Four months old today!

Crazy how time goes by soooooo fast! B nugget is four months old and fat and happy. He started daycare on June 1st and loves it. I have never picked him up and him not be laughing or smiling at something or someone.

He has his Dr. Visit on Tuesday and will get more shots and his check up. He is growing steadily but I will give a full report next week.

He still is only on breast milk right now and sleeps through the night with no feedings! I was still pumping in the middle of the night up until last night- so seven hours of uninterrupted sleep never felt so good!

He loves sitting up (with assistance), loves anything that plays music, chews on his hands like they are covered in the best tasting stuff ever, talks to us a lot, smiles a lot, and even does tummy time without fussing too much. All in all he is perfect to us.

Still trying to figure how to add images from the iPad-once I do, I promise there will be lots of pictures!

Road trip success

So, our first road trip us in the books. Bennett is just shy of three months and did great! We attended a wedding in Columbus, GA and brought the grandparents to watch him while we attended all the festivities!

I am happy to report, his eating and feeding schedule are still the same after our three nIght and four day adventure. He was very happy to spend sometime with Popi and Nana! They were troopers as we dove in and out of the room in between parties. Bennett spent his first night with someone besides us-we were just next door, but he did great.

Next up his week is daycare. Not looking forward to leaving him,but it is a necessary step. We are doing a half day Tuesday and a full day on Wednesday. Hopefully I get my big cry out on Tuesday and Wednesday will not be as bad. Keep you posted.

First Road Trip

So, we are embarking on our first road trip with B at the end of May. We have a wedding in Georgia and will be gone for three nights. Luckily we are blessed with lots of grandparents and one set has agreed to come with us so we can attend the wedding.

I am a bit nervous for our first night away from home and first long road trip-all you moms gimme some tips on your first trip away so hopefully I can learn from your mistakes. A wise mom has already told me that they have stores in Georgia in case I forget anything, but any tips for a smooth trip would be appreciated.

Keep you posted on how it all goes.

Best sleep sack ever!!!!!!!!!!!

For all you moms out there looking for sleep sacks-look no more, visit Www.babydeedee.com and pick up the softest, warmest and easiest to get in and out of sack ever.

Bennett is not a fan of swaddling so these sacks are a lifesaver in getting him roasty toasty for naps and bedtime. Now I just need to find one in my size. I will use these as log as he will fit in them. They would also make a great gift!

Two month check up

So, B had his official two month check up today! The doc said he is thriving nicely, stats are:

Weight: 12 lbs 11 oz - 75th percentile
Height: 22 3/4 - 50th percentile

He had to get three shots and one oral vaccine today-so pitiful. He did great but has been a little fussy this afternoon. Hopefully he will sleep well tonight and feel better tomorrow. Let me know any tips for the next day if they still feel yucky.

All in all he is healthy and a little hefty. Announcements will be out soon, hopefully before he turns three months.

Bennett at two months!

So, here is what seems to be our very large baby at two months.  He goes in for his official two month check up tomorrow, but he seems to be tipping our home scales at 12 pounds.  We will get the official stats from the doctor and update everyone.  In the meantime, he loves his Einstein playmat - thanks Grahams!  He stares at himself forever in the mirror and loves to hit the toys overhead.

He is still working on sleeping - he tends to do great between 8-4am (this includes three feedings), but wants to wake up at 4:30am and play.  Hoping this subsides, or gets later before I go back to work on the 1st of June.  He is also very aware of his surroundings now, so he becomes upset if you relocate him without his consent.  It's funny how quickly they change - I know all of you out there with older ones are thinking to yourselves, oh just you wait!  He is great at tummy time - turns his head and pushes up.  He also is doing some cooing and giving us some smiles.  He tends to imitate other faces more than smiles, but the faces and noises are so cute!

We are still completely in awe of pretty much everything he does.

Bath time in a big tub - he has gotten so big

Smiling at Daddy



Toy recs

Hey mommas out there-give me some recommendations on infant toys. Bennett is loving his playmat and mirrors right now-and he is starting to grip things.

Let me know what you have found to be the best toys for your little ones. He is warming up to Sophie right now, but want to add some others now that he is more active.

Will do a full update on Monday-we go in for his two month check up-so will update stats and pics. He really looks like a different baby!

