New Trick

Ben held a toy for the first time this evening. I put it in his hand and he held on. He has been holding our fingers for a long time now (and grabbing my hair), but this is the first time with a toy. It is also the first time he has really looked intently at a toy. Usually, he just stares into space if he isn't looking at me or Ryan.

My sister Candice found these amazing socks and my mom brought them last weekend. They are too cute!

Missing Baby Model

I found a missing baby model at my house!
I am sure all the magazines will be calling any minute.

Mama D Visit

My mom came to visit for the weekend. She just couldn't stand that Ben was getting so big and she wasn't here to see him. I thoroughly enjoyed her visit and I am sure Ben loved the extra hugs and kisses and free passes from having to sleep in his crib and being cuddled instead.

Just hanging out at home.

We went for a stroller walk at the Arkansas River. It was so windy that day that it was a real workout.

She gave him one of his baths.

My sister bought Ben a swimsuit and sent it along with my mom. Too cute! I will get a picture posted soon. If Ben has a swimsuit, he needs a pool, right? We were at Babies R Us and I just couldn't help myself. He hasn't gotten in water yet, but I think he likes his new pool.

I usually am not a fan of things printed on the rear - babies or grown-ups. But, this is a cute little outfit and he looked even cuter in it while he slept.

Latest News

I started writing this blog last night like this...

But, the bedtime feeding called and I am here finishing the post this morning.

For all you Ben-picture-lovers, I apologize for the delay, but here are some new shots throughout this long update. Ben is starting to offer some real smiles, but very infrequently and maybe one a day if we time it just right (right after he gets a full belly is the best time). We haven't gotten a still picture yet, but there is a video with two good smiles. I am not above trying to induce it :)

I can't help myself with these towel pictures. Here is another one. He does seem to enjoy his bath.

Ben continues to grow so fast. I have a hard time remembering how tiny he was when we brought him home. He is finally out of his newborn onesies and into 0-3 month clothes. The sizes of baby clothes befuddle me. He can wear most all his 0-3 outfits, but also all his 3-6 onesies, but none of his 3-6 outfits fit. Oh well, that just means more fun trying on clothes to see what fits, which he doesn't seem to mind too much as long as he can stare in his mirror on the changing table.

Just for fun.

Ben has been adjusting his schedule without telling me about it. He has been wanting to eat every two hours these days. That doesn't allow mom much time to get anything done around the house. I have taken the advice of many other mothers and only have one household chore per day on my to-do list. Some days I get my chore done and even some extras. Some days I don't get any chores done. Thankfully, for my sanity, I do get a shower eat morning and get my hair done, make-up on and dressed each day. It keeps me feeling normal.

Matchy Matchy with Dad.

Ben sleeps well at night, most nights. On good nights, he goes about 5-6 consecutive hours and then 3-4 after that to be up for the morning. I would prefer for him to not wake until 7am each morning, but I am not sure that has ever happened :)

Yawn

I went to my 6 week postpartum doctor appointment yesterday afternoon. My weight loss was encouraging and my doctor said everything has healed up well. It was fun to see my nurse and doctor again after 6 weeks and to show off Ben. They said the same thing that most people say - he looks like an old man and he has such a serious look all the time! He must be taking after his father as far as the serious face - must be a thinker.

Loving my sweet baby boy.

Motherhood has been quite an adventure for me. The first few weeks were the easiest - I know, it seems backwards. Ben slept so much and I was able to rest and didn't put stress on myself to keep up my house too much and so I just enjoyed him and enjoyed discovering my life as a mom. These last couple of weeks have been a little more difficult as life around me has resumed, but I am still not real sure of myself as a mom. I find myself questioning everything I do and everything going on with Ben. Am I doing this right? Why does he only stop crying when I hold him on my chest while sitting on the couch and lightly patting his back? Why didn't he eat as well this time? Why is he awake right now? And on and on. I know I shouldn't second guess myself like this, so I am trying very hard to not judge Ben by all the books I have read and blogs I read, but rather to get to know Ben. I am a work in progress and probably always will be.

That is about all the news from here. The weather is getting warmer, so we are trying to get outside more. Ryan went on a walk with us at the nature park not far from our home. Oh, how I miss the Dallas Arboretum right now! My friends' pictures with their babies at the arboretum make me so jealous.

It is hard to take your own picture and get a stroller in the shot. We are on a bridge and there is actually a river behind us.

