3 Weeks Old

Ben is 3 weeks old today!

Here are some comparison pictures.

Ryan and I can really tell that he is filling out. When we brought him home, he could only wear Newborn clothes, none of his 0-3 month stuff fit. Now, he perfectly fills out his Newborn clothes and can fit some of his 0-3 month clothes.

First Haircut

Ben was born with really long hair in the back and we finally gave it a little trim.

Before the cut
After the cut.

Already a Big Boy

So sweet!

No, he doesn't usually sleep on his tummy. He has been having a very rough morning and this seems to work. Don't worry - I check on him regularly!

No, let me out! I don't want to be in my big boy crib!

Ben is only two and a half weeks old and he got booted out of our room last night. He makes a lot of noise while he sleeps and it keeps us up. We bought a small little heater for his room since it is consistently much colder than the rest of the house and put him in his crib last night. He did fabulously. His room shares a wall with our room, so he was easy to hear, every 3 hours, waking to be fed and changed. Ryan and I slept better since we weren't hearing his cute little sleeping sounds all night. I was afraid I would wake up all night wondering if he was ok, but I actually slept and that made it much easier to wake up and feed him.

Yeah for our big boy! I can't believe it! He is already growing up too fast.


Below is the view from my front door this morning. This storm started yesterday at 11:30am. It is now 11:42am while I type this. In 24 hours we went from sunny and cool to freezing cold and lots of snow. In the picture you can't tell that the snow is still falling very quickly and in huge flakes. And, under the snow, we have about 3 inches of ice from yesterday. I am so glad it is Saturday. The little spot in the bottom middle of the picture, just left of Ryan's truck were my beautiful yellow bulbs, but now they are covered in snow.

5 outfits and 3 pants

In the last 24 hours Ben has worn 5 different outfits and Mom is in her third pair of pants.

Outfit 1 was put on after bathtime.

Mom and Dad decided to make his handprints in plaster at his next waketime and didn't fully consider the mess.

So, outfit 2 went on.

During a feeding, mom's leg felt awfully warm. Explosive diaper.

Outfit 3 on for Ben and Mom got new pants.

Early morning feeding was spewed all over the place (not usual for him).

Outfit 4 for Ben and new pants again for Mom.

Up for the day feeding and once again, mom's leg felt a bit warm.

Outfit 5 on for Ben and new pants again for Mom.

What are we doing wrong???? It must be the weather - we are completely covered in snow!

First Real Bath

Bathtime!

Here is the obligatory bath shot with the washcloth that all moms must have just in case she needs to really embarrass her son one day :)

Ben in his too cute bath robe.

I survived my first real bath! It is snowing today (yes, I thought it was Spring too), so I am in comfy clothes today.

Stretching Ritual

When Ryan is home, he will get Ben up when it is time to eat. Ben goes through quite a stretching ritual as he awakens before I get him to feed him. It is quite funny to us. We thought we would share a tiny bit of it with you.

The Many Faces of Ben

Ben makes some of the greatest faces and I tried to capture some of them today. This is just after he ate and he refused to open his eyes for me. His hands are constantly by his face so I got a couple of those too.

Ah, isn't he so handsome!

Growing

Today Ben is 2 weeks old. Here are comparison pictures. We tried to get the 2 week picture just after he ate so he would be awake, but he refused to open his eyes. Can you tell he is growing?

Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

No, no one is getting married around here, but I just thought that title summed up this picture.

Old - The pillow was made for Ben by Lynda, Ben's Great Grandma's friend, out of my mom's wedding dress! How cool is that?

New - Grammy and Papa Tom brought clothes for Ben. Ryan and I love the onesie. Can you read it?

Borrowed - Ben is sitting with Coon, Ryan's childhood stuffed animal.

Blue - His new pants that actually, almost fit.

Changes

Here is the final belly growth shot. Ryan took a final picture of my belly as we were about to walk out the door to the birth care center to have Ben. The picture was taken only six hours before he was in our arms. Then, we took the picture of me and Ben the day after we got home from the hospital. Isn't God's work amazing? We are still in awe as we look at him each and every day.

