Baby Genius Burp Cloth. Finally. Done.

2 weeks old–helping mommy knit!

I know it’s hard to believe, but this crafty creation took just about 3 months to make!  I know, all it is is a fancy rectangle; I’m a tad embarrassed about how long it took me to get to the finish line.  I’m pretty sure the girls’ at knit night were probably really tired of seeing me bring this project in the last 4 weeks.  I really believe I could read their minds thinking… isn’t she done with that already??!!

And you wanna know what’s really funny?  This was going to be my knitty project I was going to work on in the hospital after delivering Ben.  I thought I was going to make like 10 of these things while recovering.  I also thought I was going to have all of this ‘down time’ to just sit and knit.  Ha!  Boy, was I wrong!!!  The idea of that just cracks me up now!!!  The only thing I did in the hospital was take care of Ben, sleep, and eat when I could.  Not a stitch was knit.

I CO shortly after coming home from the hospital, obviously got side-tracked in a major way, and finally finished up last night. Now that it’s finally done, isn’t it the most rockin’ Baby Genius Burp Cloth ever? :) (You’ll need a ravelry account for the link to work.)

If I were to make another one, I’d probably make it even bigger than this one. Maybe more like 11” x 16”. I don’t know about your kid-o, but mine needs a big space to hit during feedings. Although, most of the spit-up usually ends up on me anyway; no matter how big of a cloth I use. :)

time for a Ben update!

Time for a Ben update!  He’s 3 months old and as you can see, he’s hardly the tiny little baby we brought home from the hospital.  Ben is growing like a champ in both length & weight.  Without an official weigh-in or height check, I’d say he’s probably about 14 lbs., and 26 inches in length.  The super big news at our house is… We’re getting a lot more sleep now!!!  On good nights, Ben can sleep from 9PM to about 5 or 6AM.  We’ve cut out those 1 AM & 4 AM feedings.  This is huge!!!  You might have heard me doing the happy dance about it :)   Other things that have happened:  Ben has visited Cheekwood, Target, my allergy doctor’s office, our local Fourth of July street fair, and Tim & Tracy’s house!  He’s quite the traveler! :)

So what kinds of things does our 3-month old love?

• Ben loves to play on his activity mat– especially with Tim the giraffe!
• Ben loves to look at books and listen to mommy and daddy read stories to him
• Ben loves his boppy
• Ben loves his swing & his bouncer
• Ben loves stroller rides around his neighborhood
• Ben loves to giggle & laugh
• Ben loves tummy time
• Ben loves to flirt with all of our light fixtures and ceiling fans.  It’s hilarious to watch!

Now… I know you still want to see more of our little guy… Sit back and enjoy the Ben Show-months 2 & 3 of his sweet little life :)

I’ve joined the dark side…

That’s right, I’m the latest member of Facebook. I can’t believe I waited sooooo long to get on the bandwagon!  Could have been all those snarky comments I made about it that was holding me back.  What I really think is funny is that  I can’t believe how much I like it.  Maybe a little too much right now.  Is it sad that after hubby and I put Ben to bed last night we both sat on the couch and cruised FB for the evening?   :)

So… I’ve joined the dark side of major time suck.  And, I’m loving it!

Well, it looks like someone has just posted something on my ‘wall’ and I need to figure out how to respond.  Hee. Hee. Hee.

Father’s Day wishes & Ben’s 2nd video post

Ben wanted me to blog about his Happy Father’s Day wishes to his dad today!!! :)  He thought daddy would enjoy a few pics as well as his favorite Ben & daddy moments caught on video last week.  We love you!

I also want to say… a BIG Happy Father’s Day to my dad!  And, my dad-in-law!  You guys have a great day today!  Hugs & lots of love to you both!

Now… sit back and enjoy Ben’s cutest & funniest moments filmed last week…

Ben’s first video!

Here is our little Ben starring in his very first video!!!  I’ve done a little editing and put together our favorite moments of hubby & I trying to get him to laugh & do his cute little baby talk thing.  This is guaranteed to put a smile on your face!  Enjoy!

some bragging is in order!

And, no, it’s not about our little Ben:)  Although, y’all know I can talk for days about him!

This is actually about my little sis!  Wanted to give her a BIG MEANDERING SHOUT OUT of praise to her for completing Nursing School last month!  I know, I’m a tiny bit late with the announcement.  But, better late than never, right?

Congratulations Janet!!!  Team meandering mind is very proud of you!  Can you feel the love?  That’s the happy dance we’re doing for you!  And baby Ben gives his Auntie a million baby high fives!  And, to top it all off, we’re very happy that you already have gainful employment all lined up.  Awesome!

A HUGE Congrats again, to our favorite grad!  The three of us are giving you a big devil horn wave from 2500 miles away!  Wish we could be there to drink some pretty pink champagne with you!  Big hugs and lots of love!!!

First shots- ouch!

Yesterday, hubby and I took Ben to his 2-month check up appointment.  This was his 3rd visit to his doc, and on this visit he was going to receive his first shots.  Of course, he received shots while in the hospital, but these were the first shots I was going to be present at. I have to admit, I was a tiny bit nervous about this whole ordeal.  I’m really not sure why I was nervous, as I know what it’s like to receive shots; I get them on a weekly basis due to my battle with mother nature and allergies.  I guess I was feeling what many mommies feel when faced with things they know that are going to be painful for their children.

