Olga Smith

Levi: Month One

Olga Smith — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:11:02 +0000

Hard to believe it’s been a month already. To celebrate, Levi started sleeping through the night, which makes this mama very happy. The stats so far:

Weight – 10 lb 10 oz
Height – 23.8 inches

He is in the 90th percentile for weight and 97th for height. Another big boy we have on our hands. He is already wearing his brother’s 3-6 months clothes. Hudson better watch out, his little brother is going to catch up soon. So far, Levi has been a very easy baby. He eats, sleeps, and poops. He does currently have a fussy period from 6 to 11 pm. We are trying different formulas to see if anything will help this. Other than that, he is such a joy to be around.

Hudson adores his little brother. He is usually the first one to hear Levi waking up and makes sure to let us know the baby needs a bottle. He helps to change diapers. He brings us Levi’s blankets and burpies. He entertains Levi. He kisses Levi and laughs at his little noises. Hudson’s exceded all my expectations and I am so happy/proud that he’s such a loving and caring big brother.

I am so thankful to have Levi. It’s such a different experience from bringing his brother home. I am enjoying every single moment with Levi, fussy, sleepless or whatever because I know that these moments are so fleeting. I’m cherishing every second, taking none for granted.

Merry Christmas

Olga Smith — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 02:59:24 +0000

So many things to be thankful for this season. The best Christmas present ever this Christmas:

Actually, I got two beautiful presents:

I am still recovering and we are adjusting to life with two kids. I still cannot believe that Levi and I made it through 38 weeks of high risk pregnancy and major surgery and that I get to rock him to sleep several times every day. I am so overwhelmed with gratitude for the gift that he is. God is so good and my heart is full this Christmas.

Twins?

Olga Smith — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:43:55 +0000

I was looking through Hudson’s early pictures out of curiosity and was stunned to discover that I have given birth to pretty much the same baby, twice. They are twins!

This is Levi at two days old:

This is Hudson around two weeks old:

He is Here!

Olga Smith — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:09:35 +0000

He is Here!

Olga Smith — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:59:55 +0000

Levi Jacob was born on December 15 at 2:25 pm weighing in at 8 lb 7 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long. He is perfect and we love him so very much. Big brother Hudson loves him and can’t get enough of his cute face. We are adjusting and learning to be a family of FOUR! I am so thankful that God brought us through 38 weeks and c-section surgery safe and sound. What a gift it is to be able to hold this miracle baby in my arms.

'Tis the Season to be Jolly

Olga Smith — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:43:13 +0000

Hudson’s best jolly face. At least he wasn’t crying.

He'll Be Here Soon!

Olga Smith — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 04:11:28 +0000

Nineteen

Olga Smith — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 03:53:55 +0000

Nineteen is the number of days left until our new little man is supposed to be here. I honestly cannot believe that we are down to mere weeks before his arrival. I am beyond thankful that we have made it this far in this pregnancy and that he is totally viable at this point. I hope that both of us will make it until the c-section and through surgery without complications. I am excited to meet him, but also very nervous about the new dynamics his arrival will bring.

Hudson is really not sure about this big brother thing. He calls his baby brother by name and tells me he plans on sharing toys once he arrives, but in reality claims every single thing I’ve bought for the baby as his own. Including onsesies. And rattles. And stuffed animals. And bottles. No wonder I’m a bit nervous about the little’s arrival.

As a family, we are beyond excited to welcome our newest little guy. The rocking chairs (yes, I got two to compensate for the lack thereof during Hudson’s infancy) are situated. The shelves are stocked with diapers and wipes. The car seat is ready to go. The pantry is stocked with five or six different brands of bottles. Is this really happening?

Big brother loving on little brother, even though he has no idea what’s about to turn his world upside down. I am praying they fall in love from the start and will be thrilled to have each other. A girl can hope.

