Surviving Colic

I’m back, and I’m about to play catch-up really quickly. The short of the long of it is that our sweet little Cora was cursed with some raging colic from the get go, so the first 5 months of motherhood had me moving a million miles an hour in a full-on tailspin.  

(Please humor me while I recount, not to be confused with complain about, the situation for my own record. Believe me; every tear I cried was for my sweet little Cora, wishing desperately that I could relieve whatever pain she was experiencing.) Cora came out screaming at the top of her lungs, and the poor dear did not stop for nearly 5 months. I don't blame her. Coming into this world must be quite a shock. Her hysterical entry was a shock for us as well. (Isn't she absolutely darling tough?)

Nothing could have prepared us for that. It was far beyond our wildest imaginations. Parker and I felt completely helpless and emotionally fragile when it came to her incessant, every-waking-moment, zero-to-sixty, hysterical crying. I could cry just thinking about it. Every day felt more like surviving than living. It was rough.

The phrase “enjoy the newborn phase” was not even an option for us. That was a really tough pill to swallow. But, we did our best in the name of this little one we loved so much. We tried everything to help ease her pain, but to no avail. At the end of the day it was completely out of our control and she really did just have to “grow out of it,” as any parent who has had a baby with colic will tell you. The 5 months waiting for that to happen just about ripped our hearts out though. I'm convinced that seeing your child in pain and being unable to alleviate it is the worst torture a parent can go through.

I found a lot of patience in thoughts of friends whose children suffer and have suffered much worse. My admiration for them multiplied and my heart broke for them as it did for my own little Cora. Though the constant crying was incredibly stressful, I could handle it knowing that my baby girl was healthy and well. When times got really tough, I consoled myself with sugar and, uncharacteristically, battled the stress with swear words. It may not have been the best remedy or my finest moment in life; but, at the time it just seemed to make things feel better. And, like I said, it was all about survival. 

Flash forward to today, and it's hard to believe things were ever really that bad. Cora is the sweetest and happiest little girl there ever was. In fact, she is so darn sweet that I will sometimes ask Parker if that 5-month nightmare was actually real. Parker is the most patient person I know, so when he is quick to remind me that it definitely was, I just sigh and give us both a nod of credit for surviving those endless days and nights of bouncing on an exercise ball with a crying baby in our arms.

Our little Cora radiates so much love and brings so much happiness to our everyday lives. She is a constant reminder to me that the challenges of life always yield the most incredible rewards if we allow them to.

Cora

My dear friends Sherwin and Denice surprised us by stopping by the delivery room just after our sweet little Cora was born. Sherwin had his camera in hand, and he shot a little bit of raw video footage of Cora's first tender moments of life here on earth.

A few days later he surprised me with this gem—and by gem I mean the most incredibly thoughtful and precious gift anyone could have ever given to me. Thank you, Sherwin! I will treasure this sweet video for a lifetime. I can't believe I'm a mom!

Hello, Little One!

Cora Lee Smith 

welcomed with love 

November 29th, 2013 | 4:27 p.m.

7  pounds 10 ounces | 20.5 inches

What's in a Name?

Since baby names are on the brain lately, as I mentioned here. I thought it would be fun to share our parents’ stories of how Parker and I got our names.

PARKER

(As written by his father)

  

Parker's first name is derived from three sources:

1. One of my favorite, early church leaders was Parley Parker Pratt.
2. Parker’s mother and I were privileged to spend some time in the home of President Spencer W. Kimball and his wife. I had met President Kimball's next door neighbor, Sam Parker, when he served as a missionary. Sam Parker invited me to visit any time we were in Salt Lake City. So when Sandy and I were engaged, and on a date in Salt Lake, we went to visit Sam, which resulted in him taking us next door to meet the Prophet.
3. Parker means Keeper of the Park or Guardian Angel. Since Parker was our firstborn we thought that he would watch out for his other siblings and be their guardian angel. He has fulfilled, and even surpassed, our expectations! Parker has been an eloquent and exceptional example for his siblings to follow.

Parker’s middle name, Andrew, is passed down from his father’s middle name.

*Fun fact: At my Las Vegas baby shower, I found out that Parker’s parents were originally thinking of naming him Matthew Mark. I don’t know why that cracks me up when I think about Parker with that name, but it does. I’m glad they went with Parker. It just fits him perfectly.

STEPHANIE

(As written by my mother)

Picking the perfect name, for any baby, is a monumental task. Our second baby was due on July 4^th. Not knowing the gender, Vaughn and I had discussed many possibilities for boy and girl names alike. However, in the end we could not agree on a girl’s name.

So, when July 14^th rolled around, and I was already 10 days overdue, we knew we had to make a decision just in case we had a girl. That same day, as we were driving home from an outing with our 3-year-old son, he suddenly exclaimed, “If it’s a girl, why don’t we name her Stephanie!?”

