Ben's Dedication Pictures

Here are pictures of our little man all dressed up in his dedication attire. Please don't knock the amateur photo shoot.....Yes! we took pictures in our front yard for all the neighbors to see....but I think I got some good ones of him!

Yes- Ben is sitting on his own in the pictures below. I had to "catch" him many times....but it made for some cute shots! I couldn't get him to stop eating his shoe laces, though. I added one of those pictures, too....for kicks!

Not Cool- AT ALL!

So today is pay day. My pay check was short by over $1300 for NO REASON AT ALL except that HR tried to fix my leave balances and managed to DOCK MY PAY instead.

I swear....this sucks! Lord knows how long it will take for them to fix it.

Happy Anniversary (4 Years!!)

Today marks our 4 year anniversary. I always figured that I would still love my husband as much as I did that day, I never imagined how much more I would love him. I am truly blessed to be married to a man of such integrity and to someone who shows me every day that I am loved. I am also truly blessed to have a little son who looks so much like the man I love. Ben has added new life to our marriage (with its fair share of responsibility, sleepless nights and feelings of inadequacy that all goes along with parenting). We're in it together, though, so somehow that makes it all ok and worthwhile. Here's to the good life!

Happy Anniversary to Me! Caleb surprised me with this Brighton Baby Love Charm Bracelet. You can't see the chain very well in this picture, but there are tiny little baby blue clothespins that connect the charms. LOVE IT!!

Happy 5 Months Little Ben!

It has been a very long week. I'm not sure when I last wrote about what has been going on, so forgive me if I repeat information.

On Friday the 16th, I got a call from the daycare provider stating that Ben had a rash on his face and a leaky eye. Called the doctor and set up an appointment. Turns out Ben had pink eye. We quickly got the eye drops prescription, as it is contagious within the first 24 hours. All day, Caleb and I felt like our eyes were on fire, but we never caught it.....the mind likes to play tricks on you though. He was better for his dedication that week-end. Oh yeah...I forgot to mention how I was sick the whole week before his dedication. He gave me a nasty cold/virus...yuck!

Then, on Thursday the 22nd, I got another call from the daycare stating Ben had a 102.4 fever. Caleb picked him up and we gave him Tylenol for the first time. The fever went down to 101, but never really broke. The doctor's office stated it was our choice to bring him in, but that there was really nothing they could do for him at that time. Caleb went in to work that night and I was on Ben duty. I kept checking on him and noticed he was getting progressively hotter. I stuck the pacifier thermometer in him around 9pm and it read 103.4. I started to freak out....since this type of thermometer reads .2 to .5 lower than others. I was able to talk to my friend Katherine (who has worked with babies in the NICU). Ben was given more Tylenol and a sponge bath. He looked so pitiful and he was on fire. It broke my heart.....yet he kept smiling the whole time! His fever dropped to 102 again and finally broke in the morning at 9:30. He slept with us and I don't know how many times I took that little guy's temp. It was super scary....oh yeah! and Caleb came home to help me. I'm not good at making decisions and I needed him there in case we had to go to the hospital.

Things are relatively back to normal. I know it's kind of early, but Ben has been going to bed around 6:45 at night and has been sleeping pretty soundly (knock on wood). We usually have to wake up between 5:30 and 6:30 in the morning. He was out of sorts all week-end, though, so we have no clue whether his is growing, teething or still sick. It's hard being a parent sometimes.....He depends on us for everything!

So, today marks Ben's 5 month "birthday". I can't believe he is growing so fast! He is such a wonderful little boy and we are so blessed to have him in our lives. His little smile makes everything right in the world. It's hard to believe how much he loves me.....I want to leave work right now and go pick him up =0)

Ben's Dedication- Part One

Here are some pictures from the actual church dedication and the party afterwards. More pictures are coming of Ben in his little outfit (and SHOES....with socks!....thanks, Jill!) He was a bit uncooperative for these pictures, so we decided to take more later!

This Is What Ben Thinks About Mondays!

It ALL Goes In The MOUTH!

Let's Play!

Thanks to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Ben has a new toy! He LOVES his new exersaucer....especially the cup! Thanks Cam, Jill and Cousin Alex!

Pictures from the Visit with MeeMom and PopPop

Happy Birthday To ME! (Revised)

OK....so it's not really my birthday! But it sure feels like it!!!

I just got my FIRST 8 straight hours of sleep! Ben slept 11 straight hours last night without even a peep! Now, he's gone 8 hours before without eating, but never 11 hours without waking. HALLELUJAH!

It feels like he just gave me a really good present, like one you would get for a surprise birthday!

