Two-week checkup

Elizabeth had her 2-week checkup at the pediatrician's office this morning. She is growing like a weed and everything looks good! We will go back again when she is two months old.

Birth stats:
Weight: 7 lbs, 6 oz.
Length: 18.5"

Stats @ 2 1/2 weeks:
Weight: 8 lbs, 11 oz!
Length: 21" - All of a sudden it seems like she is starting to get a little tall for some of her newborn one-piece outfits, so I guess this is why!

A few favorite photos from the last two weeks, since we have been lax in sharing:

 At the hospital in the ubiquitous striped baby hat that most American newborns seem to get.

Getting the kids started early on the road to geekdom - I knitted them both Jayne hats as seen on Joss Whedon's show "Firefly." Ben loves his "earflap hat." Elizabeth wasn't so sure of hers yet.

Comparison of Elizabeth (above) and Ben (below) around the same age

Elizabeth was fussing so we asked Ben to play his saxophone for her, something he'd talked about doing before she was born. She actually quieted down! He also sings to her sometimes; the other day he sang "Twinkle Twinkle" and then made up a song that consisted mainly of the word "horse" to the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush."

 

Elizabeth relaxing with Georgie the dog, who belonged to Grandma and then Daddy.

Elizabeth Grace

Born 2:32 p.m., January 13th, 2012. 7 lbs, 6 oz, 18.5 inches long. Emily and Elizabeth are doing great.

Today Is The Day

2:00 p.m.
And, just like that, they're getting the room ready for delivery.

1:45 p.m.
All in all, this just seems like a much more laid back experience than last time, which is easy for me to say and quite likely to get me punched once Emily reads this. A pitocin drip was started soon after we arrived, and contractions have been under way for a while now. The anesthesiologist was just here to administer Em's epidural, which I gather was more than welcome. As before, she is of the opinion that the epidural is a wonderful invention.

Emily's parents arrived from Detroit on Tuesday, so Ben is having a day with the grandparents. We spoke with him briefly to say that we were at the hospital so his little sister could be born, just like we'd discussed. He replied that he got to go to Lowe's and that, after his nap, he and Grammie were going to make deviled eggs. The boy has no idea just how much his world is about to be turned upside down...

11:30 a.m.
So, Emily had a regularly scheduled appointment with the doctor this morning; one way or another, it was going to be the last. The plan was to schedule an induction for Monday if the baby hadn't appeared before the appointment. However, the doctor felt that sufficient progress had been made that Emily could deliver today, if we wanted. I don't think the word "today" had fully emerged before Em was vigorously accepting the offer. So, here we are at the hospital, eagerly anticipating our little girl's arrival. Emily immediately started remaking the room to better fit her sense of aesthetics, as shown below.

More updates to come.

Ben is 3!

December 26, 2008

 December 26, 2009

 December 26, 2010

 December 26, 2011

Enjoying the golf set that Papa & Grammie sent him while modeling the Cat in the Hat t-shirt from Uncle Tony, Aunt Jen, and new cousin Gwen.

He needed a little help blowing out the candles and, despite his love of music, did not want us to sing "Happy Birthday" to him.

 He approved of both the color (orange, his favorite) and taste of cupcakes and frosting he helped make.

Fun with Ben

Just a little silliness from the other night. We love hearing Ben giggle!

Visiting Santa

We took Ben to see Santa at Bass Pro Shops this morning. He was a little nervous in line, but did really well once it was his turn. The camera elf caught him in a slightly confused, "Why is that lady shaking jingle bells at me?" look.

When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, Ben cheerfully replied, "A candy cane," which was what we told him he'd get after he got his picture taken with Santa. When Santa assured him that he was going to get a candy cane today and asked if there was something Ben wanted for under the tree on Christmas, Ben just looked baffled. I suggested a Matchbox car and Ben thought that was a good idea. It's nice to have one more year where Ben hasn't yet been heavily influenced by the incredible toy marketing on TV. They don't really show toy commercials on Food Network or the free on-demand cartoons that make up the bulk of TV he actually requests to watch. Thankfully he didn't ask Santa for a set of Rachael Ray cookware (it is orange, his favorite color) or Guy Fieri Knuckle Sandwich knives!

Ben has also been enjoying our Advent calendar. He remembers (better than I do!) what day it is and asks to open that drawer. A few drawers have things like stickers, but most are family things like decorating the Christmas tree, doing a holiday craft, reading a Christmas book, or going out to see the Christmas lights. You can also see his favorite Christmas ornament, George Brett, on the tree behind the calendar. Dave is very proud!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to our family & friends!

Ben was shy on arrival to Thanksgiving dinner but warmed up and got chatty after a while. Here he is with his turkey hat on, chewing on Duck while he surveys all the people: 

The five boy cousins under six years old (!!) had fun eating at the kids' table, playing with building toys, running around outside, and climbing a big gravel hill. Ben also loved trying to get close enough to Kenny & Lynn's cat to pet her. I think he got two pats in total before she scurried off to quieter places.

Finally, Ben shares a holiday song he learned at school. Unfortunately, he turned away at the "crunch" part so you miss his enthusiastic reenactment of that: