Why I'm Running

As some of you may know, Jeremy and I have committed ourselves to running our first 5K in May.  We started "training" last week and have accomplished little goals.  I ran a little in college, but that was mainly because I knew when the boys basketball team was practicing/working out and that was when I would go. 

Sometimes I think people believe that the only reason a person would run or lift weights or exercise at all is to lose weight.  I'm a fan of "The Biggest Loser" but even that is focused more on losing weight, with a little eating right and lifestyle changes thrown in.  So, I thought it would be good for me to write about why I'm doing this so I can go back and read it later when things get tough.

1. My husband asked me to. - I know that doesn't seem like a good reason, but if he wouldn't have asked, I would never have considered it.  And, since his goals are to run this 5K, get in shape, and lose weight, I feel like this is the best way to support him.  I have found that this has been a good conversation topic as well.  Sometimes we exhaust the topics of work, kids, work, kids, bills, work, etc.  Running has become something we can talk about that builds our personal relationship.  The times we can go together are good too, but not a must.  He runs with music and I like quiet time so it works.

2.  Lose weight and tone. - Yes, I said it.  I would like to lose a few pounds.  If I'm running/walking 3-4 times a week, I think it's ok to have this as a goal. Yes, for all of you thinking it, I know I am NOT FAT!!  My body fat percentage (whatever it's called) is normal, etc, etc. I am not obsessed with the number.  I am 10 years and 2 kids past that!  I am more concerned with how my clothes fit.  Ok, now I'm done with that subject.

3. My kids need me. - I am blessed with two small children under the age of 2.  Langston has so much energy and is ALL boy, so he needs (both of us) to play with him and run around and be silly.  Lakyn will be that too, I'm sure.  And, even if their energy level decreases, the example I am setting will carry them throughout their life.  I don't expect either of my children to be super athletes (if they are, fine, if not, okay) but I do want them to know that their body is important and know how to take care of it. Anyone who knows me should not question that I value their spiritual body over the physical, but I don't want their physical body to hinder their spiritual work.  I feel like I am in charge of their spiritual, mental, emotional, AND physical well-being and staying active and healthy is a way to take care of their physical well-being.

4.  Finish a goal. - Sometimes I set a goal and never finish it.  This 5K is a good way for me to work on that.  The Bible compares our life to a spiritual race.  We are racing towards a goal, heaven, and only those who finish this life in a righteous state will receive the prize.  I think setting my mind on finishing this 5K will be practice for keeping my mind on the spiritual goal.

That's it.  That's the list.  I briefly mentioned that I liked walking/running in just silence.  That has been a side benefit to all of this, getting some time just for myself.  That makes me a better wife, mother, and teacher.  Now, if future Blythe is reading this because it's gotten "too hard" or "there's no time", I would tell you to "suck it up" and get out there!  "If it were easy, everyone would do it", etc, etc.  If you can't do it for yourself, do it for Jeremy, Langston, and Lakyn!

Langston + Lakyn



I have to admit, I was worried that we had not done an adequate job preparing Langston for the new baby.  But, I had no real idea of how to do that.  We read him a Little Critters book that showed the parents bringing home a new baby girl and the big brother helping.  When my tummy got big enough, he would point to it and we would say, "Baby Sister." Thankfully, he was more prepared than we expected!

Mamaw and Chief (Jeremy's parents) brought Langston to visit us in the hospital and, to a mother, the moment they met was "magical."  I was holding Lakyn and he came in, waved to everyone, and then noticed me and the baby in the bed.  He came over and wanted to sit with me, so he got up on the bed and just stared, in awe, of Lakyn.  He would point to her, rub her back, and even gave her a kiss on the head.  It was a moment I will never forget!

It's been 8 weeks since that first moment and Langston still loves "Baby" so, so much!  He HATES hearing her cry.  Sometimes if I can't get to her quickly, he will go over to where she is laying and put her pacifier back in or say, "No, no, baby. Shhhh."  Just the other day, Jeremy was holding her and she got hungry (so she got fussy) and Langston called out, "Mommy! Mommy!" because he knows it's my job to feed her.  When we go somewhere and people ask about his baby sister he will go over to the carseat and point to her.  He wants to sit by us and "hold" her.  When he enters a room he says, "Hey baby!" or leaves a room, "Bye baby!" If she's laying on the couch he will come over, lean in real close, and give and sweet hug or kiss.  Only a few times have I had to keep him from hugging too tightly.  I think it's the boy in him to just be a little rough, but it breaks his heart if he thinks he hurt her. 

And what does Lakyn think about Langston?  Well, from what we can tell, she adores him as well.  She perks up when she hears his voice.  She follows him with her eyes when he's close by.  I think she already knows he is there and will protect her.

