Simply the Smith's

I have not talked about our original boy our black lab Riley. He is our fur baby and truly our first child. We got him a few months after we were married. He was actually born the day after we got married. I remember when we went to pick him up there were only 2 puppies left and when they opened the door our Ry dog ran over to us so fast we fell in love instantly. It was not always an easy road with him. We had some issues early on. He had severe separation anxiety and would pee and poo in his crate every. single. time we left. I would put him in lock the door and within 30 seconds he would have peed and be crying. So we took him out of the crate and he chewed a hole in the wall. So since it was spring time we got an outdoor kennel and left him out there when we had to go to work. Now he was never in there for more than 4 hours and we knew he could hold it because he did when we were home. Well he NEVER peed or pooped in his outdoor kennel. Crazy dog that he is. So when it became t...

So on Monday my baby boy had his upper GI study. My wonderful husband and my aunt took him. Sidenote I was going to take off work because Momma has to be there and then they called and said that only ONE parent can go back when they do the test. So since I already have Friday off because we leave for camp we decided as a family it was better for me to work and Michael and my aunt (we call her Mema) to go. So here is how it works in case anyone wants to know. When you get there baby has to have an empty stomach. So Michael got him up at 6:15 to eat because our appointment was at 10:30 and he had to have at least 4 hours of no eating. So then they give you some stuff to mix in his bottle. Grayson ate his bottle and then they take you back in a room. They strap him down at his chest, waist and legs, his arms are free. I will admit when my hubby called me to tell me what was going on I cried a little my sweet baby boy was being strapped down it broke my heart. But then Michael sent me...

My husband and I were married just shy of 3 years when we found out we were pregnant with our rolly polly baby boy. I remeber when we first got married and everyone used to say don't have kids right away, enjoy your time as a married couple. I admit I used to roll my eyes and say get real I will get preggo whenever I please thank you very much! Then somethings happened. I had the strong urge to get my degree before I had babies because well who care why I just wanted to. I felt like it would be much more of a challenge with a bambino running around. So after much thought I went to school full time ( if we are getting technical 18 credit hours a sememster) for 2 years and got 2 associate degrees. My husband supported me and we made it through although not always easy. I walked across that stage becuase lets face it, it's a right of passage and I knew I was ready to be a momma. I graduated in May, got my job in June and on July 17th (yep I know the date) I got the Yup Yup gi...

I had plans... big plans to do nothing. Well my version of nothing which was just relax Friday night, pick blueberries and get my nails done on Saturday and then Sunday was going to be a marathon cleaning, laundry, freeze my fruit day. Well what is it that they say you make plans and God laughs. Friday I got out of work an hour early ( it was AWESOME!!!) I picked up G from daycare and called my momma on the way home. She asked what we were up to and I told her that Michael was going to head to Hamlin Beach to see Chris's sister who was home from Long Island. She being the most amazing woman said bring Grayson to my house and you go with him. It was a nice surprise date night and we had so much fun. Saturday Grayson and I got up ate breakfast ( well I had coffee!!!) and got dressed for his first ever blueberry picking!!! My mom, sister and myself have been blueberry picking at the same u-pick place for the past 11 years. I love this little tradition of ours and it was so speci...

I have contemplated writing about this but I need to get it out. Have my thoughts out so my head is a little bit less jumbled. This post may get long..... Next weekend we are going camping. But it is camping with a purpose. In October my Grandma (my mom's mom) passed away. It was so devastating and I still don't think I have processed it because well let me go back before I get into all of that. I found out I was pregnant July 17th. On July 23rd I got a phone call from my Mom telling me that Grandma was sick and they had taken her to the hospital because she was having trouble using the bathroom and her stomach was starting to swell. They thought it was just a blockage and that she would be out within a few days. Well they did a colonoscopy and found a blockage that was too big for that hospital to handle and that it was in fact a tumor. They biopsied it and it came back cancer. My grandmother a 22 year breast cancer survivor now had colon cancer. Within the week we had her...

Yesterday was Grayson's 4 month check up! Let me give a little bit of back ground first. When Grayson was a month old he got the sniffles (or so I thought). I rushed him the the doctors and they said it was a cold and gave a few suggestions to help him. Us being first time parents went bat sh*t crazy and did everything on the list. 1. Got him a cool mist humidifier 2. Bought baby saline for his nose 3. Got a wedge for him to sleep on in his crib. He seemed to get a little bit better but was always worse at night. Then we went in for is 2 month check up and he was breathing fine that day of course! Well 2 days later my babe was so stuffed up again he could hardly breath out of his nose. We tried everything even sitting in the shower steam with him and it would help but only temporarily. So we took him to the doctors again they said it was a cold and to keep doing what he was doing. Well 2 nights later I picked him up from day care and he was beyond sick. I could see it in hi...

