Rachel, Dennis, Benjamin, and David

David is Born

2011-09-10T14:16:00.005-06:00

Last pregnancy picture before the big day!

Baby's first picture

He's almost too tall for the scale!

Warming up under the lights

Mom, Dad, and David

Warming up after his traumatic sponge bath.

Wiggling out of his swaddling. He likes to be swaddled, but the blankets are almost too small for him...poor little giant!

Ben's first visit with David. Toward the end Ben just wanted to lay by Mom and David. One big happy family (with Dad taking the picture...)

David is here! Rachel had a doctor's appointment on the 8th and scheduled her induction for the 11th, but David must have heard and decided that wasn't soon enough! Contractions started on the evening of the 8th, we got to the hospital at 9 and they decided right away to keep us. David was born at 5:34 a.m. (which is not recommended; not sleeping all night and then having a newborn to look after is very tiring!) The doctor asked how big Benjamin was at birth and when we told him 7'9 the doctor said "Well this one is definately bigger!" David weighed in at 9'5 and 21 3/4 inches long. He is in the 100+ percentile for height. I honestly don't know where I was keeping that much baby, but I feel a lot better-able to maneuver now that David is born. He has dark hair and dark eyes. He is very mellow unless you get between him and his food! The hardest thing he has had to go through since being born (according to him) is a sponge bath. Never mind the shots, heel pokes for blood draws, or how cold he gets. He screamed all through his bath, kicked repeatedly while they were trying to get his footprints taken, and when they tried to measure his head circumference with a paper measuring tape he ripped the tape out of the nurse's hand and tore it in half. He is a strong little boy! He is usually content just to sit in someone's lap and look around. He all ready likes his binki and just like before he was born he gets the hiccups a lot and likes to keep his hands up by his face. He enjoys stretching out his legs, which must have been pretty cramped for the last few months. Benjamin isn't too sure about the new baby yet; every time he sees mom holding the baby Ben gets a sad look on his face and the first time he got near the baby he tried to hit him. I'm sure Ben will learn better how to deal when mom and David are back home and we get into a routine. We are SO HAPPY with David in our family and we can't wait to get to know him better as we spend more time together.

Why We Love Benjamin

2011-08-25T23:33:00.006-06:00

Benjamin is such a great little boy. He has developed such a personality and he never ceases to amaze us. He is a quick learner and is always ready to play and have fun. Here are some of his recent antics:

Ben has started to put himself down for naps. This has some...interesting results. None of these photos or poses have been manipulated by Dennis or Rachel in any way; this is exactly the way we found Ben sleeping.

Just a diaper and a bear

Sleeping on the pile of blankets we put behind the crib as storage, across the room from his bed.

Somehow he fell asleep with a duck balanced on his chest!

Ben is one cool kid! He likes to wear his sunglasses inside and when he does he walks around saying "Heyyyyyyy" like Fonzie from Happy Days. Here he is riding his trike with his shades on and no pants.

Benjamin is such a big helper; he wants to do whatever Dennis and Rachel are doing. Here he is helping Daddy assemble his new dresser.

Benjamin just started singing short songs and he would bow as Rachel clapped for him. We have no idea where he learned to bow!

We got Benjamin some soft letter blocks at the library to encourage his interest in letters. Dennis started to juggle them and Benjamin couldn't resist joining the fun!

Rachel loves to sing with Benjamin, who is picking up on the words to songs pretty fast. Here Ben is singing "I am a Child of God" with mom.

Benjamin is such a sweet boy and we can't wait to see him as a big brother to David!

Summer Fun

2011-08-25T21:03:00.011-06:00

Summer is my favorite season and here is why:

GRANDMA MECHAM'S VISIT

Dennis' mom came to Utah for two weeks and we had so much fun, especially Benjamin. Grandma had way more energy than mom!

BAKING A CAKE

Benjamin is always excited when he hears the mixer going and he is more than willing to do quality checks on all the baking I do.

SWIMMING IN THE BACK YARD
Since Rachel was so pregnant this summer we didn't go to any community pools to go swimming, but that didn't stop us from having some fun in the water!

RACHEL'S BIRTHDAY!

Ok I just had to throw this one in because Dennis' sister Kami made me the cutest cake; it looks like a giant cupcake.

HOGLE ZOO (IN SALT LAKE CITY)

Benjamin LOVES animals and Dennis and I decided that as a family treat we would take Ben to the zoo. The morning we went before we left I asked Ben what animal he wanted to see and Ben said "A duck!" I suggested tigers and elephants, but Ben just shook his head and insisted "Duck". Luckily, the zoo had ducks! Ben had a good time with the other animals too.

This is the classic zoo drinking fountain shot. Pretty sure all zoos need at least one of these.

Ben riding a wooden camel, ironically not located next to the real camels.

Cool statue outside the Ape House

The zoo was having a cool temporary dinosaur exibit while we were there. Every time Benjamin sees this picture he says "Scary!"

Since it was a treat at the zoo, we decided to let Ben ride their carousel. Ben LOVED sitting on the bear and every time he sees this picture he says "A bear, a ride".

Ben's commentary: "A giraffe; it tall!"

FAMILY REUNION/GREAT GRANDMA THOMPSON'S BIRTHDAY

Ben had such a fun time playing with his cousins and seeing all the family together during our reunion in Idaho Falls.

Rachel's family: From top left: Stephanie holding Taydom, Adam (Stephanie's husband) holding KaileeJo, Liz, Daniel, Dennis, Rachel (pregnant with David). Front Row: Dad holding Hadley, Mom holding Ben. We're one good looking group!

A happy family of 3 and 8/9ths

KaileeJo pulling Taydom and Benjamin in the wagon at Great Grandma Thompson's house

THE BEAN MUSEUM

I'll admit it: ever since I moved here to Utah I've thought that the Bean Museum was a museum about beans and never understood why people got so excited over it. Turns out it's a taxidermy museum with TONS of animals from everywhere and it has free admission! It's on BYU campus and we had lots of fun seeing the animals.

I love this picture because Benjamin looks so scared of the bears behind him.

"A lion!"

THANKSGIVING POINT FARM COUNTRY

Keeping up with the theme of enjoying animals, we took Ben to a cute "zoo" of farm animals at Thanksgiving Point up in Lehi. Aunt Kami came with us. Ben's favorite part was the pony ride, which was adorable!

Ben and Dennis in "jail"

It could be a while before they get out on good behavior :-)

Ben dancing in the dance hall

Kami and Ben doing "Jazz Hands"

Ben and Kami on a wagon ride pulled by two draft horses around the farm

Benjamin learning about soil...sort of.

Ben refused to get off this tractor even though it didn't even move.

Ben called everything a cow. This time he was right!

Ben on his pony ride; he has some skills for a two year-old!

Ben called this a cow, but to be fair, some of the goats were black and white like cows.

This sheep let Ben pet him, probaby because he though Ben had food.

Ben and Kami kickin' it on a cow bench

A short video of Ben's pony ride. He started letting go of the saddle to wave to us so I didn't get a very long video.

Oregon Vacation

2011-08-06T21:33:00.007-06:00

Back in June (yep, I'm THAT slow updating the blog) we went on a long vacation to Oregon to see Dennis' family. We had such a wonderful time!

GETTING THERE

We stopped at the Salt Flats in Utah since Rachel had never seen them during the day. It was like walking on really crusty snow and it was just as blindingly white. Benjamin had a great time trying to break his land speed record!

This photo inspired by Asian tourists. Kami wanted to pose for a picture and Ben just had to join in.

In Nevada we saw a WILD BURRO! Who even knew there was such a thing (besides Dennis and Kami who waited patiently in the car while Rachel hopped out to take pictures).

KLAMATH FALLS
In Klamath Falls we visited with Dennis' Grandma Shaffer who was in a rehab center. We got to stay at her house even though she wasn't there. Benjamin enjoyed seeing his Great Grandma, but he also loved running through the halls, being noisy, and watching people play the Wii the center has. Luckily most of the other residents didn't seem to mind too much...

The last day we were in Klamath Falls we stopped by to say goodbye to Grandma while she was at physical therapy. Benjamin was very concerned we were going to leave him in that strange place with those strange people. He was NOT happy for this picture so we tried again...

Ben refused to give Grandma a goodbye hug, but he was more than happy to give her a high-five!

ROSEBURG - FEEDING THE DUCKS
Benjamin had a great time at the duck pond. Most people who know him know how much Ben loves ducks! The only issue with feeding the ducks was that we tried to go around lunch time and Benjamin didn't think it was fair for the ducks to get ALL the bread; he wanted some too!

Ben and Dennis walking down toward the ducks. Benjamin was so excited he pretty much RAN.

Dennis gave Ben bread to feed the ducks and Ben would alternate between throwing the piece of bread to the ducks and popping it in his mouth. Sometimes Ben would fake us out into thinking he'd thrown his bread only to put it in his mouth after making a throwing motion. What a silly boy!

WILDLIFE SAFARI
Dennis' family lives about 15 minutes away from a wild animal park! It has two parts: one where you drive your car through the park and look at the animals (really expensive) and a "petting zoo" that still has some really cool animals like a cheetah, flamingos, monkeys, and ducks (free). We only went to the petting zoo and Benjamin had a great time. We paid a little to ride a train that took us on a tour of the petting zoo and we even saw some lions and rhinos from the car-driving part of Wildlife Safari. Ben also really enjoyed feeding the goats.

Ben loved to have his picture taken and after Uncle Devin and Aunt Kami showed him how he was more than happy to pose for us!

Rachel was nervous that Ben would be intimidated by the goats, especially with feeding them. Benjamin doesn't really like people touching his hands and has a very big personal bubble with unfamiliar people/things especially in new situations. There was no need to worry though! As you can see from this video Benjamin was not at all afraid to be near the goats! He actually fed them by taking each pellet in between his finger and thumb and sort of shoving the pellet into the goats' mouths. He even felt comfortable teasing the goats!

