Growing Boy!

According to the pediatrician Hampton is "growing like a champ!" At his 2 mth checkup he was 15lbs 7oz and 25in long. Dr said "there is NO reason why he should be getting up to eat during the night...", and that's all I needed to hear. I got some nap time ideas fro m him and my sister, Ashlee, and we've successfully been getting Hampton on a schedule. It's been WONDERFUL! He has his naps and awake time during the day, and he sleeps all night long! Usually from around 10:00pm to 6:30ish am, then eats and goes back to sleep until 8:30/9:00am. AMAZING! I love sleep!

He's definitely a chunker, and eats like a champ too. Growing up so fast! I can't believe he's going to be 3 months old next week! (See pics in previous post.)

Recent Random pics

 Skydiver baby!

 Sleeping with daddy. What could be sweeter?!

 Cute frog outfit on sleepy boy

 Packing Parachutes

 Tired boy!

 Hamp got sick... all over Mommy. Ewe!

 Getting so big! 2 1/2 mths. Tries to sit up all the time.

Loves Crinkly Puppy!

Hampton's First Halloween

We had a Trunk-or-Treat at church the Friday night before Halloween. It was decent. There was a chili contest/feed w/ cornbread and some dessert. Then a children's parade while adults setup their trunks. My friend, Courtney, and I tied for first place on 'spookiest decor' and both got a bag of candy.

You can't really tell, but there's a black light behind the cobweb, and the green things are parachutes. We all went as skydivers. =)

On Saturday we went to Butler, MO to watch Shaun jump and see some of his buddies. Everyone LOVED Hampton's costume! He went as a skeleton skydiver.

We stayed for a BBQ and visited for a while, then came home.

Halloween morning (Monday) Hamp and I went to a party with the SAHM group, and had fun seeing all the moms and kids dressed up.

He was TIRED! The party was during nap time, so he just watched everyone else, and was less than amused. haha. (Skeleton skydiver--parachute on back.)

THEN I had to take the poor guy to get his 2 month SHOTS. He griped the lady out after she did it. That part was pretty amusing, but then he was super cranky the rest of the day.

That night I had bowling (I'm on a league, in case I haven't mentioned that yet), and had to take H with me because Shaun had to work late. He was NOT a happy camper, and let everyone know it. I was so stressed the first game that I bowled the worst I have in years! The last two weren't bad because H had finally started to calm down, but ouch!

All in all I think it was a good Hallo'week...' until the shots, that is.

October happenings...

Welcome Fall! The weather is finally feeling like Fall, and the leaves are changing colors. It's beautiful! Could quite possibly be my favorite time of year!

We've had a lot of family in town lately. Hampton's Aunt Robyn and cousin Charlie, Uncle Andy, Great-Aunt Cheryl all came into town to go visit Grandpa Doug in Manhattan. We went to the airport quite a few times last month picking up and dropping people off. It was good to see everyone for a short while though!

Aunt Robyn and cousin Charlie came into town Oct 5. Charlie stayed the entire month, visiting both sides of his family. It was fun to help out with him. Robyn came for a while, then went to Spain (LUCKY!) where her hubby, Eric, was in a marathon of some kind, then came back for Charlie. They missed each other a lot, but I think she and Eric needed that time together. How often do you get to visit SPAIN? (Not asking Robyn who's been there a couple of times before.)

Anyway, the day after they arrived we all took Charlie to an indoor theme park for kids called Zonkers. He had a blast! Loved the roller coasters, and never got scared! (See below)

The following weekend we blessed Hampton at church (Oct 9). It was neat to have so many people come to support us. Shaun, Grandpa Doug, Papa Drew, Uncle Jared, and Dave Slack (friend of family) were all in the circle..along with the bishop and counselors. It was such a neat experience! It was so neat to listen to Shaun give our baby a Priesthood blessing from the Lord! I am so thankful to have such a wonderful, worthy priesthood holder for a husband!

We had a dinner afterwards at Aunt Heather and Uncle Robert's house. There were about 18 people there total that came to attend the blessing. There is no was all those people would have fit in our small place. Thanks for letting us use your beautiful house!