I love weekends. I get to wake up with my baby and enjoy the morning. I know I'm beyond blessed that I have a happy baby in the morning. He legit does not cry or fuss to eat for a good half an hour after we wake up. This is like heaven I get sooooo much done in that half an hour than I do all day sometimes.  Saturday we got up and started knocking out the laundry and dishes. Then around 11:30 I got the bright idea to put together our new entertainment system by myself. Well that went over really well because Grayson refused to help me, so I gave up. About 20 seconds after I parked my bottom back on the couch my Mom called asked what I was doing and then volunteered my Dad to come over and help. By 12:30 he was in the dining room with me reading directions and putting that contraption together. Grayson of course like all babies has an internal alarm that goes off anytime you try to do a project so my Dad being the amazing Papa that he is scooped him up and occupied him while I fin...

Since I started this blog a little late in the game months 1,2, and 3 are missing but no time like the present to start documenting. Grayson is 4 months old today. Someone please tell me where oh where did the time go? I feel like it was yesterday I was peeing on a stick and getting the hey girl your prego double line. Ok so it was exactly a year ago that I did that anyway back to the bubba. Grayson, You amaze us every gosh darn day. I know you are our first but we swear you are a genius(I think every parent thinks that). You can now roll over both back to front and front to back. You found your feet just a few days ago and cannot stop touching them. Your so strong! If you want something in your hand you grab it and hold on for dear life. Your Daddy calls this your "kingkongmegadeathgrip" Speaking of Daddy you and him have the most beautiful relationship. If you even hear his voice you look around franticly to see him and when your eyes meet his you get a perma-grin. H...

This past week it has been in the 90's every.single.goshdarnit.day! Too hot for my baby boy to be outside because let's face it even I don't want to be outside. Cooking has been non existent. Order out subs? Yup. Grab a pizza while your at Tops babe? OK! Yup this is doing nothing for my figure. We live in an older house which = no central air. Ugh but we have invested in some window units and Praise the Lord that we did because our upstairs is like an oven. It takes your breath away as soon as you hit the top of the stairs. So Grayson's room has one, our room has one and we bought a gigantic one that does the whole downstairs. I looked at my hubby yesterday and said "soooo glad we bought a pool!!!!" and he agrees even though I talked him into it! Speaking of pool we are having a pool party on Sunday Funday! Holla! I have everything needed to make pina colada's and I'm beyond excited. It's small just a few friends but it breaks up the busy ...

It's true the title says it all.... My husband is the best! He only had one day off this week (mandatory 6 day work week that comes up every few months) but he didn't sit around and be lazy like ***cough***me***cough.  He put away all the goods from our target shopping trip, scrubbed the bathroom, cleaned the kitchen all while taking care of our bouncing baby boy.  He truly just knows what I need.  He could sense my ever growing (inner) struggle about to-do lists being unfinished or never started.  This is one of the (many) reasons I married him.  Now my plate is a little less full and I can enjoy a little more time with my boys because if I have not mentioned it before I'm the only girl in our house.( yup even the dog is a boy) 

After my mini breakdown light bulb moment yesterday morning my day turned around in a HUGE way. Work sailed by (praise the lord! Monday's can be the.worst!) I called my Mom saying I was leaving work and on my way to grab Grayson. She must have felt my need. My need to swim without having multiple heart attacks about Grayson being in the pool. I mean I know he is OK we have a fancy float that he goes in and we always hold the float but it is not the same. ( Part of me feels like a bad mom as I type this). So my mom had Grayson because Michael had to work 6 days this week anyway. I went home grabbed a bud light lime changed into my swimsuit and swimming I went. I don't really swim I walk laps around the pool. Because let me honest when it is 92 degrees outside there is no walking unless half of your body is submerged in water. I was in the pool for two beers 45 mins got out changed and just as came downstairs my beautiful baby boy was coming through the door. I felt pure...