FISH LADDER
Another cool free thing we did was to visit the fish ladder. There is a dam on the river that several species of fish use for spawning. They built a series of locks that even the smallest fish can navigate and put (thick) windows up so people can actually go down and watch the fish as they traverse the locks. It was really neat to watch all the different kinds of fish, some of which were pretty big!

The lighting was pretty weird so this was the best picture we got of our family in front of one of the windows of the fish ladder. If you look closely you can see the fish in the background.

Benjamin enjoyed watching the fish, but more than that he liked playing with the little puddles of water on the floor. Oh the joys of a two year-old.

HIKING TO A WATERFALL
Rachel did not participate in the hike and took a much-needed rest, but those who went had a great time. Benjamin loved throwing rocks into the water and had fun getting his picture taken as well.

Kami, Devin, Benjamin, and Dennis at the falls

Benjamin and Grandma practicing Benjamin's newest trick, which Grandma taught him,: Standing like a flamingo

What a cute boy!

GENERAL FUN
Benjamin has so much fun spending time with family while we were in Oregon. We weren't able to capture everything on film, but we went to some American Legion baseball games, watched 4th of July fireworks and set off a few of our own (on July 8th...), baked cupcakes, set up a train set, played outside, helped Grandpa in the garden, and just enjoyed being together.

Benjamin loved to "help" Devin play the piano. Ben actually played pretty gently for a two year-old and after each of his performances he demanded applause from everyone in the room.

Grandpa spoiled Ben by making him a big mud puddle at the edge of the driveway. Benjamin played in it for hours and loved every minute of it.

Grandma took Ben with her to go get the mail at the end of the lane and they got side-tracked looking at bugs and bees, both words Benjamin learned that day!

Going to Oregon was a great vacation and we had so much fun.

Progressive

2011-06-15T14:47:00.003-06:00

This is probably just evidence that Benjamin watches too much TV, but it's so cute I couldn't resist posting it. He gets so excited every time the commercial comes on and talks along with it.

Benjamin Turns TWO

2011-06-08T13:48:00.012-06:00

Benjamin had a great 2nd birthday! First thing in the morning we opened presents. It took a long time to open just a few presents because he would tear off a tiny piece of wrapping paper, look at it, hand it to mom or dad, get distracted with a book or a different toy, then go back to the present and tear off another little piece of wrapping paper and start the whole process over again.

Benjamin got lots of train things including a Thomas the Tank Engine video, plate, bowl, and bath toys and an alphabet train that sings songs and teaches letters, numbers, and colors. It's designed so Benjamin can even ride it! He also got a bowling set, some blocks, a bubble blower, Sesame Street and Bob the Builder videos, some money, a personal DVD player so he can watch shows in the car, and last but not least a new bed! He got Cars sheets to go on it too. He loves having new toys to play with and is really enjoying his big boy bed. He should be used to it by the time the new baby gets here.

After we opened presents, Benjamin helped mom make his birthday cake. In this picture he has the beater in one hand and the spatula in the other hand. The cake was Funfetti so all the batter he got all over the place doesn't really show up, but he was very messy by the time the cakes made it in the oven.

I made five train cars out of mini bread pans and decorated them just free-hand. I think it turned out very cute. I made the wheels out of mini Oreos.

Conductor's Car - the smoke stack is Gummy Lifesavers and mini marshmellows, the conductor is an M&M with blue frosting for his hat.

Coal Car - the Coal is Oreo crumbs and chocolate chips

Passenger Car - the people are made of orange M&Ms and their features are done in frosting.

Circus Car - Animals are made of mini animal crackers (Animalitos) and the bars are just piped frosting

Train Car - Just piped on words

Benjamin loved his cake and enjoyed eating it almost as much as he enjoyed destroying it!

If you look closely you'll see Benjamin has RED frosting all over his face, hands, and hair even though the piece he got was part of the GREEN car. He even ate all the mini marshmellows before we sang Happy Birthday to him!

Uncle Samuel and Aunt Kami came over for birthday fun and cake and ice cream. It was great to be together for Benjamin's big day!

2 Year-Old Fun Facts about Benjamin

-Weight: 30 pounds

-Height: 75th percentile for his age

-Favorite Words: No, Woohoo, Dad, Go

-Favorite Cartoons: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins

-Favorite Food: Spaghetti

-Favorite Fast Food: Taco Time Mexi Fries

-Favorite Game: Racing down the hall with Dad

-Favorite Song: BYU fight song

-Favorite Passtime: Playing at the park

-Favorite Animal: Bird

-Favorite Toys: Balls, Blocks, Cars, Books

Easter Vacation

2011-05-04T13:37:00.015-06:00

For Easter this year we went up to Idaho Falls to be with Rachel's family (like we do every year). We stayed an extra week to spend time with family and friends. We had a great time!

EASTER

This is the best picture I got of Benjamin with his Easter basket. He ran around the whole time so excited. I took his shirt off as soon as he started opening his chocolates.

A sweet picture of Taydom during our Easter celebration.

VISIT TO REXBURG

We went to Rexburg to visit Matt and Korissa and Conner before they move to Washington State in May. Benjamin and Conner had fun together, especially since Conner's house was being packed up to move. Here they are on a mattress.

We tried to take a nice picture of the two boys sitting on the couch. I took about 20 pictures. This was the best one we got.

On the mattress again!

Helping Aunt Korissa vacuum with Conner's two toy vacuums.

FEEDING THE DUCKS

Benjamin got SO excited to see the ducks. I pulled him out of his carseat while he was shouting "A duck!" over and over.

Benjamin has a pretty good throwing arm when he focuses on letting go of the bread at just the right time. He also had several throws behind his head...at this point he will throw from whatever hand has something in it.

The ducks and geese got really close to people with bread. I was afraid they'd try to eat my toes or my kid, but Benjamin was not scared at all to have large birds so close to him.

Feeding the ducks was probably Benjamin's favorite part of the whole vacation. It was freezing cold outside and Benjamin's face and hands were so red and even Dennis and Rachel were getting really cold but Benjamin still screamed when we carried him back to the car.

SLEEPY BOY

I'm such a mean mom; I make my son eat his lunch even when he's ready for a nap...Ben tried so hard to stay awake and eat his lunch. He didn't quite make it and eventually I just let him nap and he ate lunch later.

Just to show how tired Benjamin was, it's not water in his sippy; it's orange soda. Normally Benjamin will go through just about anything to get a drink of pop but he was so tired that keeping his eyes open was too much to ask.

We had a great time in Idaho and these pictures aren't even everything we did. We visited Rachel's Grandma Ostler and Benjamin loved her cat, Cici. Benjamin liked to grab her tail and pet her with sticky fingers and the kitty didn't mind. At one point Benjamin even tried to sit on her, but she ran away in the nick of time. Benjamin loved to spend time with Rachel's Grandma Thompson and Aunt Ginny as well. Grandma liked to give him treats and Ginny brought him toys to play with and liked to have conversations with Benjamin. We got together with two of Rachel's old college roommates for dinner and Benjamin had fun playing with other kids and really loved the homemade french fries we had! It was a great trip and we can't wait to get back to Idaho again.

The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Men...

2011-04-21T14:37:00.008-06:00

I had a New Year's Resolution this year that I was going to blog the last day of the month every month about everything that had happened during that month. This plan lasted until the middle of January when I found out I was pregnant and immediately succumbed to intense nausea that lasted all day. All of you who have been pregnant know that during the morning sickness phase everything is basically a nauseous blur and nothing else seems to matter except that you get lots of time on the couch in your sweats. It's been since Christmas since my last blog post and I don't even have very much material to catch up on, but here are a few videos and pictures of how fun life is with Benjamin.

We went to watch Uncle Sam wrestle at UVU and for Benjamin's nap he just slept on the bleachers; he seemed comfy and it was very cute!

Benjamin likes to stack things. He stacks food storage cans, cans from the kitchen cupboards, toys, and anything else he can find. He is pretty good at balancing things and he enjoys playing with his blocks, which are uniform in shape and therefore easier to stack. Whenever his tower falls down he exclaims, "Oh man!"

Benjamin got a tricycle for Christmas and now that the weather is finally nice enough he likes to ride up and down the block, with a little help from Mom and Dad.

We went to our first BYU baseball game of the season and Cosmo was there! Benjamin was SO excited to meet Cosmo and he really enjoyed watching baseball, even though the weather was a little chilly.

We went to the BYU/UNLV game in Provo and the fight song was played enough that Benjamin learned it! We sang it a lot during March Madness and I just had to get it on video.

Temple Square Adventure

2010-12-23T22:04:00.004-07:00

We scored some tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert featuring David Archuletta. We left Benjamin with a sitter and met up with Dennis' sister Kami. Our 4th ticket went to Emily Velasquez, a youth in our stake who is a very good sport and who was a lot of fun to have along. The concert was full before we even got to Salt Lake City, as we found out later, but that didn't stop us from having a good time! Our parking pass was for the Church Office Building, which had some interesting things in it...

That's right - there's a CAR WASH in the Church Office Building parking garage.

complete with vacuum and garbage area.

Classic shot of the Salt Lake Temple

Nativity in the middle of the fountain - it was beautiful and there were a lot of (more) professional photographers there taking pictures of it. I felt the sudden urge to purchase a tripod.

Cute Kami at Temple Square

Kami at the Family History section of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. While we were there we saw a few geneology charts that started with just a poor couple in England. One family ended up with 5 Presidents of the US in their lineage and another couple had Shirley Temple, Steve Young, Joseph Smith, Emma Smith, Philo Farnsworth (he invented television), and Lucille Ball.

