Pump Number FIVE!!!!

I LOVE IT!!!!!!! =0) hehehehehehe

(2 of the 5 were returned and 2 were cheap but died on me!)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!

"Watching You"

lyrics to the song Caleb likes to sing with Ben (it's TOO cute):

Drivin’ through town just my boy and me
With a Happy Meal in his booster seat
Knowin’ that he couldn’t have the toy ‘til his nuggets were gone.
A green traffic light turned straight to red
I hit my brakes and mumbled under my breath.
His fries went a flyin’, and his orange drink covered his lap
Well, then my four year old said a four letter word
It started with “S” and I was concerned
So I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to talk like that?”

Chorus:
He said, "I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad?
I want to do everything you do.
So I’ve been watching you."

We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said, “Lord, please help me help my stupid self.”
Just this side of bedtime later that night
Turnin’ on my son’s Scooby-Doo nightlight.
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees.
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
Spoke to God like he was talkin’ to a friend.
And I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to pray like that?”

Chorus:
He said, "I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo; I want to be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
We like fixin’ things and holding moma’s hand
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad?
I want to do everything you do;
so I’ve been watching you"

With tears in my eyes I wrapped him in a hug.
Said, “My little man is growin’ up.”
And he said, “But when I’m big I’ll still know what to do.”

"‘Cause I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo; I want to be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
By then I’ll be strong as superman
We’ll be just alike, hey, won’t we dad
When I can do everything you do.
‘cause I’ve been watchin’ you."

Man-cation!

Caleb went on a "Man-cation" this week-end to the lake with college friends Joe, Lee and Jon. His brother Cam and family friend Colin were there, too. They spent the whole time fishing and eating meat and doing other manly things. While they were there, Joe's wife Christina spent Saturday and Sunday with Ben and I!! We sat around....relaxing....and dreamt of our WO-man-cation that we plan to take in a year once their little girl arrives.

To start the week-end off right, Joe and Caleb were able to "ride". Joe just got his motorcycle license and was super excited to try it out. We had beautiful weather. Joe even watched Ben for a bit so that I could go on my first ride with Caleb on the bike. He bought it while I was pregnant....and it has taken us THIS long to get me on it....not that I didn't want to ride....I did....the weather just hasn't been this beautiful in a long time.....and the timing was never right with Ben. I LOVED it....it was so relaxing!

Christina and I spent most of our time talking about babies, since she is due August 24th. I unloaded all of my maternity clothes on her and the diapers Ben grew out of too fast. We went to Pullen Park (I forgot my camera....grrrrr!), watched movies (Juno was actually pretty good) and ate really healthy meals! It was an absolutely beautiful weather week-end, so we took MANY walks. I kept "baby-ing" Christina and asking if she was sure she wanted to keep walking. In all honesty, I was just looking for her to STOP so I could take a breather. How am I ever going to get back in shape to play soccer in the fall. I'm scared just thinking about it =0)

Anyway....it was a fabulous week-end. We love spending time with college friends! Next week-end, we head to Charlotte for Ben's Gram's B-day! We can't wait to see our Charlotte friends (Ben misses the Arguello's and the Saunder's like he misses Mommy's Milk.....ok, maybe not THAT much....but you get the point!)

Also, Ben can't wait until he gets to see MeeMom and PopPop in early May! It has truly been TOO long!

Comparisons

I thought it would be fun to scan some old pictures of us to see who Ben is startig to resemble more. Ben definitely has my smile! He grins from ear to ear. But, he still has so many of Caleb's features.

Pictures of Adrienne

Pictures of Caleb

Ben's Dedication Announcement

Ben is going to be dedicated at Grace Community Church in Raleigh, NC on May 18th at the 11am service. We've decided just to do a small family gathering afterwards.

Photo Shoot

LOVE this child's smiles!!

You're Under Arrest!

Leave it to Caleb to turn Ben's new toy into baby-size handcuffs!

Here's The Promised Picture!

Our Little Tax Deduction! Look who found his feet! He can just about get his little toes into his little mouth!

Oh No!

Before I get into the “meat” of this post, I would just like to state the following:

I love my husband!

He is a wonderful husband. I am SO lucky to be married to a man of such integrity and someone who is truly my best friend and more.

(At this point, I know that my friend Crystal is thinking, “Oh no! What did Caleb do this time?)

So here goes…..

Yesterday, Caleb decided to build a garden for me! He bought the wood, the potting soil and even rented a tiller. He EVEN captured how stupid/silly he looked when trying to use the tiller on our rock of a lawn. It literally DRAGGED him from one end of the yard to the other. Again, it was really comical.