I grew up with all girls so I don't know the dynamic of brothers and sisters.  From what I've seen so far, it is going to be a very special relationship.  I know they will argue and fight, but I have a feeling they will be best of friends.  He will protect her and she will tell him when he's not thinking straight!

I was anxious about them being so close in age, but for their relationship I think it will only make them closer.  Whatever we have to deal with as parents while they are little is worth the friendship they will have.

There have been many moments of just pure, sweet love and it makes my heart smile knowing he loves her and she loves him.

Stone and mortar

House: a building for human habitation; especially one meant for a family or small group of people.

 

This weekend I went to DeFuniak and gathered some belongings out of my Granny's house that I had left when I moved to Demopolis.  We (our family) refers to it as Granny B's house even though Granny moved to Geneva several years ago.  Now Granny has decided it's time to sell it.  So, the family is honoring that and getting things ready.  Of course, the person that I am, as I was walking through the house and looking back at old pictures, my mind overflowed with memories...

You see, I did a LOT of growing up in that house!  Since we lived in the same town, my family would eat many dinners with PawPaw and Granny B.  I remember spending holidays with my mom's family there.  I don't know when we started doing it, but the tradition was to spend New Years' Day at PawPaw and Granny's house eating black-eyed peas.  I still see PawPaw "sopping" up the juice with his cornbread or biscuit.

 

When I started school, the bus would drop me off at Granny's house and mom or dad would pick us up when they got off work.  Granny would always let us eat a snack, usually cake, and those of you who've had Granny's 7-layer chocolate cake, know what a treat that was!  But, if we wanted anything else, Granny would do the best she could to get it for us!  PawPaw was usually at the courthouse (he liked to just sit and watch cases) or going to get an ice cream cone from McDonald's or working in the garden.

 

I learned numerous lessons!  Not to run under the scuponon(sp?) vine, because that was barbed wire and it would scratch your back all up!  That when there's only one piece of cake left and you and your sister wanted it, the fair way to split it was for one to cut and the other chooses which piece they get! I also can tell you which "branch" of the bush hurts less when Granny tells you to "go pick a switch." 

 

PawPaw singing hymns....sleepovers....hide and seek....shelling peas and shucking corn....eating collard greens and fried cornbread...PawPaw feeding me hogs head cheese on crackers...seeing PawPaw in the hospital bed by the window...etc, etc, etc.

 

But, you see, the story of that house for me doesn't end with Granny and PawPaw living there.  After college, I moved back home.  I lived with my mom and dad for a few months, but then Granny B remarried and moved.  She graciously allowed me to make it my first "home."  I did a lot of growing up those almost five years as well.  I learned what it took to manage a home.  Started my teaching career. I grew as an adult, making adult choices (good or bad).  For a long time, I imagined buying the house and property and turning it into my family home....getting married, bringing home babies there, etc.  However, God had other plans for my life and for the house.

 

I may never walk into that house again.  That could be sad, but instead I am grateful. Grateful for the memories and the foundation for our family that my grandparents laid.  You see, they were and are deeply rooted in the Word of God and raised a family knowng that this world is not our home.  As the song says, we are just apassin' through and our treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.  So, losing the house or anything inside is not a sad occassion. 

 

For me, the house is not made up of stone and mortar anymore, it is made of memories and lessons I will take with me forever. 

 

 

Becoming Mother Blythe....again :-)

"Once, I was my mother's daughter. Now I am my daughter's mother."

-Lisa Gardner

 

Sunday, December 22nd (pm): I started having contractions and they became serious enough for me to think I needed to go to the hospital. So we went to Tuscaloosa. 

 

Monday, December 23rd (am): Traveled back to Tuscaloosa because my contractions had started again and my back pain was unbearable!

 

Monday, December 23rd (pm): Pain medicine from my trip to Tuscaloosa wore off and the back pain returned, along with nausea. So, we went straight to ER in Demopolis.  Turned out I had an infection that was causing so much pain it was also causing contractions. 

 

Thankfully, we got that under control in time to enjoy Christmas with Langston!  I am thankful for the breaks my job affords, but I realized this about myself during that week, I don't do well with "free" time, especially when I'm anticipating something as big as the birth of a baby!  I believe that if I had still been working every day, I may not have experienced some of those anxious moments.  What do they say about "idle hands"? Anyway....

 

Monday, December 30th: Jeremy and I went to our doctor's appointment. Honestly, we were kind of hoping we would hear that I had progressed so far that we'd be able to have a baby before the years' end (can you say tax credit??).  No such luck.  I was holding at 3 cm.  So, the Dr scheduled us to come in on the 7th for an induction.  Sounded good to me.  I like a plan!  So, my mom went on back home and we were all just holding till the 7th. 