Rachel and Dennis in front of a really pretty Christmas tree in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

We walked downtown in Salt Lake and saw an historical landmark - the building of the Salt Lake Tribune. According to the plaque we read, the Tribune actually started out as a very anti-mormon newspaper, but it has obviously changed its ways since the beginning. The building was pretty boring so I didn't bother to take a picture. :-)

After we left SLC we went to Burger King for dinner and still made it home by 11. We had a great time with Kami and Emily!

Cute Boy

2010-12-23T21:36:00.006-07:00

It seems like Benjamin is getting cuter by the day. His most recent accomplishments:

He learned to shake his head NO. Now every question he's asked he shakes his head no. It is much easier for him to resist bedtime now that he can say he's not ready for bed yet.

Benjamin climbed up on his "dresser" so he could snuggle his snowsuit. He stayed up there for about 1/2 hour and insisted I stay there the whole time. I snuck away just long enough to grab my camera!

Benjamin is learning so quickly! As you can see from this video he loves singing songs and picks up on the motions to songs almost as fast as I sing them. After hearing "Monkeys on the Bed" about 3 times and seeing the motions, he all ready knew how to do the motions.

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

2010-12-16T16:40:00.005-07:00

TRIMMING THE TREE

Helping Daddy untangle the Christmas tree lights

Benjamin's tree trimming technique was to basically create a pile of ornaments on one section of the tree. Once all the ornaments were on Benjamin wanted to clean them off. As a result there is a very large bare spot on our tree the covers the entire front of the tree within Benjamin's reach.

CHRISTMAS CRUISE

There's a family in west Provo that has the Provo River on their property. They decorate all their land with lots of Christmas lights and boat people up and down their section of the river to look at their lights. We went with Kami and Samuel and it was lots of fun!

Waiting for the cruise to board!

Only in Utah...

BAKING DAY

Kami came to our house and she and Rachel baked ALL DAY. Benjamin helped here and there, mostly with tasting and distractions. However, when it came time to frost cookies Benjamin was right there the whole time with a spoonful of frosting and a very messy face.

Helping Kami make frosting

Frosting cookies

A very messy boy after frosting cookies

The fruits of our labors: Sugar cookies, peanut butter cups, peanut brittle, Kisses pretzels, chocolate dipped pretzels, and chocolate dipped wheat-thin peanut butter sandwiches. Kami and Rachel agree that this display is Martha Stewart-worthy.

After such a long day of baking Rachel was done with cooking so Benjamin had to fend for himself for dinner. Just kidding. In the commotion of dinner Benjamin climbed up on the table and grabbed a frosting knife and a tortilla chip. So cute.

VISITING SANTA AT THE MALL

Basically it was a disaster. Benjamin cried before Santa even touched him. Ben was so upset he did not want ANY pictures with the scenery. This was the best picture we got of him that day.

Thanksgiving!

2010-12-16T16:31:00.003-07:00

This year for Thanksgiving we went to Idaho to Rachel's aunt Donette's house. We ate some good food then had time for playing. It was about 2 degrees outside but I really wanted Benjamin to see the cows. The cows liked seeing him too.

Getting cow kisses

Benjamin, the rough rider

The day after Thanksgiving Rachel and her mom and dad went to see the new Harry Potter. Dennis was all ready back at work and Benjamin had to stay at Great Grandma's house with Aunt Liz and Great Grandma so we thought we would bring home a treat for him. As you can see Benjamin thought that was a pretty good deal!

He stopped even looking at the camera; he was totally absorbed in the popcorn.

We all had a great Thanksgiving weekend with family.

Halloween Pictures...Merry Christmas!

2010-12-16T16:17:00.005-07:00

Before Halloween Rachel and Kami spent an afternoon at Gardner Village, basically a bunch of boutiques and cute shops where the area is decorated for Halloween. Even though this is only the second year we did this, we've decided it's now an annual tradition.

Benjamin was the cutest duck! He had lots of fun trick-or-treating and much to his parents' dismay he enjoyed eating his candy this year, especially the chocolate. Thank goodness we took pictures at the beginning of the night because by the end of the night the white part of his costume had lots of brown marks from Benjamin enjoying his spoils.

Since Halloween was on a Sunday this year Kami had a Halloween dinner at her house. She made an amazing dinner and Dennis, Benjamin and Rachel all had the stomache flu. We went to Kami's but we didn't really get the most out of our dinner. We dressed up but none of the pictures were post-worthy. We really did appreciate all the hard work Kami went through though and it was still the best Halloween we'd had for years!

Fun Times with Benjamin

2010-11-13T22:20:00.007-07:00

Benjamin is such a joy in our lives. He has a very playful personality and is always coming up with something cute to do. He still only says Mama and Dada, but he jabbers non-stop so we know once he starts to talk he will catch right up. He has great motor skills and can all ready walk down stairs (most kids just scoot up and down). We love making Benjamin giggle and playing with him and he loves spending time with us too!

Playing an off-duty fireman

There's nothing like child labor! Benjamin feels like a big boy when he helps sweep and I get a clean(er) kitchen floor.

One of Benjamin's favorite costumes - pantless firefighter with flashlight and drum.

He's even cute while he's sleeping! Dennis went in to check on him during his nap and Benjamin had stuck his foot through the bars of his crib.

Shopping with Uncle Sam. Benjamin loves having Samuel and Kami so close-by.

A typical Friday night - a mostly-naked baby climbs up on the back of the couch all by himself.

Benjamin loves his toy basket, even if he doesn't use it for its original purpose - to keep toys in it. To Ben the basket is more like a wonderful plaything that inspires all kinds of creative uses and is usually a type of fort in which to watch cartoons, pile up diapers, climb in and out of in various positions, and to stand on top of.

Oh no! Sucked in by the couch!

I bought Benjamin some mittens because the weather is getting colder and Ben needs to keep his hands warm. Benjamin loves them so much he brings them to me to put them on his hands even when we're not going outside!

The Rest of Summer

2010-11-13T20:52:00.008-07:00

I must have realized I would miss summer at this time, which is why I waited until November to blog about summer vacations. See? It was part of my plan all along to wait this long!

Eastern Idaho State Fair

All set for a day at the fair!

Testing the hot tubs

Riding the Carousel. Benjamin loved it so much he actually started crying when we had to get off.

Driving the boat; Benjamin comandeered BOTH steering wheels!

Riding with Aunt Liz

Visiting the big horses in the barn with Grandpa

Benjamin preferred playing in the sawdust to riding horses though.

The only fun part of the fair I failed to capture is the vast amount of fair food we consumed while we were there. We love going to the fair every year!

Pirate Island Pizza

Pirate Island Pizza - Me, Dennis, my sister Liz, Dennis' sister Kami, and Dennis' brother Samuel took on the Kracken - 2 feet in diameter of meat-lover's paradise in pizza form. Benjamin liked the crust the best.

Benjamin didn't get to play any games at Pirate Island (they have an arcade), but he got to ride a little merry-go-round they had and he LOVED it!

Mecham Family Reunion

Woohoo! A family reunion with a trampoline! They also had a bouncy house but I didn't get any pictures of it.

The Joe Mecham Family: Samuel, Rachel and Benjamin, Dennis, Joe, Darlene, Korissa, Kami and Conner, and Devin. What a good-looking group!

Settling down on Grandpa's lap after a long day of reunion.

Thompson Family Reunion

We went up to Dubois, Idaho to put in Great-Grandpa Thompson's military headstone. While we were there we decorated his grave with some flowers.

Of course, whenever the Thompsons get together there is plenty of good food! At the cemetary we had Rachel's Aunt Donette's famous Fudge-filled Cookies, soda, water, candy, cookies, and crackers. Don't worry; after we were done at the cemetary we went back to Idaho Falls for lunch. :-)

Feeding the ducks by the falls in Idaho Falls. Most of Benjamin's bread ended up on the rocks below his feet, but Daddy helped him get it to the ducks.

We love to see the temple!

Giggling

2010-08-25T22:49:00.004-06:00

Benjamin had such a great time playing with Aunt Liz while we were in Wyoming. Every time I watch this video it makes me smile.

4th of July

2010-08-25T22:21:00.005-06:00

This is the first year since we got married that Dennis and I went to Wyoming for the 4th - one of my favorite holidays to spend with my family. We always go to Tensleep (population: 310) and enjoy the festivities. The following is my ideal 4th:

Gearing up for the Tensleep parade!

It was sunny and warm - perfect weather.

Benjamin picking up candy

After the parade we have a picnic lunch in the park, then a family favorite: Pooh Sticks.

Basically we throw sticks off one side of the bridge and see whose stick makes it to the other side of the bridge the fastest, a la "The Winnie the Pooh Movie".

Swinging at the park after lunch

Can't wait for the rodeo!

Small-town rodeo with the Big Horn Mountains in the background.

This bull was so stubborn - it took three cowboys to get him back in the pen.

Benjamin didn't like loud fireworks, but he enjoyed the snakes!

A family of sparklers

The day ends with us lighting fireworks out of the city limits. There were so many people lighting off fireworks we really didn't need to light any of our own, but my dad set off a couple that were perfect. Just for the record, there are VERY few fireworks that are illegal in Wyoming; it makes for a great show.

La Pieta

2010-08-25T22:08:00.002-06:00

In June and July there was a local art supply store that had a life-sized replica of Michaelangelo's "La Pieta" on display with free admission. We took advantage of this (twice) and were amazed by the beauty of the statue. The original is in The Vatican, behind several sheets of bullet-proof glass. This replica is made from a cast of the original statue. Even Benjamin appreciated the beauty - he kept pointing and gasping the whole time we were there.

The whole statue

Details of the fabric carved by Michaelangelo. He made this statue in his mid-late 20's and when it went on display nobody believed he had done it so Michaelangelo snuck back to the statue later and carved his name on the statue so there would be no doubt that it was his work. It is one of only a few pieces by Michaelangelo that is signed by him.