Vaughn and I looked at each other and said, “Sounds good to us!” So, on July 17^th (at thirteen days overdue) our beautiful baby girl joined our family and was given the name Stephanie Dianne—her middle name being that of my dearest friend.

________________________________

Reading these stories from our parents was so much fun for us. While I knew parts of these stories already (like #3 about Parker, as well as the fact that my older brother came up with my name), I had no idea about all the other fun and interesting details (like the fact that my parents did not know that I was a girl until I was born). A special thanks to my mom and dad and the Smith’s for sharing these special tidbits with us!

The Name Game

As my belly grows bigger and bigger and my due date gets closer and closer (just one week left at this point!), the question that rivals “When are you due?” and "How are you feeling?" in frequency is:  “Have you chosen a name yet?”

(photo taken at week 36.5)

After our gender reveal party Parker and I each spent hours combing baby name sites only to discover that our lists and likes were pretty much completely opposite. We could agree, however, on the fact that a good, meaningful name is important and that we would like something that is somewhat unique, if possible.

Here is a random sampling of names from each of our original (and since revised) lists:

In an effort to help us narrow things down, our friend, Josh, shared with us his personal baby name test. He said that when selecting a baby name you insert the given name into the sentence: “Let’s steal (insert name here)’s lunch!” to see if it sounds too nerdy. (He used the name Norman as an example, which had us cracking up.) If the inserted name sounds like the name of someone who could get their lunch stolen then it’s a no go; if not, then it’s a keeper.

Recently Parker and I were able to whittle down our individual lists and come to a semi-consensus on a small group of 5 names—some that Parker likes, some that I like, and 1 that we both like. We figure we will make the final decision once she is here. Until then, mum’s the word.

Capturing Memories: Maternity Photos

I must say that I truly cherish pregnancy. Luckily for me, it has been one of the most remarkable and treasured experiences of my life thus far. That does not mean that I haven’t had my fair share of morning sickness, fatigue, heartburn, swelling, carpel tunnel, and various other strange and uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms; it simply means that, thankfully, the highs have far outweighed the lows for me, personally. Reflecting on our journey and seeing the many tears shed by close family members and friends who still struggle to conceive, to whom out hearts and prayers continually go out, has definitely contributed to my perspective as well.

I haven’t done the greatest job of documenting my belly growth throughout this pregnancy. It makes me a little sad when I think about that; but, it also made the decision to have maternity photos taken that much easier. These photos were taken at my 35.5 week mark. I could not be more pleased with how they turned out. In my eyes, every aspect of them conveys the sentiments Parker and I feel for this blessed experience we have been given and the overwhelming love we already feel for our little girl.

A special thanks to the amazing talent of our dear friend and photographer, Mandy Poulsen, of Forever Still Photography for capturing these beautiful memories for us to treasure for a lifetime.

Quilted Blooms for Baby

I have this cousin. Her name is Vanessa and she is just like her mama, my Aunt Miriam—creative, intelligent, imaginative, resourceful, and beautiful. Aunt Miriam was painting, quilting, designing patterns and fabrics, refinishing furniture, creating gorgeous tablescapes, and cooking up festive, fall dinners in oversize gourds from her backyard garden long before such ideas and tutorials were being plastered and pinned all over Pinterest.

Aunt Miriam and Michael

Time spent at Vanessa’s during our summer and holiday visits always consisted of tea parties, playing dress up, crafting, and sleepovers, while our brothers played imaginative games of “Batman and Robin” and “cops and robbers.”  There was always something magical about being a child in their home. Even as we grew and make-believe became a thing of the past we still felt that same magic and love through the creativity Aunt Miriam exuded and shared with us. While at college, Aunt Miriam even walked me through the process of sewing my first quilt (something she had done with her children on many occasions), from which I felt such a large measure of accomplishment. Every ounce of creativity and talent Aunt Miriam possesses was passed right down to her children (if you don't believe me, check out this incredible Batman costume my cousin, Clint, handmade for Halloween this year).

Vanessa, mother of 2, is now creating the same kind of magic for her adorable little ones—Olive and Lorenzo. Vanessa is the founder of Lella Boutique where she shares her delicious quilts, sewing tutorials, and patterns. I am constantly drooling over her lovely creations.

 Lorenzo, Vanessa, & Olive

Apron and oven mitt set, Twinkle Toe stockings, & Tea Party Tuffets

 A few of her beautiful quilts.

Having seen her work, you can only imagine my excitement when this little package arrived on my doorstep a few days ago.

It took everything in me to pause for a moment and snap this photo before tearing open the box to see what was inside. This is what I found.

The colors just so happen to be a perfect match for the nursery, which had me squealing with delight. To make things even sweeter Vanessa even machine quilted “blooms” into the design of the quilt, which added a bit of that magic I so fondly remember growing up.

She must know how much I adore those little, meaningful details. To say I am in love is an understatement. I can't wait to wrap my little one in this beautiful creation! Thank you, Vanessa! XOXO!