There's No Place Like Home

Dear Kansas,
You've been good to us, but it's time to go. Oklahoma has been calling our name since we moved to the Yellow Brick road state three years ago....almost to the date. We have had much happen to us here....
Brady and I got married while living in Kansas.
Brady graduated school while living in Kansas.
We had Case while living in Kansas.
We made many friendships, some that we will cherish for a lifetime.
Kansas brought us closer together. It stuck by us through some rough times and some wonderful moments.
We've often complained about living here but it's just because we missed our home....Oklahoma!
And now...we are going home. Home to create a home for ourselves with our little family. Home so our little Case can be with family instead of at daycare. Home where our hearts will grow. Home is and always will be Oklahoma. Sorry Kansas, but we must go...you understand.
So, as we click our ruby red slippers a few times, we head to Oklahoma with many memories left behind in Kansas.
Love,
The Smith Family

Belated Everything

I was in Oklahoma the first week of July and I'm just now updating the ol' blog. Here you go...

Case turned 2months old on July 4th! He is growing so fast....

I am very spoiled. I got a D40 Nikon for my birthday. I have said more then once that it is a beautiful camera. I LOVE IT! Thank you Brady.

Boom, Crackle, Pop

Enjoy the weekend with family and friends.

Eat some grilled hamburgers and fresh cucumbers.

Drink a corona or fresh lemonade.

Watch the kids dance around with sparklers.

Dive into cool water.

Wave a flag and....

Thank God we live in this country.

Have a fun and safe 4th!

Love to all~

CharlyGirl

Some Friday Cuteness

I have figured out that even if I am having a bad day, I can look at him and everything seems right with the world.

Momma Mia

The other night as I was trying to put Case down to sleep at 2am, it finally hit me. I'm his mom. I'm a mother. Oh my god, I gave birth and I am now responsible for a human life. This might have taken me some time to come to this realization, but with being sick after giving birth, I didn't seem quite adequate in the mommy department. But for some reason as I was holding Case in the quiet of the basement, I looked at him and figured out that I am his life and he is mine. That I will always be there to pick him up when he cries, hold his hand when he is scared or give him a smile when he is having a bad day AND I truly believe he will do the same for me.
The other day, I put on Facebook that I wanted to find my mommy groove. Well, I think I'm finally getting it....I'm finally figuring out that I'm a Mommy and for now that is all that matters.

Where is Samuel L. Jackson when I need him?

I sounded like Samuel L. Jackson from Snakes on a Plane on Saturday night. I dropped the F-Bomb more then once. I have always said that I'm more of a snake girl then a spider girl. Meaning....that I can handle seeing snakes more then I can handle being around spiders. Well, I LIED!
Case and I spent Saturday night in the bedroom watching TV, breastfeeding and eating the last of the Oreo's before I go on my "No more maternity jeans" diet. It was to say the least uneventful until I went to get the last Oreo. I came back in the bedroom and STEPPED on something. I thought it was the dogs tail but it couldn't be since they both were on the bed looking at me. I looked down and a freakin' snake slithered under my bed. I was in shock! I sat down my milk and cookies, grabbed Case (he was in his bouncy), yelled for the dogs and headed for the door. I was shaking, cussing and having a mild panic attack. Brady was at work and I didn't think he could c0me home early, so I called every friend (that I knew would be willing to come help me fight the snake) in Wichita and none of them were home. I finally called Brady hoping and praying he could come home early. He asked how big it was and of course I might have made it bigger then it really was, but I don't care if it was a long worm, I wanted it out of my house.
Brady comes home tears the bedroom upside down and NO SNAKE! I'm on the verge of packing up and heading to a hotel. After about an hour we decide it is hopeless that no snake will be found. Brady accuses me of taking LCD and seeing snakes floating around our house, but whatever...I know what I saw.
I then head into Case's room to put on his PJ's and guess what is in the middle of his bedroom floor....the FREAKIN' SNAKE! I don't know how it got past us, but it did. Brady of course figured out I found the snake and took a golf club to secure it. He picked it up with gloves and since it was not a poisonous snake he released it in the street. Was it as big as I said? No. But once again that is not the point, it was a snake and as far as I knew it was on a mad rampage and was going to eat my two doxies and baby for dinner.
So that is my lengthy snake story. I have went around all week thinking I see a slithering snake out of the corner of my eye....but no...it is usually a cord or Dixie's tail. I now have to say I'm more of a spider girl then a snake girl....a spider I can kill with a newspaper, snakes can be a little trickier.

