Tall Enough for Carnival Rides

Last night Jason, Eliana and I went to the Jefferson County Fair. Like last year, our church handed out free water and our small group where signed up. Our group has a lot of small kids, so the spouses split up. Some would take the kids, while some stayed back to hand out water. Eliana had a great time looking at the animals. Looking at her walk around on her own was so strange. Last year she was only 9 mths and I could still picture Jason carrying her around in that same building! She liked the baby ducks the best. And squealed with delight!





Eliana also got to ride her very first amusement park ride. She had a little friend with her. Oh my goodness! To see her excited face. She was like a volcano of excitement, that you couldn't help to be just as excited. I loved it and so did she! To tell you the truth, these moved pretty fast, and the train also moved around the track, but would also spin. Both myself and the other spouse said that our spouses would be too scared to let them ride these rides.

Smith Family Adventures

This summer has been so fun with Eliana. She is at such a fun age. She makes us smile and laugh all the time. She is getting so big. When it is time to eat, she goes and pulls a chair out from the table and climbs up. She climbs into the car and into her car seat, and then back out again when it is time. She loves to brush her teeth and LOVES the water. There aren't many swimming pools around here, so we have enjoyed the Shenandoah river.

As for her hearing. She is deaf in her right ear and a mild hearing loss in her left. She has been tested for a program here in West Virginia and she begins meeting with a speech therapist this week. After the testing they said that she is above where she should be for her age in cognitive and development. They said she was really smart. But she can't hear, so she is below in vocabulary. We will begin with sign language and she will get a hearing aid. She will go for a more in depth test to see what the problem is. She will have to be put under and it will take a half a day. That is a little scary for us. But after that, she can hopefully get the hearing aid. We won't know until after that if she is a candidate for the implant.

Here are a few pics:


This was actually pretty cute. She had gotten the crown from a birthday party the week before and it was still in the car. One day we were driving somewhere and I look back and she had put it on her head and was going along with the ride. Loved it!








We had a great day at the DC Zoo and American History Museum. Everything was packed, then again, it was a Saturday.






Eliana loves the river. Well, she loves water in general. Now, if she sees us grab a swim diaper she shrieks with excitement. The river is perfect, it is the perfect height for her on the edge. And the scenery is absolutely beautiful.

Summertime Fun

Jason and I had the opportunity to head home, to Missouri, for a 3 week vacation. We truly miss family and love for Eliana to get to spend time with them. Although, it ended with a tragedy, we made some great memories and Eliana had more fun than she could handle!


Making ice cream with PaPa. I don't know how much help she was sitting right in front of the handle!




Eliana and Gma Hayes. We had such a great time at Houston, MO with Gma. I think Eliana collected a lot more bruises and scrapes to add to her collection. She even got her first band aid.


PaPa and Eliana. Eliana had PaPa running all over the place at Gma's. She wanted to explore everything and everywhere.


Being nosy. Eliana loves to be nosy and look out the window. Eliana and Gma Hayes were checking to see what Gma and PaPa were doing.




Eliana, Gma Judy and Jason. It was so nice to see Eliana warm up to everyone so quickly. Especially with as little time as she gets to spend with them.


Gma Melissa's house. She got to go swimming everyday! It was easier to just put her swimsuit on when we let her outside.



4th of July. We had a wonderful 4th of July grilling and chilling. Eliana loved the fireworks. She would point to my nephew, who was lighting them, and then point to the sky. That was his cue it was time to light another one. Then she would get the biggest smile on her face.


Fun with snaps! Eliana got introduced to snaps by my sister, Penny and niece, Joy. We tried to teach her to step on them. When she did on accident she would laugh. She was pretty good at throwing them down, too.







Eliana, her cousin Joy and a flower necklace. What kid doesn't prance around wearing a beautiful one of a kind weed necklace.


Juice boxes! Eliana got to have her first juice box at Gma Melissa's and I must say it turned into an addiction. She could down those puppies in less than a minute!


Eliana got to go to the zoo for the first time, in KC. She loved it! It was so fun to see her face light up at every animal. She was so stinkin' excited.




As for the loss of our baby. I ended up passing the baby after a lot of heavy pain and bleeding, the night before I flew home. We almost had to rush me to the ER. The baby came out whole and intact and in my hand. Jason and I decided that when the time came, we would want to bury it. We were able to do that at a family cemetary. My dad does all things well, with such care and precision and honor. He mad a small white box for it with the baby's name engraved on the top. Since we didn't know the sex of the baby, Jason and I decided on a boy and girl's name. We named the baby, Tristan Natia Smith, meaning "Full of sorrow with hope".

July 5, 2009

Yesterday evening Jason and I had to head to the ER. We were shopping with my parents and Eliana and I decided to go to the bathroom. There was bleeding. We headed to the ER, conveniently on the way home to my parents. I called my doctor. He said light to moderate was normal and I could wait for my appointment in a week. I would say moderate, but I don't think I could wait and not know. I got checked in quickly. They gave me an IV and a catheter. Oh, so painful. The hardest thing was not knowing what was going on with the baby. They finally took me back for the sonogram. I should be almost 11 weeks. She did an external and couldn't see anything. She did an internal. She saw the baby, but it measured the same as it did on our last sonogram, over 3 weeks ago. She couldn't get a heartbeat.

We went back to my room to wait for the doctor to release me. Jason went to get Eliana from my parents in the waiting room. She did wonderful, even though it was so late. She didn't fuss once. He brought her back and she smiled when she saw me. No matter how sad I was, that helped. She wanted me. He put her on the bed. She came right up to me and placed her head on my chest and patted me. How did she know that is exactly what I needed. She would lift her head, point to the iv and then back to my chest.

I have to go back Wednesday for blood work to confirm nothing is growing. I didn't sleep last night. I am so tired. I cry a lot. The hardest thing now is knowing that the baby is still in there, but is not alive. I still have my appointment next Monday. I will probably have to get a D&C since it has been so long and I haven't passed anything. I didn't bleed again after that small amount before the ER.

No matter how small, this was my baby and it is hard knowing that we won't get to meet him or her. As a parent you want to protect, but there wasn't anything I could do. We are traveling back at the end of the week. We were going to drive home on Thursday, for two days. Since we don't know what will happen with my bleeding, I am going to fly. Pray that either I will pass this pregnancy smoothly or that everything will hold off until I see the doctor.

Patty Smith Photography

I am so excited to be starting a new adventure. I had a degree in Photography from college, but was too chicken to do anything with it. But I recently decided to start my own photography business to go along with my graphic design business. The website isn't up yet, but a temporary one will be up soon. I recently had the honor of photographing our dear friends, during their labor and delivery. What an amazing opportunity. I also had the privilege of photographing their newborn and family photos a week later. Here are a some of my favorites.