

mom visits CT

2009-02-25T19:46:00.000-08:00

i was fortunate enought to have my mom come visit me for the last few days in cold CT.....we had so much fun together....we cooked....we shopped....and we spoiled ourselves a bit...so fun...thank you mom for coming. i'm also posting a new belly pic...apparently my new printer does not have a scanner...so.....i'm going to have to figure out the ultrasound thing later...go to kinkos or something

here we are at union station waiting for out train to NYC

my pretty mama

on the train...let the adventures begin!

we stayed with my good friend autumn and these are pictures of her adorable place in NYC...thanks autumn for hosting us at your place...and lauren too!

getting ready to go out for dinner and a show...on broadway of course...such a NY thing to do

dinner was really amazing....good choice autumn

outside of the theatre....we saw ave Q...very funny and a little racy the music was excellent

it was cold and windy

the day before she left, i surprised my mom with a day at the spa...we both had massages and facials and just enjoyed having a girlie day of pampering together

arent we cute in our robes

and as promised....a belly picture...according to my new dates...i am 15 weeks and 5 days in this picture....16 weeks tomorrow...how crazy!!! to me my belly seems pretty pokey-outy and big but in the pictures it doesnt nearly look as big as it feels :)

baby news!!!!!

2009-02-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

so for those of you who have not heard....mike and i are expecting!!!! i am 14 weeks pregnant and due aug 13th. this is my first belly picture which was taken in december at the smith house.

so here's the story. i took a pregnancy test dec 17th...and it was positive!!! i waited till then because we were flying out on the 18th to see both the families for christmas. i took mike out for dinner that night and told him i had an early christmas present for him. i bought a little baby outfit that said "baby's first christmas" on it and wrapped the positive pregnancy test in the outfit. we debated whether to tell the families at this point or not since it was so early....but we couldn't help ourselves. it was wonderful to share the news when we were all together at such a special time!!! both families were super excited for us.

we had our first OB appt feb. 11th and also our first ultrasound. it made the pregnancy pretty real for me to actually see the baby move inside my belly on the screen. mike and i have decided to let the baby's sex be a surprise so we will not be finding out what we are having. during the visit, our baby was supposed to only be 12 weeks based on dates of my last period etc. however, on ultrasound, the baby was bigger and when measured "crown to rump" on ultrasound according to it's size, the baby is actually 14 weeks...so my due date was moved up from aug 22nd to aug 13th.

i will share the ultrasound pictures of our little peanut as soon as i figure out how our scanner works. we have a new printer that we have yet to hook up. otherwise things are good, i'm feeling great....waves of nausea here and there when i work too much or don't sleep enough but otherwise i feel really good. i've thrown up the a total of 3 times since being pregnant. once on the plane ride and 2 times when working a back to back shift. i really have no complaints!!! my belly is protruding a lot more and i have had to take out my belly-button ring. i really haven't gained any weight, which my OB says is fine for now, but i can definitely tell my belly is poking out more and my pants are tighter....yikes!!!! so anyway, i will do my best to keep everyone posted with pictures and updates.

christmas at the rudnickis

2009-02-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

me opening presents

dad and phill

my brother mike

opening presents on christmas eve after our traditional polish christmas dinner

the parents celebrating their 31st wedding anniverary this christmas...yes they were married dec 25th...a polish thing :) here they are opening a digital picture fram from the kids for all those memories

polish teacups with poppy flowers on them...a very traditional and common flower for poland which i love..thanks mom!!!!

the twins 21st birthday

2008-09-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

we had a girls night out in new haven for the twins 21st birthday. we went out for a fondue dinner and dessert and then went dancing for a little while!!! it was so fun to be out with the ladies.

lindsey, lauren and me

me and the birthday girls erica and melissa

4th of july in hamden, CT

2008-08-16T18:24:00.000-07:00

yes, i know it's mid-august... but i am still catching up on my posts. here are some photos of fireworks in hamden, CT where we live. it was a good sized crowd and the fireworks were very impressive for our little town!!!

please notice how short my hair is!!!