We really cannot wait to meet the little guy. And, as wonderful and magical as pregnancy is, I cannot wait to not be pregnant any more. During my first pregnancy all people commented on was how little I was. This time around? I’ve been asked why I am wearing a basketball under my shirt and I’ve been told I look very uncomfortable, among other things. I’m definitely learning what not to say to pregnant women.

Hope to see you on the other side in nineteen days!

Month Thirty-Three (and a half)

Olga Smith — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:47:30 +0000

The plan was to do Hudson updates every three months this year, but I simply ran out of time and energy. In August we sold our old house, in September we closed on our newly built home, moved in, husband switched jobs and I switched OB care and the list goes on. We’ve been incredibly busy, so here is a delayed update on Hudson’s growth and development.

In these past three (and a half) months Hudson’s personality has certainly blossomed. Lately he has been obsessed with telling us that he is a) scared, b) sad, c) happy and that his toy cars are a) stuck in mud, b) broken, c) need a tow truck to help. He is definitely much more aware of his emotions and displays them to the fullest all the time.

The transition from our old house (the only home he’s ever had/known) has been quite challenging. I am very sad to say that Hudson stopped napping the day we moved in. That’s five weeks, give or take, of no naps. He will sleep during the day occasionally, but only if someone makes him stay in bed in a room devoid of all his toys.

I think part of the problem is the fact that his bed broke during the move, which necessitated the purchase of a new bed. Couple that with a completely new space in a new room in a new house and you have a kid waking up the middle of the night screaming, “I scared dark!!!” It took quite a while for him to get used to this new place, but I am pretty sure he now really loves all the space.

He’s a busy-body all day, every single day and he now really loves playing by himself. He does like an audience because he loves to tell us what’s going on with his cars and garages, and how his is ‘fixing’ things after he ‘crashes’ them.

An interesting trait that has recently come to light is Hudson’s inability to deal with broken, dirty, and otherwise incapacitated objects around him. For example, since we now live in the boonies, the roads get very muddy after it rains. Hudson comments on how dirty the roads are and then will insist that ‘daddy clean the woad!’ Or, if a heavy piece of machinery is stationary (not doing the job for which it was intended), he will demand that new batteries be provided immediately

The same goes for story time. If we are reading a book where someone is stuck or something is broken, we cannot make it through. He will stare at that page and demand that solution be provided. We have yet to get through our Giraffe Numbers book because of this. There is a giraffe number two who is stuck in glue and that’s as far as we have gotten so far. I do hope he will learn to count.

My least favorite thing about the last three (and a half) months is the fact that Hudson no longer naps. This makes for a very miserable afternoon with a very miserable little boy who has to be convinced and bribed and dragged and threatened. I don’t even try to go anywhere with him in the afternoons any more, just too much work and whining.

Having said that, my most favorite thing is Hudson’s healthy appetite these days. We made the decision to take away his bottle when we moved into the new house. In retrospect probably wasn’t a good idea, but it did work. He is not drinking hardly any milk these days, but he is sleeping and eating a lot better. I wonder if dairy overload had something to do with his night-time wakings.

Last but not least is our transition to preschool. We were only brave enough to put him in one day a week, which has turned out to be plenty. Hudson’s social interactions have definitely changed for the better. He now engages with other children enthusiastically and willingly. He shares his space and sometimes even toys. He is full of letter, number, color, and shape knowledge and even talks a lot about Jesus and God. When we tell him it’s time to go to church, he says he wants to give God a hug. He also says that he has Jesus in his heart. It’s really awesome and that’s what keeps me going every week as his teachers peel him off me at drop-off.

We are all looking forward to the changes that are coming soon and I am definitely cherishing these last few months, weeks, and days with Hudson as an only child. We are sharing some sweet moments together and I am loving it.

Until next time,

Love,

Mama

We Have a Yard!

Olga Smith — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 02:35:07 +0000

The yard now has grass and trees and shrubs! It’s looking quite beautiful, even if I do say so myself.

Here are a few shots of the interior as well. This is looking from the kitchen into the living room.

This is looking from living room into the hallway.