How Does Your Garden Grow?

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Two Months

Wow, a lot has happened over the last month of little Ben's life. Some things might just be exciting to us as parents and then of course grandparents will probably think so too. Things like the fact that at 6 weeks Ben started smiling a big toothless smile up at us! He usually does this after a feeding but has been known to sneak them in at other times too. At 8 weeks he turned onto his side twice. We haven't seen him do it again though : ) He will hold onto a chain of links and lift them up into the air. And one night recently I heard a slurping sound that I had heard before but had never looked into - I turned on the nightlight and there he was with his whole thumb in his mouth sucking away. Potential future speech issues aside, it was pretty darn cute. I know, it was my degree . . . I can't help it! But the most thrilling milestone to us would be that he is officially sleeping through the night!!! He falls asleep after his last feeding and has gone up to 9 hours so far. Pretty crazy and wonderful for us all.

Aunt Kacey came to visit last Sunday. We had quite the adventure-packed days with her! Sunday was the strangest day that Ben has ever known (in our opinion at least). Although, he would probably say that his birthday consisting of 3 hours in the birth canal and that shocking bright light following his birth would constitute his strangest day yet. Anyway, he didn't sleep a wink but for 3o minutes twice between 9:30 am and 9 pm. We could not figure out the problem. Our best guess was his schedule being off from church and possible over stimulation there? Or maybe it was a fluke. But, whew! That night in the middle of dinner I got up to get seconds. While up I felt water start to rush over my feet - yep, the washer decided to overflow into the kitchen. The craziest thing was the reason for the small tsunami. Jeremy had taken Oxi-clean (as per my request) and put it in a spray bottle for some quick stain removing in the future. Somehow the combination of the water and chemicals in the Oxi-clean erupted out of the spray bottle and onto the main dial of the washer, causing it to complete the cycle and to start an unnecessary second one onto the floor. Needless to say, we were extremely grateful for the timing of Kacey's visit!

Monday we took Ben to his 2 month check-up. He weighed in at a whopping 11 lbs, 12 oz! And he is now 23 inches long (20 at birth). So, he is growing well and the doctor is happy. However, little Ben was not so happy during the main portion of his appointment - immunizations. Two in one leg, three-in-one shot in the other. Poor little baby turned the brightest shade of red I have ever seen him turn and screamed! I wish that I had known to give him Tylenol before . . . Following the appointment he was actually fine and we came home, had a feeding and went back out for a walk around the mall (and Starbucks of course)! However, after that everything went crazy. He started his next feeding and only 5 minutes into it screamed like never before. I checked his legs and one had swelled up huge and turned really red. Kacey ran out to WalMart and came back with infant Tylenol, after which she was deemed his new favorite person as he drifted off to sleep. Kacey also gave Ben his first ever sticker for a job well done : )

We enjoyed our rainy, hectic, broken washing machine, shot-filled days with Aunt Kacey and miss her incredibly! Thursday we resumed our normal routine - wake-feed-awake time-sleep and last night he slept for 11 hours!!! Ok, time to see if he will do that again tonight : )

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Links to pictures:

Ben - 5 Weeks Old

Ben - 6 Weeks Old

Ben - 7-8 Weeks Old (LOTS of pictures!)

Ben - 2-3 Months Old

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Quarter of a Century

Tuesday was my 25th birthday. Jeremy was the first to wish me so. Of course, who else would be up at 3 am?!? I am convinced that there is no sweeter husband than mine. His note on the table was perfect. Mom called at 7:45 wondering if I was awake. She reminisced as she recalled my Dad dreading turning 25. As for me, it feels good. I like the sound of it. Morgan called on her way to campus wondering aloud as to why she enrolled for an 8:35 class. I remember the feeling.

After short conversations with family, I got up to open our bedroom door and immediately wished that Jeremy had opened the blinds in the dining and living room. I just knew that if there had been more sunlight my first thought would have been brighter. And then I opened the blinds myself. Rain! Dreariness! Thankfully I had breakfast plans with a dear friend and so the day was actually off to a great start regardless of the weather. Normally I love rainy days but today I really wanted to see the sun!

Ben and I met Brenda at IHOP for a yummy birthday breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, grits, turkey sausage and coffee. Delicious and Brenda's treat! It was a sweet time and truly made my day! In my opinion there is no better meal to eat out. Ben slept peacefully in his carrier next to me nearly the entire time. I feared that would not be the case based on his first dinner out with Mommy and Daddy last Saturday. (We decided to eat at the family-friendly Chick-Fil-A and soon found ourselves outside at a picnic table!) After IHOP we made a quick stop by the post office and zipped home for his second breakfast. As for me, I was stuffed!

Following his feeding I put Ben in his one of his favorite spots to sleep: his baby swing. This was not possible the day before because of a little accident. We were both glad that the swing was available again.