Ben Playing

Here is a video of Ben on his play mat. He is just starting to have enough arm control to hit a toy. He is smiling some, so I tried to illicit a smile for the video, but didn't get much.

Happy Birthday Mama D

Ode to my father

My dad was an avid Dallas Cowboys fan. I watched football with him every Sunday and/or Monday night during the season. He loved everything about football except for one announcer - John Madden. My dad couldn't stand him. He would even mute the TV.
In case you missed it, John Madden has retired. I have to laugh because my dad couldn't stand all the qualities of John that the news is hailing him for (the use of the telestrator for one). If my dad was still here, I know today would be a day to celebrate. So, I will enjoy my lunch date today in his honor and celebrate John Madden's retirement for him.

Me and my dad. Oh, the 80s.

Who Knew?

Who knew I could get so excited about seeing a dirty diaper? Yesterday, Ben was fussy all day long. That was the first day in his young life that he obviously didn't feel just right. I have been so blessed to have such a happy baby, but yesterday, he was somehow traded in for a 'I need to be held or I will scream' baby. So, hold him I did. I even tried to hold him in my sling carrier, but he couldn't be fooled. However, at 7:00pm I changed a dirty diaper - the first in 12 hours and he seemed to feel better. Last night he slept extremely well, so I am hoping things are moving through his system well again and today will be a better day.

I tried everything yesterday. He was content in his swing for a short time. I put the shirt I had been wearing over him as a blanket. Did it help? Who knows and who cares. He slept for a little bit without needing to be held.

This is his latest trick. He will only hold up his head this long for about 10 seconds per day and I managed to get a picture of it!
He is just so cute.

This is Daddy's way of manipulating him to lift his head. Ryan lets Ben gnaw on his thumb and then slowly lifts Ben's head until he can look eye-to-eye. Shameless.

Mommy & Ben

This picture is blurry, but ah....

Last one... I just love that he insists on having his arms under his head when he sleeps. Sometimes, he has rolled himself over because he has an arm under and then will push up and flop over. Just a taste for us of what is to come, I guess.

He is Risen Indeed

Happy Easter! Our family celebrated this morning with a breakfast at church and then Ryan preached. Ben thinks dad did a fabulous job :)

This is what Ben thinks about tummy time, whether he is on his mat or on mommy's chest. These were taken during two different awake times.

And just some pictures for fun.

Good Morning

Ben decided to start his morning at 5:30am. WooHoo. Here are some pictures from his morning.

GRRRR - all wrapped up after my bath.


What are these? Shorts or koolots? Who lets these people dress me?
(Come on, who remembers koolots?)

Very Good Friday

*I have heard that I haven't blogged enough pictures recently. Read on and hopefully you will be satisfied. And, we will definitely get a picture of our family on Easter Sunday, so check back for that too.*

This Good Friday is extra special for us because Ben is one month old today! There are moments that feel like I was in the hospital giving birth to him only a few days ago. Then, there are moments that I feel like he has always been a part of our family. Either way, I don't know what I would do without him now.

Today, our little family attended a Good Friday service with all the staff of World Impact. Ben laid in the sling carrier the whole service and did great. The service was even more meaningful for us this year as we look at Ben and pray that one day he also understands his need for a Savior and Jesus' sacrifice for him on the cross. It is also more humbling to know that in our imperfection and inexperience, God still chose to give us the wonderful gift of our son. There are so many days that I don't think I am doing anything right. Then other days I feel like it went perfectly and I am figuring this out! Motherhood has been an exciting adventure for me so far. Ryan and I often find ourselves looking at Ben and saying, "He is just so perfect."

In this past month, Ben has:

• gained 2 pounds and 3 ounces
• gotten 3 1/4 inches longer
• obtained some little fat rolls :)
• gotten his first haircut
• been visited by Mama-D, Grammy and Papa Tom and can't wait for Grandpa and Nana to come in a couple of weeks
• seen Kansas snow, Kansas high winds and gorgeous Kansas spring sun
• moved from the cradle to his crib
• started taking baths in this big tub
• gained much head and neck control
• started accompanying mom each Monday for grocery shopping at Wal-Mart
• gone on two lunch dates with Mom and Dad (one was today!)
• attended church once
• started to maintain eye contact with mom and dad and even some visitors
• explored all the different ways he can change his facial expression
• started to grab things with his long fingers and hold on
• smiled...maybe...we are counting it! We have both seen it.
  