Remember, this was carved out of stone. The details of the muscles were amazing.

Just to prove we were really there!

Popcorn!

2010-08-25T21:57:00.003-06:00

This is the first song Benjamin learned. He actually learned it just after he turned 1, but I have been slacking a bit in posting to the blog...

2010-08-25T21:47:00.002-06:00

Summer Vacations

2010-07-14T23:05:00.006-06:00

For some reason, even though none of us are in school, we still tend to take most of our vacations in the summer. I guess it's good to get Benjamin on a schedule early, right? Anyway, we were lucky enough to go to Oregon for Dennis' brother Samuel's High School graduation. We had a great time, but we didn't manage to take very many pictures. Benjamin loved to rock-a-bye with Grandpa Mecham before naps and watch Daddy and Uncle Samuel play video games.

Playing tee-ball

Rocking with Grandpa and watching sports - two of the best things in the world.

Our second trip was to Wyoming. We spent the 4th of July there and also had fun just playing. Benjamin began perfecting his walking techniques with Grandma's help. Grandma was in a knee brace because she tore her MCL in her knee. She was on crutches so she and Benjamin walked at about the same speed. Benjamin had a great time with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Liz.

Rocking with Grandpa

Helping Grandpa install child safety locks on the cupboard where all the cleaning supplies are kept.

Daddy built an amazing Lego statue, but Benjamin didn't mind taking all the credit.

We celebrated my birthday while we were there, but we couldn't find the candles so we used matches instead. It was awesome.

Benjamin went swimming a couple times. He loved being in the water, but didn't like sitting down. Every time he fell on his bum he stood back up as quickly as possible because it was so cold!

Benjamin and Aunt Liz became fast friends and had a great time playing together after Liz got off work every day.

Taking a ride in the stroller and enjoying the sunshine

Look Who's ONE!!

2010-07-14T21:21:00.007-06:00

On May 21st Benjamin turned one. Here are some things we did to celebrate:

May 20th we had a party for him at my work. Basically there were no office birthdays in May and we all just wanted cake, but it was still fun and cute.

ON MAY 21ST WE:

Opened cards, which were possibly his favorite present at the time. He loved his birthday cards so much we brought them on our long car trip because they kept him entertained for so long!

Opened presents

Installed and used his new forward-facing carseat

Went to the mall and visited the Disney store - He LOVED the sparkely red floor and we bought him some sunglasses. The guy behind the counter heard it was Ben's birthday so he made him a special Hero sticker with the birthday boy's name on it.

Had a party! From the left: Mom and Benjamin, Cambria (her back, anyway), Corwin, Lori, Zaden, and Aunt Kami

Had cake! This is the cake I made for Benjamin to destroy. The pictures on it are clockwise from the top left: A tree, music notes, book, block, and bubble bath. The cake remained mostly intact because Benjamin would only take tiny bites and didn't seem to like getting his hands dirty. He still had fun though!

A week later, we got to do presents and cake with my family in Idaho!

Classic ring-stacking toy!

A fire station! Wow, that's mine! (KaileeJo and Taydom were helping by this point.)

MMM...Benjamin did not mind getting messy to eat Great Grandma Thompson's cake!

Horray for Birthdays!

Just a bunch of pictures. Will seperate later.

2010-05-16T18:18:00.008-06:00

Oldest are on the bottom, most recent are at the top.

Hanging Out with Aunt Kami

2010-03-24T22:14:00.005-06:00

So it turns out Kami was TAKING most of the pictures...Even so we love having her so close and we enjoy spending time with her. We are excited to have Uncle Samuel closer going to UVU this fall so we can have fun times with him too.

BYU - Utah Gymnastics meet

Cupcake Cafe afterward!

Benjamin even got a bite.

Pirate Island Pizza

Ben says "Arrrrgh"

Fun Times in Pajamas

2010-03-24T21:52:00.006-06:00

Walker OR...

Climber?

Some quality TV time!

He reminds me of that comedian...you know, the one who's always standing...Rory Calhoun! (name that show)

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

BENJAMIN stole the cookie from the cookie jar!

And it was delicious.

March Madness!

2010-03-17T19:59:00.003-06:00

Benjamin filled out his first NCAA bracket. He has some pretty big upsets but managed to put two "realistic" teams in the final.

Here's how he picked his bracket:

At Home with Daddy

2010-03-14T16:59:00.012-06:00

Benjamin has so much fun staying home with Daddy while Mom is at work. Dad lets Benjamin watch cartoons, eat snacks, climb the stairs, and even play with the TV remote. Benjamin is lucky to have such a great dad to keep him company all day.

After eating squash and Cheerios

Ben loves to make a mess!

A close-up of a messy boy

Dancing Baby

2010-03-11T19:55:00.018-07:00

Benjamin has recently figured out how to "dance" by bending up and down. I bought him a CD of common kids' songs and Ben loves to listen to the music and dance along!

Mom Coaching Ben for Crawling

2010-02-07T22:32:00.003-07:00

Are You Ready for Some FOOTBALL?!

2010-02-07T22:21:00.003-07:00

This was Benjamin's first SuperBowl. He didn't get any treats like mom and dad, but he did get his binki dipped in some diet soda which he really enjoyed. He sat and watched about half the game then moved on to playing with his toys and working on crawling. We had a great SuperBowl party, even though it was just our little family. Benjamin makes everything more fun!

Still early in the game - time to ham it up for the camera

Now it's getting serious

Go! Go! Touchdown!!

New Jammies

2010-02-07T22:12:00.003-07:00

Benjamin got some new pajamas. They are 18-month size! He's only 8 months! I thought the monkey pajamas would be appropriate since Benjamin loves to climb around and get into mischief.

Monkey Jammies for a Monkey Boy

Having fun with Daddy in his new pjs

Getting soooo big!

Note the little monkeys on the feet - my favorite part!

Fun at Bathtime

2010-02-07T21:16:00.004-07:00

Benjamin loves taking baths. He splashes the whole time and makes lots of noise! As a result, mom is usually pretty wet by the time bathtime is over, but Benjamin is so cute it's all worth it.

Our clean baby boy!

Surprise! Happy 50th, Papa!

2010-02-07T20:59:00.003-07:00

For Rachel's dad's 50th birthday he went to Pocatello to visit his granddaughters. We wanted to surprise him so we left at 6 am on Saturday to get to Pocatello by 9. Unfortunately our car had other plans and broke down in Bountiful. 8 hours and one new(er) car later we made it to Pocatello. Even though it was a pretty rotten trip the results were great. We got to spend time with all of Rachel's family and Benjamin loved playing with his cousins, aunts and uncle and his grandparents.

Grandpa Ostler with his 3 grandkids

Grandpa and Benjamin

3 Sisters - Rachel, Stephanie, and Liz (I'm the oldest!)

Taydom loves Benjamin!

Cousins having fun together - KaileeJo, Taydom, and Benjamin

Ben's first BYU Basketball Game

2010-02-07T20:52:00.002-07:00

BYU had a Saturday game that was in the afternoon and bench seats were only $1. BYU played CSU and beat them big time. Benjamin watched the game for most of the first half, fell asleep, and played with his socks most of the second half. I guess basketball games are a little too long for a 7 month-old. Even so we had a great time at the game.

Benjamin and Dad before the big game

Ben would rather watch the game than have his picture taken!

Our family at the BYU game.

Snow Day!

2010-01-03T22:09:00.011-07:00

Benjamin got a snowsuit at one of his baby showers and I have been so excited to use it. We finally had a perfect day - lots of snow and warm weather. Benjamin made a snow angel (basically I just put him down in the snow and he laid there) and helped mom build a snowman (he mostly watched). He had a fun time in the snow and he looked adorable in his snowsuit.

Playing with Mom in the snow

A Snow Angel in Progress

Still working at it...

With his baby snowman

It was too cold to make a big snowman!

Hey Benjamin! Look at the camera, not at the snowman!

So proud of his hard work

Benjamin Feeding Himself

2010-01-03T21:38:00.002-07:00

What a difference a month makes! Just a month ago Ben made a face and spit out his green beans. Now he wants to eat them all by himself, at only 7 months old. Ok, it probably helps that I just mix his green beans in with his rice cereal but I'm still proud of his progress; he now eats green beans, peas, and carrots.

First Food

2009-12-13T18:10:00.002-07:00

Benjamin finally graduated to solids other than rice cereal. To comemmorate the occasion we fed him green beans. He seemed to enjoy eating them but couldn't get over the new taste. Eventually we mixed the green beans in with his rice cereal and we hope he will gradually begin to like them. It sure was cute watching him try something new for the first time though.

Thanksgiving in Oregon

2009-12-13T18:07:00.002-07:00

We brought our camera to Oregon for Thanksgiving , but we forgot to pull it out until our last day there. We got a few pictures though...

Benjamin with Grandma Mecham

Our happy family

That's it.

Penguin!

2009-12-13T18:02:00.003-07:00

I found this really cute outfit at Target and I just had to buy it for Ben. He's about 6 months old in these pictures.

Sitting Up!

2009-11-15T16:40:00.002-07:00

Here's a video we took today of Benjamin sitting up all by himself. He is not totally stable yet, but he is getting better with practice. He is getting so big so fast and we are loving every minute we have with him.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-15T16:36:00.004-07:00

Benjamin's first Halloween was a success. Mom got too excited and bought his costume the beginning of September so it was a little short, but it all worked out just fine. Benjamin was Tigger. Dad was Pooh and Mom was Piglet. I just realized I never got a picture of all of us together. Benjamin was the highlight anyway. Between trick-or-treating at my office and trunk-or-treating with Aunt Stephanie's ward Ben got a full bucket of candy. Not bad for a kid who can't even eat candy yet!