Mid-afternoon we headed on our way to the dreaded dentist. Dreaded mainly because for some reason I made our appointments back-to-back. I thought one of us could sit in the waiting room with Ben while the other had someone else painfully floss their teeth. After some thought I came to the conclusion that appointments on different days where one of us could stay home with Ben would be better. Oh Mommy Brain!

My appointment was going smoothly until the dentist actually came in. For someone who has only had one cavity in her life, I was in for a shock. Four. And about FIVE more on watch. Some say pregnancy will do that. Maybe it's the water? As for me, I think it's purely genetic. My Mom is a faithful flosser and takes exquisite care of her teeth but frequently leaves appointments with similar news. My Dad does the opposite and gets told to keep taking such good care of his pearly whites. Jeremy drank a gallon of sweet tea all to himself this week and passed his dental inspection with flying colors. In fact, my dental history has been so good that we decided to cancel my dental insurance this year. Yes, great timing. Happy Birthday to me!

Let's just say (for purposes of keeping our marriage OUR marriage) that my birthday did not get better after the dentist. It was a rough evening for the Gardner fam but forgiveness is a beautiful and necessary thing so we recovered.

Jeremy decided that we would re-celebrate my birthday today and it's already been wonderful. He made us french toast this morning and we played each other in Blokus while Ben lay next to us and watched, cooing as I took the lead : ) Jeremy promised that he didn't just let me win. Then we had our favorite sandwiches from Jersey Mikes for lunch and he has an activity planned for later today. I hope it doesn't get rained out again.

Last night some friends came over for games and bday fun. We had a great time. I am so thankful for our wonderful friends here in Raleigh. I cherished the adult time while Ben slept!

Ok, I have about 15 minutes until the little cutie wakes and about 15 million things to do before then . . .

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The Little Blues

Last Friday Ben and I took a trip to Daddy's school. We brought him lunch and after awhile the rest of his team joined us. They seem to be a cohesive bunch. Ben and I actually stayed for a portion of their meeting and listened earnestly as they discussed field trips, fundraisers to make the field trips possible and their wishes that field trips were easier to take. The fact that I would rather be there listening in on such conversation should tell you something about the recent loneliness factor at home : )

I enjoyed being able to help him with a few important matters (cutting out laminate, hanging laminated items, proofreading a few items for parents, etc), but for the most part Jeremy was on his own in terms of decorating his classroom and readying himself for the new school year. Ben and I think he did a fine job!

His schedule remains the same (Pre-Algebra, General 7th, Chess, Algebra II) and for that we are thankful! It means that there will be more time for lesson touch-ups and creative ideas for how best to teach the material (even though he is already a stellar teacher in my book).

This is his second year at Ligon Middle School, home of the "Little Blues." The little blue what you might ask? We aren't sure, but on we cheer!

Possible meanings for the "Little Blues":

- Blue M&M's

- Smurfs

That's as far as I got : )

Monday, August 18, 2008

What is an Infantino?

Benjamin and I went on our first outing together today. I think he was a little bit nervous and rightly so. As prepared as I thought I was, the frenzied nature of our time together proved otherwise.

After we both finished breakfast we headed to Harris Teeter. Before he was born I typed out a grocery list that I could print before each trip and just highlight whatever items were needed. I brought this and more importantly, the diaper bag and sling.

Jeremy had suggested yesterday (this is how prepared we were!) to park near the return cart area so I could "simply" put Ben's infant carrier onto the cart and enter the store. Ben and I quickly realized this was not going to work! (I completed this task with flying colors at Target later so maybe it's just the Harris Teeter carts?) Not sure . . . but thankfully I also had the sling. So, here's how it all went:

Step 1: Park car near cart returns.
Step 2: Unlock doors and make sure that I have the keys.
Step 3: Remove infant carrier from car. Oh wait. Where's the cart?
Step 4: Put Ben back in car.
Step 5: Lock doors.
Step 6: Get cart and bring over to car.
Step 7: Unlock doors.
Step 8: Put Ben in cart. Or try to at least.
Step 9: Try not to cry.
Step 10: Put Ben and carrier back in the car.
Step 11: Go around to other backdoor and lay sling on seat.
Step 12: Get Ben out of carrier and put him in the sling, trying not to wake him.
Step 13: Get Mastercard, glasses, grocery list (the diaper bag has become my purse but I didn't think we needed to bring the whole bag in the store, so I left my wallet in the car and just brought the card inside). Mistake.
Step 14: Put the sling on and lock the car.
Step 15: Shop for groceries (at some point panicking that I had lost my wallet!)
Step 16: Check out. Or try to at least. (It was at this point that I realized my all-important VIC card for discounts was in the car.)
Step 17: Put on a helpless face and ask cashier if I can just give her my phone number.
Step 18: Give my number. Declined.
Step 19: Give Jeremy's number. Declined.
Step 20: Wait for the cashier to show sympathy to a new mom and just scan the card that is hanging from her neck.
Step 21: Tell cashier that the card is in my car and I will be back.
Step 22: Unlock doors, get card, lock doors.
Step 23: Hand card to cashier back in store as I try to force a smile.
Step 24: Answer the bagger's question as he looks at the sling hanging in front of me: "What's an Infantino?" My response: "It's a baby." Ha. (This is how frazzled I was at this point.)
Step 25: Try to remember my name as I sign for the groceries.
Step 26: Return to car.

