Instead of taking the kids to get their pics done for Christmas, I just dressed them up & took them outside. I think I took over 200 pictures. Getting 3 kids to look at the camera & make sure Ben wasn't crying is hard work! But I did get some good shots & some funny ones. Zach's facial expressions crack me up!
Wow..December was busy! We had lots of company & so much fun! Grandma & Grandpa Leonard came to see us for a few days. Bill's cousin Lori & her husband came over from the coast to see us & Bill's parents. We had a fun time, wish they could have stayed longer. My parents came for Christmas & surprised the kids! They were so excited. We can't wait for our visit to Florida in March. Here are some pictures from December..
* If the slideshow doesn't work for you, just click on view all images :)
I can't believe Ben is 8 weeks already! It has been a crazy 8 weeks! At the beginning of November I took Ben to the doctor because he was wheezing when he was breathing. We ended up having to leave the peds office in an ambulance. The reason was respiratory distress. He was admitted to the Children's hospital & ended up having a 6 day stay. He had bronchilitis & pneumonia. He is doing much better now but still has some breathing issues, which is normal because it can take 6 weeks or more to clear up.
He has changed so much in the last 8 weeks. He is holding his head really well & cooing a lot. He smiled at me tonight when I was talking to him..that made my day! Here is his monthly Elmo pic.
I have been meaning to blog about the day Ben was born but have been so busy lately. I know most of you know the crazy story but this is for those who don't.
The day started out with Bill leaving for work early, around 3:00. I woke up & was having contractions & timed them for about 30-45 mintues, they subsided so I went back to sleep. The kids were off from school that day so we were hanging out around the house. I was having contractions on & off all morning but they were very inconsistant. We went down stairs for lunch around 12:20. I realized I had teacher conferences that day & the first one was at 12:45. I jumped in the shower & got ready & made it through the conferences. All the while having contractions. We stopped by the school book fair & went to the Post Office. I had called Bill & told him my contractions were getting worse & maybe he should try to come home. He was an hour & a half away. I got back home around 3:15 & tried to sit down & relax and eat some lunch, thinking my contractions would stop. I thought wrong. They got really intense & were coming at least every 3-5 mintues.
I called my neighbor & dropped the kids off. I drove to the hospital with Bill on the phone. Somehow I managed to park the truck & with Bill talking to me on the phone, walk in to the main desk. This was around 5:00. They took me upstairs & got hooked up to the monitors. The nurse immediately called for the doctor because his heartrate was in the 70's. She checked me & I was complete. I called Bill & he was still about 20 minutes away. I knew he wasn't going to make it. The doctor broke my water & about 5 minutes & one push later Ben was born. The doctor & nurse were telling me not to push but there was no stopping him. He was out & landed on the bed. He was born at 5:20. I was very lucky he was not born in the car!
We ended up having an extended hospital stay because of his jaundice. When they did release us on Thursday night we were only home for one night. He had to go back in the hospital on Friday evening because of his jaundice. We were finally released on Sunday. Ben spent his first week of life in the hospital :(
Hope everyone had a FUN Halloween. Emma, Zach & Ben have been sick, so they didn't stay out too long. Kaylea was a Snow Princess, Emma was a Doctor, Zach was Daddy's Mini Me Sysco driver & Ben was my little Monster :) Ben & I stayed home & handed out candy..it was a little too cool for him to be out. Zach's truck was made by Daddy..he's so crafty!
On Monday October 6th we received the most amazing gift..Benjamin Michael. As soon as the doctor handed him to me I knew instantly..our baby was healthy but something was wrong..he had Down Syndrome. We opted out of all the testing so we had no idea. I was in complete shock. Even if we had done the tests, it wouldn't have changed anything. At this point Bill still hadn't made it to the hospital yet. I looked at the doctor who was talking to me but I don't know what he said. I had so many thoughts running thru my head. I was so happy to have another healthy baby boy & sad at the same time because I felt as though he was broken & I couldn't fix him. I didn't know how to feel.
We received the confirmation this week from the Genetics doctors that it is Down Syndrome. We knew deep down but still held out hope that they were wrong. His heart is healthy & so far no other health issues, which was our main concern. He is perfect & has fit into our family as though he has always been here. We know that we were chosen for this special gift for a reason. We believe that he has so much to teach us. He definitely completes our family.
What a difference a few weeks makes. Ben is doing great..gaining weight & eating well. These pics are from last week. He already looks a lot bigger! He loves to be held & I have been holding him constantly :) Trying to take in all of his smallness, because I know it is going to fly by! 
Ben letting everyone know he is 2 weeks old!
I have been a little behind on blogging, but wanted to share my last belly pic I took the week before I had Ben. I was 37 weeks along. I did pretty good on my weight gain this time. I gained 7 pounds total & so far have lost about 18-20. Hopefully it will keep coming off!
Benjamin Michael..Ben :o)
Born on 10/6 @ 5:20pm
He weighed 6lbs 14ozs
After a bout with some jaundice we are home & he is doing very well. He decided to arrive a little early & he was in a hurry! I got to the hospital at 5:00 & he was born at 5:20! So far he is easy going & hardly fusses. Here are a couple of pics of our new little man!
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