So, when I got home, he was pretty excited to show off his masterpiece. Before I let him cover my eyes and lead me to the back door, I asked, “Can you put this in the refrigerator for me first? Then, I’m all yours!”

He led me to the backyard. I “ooo-ed” and “ahh-ed” his work. Then laughed my way through the video, played with Ben, changed out of my clothes….then opened the refrigerator.

The “thing” I asked him to put away was the milk I had pumped. He didn’t realize, nor did I tell him that it needed to stay upright. Milk was FLOWING out of the refrigerator. It was all gone.

I freaked and said a few things that I’m not proud of.

Caleb snatched Ben out of my arms and ran away (if he had a tail, it would have been between his legs)!

I took a moment, apologized then explained that I am emotionally attached to my milk in that 1) you can’t buy it 2) it was the most I had pumped yet and 3) I spend every free second I get a day to pump for it. Milk = gold!
Again, I love my husband. It’s a funny story now. And, I have a small stash in the freezer, so it’s not like Ben will do without.

What's New:

I feel like such a bad mother again. Now that Caleb is on day shift, Ben will have two days a week that I consider very long (7:00am-5:30pm) where he will be at “playschool”. The other days of the week, he will actually have very short days (if he goes at all) because either Caleb or I will be off! Even knowing that, I felt TERRIBLE Monday when I realized that Ben was the first baby there in the morning AND the last baby to be picked up. I am just hoping that he is not the only little baby there when I pick him up today after work. He was perfectly content and LOVES his teachers, but it is still gut wrenching every now and then…..actually, I am coming to find that Mondays are the hardest days to leave him there.

Regardless of my hormonal swings, Ben is doing very well at “playschool” so I have no complaints. Trust me….I’ll post complaints if I have any!

In other news, Ben is still not sleeping through the night. I gave him the benefit of the doubt last week because I tried Fenugreek again to try and increase my supply. This made him so gassy; I couldn’t even take the supplements for the full 3 days. Last night, we tried a little formula after I fed him. We got 4 hours out of that.

PLEASE start sleeping, Ben! I’m really TIRED! =0)

Tips for other moms who’s babies may not be sleeping through the night. These didn’t work for us, but others swear by them….and even though these haven’t worked for us, they have added an hour or two!

* The Miracle Blanket- It’s a swaddle that my friends swear by. They told me that if it doesn’t work, they would refund my money. The only reason I haven’t bought it is because Ben is almost 4 months, so I don’t know how much more we will be swaddling him. Friends have said that their babies started sleeping through the night as early as 11 days.

* Right before bed, put a diaper on your baby that is one size bigger than what they normally wear. (Thanks, Mom, for this tip. It actually helps. The bigger diaper absorbs so much more, so I know Ben’s not waking up because it’s full.

Any other advice people have would be helpful. I’m still holding out for the magical 4 month mark to see if he starts sleeping. Then, if that doesn’t work, maybe when we start rice cereal?

He’s such a happy baby that it is hard to really be bothered by his lack of long stretches. He at least eats really fast when he does get up and then goes right back down on his own in the crib. So, all in all, we’re getting closer.

One lady at “playschool”, who’s child is still not sleeping through the night at 5 ½ months, told me that he doesn’t sleep because he loves me. All those other babies who sleep must not love their mommies because they don’t wake up to spend time with them in the middle of the night. I know there is NO truth to this, but it makes me feel better!

Happy TAX Day!

I absolutely, positively LOVE my Little Tax Deduction! This little boy was due to come December 31, 2007. His mom is a state tax auditor....so to show how much he LOVES her, he decided to come early and give her the deduction! YAY for taxes (just kidding)!

(insert an adorable picture of Ben in his Tax Deduction onesie here!)

Does Anyone Want Riley?

This is actually really hard for me to post this, because I really do not want to give Riley away. But, Caleb and I are looking for a good family for him. In the next couple of months, we may be doing the same thing for Kirk.

He's a WONDERFUL dog. He is so over the whole puppy/destroying phase...and is now completely house broken, sleeps in his own doggie bed and stays out while we are at work.

The ONLY reason we are looking to give him away is because he deserves better. He could really use a family that would walk him more or give him more of an opportunity to run around outside. I'm getting all choked up typing this.....I really don't want to give him up unless we can find someone who we really trust. (Too bad Uncle Carson is leaving the state...sniff sniff)

Anyway, I would appeciate it if no one would comment to this post. I also would appreciate it if you don't ask me about it or ask me to talk about it if you talk to me. I really don't want to answer all the "why?" questions. I just want to lay it out there and see if anyone e-mails, calls or gets in contact with us about it. Please only contact me about it if you may be interested and want to meet him. Thanks in advance!