It's Been a While

2009-11-15T16:21:00.008-07:00

I have been neglecting the blog lately to do other things, but I just realized today how many pictures I needed to put on here. Ben is getting so big and he is learning so much! Here are a few things that have happened since our last posting:

The weather got cold enough for Ben to wear his cute bear hat.

Benjamin fits into a 12 month outfit!

And he learned how to sit up in a chair

And he's gotten Sooooooo big! He is 2 feet tall now and weighs over 16 lbs. He is in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. He is going to be tall!

Keep On Trying...

2009-10-08T22:26:00.002-06:00

Benjamin has been able to roll over for a week now and I still have not managed to capture it on film. Every time I get out the camera and set him on his tummy he gets distracted, gets tired, etc. The one time he rolled over with the camera on, the little stinker rolled over before I could push the record button! So since I am still trying to get a video of Ben rolling over, I had to post something. Here's a video of Benjamin trying to roll over. It's still really cute, just not quite what we were hoping for.

Benjamin Laughing

2009-09-27T19:17:00.002-06:00

I JUST updated the blog earlier today but I was playing with Benjamin and he was giggling so much I had to get a video of it to post and share with everyone. I hope it makes you all smile as much as I did.

4 Months Old - Lots of Milestones

2009-09-27T13:00:00.007-06:00

Benjamin turned 4 months old on Monday, the 21st. Along with 4 month shots, Benjamin also got some rice cereal and a new (used) walker. People tell me he's too young for a walker, but Ben LOVES it! He is also getting to be pretty adept at eating rice cereal. His biggest issue is that he gets so excited and when he smiles, all his cereal falls out of his mouth. He enjoys all the changes that come with growing up and we have so much fun with him as he discovers new things.

EATING RICE CEREAL:

Before...

During...

After

FIRST TIME IN HIS WALKER:

So excited to get going!

Enjoying some free time to suck on his fingers.

Game Day

2009-09-13T20:25:00.006-06:00

This Saturday was Benjamin's first BYU football game with dad. Rachel bought him a new outfit for game days and Benjamin and Dad watched most of the game together (Ben eventually fell asleep). BYU beat Tulane 54-3. Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra....Goooooooooo COUGARS!

Defense!...Defense!

Dad and Benjamin enjoying the game together.

Lounging around watching the game.

This is Ben's touchdown face!

3 Months Old!

2009-08-23T18:59:00.010-06:00

Benjamin turned 3 months old on Friday. We had a little photo shoot of him to show everybody how big he is getting.

Lounging about

A close-up of his big blue eyes...how could you ever say "no" to this face?

Benjamin loves to practice standing up - his legs are really strong!

3-Month Fun Facts about Benjamin

Nicknames: Benjaboo, Menimen, VitaMeataBenjamin (a la "I Love Lucy"), Sweet Boy, Little Bear, Baby
Favorite Song: "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"
Favorite Drink: Milk
Favorite Time of Day: Bathtime
Favorite Toy: Bear, his teddy bear (Dennis named it that; he says it's educational)
Favorite Book: "The Going to Bed Book"
Favorite Passtime: The bubble game - basically to blow as many spit bubbles as he can
Favorite Sport to Watch: Baseball
Favorite Sport to Play: Standing up and walking while mom holds him up
Favorite Animal: Puppy
Favorite Game: Pattycake

We just love having Benjamin around because there's never a dull moment. He is growing up so fast! He is working on rolling over and sitting up. He loves to play in his bouncer and go for car rides. He enjoys just laying on the floor and playing for several minutes; he loves to stretch his arms out and kick with his legs. He takes baths in the big bathtub and likes to splash mom. He loves to listen to primary songs while he rockabyes with mom. Ben is such a good baby and we are so excited to learn more about him as he grows.

3 Months Old Video

2009-08-23T18:48:00.004-06:00

To celebrate Benjamin being 1/4 of a year old, we went for a walk to the park and went for a nice long ride on the swings. Benjamin loves to swing and he seemed to really enjoy himself. After the park we were going to let him stay up all night and party, but he fell asleep at 8:30. Oh well, maybe when he's 4 months old...

Recent photos

2009-08-16T14:26:00.008-06:00

So cute in a sweater!

Playing with cousin Taydom

Chillin' with Uncle Samuel

Playing with Aunt Kami

With Grandpa Mecham

Being cute is hard work!

Blessing Pictures

2009-08-16T14:20:00.004-06:00

Benjamin was blessed on August 9th. His grandparents from both sides were here along with all his aunts, uncles, and cousins except for his 2 uncles serving missions. Benjamin borrowed his blessing outfit from Grandma Mecham and if we'd waited one more week to bless him it would have been too small. He was literally bursting at the seams! He did not cry at all during his blessing, but he wasn't too excited about pictures...

The pictures were going well...

until...

He got hungry!

He Coulda Been a Contender

2009-08-16T14:16:00.005-06:00

For some reason Benjamin in his bathrobe always reminds me of a boxer. He looks adorable and a little tough. He loves to wear his robe after his baths because it keeps him warm and it's so soft. It even came with little slippers to match.

Benjamin Talking

2009-08-16T13:57:00.005-06:00

I have been trying for the last few days to get a video of Benjamin talking and today it finally happened! He coos a lot but he always stops when he sees the camera, until today. My memory card filled up just as he started talking, but this will give you an idea of how he talks. Enjoy!

Like Father Like Son

2009-08-16T13:49:00.003-06:00

My sister Stephanie makes little ties for Benjamin out of old adult ties. She decided to make Benjamin a little tie and leave the rest of the tie intact for Dennis to wear so today at church Dennis and Benjamin had matching ties. It was really really cute!

Benjamin and Dennis in their matching ties

A close-up of the two ties together

2 month video

2009-07-24T12:49:00.002-06:00

2 Months Old!

2009-07-24T12:43:00.002-06:00

Benjamin turned 2 months old on July 21st. He is getting so big and learning lots of new things. He now weighs 11 lbs. 4 oz. and is 22 1/2 inches long. He just barely learned how to smile and coo and it is really fun to be able to interact with him more. Benjamin went to the babysitter for the first time so mom and dad could go on a date for Rachel's birthday. Benjamin also survived his first round of immunizations, and he was only cranky for 1 day. I can't believe how quickly Ben is growing up and I love being here to see it.

Fun with Cousins

2009-07-24T12:30:00.009-06:00

Mom and Benjamin went to Wyoming for Uncle Daniel's last talk in church before his mission. Benjamin's cousins were there too and they had lots of fun together! KaileeJo (1) loved to give Benjamin his binki and tickling him. Taydom (4 months) liked to hold Benjamin's hand and one time she sucked on his fingers while he sucked on hers. Benjamin had lots of fun with his aunts, uncle, and grandparents as well. It was so nice to have other kids for Benjamin to play with.

Sleeping in Grandpa Ostler's arms

Chatting with Taydom on the floor

So cute I had to take more than one picture!

Good times with Taydom!

With Elder Daniel Ostler right after Daniel was set apart

All the cousins with their uncle

Benjamin, KaileeJo, and Taydom together - it took about 30 shots to get a picture THIS good!

All Ready for Primary

2009-07-12T18:11:00.004-06:00

Benjamin's aunt Stephanie made him some cute ties to wear to church and I just had to get some pictures. Thanks, Aunt Stephanie; they look adorable!

Fun on the 4th

2009-07-12T17:59:00.009-06:00

For the 4th of July we went up to Idaho Falls and saw lots of relatives from Rachel's family. We ate lots of good food and had lots of fun. I wasn't always diligent with the picture-taking so please don't be offended if a picture of you didn't make the blog; I promise it's not malicious!

Benjamin with Rachel's cousins, Johanna and Robert

Benjamin with Great-Grandma Ostler

Rachel's brother, Daniel helping our niece, KaileeJo

Benjamin with his cousin, Taydom - Taydom is only 3 months older than Ben.

Benjamin with Rachel's aunt Virginia - she came all the way from Delaware to spoil Ben!

Benjamin with Grandma Ostler

KaileeJo playing

Taydom being so sweet

One Month Old!

2009-06-22T18:50:00.008-06:00

Benjamin turned one month old on Sunday, June 21st. I made him a cake (which he did NOT eat) and let him stay up late (which was actually his choice; not mine). Here are some fun facts about Benjamin at one month old:

Height: 21 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 8 lbs 11.5 oz. (25th percentile)
Favorite Food: Milk
Favorite Color: Blue - or at least it's mom's favorite color for him to wear
Favorite Time of Day: Middle of the night
Favorite Primary Song: Happy Song
Favorite Classical Song: Fur Elise
Likes: Bathtime, Eating, Cuddling close, Reading stories, and Riding in the car
Dislikes: Being hungry, Getting his diaper/clothes changed, Being cold, and Losing his pacifier.

I can't believe it's been one month all ready, which is surprising because some days feel as long as a month. We are still getting used to each other, but we are enjoying having Benjamin as a part of our family.

Special Visitors

2009-06-22T18:41:00.006-06:00

Benjamin's Grandma and Grandpa Mecham came down from Oregon to meet him for the first time. He had a lot of fun with them, but they wore him out! He slept most of the time they were here, which gave them the erroneous impression that he sleeps a lot! It was so nice to have them finally meet Benjamin and spoil him a little.

With Aunt Kami

Talking to Grandma Mecham

All worn out after a fun visit

Three Weeks Old - Video

2009-06-10T18:41:00.002-06:00

Due Date

2009-06-10T18:25:00.010-06:00

Today is my official due date and Benjamin is 20 days old. We had a doctor appointment yesterday and Ben weighs 7 lbs 13 oz now and he is 20 1/2 inches long. He is in the 45th percentile for height and the 15th percentile for weight. He seems big to us though! Dennis and I are really tired but we enjoy every minute with Benjamin. Here are some pictures from the last little while.