"If I Ever Get Back to Oklahoma....

.....I'm going to nail my feet to the ground." That is how I'm feeling lately, I'm so ready to be back "home". Next Spring is not coming soon enough!

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure, they are from Case's first trip to Oklahoma!

Laughing, but with no sound coming out! Ain't it cute?!
Case and I enjoying the Sunday heat.
4wheelin' with Daddy....Momma was nervous the entire time.

A seafood boil....Oklahoma style.

It Wasn't in My Planner

I'm a planner, organizer, write everything down type girl. I planned my labor. I knew what would happen, but I didn't write it down in my planner so of course it all went to the birds....

Here is a reader's digest version of what I didn't plan.

They started inducing me on Sunday night with a nice thing called Cervidil. They put it up in your Cervix...you get the idea. By Monday morning nothing had happened. They started me on Pitocin to REALLY induce labor. The OB came in to check me (Brady was at breakfast) and all of a sudden she has popped out a knitting needle and is breaking my water. I did not expect it to happen so fast. She left and would check back in at noon. The pitocin really kicked in as far as giving me hellish contractions. They were piggy-backing each other....oh so painful. I wasn't quite ready for the epidural so I asked for a narcotic to get me by. Ha! It was a joke! It only lasted an hour and it caused Case's heartbeat to go way down. It went so low that at this time they started mentioning C-Section to me! The resident took me off the pitocin to relieve me of the contractions, but that also stopped any progress we were having with dilating. My OB comes in around noonish, puts me back on the pitocin and says I'm only at a 3! By this time I am in need of an epidural. There is more gross information in between all of this, but I'll spare you. The epidural guru comes in and gives me the wonder drug. OMG! I thought I was going to kiss this guy. I felt better immediately. I slept as much as possible, then another resident comes in and says I'm at a 5! Thank goodness! Around 5 o'clock my OB comes in, checks me out and she says I'm only at a 4! Well crap....she gives me two choices. C-section or laboring for another few hours to see if anything is going to happen. Her words were, "You can labor for a couple more hours but I'm still going to do a c-section because I seriously doubt anything will happen." Case's heartbeat was still somewhat low, he was facing the wrong way, he hadn't dropped nearly enough, I was spent from the already long day and it just wasn't worth spending more time if nothing was going to progress. It felt like as soon as I gave the OK for the c-section...five minutes later I was having my stomach cut open! I of course wasn't suppose to feel anything during the surgery but toward the end I was in a lot of pain. I refused any medicine until I heard him cry. Once he cried I went to la-la land and talked up a storm to whomever would listen. I talked about cupcakes, bacon, OSU...whatever. I also thought I had triplets when Brady brought me Case for the first time. I was so out of it, I was seeing THREE babies. Lord help me!

So, as you can see, it wasn't what I planned. I also didn't plan on getting an infection that made me feel like hell for two weeks. I'm on the mend from that now, but goodness....

I really wanted to pop him out, no drugs, nothing dramatic, take him home and everything be perfect. I've found out that life isn't planned, not everything has to be written down in my perfect green Franklin Covey planner. But my life is all the better regardless....just look at what they gave me at the hospital...I think I'll keep him.

What do the dogs think about Case?

Everyone has been asking me what do the dogs think of having Case in the family? Well, the pictures below should say it all....Dixie is the protector. She is usually not far from wherever Case is at. Sometimes she is a little too close.
Okie could care less about Case as long as she still gets her treats and nightly belly rub.

And here is just a little family shot. I still think I look half drugged.

Welcome to the World

He is here!
Case Killian
May 4, 2009
6:27 pm
8 lbs 4 oz
21 inches long

He is beautiful. He is wonderful. He is amazing. He is a blessing. Even though Monday was SCARY and PAINFUL....he was more then worth every single contraction and ache.

I will post pictures soon with more information on the day it happened.

Thanks for all your prayers! We felt them....

