Here we caught Benjamin reaching for his monkey :) We don't have much to say other than he is growing fast! Today he gets fitted for braces and tomorrow we leave for Holland, MI, then New Hampshire, then the Cape. We will be on vacation until the 11th, so will post our updates when we return. Adios!
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Oldie, but Goodie
Today we had a visit from Amy's childhood friend, Joanne, from Holland, MI. We had a great time catching up on life...the last time we saw each other was our wedding! WOW! I am reminded at what a precious gift long-time friends are...although we don't keep in touch regularly, we picked right up where we left off. Old friends are the best friends!
We removed Ben's casts today and are now considered non-compliant patients :) We were technically supposed to wait until Thursday, but he has an appointment tomorrow to be fitted for braces and needed the casts off for this. He has been really good today and has taken good naps. He had another bath with mommy today and calmed down instantly in the warm water. He likes it! Its fun to see him kicking his legs and enjoying the water. Let the countdown continue to
cape cod...
We removed Ben's casts today and are now considered non-compliant patients :) We were technically supposed to wait until Thursday, but he has an appointment tomorrow to be fitted for braces and needed the casts off for this. He has been really good today and has taken good naps. He had another bath with mommy today and calmed down instantly in the warm water. He likes it! Its fun to see him kicking his legs and enjoying the water. Let the countdown continue to
cape cod...
Monday, August 29, 2005
Beautiful Midwest Midwifery Babies
Today we had the opportunity to hang out with three other new moms: Amy Klobucher(Amy's good friend), Laura (a client of Amy's), and Kathleen (Amy's co-worker). Amy's baby Caden (left) is 8 months olds, Laura's baby Breck is 6 months old, and Will is 18 hours younger than Benjamin. We had a great time talking about motherhood, listening to the squeals, cries, and coos of our babies, and occasionally getting a bite of lunch :) Aren't they all such beautiful babies? They were all delivered through Amy's practice, Midwest Midwifery, and were attended by Certified Nurse Midwives. To find out more about midwives and the excellent benefits of seeing one, check out www.midwife.org or www.midwestmidwifery.com.
After our play date, Benjamin and I attended an event at Midwest Midwifery, an opportunity for patients to meet all the nurse-midwives who work in our practice. We have recently grown from 4 midwives to 9 and have increased our patient volume by 10% each month for the last 5 months. We're really growing! It is an exciting time for our practice and midwifery. I am thankful to be a part of such an excellent practice. We have such great outcomes for moms and babies, and have highly satisfied clients. Its a lot of fun! I can't say that I am looking forward to returning to work, but I love what I do and the people that I work with. I will miss Benjamin immensely and can't imagine being away from him...I get teary-eyed just thinking about it!
We are busy preparing for our Cape Cod trip and leave on Thursday. We can't wait to stick our toes in the beautiful salt water and the opportunity to spend time with the Bassett side of the family! More to come later...
After our play date, Benjamin and I attended an event at Midwest Midwifery, an opportunity for patients to meet all the nurse-midwives who work in our practice. We have recently grown from 4 midwives to 9 and have increased our patient volume by 10% each month for the last 5 months. We're really growing! It is an exciting time for our practice and midwifery. I am thankful to be a part of such an excellent practice. We have such great outcomes for moms and babies, and have highly satisfied clients. Its a lot of fun! I can't say that I am looking forward to returning to work, but I love what I do and the people that I work with. I will miss Benjamin immensely and can't imagine being away from him...I get teary-eyed just thinking about it!
We are busy preparing for our Cape Cod trip and leave on Thursday. We can't wait to stick our toes in the beautiful salt water and the opportunity to spend time with the Bassett side of the family! More to come later...
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Yee-haw, ride 'em cowboy!