Hampton had a very handsome outfit! He wasn't sure what to think about all the people there though. He just wanted to sleep! =)
A week after the blessing Uncle Andy came into town from Las Vegas to visit Grandpa Doug. We only saw him for a few hours total, but it was fun to see him meet Hampton! Maybe Aunt Dena can come next time too?!

Great-Aunt Cheryl came the next week to visit Grandpa Doug too. It was good to see her. I had only met her once at a family reunion, and never really had the chance to talk to her. We caught up over lunch and on the long drive to the airport, and it was fun.

Family Hayride and Cookout

I recently joined a meetup group here in Olathe called the "Young and Fun Stay At Home Moms" group. Or "SAHMs" for short. It's a bunch of stay at home moms who wanted something to do other than stay home, so a few made a group. There are now about 30 members--just over half really active in it, I think. The neatest thing about the group that I've found is that it seems like we're all in the same boat in life right now. (Aka: Many of us just moved to the area and were looking for others to interact with; Husbands are all educated and have real jobs; we're all starting our families-- each has one or two kids; we all need social interaction with other SAHMs; etc.) It's great! I was SO lucky to find this group!

We get together once or twice weekly so the kids can have playdates, and so the moms can socialize. We talk about issues or questions we may be having with parenting, and any other conversation topics we can think of to get to know each other better. I've only been to a couple of activities since Hampton is still so little, but I look forward to many, many more!

This past Saturday we all went on a Family Hayride at Heritage Park. There were about 10 couples and their kids. It was a BLAST! We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather or better company. The husbands were able to come and meet each other too, and they all seemed to get along really well.



After the hayride there was a bonfire/cookout. We had hotdogs, s'mores, and apple cider. The funny part is that when we all got our blankets out and were settling down for dinner the husbands all grabbed the sticks and started roasting the hot dogs and getting plates of food for their wives. Yay for good husbands! =)

Big Boy!

I took Hampton in for him one month check-up at 6 weeks old-- last Monday. The doctor said he looks great! He weighs 12.7oz--which is the 90th percentile for his age, he is 24in long--which is the 97th percentile, and his head size is in the 60th percentile. Overall he's a big boy!

He eats and sleeps great! In fact, he is 7 weeks old today, and last night he slept through the entire night! I fed him around 9:30pm, and he fell asleep about 10:30pm. Then didn't wake up to eat again until 6:15am! WOW! I sure wish I would have known he was going to do that. I was staying up after he went to bed and was going to do a few things and wait until his next feeding before going to bed. After checking on him a couple of times I finally hit the sack about 1:00am.

I was a bit nercous of what I'd find this morning when I woke up at 6:00am, but he was still sound asleep in his bed. CRAZY! I don't want to jinx it, but I wonder if he'll do that again tonight. ??? Here's hoping!

Here's a 7 week picture:

I put him in the swing today for the first time, and he seems to like it! The first time he fell asleep about 5 mins after I put him in, but he's awake now and just relaxing. I put some toys on the tray, and he keeps staring at them trying to figure out what to do with them. So cute!

Whitnee came to visit!

My sister Whitnee came to visit a couple of weeks ago. For her 25th birthday her hubby bought her a plane ticket to come home for a week. Thanks Derrick! We had a fun visit! We had a family reunion with everyone but Hailee. :(


I picked her up at the airport on Thursday, and took along our nephew, Gideon. He was a big help with her bag! =)

We spent the weekend in Wichita with our parents and brother, then her last day back here in KC since she was flying out early Wednesday am. Ash, Whit, the 3 kids and I went to Crown Center Mall in downtown KC. It was fun to walk around the shops. We went to the Hallmark Museum while there as well--apparently Hallmark is based out of KC. It was fun! They had a couple of machines demonstrating how they make the cards and ribbons. They also had a fun camera screen that put hats on whoever was standing in the picture, and e-mailed the pics to us.

It was hard getting a hat on Hampton since he's so little, and by the time we did he was not a happy camper. haha... and I was a bit frazzled too.

Like all good things, Whit's visit had to come to an end, and she had to go home. It was sad to see her leave, but I can't wait until she's back for Thanksgiving! (Wish Hailee could make it for that too.)

Teaching Hampton...

Shaun and I are very enthusiastic about teaching Hampton all we can--even at this young age!

First Stats Lesson--age 4 weeks. It's very important that he learn all advanced math skills as early as possible so he can do good in school and get a great job like daddy, and have his own office (daddy still working on that part) with a big, comfy chair like this one!

Hampton has to learn to work and do his part around the house. Here daddy is teaching him to feed and take care of his "sister" Lightening... our guinea pig. (Age 4 or 5 weeks)

First Boxing Lesson (age 7 weeks)--He needs to know how to protect himself and his future sibblings from any bullies on the playground!


There's alot more he's learning right now--like potty training, etc. By the end of the day he's absolutely POOPED with all the learning, and likes to kick back and rest in his swing. (First time in his swing, and I think he like it! haha--Age 7 weeks)

Parenthood is so fun!

Family meeting Hampton

It's so nice to have family close! Heather & Robert and Ashlee & Jared came to visit us in the hospital! It got kinda lonely after a while with just us, so we were grateful for the company!

Aunt Heather and Uncle Robert
Aunt Heather (I love this pic!)
Aunt Ashlee

Uncle Jared

Grandma's and Grandpa's (and Uncle Dustee) were all able to come up the weekend after Hampton was born. It was so fun! It's nice to only be a few hours from them too!

Grandma Joan and Grandpa Doug:

3 Generations

Yaya Micki, Papa Drew, and Uncle Dustin: Cousin Gideon and Cousin Ella

HAMPTON BARRATT SMITH is BORN!

Hampton Barratt Smith was born on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 4:31pm. After a long 22 hours of labor I was finally able to hold him in my arms instead of my ribs! Keep reading for full story...

I went to the doctor on Monday afternoon (August 15, 2011) for a second stress test on the baby since he was already 9 days late. The doctor did a check-up on me as well to see if I had dialated any further than the .5cm I was at the week previuosly, but no dice. We went home a little depressed that nothing was happening.

My water broke at 6:45pm that night. (What?! An hour ago the doc said there were no signs of anything happening anytime soon. Crazy!)We arrived at the hospital about 7:45pm, checked in, and were settling in and having IVs put in by 8:30pm. It was a long, lonely, boring night with no progression. By 11:00pm I was still at a 1, and only at a 3 by 7:00am Tuesday.

Summary of what happened:
Goal 1: No Amniotomy--- Water broke on its own (check!)
Goal 2: No Pitocin--- Had to get it about 16 hours in to help progression (alternative was C/S) (no)
Goal 3: No Epiural--- Got one at a 7 (almost 8) to help relax and move things along (no)
--Went from 7-9 1/2 in 20 mins
Goal 4: No C-Section--- Baby born vaginally at 4:31pm on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 (check!)
Goal 5 (most important): Healthy Baby--- After laying on my belly for a few seconds the nurses had to rush Hampton to the incubator to do tests to check for infecion. He was given a couple of antibiotics through an IV for a couple of days to be sure he wouldn't get sick. (poor guy was stuck so many times with needles puttingin IVs and testing blood) They did a 12 and 24 hour culture to check for infection, and everything came back negative. (check!)

I was released to go home by Dr. Peck (my OBGYN) on Thursday, but Hampton wasn't released by Dr. DeRoo (pediatrician) until Friday because they were still waiting on lab results from the 24 hour culture. We were able to rent the room out for the night so we could stay with him and feed him at night.

I'm not the biggest fan of hospitals at all, but Olathe Medical has a really nice birthing center! The staff was terrific in helping us with anything we needed, and taught us alot about caring for our newborn. The rooms were really nice too! All Labor, Delivery, Postpartum, Recovery meaning that I delivered in the same room I recovered in. After delivery they wheeled the delivery bed out and a queen-sized murphy bed came down from the wall. Shaun was able to stay with me the entire time, and we were able to really bond those first few moments and days as a family after Hampton was born.

We're all home and everyone is doing great! See pictures below...

First Family Photo
Hampton Barratt Smith

8lbs, 10.3oz, 21" long

Happy, Tired Mommy!

Proud Daddy! First BathGoing Home (FINALLY!)