Zachary @ 1 month

At one month Zachary weighs around 9 lbs. He's getting a lot longer too , already growing out of some of his 0-3 mo. clothes. He is growing pretty fast and that makes me happy. The newborn stage is a pretty rough stage for me. I think it's pretty rough for him too. We're a little (a lot) sleep deprived over here which is hard on everyone, but we're slowly getting used to it. He's sort of a fussy little man, and that's been hard for us- poor little guy. I was able to get a picture of him while he was awake and not fussing.

Zach really is a sweet little guy and the kids really enjoy him around - not just because they get away with everything now that I don't have the energy to get after them. Tyler likes to just look at him, although if he spits up, Tyler will physically step away from him with the most disgusted look on his face. He's really bothered by it. Whitney is an amazing big sister, she can calm Zach just by humming in his ear. She asks me all the time when she can start teaching him new things. It's fun to watch her be so interested in him. She's already asked for another baby ( a girl of course) I look forward to the day when they can all play together.

Little Z: The Untold Story

What Mandy didn't tell you was that as she laid on the operating table, numb from the waist down and understandably suffering from some stress and nervousness, the sweet beats of Ace of Bass thumped gently in the background. The hospital had music playing over a speaker system in many of the rooms, including the operating room. Fortunately for us, and quite fittingly, as the doctors sliced her open the chorus echoed "All that she wants is another baby, oh wo oh..." Nothing like an old school jam to comfort the nerves. Not surprisingly, I expect wonderful things out of Z in the realm of music. Having come into this world and immediately experienced the unrivaled talent of Ace of Bass ringing through his ears, drinking it all in like a musical nectar of the gods, it seems almost as if this experience will propel him musically forward, perhaps unfairly, onto a musical new plane.

Baby Z

He's finally here! Zachary was born almost two weeks ago- time sure flies! His delivery went smoothly (little shout out to Dr. L). My initial recovery was a tad harder this time but I'm doing pretty good now. Gotta love major surgery! This little man was more than worth it. The kids are slowly warming up to Zach. I'm finding it hard to give everyone the attention they need and deserve. I'll figure it out soon, I hope. My Mom and Dad were such a big help while I was in the hospital. They helped Josh take care of the kids and kept them smiling. Whitney was pretty stressed out about having me gone for three days, but they kept her busy enough that she didn't even realize I was gone! Luckily, Mom also came up after the hospital to help out. She was such a life saver.
Whitney and Tyler adore her and she kept them occupied while I focused on me and Zach. I don't know what I would do without her.
Here is Whitney taking on some of her big sister duties...

After the hospital, I went to my parents house for a few days. Great Grandma was able to meet baby Zachary and some of my siblings stopped by to meet him too. I have such a sweet family.We also have a great ward that has helped us out a lot this week. We are definitely feeling the love over here:) Zachary William Smith
(the William is a nod to Josh's Mom's maiden name , Williams. Just FYI.)