Mommy Daughter Date

Each of our kids have adapted to having a new baby in different ways. At first C struggled with not having my full attention while E was sleeping since I was feeding, changing or holding B. I knew I wanted to spend a day with her doing things she liked while also having someone to watch the boys.

Since we don't go to the movies much I decided to take her to see Finding Dory. I tried to make it special but I'm beginning to realize that some of my efforts are lots on the kids at this age.

This day also happened to be Cow Appreciation Day at CFA so of course we had to take advantage of that first.

I made tickets to tell C what we were doing on her special day.

Her best selfie face.

I know that one of C's love languages is quality time. So we are looking for ways to spend time with just her to shower her with love. Her daddy has taken her on several dates and we hope to continue those as well. 

She starts Pre-K in two weeks and I'm quickly realizing that I have limited time left with her. It never seems real until it happens. 

Bennett: 1 & 2 Months

I have no idea how you are already 2 months old. You are the perfect addition to our family and I can't wait to see your personality develop. Right now you have shown traits similar to your sister when she was a baby.

1 Month

Height: 21.25 inches; 40th percentile
Weight: 10 lbs. 6 oz.; 65th percentile
Head Circumference: 14.25 inches; 25th percentile
Diaper Size: Size 1, We only lasted in newborn for a week or two
Clothes: Some newborn and 0-3 Month
Mommy Milestones: Overall you are a great sleeper but an inconsistent eater. You do have your moments screaming and needing to be held, but so far it's ever couple of days so doable with 2 other kids. You enjoy being held and do well in the car seat. Mimi and Pop spent a week with us this month while daddy was out of town. You enjoyed snuggling with Mimi and will miss her when she leaves. You also meet two of your cousins.

C's 1 Month Stats & E's 1 Month Stats

Height: 22.75 inches; 50th percentile
Weight: 12 lbs. 3.5 oz.; 45th percentile
Head Circumference: 15.5 inches; 60th percentile
Diaper Size: Size 1, but quickly growing out of them
Clothes: Mostly 0-3 months, some newborn pants and shorts and several 3-6 month onesies
Mommy Milestones: You continue to be a great sleeper, having slept through the night several times. You love to sleep on your side and in bed with mommy. You are so close to rolling over, but I wish you would slow down. You started smiling and cooing at us. You are reaching for the toys on your activity mat. You still won't take a bottle or pacifier, but we are working on that. You met lots of new friends this month and continue to have a go with the flow attitude. You have been on the receiving end of several eye pokes and pinches from your siblings.

C's 2 Month Stats & E's 2 Month Stats

B's first days

After leaving the hospital and before heading to see our other kids we made a pitstop at Costco. If this had been our first child the only place we would have thought about heading was home. But with your third why not.

When we were finished we headed over to gmas/gpas house where family was waiting to meet B. C was very excited and E didn't pay too much attention to him when we arrived.

B and great-grandma

We opted to leave the bigs at the grandparents house for one more night as we settled in for our first night as newbies again. B's billirubin levels were slightly elevated when we left the hospital so the following day we took B in to be tested again to see if his levels had improved. Thankfully they had and no further testing was needed. My parents were in CoMo over the weekend for several family events and made the trip over on Monday to see us. It was the first time they had been able to visit us so quickly after one of our kids births so we were excited to share this with them.

All the grandparents. E wouldn't get in the picture.

The following day we ventured out once again and bought a van. I never thought we would take that plunge but with our Pilot still being repaired from a wreck we needed a vehicle that could fit the whole family. We had been contemplating buying a van for a few months.

At the end of the week we headed off to B's first doctors appointment and dropped off the two big ones at the grandparents house for the following week where C attended VBS.

At the end of the week my sister brought her two kids up to meet Benny. Harper was smitten right away and wanted to hold B after walking in the door. They stayed for the afternoon before heading home to see their daddy. 

C and daddy headed out to a co-workers party while I stayed home with the boys.  

Time is flying by.