 

December 31st, New Years Eve: Jeremy and I decided that we would do our big grocery shopping trip in preparation for the next few weeks (and I had to get my customary sparkling white grape juice to ring in the New Year!)! Well, a long trip walking around Wal-Mart apparently worked wonders...

I started feeling contractions while we were in Wal-Mart but much more once we got home.  Well, I just kept monitoring it, but I was able to sleep through the night. 

 

January 1st, New Years' Day:

 

8:00 am-I started experiencing the contractions more and more frequently.  In my mind, I was thinking how I really wanted to make sure this was it because it would be embarassing to make another trip to the hospital and I didn't want my parents to travel 4 hours again for "nothing."  The contractions progressively got worse and worse and it was apparent that these were the real deal!  Jeremy wanted to go ahead and call his parents at 1:00 so that they could come sit with Langston.  I said I wanted to wait till 3:30 to call anyone. 

 

2:45 pm- Good thing he didn't listen to me.  He went ahead and called his mom to come over. My mom had called him, so he told her we were headed to hospital. 

 

3:15 pm-The plan was to wait for his mom to get there, but I couldn't wait any longer, the pain was so bad, so a church member came to stay with Langston until his mom got there.

 

4:00 pm- We leave for Tuscaloosa. If we had waited any longer, I would've had Lakyn by the side of the road!  All the way I was contracting every 3-4 minutes.  I was screaming, pulling, squeezing Jeremy's hand, anything I could do.  I kept repeating to myself that these end, these end! I knew I had at least a few minutes between each one to "relax" and breathe.  So, that's what I did while Jeremy got us to the hospital in 50 minutes (that's with a short stop for gas).  It's usually an hour and 15 or 30 minute drive. 

 

4:50 pm-Since it was a holiday, we had to go through the ER, and I didn't know how I was gonna talk to those nurses, but they got the point and we bypassed the admitting desk and they wheeled me right up!

 

5:00 pm-I had to help getting into the bed and getting into hospital gown because of the contractions.  First thing I asked was "Can I go to the bathroom?" and the second thing was "When can I get an epidural?" The nurses' answer (Brittany) to both was, "I have to check you first." *A nice surprise was that Brittany had been our nurse when Langston was born as well!* When she did she said, 7 cm!!  I was shocked I had made that much progress!

 

5:30ish pm-Anesthesiologist comes in to ask all sorts of questions and warn me about side effects, all the while I'm thinking, "Just give me the drugs woman!" Jeremy asked at what point it's "too late" and Brittany said either when I'm 10 cm or can't sit still.  I was like, "Oh, I can sit still!"

 

5:40ish pm-Anesthesiologist comes in and after several attempts (and me sitting as still as possible), they cannot get the port and medicine in a good spot.  I start to taste copper so they know the epidural has gotten into my bloodstream.  Brittany tells them she needs to check me again.

 

6:00ish pm-Brittany checks me, I'm fully dialated and my water breaks in the process. There is merconium, so immediately Brittany calls for Dr. Mentel (*who delivered Langston, also a nice surprise!*) and NICU.  I don't process the fact that she said NICU, but I can't tell by her tone and the rushing around that something is happening.  Jeremy told me later that he was getting kind of emotional and worried at that time because they worry that the baby has ingested some of that merconium and if I don't deliver quickly, they will have to do a C-section. 

 

I keep screaming that I can't do it, that I need the medicine....etc, etc.  Jeremy, God bless him, was trying to help me and kept saying, you can't get it now, you can do this, you have to, but I wasn't listening (or looking) at him!  But Brittany, God bless nurses, told me to look at her and repeated what Jeremy was saying and she was telling me to start pushing.  Dr. Mentel still had not made it to the room yet.

 

I push a few times and, let's just say, I knew the next time she was going to be here!  Dr. Mentel walks in the room, gets his scrubs on, I grab a fistful of Jeremy's shirt and push....

 

6:26 pm- Lakyn Blythe Smith enters the world at a healthy weight of 7 lbs, 12 oz and 19 3/4 inches! She doesn't have as much hair as Langston did and although she is only 5 oz lighter than Langston started at, she is much more petite.

 

 

 

No NICU (or, apparently, epidural) necessary! :-)

 

We are extremely blessed with two healthy children!  My recovery has been wonderful compared to last time.  I will write another blog about the interactions between Langston and Lakyn!

 



'Rapping up 2013

Okay,

I'm gonna give this a shot...wrapping our year up by rhyming! No promises!

We've had a....

  

house buyin'...

stuff packin'....

 

 

softball coachin'....

 

 

 party plannin'...

1st birthday havin'...

 

 

...surprise!!!...

 

road trippin'...

baseball parkin'...