Ready or Not Here He Comes

I go to the hospital tomorrow to be induced. I will be one week over my due date on Monday. The OB said it would be better to induce then having him get bigger and then the higher chance of c-section.
So...we put our bags (that have been packed for over two weeks) into the truck, we pet the dogs goodbye (their lives are about to change as well) and we head to the hospital like it is just another appointment. Ok, I'm kind of starting to freak out. I'm going to the hospital to have a BABY! I know, I've had nine months to prepare, but when they give you a this is when we are doing it date, it just makes it so real. AND it will be real in no time. My life will change forever and I welcome that change. I think I'm just a little anxious, stressed, nervous, scared and excited out of my mind....all at the same time. Within a day, most likely two, I will be holding my child. The child I created with Brady. It's freaking amazing...
So next time I blog, you will probably see tons of pictures of little Case.
Wish us luck, send us good karma, give us pleasant thoughts, and please say a little prayer.
Thanks,
Momma Charly

Social Network Overload

I finally went and joined Facebook. It is addictive! I've spent the last hour and a half on there. Then I checked MySpace, then my email, now I'm on to checking blogs. It's like a job just keeping up with everyone, every message, every poke (still don't know what that is?). Craziness. My mind hurts, so I think I'll go read now or sleep. Maybe I should just sleep.

Update:
No baby yet...obviously. I'm all ready to go down there, I'm just not dilated or contracting. His due date is Monday, but I have a feeling he is going to show up late. Keep us in your prayers...

A Country Boy's Nursery

Mr. Case's Room: Please Enter

Okie, guarding the diaper area.
A friend from work made the mobile.
My sister found these old prints in an antique store. The spurs are my Dad's.
Love the Case Tractor Sign
Gotta have some Roy Rogers charm in the room.

Midnight Snow

Yes....it is midnight here in Kansas. Yes....it is snowing at midnight in Kansas. Yes....it is freakin' April 9th and it is snowing at midnight in Kansas. I had no idea that all in one day there could be a tornado spotted in my hometown, wild fires burning in the area I called home for a few years and snow in the town I currently reside in. AND I think it might be a full moon, go figure.

Waiting Game

I went to the OB on Wednesday and she pretty much told me it is now just a waiting game. Everyone is telling me Case will come early....because of how big I am. I don't think I'm THAT big, but who knows. I think he will be right on time, maybe not his due date (April 27th) but sometime that week. So for now, I'm enjoying a weekend with the parents, niece and nephew and waiting.....

Waiting patiently for their new playmate to arrive.

"Mom, will he ever be here. We are excited about all the food he will be dropping on the floor."

For Wendy

A dear friend of mine has been hounding me about posting pictures from as Candice would say, forty baby showers I had. I only had four, but they were all special. I already posted Newman pics, so here are some from the Wyandotte, Blackwell and OKC showers. Are you happy now, Wendy? I will hopefully post pics of the nursery very soon....I'm waiting for the curtains to go up, rocker to be in place and last few pictures to be hung. I want it to be perfect before I show it off.

By the way...if anyone is keeping track, I have four weeks left! It is getting closer!

My sister, Casey, did an awesome job on the diaper cake. She is such the country version of Martha.

The shirt says..."It's a tractor thing, you wouldn't understand." My bf from high school got us it and also a shirt that has the CASE tractor logo on it. Blackwell shower cake. Brady looks so excited to be there. Brady bringing in the loot from the OKC shower.

Proud parents of BABY CASE!

I want...

I saw this shirt on a couple girls in the latest Oklahoma Today magazine. Now I'm itching to own one. Hmmm...it might have to be my first post-pregnancy clothing buy. Until then I will settle on a Okie Grown sticker or magnet. Here I come Dwelling Spaces!

Snow!

Thursday I wore flip-flops and capris. Today I need a parka and gloves. It's snowing, the wind is blowing and it's very cold. Go figure....this little mama is ready for spring.

I wanted to post a couple of pictures from my first shower. The ladies in my office threw it for me and it was great. We received so many wonderful gifts...Case now has more clothes then I do. And to think, we have three more showers to go!

The adorable cake!

My Love Day

Brady and I have had a really stressful and overwhelming week. It all seemed to come to a boiling point on Friday night where we took it out on pickles and each other....long story, not going there. But by the end of the night he leaned over to kiss me goodnight and tell me that tomorrow will be better....and it was.
I LOVE Valentines Day. I know some despise it for all different reasons, but I've always been a sucker for love. It also represents a very special day to me personally. I changed the way I saw life six years ago on Valentines Day. It changed who I was and it helped me pave a way of independence I never knew possible. Anyways....I love this day. And yesterday was no exception.
We slept late, I watched two episodes of Sex and the City, we ate lunch at a mom and pop cafe in Riverside (we somehow were in charge of the music selection for the entire cafe because we just happened to sit at the table with the ol'fashioned table jukebox....too much pressure.) and then Brady took me somewhere I had been dying to go.
See the picture up above...that's where we went. I'm a sucker for a cupcake or cookie. Especially ones that are cute and come in a pretty package. Well, this little bakery did not disappoint. I ate a yummy Celestial Chocolate (that was it's name) cupcake. The icing was heavenly. With the way the economy is and since I'm prego....a cupcake for an afternoon treat and a iced sugar cookie for later in the night....those were the way to my heart yesterday, not flowers.
It was a wonderful day with just the two of us enjoying each other, doing what we like to do...being together with no expectations.
I love those kind of days, especially when they fall on my love day.