Welcome to the world Bennett Ray

We were surprised to learn that we were expecting a baby when E was only 9 months old. We had planned to have a third but not so close together. This pregnancy was by far the most stressful and hardest of the three. We changed jobs, moved across country and bought a house. It certainly made the 9 months exciting.

I tested positive for Group B early on and almost tested positive for GD. Other than those 2 things the pregnancy was pretty uneventful other than the aches and pains and horrible heartburn. I guess that explains the hair. One of the most exciting things about this pregnancy was a good friend and I were due on the same day and my college roommate and another friend were due a week later. They were all expecting girls and two of them were named Chloe. 

Up until we found out that B was a boy, I thought we were having a girl. Wishful thinking? Maybe. I also thought I was going to deliver early, but you arrived one day before your due date. My doctor told me most people go into labor during the night so the week before you were due I went to bed expecting to start contractions overnight. It never happened so when I thought I was peeing myself the morning of May 27 I didn't give it much thought. I was waking up about every 30 minutes "needing to pee". My water had never broke before and if it was going to I expected a big gush, which I think is a myth only played out in the movies. Finally around 6:00 am I woke David up and told him what was going on. I went ahead and called the doctor and told her what was going on.  She advised me to come on in since I was positive for Group B. We took our time getting ready since I wasn't having contractions. I was only half packed for the hospital. The kids were mostly ready to head to grandmas. The hospital was in Lee's Summit and roughly 35 minutes away. We loaded up the Fusion (the Pilot was still in the shop) and headed out. First stopping by CFA in case I was admitted. At this point I wasn't convinced I was in labor. 

The hospital was expecting us and quickly admitted me. David took the kids over to grandmas and returned just before they checked me. It was determined that in fact my water was leaking and I needed to get on an antibiotic. We headed to another room where we would deliver. 

They waited some time to see if my contractions would start, but they didn't. So on Pitocin I went, but the nurse forgot to connect the fluids. It took about 30 minutes for me to realize that nothing was happening. Finally I was hooked up and requested the epidural. I felt great and watched a movie while trying to rest. The bed was really uncomfortable and after switching sides the baby's heart rate dropped dramatically. Three nurses came rushing in trying to get me in a position where the heart rate would increase. Nothing was working so finally they had me get on my hands and knees. This position helped, but it made things harder for me and they gave me oxygen. This was my first experience with oxygen that I can remember. The baby's heart rate stabilized and I was able to return to a normal position. It wasn't much longer until I started to really feel the contractions. By now the epidural was wearing off and I wanted to start pushing. They called the on call doctor over from the office and we were a go. After about 15 minutes of pushing B arrived with a full head of hair. He looked like C's twin only with boy parts and he was covered in vernix. I was able to cut the cord and they handed him to me after checking him out. 

He cried the most of the 3 that I remember and didn't want to latch right away. I thought like I was failing him, but he didn't seem interested in eating just crying. After a little while we were transferred to another room. The room was awesome. David and I both had our own tvs and B had his own little bed and stayed with us the entire time we were at the hospital. 

It took us more than 24 hours to decide on a name. I'm glad we didn't settle on anything beforehand. We had two names as the top contenders, but I couldn't imagine calling him either one of those names. When David mentioned Bennett, a name I had suggested early on but was vetoed, I knew it was the perfect fit. We hadn't planned on all the kids names ending in TT but it works. Now we had to figure out a middle name. Both my Dad and Grandpa were named Raymond so that's were the Ray is from. We are so in love with our little boy. 

Newborn Stats

Height: 20.5 inches

Weight: 8 lbs. 6 oz.

Time: 5:16pm

Fun Facts

Top Song of the Week: Can't Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake

New York Times Bestseller: 15th Affair by James Patterson

No more photos

Still no name

Grandma and Big Sister came up the next day to visit. E had a fever and was unable to visit B in the hospital. C was smitten right away and couldn't wait to hold him.

David's co-workers sent us this beautiful arrangement. 

We enjoyed our last night in the hospital before heading off to start of life as a family of 5.

C's Birth Story & E's Birth Story