Benny Bear at 6 weeks

Our Bennett is 6 weeks old today! At almost 2 months, he is bright eyed and alert, exploring the world with new neck muscles, and smiling sweet, non gassy smiles with the cutest cheerio mouth.

He is a snuggle bug and prefers to be held over any bassinet. As such, sleeps best in my arms or on my chest...let's just say, we're working on it haha! If cuddling were a crime he'd be sentenced to life I think, and that's alright by me. :-) Nicknames-Benny roo, Benny burrito("rito" for short), Bennett bear, and "the baby."

True to his manly nature, he is one gassy love! Thank goodness for baby gas drops-still a top 3 in my parent survival kit. Following close in big brother's footsteps(or maybe this is common of all babies this age), he doesn't cry very much during the day but has a very regular(almost by the clock) fussy period around the same time every night after his last feeding. Otherwise he is a very happy baby and seems to have a good, jovial disposition. Praise the Lord!

His look changes almost daily. Most people, from friends and family to total strangers at Target will say that he looks just like me, his mama. However, I also believe he looks almost identical to Evan at this age, who ironically favors Chris. Suffice it to say that our boys are just the perfect mix of the two of us! As for Bennett though, I am interested to see what color his eyes settle on...Evan's were brown by this time and Benny is still hanging on to those blues!

I can't believe 6 whole weeks has already passed us by. With every new coo and expression I feel his "newborness" slipping not so slowly away from me. He is holding his head up more these days and feels good and sturdy in my arms-not so much like the 8 pound wiggly worm I took home from the hospital. Even today I packed up the last of his newborn sized clothes and restocked his drawers with Evan's old 3 month-ers. These baby days are precious and fleeting, and come whine or shine, I want to embrace every one of them. :-)

Just for fun, how stinkin adorable is this outfit?

 And lastly, I could'nt leave out my big boys...they're pretty cute too!

 

PS-Look what I found-a blog post on Evan at 6 weeks old! Reason #ka-gillion on why I love blogging! How neat to compare-I had'nt realized that Evan's hair had all but fallen out by now-maybe there's hope for Benny after all!  

http://rebeccascott.blogspot.com/2010/06/baby-talk.html

He's here!

 Welcome to the world Bennett Shepherd Scott!

Our sweet Valentine was born Tuesday, February 14th at 1:04pm
8 pounds, 9 ounces, 21 inches long

We are home now, enjoying this special time as a new family of four and praising God for our many blessings.

Come out come out whenever you are!

So it's February 13th and guess what? I'm still pregnant! Baby boy made a miraculous flip at the last minute and bought us a bit more time for him to come naturally and on his own. However, it's been a week and no such luck! It looks like we may have a Valentines Day baby after all. :-) Tomorrow we are headed in for our re-scheduled c-section, and I can't be more excited to meet my funny little Valentine.

This morning, my last as a mother of one, I took Evan out for a special mommy-son breakfast at Chic-fil-et. I'm so thankful for this unexpected and extra time I get to spend with my first little boy!

This is my last official day with "the belly." Of course, who knows my water could break before I finish this blog and we may see him even sooner!  In any case, I am filled with gratitude for this new life and can't wait to meet this new baby boy, whichever day and however way God has perfectly planned for that to be. :-)

On the flip side

This little boy inside of me is a mover and shaker! At 38 weeks, our routine doc's appointment revealed something new and surprising to us all-baby brother pulled a total 180 and is now in the "breech" position!  I was a little shocked to say the least, especially since we saw him head down in an ultrasound just last week. Thus, it looks like we are headed for a schedule cesarean.

I'm not going to lie, it's been challenging for me to let go of the idea of a natural birth and surrender to another c-section.  As tightly as I was holding onto the idea of a V-back, I'm more aware than ever that God holds all things in his hands, and is working towards our ultimate good. He created this little boy inside of me, and loves him so much more than I can fathom already. However baby boy makes his grand entrance, I have peace knowing that God is in control. Much easier said than done though, I admit!