eddie & sarah...mike's co-workers

the vast multitudes

my babe

we're representing

this is ellie...eddie's daughter

san antonio AAPA conference

2008-08-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

here are some long overdue pictures from the AAPA conference in san antonio, TX it was so much fun to reunite with my PA friends and have a great time learning and having a great time going out together

margaritas, salsa and chips were a key feature and a daily activity of the trip

these are the girls i roomed with catherine, autumn and brooke

brooke and i

molly, brooke and i

the alamo

riverboat cruise

rosie, me and brooke

this was one of our favorite bars...a dueling piano bar...the musicians were amazing and knew every song you could think of it was called " howl at the moon" i think...good times

san antonio is known for its riverwalk...which is basically a downtown along the river...all the restaurants shopping and bars are along this river which you can also do a river cruise on and then the city is just above you...pretty cool!

here we are gaining some knowledge at one of the lectures

QU reunion reception with one of our favorite QU staff John McNab

the riverwalk

my fellow CEMS PA co-workers matt and tom

strom visit

2008-07-16T10:27:00.001-07:00

it was so fun to visit with the stroms and condaps. all the kids are getting so big and they are so much fun!!! thanks erin and jim for letting us crash at your place and enjoy your beach and snack bar!
kira is such a good reader...way to go kira!!!

this little one i could just squeeze to death..how cute is this face?

best friends since high school....i love this crazy redhead
caleb had just woken up from a nap and was not too crazy about taking pictures

kira took this photo of us...very nice

update

2008-07-16T10:10:00.001-07:00

ok, so i have been a major slacker on posting things. things are great...work is good...busy and stressful but good. the stroms recently were in town to visit in new hampshire so we spent a couple of days with them and the condaps. we also had a geat time visiting cape cod and camping the last 5 or 6 days. just me and mike were able to get away and relax. cape cod is beautiful and the beaches were really nice. mike and i were both impressed with how "florida-like" the beaches were. i will soon post pictures. mike is still working as a recreational director and i am working in the ER as a PA. mike is also leading the youth group "underground" at our church so that's been pretty cool. i also went on a trip to san antonio texas in may for a work conference. however, i went with 3 other good PA friends and we had a great time learning and playing. not much else is new....just enjoying the summer!

these are pics of us on a date...we had ice cream and then went for a hike and if you notice i cut my hair off!!!! i usually have pretty long hair but on my last visit to FL for abbie's baby shower i got quite the haircut :)

Mexican Fiesta

2008-04-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

here's mike and i out at a mexican restaurant for "date night" since my schedule is so crazy and i work a lot of evening shifts, mike and i are attempting to plan date nights so we can see each other more often and just have some fun together!!!!

yummy margarita!!!

mike and i out for a hike

2008-04-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

hiking over treacherous waters....don't worry i made it to safety

it's finally starting to warm up around these parts so we decided to go on a bit of a hike

michaeld decided this was a good climbimg tree and up he went

5 year anniversary adventure

2008-03-10T18:15:00.001-07:00

so michael planned a whole day of surprises for us on our anniversary. the day started with flowers and a trip to starbucks in order to enjoy our favorite coffee drinks...yummy!

mikes fave: venti whole milk white chocolate mocha with whip

carolines fave: grande skinny toffe-nut misto no whip

we were supposed to enjoy these at a state park by the lake however it was a very rainy day so we"parked" and talked a bit

how cute...they put our names on the cups! together as smiths for 5 whole years!

next........we headed off to our favorite breakfast place "the cracker barrel" we love breakfast!

our feast has arrived!!!!

next...we headed to the mall...another one of my favorite things to do.....and we saw a matinee movie and ate candy....we saw vantage point and really enjoyed it....good flick!

next came the biggest surprise..... a one hour couples massage at a local spa!!! it was so wonderful...and relaxing.

awaiting my massage by the water fountain

enjoying beverages at the spa

the next destination was a quick stop at the olive garden to pick up my favorite dessert....tiramisu!!!!! to go for later!!! then we rushed home and took showers and got ready for our fancy dinner.

it was a really nice place so we only took one picture but we had a fabulous dinner and enjoyed oysters and clams for appetizers. mike had steak and i had veal. delightful!!!

we finished the night off at home with chocolate covered strawberries and champagne and our tiramisu.....of course. mike did such a good job planning the whole day....i felt so special!!!!

some fun pictures at home.

new camera

2008-03-07T21:20:00.001-08:00

i finally got a new camera....yey..... so hopefully more exciting posts to come as i learn how to use the darn thing!!!! i'm so bad with technology....i know lame.

weird and totally random picture of mike and i......

this picture is posted for my awesome friend melissa who got me this great mug from starbucks...i love it girl!!!!

