Bottoms Up!

I'm sorry, but there is nothing more cute than a baby's bottom...so I thought I would share Bennett's! I'm sure she will kill me when she is older, but I can't resist! She is getting so much bigger, and I want to capture it before it changes too much. So, here is a photo of her other side after a bath.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

What a night! We went to a Baron's game last night and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. My company had a family night at the ballpark, so we decided to go since I had never even been to a baseball game there. Food was served at 6:00, and the game began at 7:00 - so we arrived at 7:00. As we were walking in, we saw many familiar faces leaving - they all had toddlers that they couldn't control and decided to go. We had Bennett in the baby bjorn, which is our favorite new thing, and she was asleep. In fact, she falls asleep in it so quickly from the swinging movement she must feel when inside of it. So, we mingled with a few co-workers, ate some bbq and then went and found a seat in the stands.

We ran into some friends, Jay and Tricia East, so we sat and talked with them. As I said earlier, the night was beautiful - no humidity, a slight wind and a clear sky! Bennett stirred once we got seated and she wasn't moving anymore so we took her out so she could look around. For the next two hours she just hung out - our perfect angel. I am so thankful that the Lord blessed us with an easy child. We get so many compliments from our friends telling us how lucky we are to have such a good baby, and we know it!

In the bottom of the 7th inning, Bennett started to get a little unsettled so we hit the road. When we got home we fed her the last bottle of the day and put her down at 10:30. This morning Steve and I awoke at 7:30 - before Bennett and Spencer!! It truly was a blessing to have a full night sleep without any interruptions. Considering how late it was, we immediately checked on Bennett, but she was fast asleep in the corner of her crib. So, we let her sleep and fixed ourselves some coffee and fed Spencer his breakfast. Steve and I alternated checking on her until she finally woke at 8:15 - almost 10 hours after she went down!! We knew she was tired since she didn't really nap much yesterday, but man 10 hours??

The Nursery is Complete!

And they said I wouldn't get it done....

We finally finished the nursery just in time for Bennett's 2 month birthday (well everything except the window treatments - I haven't decided what I want there yet). It was much more challenging than I thought, and those who know me, know how overwhelmed I get when I have too many choices (think back to a previous blog when Steve and I were deciding on bedding for our unknown baby). Not knowing what Bennett was going to be made it difficult for us to decide on a direction to take. We ultimately decided to go with the "safari animal" theme to match the bedding. We used photos from our Africa trip and framed them above her changing table, and then had a talented friend paint the letters of her name for above her crib.

Of course we spend the majority of our time in her glider (that Steve had to talk me into buying). That chair is extremely comfortable, and I must admit that I have slept many nights in it when Bennett was first born. It also cleans up very easily, so it is a win-win!

As I said before, Bennett is almost 2 months old already! In fact, she went to the doctor for her 2 month check-up and weighed 9 lbs. 4 oz, measured 21.5 inches long, and her head circumference was 15.25 inches! She is growing like a weed, and we couldn't be happier. She is slightly above the 10th percentile for weight and height, but her head circumference was in the 50th percentile (recall those ultrasound measurements?)! Anyway, she isn't supposed to go back for another month, so we hope to keep it like that.

Running behind

Wow....I can't believe a week has passed and I haven't posted a new blog. I guess I have been too busy to add anything, sorry. Being back at work has changed the dynamics of my day. In the evenings where I usually just pass Bennett off to Steve, I like to enjoy her for myself too. She is a pretty lucky girl because she is held most of the day now.

Her nanny, Shirley started Monday, and said that she just enjoyed holding her (so I take that as Bennett didn't spend any time in her crib). Between Shirley and her Mimi - she seems to have it made. All of the attention hasn't made her worse though, in fact - perhaps it has improved things. For the past week she has been sleeping through the night (10-5), and I have been loving it!!

We had a busy weekend, which also helped her keep her sleeping routine. Friday night we attended a birthday party of a friend, and Bennett joined us. She slept through the entire party (7:30-12:00) and only awoke at the end for a quick hello before we departed. Saturday night we went to dinner with Brian, Shannon and Christian. She was a little fussy at the beginning, but as soon as she drank her bottle, she was down for the count again! Christian was a different story though - he was wide open - eating adult foods (well eating half and throwing the rest on the floor), and entertaining us with faces!



On Sunday Bennett and I went to a Kindermusik class. This was a very fun class that Shannon and Christian went to as well. The teacher sings, dances, and claps and asks the parents and kids to join in on the fun. Most the students were Christian's age (10 mos.) or older, so they all seemed to get more out of the class than Bennett; however, research shows that music can improve the cognitive skills of children of all ages. So, I am planning on enrolling Bennett and me in a class this Fall (late October) as a way for her to learn, and us to bond. For you others with little ones - you may want to look into it as well. It certainly was an entertaining 45 minutes.