I love my son....even when he doesn't sleep....but especially when he does! =0)

*REVISED*: Just got a call from the day care. Ben has a fever =0( of 102 degrees. It looks like the 11 hours of sleep was a symptom, not a developmental milestone. Poor little guy....Caleb said he seemed really happy when he picked him up, though! Hopefully the daycare was just taking extra precautions.....hopefully he isn't as sick as it sounds.....hopefully....

Time Spent With Mommy!

Waiting For Pictures!

Ben's dedication was wonderful. He had a fussy period the morning of the dedication, but took a bottle on the way to church....and was a little saint the entire time. I am still waiting for my mom to upload her pictures so that I can post them to the blog. She has tons of pictures of her visit and the dedication ceremony that I want to share with you all.


In the meantime, here are some pics from before the big day. I can't believe our little man will be 5 months on the 28th!

What is a Baby Dedication?

I found this definition:

"A Baby Dedication is a ceremony in which believing parents, and sometimes entire families, make a commitment before the Lord to submit a child to God's will and to raise that child according to God's Word and God's ways.

Parents who dedicate a child are making a promise to the Lord to do everything within their power to raise the child in a godly way, prayerfully until he or she can make a decision on his or her own to follow God."

Counting Down

Only 24 hours until we see MeeMom and PopPop.

Less than 48 hours until we see Gram and Buna.

And less than 72 hours until we see Grammy and Grandad.

Let the dedication festivities begin!

(On a side note, it has been over 11 WEEKS since Ben has seen MeeMom and PopPop, his grandparents who live in Maryland.....he told me this morning that he can't WAIT to hang out with them and show off all his new tricks and smiles....he says it's going to be great!)

Ben/Daddy Time

Caleb is back on night shift. This means that he wakes up around 3 PM every day. So, while he’s on night shift, I get to take Ben to playschool in the mornings and Caleb picks him up early. He usually has about an hour and a half alone with Ben before I get home. It’s good bonding time for them! One time, I came home, and Caleb strategically placed Ben in his high chair directly behind the front door. When I walked in, I was greeted by my smiling little baby who had a sign on his lap that said, “I love you! Please pick me up!” It was too cute!

Most days are like this. I come home to a very calm house and a family very happy to see me.

Yesterday, was not one of these days.

Poor Caleb. Poor Ben. It was just an off day. I may get the story wrong (because I heard it so fast), but here goes.

Caleb brought Ben home and decided to change his diaper. He left the little guy “uncovered” for a second too long. Ben managed to spray everything like an automatic sprinkler. He got it all in his face, all in Caleb’s face and all over his clothes and changing table area. So, what does Caleb do? He picks him up when Ben’s “finished” and places him in the crib (diaper-less) and proceeds to dry him off. He turned around for a second to get another diaper when Ben started spraying everything AGAIN. This time, it went all over himself, the wall and the crib. Poor Ben….I think this really scared him….drowning in his own….you get the point.

Caleb managed to get the diaper on Ben. Success! Not Quite. He stood Ben up in the crib and you guess it: Ben spit up ALL over Caleb, the crib and the floor. Caleb cleaned that up and got Ben dressed…..yup! Spit up AGAIN and then AGAIN. After a new diaper, two new outfits, two bibs, all was well with the world of Ben’s bodily functions. So, what did my two boys do? They fell asleep and slept until I got home! It was a long afternoon. The nursery was trashed…..hehehehehe!
I actually enjoyed my first true Girls Night Out last night. All of the Downtown District wives went to the Melting Pot. Fun times….

Still Sick!

Ben's feeling better, but going through a growth spurt or something because he's eating all the time! I stayed home sick today. I'm miserable. It is so hard to be a good mom when you are sick. I hope I can get over this cold before the week-end's festivities. Since I'm still nursing, I'm hesitant to take anything for it. Just drinking the OJ!

Here are some pictures for the grandparents!! Also, Ben has been making raspberry sounds lately! Too cute!

Also, if you haven't noticed, Ben is balding badly!!

Happy Mother's Day (to Me!)

I had a wonderful first Mother's Day. It was a day where I got to do whatever I wanted! We went to the Duke Gardens and then out to dinner at 518 West. If you recall, this is the same restaurant we went to when we found out we were having a little boy. We took Ben this time and got to sit at the same table on the stairwell overlooking the entire restaurant. It was a nice throw back to the days of being pregnant and the reality that now I am a mom. Here are some pictures from our trip to the gardens.







Ben and I are still sick. We thought maybe he had a fever today, but the thermometer showed otherwise. We're both sneezing and coughing and sniffling. YUCK! I just hope we are all better for next week-end and that Caleb doesn't catch it from us!