Mushy Toddler

This last month has been exciting. Ben and I just got back from an impromptu visit to see the grandparents and aunts in FL. We flew out last Sat and returned Wed. Although active, Ben was very good on the plane. It's only about an 1 1/2 hr flight, but that's a long time for a toddler that wants to run around and investigate...he stayed in the seat w/ me for the whole way down and we got up once on the way back to sit in the seat across the aisle (there were 2 empty seats) and look out the window. Any longer a flight I would definitely get him his own seat but to FL, it works out well to have him as a lap baby. And Ben's favorite airplane game - Teddy bear peek-a-boo - Teddy hid under the tray, under the seat and Ben would laugh hysterically when he popped out...this game kept him entertained at least 15-20 min (forever in toddlerville). So, while Ben and I were in FL, Daddy and Uncle Mike went to Las Vegas (though they spent more time searching for aliens and driving through the dessert than actually in Vegas...LOL)

It has been colder than usual in Charlotte for this time of year but today it was slightly more pleasant (and surprisingly dry). I did some organization in / around the garage and Ben played in the driveway / side yard. He really enjoyed walking on the cement and grass and went around to investigate all the different plants in the yard. He also got to meet the little doggy next door - Ginger (who is a real yapper....but Ben just watched and didn't get upset, maybe b/c she wouldn't get any closer than about 10 ft). I actually brought Ben back around the front so our neighbor could put Ginger back in the house and he went running right back to their fence to go look for the doggy. He really loves animals - had a great time w/ Eric (Bern's cat) and Marley (their dog) though preferred Marley when she was quiet...Ben actually got a lot of time outside today as earlier in the afternoon, Daddy brought him out w/ Graham to the backyard. He had a great time watching Graham chewing on sticks (surprised he didn't try this out himself!)

So far, it is a pretty laid back weekend, which is a welcome relief after the last week of traveling. Tomorrow is Joel's birthday - we don't have any big plans but will definitely read Birthday Monsters ;-) and sing Happy Birthday. We'll go to church (we even went to St. Thomas for the Knights Lenten dinner on Fri) and then will head down to the outlets in Gaffney - we went to Concord Mills tonight and got a couple of things at Bass and Carter's but weren't impressed by the deals / size availability at Brook's Brothers. Kathy told us Children's Place pants are cut a little slimmer than some of the other brands - I am excited to pick up a couple pairs at the outlet store!

In Ben news, he has cut through 4 molars - top and bottom and is now back to himself. He is much happier and sleeping better and eating better (though still refusing most veggies). He is enjoying walking around and climbing every chance he gets - we were waiting in the baggage claim area and he walked over to the belt and climbed right up (it wasn't moving). It was super fast! Then I was talking to his babysitter, Sharla, and found out he can climb on the futon in his room too! His gross motor skills are progressing right along. He is starting to use things for their intended purpose - he puts the phone to his ear (and I think he said "Hello" when the phone rang the other day), he brushes his hair w/ the comb, brushes his teeth and loves to "type" on the keyboard. He has gotten really mushy - he comes over and will give hugs and put his head against my chest. He also walks over and will hug your leg and will grab your hand and rub his face w/ it. It's so sweet - I hope he stays sweet! :-) He also hugs his teddy bears, which is super cute! I am hesitant to say Ben is using any real words yet, but I think a few have slipped out - "yeah" "hi" "yum" "hello" "milk" and we've been working on "more" (which he does fairly well, or at least something close) and "up". He's definitely starting to throw tantrums and I've been trying to nip this in the bud and help him use words to ask for things, or at least make him calm down before I acknowledge him.

Mommy and Daddy went out for Valentine's Day (to Bravo and to see When in Rome) and then to see Celtic Women (what an amazing concert). Not sure what our next night out will be.....but we're thankful for Sharla!! :-)

Lots of Firsts

This last week has been filled with a lot of firsts. Two weeks ago, Benjamin had his first bath. We took video of it but did not get a picture, so the picture below is from bath 4 or 5 - I love his expression. He doesn't really complain much in the tub but isn't quite sure what to make of it (as seen in the picture)....and was also wondering why Dad was taking pictures of him in the tub (Mommy's request).

Last week, he went to his first mass at St. Thomas and then to his first superbowl party at the Domazos. On Tues, he visited Daddy at work and took his first trip around uptown Charlotte and to the library. That evening, he went to his first art exhibit at the Mint Museum - to see Andy Warhol. On Saturday, he went on his first trip to Red Robin and then on Sunday, he went on his first trip to Kings Mountain (pictures below)

We have his 1 month Dr. visit on Fri 1/13 - can't wait to see how much he weighs :-)

What a Weekend......

Although we spent most of Saturday lounging around the house (much needed after spending 2 yrs of Saturdays in a classroom all day!), I feel like we did quite a bit and quite a bit happened this weekend.

As of Friday, I am 37 weeks pregnant....officially full-term. I am so used to being pregnant at this point that I'm not really anxious to deliver b/c I don't want to be pregnant any more, however the longer I have to contemplate what labor's going to be like, the more nervous I get. Since everyone's experience is so unique, it's so hard to know what to expect, but I am so excited to meet little Benjamin or Madelyn that I think it will be ok (and hopefully no epidural, episiotomy, or c-section....) Baby is kicking, punching and rolling around like crazy - I think he or she is getting ready for a grand entrance :-)

According to Babycenter: Congratulations! Your baby is full-term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away. He weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long.

