Boys are made of Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Today Benjamin pooped through his outfit like he does every day and since we are at my parent's right now his extra clothes were allll the way upstairs. So I decided to just leave him in his diaper for awhile. Well, as I was cleaning up his mess he had a big sneeze and when I looked at him this is what I saw:


After I finished cracking up and taking pictures we had some play time and I tried to record him talking. However, he noticed the camera and wouldn't stop staring at it. Watch to the end....




Yes, he always has something coming out of somewhere!!

Our Bright Eyed Boy

I finally got a good video of Benjamin talking. He's so funny! For awhile I would stick out my tongue at him as part of making faces to see if he would smile or make faces back and now he sticks out his tongue whenever he talks! Haha!

There is no Normal

Today I am very excited and I hope I don't jinx myself by sharing this but for the 3rd night in a row Bear slept between every feeding!!!! Woohoo! It starts anywhere between 10 and 12 and ends between 7 and 9. Isn't it wonderful?! Granted I am still up for at least an hour during feedings, this is bliss compared to being up for 3 and 4 hours!

I feel like Ben is growing and developing at an incredible rate. He doesn't just smile when he's sleeping and has gas, but he smiles when I talk to him and smile at him and stick out my tongue at him. He has even started sticking his tongue back out at me! haha! Hope I'm not cultivating a bad habit. :) We have daily "conversations" now, too. I'll do the excited "mommy talk" and he will get a really big smile on his face and "talk" back to me. SO CUTE!!! I could just eat him up!

I'm not sure how much he weighs or how tall he is, but I do know that he is busting out of the 8-12 pound diapers and at 8 weeks old 3-month clothing fits him perfectly. He has his two month appt. next Wed. so we will get his current stats then. He will also have to get his first set of shots! :( My poor baby. I'm not looking forward to that at all.

When Benjamin was born he was the spitting image of Chris, but as he's getting older we're starting to see more of me in him (yay!). He has my eye shape, and I think my forehead and head shape. He has Chris' build, hair, eyebrows, and so far his eye color (I think, its kind of hard to tell, sometimes). And he has Chris' pretty long eyelashes. :) I don't know who's ears, nose, and chin he has. We thought at first his chin came from the Antoine side of the family, but it's possible it came from the Tull side, as well. I think he has a cross between my mouth and Chris' mouth. The hands and feet are hard to tell. I'm sure no one is as interested in all this as I am but it's fun to see how he changes and looks like different people at different stages.

I uploaded some pictures onto Facebook today, but I will put some on here, as well. I tried to take a picture of his freckles but our camera doesn't zoom in that close. They're really tiny. Well, I need to finish this up before Bear wakes up from his nap. Hope y'all are having wonderful cool weather like us! God bless you!

Benjamin's Baptism

The pictures are posted in the opposite order of when they actually happened. Sorry! It was a really nice baptism on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary church in Frenstat, Texas. Chris went to this parish throughout high school and his parents still go there. It is a small Czech mission parish that has been there for a really long time (not sure how long, exactly). The priest that married Chris and I, Fr. Stephen, drove up to do the baptism. Our good friends Chris and Kendra Bartlett are Benjamin's Godparents. Benjamin's baptismal gown is the one that my Grandma Carpenter made for Scott when he was born. It is pretty long and goes past Bear's feet but he was a little fussy and by the end it looked like he was wearing a dress because the gown was all bunched up. :) Chris' mom gave us a big seashell from Galveston and some water from the Jordan River that was blessed by the Pope to use for the baptism. Quite a few of Chris' family members were able to come celebrate with us. Unfortunately none of my family members were able to make it, for various reasons, but I know they were with us in spirit. Afterwards Chris' parents had lunch for everyone so we were able to visit. Thank you to everybody that celebrated with us and made it even more special than it already was. Well, I need to wrap it up. Bear is squirming and may be hungry again!

Benjamin Bear

Benjamin is now 1 month old! It has gone by so fast already. And he is growing like a weed. At his doctor appt. a week ago he was already 10 lbs. and 5 oz. I think he's gained another pound since then. There isn't any doubt that he is healthy and eating enough. Chris and I noticed that his cheeks will fill out right after he eats and then go down over the next couple of hours. He's like a little chipmunk storing food for later. He's quite the pooping machine, as well. I told Chris I'm going to need to start working nights at Starbucks just to pay for the diapers and wipes.

We've had lots of visitors over the last month and have enjoyed every one of them! Bear's baptism is coming up this Sunday. We're having him baptized at Chris' home church in Frenstat by the priest that married us. I'll try to post more pictures afterwards. I hope to post updates about Bear at least every month with pictures so you can all see how he is doing. He is such a cutie and we love him so much!

I had more pictures I wanted to put up but for some reason the blog wasn't letting me. I will try to post them later. Have a great week everyone! We love you, God bless you!