No more need for maternity clothes (except the jeans, I still can't quite button my old jeans). But, it was a good feeling to get all the maternity stuff out and see all my old clothes again. It has been so long, I barely remembered what I had.

Grammy and Papa Tom are here!

Grammy and Papa Tom (Ryan's mom and stepdad) arrived in Kansas yesterday evening. Ben is loving all the extra attention.

Ben Loves Daddy

This is the best tummy time.

Go Astros!

Milestones

Today, Ben's umbilical cord stump fell off. I had to search in his little outfit to find it!
Here is his new tummy.

Tummy Time

Since our pediatrician recommended tummy time this morning, we decided to try it during our wake times today. I have spliced two videos together - our first tummy time attempt with Daddy and our second attempt when Daddy was gone working. We are making progress. But, not too much. Don't grow up too fast.

First Trip to the Doctor

Finally, back in my pack n play after my first trip to the doctor and the grocery store.

Ben had his first appointment with the pediatrician this morning. We went with a pediatrician recommended by my OB since we don't know many people around here yet. We loved him! Dr. Chopra was extremely kind, complimented Ben (and Mommy!) so we were all very happy. The nurse was fabulous as well, so it was a great experience overall.
Stats:
Born 7 lb 1 oz
Left hospital 6 lb 11 oz
Today 7 lb 8 oz

Born 18.5 inches
Today 20.375 inches

Don't know what his head circumference was at birth, but he is at 13.5 now.

Apparently, the APA is now recommending a multi-vitamin for breastfed babies even though Mommy is taking her vitamins, so the nurse told us a couple we could try. But, she said if he refuses and spits it up, just forget about it! I like her!

The doctor also recommended 30 minutes of tummy time 4 times a day. I can't wait. I have been excited about tummy time. He is barely awake 30 minutes, 4 times a day, so we will see how that goes.

One Week of Ben

This has to be my favorite onesie so far!

I have posted a lot of pictures and videos, but not much talk about him.
Here is an update on his first week:
Barely slept at all while at the birth care center. Slept great as soon as we got him home.

Is on a 2.5-3 hour schedule with little disruption. He eats, gets a clean diaper, plays (during the daytime hours), and then back to sleep.

During the night, he keeps the same schedule, minus the play time, so we can't complain. We get pretty good sleep.

Breastfeeding is going well. He had some trouble latching on while at the birth care center and the first couple of days home. The nurses were a huge help and gave me the confidence to keep trying. Now, he nurses very well.

He seems so tiny. He only fits in his newborn clothes, not really into his 0-3 month clothes. But, he does look like he has gained some weight since we brought him home. We go to the pediatrician for the first time tomorrow, so we will get to see just how much he actually weighs.

He hosted his first social event on Monday while my mom was still here. We opened our home to the staff of World Impact for a "Sip & See." We made some punch that turned out to be a pretty nasty green color, so Ryan called it Baby Poo Punch. Sadly, that is a pretty good description. Obviously, this little event was very laid back, like all things in Wichita, so people came and went and got to meet Ben for the first time. He did extremely well, but was definitely tired after that. It look a couple of cycles through the schedule to get him back on track.

My mom and sister are back in Texas now, but Grammy and Papa Tom (Ryan's mom and stepdad) arrive this Friday. We are anxious for our next group of visitors to come and see Ben.

He continues to move his head and open his eyes when Ryan or I talk to him which just melts our hearts. He really loves to hear his Daddy's deeper voice!

Ryan has endured three "pee fountains" and I have received one. Whew. That boy has some timing - we just aren't quite fast enough sometimes.

He has received two baths at home so far and didn't really care for either one. But, at least he is clean, right?

