BIRTH Day!

I haven't been on the computer in almost two weeks because...

We have been super busy with our brand new baby girl!

Riley Renee Kelly Smith was born on 1/22/15 at 8:27am via csection and she weighed exactly 7 pounds and measured 19.02 inches long.

This is her birth story:

It started the week before, on the 13th.  I went to the doctor for an ultrasound to see if she had tried to turn at all (she'd been breech pretty much my whole pregnancy) and if not, how much fluid and space she had so that the doctor could determine if it was safe to try an external version.  She was still very breech and running out of room and her fluid was low.  The doc asked me if I wanted to schedule the section for Friday the 16th, but the panic on my face made him back up and he decided that he would see me again on Thursday the 15th for a Non Stress Test and we would go from there.  Well, we passed the NST and he did another ultrasound and we ultimately decided that her fluid looked like it was enough to let her grow another week. We scheduled the csection for Thursday the 22nd and he said he wanted to see me one more time before surgery, so I made my last pregnant appointment for Tuesday the 20th.  

Mom and I came home and prepared everything with help from Tori and then it was a waiting game.  We made the trip to Greenville to Babies R Us to get a head support for her carseat and we shopped around for Valentine's Day outfits and over the weekend mom went to visit dad in SC. I got the call with my times on Friday the 16th and the scheduling nurse said my pre op registration would be Wednesday at noon and my surgery would be Thursday at 12:30pm.  

We went to my doctor's appointment on Tuesday and he said that it would just be crazy to make me wait until after lunch, so he moved the surgery time to 7:30, I signed all the paperwork, and my nerves kicked into overdrive.  The next day I was a ball of nerves during the pre op registration and meeting with anesthesia and I was just very nervous and even a little upset.  The thought of having this surgery and being awake scared me so much that I forgot to think about the excitement of meeting my daughter.

Wednesday evening Jordan's family came in and so we met them and had dinner but I was so preoccupied I don't even really remember what we talked about that afternoon.

Thursday morning I was up at 3am.  We had to be at the hospital by 5, so I showered with the surgery soap and my mom straightened my hair, my dad made a video of me and then we left the house before 4:30.  At the hospital they had me change into the gown and got my IV started and hooked me up to the monitor, all the while I am a nervous wreck just staring at Jordan and wishing they had let my mom come back too. Finally after I was hooked up to the fluids they let Jordan go get my mom and dad and they sat with me a while before rotating so everyone could come in and see me before surgery.  First it was mom and dad, then Jessica and Michaila, then Nanny and Savannah, then Tori and Madison, then my grandma, and then mom and Jordan came back and my OR nurse gave them their surgery outfits and they got ready and things got real.  It was 7:30.  We were just waiting for Dr. Marzbani.

My OR nurse, Kendra, was amazing.  She had a lot of blue makeup and looked a little intimidating, but looks really are deceiving.  She unhooked my IV and walked us to the OR, and showed mom and Jordan where to wait.  She and I went into the room and it was FREEZING! She helped me onto the table and got me a warm blanket and a pillow to hug, and she held my shoulders and answered all my questions while I came pretty close to a panic attack. The anesthesia team came in and a really nice lady, Dr Pelligrini, did my spinal.  The location number felt like a bee sting, but I barely felt the actual spinal go in.  My toes got hot and I felt the heat go all the way to my chest and then Kendra and the team laid me down. I remember my ankle really felt like it needed popping and no one would help me pop it and my leg would not move. That was a strange feeling because I was aware of my legs, but I could not move them at all.  As they were hanging the drapes Kendra put my catheter in and the anesthesia nurse got my oxygen going and someone brought in mom and Jordan.  I guess that's when everyone else came in as well because when I looked up I could see Mrs Tammy, the awesome practitioner that admitted me when I was dehydrated after my gallbladder attack in December, I could see the top of Dr. Marzbani's head, and Kristina, the doctor he is training, and an older nurse whose name I believe was Lucy that had gotten the instruments out for the team and had come into my pre op observation and told me she had csections and everything would be ok.  Kendra told me that too and it really was comforting to know that these women watch and assist with these surgeries and have been the patient as well.  For a moment everything in the room was calm and quiet.  My blood pressure must have dropped and I had to really focus to breathe, so the anesthesia nurse raised my head a little and gave a blood pressure med through my IV, and then Jordan sat beside me and held my hand, and mom stood behind my head, and it began.

Dr. Marzbani asked if I felt anything sharp and when I said no he made the incision.  He called first cut at 8:23 and four minutes later my angel was born. It was a long four minutes, though.  One of the nurses told me that she was pooping and peeing on the doctor, and then I heard him say that she had run out of fluid, and then I heard him telling her to cry for me, and then she did.  She cried and so did all of us.  Mom grabbed my face and said she loved me, and I looked up at Jordan and he was crying too and then the doctor said that her time of birth was 8:27 and someone held her up like Simba and I looked at her for a second and then they took her to wrap her up and do her weight and length and soon they brought her around handed her to Jordan and I got to really look at her for the first time.  Shortly after that the nursery team took Riley and mom and Jordan to the nursery and she got her first bath and her bloodwork and her Hep B shot while the OR team finished up with me.

When everything was finished, Kendra and some of the other nurses put me back on my bed and took me back to the observation room.  She kept coming and checking on me and brought me some ice chips, and finally she brought me my baby and they took us both to our regular postpartum room around 10.  We were in room 806.  Soon after we were settled, Jordan came in.  We had a few minutes as a family and then everyone who had been there waiting came in to see us.  I am very blessed to be able to say I felt great.  I was in no pain and that night I had my favorite nurse, Julie.  She had taken care of me during my 24 hour stay in December.  I was so happy to see her and she was the one who took care of me that first night and took my catheter out and helped me get up for the first time after surgery.  She is such an amazing nurse. Our hospital stay was comfortable and the day before we were discharged I was up and pushing Riley around the unit in her bassinet cart and we ran into Dr. Marzbani.  He stopped and played with her and asked how I was and said we looked great and I thanked him.

At my post op follow up we saw Dr. Marzbani and Kristina.  She came in first and checked my incision and took my ties out and then when he came in she wanted to show him my incision.  Come to find out I was the first patient she got to finish the closure on, and he said she did such a wonderful job she should look into plastic surgery.  I said that earned her a spot in our picture and so she and Dr. Marzbani held Riley and we took this picture that will mean the world to me for the rest of my life.  I was scared beyond belief and I trusted them to perform this surgery and safely deliver my baby and keep me safe too and they did it. <3

We are now 10 days post op, so Riley is 10 days old.  Being home has been great! She's had a few visitors and she had her first doctor visit with Dr. Vurlicer on Thursday.  She did great and is the picture of health. Friday was her first recreational outing; we went to lunch with her grandparents and great grandparents on Jordan's side.  Yesterday there were a couple of firsts.  I left her for the first time with my grandparents. They had help from Savannah and it was for less than 2 hours, but I must say after all this time they have still got it! Last night was her first night in the crib.  We moved back to our room after spending the whole first week in the living room.  I sent a monitor upstairs with my mom and dad just in case, but we did really well. She was up every two hours, but I did get some sleep and when she woke up around 6 my mom got her and I was able to sleep until 9:30.  I am loving being a mom and Jordan is an amazing dad.  We are absolutely in love and everything we went through to get to this point has been more than worth it.  

Here is our little girl Friday while I was getting her ready to go.  I sure do love her.  <3

Celebrity News and Updates

I am still keeping up with the pregnant celebs and the celebrity deaths that are happening during my pregnancy.  These are the latest updates:

There's a death I have to talk about first.  Christine Cavanaugh. This woman voiced two of my favorite childhood characters, Babe the pig and Chuckie Finster of the Rugrats.  I was devastated to learn of her passing at just 51 years old on 12/22/14.  Her cause of death wasn't released...


Pregnancies and Births:

Maci Bookout from Teen Mom is pregnant again and rumors are it's a girl!

Zoe Saldana is expecting twin boys.

Blake Lively is pregnant with her first.

Alicia Keys had baby #2 on 12/27/14.  He is a boy and she named him Genesis Ali Dean

Shakira is expecting #2!

Jessica Biel is pregnant! With Justin Timberlake! Aww!

Milla Jovovich pregnant with baby #2.

Coco Rocha, baby #1.

Liv Tyler with baby #2!

Vanessa Lachey, baby #2!

Ali Larter, baby #2.

Beverly Mitchell, baby #2!

Isla Fisher, baby #3!

Kiera Knightley, baby #1.

Ashlee Simpson, baby #2!

Cobie Smulders, baby #2.

Emily Deschanel, baby #2.

Sara Gilbert, baby #3!

Kourtney Kardashian had baby #3 on her oldest's birthday, 12/14/14.  It's a boy! Reign Aston Disick.

Kristen Bell welcomes baby #2 on 12/19/14, Girl, Delta Bell Shepard.

