Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Such A Dilemma

Sonoma – 08/25/2012 — with Paul Smith, ZMom Smith,
Jake Koens, Sitara Wilson, Moses Smith and Devin Maxon.

Oma is getting ready for an exciting trip to the Sonoma Raceway to spend time with your Uncle Moses and Auntie Sitara. Uncle Moses is your Daddy’s big brother. Oma can’t wait to see Moses. However, at your mom’s doctor’s appointment, the doctor says that baby Reef could be born very soon. Oma really does not want to miss your arrival; such a dilemma.

Oma is not an expert; so google was consulted. It appears that cervical dilation is not a good indication of when exactly a mommy will have her baby.

A mommy can be 36, 37, or 38 weeks pregnant, 2 centimeters dilated and not have her baby for several weeks. On the other hand, the mommy can be 2 centimeters dilated and be in very early labor or pre-labor having a couple contractions an hour and maybe have a baby within the next couple days. The mommy can also be 2 centimeters dilated and be having very long, hard contractions that are close together. In this last scenario, that mommy will have her baby very soon. You can actually be in late labor or in transition, but your cervix hasn’t caught up yet and is showing early labor.

In other word – Baby Reef’s arrival remains a mystery. Research tells Oma that it’s not uncommon for a mommy to be up to 2 centimeters dilated several weeks before giving birth!



Oma is going to enjoy her trip to the Formula Car Challenge West presented by Goodyear Race 11 & Race 12 at Infineon Raceway. Uncle Moses’ Series (Formula Mazda) is a Special Support Race for the Indy Gran Prix of Sonoma!

Be an understanding baby and wait for your Oma and Opa to return home!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Is there a perfect age to become an Oma?


Today is Oma’s birthday; fifty-nine years on this terrain. This special personal day set me to philosophize – soon baby Reef will be born. Is there a perfect age to take on the responsibility for grandparenting a child?

The bible informs us that “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged.” (Proverbs 17:6)  Grandparenting is an opportunity to play, to love someone new, to appreciate the magic of a developing mind, and to be needed by someone again.

Oma and Opa can:

  • Share the things they're passionate about with a new audience.
  • See the world in a new way through younger eyes.
  • Experience games, music, nature, reading, and other interests in conjunction with a curious young mind.
  • Provide expanded support and encouragement to their grandchildren.
  • Use their breadth of experience to avoid the pitfalls they may have encountered as parents the first time around.
  • Watch children develop through all stages of growth.
  • Learn about their grand kids' music and passions.
  • Provide input that parents cannot.
Becoming a grandparent at a too young age can make you feel prematurely old. Also, if the new Oma or Opa are still busy and/or in the middle of their career; they might not be able to spend quality time with their new prodigy.

Considering these facts and to answer my own question; now is the perfect time for me to become an Oma. The perfect time to have your grandchildren (although we have no say in their arrival) is when you have the time to enjoy them.

I work from home and have a very busy but flexible schedule. I am thinking that Reef will be the first sparkling jewel in this Oma’s “Crown Of The Aged.” 



Sunday, August 18, 2013

Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)



Dragon tales and the "water is wide"
Pirate's sail and lost boys fly
Fish bite moonbeams every night
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed - Sweet dreams

The rocket racer's all tuckered out
Superman's in pajamas on the couch
Goodnight moon, will find the mouse
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed -Sweet dreams

God bless mommy and match box cars
God bless dad and thanks for the stars
God hears "Amen," wherever we are
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed - Godspeed - Godspeed
Sweet dreams

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Reef's Sonogram


Oma was thrilled to accompany Baby Reef’s parents and Grandma Wendy to the doctor’s appointment for a routine sonogram. I was even more pleased to hear that all was progressing well and normally!  Doctor believes that Reef will be a big baby - eight pounds or more.

The Ultrasound scans send high-frequency soundwaves through your uterus (womb). The soundwaves bounce off the baby as echoes. These echoes are turned into an image on a screen that shows your baby's position and movements.

Hard tissues, such as bone, reflect the biggest echoes. These appear white in the image, and soft tissues appear grey. Fluids, such as the amniotic fluid that your baby lies in, appear black, because the echoes go through them. The person performing the scan (sonographer) will look at these shades to interpret the images.

A sonogram is the picture taken during the ultrasound. The sonogram is a "still-shot" of the fetus.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Baby Reef's Baby Shower

Awesome and Delicious Cake - Welcome Baby Smith
Grandma Wendy did an awesome job on the Watermelon Baby Carriage!
Decorations by Hannah
Aunt Heather & Grandma Wendy - Getting ready
Lots of beautiful and useful baby gifts
Dad Zack and Mom Amanda
Perfect weather for pool fun!
Baby Clothes are so cute!
Mommy & Daddy To Be
Thanks for Coming!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Baby Shower After Party

Zachariah Smith and Amanda Joan look happy - dinner at Filippi's Pizza Grotto
Yup the scary Kid's Table!

Monday, July 1, 2013

You'll Be Blessed



Hey you, you're a child in my head
You haven't walked yet
Your first words have yet to be said
But I swear you'll be blessed

I know you're still just a dream
your eyes might be green
Or the bluest that I've ever seen
Anyway you'll be blessed

And you, you'll be blessed
You'll have the best
I promise you that
I'll pick a star from the sky
Pull your name from a hat
I promise you that, promise you that, promise you that
You'll be blessed

I need you before I'm too old
To have and to hold
To walk with you and watch you grow
And know that you're blessed

Tuesday, November 14, 2000

Victory Junction – Adam’s Way

Victory Junction – Adam’s Way

#MyGivingStory @GivingTuesday 


#MyGivingStory is a social media storytelling contest created to foster a public conversation about giving and to inspire more people to give.

z & Paul Smith (Victory Junction – Indoor Sports Field)


Below is my entry: 

My devotion to the resilience of children stimulates me to give back. Every month, my husband and I donate to Victory Junction. We love how health challenged children entrusted to this camp gain a greater understanding of their own strengths and courage.

Victory Junction is a medically safe, yet exhilarating facility that challenges youngsters who have a serious medical condition to try things they never imagined possible. As they conquer activities like zip lining and archery or experience bowling, fishing or swimming, the children build confidence that will positively shape how they view the rest of their lives. You should see the “Adventure Tower” which stands fifty-five (55) feet tall and is covered in puzzling ways to get to the top!

We visited the Victory Junction a couple of years back and were thrilled to see how creativity and ingenuity came together to offer these kids the experience of their lives.

This transformative Camp has enriched over eight thousand young campers and thanks to generosity of donors, families never pay for their child to attend. How awesome it would be if we could donate that $10,000 prize to this charity.

“Come what come may, time and the hour run through the roughest day.” ― William Shakespeare, Macbeth. The camp began operation in 2004. It was the dream of Adam Petty, a fourth-generation race car driver from the famous Petty family. Adam died at the young age of nineteen in 2000 during a practice lap crash. It was his dream to help children and Adam’s family, fellow drivers, plus friends made it happen.

Victory Junction is part of SeriousFun Children’s Network (SFCN), an alliance of nine camps nationally and thirty camps worldwide that serve children dealing with serious medical condition and chronic illnesses. It is also an official charity of NASCAR.

If you are ever near Randleman, North Carolina, I highly recommend you arrange for a tour of the Victory Junction grounds. The insight you reap will enhance your life.

The twenty entries with the most votes will be sent to the Contest Judges. Voting is super easy. You just click on the entry link and then click on the green vote button on the top left of the screen. Bam you are done for the day.

You can vote once daily until December 10, 2019.

Please Click Here Daily
to Vote for My Entry


What are the prizes?

There are several streams of prizes:
  1. From among the 20 finalists with the most votes, the judges' rankings will determine the winners of 1st Place ($10,000 for your chosen nonprofit organization), 2nd Place ($5,000 for your chosen nonprofit organization) and 3rd Place ($2,500 for your chosen nonprofit organization).
  2. The four nonprofit organizations that are nominated by the most story submitters will each receive $2,000 grants. (Note that this will not impact individual stories' eligibility to be a finalist or winner of one of the larger prizes.)
  3. The five stories submitted by people between the ages of 13 and 17 with the most votes will receive the #GivingTuesdayKids award and $1,000 for their chosen nonprofit organization.
  4. The five Spanish-language stories with the most votes will be reviewed by judges. The two finalists with the highest scores will receive the #Yo Donoy Porque award and $12,500 for their chosen nonprofit organization.
  5. Two stories that touch the GivingTuesday team will each receive an Honorable Mention and $1,000 for their chosen nonprofit organization.
  6. Eight times throughout the voting period (twice per week), an entry will be selected at random to receive a $500 grant for their chosen charity. (Note that this will not impact individual stories’ eligibility to be a finalist or winner of one of the larger prizes.)
  7. Every day during the submission period (November 1st to December 3rd), an entry will be selected at random to receive a custom GivingTuesday gift.