Smith Family Christmas

2008-01-22T06:24:00.000-08:00

for those of you who might not remember we have a dog. her name is deogee and she has been staying with mike's parents since we live in a tiny condo here with no yard and no pets allowed. as you can tell she's geting a bit older i think she's 8 or 9 and look at all that gray on her face..still cute though!!!

this is christmas morning in our pj's ...those are some pretty goood looking gator fans if you ask me!! thanks for the great scarves mom and dad!

liz was being creative and made personalized sugar cookies as place cards for christmas dinner

christmas morning silliness as we get our stockings from the banister

mom, me and the christmas tree

redheads are pretty much awesome

the kids in front of the tree: me, mike, liz and her boyfriend jay
who is really cool and it was good to have him be there for christmas!!!

pictures at the table

the whole smith family grandma and all...uncle chris stopped by earlier and it was good to see him as well

it was a wonderful time with family and friends. the godwin's joined us for christmas dinner and we really enjoyed seeing them as well. how blessed we truly are!

Christmas at the Rudnicki's

2008-01-14T17:53:00.001-08:00

mom and the boys

me & the boys

cutie parents

my parents wearing their reading glasses...they're getting old :-)

the ladies

my daddy

mike & DJ

hampton & cristal

christmas tree

2007-12-03T14:51:00.000-08:00

so....not much is new. we're getting ready for the holidays. we got our christmas tree yesterday which was very exciting except it's GINORMOUS and we live in a very small place. the tree was nicely wrapped up and easy to transport so it was quite the surpise after it continued to expand and take over our tiny living room. so i don't k now how i feel about this tree...it's a beautiful tree but...basically way too large! besides that i'm still nannying and now going to the hospital twice a week for orientation and shadowing. it's all very exciting and super scary! it snowed for the very first time yesterday so that was fantastically great for me! unfortunately all the snow has since melted away. i'm so ready for a white christmas!!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2007-11-23T08:40:00.000-08:00

ok.....so it's been quite some time since i have last posted anything. one of the reasons has to do with the fact that our camera is broken so we have no new pictures to post. however, i want to update everyone on our lives. soooooo......i have been blessed with an amazing job in the ER at Bristol Hospital in CT! we had so many people praying about knowing where to take a job, as there were multiple offers and i applied all over the place, and God really gave us the confirmation that this was the job for me and i am so very excited about it!!! i officially start working in january but i did go and shadow on wednesday and it was so great!!!! i can't wait to get into it for real!!! besides that, we finally have 2 working vehicles. the van (our 1971 VW camper van) is unfortunately done for and needs a new engine. our friends brooke and kevin blessed us by selling us their old car in great condition for a fantastic deal so we are so grateful to them!!! thanks sullivans! it's really so nice to have your own vehicle. this way, i don't feel trapped at home and mike doesn't have ot ride his bike to work in the cold :)

fall is absolutely gorgeous here in new england and the trees in all their colorful glory are really delightful. we have not seen snow in our town yet but a few parts of CT did get some flurries this week. the weather has just recently strated to get cold in the 30's at night. mike is still enjoying his job as rec. director at avalon and his apt. complex acually won best overall apt complex in all of CT so that was kind of a big deal for all the employees. congrats mike and avalon!!!

thanksgiving was spent with brooke and kevin's family at kevins' aunt maddie and uncle tom's house. there were 30+ people there and 3 and a half turkeys were served!!! the food and company was great and we again felt blessed to have someone take us in and make us feel so welcome. we weren't able to get home to FL for thanksgiving but will be visiting for christmas. my friend autumn from CA who is now living and working at montfiore hospital in NY also joined us at for thanksgiving so we sort of had a PA friends thanksgiving along with family and other friends of course.

not much else new is going....we are going to see the play/musical "wicked" next friday so i'm pretty excited about that because it's supposed to be awesome!

anyway, we hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving and we definitely miss all our friends and family that are in other parts of the world at this time of year!!!! much love to all of you from the two of us!

mike and caroline

Great News!!!!!

2007-10-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

i am very excited to announce that i have passed my boards and am a nationally certified physician assistant (PA-C). the test was really hard so this is a huge weight lifted off and i definitely give praise to God!!!! it certainly wasn't by my own strength to get to this point...God has been so faithful through this whole process. than you so much for the many prayers and supportive words from so many of you!!!!