Gaby Hoffmann gives birth to a daughter, Rosemary, on 11/19/14

Hayden Panettiere welcomes Kaya Evdokia on 12/9/14

Jimmy Fallon and wife welcome Frances Cole on 12/3/14




I'm excited to keep track and see how many celeb babies are born around the same time as my little girl.  <3

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Last night was a great night.  We stayed in and watched New Year's Rockin' Eve and had popcorn and did some crafts.  Mom and dad came home from SC and overall it was just a really nice night at home.

This week mom has been hanging out with dad at his campsite where he stays when he is out of town at work.  She said the camper life wasn't too bad but she did fall asleep with pink hair dye in her hair and so she rang in the new year with raspberry colored hair.  I have a picture of her that I will show Riley later to prove that sometimes her Gemma really is a crazy lady! We love her all the time anyway.

Savannah has been sick off and on for a while and so Tori and I finally decided to take her to the doctor after my appointment on Tuesday.  My appointment went well, while I'm on that subject.  I was referred to a dermatologist for a rash and itch I have developed, but the baby is great and I am on weekly appointments from now until delivery! Anyway, back to Savannah.  We took her to the doctor and come to find out, in a 1 in 100 chance, she has strep throat. Even without tonsils. Poor kid.  Shes on an antibiotic for the next 10 days and hopefully after that she will be good as new! Right in time for my baby shower.

Grandma and I went to Aunt Wanda's yesterday to get all of the shower stuff together and it's really coming along great! I am so excited.  It's only 9 days away now!

We are getting closer and closer to having our baby girl and I couldn't be more excited.  I can't wait to see what she looks like live and in color and hold her in my arms and dress her in all her cute little tiny baby clothes.  I have always wanted to have a daughter.  <3

Remembering December

This post is going to be a little recap of our month and probably my last post of this year.


Since my last post we have been busy with holiday activities and visitors and even a hospital stay for yours truly...

My last post was on the 9th, so I will start this one on the weekend of the 12th..


That weekend was my mom and dad's anniversary.  The girls were sick, but I still kept them together at our house and we did arts and crafts and homemade gifts and took some pictures and it all turned out okay until Jordan and I started to get sick.  By the end of the weekend I had decided I better get checked out in case I had strep throat or something similar that would require an antibiotic.  My strep test came back negative, but the doctor I saw still prescribed a zpack and promethazine.  I took my first doses and had a good night's sleep just in time for Jordan's family to arrive in town on the 16th.  They came by and picked us up and we headed to Smithfield for what was supposed to be a night of shopping and food.  I had a doctor's appointment that afternoon and it went really well, and things were going ok that night too.  We went to bed and I woke up at 3:30 am feeling like I was being stabbed in the back through my chest.  I fought the pain for two hours before finally going in to the hospital.  After being on the monitors in L&D and discovering that the baby was fine, I was sent to ER.  There I was diagnosed with gallstones.  The next day I followed up with my doctor and it was decided I would be induced or have a cesarean a week early to deliver Riley so that I could recover and my body could go back to normal and I will be having surgery to remove my gallbladder 3-6 weeks after Riley is born.  At that appointment it was also discovered that I was dehydrated, so I was admitted and did 24 hours in the hospital. Not fun.

After all that drama we had our family dinner with the Underwoods at Parker's on the 19th.  I didn't eat since I'm on a bland diet now and I was fresh out of the hospital, but it was still nice to see everyone.

The next week flew by with Christmas preparations and cleaning up.  Riley's furniture was also finally ready to be picked up and we worked on the nursery which is turning out great!   My mom and I spent all day Christmas Eve shopping and baking and wrapping and it was all a success.  We had a great Christmas.

Now I am addressing baby shower invites.  The shower is the second weekend in January and before we know it after that our baby will be here.  <3

Pictures, Programs, and Parades!

Since my last post we have been on the go! With Christmas fast approaching, this family has no time to slow down.  Savannah has had two more chorus performances, we went to the Goldsboro Christmas Parade, and I finally got maternity photos done!

There has also been some very sad news for our family.  Our family dog, Girl, passed away on December 1st.  She was outside and wandered off and, while we were looking for her to help her find her way home, she was hit by a car.  The impact itself didn't kill her, and we were able to get her home, but her injuries along with all of her other health issues were too much for her and she spent her last minutes with her head in my mom's lap and finally took her last breath with me sitting beside her.   Girl was a 9 year old Boxer and had been a member of our family for the past 2-3 years.  We loved her very much and will miss her terribly, but I know that she was very sick and very tired and now she isn't anymore.

In happy news, we got to see our baby girl again! I had a growth ultrasound at my last doctor's appointment. According to the scan, our girl is measuring 9 days ahead of schedule and already weighs around 4.2 pounds.  She hasn't turned yet to prepare for birth, but she has a few more weeks, so I'm not too worried. If she hasn't turned by my 35 week visit, I will be nervous.  I am really hoping to avoid a c-section.

