The Big "Move"

Last week we moved Ben to his crib in Zach's room. With all the kids it was always hard to put them in there own room. I loved having them right there beside me where I could peek over & check in on them at anytime. He has been sleeping through the night since November so it was time. I think I put it off because of his breathing issues early on. Anyways..he loves it & sleeps very well..even at nap time! Zach loves sharing his room with Ben & gets sad when I don't put them in for a nap at the same time. He is such a good big brother!

A Day with the Ducks :)

The kids love to save the heels of the bread & take them up to feed the ducks/geese in the front of the neighborhood..hey it's fun/free entertainment! The weather was nice just a little windy so Ben stayed bundled in the stroller. Then we walked up to the park & they ran off some of their energy..I can't wait for Spring!

Something New

Well Ben had his 4 month check-up this week...he weighs 14lbs 12ozs & is 25-1/4" long. He is in the 50th percentile for his weight & 75th for his length. He is getting chunky & I love it!! The doctor said he looks great & is doing well. She did say that his muscle tone is a little low which is to be expected but you would never know it..he has a strong grip! We are looking into getting him evaluated & maybe starting some physical therapy depending on what they recommend.

Ben is getting to that fun stage where he is interacting more everyday. He loves to watch the kids play & gets excited when they come over & talk to him. He got to try some rice cereal the other day & he actually did really well. Here are some recent pics..

Ben's sad face :(

Our Yearly Snow Day!!

We rarely get snow here but we did on Tuesday! The kids were beyond excited. Kaylea was in my room at 4:45AM to let me know it was snowing..that made for a long day. They had so much fun. I wish it would have lasted a little longer. The kids were bummed we didn't get a chance to build a snowman, so hopefully we will have at least one more snow day this year!

3 Months...already!

As of today Ben is 3 months & 3 weeks. He is changing everyday. He babbles constantly & he has started laughing..it is so cute! He loves to stand up & bounce..already! He has been sleeping through the night since December. He is such a good baby, we couldn't have asked for better. Here are a few pictures..

Winter Photo Shoot

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!

December 2008

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 :)

8 Weeks....

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.

Monday October 6th, 2008

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 :(

Halloween

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!