Benjamin-almost 7 month update

Since I use this blog as a way to remember milestones, Ben's latest new skill (saw today for the first time) is being able to come to a sitting position from laying on the ground! He continues to be on the verge of crawling. He gets up on all fours & rocks back and forth...one of these days he'll figure it out. He already gets around the room by scooting backwards/rolling over etc. He also is trying to pull himself up on furniture/me/crib...what? Already?! Time to lower his mattress & get the gates up in the house. I'm not so sure I'm ready for this stage. Good thing we are getting our furnace installed tomorrow so that we won't be using the wood stove as often as we have this winter!

Ben has also had about a month's worth of eating solids. So far he has tried (in this order!): rice cereal, peas, sweet potato, oatmeal, carrots, cheerios, green beans, & squash. Next on his plate will include fruits...I'm sure he'll like that change of pace. He hasn't disliked anything I've put at him, yet...however he's not a big fan of rice cereal....so he's been getting oatmeal ever since. A quirky side note is that oftentimes after I put a spoonful of food in his mouth he immediately puts his fist into is mouth! Needless to say he becomes very messy!! I need to invest in a full body bib for him! He's mastered the art of getting the cheerios into his mouth which he is very proud to have accomplished. Although, it can take him a long time to eat if he's really hungry...like 45 minutes...so it's a bit crazy for this momma getting food into his belly, his sister's belly...and then oh yeah..I've gotta eat too! I'm sure he'll get faster at the whole eating thing... I certainly can't wait for that!


He's STILL not sleeping through the night consistently. He's a fabulous napper...takes a 2 1/2 hour nap in the am & a 2+ hour nap in the pm with an occasional cat nap in the early evening. But the middle of the night wake-up call is getting a bit old! He only amounts to feeding him for about 10 minutes & he goes right back to sleep...but still!! I can't wait until he pulls 11-12 hours of sleep! Am I asking too much?!? :)

Scooter pals!

Today Jaelyn's friend, Sophie, came over to play with Jaelyn. I shouldn't have told Jaelyn who was coming over because for the ENTIRE morning (oh, say from around 7am until Sophie's car rolled up in the driveway I heard a broken record in my ears! "Is Sophie here yet? When is she coming over? How much longer until she comes? Is she bringing her scooter? Etc, etc!) Jaelyn was super excited to see her! And from the length of Jaelyn's nap in the afternoon, she was worn out from playing so hard!

The girls riding their scooters down the road to see some horses in our neighborhood. I wish I would have taken video because it was so precious to hear the little conversations they had! Oh well...next time!

Checking out one of the horses...

The siblings going for a ride. Arranged marriage, Benjamin? Clara's pretty cute!! :)

Our newsest cousin!!

Jackson Robert Post

Born Tuesday, Jan. 19th
7 lbs 7 oz
22 3/4 in.

A note from Uncle Dan:

"After a great first night of getting to know our little guy our nurse noticed some poor coloring after a particularly hard crying spell (he really didn't like getting a shot and prepped for circumcision!). Upon further examination she found an irregular heart murmur and promptly transferred him to the NICU. After a day of testing, waiting, and a few visits from family and friends we were given some hard news. Jackson has a heart condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot, basically a hole in his heart that makes oxygenated and unoxygenated blood mix. The long term prognosis is positive, but involves some significant medication management in the short term and ultimately open heart surgery(s) when he gets a little bigger. In the next few days doctors plan to wean him off of the oxygen, get him feeding with Kim (again), gain some weight, and then he will be able to come home with us.

We appreciate all of your prayers and support as we continue to learn about this condition and get him strong enough to come home. The good news is that this is considered a treatable condition and he is currently quite stable and doing well in the NICU."

Please pray for my brother & sister-in-law...and of course little Jackson! Wish we lived closer so that we could be with them during this difficult time. Hugs to all 3 of you!!

Playmates!

Who's kid is this?

Look at me!