• brought much joy to our lives!

And now, the pictures:

I can't believe how much he has grown. He is really getting more personality.

Mama-D brought Ben this baseball Easter basket when he was born. You might remember me blogging the 3 day old picture already. We decided to take a comparison picture, but we couldn't even fit him down in it!

Are we done taking pictures yet? I am starting to get cross-eyed.

I just thought he looked so sweet in his white shirt and blue jeans.

He loves to have his hands under his chin. We find him like this often. He also tries to keep his hands like this when I burp him on my shoulder. That creates quite a problem if he spits up while being burped. Makes quite a mess.

How cool is this frame? Ben's Great Uncle Rick and Great Aunt Marsha sent this! Look close - it has his name, birthday and how much he weighed when he was born. Now, I have to pick among all my pictures to put in the frame.

It's Here!

Baseball Season!

The Carter family is a baseball loving family and we are true to our Houston Astros. I am a day late because yesterday was the home opener, but we wanted to show our support anyway. I had some help from Ben's Aunt T and Aunt Cilla and Ben now has two Astros outfits and Dad got a new shirt too! Lucky boys.

Take me out to the ballgame!

Smile Reflex

Ben does not actually smile yet, but I think this reflex is too funny. Don't ask me how I discovered it. Time alone with someone so fun makes me try all sorts of creative things. He is looking at our faces more and more and I just can't get enough of it!
Enjoy.

Bundled Up in Kansas

It is cold here and the Kansas wind makes things even worse. But, Ben and I had to go to Wal-Mart. Some friends and fellow missionaries here gave us lots of their old baby stuff. One of the items was a baby carrier cover. I didn't think I would be using it in April, but I had to. It was so much better than trying to keep a blanket from flying away in the wind.

Where did he go?

Ben's Debut at Church

I had planned for Ben's debut at our church to be on Easter Sunday. But, I feel great and Ben is pretty predictable, so we went today. Of course, he woke up 30 minutes earlier that usual (6:30am) and then wanted to eat again in 3 hours (9:30am) instead of stretching to make up for that 30 minutes, so we were pushing it to get out of church and him not wake up to eat. We did make it, but barely. He started fussing a little early, but never really woke up.

Remember, we are church planters and members of a small, new church plant, so we just meet in a living room of a ministry house and sit in a circle. Ben stayed in the carrier, facing the rest of the room like any other church member.

Here is a picture of us on our way out the door to church. It is super casual, since we are encouraging non-churched people from urban neighborhoods to attend. It really is a "come as you are" environment.

It seems like Ben is always asleep in the pictures we take. This time, we were glad so that he would sleep through church. And, he covered up his shirt with his hands. Since I have been away from church for a while and this was his debut, I figured he could wear a shirt with my name on it. His shirt said "I Love Mommy and Mommy loves me." Like I said, casual. Much different from our church in Dallas.

Just for Fun

The two men in my life took me on a date yesterday. Ryan and I used to go to dinner every Thursday evening and decided to move our date to Friday lunches instead. Ben is pretty fussy and much more unpredictable in the evenings, so lunch works better and Ryan is off on Fridays. We went to a cute little sandwich/soup/salad spot where I had never been. We had to take a table right by the soda machines, so we got lots of looks and compliments from many people. It was fun! No one tried to touch - big plus! I didn't get a picture of us though, so you will just have to use your imagination. But, I must say, we all three were quite a good lookin' family.

Here are some pictures just to keep you interested.

See my big belly.
I am about to outgrow the Newborn stuff, but the 0-3 is still too big.
(He was squirming on his changing table.)

Some fun time with Mommy after my bath. We read a book and then took our picture. My Aunt Can Can and Aunt T love taking their own pictures like this, so this is for them!


I was trying to resist the kisses from Mommy and Daddy, but they got them!

Who does he look like?

Ryan and I are fortunate enough to have some pictures of us as babies.

This is me (Amber) with my mom in the hospital after I was born.
(Thanks Aunt Lisa for the picture.)

This is me and Ben in the hospital after he was born.
(Sorry, not a good face picture of Ben.)

This is Ryan (3 months old) with his Grandpa Carter.
(Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Carter for the picture.)

For comparison, here is the face picture of Ben at 3 days old.