Monday Pictures

So far this is all we have for the nursery. I'm sure it will all come together in the next couple of months. I love this crib! I've caught Brady more then once just sitting in the nursery looking at the crib. I will then go join him and we will talk about how it will be when Case is here. I can't wait.
Yes, my sink is the retro avocado green. I like it. I made the curtains above the sink. I used some napkins I found at Pier One, Stitch Witch and some ribbon. The are by no means perfect, but I think they look pretty good. If only I could take down that yucky wallpaper border. Any thoughts on how to cover it????

Oh sweet goodness....I finally have a dining room table. No more sitting on the floor eating on the coffee table. You don't even know how much I enjoy this table. WE WILL be a family that sits down for dinner at the table. We might reserve a weekend movie night with pizza to eat in the living room, but every other night will be at the table. My family did it growing up and so I want my family to do it now.

Okie and Dixie on my expensive pregnancy pillow (which did not work by the way!) enjoying the view of outside. They still don't quite understand that it is their backyard, they don't have to share it with every other neighborhood dog. They will learn...

And last but not least....a baby bump shot. Ok, so maybe more of a BIG bump. My tummy is growing at an alarming rate. I can't imagine how big I will be in a few weeks.

Notice Dixie trying to get my attention. You would think we totally ignore her. Poor puppy.

Movin' and a Shakin'

We are finally moved in and starting to settle down. We still have some stuff we need to situate. It's weird, now that we have all of this room, I don't know where to put everything! I'm still in the apartment mode where everything has to fit into one closet or we throw it away. Oh, did I tell you how much storage space we have!?! It's amazing.
Baby Case is doing great. I experienced him having the hiccups for the first time and it was awesome. We don't have much more time left before he comes to join us in the outside world. I'm mentally prepared, just not physically. Meaning all we have is a crib! I'm sure that will change in the next month or so. I'm still not stressing about it too much, but give me a few more weeks.
Ok, I'm off to Target to buy more maternity pants. The ones I have are starting to get a little snug! It doesn't help that my body is starting to swell...yesterday I was rockin' some pretty hot cankles.
If the weather is like it is here in Kansas where you are....go outside and ENJOY it this weekend.

14 Days and Counting

I (we) have 14 days left in our little one bedroom apartment! Oh.....my......goodness....I cannot wait. I have lived here for 2 and 1/2 years. I want to say I'm not complaining because I do believe living in such a tight space has brought Brady and I closer, but I'm also complaining. Sharing a parking lot with 50+ people, having to go up and down stairs everyday, taking the dogs out to a public yard, the noises, the smallness, the cigarette smell drifting up from the apartment below. Will I miss anything about our apartment....hell no! Did a lot take place in our apartment....oh yeah! We spent our first year as a married couple here, we found out we were pregnant here, we found out Brady got his job here, so...yeah, I'll have many memories. But.....now we get to move into a 3 bedroom/2 bath duplex. It has a garage, hall closets, storage in the basement, fireplace, and a fenced in backyard! We will bring Case home to this house, we will spend time here as a family, our dogs will run wild in the backyard (and not chase people!), we can have a dining room table, I can plant flowers and so much more.
Can you tell I'm excited?!? It's all coming together for us....

Perfect Couple

I LOVE being at home with my hubby. I HATE that we are both sick when we get to stay home together. Ugh! I started getting an itchy throat on Friday and I've been home ever since.This has been the worse head cold I have ever had....not exaggeration. I decided to give Brady my head cold on his birthday of all days. So after eating soup (thanks Wendy!), rubbing my nose raw with Kleenex, having my breath smell of cough drops, and even having that sick smell to me, Brady says this morning, "We make the perfect couple." Hopefully after this weekend we will both be well, but still consider ourselves a perfect couple.