I have been feeling lost lately... I don't know why  like I can't give 100% to anything. I'm exhausted and doing things I told myself I would never do (letting my baby boy sleep in my bed!!) I feel like I have lost my identity and am only Grayson's mom. Don't get me wrong that is a title that I'm oh so proud of and wanted for like ever, but it matters when dealing with my husband. I need to be his wife first and his baby momma second not the other way around. Work schedules are wearing on us aka having NO days off together. I find myself day dreaming about getting things done around the house and then getting home and doing nothing. This is where my head was this morning driving into work, when a song came on the radio. Darrius Rucker(yes Hootie) comes on the radio and it was like he was signing to me...."It won't be like this for long". I started crying and said out loud through sobs (yuppers I talk to myself) I'm making memories. Wh...

If I have never said it before I love love love my family!  We all got together for dinner last night  and it was fab as always. I love my sister in law and since she is my only one she is my favorite.  My niece and nephew are to die for cute and Libby loves to play momma to Grayson.  We got together for a reason not that we need one we were planning for our trip  We are all going camping the first weekend in August. We rented a motor home and are going about 2 hours away to camp with my entire extended family .  I cannot wait!!!! 

I have an older brother (fact he is my half brother from my dad's first marriage but we NEVER say half) He is 15 years older than me and it took us until he had his first baby for us to get close. Now I love our relationship and we bond even more with each child we have (with our spouses not each other DUH!) I have a younger sister that is 4 years younger than me. It took us a long time to find our grove because we always seemed at different stages in our lives. She is the most AMAZING aunt to my baby. She even got a job at the daycare he goes to! (So we now refer to daycare as going to Aunt Hay Hay's work) I love her more because of it. My parents have been married for 32 years. My mom is my best friend (second only to my hubby bubby) She is referred to as Gigi by all the grand kids and now it has become her nickname! My dad is called Papa (Tom). Watching my dad with Grayson has been amazing and I may have cried a few times My father has such patience it is admirab...

Our pool is in, full and almost ready to swim in!!!!! Hubby is putting the later on tomorrow as long as the weather cooperates and then we will be lovin the pool! Here are some quick pictures I snapped of it  And of course one of the bambino 

I love love love being a mom. I love the smiles, the snuggles, the laughs, the milestones. I love it all. Except the lack of sleep. My sweet baby boy does not ever sleep through the night! He fusses and then as soon as we pick him up he fall right back to sleep. SO that leads me to the horrible, disgusting habit that my husband me and me alone has started. I let him sleep in bed with me after his second wake up. His bedtime routine is something like this... 7:00-7:15- Bath time with Daddy (and his favorite part of the day) This is the part of the day I quick fold and put away a load of laundry, get his jammy jams (pajama's), and make his bottle. 7:15-7:30- We sing the "Grayson loves lotion" song ( we are freaks crazy parents) and ready 2 books 7:30- Bottle time and he gets rocked to sleep while I hum or sing to him. He is usually down for the count around 8:30. 9:00 at the latest. But it seems without fail the last week OK maybe 2 weeks he has been getting up...

Holidays just seem more festive when you have a little babe to dress up!  We kept it real low key family style and had classic picnic food at my parents house  There were no fireworks for us this year my hubby had to work today and the babe was passed out by 8 but I'm sure this is the last year that will fly  I hope everyone had a good fun holiday  

My name is Katlin  I'm 26 years old  I met my husband when I was 21 His name is Michael  It was love at first sight He is 9 years older than me We were married one year after we first met  I have my associates degree in accounting and business administration  My husband was my rock while I went to school full time for 2 years  My husband is my best friend  He works full time as a truck driver delivering fuel to gas stations  I work full time as a payroll clerk/administrative assistant  I LOVE my job My husband and I have ZERO days off together he works Wednesday through Sunday. I work Monday through Friday  I have one child named Grayson He changed my whole life and is my world I struggled putting my baby in daycare 3 days a week I cried when my sister got a job there easing my crazy momma mind  I love that 2 days a week my boys have boy time together  I love that my husband is such an amazing father  Ok there will be a pa...

Our busy weekend has just run into our busy week tonight is our only free night so it's laundry and cleaning time. Anywho Saturday Grayson and I did laundry and then went to the graduation party he got to see his cousins who he loves and they love him here he is with cousin Libby  Sunday we had the engagement extravaganza and my sweet baby boy was adorable  It was a blast and we had such a good time we are so lucky to have the friends we do.  Tomorrow Grayson goes for his first sleepover with my mom his Gigi I'm sad but excited at the same time kind of hard to explain. We have our normal Tuesday volleyball game then Wednesday we have a cookout and Thursday is the 4th and our family day.For today I will leave you with Grayson's new pose he looooves to sleep like this