1st Astros game

We went to our first Astros game of the season with Ben last Friday night! He was perfect! I thought he might think it was too loud (which it was) and start crying, but NO, he loved the noise and all the people. Elise, Steve, and Ella, Ann, Logan, and Hunter came with us. We even got a little visit from uncle Brian after the 7th inning. It will be the first of many games I'm sure! And someday maybe we'll be watching Ben on the field!

First "play date"

Today Ben is 6 weeks old, and we met Alex and Sofia, Meredith and Carson, and Taylor and Greyson at Kenzo for lunch. Ben was exceptionally good. I fed him a bottle outside of Starbucks. It is so nice to have other mommies to talk to about mommy things. I am still a little nervous about kids touching Ben or getting too close. Sorry. Today Ben wore a button down collared shirt and shorts for the first time too...so cute!
I am getting nervous about his shots in a couple weeks. I am just praying that he doesn't have a reaction or get a fever from the vaccinations.

Lazy Saturday

Elise, Steve, and Ella came to visit today. It was a raining Saturday. Ben got all dressed up in his cute NB overalls. I am trying to wear as much of his cute cloths while they still fit. Ben and I had a great bonding day. I have learned that I can get him to calm down by putting him on his side on our bed and putting my face against his and just start humming. Today he was asleep in that position, then peeked open his eyes to make sure I was there, and then gave me this adorable little grin. If this is what it takes to get him to sleep, I am okay with it!

Smitten

Pictures Motivate

Tonight we got our pictures back from Ben's first photo shoot. Looking at them made me feel so complete and thankful that we have a beautiful, healthy 5 week old son. It also made me realize that I need to keep better track of the day to day especially this first year. I have been writing in a journal and we take pictures everyday, but I am hoping that I will find blogging to be more motivating. I have my moments, but lack a a routine spot in the day for blogging.
Let's see...today was a day to remember because I tried to put a closed toed onesie on him and he had ALREADY grown out of it! I then preceded to clean out his NB drawer of all outfits that are too short for my 23" little man. Two days ago, we had a rough night. Ben has Acid Reflux, and has trouble eating sometimes. On this particular night, Will was feeding him, and he was calm and eating so well. Then all of a sudden, he threw up his whole stomach. It took us about 3 hours to get him to sleep. Finally, at 12:00, he was out, and he didn't wake up until 7:00a.m. Normally, I would have been ecstatic, but because I knew he must be hungry, it just further worried me. He went to the pediatrician the next morning, and hten she sent us off to the hospital to get a scary upper GI xray. Everything came back normal. He has reflux, and I am thankful that it is nothing more severe. This is a very common healthy baby thing to have and will get better with time.
Tonight Will and I both had a moment of awe. We just stopped and thought about it for a sec. We have a child. It is surreal at times when we have time to slow down and look at our lives. We are o blessed. He is already teaching us so much about ourselves. And I've heard it only gets better!

On January 10th, Deb and Julie threw the most perfect little shower for baby t. It was a very special time for me as well because I felt all the support and love around me. I know that when he gets here, he will have lots of grandmas, aunts, and friends that will all be a special part of his life. It's so crazy to me that i love him and i don't even know him yet...we pray for him and for us as parents to know what to do once he arrives. there is no way that i can plan for everything, but i am confident that God will lead us and help us have the strength and energy to care for His child.

one week to go

We only have one more week to go before we find out if we're having a baby girl or baby boy. Some people have asked me if I have a preference. I find this question to be a little disturbing. If I say, "yes, I am hoping for a girl," then that implies that I am not excited about a boy or vice versa. There are things that make me happy about both genders.
If the baby is boy, I look forward to little boy activities like teeball and boy scouts, and watching Will and him play catch outside. Don't get me wrong, if my son wants to play the piano and read all day that is precious too. I just envision us with a pretty athletic child. I have heard that baby boys are "easier than girls." Why is this? I am the oldest of three girls, so I just can't imagine how you would change a boy's diaper or potty-train. I'm confident that Will has some knowledge in this area and can offer some advice. I think that baby boys are said to be easier because in general they have better dispositions. So, if we're having a boy, I would look forward to that as well. I think that cute baby boy clothes are harder to find, but from age 5 to about the fifth grade, I would argue that boys have a better selection. I won't have to buy a Hanna Montana shirt or a skirt that looks like it could be worn by a promiscuous high schooler. This is all very basic stuff, but it's the stuff you think about initially when you weigh the benefits.
If we are having a baby girl, I would be more excited about a few things. 1. the name. 2. baby girl clothes and accessories 3. decorating the nursery. I feel like having a girl would maybe come more naturally to me. I would know better what to expect along the way and be more prepared in dealing with girl stuff. I have always had very close realtionships with my girl cousins and my goddaughter, Sofia. My two year old cousin Jaoquin has given me hope that a baby boy can like me. I'm pretty much his #1 playmate and I love it!! When I was a child, my parents put me in ballet, tap, gymnastics, and twirling. Yes, I was such a girl. My home videos are very cute and one particular ballet recital is still talked about to this day. I have a feeling Will and I would try to push towards soccer, swimming, and softball. It's cliche, I know, but being a soccer mom just seems like so much fun.
Either way, we are just so excited and can't wait for next Monday!!! I think after I find out what we're having, I will really get into nesting mode. It has already started a little when i went to the container store last week and spent way too much money on boxes and little organizing doo-dads for our closets and pantry. The Container Store is one of life's little pleasures.