The idea of a scheduled c-seciton to me brings on many emotions. Fear being at the forefront-surgery is scary! I didn't have the best experience with Evan, so readers, please join me in praying for a smoother surgery this time around. A close runner up to the fear factor is the more complicated recovery, though I have heard many an encouraging word from women who have been there-that the second is much easier than the first. And, to round out my worries, my mommy's heart is torn over how this will impact Evan. I'm sure everything will work out just fine, but on this side all I can think about is not being able to pick him up and comfort him the way I need to, especially when he's still so young and his world will be in such a state of transition already. I hate that we'll be in the hospital longer, and don't want to spend a minute more away from him than necessary. But, though I hate to admit it, I know he'll survive without me(shocker). Again, easier said then done haha.

On the other hand, there is a teeny tiny but very possible chance this guy could turn in the next few days and come on his own time. While that would be a shining answer to my prayers, I'm doing my best to be at peace if that's not how things happen. Either way, the outcome will be the same-a beautiful, healthy baby boy. :-)

Something tells me this new little guy is going to keep me on my toes!

37 Weeks!

We are now officially full term yay! I'm happy to report that we had a very routine and uneventful OB visit this past Friday-the good kind-and got to see baby boy once more in an ultrasound. Because Evan was quite the butterball, we needed to see where exactly this one was size wise in order to make the best decision regarding his big debut.

Thankfully, he looked healthy and weighed in at 6 pounds 9 oz-which sounded pretty big to my small self but is actually very average and right on track. Based on our birth experience with Evan, my confidence in my body's ability to deliver a larger baby the good ol' fashioned way is a bit shaken to say the least. So, please join us in praying for a healthy delivery(preferably a V-back) and average sized baby Godspeed!

Stats-
Baby's heart rate-Strong in the 120-130's
Mommy's iron finally came up and broke ten- I'm thankful for this small victory!
Weight-129 and down one pound, but not super alarming due to fact that I've been sick this past week. Total weight gain so far is 22 pounds; I think I've got some room to grow after all.
BP-85/55...I normally run low, but not so much. For now, we're going to blame the afor mentioned sickness.

Admittedly not the best appointment for stats, but thankfully it looks as if baby boy is thriving doing a lot better than mommy feels! I'm already feeling almost back to normal, so hopefully we'll be running at 100%(you know, as much as you can be 37 wks pregnant with an active toddler) soon!

Can't wait to meet baby boy!

Joyful anticipation

As we meet 36 weeks, my body-and belly mostly-are loudly signaling that it's almost baby time. On one hand, I am over the moon excited to meet this little guy and can't wait see a new baby bouncing in our bouncer, sleeping in his bassinet and even crying in his carseat. On the other hand, I know I can be patient and embrace these last precious moments as a family of three. As a prideful planner, I find in myself the tendency to get so wraped up in future things that I often miss the presents of the present. So while we wait on baby brother's arrival, I am set to be still and enjoy this life as it is now-just me, my husband and our sweet son. This nest is fluffed and feathered well enough. Dare I say it's time to sit back and relax, to simply and joyfully just wait.

Two carseats are now taking over our backseat-what a sight!

Thanks to a sweet and thoughtful friend, our borrowed bassinet is set up and looking just perfect in its new place next to our bed.

And, we put out a few baby things like Evan's old bouncer; we just couldn't leave that space bare after filling it with a Christmas tree for so long! I loved our swing, bouncer and other baby gear, and am excited to pull em' out of the closets for a second spin.

Next on the list, the hospital bag is mostly packed. Credit belongs to this awesome checklist courtesy of Pinterest. :-)

Evan's snack stash is fully stocked for "D-day"

and while this little guy may be a bit small for his newly washed big brother tee, I think he'll grow into his new title quite nicely. :-)

35 Weeks!

See, I am pregnant remember blog? I said it wasn't so, that I would absolutely keep up with this second pregnancy in the same way as the first...but somehow baby #2 is left with much fewer dedicated baby updates than Evan. Hoping this is not a second child trend, I am determined to break the mold! Anyways, this is me with baby "B," or "C." ;-)

I doubt I'll be sporting my lovely belly for 5 more weeks, judging by the size of things. In just two weeks we'll have an ultrasound that will better determine whether or not this butterball will make an early debut-can't wait to see!