The Final Showdown

Surprise! Bear will be here on Friday! At my doctor appt. this past Tuesday we found out that I was already 3-4 centimeters dilated (we were so surprised!). Since I have gestational hypertension the doctor said we would need to induce. They don't want to let me go too long without having the baby because that could increase the chances of pre-eclampsia developing and that would not be a good situation for me or Bear. So Thursday evening we will stay with Josh and Dana and Friday morning we have to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. They will hook me up to an IV and a continual external monitor, then induce! I keep going back and forth between excitement that Bear will be here and panic that something won't work out. I need to tattoo "Jesus I Trust in You" to my hand. My mind has been all over the place since yesterday's appt. This morning I cleaned house, did laundry, repacked the labor bags, washed Bear's stuffed animals, and found a pediatrician. I don't think there is anything else that I can do to get ready! Despite the circumstances I am thankful to know when Bear will be here and to be able to prepare more thoroughly. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. And Chris has been awesome. He is so solid, strong, and faithful! He's going to be such a great dad. He went grocery shopping with me yesterday and we bought what feels like a ton of food. We should be set on dinners for the next two weeks, at least!

Here is the last in utero update: "Week 39: Not much to report this week, at least in the height and weight department. Fortunately for you and your overstretched skin (and aching back), baby's growth has slowed down- or even taken a hiatus until after delivery. On average, a baby this week still weighs in at around 7 or 8 pounds and measures up at 19 to 21 inches (though yours may be a little bigger or smaller). Still, progress is being made in some other areas, especially baby's brain, which is growing and developing up a storm (at a rapid pace that will continue during the first three years of life). What's more, your baby's pink skin has turned white or whitish (no matter what skin your baby will ultimately be in, since pigmentation doesn't occur until soon after birth). A development that you may have noticed by now if this is your first pregnancy: Baby's head might have dropped into your pelvis. This change of baby's locale might make for easier breathing (and less heartburn), but could also make it harder for you to walk (make that to waddle)." -What to Expect

We look forward to having visitors while we are at the hospital. We just ask that you give Chris a call ahead of time and be prepared to wash your hands before holding Bear. And speaking of visitors, we had a housefull this past Sunday! Tina, Lawrence, the boys, Ashley, Granny, Raymond, Dana, Josh, Katie, Patsy and John all came by to see us. It was so nice to have a housefull because we've been used to living with other people for about a year now and Saturday had been a very quiet and uneventful day.

Well, I think that's all for now. Please keep us in your prayers!!! I don't know how soon I will post on here again, but you can check Facebook for any pictures that Chris may post. Thanks for all of your love and support. God bless you!

Baby Face

"Week 38: hitting the growth charts at close to 7 pounds and the 20-inch mark (give or take an inch or two), your little one isn't so little anymore. In fact, baby's big enough for the big time- and the big day. With only two (or four, max) weeks left in untero, all systems are (almost) go. to finish getting ready for his or her close-up (and all those photo-ops), baby has a few last-minute details to take care of, like shedding that skin-protecting vernix and lanugo. And producing more surfactant, which will prevent the air sacs in the lungs from sticking to each other when your baby begins to breath- somethign he or she will be doing very soon. Baby will be here before you know it!" -What to Expect

Today is exactly two weeks until Bear's due date. We all have different ideas of when we think he will come (or when we want him to come). Our earliest prediction was for this Saturday so we will see what happens! Our apartment is all set up and put together so we are ready for him. We've decided to cut back on the weekend trips and won't be traveling unless it's to the doctor appointments. Labor bags and carseat are in the car. Dinners are in the freezer. Bring on the contractions!

The doctor appt. for this week was on Tuesday. My blood pressure was up again :( but other than that all was well. It was just me at the appt. since Chris was at work (he will be able to go with me to the rest of the appointments). I did get to see Bear on the ultrasound this time. He was wiggling his toes and the doctor gave me a picture of his face. Now, ultrasound pictures are not always the cutest pictures. It looks like he has a big round chin, chubby cheeks, and where his eyes are were just dark spots. I had wanted to post it at first because I was so excited to have a picture of his face. But Chris and I decided not to. Sorry, Grandmas. Maybe we'll pass it around in the hospital. :)

The next appointment is Tuesday (unless Bear comes before then). The doctor said he will start checking for dilation and effacement at that appt. Fun and exciting! Well, laundry and dishes are calling. Have a wonderful day!

P.S. I lost my birthday calendar in the move so if you want a birthday card from us just email, Facebook, or post your birthday on here and I will put you on my new calendar. :) I try to send out wedding anniversary cards, too, so you can let us know what those are if you want. And speaking of anniversaries, Chris and I had our 3 year anniversary yesterday! Yay!