Dashing Dachshund

This is Jack, the country dachshund that yearns to live in the big city. Just look how stylish he can be. This is actually thanks to my sister (it's her dog). She is always putting some sort of adorable sweater or vest on Jack. My poor dogs just run around naked all of the time. Brady would never let me dress them up when they were little. Now they are just dachshunds that like to flash everyone.

Baby Bump Alert

I've been hesitant of taking these kind of pictures because I really wasn't looking pregnant. It just looked like I had eaten 3 dozen donuts and 10 #1's from Sonic. But at last I feel like I can show off my tummy, even though it's not a tummy skin shot, it will do.
Goodness, Case is moving all the time. It's an amazing feeling. I swear today he was doing full somersaults. I love that little boy!

Burn Baby Burn

Curious Person: "Charly, what did you do on Christmas break in Wyandotte?"

Charly: "Well, I decided to become a pyromaniac."

Curious Person: "Oh....really??? Tell me about it."

Charly: "Ok!"

I was without a vehicle in Wyandotte because my mom and sis came to pick me up and drive me home (NE OK). They think because of my "condition" that I can't drive. Fine with me, I like being chauffeured across the state. Anyways, so on one day of being home I had some errands to run in Miami....bank, store, lunch with high school friend. I was on the go all day, stop and go. I finally picked up my niece and decided to take her with me to the bank because I felt like I needed company. We went to the bank. I stopped the truck. Then we noticed smoke coming from the right passenger side of my mom's truck! I told Sarah to get out and then she informed me that my mom's truck was on FIRE! Yes, on fire! The brakes had caught fire because they were too tight and I had caused so much friction by stopping and going all day that they thought they should catch fire. Insane! Insane! So imagine a pregnant woman and 13 year old running into the bank screaming that my mom's truck is on fire. They just stared at me. Finally a hero emerged and grabbed the fire extinguisher and put out the fire. It didn't really do much damage other then burning up the brakes. The guy who put them on replaced them, but still....the freakin' truck was on fire. I can only imagine if we would've been on a country road near a field of dry grass. No more truck for Momma Carol or field of dry grass for Farmer Joe.

That isn't the only fire during my break....two days later....we had my nephew burn trash at my parents house. Yes, in the country we burn our trash. It's just what we do. So, he put it in a big ol' barrel and away it went. We were in the house playing games when we heard a kaboom! It was a can that had blown up. We ignored it....30 minutes later my mom looks outside and the backyard is on fire. Guess what it melted? The freakin' water hose. Momma in her housecoat, sister running around frantic and prego here in socks trying to put out a fire. Dixie even got involved by running outside and jumping through the flames. She likes fire.

So there....my family has never had very good luck with fire. Our house burned back when I was in college and most of my aunts and uncles have been through a house or barn fire at sometime in my life. We just don't mix well with flames. I think next Christmas I will buy my parents a fire extinguisher.

Letting Go of Christmas

I seem to be hanging on to Christmas a little too long. I still have all my decorations up, maybe because I was gone the entire break (thank heavens for working for a university) and didn't get home until Sunday night. I've promised myself that it will all be gone by the weekend. I also haven't posted about our great Christmas. So here we go....We were able to see a lot of relatives in Blackwell and cuddle with the little ones. Then I headed to Wyandotte and spent the week of News Year at my parents. Brady headed down last weekend to NE Oklahoma and we then had our last Christmas TWO days after New Year's! It was nice to be with family so much, but it threw me off not having much time at "home". Here are some pictures from our holiday....

Aunt Charly is a wonderful aunt. She brings whip cream and sprinkles that are meant for hot chocolate, but end up in the little ones mouths. I like to pump them full of sugar and send them home with their mom.

The girls opening presents on Christmas morning. I loved seeing their expressions.
4C Ranch Christmas Tree
Hours of playing Kismet. I wasn't too good at it, but it was fun rolling the dice with all of the family. My Dad even got involved.
Our version of Christmas dinner (a few days late)....all you can eat crab legs. I think Brady would've eaten his weight in crab legs. It's too much work for me.
Mama Carol and Papa Charley: I think the world of these two people. They are the best.
The rest of the gang. Sarah and Guy are getting so big.
These are the silhouettes I made of the kids for Casey and Joey. I learned how to do it from Nie Nie's Blog (I love this blog). Casey loved them!
No this isn't a ninja, it's my Dad modeling his Under Armor gear. He swears by this clothing line to keep you warm (he works outside at night).