Since it is getting close to d-day, I have started packing my hospital bag. It was cute - last night I was looking on Babycenter at some of the discussion boards re: "what to bring to the hospital" and it made me giggle - kind of like a bunch of girls chatting about what to bring to summer camp. Even though it is online, you can hear the tone of excitement and anticipation and it just reminded me of going away to sleep away camp or a school trip.....amazing how those events prepare us for such vastly different experiences :-) Anyway, last week I made probably my final trip to Destination Maternity (it's a great store, but in such an inconvenient location, especially now that school is done) to purchase some underwear, pajamas and nursing sleep bras and then on Friday night went to Target w/ Nicole (we had Andy and Nicole over for dinner - chicken parm and then left the boys to watch b-ball) and picked up another pair of pajamas and a couple of cute non-maternity shirts that will be good for nursing (I have really lucked out this year that long shirts and wrap shirts have been "in" - they are very convenient for my current maternity needs and future nursing needs).

As I began to pack, I realized that I need a couple of last minute things for me and baby so yesterday I went back to Target for a big shopping spree (yes, Target is my FAVORITE store and I have the good fortune of having one that opened in July about 5 mins from my house!). I had a coupon for 10% off what was left on my registry but there were several things that I wanted for baby that had never made it on to my registry, so I went in, added the items to the registry and then purchased them off the registry to use my coupon (yeah, it was a pain in the neck, but saved me a little more than $20 - well worth it!). What we got - the diaper genie, a boppy (I was going to get the Breast Friend but I was annoyed by the strap and decided that a Boppy has a more useful life span), some bottles (just in case we need them before we expect - I got the playtex newborn set that comes w/ like 5 or 6 nipples - there has to be one in there that baby will take!), and some onesies and outfits in size Newborn (everything we registered for and have gotten is 0-3 months and I figured it made sense to prepare in case the baby is smaller than 8 lbs to have something he or she can wear home that actually fits.....the Murphy's Law in me says that even though Joel and I were small babies and my sisters were relatively small babies, I will have the Christmas Turkey, but want to be prepared in case I am blessed w/ a small or average size baby LOL). Once I do laundry today (a load for me and a load for baby), I will have our bags all packed and ready to go...hopefully we will need them sooner rather than later.

Also, in preparation for d-day, yesterday, I installed the car seat. The funny thing is that I actually had to attend a car seat certification when I was a caseworker, but it was before the LATCH system - I was really excited to get to use the LATCH hooks in our car....ok, maybe too excited. It is cute to see the car seat in there - a little strange, but more cute than strange (and of course during my shopping trip at Target yesterday I made sure to get the mirror so I can see baby from the front seat).

In other baby news, this morning I had a Dr's appt. My blood pressure was a little elevated when I got there (probably the coffee and taking the stairs...) but was ok when I left. I actually lost 2 lbs from last week and in the most exciting news I am effacing and dilating.....sounds hot, huh? I am only finger tip dilated and though I know that really doesn't mean much, it is the bit of good news that I need to be hopeful that baby may actually arrive on time (and maybe even early....ok, maybe that's wishful thinking, but Mia was Kathy's first and she arrived early, so I have faith....I am NOT a fan of induction) Baby's heart rate was 150.....it has stayed between 145-150 most of the pregnancy, so I wonder whether Dr. Rouse's prediction that it's a girl is true (based on the old wive's tale) even though my hunch is that it's a boy....hmmm, I suppose we'll find out soon enough :-) My next Dr. appt is 1/12 at 9am Hopefully we will have dilation progress next week (I scheduled a prenatal massage for next Sat - that means that either baby will make an appearance before then so I miss out on my massage or hopefully that will spur some contractions to get things going....)

Also, this weekend, Joel and I became members of a new church. We have been going to St. Patrick's in Dilworth, which is a beautiful old church w/ a school, but after the Christmas mass, I realized that the church itself is not really kid-friendly and wanted to take a look at some other options. Yesterday morning, Joel went online and found St. Thomas of Aquinas right in the University area - we went to the 9:30 mass and really enjoyed the Pastor and everything that is going on at the church so we decided to become parishoners. I thought it was really neat that the church is run by Franciscan Friars as both my great uncle Danny and uncle JoJo are/were Franciscan Friars and I grew up attending events at the house in Yonkers, NY and meeting Friars from all over. The pastor is actually from the NJ chapter, but he had the opportunity to meet my uncle Danny (Fr Charles) in FL - that was cool and made me feel like we had found our church.

Sadly, we also took down our Christmas decorations this weekend :-( I hate to see Christmas go, but I want to make sure that everything is put away before we are consummed by baby :-) The tree is actually still in the living rm since garbage day is Wed, but the ornaments, lights, and stockings are back in storage - it's amazing to think that next Christmas there will be another stocking hanging from the mantle and a little person waddling through the wrapping paper....The outside lights are also down except for one strand of garland lights that is hanging from the garage (my proudest achievement in light hanging this year!). Joel suggested we leave that strand up at least one more night (I think he was sad to see Christmas go too!) I have pretty bummed out about the lack of christmas decorations left after christmas this year, but then last night Nicole and I went to Michael's and it was like I hit the jackpot. I was able to get some new ornaments and outside lights for 80% off...and some wrapping materials and mugs! I must've brought home 10 bags/boxes of stuff and only spent $60 (which $16+ was due to a frame for a stock certificate that Joel purchased and of course was not on sale....despite the fact that all other frames were 50% off - that bugged me but the frame is really nice, so oh well)

As much as I've written so far, I didn't even mention Sat night's auction, dinner at Firebird's (probably one of our favorite restaurants) and a trip to Border's (very excited about my gardening book). All in all, even w/ everything that has happened in the last couple of days, it was a very relaxing weekend :-)