A mommy and Evan morning

This past Friday I had my 34 week OB appointment in Raleigh. To make the trip extra worthwhile, Evan and I shared a beautiful, fun filled mommy-son morning at Marbles kids museum downtown. We had been talking about special things to do with our firstborn before baby boy makes his appearance, and Marbles was at the top of the list. This place is amazing; it's colorful, bright, swarming with excited kiddos and full of a variety of activities that are interesting and fun for all ages. Literally, we could've spent the entire day there!

Of course, as luck would have it my SD card decided to shut down on me after just TWO pictures...so I pulled out the next best thing, and followed my sweet boy around taking photos with the trusty Iphone. Enjoy!

 

 

His favorite place by far-the train table!

 

We had a blast and this little kiddo ran off a ton of energy-in fact, he was fast asleep before we even got back on the highway to Wilson!

Per my 34 week appointment, I'm happy to report that baby boy is growing well. He is measuring right where he should be and had a steady heartbeat in the 120's. As for me, I've officially gained 23 pounds thus far, and feel like this turkey should be done any day now. In fact, yesterday preferably. :-) I'm much more uncomfortable at this point than I was with Evan, and am thanking my stars for a toddler who sleeps through the night and naps well so that I can grab that much needed rest myself. It's hard to believe it's already January 1st, and this could be baby #2's birthday month!

This puzzle, that munchkin

Or in other words, my clever way of dressing up a "this n' that" type of post. I'll start with this very cool video of my smarty pants putting together his transportation puzzle. Notice the flurry of frustration with the firetruck. Yes, there are many teachable "flurries" nowadays!

Have I mentioned that a Dunkin Donuts opened in Wilson, and that my little munchkin loves blueberry munchkins? He had not one, not two, but four of them before church this past Sunday! He's a curious eating machine these Fall days and has taken a break from being Mr. Pickypants for the time being; lately he loves broccoli, and has been sharing in our usual dinner meals complete with corn and all! And-excuse my randomness-I also think it noteworthy to insert that he has now added the words "cold," "cool-as in dude," "down," "shoes" and "pig" to his growing vocabulary.

This week I am 27 weeks along with our other munchkin. I'm due for my Glucose testing on Wednesday, and have a follow up ultrasound next week-so this little dude is keeping us busy! Inside the womb, baby boy should weigh almost 2 pounds by now and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. Also, he's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, is very rapidly developing his brain, opening and closing his tiny eyes, and probably even sucking on his fingers. I can't wait for baby "C" to get here!!! (Yes, we have his name picked out for good now!). And, just for fun, here's a link to Evan's "27 week" update...I was surprised to see how similar I was feeling at this point with him!
Baby Evan on the inside-27 wks

It's funny because last time around we were completely enamored with all things Evan and all aboard the baby train, busy with preparations and just as pregnant with excitement over things to come. This time, I'm still consumed with all things Evan, and much less anxious about the preparations and "lists" that go into welcoming a new member of the family. Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited...just with a bit less edge and organizational OCD (let's just call it like it is)! Thank goodness for a toddler to keep my mind, feet, and online shopping elsewhere. :-)

Baby update

On the first day of Fall we are jumping the "half way there" marker at 20 weeks.  There have been a few big changes recently. For starters, I have officially moved past feeling huge to actually looking pregnant.  We now know our new baby's gender, and along with that have given him a name. :-) I'm just starting to feel those first flutters of movement, and am slowly steeping in sweet ideas of brothers, big boy rooms and boy-S.

Here I am at 19 weeks-we took this picture in Philadelphia, PA. *Post to come soon on our first official family vacation, airplane and all.

And here are our first pictures of little boy Scott at his 18 week ultrasound. I can't believe it will be time to post Evan's 18 month pictures next month!

It's a.....!!

Looks like more snips, snails and puppy dog tails for us, and we couldn't be more excited! Pics to come soon! :-)

15 month and 15 week well babies

Coincidentally, I scheduled Evan's 15 month well baby and my 15 week baby checkup on the same day. Of course, Evan is closer to 16 months now, but with both being appointments in Raleigh it made sense to knock them out on the same day. I'm pleased to say our mini marathon of office visits went well this morning, and Evan was a trooper even though it meant skipping his morning nap. With Thomas the train and plenty of snacks on hand, he hardly noticed. Both visits were great and, praise the Lord, showed healthy growing babies!