Look out world, this kid is going to be crawling very soon! He already pushes himself backwards on his belly to get places & yesterday I saw him go from sitting to being on all fours! Being on all fours didn't last too long...but the fact that he did it makes me a bit nervous!! No, No..that's too fast, Benjamin...I don't think I'm ready for you to be crawling just yet! Jaelyn's not so ready for him getting her toys either! :)

Jaelyn update

The big news is that as of Jan. 5th Jaelyn is sleeping in her big girl bed & her crib is no longer in her room!! The bed had been set up in her room for quite some time but she didn't want to make the switch. I was in no hurry to give her that extra freedom...so we just waited until she wanted to do it on her terms! We still need to get the headboard from Oma & Opa's house...but here is Jaelyn all tucked in & ready for bed. Yes...Elmo, kona, bunny, baby & bear are all sleeping next to her..& of course her 2 boo's. Sleep tight...don't let the bed bugs bite!

Our veggie lover can't get enough of them these days! When I ask her what she wants for lunch it's usually this...and in this order: Red pepper, cucumber, carrots, milk, cheese quesadilla. Who is this kid? As my dad said one time, that's not normal!! Ha. What mom has to say "take a bite of quesadilla before you eat another bite of vegetable". If she had her way she would eat a whole red pepper in one sitting. Crazy girl! Don't get me wrong...she loves her cookie or icecream...but loves, loves, loves veggies!

Latest Jaelyn quotes these days:

"Where does God live?"
"I love God"
"God loves me" or "God loves _____ (Ben, Mommy, Daddy, etc)"
"I want my privacy...please shut the door all the way" (when she is going to the bathroom)
"I've got a question for you, dad" (usually this is spoken over the phone)
"No save you any, Daddy" (in reference to a snack)

Rice Cereal

You think he's excited to be getting rice cereal? He's been showing signs that he's ready to start solid foods (watching us eat, grabbing for our food, opening up his mouth to eat it, etc) for while...I've just been dragging my feet at starting it. For selfish reasons, breastfeeding is just a whole lot faster than spoon feeding him!! But alas...I couldn't put it off any longer! He did great for his first time! The first couple bites we got a "eww...this is gross" look on his face. But after that he was grabbing for the spoon and eating his cereal like a champ. After he was done eating the cereal he was ready for a nursing session....and thankful to be getting the milk!

"Mmmmm...this stuff is great!"

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Benjamin!

Can you believe it? I sure can't believe that you are 6 months old today, Ben! WOW!! A lot has changed since we brought you home from the hospital! You rolled over (back to belly) for the first time on Nov. 23rd while we were in Michigan...although you still aren't rolling over a ton...you are content to be up on your side to reach for toys. I think this is a sign of your personality...a very laid-back/easy going/content/patient little guy! You are sitting up all by yourself too (well, with occasional face plants into the carpet!)...we'll say you did this new skill on Dec. 24th. You are quite proud of yourself that you can sit up...you love this new vantage point & especially enjoy playing/chewing on your toys while sitting! You must be working on getting your first tooth...everything goes in your mouth & you are drooling a ton. You are talking with us too...it's lots of fun to hear your voice...da-da, ta-ta, etc. Your big sister, Jaelyn, always asks me what you are saying! I usually tell her that you're saying you LOVE her lots! Your favorite toys are the jumperoo, giraffe, soccer rattle, & the learning house. Your favorite playmate? Your sister! She can always put a smile on your face & make you giggle! You are going to bed around 8-8:30pm and sleeping until ~8am. You sleep through the night, but it's not a consistent thing yet. I think you are really close to sleeping soundly through the entire night/every night...let's hope so! You are taking 3 naps/day...the morning & afternoon naps are your longer ones & then you need to take a 30-45 min nap around 6pm or so. You weigh: 17 lbs 3 3/4 oz (50%) and are 27 1/4 inches (75%). I can't imagine life without you...you are such a joy & I thank God for you everyday!

We love you, Benjamin Jacobus!!