Here's Ben at 9 weeks in the adorable cowboy outfit his Great-Grandma Dixon bought for him! Could he be any cuter? (I know we're biased, but we can't help it!). He was smiling at me just before this picture, but our camera couldn't seem to capture it! Here it looks like he is feeding his horse:)
He's been doing really well for the past 4-5 days with napping. We have got a system down and he is adapting to it very well. He also has started sleeping longer at night, which is GREAT for all! His daddy is training him to reach for things and today I noticed him opening his hand and trying to reach for something on his play mat...WOW! What a breakthrough.
Ben will get his casts off next Wednesday afternoon and then get fitted for some braces which he will wear off and on for a few months. He will be cast and brace free for our vacation. YIPPEE!
We're starting to get ready for our Cape Cod trip and are working on sending out all our baby announcements. I can't believe a whole day passes and hardly anything gets done...usually I am happy with myself if I can get a shower in and maybe a load of laundry. I wouldn't trade it for the world and I am loving every minute of it. More to come if anything exciting occurs...
He's been doing really well for the past 4-5 days with napping. We have got a system down and he is adapting to it very well. He also has started sleeping longer at night, which is GREAT for all! His daddy is training him to reach for things and today I noticed him opening his hand and trying to reach for something on his play mat...WOW! What a breakthrough.
Ben will get his casts off next Wednesday afternoon and then get fitted for some braces which he will wear off and on for a few months. He will be cast and brace free for our vacation. YIPPEE!
We're starting to get ready for our Cape Cod trip and are working on sending out all our baby announcements. I can't believe a whole day passes and hardly anything gets done...usually I am happy with myself if I can get a shower in and maybe a load of laundry. I wouldn't trade it for the world and I am loving every minute of it. More to come if anything exciting occurs...
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Chillin'
Benjamin and Charlie (our neighbor's 4 month old) love hangin' out together at Panera bread. This is their favorite easy chair by the fireplace :)
Benjamin is 2 months old today (when do you stop counting by the weeks and actually go by the date of birth?). He is starting coo a lot more and is starting to reach for things. He's clearly a genious! He-he! He's starting to sleep better and goes longer at night in between feedings. This is good! We've had a good week.
We went to the ortho doctor on Thursday and got shorty casts, just below the knee. He will need to wear these for 2 more weeks and we will remove them just before leaving for our Cape Cod road trip. He will then need to wear special shoes with a bar in the middle for several months. The doctor also said that he will need special shoes when he begins to walk...phew, we'll be glad when this is all over. Good thing he won't remember a thing about it!
We're having a lazy Saturday and have already come and gone from the Farmer's Market. Its MUGGY here, but we got much-needed rain and thunderstorms last night. August is the best month of the year, in my opinion!
Benjamin is 2 months old today (when do you stop counting by the weeks and actually go by the date of birth?). He is starting coo a lot more and is starting to reach for things. He's clearly a genious! He-he! He's starting to sleep better and goes longer at night in between feedings. This is good! We've had a good week.
We went to the ortho doctor on Thursday and got shorty casts, just below the knee. He will need to wear these for 2 more weeks and we will remove them just before leaving for our Cape Cod road trip. He will then need to wear special shoes with a bar in the middle for several months. The doctor also said that he will need special shoes when he begins to walk...phew, we'll be glad when this is all over. Good thing he won't remember a thing about it!
We're having a lazy Saturday and have already come and gone from the Farmer's Market. Its MUGGY here, but we got much-needed rain and thunderstorms last night. August is the best month of the year, in my opinion!
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Water, water, everywhere
Today's theme was WATER. As Ben is getting new casts put on tomorrow morning, we wanted his twinkle toes to get as much exposure to water as possible. So, first we visited the kiddie pool with Francis and her mom, Sally. Benjamin wasn't a big fan of the water, namely because 1) He was hungry and 2) the water wasn't very warm. Francis, however, had a great time splashing and playing...
Tonight around dinner, Benjamin was fussy so we decided to try a warm bath with Mommy. It worked like a charm...he was happy and content for at least 30 minutes. It was such fun and a great method of calming him. We'll have to try again in a few weeks after the casts come off again. Sponge baths, here we come...