After the class, the family went to the pool again. This time Bennett managed to stay awake. She wasn't very pleased with the temperature of the water at first (hence the face you see here), but she eventually got used to it. I think she is going to love the water. She loves her baths, even when I pour water right onto her face (with her eyes open). Steve is dead set on teaching her to swim at an early age, so I guess we will see if he gets his wish. He plans to take a swimming class with her this Fall. She is going to be a busy girl between the classes, but we both want to have some one-on-one with her, so we're going to do it. So, as you can see - we had a busy, but great weekend!

Working 9 to 5...

...well kind of.... I decided that if I was ever going to go back to work, I had to go soon, or I would never return. Thank goodness my employer is allowing me to be flexible right now. This week I decided to work half-days to ease myself back, and since I enjoy my morning walks with Spence and Bennett, I have been working in the afternoons. It has been surprisingly nice to be back. I have been busy catching up and trying to set appointments, and I haven't even missed Bennett terribly. I think it helps that I get to spend my mornings with her, plus I know she is in good hands (with her Mimi all of this week).

Next week I set a goal to return full days, but I am not sure I will accomplish that one. If Bennett has a good night (only wakes up once), I could probably make it there by 8:30, but if not...I usually don't wake until then. I know that reality is around the corner and I will just need to power through it, but it is going to be tough (especially since I am still nursing so I have to get up with her). We have a pretty good system in place - her nanny, Shirley, will stay with her on Mondays and Fridays, and then off to her grandmother's house for the middle of the week. I plan to come home during my lunch hours to nurse on Monday and Friday, but not the other days.

So overall, the plan is in place. Now all I have to do is put the wheels in motion.

Independence Day - 2007

Earlier this week Steve, Bennett, Spencer and I lost our companion - Shelby. After being reminded of her everytime we saw her collar, her old bandanas, her dog bowl, and just not seeing her in our house, in the backyard or in our bed - we decided we needed a change of scenery. So, Wednesday morning we packed up the car and headed to the Mizerany lake house on Smith Lake. It was a great break from the grief that we have suffered this past week, and a wonderful opportunity to be with family.

Steve's entire immediate family was there, including two of his cousins and their families. We had a big crew up there (17 people and 3 dogs)! Needless to say, we kept busy catching up, playing games (more on that later), enjoying some sun and of course eating! It is never a Mizerany get together without all of the yummy (and most typically, unhealthy) food. So, now Steve and I are really starting our diets.

Wednesday morning, before we left, we broke down and made our first call to Bennett's pediatriciain. Though she was feeling okay, she hadn't had a bowel movement in over 24 hours. We didn't want to have a repeat of our first Smith Lake visit, so we wanted to make sure that wasn't a sign of something serious. We were told that between 4-8 weeks, it is normal for a baby who is nursing to absorb more of the milk, and thus not pass it as frequently - perhaps as long as 7 days! We were hopeful that it wouldn't take her a full week, but we packed all of the essentials - thermometer, tylenol, advil, gripe water and mylicon, just in case.

There were times during each day where she would grunt and try real hard, but she was only pushing gas out. It wasn't until Friday afternoon (3.5 days later) when she was content in her Mimi's arms that she passed a grown-up like toot, that left Mimi, and her chair, full of Bennett's first bowel movement of the getaway. Lucky for Bennett, it was runny enough that it just slipped right out her diaper, but her poor grandmother.... Thank goodness this isn't Mimi's first grandchild, so she wasn't mad or disgusted by it. Following, Bennett felt much better and was very content just lying on the floor on a blanket kicking her little legs and arms. Since Mimi handled it all so well - it gave the rest of us something to joke and talk about for the rest of the day.

In between sunning ourselves and the intermittent rain, Steve and I busied ourselves with a game of scrabble. Everyone watched us, so we decided that later that night we would form teams and play again. Steve paired up with his cousin Lisa (a much better speller), and her son Gregory, while I played with Maria and Cathy. We were cocky enough to call ourselves the "winners" and them the "losers," but unfortunately the game didn't turn out quite like we had hoped. It was a close game up until the end, when a brawl began when they went out of turn. Of course they denied that they did, but we didn't let up and it turned ugly. In defense for them, we were taking an insane amount of time to form words when it was our turn, so I can understand how it happened, but still. They finally conceded and let us go, but they were on the hunt then and ultimately kicked our tails. Cathy and I are very poor losers, so we went to bed upset while Steve and Lisa just rubbed it in our faces. I am going to study the dictionary over the next couple of months, so the next time we are together, we can have a rematch and kick their rears!

Saturday morning we awoke to much needed rain. It didn't look like there was an end in sight, so we packed up and came home. Now we are just trying to settle into our routines and get used to the new dynamics around the house. Monday, I am returning to work - only part-time this week so I can get my feet wet again, but then full-time next week...ugh!