Ben's three months old!

Let's see, what's been going on from Ben's third month?  He's been super responsive, smiling and laughing.  Right at about three months (last week), he started talking his head off.  For the last few weeks he's been sleeping from about 7:30 to midnight in his crib, then we get up and eat and he won't go back to sleep unless he's in the swing.  So we swing so mommy can get a little sleep, and then we're up again around 3 or 5.  So most nights he's waking up a couple of times still, hoping that will change soon!  I'm still nursing, but he's SO HUNGRY all the time, that we are also giving him a little formula now, at least a couple times a day.  Oh how I can't wait until he can start eating baby food!! He's sweet and content in the morning and most of the day, and around dinner time he turns into a screaming, crying little monster!  I think he's overly tired because he refuses to sleep during the day.  As much as I try to convince him to take a nap, he's afraid he's going to miss something!  I don't even think he blinks! 

Nate and Lilly are still all over him every second.  They love him so much, always entertaining him like pros. The second he starts to get unhappy they are in his face singing him songs and holding his little hands.  They are such a tremendous help to me.  How did we do this with two little babies and no little five year old helpers all the time to fetch burp cloths and diapers for me?? :) 

 And some shots of my big three month old!  You can tell his face (and the rest of him) has filled in and he's started to get that sweet chunky baby look.  He reminds me of Nate so much. So sweet!

 

 

Nate and Lilly playing in the front while it was still warm at the beginning of a Texas fall!  I think this was some time around the beginning of October.

 Sitting in his bouncy seat- not blinking!!

 Nate and Daddy playing a little ball!

 He absolutely loves this play mat!  He can lay under this and bat at these little toys for hours!

Almost caught up!

Just a little note to family members who are reading the blog.. I've had about three or four blog posts started in my drafts and just finished them, but when I publish them they end up in the order that I started them (on that date), so you may have to go back a few months to see them.  Some of them are in between posts you have probably already read.  So scroll back and make sure you didn't miss anything.  Hope that isn't too confusing!! 

Happy Halloween (and Ben's 2 months old)!!

Well this year we had one baby getting his well check on Halloween and two big kids trying to get sick on HALLOWEEN!  After Ben's check up, I turned right around and took Lilly back to the doctor to check and make sure she didn't have strep throat.  We were relieved to find out it was just a cold.  But poor thing had an awful sounding cough, so instead of joining friends to Trick-or-Treat, we just hung around our neighborhood.  It actually didn't turn out half bad!  The kids had a great time, we got to say hi to some neighbors, and the candy buckets were LOADED (which, let's face it, is the only thing that really matters on Halloween).  Even though they weren't feeling good, they sure did look awful cute!

Our sweet neighbor, Donna came over before we left to give the kids a little treat (She had been dressed up for work and was sweet enough to give me her hat and bow tie after these pictures so I could be Cat in the Hat! 

Iron Man (the blue one) and Doc McStuffins!

 Happy Benny on his first Halloween!  His 2 month well check (a little late at 2.5 months) went great!  He was 23.25 inches long and weighed 11.9 pounds.  He was just smiling away at the doctor, it was super cute.  Doctor said he was right on track with all of the physical stuff that he's supposed to be doing (tracking with his eyes, trying to keep his head straight, etc.).  He was somewhere between 15-20 percentile for height and weight, so he's still a pretty little booger.  But something tells me that will change (especially as much as he is EATING)!! 2 month old pictures at the end of the post below!

 

Cutest Winnie the Pooh EVER!

It was a gorgeous night- the perfect fall weather for Trick-or-Treating!

Of course Me-Maw came over and went with us!!

 

 

Lastly, some two month old pictures of Benny!

 

 

Newborn photos (5 days old)

A few of the photos I took of Ben (his "newborn photos") about 5 days after he was born.  I take these for clients all the time, but it was a different ball game with my own.  SO EXHAUSTING.  Didn't get around to trying everything I wanted to, but I think for my brain being only about half functioning, they'll do. 

 Made this one into a canvas and put it over his crib.  I love the way it looks in there on the light blue wall!

 

Really like how the birth announcements turned out, too!

Visitors!

Just a few of our visitors the first month.  Normally, I would have been taking more pictures, but I'm a little (a lot) of my game when I'm sleep deprived.  So I'm sorry that I didn't get more of other family and friends who visited!! 

 

First, I have to add these phone pics of the kids loving on Ben.  They love him so much!!

 

Dear friends Archie and Fran, who have been like another set of grandparents to Nate and Lilly, came to visit when Ben was about a week old. 

 

Cousin Avery loved holding and loving on Ben!

 Sweet cousins Lane and Avery over at Grandmas. 

 One of my best friends from college, Jennifer.

 

Of course Grandma comes for frequent visits, and stayed with us for a whole week!!  She was a ton of help, and the big kids had a blast playing with her and getting some needed attention!

Grandpa and Grandma from Colorado came down just as soon as they could get here to see sweet new baby!  They got in a lot of good cuddle time with all three kiddos!

And once again, my beloved OBGYN, Dr. Luck.  This was at my post partum  appointment exactly a month after Benny was born (can you tell he was hungry?).

More (Texas) Grandma!

 My sister and nieces came all the way from Virginia!  Sweet Scarlett will be a very good Mommy some day. 

 Ben had literally JUST started smiling the day they all got here, so we had fun just staring at him and trying to get him to smile the whole weekend they were visiting!!

 

So lucky to have my mom, sisters, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and good friends who wanted to come love on Ben and see how we were all doing.  Can't wait for more family to come visit in November and December!!  Love all you guys!

 

Adjusting!

The last few weeks have flown by!  My mom came and stayed with us for a week, then Brian's parents came to visit from Colorado, and a few days later my sisters were here visiting!  I'm so overwhelmed by all of the pictures I need to download, I'm not going to be able to do that right now!!  My next post will have phone pictures and real pictures from all of our visits.  What I did want to do right now is talk about the kids and what Benny's been doing!

Mostly he is doing what you would expect of a newborn.  A LOT of eating and pooping and a LITTLE sleeping!  Usually, he sleeps from about 10PM-1AM, then eats and goes back to sleep from about 2 to 5AM, or something like that.  Of course there have been some nights where we're up every hour or two all night, but hopefully those will end soon!  The most difficult thing for me thus far has been how hungry he is all the time, and since I am nursing I just feel like I am sitting here feeding him all day and night.  I'm going back and forth with thinking about giving him formula, but trying to make it at least to three months before I do that.  I know it sure would make my life a lot easier to be able to have some help when Ben is hungry!!

Right now as I type this, he has been fed and changed and is still fussing in his swing.. :-/  As much as I love this teeny tiny stage, I hate the inexplicable crying.  I just wish he could tell us what's wrong!! 

Last week at about 7 weeks old, he started smiling and responding, and I'M IN LOVE!  Nate and Lilly are too, they just run up to save him every time they hear him let out the slightest whimper.  They love to kiss all over his face and toes and hold his hands.  They talk to him and sing to him, it's very sweet. 

Here are a few of our FIRST smiley pictures I caught with my phone..