He's the best with Ben (Kirk is the one with some "issues"), it's just that Riley's size is making things difficult.....having two dogs is actually really difficult. I don't have much time in the mornings to feed them, let them out, wipe four paws if it's raining.....you get the point.

So...if no one contacts me, he will probably not go anywhere.....but I wanted to just put it out there and see if his "perfect match" is reading this. Maybe someone reading has been talking about how they really want a dog who is not a puppy, already trained, yet still young (He's 2). He's about 45 pounds and is full grown.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of him. He's part boxer/part red lab. He's a beautiful dog.....really likes baths....and would be a lap dog if you let him (we don't let him). And, if you have kids, he is the type of dog you could put a saddle on and let them ride him!

My e-mail address: hazel22882@yahoo.com (Oh! We're also willing to let you take him for a month or two to see how it works out....and if it isn't a good fit, we'll take him back!)

"Careful: I Drool On A Moments Notice"

Ben's been drooling all over EVERYTHING!

It's about time to pull out the bibs....and the teethers, just in case!

(Though, I hope teething is still a couple of months away!)

The BEACH! (Life is Good!)

This was my first Friday off. After calling the doc to make sure all was well with Ben (he's been a little "off" lately...but the humidifier and salene drops seemed to help), we packed him up and headed to the beach for the day. This was Ben's first beach trip!

Ben's Grandad and Grammy (and two crazy uncles) live in Wilmington. First, we stopped by their Quizno's store to show off THE grandson. We enjoyed a FABULOUS meal (next time you go to Wilmington, go to the one at SeaHawk Landing....off College Rd....my family owns it!). Next, we ventured to the beach.

We had gorgeous 78 degree weather with a cool breeze...not too hot, not too cold. Granted, we only stayed out there an hour, but it was well worth it! Both my guys took a nap and I was able to clear my mind of everything....it was SO nice!

After that, we enjoyed a good meal and some good conversation with the grandparents. Uncle Scott swarmed in on Ben and kept Ben very entertained....as usual. Ben LOVED being held by Grammy and even fell asleep on her lap at one point. Grandad was the only one who got a laugh out of Ben (They said he started cackling at day care).

Good Times!

Enjoy the pics:

I can't get enough of his little chubby cheeks....he's definitely starting to "fill out" a little! And, some of that hair is falling out!

I think he takes after his dad's love for the ocean!

The sun was in his eyes! Problem solved (below)!

Ben- tanning his feet!

Don't forget your water!

Or your sunscreen!

So, is it like son, like father?

Or like father, like son?

Ben's new onesie: 1-800-GRANDMA (once you dial that, you get a prompt that says "Press 1 for MeeMom, press 2 for Grammy or press 3 for Gram). This child is so lucky to have such great Grandmommies!

Uncle Scott shows off his "uncle-ing" skills! (Where's Uncle Philip? Good Question!)

Supposedly, this is the Benke Pose...only Benke boys sleep like this with their arms over their head!

Again, Ben is just SO lucky to have such amazing Grandparents! He seems to hang out with one almost every week-end! Next grandparent visit: May 16-18- we can't wait to see you MeeMom and PopPop!

Stardom is in our genes.....not to brag or anything!

Ben has a very talented soccer player as a father.

A mother who is pretty athletic herself....

A grandfather who is an all-star middle school coach.

A "Great" cousin who was a wrestler and football player

Two little uncles who can tear up the basketball court...

A "Universal" uncle who knows everything one needs to know about sports!

And a "Great" cousin who makes headlines:

http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080412/SPORTS03/804120433/1002/sports

What can I say? It's in our genes! (I'm praying our little man doesn't want to be a dancer!)

Caleb's Accident

Caleb was in a car accident on Friday night at work. He was hit by some drunk guy in his patrol car. We're talking air bags, light poles, brick walls and all. Miraculously, Caleb walked away from it untouched. He's a little sore....still....but the X-Rays show that everything is how it ought to be.

Thank you to everyone who was thinking of us and praying for Caleb when it happened....

It's a Girl (for Ben)!

YAY! We just found out that our good friends Joe and Christina and Paul and Mena are both having GIRLS! How exciting! Girls clothes are SO much cuter.....but, you've got to admit, Ben looks pretty "dashing" in this outfit, complete with jeans!

Look out Paul and Joe! You had better "Lock Up Your Daughters!"

There's A New Boy In Town!