One month old!

Benjamin was one month old on Monday! He seems to be gaining weight, although we don't have a scale to see exactly how much he weighs now. He also seems to be getting a little taller, and has outgrown a few newborn outfits already. Things are continuing to go pretty well, although Ben has fussy periods between 3:00-5:00 most afternoons. He has been sleeping in the Pack 'n' Play bassinet in our room, but yesterday took his first nap in his crib. He had another bath on Monday and did great - stayed quiet and looked around during most of it, and let me move his arms to splash the water a little. He is still not a big fan of getting his hair washed! We are planning to give him another bath tonight, so we'll see how that goes.



Ben is also still getting used to tummy time. I got out the activity mat this week, and he tried to follow the hanging rattles with his eyes a little while he was lying on his back (and then tried to chew on them when I moved them nearer). He hasn't quite gotten the visual tracking thing down yet, but is getting better!



Dave gave Ben his first bottle this week. The lactation consultant at the hospital had recommended we start trying a bottle once a day around this point so Ben could have time to get used to it by the time I have to go back to work and Ben heads to daycare. He has been doing great with it so far.



Getting put in his carseat is not Ben's favorite time, but as soon as the car starts moving, he usually conks out. He has been a fantastic traveler so far and usually sleeps through most of our errands or meals out. He even slept through a noisy trip through the car wash yesterday!

Benjamin, weeks 2-4

Ben has been doing well and has been a real trooper on outings. He doesn't particularly like being put in his carseat, but as soon as we're on the road, he's out like a light, and often sleeps through the entire trip, whether it's to Target or out to lunch. He is still baffled by those vicious hiccups which keep attacking him through no fault of his own, and usually looks at us like, "What's going on, and why aren't you stopping it?"

He has already started to outgrow a few outfits, including this cute giraffe onesie he was wearing while spending time with his Grandma Betsy:


Ben also got his first real bath last night, since he now has a belly button instead of an umbilical cord stump. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth on Ben's part and some struggling to hold onto a slippery, writhing baby on my part. But I think it went about as well as could be expected, and hopefully he'll learn to enjoy bathtime, or at least not freak out quite so much as he gets more used to it.

He has been sleeping in his Pack 'n' Play in our room and has given us a few nights where he goes for 4 hours between feedings. Most nights, it's about 3 hours. Here he is swaddled in a blanket also used by the Cline, Carroll, and Gloege kids. It is a great size for swaddling!


More pictures to come!

Happy New Year!

Best Wishes for 2009 from David, Emily and Benjamin!

Settling In

We have been settling in pretty well at home over the last few days. I am tired, but recovering from delivery about as expected. Ben has slept well the last two nights and zonked out for most of this morning as well, allowing Dave & I to make a quick Target run while my parents kept an eye on him. Ben's great-grandma Anne came over to meet him this afternoon and she, Dave's parents, and Jeff will be here tomorrow for a New Year's lunch.

Ben had his first pediatrician's appointment yesterday and got rave reviews. His birth weight was 8 lbs, 7 oz. and he was 7 lbs, 14 oz. at discharge on Sunday. In the 2 subsequent days, he has already gained 5 oz., about double what they normally see! This certainly allayed our concerns about whether he was eating enough! Everything else looks good, and the doctor said Ben already has fairly strong head control, which we noticed when we put him down for tummy time the other day and he got so mad he tried to flip himself over. As our friend described it, it was like watching an upended turtle trying to right himself. Ben's next planned pediatrician appointment won't be until 2 months since everything is going well. This office was recommended by 2 of my co-workers, and we really liked the doctor. Plus, Ben got to be in the "Star Wars"-themed exam room, complete with Darth Tater and Spud Trooper, so Dave & I liked that!

We didn't mention this in the earlier posts, but Ben's middle name is a recurring name in Dave's family. Richard was Dave's grandfather's name, and after skipping a generation, Ben is the 5th generation in the family to have Richard as a first or middle name. We didn't know until he was born & we told Dave's family the name that the first person to use Richard was also a Benjamin Richard.

We have a lot more pictures that will be put into a Picasa web album at some point soon, but until those get uploaded, there are a few that the hospital's web photographer took on Saturday on this website. The password is Richard.

Thank you all so much for the e-mails, calls, and notes of congratulations and support. We really appreciate them, even though we haven't had time to respond to most yet! Hope you all have a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve and that the new year brings you all sorts of wonderful blessings!

A Few More Benjamin Photos

We'll be taking Benjamin home today, but here are a few pictures from his first forty hours:

His first photo, notable more for its timing than anything else

A few minutes later, a bit cleaner and a bit happier.

Em and Ben the next day.

Napping with Mommy this morning.

The three of us.

Benjamin Richard

Born 4:51 P.M., December 26, 2008. 8 pounds, 7.8 ounces, 20 inches long.

Liveblogging a Birth

Well, okay, probably not. But this is as good a place as any for a few updates:

8:04 A.M., 12/26/08: So, we're at the hospital. After a nice Christmas spent with the family (both mine and Emily's, as her parents arrived in KC on Christmas Eve), we checked Emily into the hospital at 8 P.M. We've got a comfortable room, and the staff has been very nice and helpful -- due in part, I'm sure, to the fact that Emily brought a plate of cookies for them as a bribe. Em has experienced a few light contractions, and at 7:30 this morning, the nurses started her on a pitocin drip. Currently, she's reading a book and resting comfortably. More updates to come.

8:36 A.M., 12/26/08: Emily's doctor stopped by to check on her progress and break her water. According to Dr. Nguyen, all is well, and she's really pleased with how things are going. She added, however, that this might be an all-day thing, and advised Emily to take naps whenever possible.

10:29 A.M., 12/26/09: Contractions are coming more frequently now, with little pause in between them. They also seem to be sharper than before. Or, as Emily puts it more succinctly, "Labor hurts!" The nurse just checked her progress, and things are still going well. They had discussed giving Em some I.V. pain meds, but instead are going to go ahead and order her epidural.

11:04 A.M., 12/26/08: The epidural gets a BIG thumbs up! Em's verdict -- "Good stuff!"

12:01 P.M., 12/26/08: No news, other than that the baby is making good progress; we've got the sound of heartbeat booming from the monitor, nice and regular. Emily is resting at the moment, and before drifting off, whispered, "I love my epidural." So, that's going well.

I am also doing well. I got a decent amount of sleep on the hide-a-bed, and have been much happier since one of the nurses showed me where the Dad's Smorgasbord is -- I was getting a bit cranky without food or drink. Wi-Fi in the hospital is a nice feature, and some well-timed episodes of "Mythbusters" helped me and Em pass a couple hours.

With that, I believe I'll go scrounge up some lunch.

12:56 P.M., 12/26/08: Well. We've gone from, "This will probably be an all-day thing." to, "You can leave the hospital for lunch if you want, but you might miss the delivery if you do." Either the baby has decided he really wants out, or Emily has put her foot down and is enforcing the eviction notice. Dr. Nguyen expects the baby to be delivered this afternoon.

And for those who asked, lunch was chicken fingers and onion rings from the cafeteria (and no, there was no KC Masterpiece for dipping, Chris!).

2:02 P.M., 12/26/08: It's looking like it might be just about game time. The nurse is calling the doctor to see whether she wants to have Emily start pushing or not, and another nurse is "setting up the room." Everyone is just marveling at how quickly this is progressing, while Em continues to marvel at the quality of her anesthesiologist.

2:05 P.M., 12/26/08: The doctor says first pitch will probably be in half an hour.