A few pictures.....

So, we have not had any professional pictures taken yet, so in the meantime, here are a few of my favorites from the first nine days of Bennett's life.

The three Andersons

Bennett & Aunt J

Bennett & Granna

Bennett's already got skills

First doctor visit

His swing and his kitty













Welcome to the World Bennett Anderson

On Wednesday, March 2nd, our lives changed forever..... Let's start with Monday of the week, I was uncomfortable, which is normal for someone in the last few weeks of pregnancy.  I was convinced I needed to walk around more, so I drug Eric to the mall so that we could walk around looking for things we don't really need immediately.  Monday came and went, no baby.  Tuesday I worked my usual day, then told Eric I wanted to go for a walk since it was nice outside, so we walked about 1 1/2 and then returned home, in the middle of the night, I though maybe my water broke, but no, it did not.  Woke up early on Wednesday and started my work day (luckily I have been working from home since 2/24).  Around noon, I went to use the restroom, and boom, my water broke!  Lucky me, I was already in the bathroom.

Despite what everyone told us, I insisted on taking a quick shower before we headed to the hospital, so Eric and I moved as fast as we possibly could - Eric was in the middle of lunch and the sandwich he had just made went straight into the fridge.  We called the doctor and they wanted us to come in before heading to labor and delivery. 

It was 12:05 and we were on the road.  We swung by the doctor's office and they confirmed what we already knew, my water broke, I was also dilated to 5 cm.  Yayyy -- we are on our way.  I will tell you that your water breaking and the constant feeling of sitting in your own fluid is more disgusting than most other parts of labor.

I am wheeled over the hospital, mom is downstairs to meet us and Eric is going to check us in at admission.  We are put in a room and then the fun begins.  I get my IV with no issues - first stick which was nice, blood draw to make sure it is safe to give me the epidural, and in the meantime, I meet my Labor & Delivery nurse, Terri, best woman ever!

I am having contractions at anywhere between 2-4 minutes apart, dilated to six and getting close to seven when I get the epidural.  Unfortunately that does take three attempts, but the third one takes and so I am waiting for it to kick in.  At this point contractions are painful but bearable (I would still not plan on doing a sans epidural birth).  The pain meds have kicked in and I don't feel anything below, my labor slowed down a little bit, so they added the slightest bit of pitocin.  At 5pm, I am close to 9cm.  Eric is hungry and asks Terri if he has time to go get some food downstairs - she checks me again and says I would not recommend leaving.  At ten til 6pm, she checks me again, and 10 cm it is.  She looks at Eric and I, and says, "are you guys ready to have a baby?"  We are so excited, and it went so fast that I did not have a chance to be scared.  With Eric and our delivery team all in place, we get ready to start pushing and 15 minutes later, Bennett arrives at 7 lbs, 7 oz - 19.5 inches long. 

He is perfect in our eyes and incredibly healthy, so we are so excited and thankful for our blessings.  I will post pictures soon of our new addition!

Nursery update!

Ok - so we have put on his bedding, added a few knick-knacks and a ceiling fan to his room.  I am still looking for art to put over his changing table/dresser, but will wait until I find what I want.  Also, window treatments are coming soon because I am torn on what I want.

The bathroom is finished!!!!!!

Alright - well we are still missing a mirror, and we have not hung the shower curtain or picked out a rug, but other than that - the bathroom is done.  Check out the finished product.  Eric and his dad did it all - it was a lot of sweat, a little blood and mostly my tears from all the mess, but so worth it.

Various Views



Physical Therapy

I think I have mentioned this through another post, and I know I have made a point to tell all my mom friends about it as well, however, I wanted to give this proper attention through a full post.  My pain is exclusive to SI joint pain, so this may not be applicable if your pain is hip related or due to another alignment issue, however, I would recommend you be diligent in your search for a cure.

Most pregnant women experience some sort of back pain, and it is considered incredibly normal, though incredibly painful.  We all are told from our reading that the hormones your body releases causes ligaments to relax and allows your sacrum, which is usually locked and stable to shift as well.  I started to experience some of this pain right around the end of September, and it progressively got worse.  I was told I could take Tylenol for the pain, and just apply heat or ice.  Even though Tylenol is considered safe, I have not taken any throughout the pregnancy.  I continued with my regular exercise routine and just dealt with the pain until December, and at that point, it was just so bad that I was crying once a week or so from the pain.  So, I demanded to see a physical therapist from my doctor - they wrote the script and I had my first visit in January.

They did an evaluation, and while SI joint pain is common during pregnancy, there are definitely some ways to prevent the pain by strengthening the lower back and glute area to ensure proper support of the ligaments and joints.  They noticed I also had a rotation of my sacrum which was pulling on all of the muscles on my left side and thus tightening them beyond what they should be.  All of this equaled pain at present, and was only going to lead to more pain, so luckily I was looking for correction.

The therapist recommended about 12 exercises which I still do, and am meant to do even after the baby comes.  This therapy has pretty much eradicated the back pain and I have no problems turning over at night, standing on one leg, standing for extended periods, etc.  It is so amazing, so if you have this isolated area pain, talk to your doctor and see a physical therapist - I can't promise it will help your situation, but don't settle for the answers of "it will go away after the baby," or "just take some Tylenol for the pain." Those are not acceptable treatment options.

Baby Update

So, still big as a house, but I don't seem to be growing at the rapid rate I thought I would - maybe that will come - we have got about four weeks left now.  Stats as of today: close to 2 cm dilated, 80% effaced, 22-24 pounds gained.  Tonight I should be nice and heavy - Margot for brunch and Flemings for dinner - Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Bathroom update!

So, after several weekends of work, we have a functional bathroom - mostly.  We still need to get the plumber in and the painter in, and finish some some quarter round and a few other tidbits, but I am happy to report that 80% of the bathroom is done.  Check out the remodeled version so far.  We have picked out a green color for the paint, and will install a dark wood cabinet over the toilet, along with the other fixtures.  The bathroom already feels so much bigger!

Here is our new floor:

Our new sink - which is about half the size of the old one, makes the bathroom feel huge.

The tub and wall tile - right now the room is yellow so you cannot get the full effect of the tile, but once it is painted, it will look great.  Either way, it is much better than the yellowish tub/shower unit from the 80s that was in there with gold glass doors.

Nursery Update - Yep - it is really orange

So, here is the story - we like orange - we painted his nursery orange - anyone who does not like it can have their own child and paint their nursery any color they want.  Check out the latest pics with his chair, bookshelf, etc.  I have not decided on wall art or curtains yet, so updates still to come.

Have you ever seen anything cuter than his little shoes in his closet - currently he has three pairs of shoes - including some Chuck Taylors - thanks Aunt Rals & Uncle Beas.

Still growing....both of us

So here is the latest belly pic - well it is now a few days old, but you get the picture!  I am big, oh so big, and still have several weeks to go.  It is really not fun toting around a 20 pound basketball - my ligaments don't like it, but Bennett needs to keep baking, so we will just rest more as we grow.  Thanks LG for the comfy pants - they are pretty much all I wear at home!

A Shower for Bennett........

Thank you to all of our wonderful friends and family who threw a beautiful shower for Bennett - we are fortunate to have so many gracious friends that want to spoil Bennett rotten.  So, we had two showers on back to back weekends and we got so many great things for Bennett!  Thank you all again so much for your generosity.

Here are a few pics from the showers:

Bennett Brunch

The Countdown is On!!!!!

So, we have reached the last trimester and then some - I am totally ready for this baby to come out, however, I know he needs to get fatter before he actually does.  Having said that - I guess it is in the cards for me to get fatter as well!  See a picture below of a new belly pic.  The ones that will come in the next few weeks will be hilarious - because I am huge.  Currently at 20 pounds and getting bigger everyday.  The baby is measuring perfect, heartbeat at 150, all good news.  Just need to get cracking on getting the house ready for the baby!

All in all - we have had a great holiday season - we went to the UT game (which the ending sucked by the way) and went out for New Year's with some friends.  Long walks and late nights aren't as fun when you are pregnant, but I love seeing everyone.  Stay posted for a bathroom update soon.  Eric and his dad have done all the prep work for the bathroom and will hopefully tile this weekend.  I have also put in a call to the painter, so he will be by to paint the bathroom, nursery and guest room!