Napping with Dad

Talking to Grandma Ostler

Here are some pictures we took to include in the thank you notes I'm still trying to send out. Ironically we didn't end up using any of these.

We also took a few pictures today to commemorate Ben's due date.

Bathtime Fun

2009-05-30T20:56:00.009-06:00

Benjamin's umbilical cord finally fell off yesterday so he was ready for his first real bath. We bathed him in the sink and I thought he would really enjoy himself, but as the pictures show, this was not exactly what happened. I think once he gets used to baths he will be happier during them. He liked to kick around in the water, but mom did not get too wet. After he was all dried off and had his pajamas on he was a happy, clean little boy.

Getting Ready

Not Too Sure About Bath Time

Getting Mad

Resolved

Rocking With Daddy

All Ready For Bed

Laying Down In The Bassinet

Just a Few More Pictures

2009-05-26T15:27:00.010-06:00

Benjamin is just so cute I can't resist taking pictures. There are some pictures of Benjamin in the incubator at the hospital for his jaundice and a few taken the same time as the video. He's way cuter than the pictures show, but this will at least give you an idea.

Benjamin with Aunt Kami in the hospital

Billi Baby. The little mask is just SO cute! We called this his tanning bed.

I love to just look at him and his big blue eyes look right back at you. He wasn't really bothered by the camera flash, but he was so intrigued by the camera that we couldn't get him to smile.

Benjamin Says Hi

2009-05-26T15:15:00.004-06:00

Benjamin was wide awake and happy last night so we thought we'd try our hand at a video. This is the first (intentional) video we've ever done with our camera and it's very...unpolished, but still really cute. Enjoy!

Benjamin Michael Mecham has Arrived!

2009-05-26T12:13:00.015-06:00

Wednesday, the 20th I went in for my scheduled amniocentesis and Benjamin passed! His lungs were mature and he was ready to be born. We went straight to the hospital and I got some medicine to prepare my body to start contractions, but my doctor didn't expect any kind of progress until the next morning. After 5 hours I was dilated to a 3 and I was ready for my epidural, which went a lot better than I thought it would. An hour later I was at a 5 and I was pretty excited for how quickly labor was progressing. I started feeling a lot of pressure so after 45 minutes I called my nurse who told me I was at a 9! Unfortunately I was at a 9 for 2 hours. During this time my epidural stopped working above my hips. My anesthesiologist, who was wonderful, couldn't seem to come up with a combination of drugs to take away the feeling in my back so for the last 3 or 4 hours of labor I felt every contraction in my back and belly. At 10 centimeters my doctor came in and told me I could either push for 2 hours or he could use forceps and have him out in 5 minutes. I took the fast way out and after 3 pushes Benjamin was here! He was perfect and he had a really cute high-pitched cry. It took about 15 minutes before I could hold him so Dennis stayed with Benjamin and he got to hold him first. When I finally got to hold Benjamin, he kept looking back at Dennis. Needless to say I was a little jealous, but happy that Benjamin loves his daddy. Benjamin was born at 6:47 am on Thursday, May 21st. He weighed 7 lbs, 9 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long. He is such a sweet baby and he's very content. He loves to look at mom and dad and likes to be held close. We are so happy to have him with us.

9 Months - Almost There!

2009-05-17T17:46:00.005-06:00

These are my 9-month pictures (I know I never took 8-month pictures). These are probably the last pictures that will be taken before the big event. I managed to get through the whole pregnancy without getting stretch marks, but that is entirely because of genetics/my skin type. I am so grateful for all that Dennis has done to help me and also for everything that my family and friends have done to support me through this pregnancy. Benjamin thanks you too. I will update you all as much as I can through the next week and I hope you will keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

Benjamin's Room

2009-05-17T17:11:00.015-06:00

Last weekend (before I found out I'd need the nursery done quickly) I got Benjamin's room all ready for him. I sorted the clothes by size, assembled all the baby gear, with some help from Dennis, and got everything generally organized. The results:

This is a view from the doorway.

A close-up of the back wall/window.

The rocking chair where Benjamin will be rocked for hours and hours by mom and other people who love him. Also, the basket which holds all the books he has so far for a bedtime reading.

Stroller, Bouncer, and Swing. These will obviously not always be in his room, but I wanted to include them in the pictures to show off how cute they are!

A close-up of Benjamin's stroller and car seat. I love the cute jungle print!

Benjamin's bouncer and swing. The swing works with his carseat so I just put the carseat on the frame and it will swing him while he's in his carseat. This swing was 1/2 the price of every other swing we looked at and I really like the idea!

Benjamin's state-of-the-art closet complete with tupperware drawers for a dresser and a curtain for a closet door. I'm sure Ben won't care though.

Benjamin's crib with the crib set.

Benjamin's crib next to the bassinette he'll be using. The bassinette is really special because it's an antique. It's been used by Benjamin's great-grandpa Ostler, his grandpa Ostler, and his mom.

And here's all the boxes and garbage we had to get rid of when we were through!

It was a long project, but once the room was finished I felt a lot better and a lot more ready to have Benjamin. It won't be long now until he's here to personally enjoy all the wonderful things people have given him. Thank you to all of you who have given us what we need to take care of our sweet baby boy! *Don't worry - I'm sending thank you cards after he's here so I can include a picture.*

Not one big post

2009-05-15T15:43:00.004-06:00

I had originally planned to post a lot of information and pictures on one big post, but I still need to download the pictures of Benjamin's completed room and my ever-growing belly from my camera so for now I only have Benjamin's latest ultrasound pictures. Both are profile shots and the 2nd one has his little fist in it. So very sweet.

I went in for my appointment on Monday and the doctor said that they are going to do an amniocentesis on Wednesday. An amniocentesis involves the doctor drawing a bit of amniotic fluid (through a needle inserted in my stomach) and they will analyze the fluid to see if Benjamin's lungs are mature yet. I will get the results in about 1/2 hour. If his lungs are mature, I will be induced shortly thereafter. I was quite surprised to hear that in a week and a half I could be having a baby! It always seemed so far away and now I am thinking of all the things I need to get done. I told Dennis I would love to have a few days off of work to get things all set up and ready, at which point I promptly got the flu. I had two days off of work, but my biggest accomplishments were keeping down fluids and napping a lot. I am exhausted from the flu and now I feel even more behind in getting things ready. I guess even if I had everything ready I would still find more to do so I should just relax and let other people (like my mom) worry about it when they come to help with the baby. This has been a very busy week and I am excited for (hopefully) my last weekend without a baby.

Getting Chubby...

2009-04-13T15:10:00.003-06:00

I realize I'M getting chubby (or just more pregnant), but apparently Benjamin is also beefing up. I had a doctors appointment today and they somehow determined that he weighs 4 pounds 13 ounces! He is in the 66% range for his age, which is still pretty good for the baby of a diabetic. He's supposed to gain about 1/2 pound a week until he's born, so my doctor told me that at 37 weeks if the baby's lungs are mature they will induce me either that day or the next, if I would like. If I've not all ready begun to dialate it may be more difficult to get things going when they try to induce me. If I choose to wait until 39 weeks that is fine too. I got the impression that 39 weeks is the longest they'll let me wait. Ben is about 1 week ahead of schedule so it's possible that one day in the end of May could be the big day!

Deliver me from L&D!

2009-04-07T16:04:00.002-06:00

I went in yesterday for my non-stress test, which has been stressful pretty much every week. This week was no exception. Benjamin's heart was fine and so was my blood pressure, but I was having a lot of small, ineffective contractions (3 in 8 minutes!) so my doctor sent me to Labor and Delivery, just to be evaluated. Evaluated means poked and prodded by various uncomfortable means. My contractions continued, but I was not dialated at all. Apparently an infection was causing the contractions and I was given IV antibiotics. IVs are hard to accomplish in pregnant women and here's where the poking part of being evaluated comes in. By the time the 3rd nurse came in to try and find a vein I was sobbing. I was hurt and worried and hungry and tired. I felt really bad for the nurses and really really bad for myself. They finally got a vein and after the IV was finished I was free to go home with pills I take every 6 hours to relax my uterus so I don't have any more contractions. The pills relax ALL of me and make me really drowsy and a bit dizzy and weak, but it's better than being hooked up to an IV or having a very small, very sick little baby.

Flip Flop

2009-03-31T15:41:00.002-06:00

I had my weekly Non-Stress test on Monday and it revealed some encouraging information: Benjamin is no longer breach (for now)! They can't tell if the cord is still around his neck or if it's just pushed up against his neck now. Last week they saw the cord against the front of his neck; this week it's around the back. I also got some news that my blood pressure is slightly elevated. Apparently my mom has slightly high blood pressure too, so it could be genetic but the doctors are now watching me for preeclampsia. I've been instructed to take it easy and lie down if I feel a headache or see spots in front of my eyes. I have to admit, it's kind of nice having a "get-out-of-housework-free" card.

Return of the Prodigal

2009-03-26T12:52:00.002-06:00

I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to update my blog; I get upset when blogs I follow aren't updated regularly so I know how you feel. My last ultrasound gave me some worrying news and it's taken me a few days to process it. Also, I've been seeing a lot of family and I feel like I'm always busy! I only got one picture of my last ultrasound and the picture is really grainy and blurry, but it's a picture of Benjamin's little face. Ben is in the 60th percentile for his age as far as weight goes, which is pretty darn good for the baby of a diabetic mother. However, he is breech (and has remained breech ever since with his little bottom facing down instead of his head). He still loves to keep his legs up by his head and during the ultrasound, he got the hiccups, which was adorable. Every few seconds he would just jump a little bit. The ultrasound showed that the umbilical cord is wrapped around his neck. My doctor ordered weekly (and someday bi-weekly) Non-Stress tests. The Non-Stress test is...not stressful except for the reason behind it. All I do is sit reclined in a comfy chair and I have a fetal heartbeat monitor attached to me. They listen to Ben's heartbeat for about 1/2 hour and also sometimes record his breathing (well, practice breathing since he's in fluid and isn't really breathing). They sometimes do an ultrasound there as well to make sure everything is still developing normally. I love getting to see Benjamin every week, but I hope the cord comes off his neck so I don't have to be so stressed by these Non-Stress tests! I'll be sure to (try to) keep you all posted as the weeks progress.