Below is my mommy version of this story (mine is a tiny more dramatic )…  If you’d like to read the daddy version, pop over to my hubby’s blog! :)

So the first part of the check up went just fine.  Doc asked us a bunch of questions about:  feeding, pooping, sleeping, & development stuff; we had a very nice chat, he said Ben is doing just great and we’ll see you in 2 months for the 4-month check up.  Then, on his way out, he said the nurse will be back to give the shots.  All of a sudden, I started to feel sweaty.  I kept thinking… you’re the mom, put on a brave face!  I bet baby’s can smell fear the same way bees do! It wasn’t long before the nurse came in with the shots.  I sat in the corner of the room while hubby held Ben’s hands.  Now, it was shot time.  The good thing was the nurse moved fast in administering the shots.  Awesome.  The bad thing was that it didn’t take Ben long to figure out something felt very painful in his legs.  I’ve never heard him cry like that; it was sooooo high pitched & loud.  Before I knew it, I shed a few tears with Ben.  I don’t think any mommy wants to hear their baby cry like that!  Ugh.  After the shots, hubby calmed Ben down (man, I was so glad he could come with me to this appointment!) and we were on our way home.

Overall, Ben really did great during his first shot appointment.  He was only really upset for a minute or two.  I think I definitely spent more time nervous about it than he did.  And, he really only cried that crazy cry for about a minute.  But it felt like so much longer!!!  So… in 2 months, we get to do this all over again.  I better start practicing my ‘mommy brave face’.

oh the cuteness

I can’t believe Ben is 8 weeks old this week.  Amazing!  So much has happened and he’s changed so much in such a short amount of time.  It’s been quite an awesome ride the last 8 weeks getting to know him.  I’m not sure if it’s possible, but every day my heart fills even more fuller with love for him.  Yes, he already has me wrapped around his cute little fingers ;)

I know it’s been awhile since my last post… thought I’d share some pics of the cuteness since I last wrote.  Enjoy!  Stay tuned for more pics, stories, and even more cuteness of our little wonder.

Week 7- Tummy Time!

Week 7- Asleep in my green bassinet

Week 7- Hey Bruiser!

Week 6- Happy Baby!

Week 6- Asleep in my car seat

Week 6- Chillin’ on my hand-knitted, big bad baby blanket from mommy :)

Week 5- Oh the cuteness!

Week 5- Future MVP asleep :)

Week 4- In my crib

Week 4- Bath Time!

Week 3- Family Photo in our backyard

Week 3- SoCal Grandpa feeding Ben

Week 2- SoCal Grandma and sleepy Ben

Week 1- In my car seat

6 days old- Auntie Janet & Ben

He’s here!!!

I am very happy to announce the birth of our son!!!  Here’s his stats-

Benjamin Wyatt arrived on Monday, March 30th

time: 6:04 a.m.

weight: 7 pounds, 3 ounces

length:  19 1/2 inches

Ben’s story–

Ben decided on Sunday, March 29, to get things rolling a little earlier than expected.  Remember, I was supposed to have a scheduled C-Section the next day at 8 a.m. I started to experience the signs of labor late Sunday evening and by early Monday morning my contractions were getting to be very close together.  Hubby & I decided it was time to grab our bags and head to the hospital.

I kept thinking, I can’t believe I’m experiencing contractions!  Is this for real?!  We have a scheduled C-Section at 8 and I just thought we would drive to the hospital, check in, change into my gown, head to the OR, and have our baby.  Well, Ben had other plans.

Things progressed so rapidly that we knew by 5 a.m. that it was baby time. Contractions were now coming fast and ferocious.  And since we were ahead of schedule, we didn’t even have our regular doc, we had the OB from our practice that was on call.  Funny thing is she also happened to be the one two weeks ago to discover he was breech.  So we went WAY back with her, like old friends we were. She came in, made sure he was still breech and agreed it was time to have the baby.

The next thing that happened was me being prepped for the C-Section and then being wheeled into a very, very, very, cold operating room.  Let me emphasize the cold!  Then, the next bit happened super fast!  In a matter of a few minutes Ben made his grand entrance into the world!  It was so amazing!!!  Lots & lots of happy tears and once he was all cleaned up, hubby, Ben, & I posed for our first family photo.

Ben is a beautiful, happy & healthy little boy and hubby and I are very proud parents!  Here are some photos from the first 2 weeks of this new, amazing chapter in our lives.  Enjoy!

first family photo

our little bundle

daddy, mommy, and Ben

sleepy baby

check out my foot!

hello!

big yawn!

what’s so funny? :)

Finished. Just in time!

Remember wayyyyy back sometime ago when I started this knitty project for the nut?  Well, I’m happy to report that I’ve completed his Big Bad Baby Blanket from me!  That’s right, I finished this lovely just in time!  This has been by far the largest knitting project I’ve made and I’m very happy with how it turned out.  Now I can’t wait for our little guy to be all snuggled up in it!  If you’re interested in the details about this pattern and a play-by-play of the making of this special blankie, log into ravelry for more details.

Off to do the FO Happy Dance of Joy!:)  Whee!