He seems to enjoy his aquatic play mat as much as he can at this age. He pretty much just lays there and his reflexes will kick a leg to hit the ball or his arm will hit one of the toys or mirror. He enjoys his little swing for only about 10 minutes at a time. I don't let him sleep in it, so he doesn't swing long before he puts himself to sleep and gets moved to the crib or pack-n-play.

He continues to make us so proud and humbled that we are his parents. Ryan misses him terribly when he has to go to work, but we try to go see him or Ryan comes home and works from home for a while. Life is good in the Carter house!

Top 10 BENefits To Being An Aunt

My sister Candice has been here with Ben since Thursday at 4am when she and my mom arrived from Midland, Texas. They leave today in an hour or so. She wrote these 10 BENefits last night.

(In no particular order)

1. Each morning I got to wake up to a 7 pound bundle of cuteness peering up at me.
2. I can spoil him rotten without any complaint.
3. He smiled the minute I held him - no matter what anyone or any text book says that he can't. We know the truth, don't we Ben?
4. I now have three reasons to leave Texas...B E N
5. After diapers and feedings and many changes of clothes, he is placed in my care for a "little loving"
6. I get special visiting privileges to watch you grow and develop each day.
7. Aunts have a way of bargaining with Mom if you really, really want something. (Like taking you out of the crib because you want to be held.)
8. Watching your Mommy and Daddy bean with pride and share smiles over the slightest sound of your voice.
9. Discovering the true meaning of "Love at First Sight."
10. The best gift my nephew has given me is choosing my sister for his mom!

I have loved spending every moment of these past few days with your new son. He's the perfect addition to the Carter Family. I love you guys!

Love, Aunt Can Can

Ben Slideshow

What more can a woman want?

Ben is a SNUGGLER!

We have tried and tried to keep Ben's head out of his blankets and clothes, but he refuses. He will snuggle back down no matter how often we come in and pull it down. He makes us nervous being all bundled like that.

More Ben

Wow. Mommy and Daddy are showing their lack of sleep.

Ah, he opened his eyes. He is spending more and more time awake after feedings during the day. We love looking at his eyes. He will turn his head if mommy or daddy talks to him while Mama-D or Aunt Can Can is holding him.

My hand in Daddy's. Soon, Daddy will teach me how to hold a baseball.

This is my look as soon as I finish feeding. It is Mommy's favorite face. SSTTRREETTCCHH

Me and Mama-D (Amber's mom). Mama-D makes sure to be up and showered by the time Mommy brings me out of the room each morning. She loves to get to hold me while Mommy takes a shower.

Daddy's hand sure is big!

I don't need Mommy - I can eat all by myself. Oh wait, there isn't anything good coming out of this finger.

Daddy thinks I look like I could be Max's brother. What do you think Cara?

The long blondish hair. It is lighter on top and gets darker as it goes down. How long will this full head of hair last? Grammy (Ryan's mom) said that Daddy was born with a full head of hair and he never lost it!

Ben Video

We have some friends in Dallas that welcomed their second child this past October. They sent out a video with this song and pictures of their son. Since I heard that song in October, I had to use it for Ben. Since I am getting so much pressure to get more pictures out, this isn't as refined as I might like, so maybe there will be an updated version in the future. Enjoy some of our first moments with our son.

Ben is HERE!

We are happy to announce that Benjamin Ryan Carter was born Tuesday, March 10th at 9:24pm. He weighed 7 pounds and 1 ounce and was 18 inches long. He has blondish colored hair (Ryan's siblings have much lighter hair than Ryan). He is absolutely gorgeous and we are so excited to have him here. He is crying now and wanting to be fed, so I will leave it at that until I make it back to my computer.

Don't worry - there will be plenty more pictures and things to come! I am anxious to share him with you all, but he just hasn't given me the chance yet.

Tuesday at 3:30pm - on the way to the birthing center - one last shot.

Tuesday at 10pm - Proud daddy got to give him his first bath and change his first diaper while I looked on from my bed. Weighing in at 7.1
Ah, some time with mommy.

Walking out of the hospital to go home for the first time (arrived home Thursday at 11:30am.)