In celebrity news, Josh and Anna Duggar have recently announced they are expecting #4! Also Kyle and Samantha Busch shared that their little bundle is a boy! I just think it's fun to keep up with these celebrity pregnancies.  :)

We had a great time this weekend.  Friday we went shopping and to lunch with my grandma, and Saturday we did the maternity photos and the Christmas parade.  It was fun to see my friends, Beth and Majesty, in the parade.  They both were so excited to see me there watching and smiled so big! It's awesome to me that, even though they have seen big cities and been on national TV, they are excited to see their hometown friends.

Yesterday was a good day too.  I went to my mommy class and shared Chic-fil-A with friends, and Jordan took some career tests at the college, and then we went to the PTO program at Savannah's school.

It's hard to believe that Christmas is only a little over two weeks away.  Time is really flying by...



Oh! And I almost forgot to share that we had a nice Thanksgiving at my grandparents'! We watched the Macy's parade and the dog show and enjoyed a nice meal, and then mom and I spent all night shopping with her friend, Kim.  It seems like that was FOREVER ago...

Anyway, until I get another minute....

Updates on Our Life!

The past week has been so busy! I am doing all I can to keep up! I really don't want to get behind on any of Riley's stuff, like this blog or her journal or her calendar, all the things I have been doing for her.

That being said, I wanted to make sure to do a post here before the holidays!

In the past week we have: scheduled maternity photos, had my 28-29 week doctor visit, had a day out with Jordan's grandparents, began to re-open communication with his parents and sister, attended a party with my old friends from chorus, and attended Savannah's first chorus performance.

It might not sound like a lot, but when you are pregnant and tired, a few events can feel like a marathon or a mountain climb!

The week before last we did some fun things too, like attending the elementary school carnival with Savannah.  We took Dalton with us too and the kids really had a fun time.

My maternity photos are scheduled for December 6th.  I am very excited about these pictures! I'm getting really big now and rounding out and time is running out for my pregnancy! We are so anxious to hold our baby girl.

At my last appointment I learned that I suddenly have low iron, so I'm on iron tablets now, and there's a good chance that I will be induced a week early to ensure the doctor I have requested for delivery.  If this happens it means we will be induced January 27th or 28th, which is creepy because Jordan has been saying for months that we would have her on the 27th...

After my appointment this past Tuesday, Jordan's grandparents met us for lunch.  It was really nice to see them after a few months and we had a great afternoon.  They brought a ton of clothes for Riley and his parents sent us a miniature pack-n-play bassinet for her and a good supply of bathing products.  We have since been communicating with his mom again, which is a big step after all of the mess that happened between us.

Last night was the talent show at my old high school.  They do one every year, and this year my sister got to be in it! It was her first performance with the elementary chorus and it was adorable! Before the show, we got to attend a really special party for all of the graduated students.  It was so great to see my friends again and hold their babies and and hear about how they are all doing and it just really made me happy to know that distance and time cannot break true friendship.


Life isn't slowing down anytime soon.  Tomorrow we are going to a baby shower for a little angel who is due to arrive just two days before our sweet girl.  After that it will be time to start preparing for Thanksgiving and then Christmas already.  I can't believe how fast time is flying by and that in about 10 weeks we will have a baby.


I can't leave a post without a celebrity update, so this one is..... Hayden Panitierre is pregnant.  Apparently WAY pregnant, and I missed the memo earlier.  Haha.


Until I find my way back to the laptop!

News and Updates!

This will be a quick, bullet-point post.

In celebrity news:

-Kendra had her baby girl! Named Alijah
-Kyle and Samantha Busch are pregnant!
-Eric McClure and wife are expecting baby #6, announced by doing a "Let It Go" parody with their 5 girls!
-Carrie Underwood is having a boy!
-Jill Duggar Dillard is having a boy!
-Forgot to say these before, but Snooki and JWOWW both had girls this year. (Giovanna and Meilani)


Our personal updates:

-I am officially in the third trimester!
-Our girl is doing great!
-Last two appointments with OBGYN were great!
-4D ultrasound was amazing!
-Nursery is coming right along!
-Savannah turned 11 this month!
-Halloween was fun, Madison and Savannah were a 50's girl and Maleficent, I was a pumpkin.
-My bladder hates me.
-Riley moves A LOT



We are doing really well and getting very busy in preparation for the holidays, our baby shower, and the arrival of our little girl! Time is flying by these days, but I am trying to keep up on this blog, even if it is little posts like this!