Tonight around dinner, Benjamin was fussy so we decided to try a warm bath with Mommy. It worked like a charm...he was happy and content for at least 30 minutes. It was such fun and a great method of calming him. We'll have to try again in a few weeks after the casts come off again. Sponge baths, here we come...
Monday, August 15, 2005
He's got legs....for now
Today was quite the day for Benjamin. It started off with his ortho appointment in which they removed his highly decorated casts. Benjamin responded again with panic to discover his legs much lighter...we almost cried at his frightened wails. For the third visit now with the ortho, we have been promised that his casts would be removed for good. Although his feet look normal now, the doctor again wanted to replace the casts to overcorrect his feet so they will not return to their previous state. We were very disappointed at this news, so the doctor offered us the option (which we accepted) of returning in a few days to replace the casts. This will allow his skin to heal and enabled us to get an accurate weight at the pediatrician today. His little legs were pretty stinky under those casts, so we were grateful to have the chance to really get him clean. So, for the first time, Benjamin got a full bath! He got to get completely wet...we must say he didn't enjoy it as much as we had hoped :)
To add to Ben's "terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day," he then got to go to the pediatrician for his first set of shots. Poor guy! We expected him to be very fussy today, and he has met our expectations. We are giving him extra-lovin' to make up for his bad day. We were pleased to get his first accurate weight, he is now 11# and growing well (24.5 inches tall!).
Grandma and Grandpa Smith returned home via Amtrak this evening, we had a great weekend with them.
Benjamin is sleeping soundly as I write, he is glad that tomorrow is a new day...
To add to Ben's "terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day," he then got to go to the pediatrician for his first set of shots. Poor guy! We expected him to be very fussy today, and he has met our expectations. We are giving him extra-lovin' to make up for his bad day. We were pleased to get his first accurate weight, he is now 11# and growing well (24.5 inches tall!).
Grandma and Grandpa Smith returned home via Amtrak this evening, we had a great weekend with them.
Benjamin is sleeping soundly as I write, he is glad that tomorrow is a new day...
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Mr. Popularity
This weekend we enjoyed a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Smith from Holland. We visited the farmer's market, Trader Joes, and Park Community Church. Tonight we celebrated Uncle Graham's birthday. Its amazing how entertaining a baby can be...we all could spend hours just watching him and his expressions :) Tomorrow Ben has appointments with his orthopedist as well as his pediatrician for his 2 month check-up and vaccines. We all signed his casts as they will be removed tomorrow for good...Yippee!!!!
Benjamin has had a good weekend with sleep and has been increasingly alert and interactive. This means that we have had a good weekend also! We can't wait to see his little toes and give him his first full bath. We'll post a photo of his legs tomorrow, they are probably not too pretty after being in hiding for 6 weeks...
Benjamin has had a good weekend with sleep and has been increasingly alert and interactive. This means that we have had a good weekend also! We can't wait to see his little toes and give him his first full bath. We'll post a photo of his legs tomorrow, they are probably not too pretty after being in hiding for 6 weeks...
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Ben at 7 weeks, future entymologist
Benjamin is a BIG fan of his hanging bugs on the car seat. We often catch him staring in wide-eyed wonder at "his bugs." Its a great distractor and we're told it stimulates his mind :)
Here he is at 7 weeks and growing like a weed! Just in the past few days we have noticed a difference in how he looks. Time sure is passing quickly...
He's been fairly fussy, and we are frantically researching all the options on naps, sleep, and colic. Unfortunately, the more you research, the more your mind becomes muddled with information (on top of the sleep deprivation!). This is just the beginning of the angst of parenting...what is best for my child? how can I help him feel loved without creating too much dependence? It all comes down to figuring out what is best for your child and your family...so we're praying a lot, talking with other parents, and are working our way through this phase. Despite the challenges, we are loving every precious minute of it!
Here he is at 7 weeks and growing like a weed! Just in the past few days we have noticed a difference in how he looks. Time sure is passing quickly...