 

 Langston schoolin'...

 

 

ChaCha cheerin'...

 

 

Volleyball coachin'...

Area 5 Winnin'...

 

 

 Pumpkin pickin'...

and carvin'...

 

 

Trick-or-treatin'...

 

Football watchin'...

Seminole cheerin'...

 

 Tree decoratin'...

Christmas celebratin'...

 

Baby awaitin'...

2013!

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

"And whatever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." -Colossians 3:17

Momma says...

<p>Today my mom told me, "Don't waste your time in guilt. Its a trick of the Devil." </p>
<p>She was telling me that because I was feeling guilt for how much Langston has been sick over the past several months. I tend to compare myself to other mothers, which is another trick of Satan. What I have to realize is that kids get sick for all sorts of reasons, mainly because they are kids and they are slowly or quickly exposed to germs, and most germs are brand new to them!

I say all that to say, I come from a line of strong, wise women. My Granny B and GG have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they are so willing to share and most of the time it comes from out of nowhere. And I have aunts that show such love and kindness with their children and grandchildren.

Included in that line is the woman who has had the most influence on me, and now I call my best friend. My mother. Wise, tactful, kind, loving. Yes, I know she had to go through all these lessons too, but when you're the child, you don't know the mother is just figuring it all out. I always say this, but it's because I really believe it to be true, she has all the answers. The answers may not be what I want to hear, but she has them. She reads the Bible faithfully and her answers are founded in the Scripture. Her life experiences and striving for more education give her that much more!

I want to be like her when I grow up. I want to know what to say to my kids when they ask questions or feel guilty or want to know how to treat others or deal with a certain situation.

Its appropriate that her birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year because I may be more thankful for her and all that momma says than ever!

Nearing the end...

As you all know, I am expecting Baby Smith #2 (aka Lakyn Blythe) the first week of January.  That means I cannot see my feet anymore, but I can see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

I am currently at 31 weeks, 2 days and fully into my third tri-mester.  Here are some thoughts on being pregnant a second time and nearing the end....

 

1. My second pregnancy has flown by!  I've even lost count a few times on what week I'm at.  I remember sitting and holding the test with the words "PREGNANT" glaring at me like it was yesterday. The most obvious reason it has seemed so quick is how busy our little family is.  From June till the end of October my focus has been on keeping up with a toddler and coaching high school volleyball (oh yeah, and working and keeping up with the household duties as best I could). 
2. I am not as well prepared for this little girl's arrival.  We don't have a crib yet (mainly because we are still trying to decide if she will use Langston's and he will move to a toddler bed, or not). Also, I know she will be fine in a bassinet for the first 3-4 months.  We haven't moved Langston into his new room, which means we haven't set up his current room as the nursery for her.  I don't have a stocked pile of diapers and wipes.  I don't have a lot of things. Thankfully, many wonderful friends and family members have handed down their girls' clothes, so we have PLENTY of those for at least the first 6 months of her life!

   
3. Physically, being pregnant a 2nd time hasn't been extremely different for me.  I got bigger earlier but have gained about the same amount of weight.  I was sick just like last time.  I failed my first glucose test and passed the 3 hour just like last time.  The really big difference is having to rush to the bathroom a lot more!  I don't know if it's because those muscles are weaker from the first pregnancy or where Baby Girl is sitting/hitting/kicking, but going to the bathroom 3-4 times a night is not fun!
4. Having a baby is ALWAYS a blessing!  However, I will say, our timing kinda stunk with this one!  Holidays being right before, during, or right after your due date is not "convenient."  Your families and friends are busier. Money is tighter. And when you're a teacher, you're maternity leave does not fall right before an extended break (like summer did with Langston). And, I keep thinking how she will have Christmas and her birthday back to back, and I don't know how much fun that is for a little kid.

   
5. Going through a first pregnancy is definitely a learning curve, which helps you in your second pregnacy because not EVERYTHING is unknown.  But, something that still is unknown (in a way) is how your delivery will go.  I still find myself getting nervous or anxious about labor and delivery.  I still think about the pain and discomfort.  I think about how the healing process will go.  I pray that our little baby will be delivered safely and will be just as healthy as we expect her to be. With Langston, the delivery was such a positive, life-changing experience, and I want the same with this one as well.

 

 

So, our little family is growing by the day!  I know I am looking forward to seeing how the dynamic changes with our new addition.  I know Jeremy will be wrapped around Lakyn's finger from minute 1.  I am certain Langston will fill his role as an older brother as well as any little boy can!  I grew up with all sisters, so I'm excited to see the brother/sister dynamic play itself out.  All the worries I could have about a new schedule, managing two instead of one, etc, etc, I know will subside as soon as she's here.  I think you just figure it out!