One Month!

Ben Watching the Olympics

I have officially been peed on more times than I can count and pooped on a few times as well. But, thankfully, Ben doesn't really spit up! Not yet at least . . .

It's truly hard to believe that it was only 4 short weeks ago that we woke up frantic one night over the possibility of me beginning labor! Seems Benjamin has been a part of our lives for much longer. Of course, he has! The other day Mer told Ben that she remembered when he was just a desire in our hearts and a prayer before God. And what an answer to prayer he has been.

I never imagined being a mother would be so consuming - I can't explain how full my heart is over our little guy. It is a love I have never known.

So, honestly . . . all of the parenting and prenatal classes, pregnancy books, stories from dear friends and doctors visits didn't really do much to prepare me for all that motherhood would be (and to think we still don't know the half of it!)

What did our parents do without the Internet? There are times when books just won't do and Jeremy and I find ourselves staring at one another and saying, "I don't know! . . . "Well, I don't know either!" Ha.

Seeing Jeremy as a father is a gloriously beautiful thing. His tried and true patient, laid back, go-with-the-flow self has certainly been tested! Yet, he is incredibly loving and careful with Ben. And he has taken equally great care of me.

Nope, I can't imagine life without our little tree frog. Our little crocodile. Our baby bird. Our baby pterodactyl. Life will never be the same. And I'm glad.

Ben's Glossary:

tree frog: a burping position where my legs are pulled in close to my stomach while hanging over Daddy or Mommy's shoulder

little crocodile: a hunger sign that I give by ferociously thrusting my head from side to side while moving my neck forward when I am really putting forth a whole lot of effort to eat

baby bird: a name Mommy and Daddy gave me at the hospital when I had to be propped up in Daddy's arms while Mommy fed me from a tiny measuring cup

baby pterodactyl: a sound that I let out most often when I am waking up and stretching, but sometimes just because I like the sound : )

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Ok, so now a word from the "gloriously beautiful thing," aka Dad. It's been a good month. We certainly have our difficult days, complete with 5-hour wake times, inconsolable crying bouts, and dirty diaper blowouts. But on the whole, he's precious and fills my heart with gladness.

He's growing quickly, too. It seems like he almost fills up the bassinett already (lengthwise) when he stretches out. On our doctor's visit on August 11th, Ben weighed in at 8lbs. 13oz.! That's over a 40% gain from his birthweight in the first month. Not bad, son. Or as I call him sometimes, "chubs." He's really not chubby yet, but the rolls are beginning to take shape. He has an especially pronounced double chin already, though.

Other things from the doctor's appointment: Ben peed on me while we were weighing him. Nothing new... More seriously, we found out that Ben's little digestive system is having a hard time with the dairy in Mom's diet. So, per doctor's orders, Erin will have to forgoe the big 4 dairy products for at least a month: milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. She is pretty bummed--very bummed--but is glad to know what had been causing the little guy such fussiness, discomfort, and gassiness (which was frankly, amazing).

Teacher planning week starts for me next week, so Erin is getting ready to transition to full-time mommy status. Keep her in your prayers, as this will be a very tough job!

Finally, here are some more pictures:

Ben - Week 3 - pics from when the Gardner family was here - watch out for when we took Ben's footprints with Tarheel blue paint, and he slept through the whole thing!

Ben - Week 4

PS. As I type, Erin just got peed on again! Go Ben!