You get the idea. But there were about 15 more steps to actually getting out of the parking lot.

I share this with you because it made me laugh. Ben and I don't have much to complain about, but this was certainly an eye-opening experience for us. The best laugh of all was that the bagger actually thought the Infantino was my purse and he jumped after I told him it was a baby! One day, if Jeremy and I actually have as many children as we discussed in our college days (and my brain has ceased to function properly), I might accidentally bring the giant Infantino as my purse. Without the VIC card of course.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Going for the Gold!

Although I knew the day would come (and exactly which day at that) when Jeremy would return to work full-time, I didn't prepare for it is much as I should have! While gymnastics has always been a favorite sport of mine, I have new priorities (like getting enough sleep) that should have taken precedence last night. But, it was the Women's All-Around and I couldn't resist.

I awoke this morning to the sound of the shower and sighed to myself. This is it. Today is the day I will officially be a stay-at-home Mommy. As I regretted Jeremy beating me to packing his lunch I wondered if I would really be any good at this whole new parent thing on my own. The team approach has been such a blessing and frankly I have been a little spoiled. Well, ok . . . very spoiled. In fact, last night was the first time that I resisted waking Jeremy to assist me in some way. Ben woke up with his usual hunger cry and we spent that sweet hour together just the two of us. Feeding, changing, singing and holding back to sleep. Until last night when Ben wasted no time closing his eyes for his proud Mama, I had been convinced that my husband was the only Baby Whisperer in our house.

On very little sleep and full of emotion about the tasks ahead, I kissed Jeremy goodbye as he headed back out into the real world. After he left I was honestly in a daze. There was not a whole lot to be done around the house and Ben had just fallen back asleep, but somehow I wasted precious time staring around me wondering where I should begin and what I should do. Oh yeah! Sleep, of course. So I joined Ben in our room for a long nap.

I think Ben knew that it would be a hard day for me and so he has been extra wonderful today - very little fussing until after the most recent feeding. At that point he became difficult to console and all too soon after my head started pounding from both his crying and thoughts of wishing that Shawn Johnson had won the gold instead of her teammate : ) But feeding didn't lull him to sleep and playtime/wake time didn't do the trick either. No, hidden in this cry was the message, "Daddy, come home!!! Enough math for one day!"

Together we anxiously await Jeremy's return, but I hope that in the meantime I can look in little Ben's eyes and know this: even though the day wasn't perfect, in his mind I had still earned the gold. That is, the gold star for successfully mothering him for the first day on our own.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

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!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Ready, Aim, FIRE!!!

Let me start by saying that no matter how much your friends with little boys try to warn you, nothing can prepare you for the initial shock of what your little baby boy is capable of with his . . . well, you know. In fact, one friend suggested purchasing some "tepee-peepees" or something but did I listen?

It all started just a few days after bringing Ben home from the hospital. We thought we were equipped for this particular diaper change. With wipes, some butt paste from Mr. Boudreaux himself and a diaper, what more could 2 college grads need? Then, suddenly, the arch of pee spraying all over our bedroom wall reminded us - we need a cover. Somehow we didn't learn the all-important lesson that we would need one, not just then, but every time.

OK, so now we never change Ben's diaper without covering his . . . yeah. However, no one but Benjamin himself could ready us for what he was truly capable of.

Example 1: Yesterday afternoon we heard him crying in his bed. We went in to check that everything was alright and discovered that he had kicked off his diaper. Jeremy noticed what he thought was a tear on Ben's face. In a matter of seconds we both remembered that even though babies can cry from the day they enter the world, they don't actually shed tears until their tear ducts are more developed. Hmmmm . . . yep. Pee. On his face. He peed all over his own face and was screaming. I felt like a terrible Mom! So, the Gardners now know that the real purpose of a onesie is not for a quick diaper change, but to secure diapers on feisty little boys.

Example 2: Tonight Jeremy and I were eating dinner while enjoying an Office episode when I noticed that yet again (this time he was in the same room as us), Ben had shed his diaper. I jumped up - but not in time, of course. On this occasion, the arch started in the bassinet and reached to the bookcase located behind it. Fifteen books (yes, I actually counted as I cleaned them off), two candles, one camera, one shelf and one picture frame were all soaked. And no, we had not secured the diaper with a onesie.

Two more things. 1) You might want to think twice about borrowing a book from the Gardner Household Library. 2) I will admit that I counted the affected books with pride in my heart : )