6 down, 3 to go!

2009-03-12T15:14:00.005-06:00

Here are my pictures from the beginning of my 7th month. This pregnancy has seriously gone by SO fast! The days themselves are long, but time as a whole is flying by. I still have so much to do, but I am not going to panic quite yet. June still feels a long way from March. I still have no stretch marks, but on most days I look pregnant and not just overweight. I got a few maternity shirts from my sister Stephanie and I love wearing them because they accent my baby bump. I am feeling pretty good other than backache and the fact that I cannot go longer than 2 weeks without getting a cold. I have my next ultrasound appointment on Monday, and I will post pictures of that next week sometime.

Killing the Moment

2009-03-09T12:27:00.002-06:00

Benjamin is all ready a pretty well-behaved baby. He keeps pretty still through the night and he moves when I have time to sit back and enjoy it. His new annoyance: he doesn't like anything to push on him. Last night I went to bed earlier than Dennis and was sleeping peacefully when Dennis came in. He put his arm around me as he usually does when falling asleep, but Benjamin started kicking his arm away until I woke up and felt Dennis' arm around me and Ben doing everything he could to get rid of it. Dennis finally gave up and as soon as he did, Benjamin stopped kicking. The kid all ready knows how to spoil the moment...

I Know What Boys Like

2009-02-26T15:00:00.002-07:00

I was told that I would start to recognize a pattern to Ben's kicking; that he would begin to kick at certain times, almost like a schedule. I have discovered what gets Benjamin excited: food, sleeping (well, me sleeping) and sports. Benjamin starts kicking whenever I start eating. He also starts to kick whenever I lay down. Some would say that he misses the rocking motion he experiences when I'm up, but I am pretty sedentary most of the day so I don't think that's quite it. I just hope this habit doesn't carry over to after he's born or I won't get a wink of sleep. Benjamin also begins kicking whenever Dennis and I listen to BYU basketball games on the radio. He never seems to tire, kicking pretty consistently for over 15 minutes. He's probably anxious to get out there and join in the fun! Benjamin's kicking patterns indicate that he's a lot like his dad - he enjoys food, sleeping, and most of all: sports.

Kick for Daddy

2009-02-18T12:34:00.002-07:00

Ben is a pretty calm baby (so far!) and it's been hard to get him to kick while Dennis has his hand on my stomach. Every time Dennis' hand got close, Benjamin would just freeze. We'd been trying to have Dennis feel him kicking for a few weeks and this Sunday in church we finally succeeded. I think it was the loud male voice of the guy giving a talk that made Benjamin react so strongly. I grabbed Dennis' hand and put it on my belly and Ben kept on kicking. Dennis was so happy to feel Ben moving (finally).

Greetings from Benjamin

2009-02-17T15:09:00.002-07:00

Benjamin got another photo shoot yesterday and he is growing like a weed. He is now 1 lb. 10 oz. (how can they tell??) and he is 3 days ahead of his development schedule. Everything is looking good for him so far. This ultrasound instead of having his feet up by his head he preferred to have at least 1 arm right up by his face. It made it difficult for the doctor to get a profile shot of him, but she managed to get this one of him waving...

Hello, everybody!

5 or 6-Month Pictures

2009-02-15T11:04:00.003-07:00

I'm a bit confused as to how pregnant I actually am. I know I am exactly 23 weeks and 4 days, but how that calculates into months I do not know. I just thought I was 5 months pregnant because at February 10th I had 4 more months to go. I looked it up online though and according to a week to month conversion I am in the 2nd week of my 6th month. Anyway, I'll just say I'm 5 months because it will make the time seem to go by faster than if I say I'm 6 months. Benjamin is moving around a lot on some days and not so much on other days (it probably depends on how much sugar I feed him). I may not look very pregnant, but I feel pregnant. My back aches, my feet/legs are swollen, and I am having more trouble sleeping at nights. I don't think I've actually slept through an entire night since oh...about my 2nd month of pregnancy. I am getting some energy back and starting to "nest". Some days I want to go out and just buy a bunch of baby things, but since we'll be moving apartments the end of April it would just be more stuff to move. Not to mention I'll be having a few baby showers before Ben is born. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow so I'll probably be adding new ultrasound pictures in the next few days. I love being pregnant; it's one of the best things I've done with my life and I can't wait to meet the little guy who keeps kicking me!

A Landmark Day

2009-02-09T12:40:00.002-07:00

Today I reached a milestone: I weighed myself and I am finally back up to my pre-pregnancy weight. My first thought was: "I weighed as much as a 5-months pregnant woman BEFORE I was pregnant??!!!" My second thought: "It's about time!". I am gaining weight at the rate a pregnant woman should; about one pound per week, so I am very happy to be back up to a zero overall so I can start gaining some weight. I know the weight gain (up to a certain point) will benefit the baby so I am so happy to be healthy enough to be gaining.

Nesting, Anyone?

2009-02-04T12:25:00.002-07:00

I always thought that nesting was a phenomenon that happened in the last few weeks before the baby was born, but I am all ready overcome with nesting impulses. I feel this desire for housework I've never felt before. (Not that it's a bad thing!) I also want to eat dinner at the table and make sure it's a good square meal; which is not usually how it goes at our house. The other night I started panicking a little because the bedroom closet wasn't cleaned out so we'd have a place to store Ben's clothes and other baby items. Dennis has been very supportive of my cleaning and he's even pitching in more himself, probably so he doesn't watch me work myself to exhaustion. I hope I can get things more organized in the months to come; perhaps it's a good thing to be nesting now while I still fit inside our closet and while I still have enough energy to clean up a bit and make a good home-cooked meal. Benjamin still has a few months to wait, but in the mean-time I'll keep on nesting.

Our Little Athlete

2009-01-27T12:22:00.002-07:00

Dennis wanted a baby boy so he'd have a sports partner and recent events indicate that Ben will be quite the little athlete. I had another ultrasound done yesterday and again Benjamin had his feet up by his head. I'm beginning to think that's his favorite position. He's so flexible! After the ultrasound on the way back to work, I felt the first kick that not only took my breath away but also hurt a little. Kicking like this at such a young age leads me to believe he will be good at soccer or football. (Or both!) Dennis and I decided that Ben could be a punter. This is an ideal position in football because there aren't a lot of serious injuries suffered by a punter, aside from pulled muscles. Also, a punter can play until he's much older than the rest of the team and he makes quite a good salary for only being on the field for a few plays per game. Of course we'll love Ben whether he's an NFL punter or a Nobel Prize-winning scientist or an artist or even a businessman who works 9-5 like most people. Dennis will be happy just having someone to watch the game with him.

The Inauguration

2009-01-23T14:13:00.003-07:00

Tuesday was an historic day as the first black president was sworn into office. I hope he can lead well enough to make the US a great country for my children. There was one phrase from his inauguration speech that stood out to me in particular:

"It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.”

This phrase gave me a spark of hope that President Obama will focus on the family as an important American institution. I hope that he will take these family values into consideration as he makes decisions that affect this country and its citizens.

It's a BOY

2009-01-20T15:43:00.022-07:00

We are very happy to announce that we're having a boy! Dennis is so excited to have a boy to watch/play sports with. He's informed me that I need to start watching more sports to expose the baby at an early age. (Just for the record: Dennis said he could "probably" love a girl too.) We are planning to name him Benjamin Michael Mecham. We'll probably call him Ben. Michael is my dad's name and Benjamin just came to me one day. We looked it up in our baby name book and it stuck out as a good decent name that is classic but not too popular. Dennis and I both like traditional names, which helped a lot in the naming process. A few people told me you can't totally know a baby's name until you see him, so we are keeping an open mind and welcome any suggestions, just don't be too offended if we don't use your ideas. Dennis' grandma Shaffer said she is very glad we are having a boy because "every little girl needs a big brother". When I was telling everybody that it was a boy the most common response was "I knew that". Dennis' mom had all ready started crocheting a blue baby blanket, my sister Stephanie answered the phone with "It's a boy, isn't it", and my sister Liz said she knew it would be a boy because she'd had a dream about it. As I've said before, I thought it was a boy, but hearing the ultrasound technician say it and seeing the pictures as proof was still one of the greatest moments of my life.

Showing off his muscles---------Feet up by his head

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

2009-01-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

I have started looking around for baby items I want to put on a registry for baby showers and relatives, and so far the only thing I can figure out is that baby things are expensive and I feel greedy putting those expensive things on my registry. I honestly hope that if somebody wants to buy me a baby swing or a stroller, that about 10 people all go in together to buy it. Another problem with a baby registry: different stores have different things I like. I can't find one store that has everything I like. I like a pattern for the stroller and carseat that is only available at Target (Safari Sun), but Target doesn't have a cheap crib set that Walmart does (green gingham). Also, I don't think Target has site-to-store shipping (free!) like Walmart does. Babies-R-Us has been a real disappointment so far with everything costing more and their selection doesn't suit my tastes. I may be creating my own registry, but for all of you wanting to buy me something for my baby shower or just because you love me please get me: diapers, wipes, onesies, washclothes, outfits. Useful (cheap) things.

Cravings!

2009-01-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have gone through different stages of cravings, but I'm starting to settle in on what sounds good a lot of the time.