Evan's stats:
Weight: Almost 22 pounds and finally breaking the 10th percentile!
Height: 31 inches in the 25th-50th percentiles
Overall our Dr. Pepper was very happy with his growth and impressed by his developmental and verbal skills-A+!

Baby #2:
This appointment was mostly about mommy's stats, but we did get to hear the baby's tiny heartbeat and it was good and healthy in the 150's. Thankfully, I'm feeling much better this week and starting to see some relief from my pesky headaches. I'm hoping this is a good thing coming into the 2nd trimester!
Weight gain: 2 pounds and now 109
BP-88/63
Iron stick-boo! Not surprisingly starting to dip, iron foods here we come!

We got to see Dr. Anderson today, who we love and above all is the doctor who delivered Evan! Chris and I are collecting many a story from this guy, and would be so excited if he was the one to walk through the door on delivery day. Since our practice has many doctors who rotate, I was never able to get a proper picture of our honorary stork, so here it is!

13 weeks, for the record

As I look back and compare this pregnancy so far with Evan's, I am endlessly thankful for the scrapbook and record keeper that is my blog.

To start, I was curious about a few things and beyond grateful to find the answers to my curiosity safely kept in this faithful online journal. For one thing, I wanted to know at what point I'd loose my belly button again. Happily, I found that it didn't disappear with Evan until exactly 6 and a half months. Thanks for the peace of mind blog! On the other hand, I was surprised to learn that I had only gained a mere 1.5 pounds while SIX months along with Evan. I'm 12 weeks now and I do believe we've surpassed that benchmark already...ahem. Thanks for the reminder blog. ;-)

So in keeping with blogger tradition and preserving these precious memories for years to come, here is my very first "belly" shot. Me and mine just shy of 13 weeks.

15 months and 12 weeks

As August sets into gear, my hands are full with a very active 15 month old on the outside and a tiny, growing little one the inside. I'm 12 weeks along this week and officially through the first trimester-hello goodbye, I barely knew you! Since finding out about this pregnancy a bit later than last time, this first milestone has passed us by in lightening speed. I remember counting the days at a tortoise's pace last time around; this time, I'm thankful for a busy season to keep us on our toes.

At 15 months, Evan is slowly making his way from babyhood to toddler times. I've noticed a big improvement in both verbal and physical coordination recently, which is to say we've got a lot of babble and running around going on-not to mention climbing! He is less and less content to sit still(and quietly) in carts and carseats, and wants to run and wiggle about wherever we go. And all I have to say to that is-snacks are a mom's best friend!

When did this guy get so handsome?

His favorite show is still Backyardigains, but we've also branched out to Thomas the train and Curious George(for mommy's sake, a girl can only take so much Nick Jr.!). He LOVES cars and trains right now, and in fact says "tain" just about a hundred times a day. And of course, everything is a "ball." Footballs, soccer balls, baseballs-he can't get enough of them. As a growing boy, his appetite is nothing short of grizzly, and I do believe the kitchen is his favorite room in the house. In other news, he is really into the classic "vacuum ball popper" toy and loves to push things around, especially the swiffer sweeper. We're currently working on two monster teethe right now, which brings the total to 11 I think....who knows what more could be hiding in there! Also, I've noticed that he's really picked up on the whole "clean up" idea lately and is a very happy helper in putting things away. Thank goodness!

Now to our next little guy or girl...At 12 weeks this baby is currently the size of a lime(2 inches or so in length) and weighs about 1/2 ounce. Reflexes are the big thing this week as baby begins to open and close eyes, curl toes and begin sucking motions with its mouth. Tiny toothebuds have formed underneath the gums while fingers and toes now have nails and are no longer webbed. All of the vital organs are in place now and starting to function, and will continue to develop throughout the rest of the pregnancy. And, while I can't feel it just yet, baby can bend and is actively kicking already. Oh babies!

Big News!!!

 

Evan's going to be a big brother! We are excited to announce that we are expecting our next little one on February 14th of 2012. :-) I'm right at 11 weeks currently and feeling great-praise God for this new life!