He's been fairly fussy, and we are frantically researching all the options on naps, sleep, and colic. Unfortunately, the more you research, the more your mind becomes muddled with information (on top of the sleep deprivation!). This is just the beginning of the angst of parenting...what is best for my child? how can I help him feel loved without creating too much dependence? It all comes down to figuring out what is best for your child and your family...so we're praying a lot, talking with other parents, and are working our way through this phase. Despite the challenges, we are loving every precious minute of it!
Monday, August 08, 2005
Bethany Beach Bums
This weekend we had the privelege of joining our friend Pam at her family's cottage in Bethany Beach. BB is a wonderful Christian resort community in southwestern Michigan on Lake Michigan. It is quaint and relaxing, the perfect remedy for tired first-time parents. We all had a great time. Benjamin got to have his first beach experience and liked it very much! He would have loved to stick his toes in the water, but he will have to wait until Cape Cod and the removal of his casts. Here he is taking a nap with daddy under a beach umbrella. Check out the sunset pictures and Auntie Pam by clicking on this picture, you will then be redirected to Flickr.
Today was spent running around the western suburbs and enjoying Chicago traffic. Are sure-fire way to add gray hairs to your head is listening to a screaming baby while sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic! We visited Midwest Midwifery for a final check-up, and also visited the hospital to show off Benjamin and bring treats to the staff. We were all quite cranky after a long-day running around. We're pooped! After today, we're considering becoming permanent beach bums...
Today was spent running around the western suburbs and enjoying Chicago traffic. Are sure-fire way to add gray hairs to your head is listening to a screaming baby while sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic! We visited Midwest Midwifery for a final check-up, and also visited the hospital to show off Benjamin and bring treats to the staff. We were all quite cranky after a long-day running around. We're pooped! After today, we're considering becoming permanent beach bums...
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Benjamin's First Closing
Tonight we refinanced our home after a dramatic increase in the appraised value. It feels good to have all our hard work rehabbing pay off!
Benjamin came with us to the closing at Mobium Mortgage Group, owned by our friend Michelle (from Park Community Church) . He helped us sign the mountain of papers needed to close the deal :)
Gotta run, as the little man is fussing...
Benjamin came with us to the closing at Mobium Mortgage Group, owned by our friend Michelle (from Park Community Church) . He helped us sign the mountain of papers needed to close the deal :)
Gotta run, as the little man is fussing...
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Ben meets Kate
Tonight we had a reunion with our childbirth class, "Birthing from Within." There were 6 couples in our class, 5 of us came with our babies to the reunion. It was therapeutic to share our birth stories, and fun to enjoy being together with our babies outside our bellies. All of our stories were as individual as we are,and our babies are each beautiful and unique in their own special way!
Steven and I were both a little tearful at recalling Ben's dramatic entrance into this world, but as time passes, it is less and less painful. We are so in love with Benjamin and so glad to be his parents!
Tonight Benjamin met Kate, the only girl born in our group. Kate is the daughter of a friend and client of Amy's. She is 3 months old and as cute as can be!
Otherwise, its been a good week. Time is passing so quickly...we can't believe he is already 6 weeks old! Life is good.
Steven and I were both a little tearful at recalling Ben's dramatic entrance into this world, but as time passes, it is less and less painful. We are so in love with Benjamin and so glad to be his parents!
Tonight Benjamin met Kate, the only girl born in our group. Kate is the daughter of a friend and client of Amy's. She is 3 months old and as cute as can be!
Otherwise, its been a good week. Time is passing so quickly...we can't believe he is already 6 weeks old! Life is good.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Whew !!!!!
Today was actually not as bad as it looks. Ben got to wiggle his legs again as his casts were replaced. He was quite surprised to be able to stretch, and that really scared him - his eyes looked like saucers and he proved he has the lungs/ vocal chords of a 14 year old! Presently he's in a better mood... The MD says another two weeks the course of treatment will be complete. We had hoped one of the casts would come off today, but think the Doc was being cautious. Cheers!
-SteveandAmy
-SteveandAmy
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