Chinese food from this place in the mall called Little Tokyo
Salads
Pickles
Toasted pepperoni sandwiches (I don't like lunch meat)
Salsa con Queso dip

I've decided I can pretty much live off of these mostly unhealthy things. Don't worry - I eat better than this, but these are the foods I want most often and the cravings are the strongest at different times of the day. I crave Chinese food or salads for lunch, sandwiches or queso later at night, and pickles when "Everybody Loves Raymond" comes on.

The Perfect Year

2009-01-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

I don't need a crowded ballroom;
everything I want is here.
If you're with me, next year will be
the perfect year. - Andrew Lloyd Webber

2008 was a good year for us. Dennis got a full-time job, we're having a baby, we went on some great vacations, and BYU had a passably good sports year. I'm so excited for what 2009 will bring. I wish everybody a wonderful new year.

16 1/2 weeks Pregnant

2008-12-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

I took some more pregnancy pictures last night and was a bit discouraged to discover that I haven't changed much from 7 weeks. I feel a lot less sick (still kind of sick though) and sometimes I think I can feel movement, but on the outside I still look pretty un-pregnant. I'm sure lots of women would love to be in my shoes, but I am tired of waiting for this! I have posted 2 pictures: the one in pink is at 7 weeks and the one in teal is at 16 1/2. No maternity clothes for me yet.

16 Week Appointment

2008-12-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had my 16-week appointment with my OB (although I'm technically 15 weeks until tomorrow). It was a quick appointment, but I got to hear the baby's heartbeat and my doctor told me to start drinking Ensure or Boost to make sure I get enough nutrients until I get my appetite back. My next appointment is set for January 26th, when we will find out the gender of our baby. I am very excited!

3 Years, Baby!

2008-12-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

Today is Dennis' and my 3rd anniversary. Yesterday we "celebrated" the 4th anniversary of our first date. We didn't really do anything to celebrate the anniversary of our first date other than take a trip down memory lane, but it's interesting to note that we were married one year and one day after our first date. Please allow me another moment to reminisce about our first date. For your convenience I will put it in a seperate paragraph for easy skimming/skipping.

Dennis asked me out after he tried one of my famous home-made oreos (not a copyright infringement!), which I'd made for his roommates. His roommate James asked me if he married me, would I make cookies for him ever day and I said yes (and blushed a bit). Turns out it wasn't a marriage proposal, but word got back to Dennis that I would make cookies for my husband every day and he asked when I would be coming over again. Our first date was to see the lights at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi and then we saw a movie in the theatre there. We saw "The Incredibles" and we were the only two people in the theatre (which would have been more...advantageous if it had not been our first date). Over Christmas break Dennis sent me an e-mail thanking me for our date. That was the first thing Dennis did that started to win me over. The rest is history.

It's amazing to see how far we've come in 3 years. When we first got married we were both students, working long hours to support ourselves through school, living on frozen burritos and peanut butter sandwiches. Now we both have jobs with benefits like 401K, health insurance, holiday pay, etc. We have built up our savings, we have a nice apartment, and now we're having a baby. I am so grateful for the past 3 years, which have been some of the happiest times of my life and I look forward to many more years spent together.

To See or Not to See?

2008-12-09T12:54:00.001-07:00

My next OB appointment will be during my 15th week of pregnancy. I saw signs during my last appointment advertising that I could find out the sex of the baby as early as 15 weeks for the low, low fee of $50. I am not sure if I want to pay $50 to find out 4 weeks early or not. At 20 weeks I can find out for free. Some people have told me stories about friends or cousins who have found out the sex of their baby early and then that result was incorrect. I was going to make it my Christmas present from Dennis, but he all ready bought my Christmas present. I am asking for any feedback/suggestions any of you might have. I can't say I'll follow all your advice, but I'd sure appreciate it.

The Opposite Problem

2008-12-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Before I ever got pregnant I vowed I would not be one of those pregnant women who whines about how fat they are. I think that's a poor way to show gratitude for the miracle of life. I did NOT vow to complain about not being fat enough. I wish I were bigger. I only have one pair of pants I can wear without a belt, my clothes don't fit right because they're too baggy in most spots. I am getting a little tummy, but it's not big enough for people to ask me how I'm feeling or hold the door for me. My online weekly pregnancy newsletter sent me an entire article about maternity clothes shopping. I can't wait to get some cute maternity clothes and have a baby bump, but right now it feels like it will never come. I should probably be grateful for my predicament, but I feel so pregnant that I want to look pregnant too. I expect this post will be brought up when I am 9 months pregnant and much larger and people will tell me: "Remember when you wanted to look bigger? Do you still feel that way?" To which I will probably respond that I stand by my wish for that point in my pregnancy. At least for now.

Thanksgiving Vacation

2008-12-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

I made it the entire Thanksgiving vacation (Thrursday through Tuesday and going strong into Wednesday) without throwing up once. I was pretty sure that since I ate so much I'd gained about 5 pounds, but I weighed myself at work today and I'd only gained 2. At least I'm back up to a negative 10 pounds weight gain (loss) during the pregnancy; that's up from negative 12 last Wednesday after I was really sick for a few days. My mother-in-law, Darlene and I and my sister-in-law Kami all went to the JoAnn's Fabric day after Thanksgiving sale (at 3 in the afternoon) and found all their flannel that was normally between $6 and $7.50 per yard was on sale for $1.50 per yard. Darlene is making me some receiving blankets for the baby and she let me pick out the material. The blankets are really cute but I can't post a picture of them on here yet because they are Christmas presents for the baby and are all ready wrapped. It was so nice to be in Oregon and relax and have people there to take care of me the whole time. I am back at work now but I had such a great time being spoiled and lazy in Oregon.

Medicated and it Feels so Good

2008-11-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

My "morning" sickness has recently taken a turn for the worse. For the past 4 days I've been averaging about 20 oz. of water and 1 meal every 48 hours and have been vomiting about every 2-3 hours that I'm awake. I was worried about getting too dehydrated so I called my doctor who immediately prescribed Zofran and about 15 minutes after taking it I drank an entire cup of water without feeling nauseous. I asked if Zofran is ok for the baby and the doctor reassured me that a lot of pregnant women use it without complications beyond headaches and fatigue (which I have anyway). He said that if I continued to be so dehydrated that it would definitely be bad for the baby so I am now taking medication for my nausea.

Another Ultrasound

2008-11-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Most pregnant women get one or two ultrasounds their entire pregnancy; this is my third. I really enjoy watching the baby move around and seeing how active the baby is. As far as the doctors can tell everything is going well. At week 20 (9 more weeks!) they will be able to check for heart and spine defects. The baby is fully formed by now and the rest of the entire pregnancy will be spent growing and strengthening the systems that are all ready in place. Seeing how active the baby is now makes me excited for when I'll be able to feel movement, but it also makes me a bit nervous because I hope I'll be able to sleep at night with the baby kicking and somersaulting at all hours.

How Sweet it is to Be Loved by You

2008-11-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

Today has not been a good day. I threw up once at work, once at home, once at the doctor's office, and twice in the car. I had another doctor's appointment today and in between work and doctor I came home. The house smelled musty. I huddled under the covers and turned on the air conditioner to get the air flowing a bit, but the smell got to me and I got sick. I was dreading coming home after work, but I walked into a home that smelled sweet and fresh. Dennis had taken off the afternoon from work but I had to go back after the appointment. While I was gone, Dennis took his time off to thoroughly clean the entire apartment and then he went and bought 8 of those air fresheners that are shaped like a tree and 1 new Febreeze air freshener like the one I have in the kitchen. The garbages were emptied, the sink was cleaned and clear of dishes. Dennis worked his entire time off to make the house smell better for me so I wouldn't be so sick. The baby and I are so lucky to have such a great husband and father who cares so much for both of us.

1st Prenatal Visit

2008-11-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first prenatal visit. I didn't really know what to expect, but everything was great. They did an ultrasound and I got to see the baby move and hear the heartbeat (170 beats per minute!). I also received this picture of the baby. You can see the little hand is waving at us.

I Have a Dream

2008-11-19T11:30:00.001-07:00

I guess more appropriate would be to say I HAD a dream. Last night, the night before my first prenatal visit, I had a dream about a little boy with dirty blonde hair and round cheeks. He was 3-4 years old. I knew he was mine and his name was David. I have added David to my list of possible names and I am now very interested to find out the sex of the baby. I still want a girl, but I honestly think I'm having a boy. Call it mother's intuition.

More Possible Names

2008-11-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

I've been brainstorming lately about names, almost to the point of panic; as though I didn't have until June to name the baby. I don't want to have any names set in stone yet, but I decided to make a list of some names I've considered in the past and leave it up to those who know and love me to give me their input. Remember, this is just a rough draft. I am not set on any of them. Some of them are from years ago, but I think every name should be considered.

Boys:

Andrew
Alexander
Benjamin
Joshua
Evan (middle name Jay)
David

Girls:

Annie
Amelia
Marilyn
Mariam
Lyra (It's pronounced Lie-ra)
Grace
Rebecca (Becca)
Emma
Rosemary
Alice
Miranda

I'll just add to this list as I come up with more names. Remember, I am not set on any of these names; they are just a list of vague possibilities.

Morning Sickness: Round 2

2008-11-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Well apparently my baby was afraid other pregnant women would get jealous if I were only sick for a few weeks so the sickness has started up again. At one point I was up to two meals a day! Now I'm back down to 1/2 a meal per day. I've been drinking Gatorade (my dad's suggestion) to try and get some good hydration going. Some of the foods I can keep down are Ritz crackers (not Saltines), rolls, Gatorade (so far), nachos. Those are the only things I haven't ever thrown up. Just because I'm sick does not mean I'm not hungry and when the sickness finally goes away at about 6 or 7 at night I am so hungry but since I haven't eaten anything all day my stomache gets overwhelmed by the sudden influx of food and sometimes it panics. I know this will only last a few more weeks and I'm so thankful to be pregnant that I am not complaining about my morning sickness (too much). I'm just trying to keep people informed.