Evan James Smith

Recently, I became a mother to the sweetest, most adorable baby boy. After a lengthy and very tiring labor, Evan James Smith arrived on Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 1:56am. While everyone we knew was sound asleep in their beds, Brett and I were experiencing the most incredible moment of our lives. It was surreal and 100% ours. The details will stay with me forever. I'll always have vivid memories of how it rained all day while I was in labor, how bright the room was when Evan was born, how the nurse sounded when she called out his weight and how wonderful it felt when that same nurse placed him in my arms 30 minutes later. Mainly, I'll never forget how it felt for the three of us to finally be together as a family. All the excitement and dreaming during the last nine months couldn't have prepared me and Brett for the reality of meeting our son.

Since bringing Evan home from the hospital, our world has changed entirely. The days and nights are exhausting, but having this incredible new life in our home is the greatest feeling I can imagine. On top of that, Brett and I have been so lucky to have several family members visit us since Evan's arrival. Both sets of grandparents and my brother and sister-in-law have already met (and fallen in love with!) him. I can't wait to introduce him to the rest of our family and friends. From my very limited experience, one of the best parts of being a parent is seeing how much your child is loved by others. I've been in awe of how much enthusiasm people have expressed over Evan, both during my pregnancy and since his birth. People are truly excited to meet him and have him in their lives, and for me, that's as good as it gets. There's something very comforting in knowing that your child is loved by so many people.

As Brett and I embark on this new journey in our lives, we look forward to countless events, memories and milestones. For right now though, we just want to enjoy Evan and take in the sights, sounds and smells that come with having a newborn in the house. He isn't doing much just yet, but it's wonderful to see his reaction to all the things he's seeing, hearing and feeling for the first time. More than anything, I love taking care of Evan and watching him grow, little by little. I can already tell what a sweet, funny and loving little guy he is going to be, which is why I can't wait to get to know him!