Keep checking back...There is plenty more to come.

He is still in there

Ben still insists in staying in my tummy even though Ryan and I have repeatedly told him we want to meet him now! We went to the doctor this morning and I am dilated to a 2 and my doctor said my "membranes are bulging." I haven't heard that phrase before, but it has to be progress. And, it makes me more and more nervous that my water will break in Wal-Mart. I have dreamed that my water broke in Wal-Mart twice now. So, Ryan goes to Wal-Mart with me now, even though it is probably his least favorite place in the entire world. Such a great husband!!!

We intended to have some type of 'babymoon' before Ben arrived, but we found out we were pregnant a few weeks after moving here and starting this new job and we traveled for the Christmas holidays for my sister's wedding, so a trip has been lost somewhere in the back of our minds. But, we managed to get away this past weekend, barely sneaking in a little getaway before he arrives. We went to El Dorado State Park (if you know us, you know we love state parks) and stayed in a little cabin there. El Dorado is only an hour from our house. My allergies were pretty bad and I was mostly tired, so we pretty much stayed inside and read a lot. And, ate really well, too. We even moved the couch in front of the sliding glass door so we could look out at the trees and pretend we were out enjoying God's beautiful creation. Here is a lovely picture of us sitting on the couch because that is pretty much all we did! Don't zoom in too far, we were camping which means ponytail and no make-up. But, the couch is worth zooming in to see - it was some strange animal foresty print - where do you buy stuff like that?

I have a great desire to try cloth diapers with Ben, but I had no idea that there is a secret cult of cloth diaper moms out there. They have blogs and swapping websites and there are tons of different kinds of fancy cloth diapers. A friend of a friend (thanks Lisa) gave me many of her cloth diapers! I knew that some of them would need new elastic in the legs, so I have been working on that. I have all the smallest ones done, but I still have quite a stack to go yet. In the picture below, I have completed the elastic on the leg at the top of the picture, but not the bottom.The ones that need the new elastic are called Bum Genius - I think that is hilarious. I can't wait to give them a try. They retail for almost $20 a diaper, so I am so thankful for this great 'donation' of diapers. I have high hopes of doing these cloth diapers - no matter what some of you have told me :)
This is a picture of my piles of new diapers. Some Bum Genius and some Swaddlebees (with the circles).

Dr. & Poll Updated

We just got home from the doctor and there really isn't much to report. I am not sure if I am glad about that or disappointed. I am still just dilated to a 1. Ryan and I had thought he was noticeable lower than last Monday, but my doctor said he must just be curling up and "getting ready to launch" because he can't get any lower in my pelvis without me not being able to walk. So, he is locked and loaded and now we just wait for the explosion. I really think my doctor thinks he will come a little early, but no one really knows but God that created this wonderful baby. Ryan and I are both so excited to meet him. I know he will cry and need to eat around the clock and keep me up all night, but we are just thrilled that he will soon physically be a part of our lives. Thanks for all the emails and good wishes that keep coming to our inbox. We love it!

There are a couple new poll guesses that have come in, so here is the updated list.

March 7 PM - Lynda, my Grandma's friend, practically a Great Aunt to me
March 9 - The earliest I want him to arrive
March 11 PM Priscilla, my college roommate
March 12 PM Kat, DTS friend
March 13 AM Cara, DTS friend
March 14 AM Grammy (Ryan's mom)
March 14 or 15 Mama D (my mom - she wants to get her house cleaning done on the weekend before Ben comes)
March 15 AM Candice, my middle sister
March 15 PM Ryan's Guess
March 16 AM Great Grandma Sherrill
March 17 AM/PM Lilly, Campus Crusade for Christ friend from college
March 19 - Official Due Date
March 19 AM Kim, grew up pretty much as sisters, but no blood relation
March 24 PM Lisa, Dallas care group friend
March 25 PM Darby, DTS friend
March 26 AM Darby, DTS friend (yes, she is double-dipping, but there was no rule about that :)