Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Cloning? Yes please!
I'm beginning to think that cloning might not be such a bad idea. If only there was a way to have myself cloned but still have control over the clones. There have been times in my life where I wish I had more time or an extra set of hands to do something but have always figured out a way to multitask and get things done. The last few weeks however, have been a different story. It's not just about multitasking, sometimes I really need that extra set of hands. For example, the other day I was feeding Bennett and heard Jackson asking for help from the bathroom. I told him he needed to try to finish and wipe himself since I was feeding Bennett. A few minutes later, Jackson came running over without his pants on, turned his back to me and asked me to check if he did a good job. It was hilarious! I guess I should be grateful I have time to get used to each responsibility individually. We have been lucky enough to have wonderful friends that have been bringing us dinner the last few weeks so I haven't had to cook at all since I've had Bennett. Unfortunately, the meals end tonight so I'll soon figure out how to plan my afternoons to include cooking time. And I'm sure this is only going to get worse when I go back to work in August but hopefully by then, I will have (somewhat) mastered caring for two boys, the house, and cooking. Wish me luck!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Strike a pose...
Jackson was watching me take pictures of Bennett with the bear and asked if I was going to take pictures of him too. I said of course and Jackson was so excited, he said he was going to do a silly face picture...
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After that, he continued posing for the camera showing me more silly faces, then happy, sad and mad, in that order. Looks like we may have a model on our hands...
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After that, he continued posing for the camera showing me more silly faces, then happy, sad and mad, in that order. Looks like we may have a model on our hands...
One Month Old
Somehow it's already been a month since Benny Bear was born. I can't believe how fast the last few weeks have gone by and with help from Nana and Mimi, we've all survived. Bennett is doing great, he still sleeps most of the day and night but is starting to have somewhat longer wakeful periods. We're anxious for him to start interacting with us, especially Jackson, who's ready to have a playmate :) Bennett enjoys brief periods in his swing or bouncer but mostly when he's awake he wants to eat and eat...and eat! I asked Nick the other day if maybe Bennett was going through a growth spurt because he would barely make it two hours before wanting to eat again. Dr. Nick's response? Of course he's going through a growth spurt, he will be for the next year at least! I'm interested to see how quickly Bennett puts on the pounds in comparison to his big brother.
During the few minutes when he is awake and not eating, we've been practicing tummy time although he seems to hate it. He only lasts a few minutes before rolling onto his back or screaming. Bennett does well at holding his head up when we're holding him but not so much when he's laying on his stomach.
Stealing the idea from Tamara, here are our 1 month pictures...I know it's hard to see but it says 1 month on his shirt :)
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During the few minutes when he is awake and not eating, we've been practicing tummy time although he seems to hate it. He only lasts a few minutes before rolling onto his back or screaming. Bennett does well at holding his head up when we're holding him but not so much when he's laying on his stomach.
Stealing the idea from Tamara, here are our 1 month pictures...I know it's hard to see but it says 1 month on his shirt :)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Jacksonisms
Jackson is obsessed with being "naked" and often takes off his clothes leaving only his undies on when we're home. The other night he was touching his nipples and said they're like crayons or colored pencils and I'm going to draw on you! He ran over to me and then Nick and rubbed his torso all over us. We couldn't stop laughing!
A couple weeks ago Bennett was crying and Jackson very seriously said, "I'm not enjoying all this crying."
Last week on the way to Atlanta, Bennett woke up SCREAMING and luckily instead of Jackson complaining about it, he started imitating Bennett and laughing hysterically.
A couple weeks ago Bennett was crying and Jackson very seriously said, "I'm not enjoying all this crying."
Last week on the way to Atlanta, Bennett woke up SCREAMING and luckily instead of Jackson complaining about it, he started imitating Bennett and laughing hysterically.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
It's check up time!
Since the boys' birthdays are so close together, their doctor made an exception and let me bring them in together for Jackson's 4 year old visit and Bennett's two week old visit on Thursday, June 2nd. They both did great! Here's a quick recap of both...
During our hospital stay they checked Bennett's blood sugar quite often and ended up doing a series of labs on him but luckily all was normal and he was discharged with a perfect bill of health. He had a quick one week visit last week and weighed in at 5 pounds 11.5 ounces! I was thrilled he was gaining weight so well. The pediatrician told me to continue doing what I was doing and follow up in another week. This week, Bennett weighed in at 6 pounds 3 ounces so needless to say, I was over the moon! He didn't need any vaccines this week so it was an easy visit for him. The last two weeks have been relatively easy. He seems to have his days and nights mixed up a little but other than that, he eats and sleeps with a couple wakeful periods a day.
Now for Jackson's update...we have been lucky enough to have a healthy year especially since last year came with a big wheezing scare that landed us in the ER. This year, we haven't had one trip to the doctor! Unfortunately, the 4 year check up is a big one; including 4 shots, a finger prick, hearing test, vision test, and regular physical. Jackson passed all with flying colors and was such a trooper through all the shots, not a single tear was shed. He is 40 3/4" tall (60th percentile) and weighs 39 pounds (74th percentile). During his physical exam, the doctor asked him many questions to assess his development including identifying shapes, colors, writing his name, and general questions about what he wears when riding a bike (helmet), not talking to strangers, etc. Jackson did very well but also provided some entertainment too. Here are a few things that left me crying I was laughing so hard:
~ Dr. S. - Jackson what do you play?
J - I play football.
Dr. S. - What kind of football? Do you play flag football or tackle football?
J - No! I play Georgia football!
~ Dr. S. drew an octagon and when Jackson couldn't identify it, Dr. S. tried to give him clues to help him guess. He asked Jackson how many legs an OCTopus has and tried to make the connection to the octagon. Jackson simply replied by asking the Dr. S. if he knew how many legs a spider had.
~ Dr. S. went through a series of questions on strangers; do you talk to strangers, do you go anywhere with strangers, strangers equal what and Jackson answered all of these correctly. Until of course, the doctor asked what if a stranger has candy, is it ok to take candy from a stranger? Jackson looked back at me, smiled and said yes! I guess we have to work on that one!
~ Dr. S. had on a couple of silly bands on his wrist and Jackson asked him if he had a lot. Dr. S. replied no, those were just from his son. For some reason this prompted Jackson to tell him he had 100 cars at home. Dr. S. said "Wow, 100? Can you even count that high?" Of course this was a rhetorical question but Jackson told him he could and started counting very slowly, "1, 2, ..." until the doctor in between giggles stopped him.
During our hospital stay they checked Bennett's blood sugar quite often and ended up doing a series of labs on him but luckily all was normal and he was discharged with a perfect bill of health. He had a quick one week visit last week and weighed in at 5 pounds 11.5 ounces! I was thrilled he was gaining weight so well. The pediatrician told me to continue doing what I was doing and follow up in another week. This week, Bennett weighed in at 6 pounds 3 ounces so needless to say, I was over the moon! He didn't need any vaccines this week so it was an easy visit for him. The last two weeks have been relatively easy. He seems to have his days and nights mixed up a little but other than that, he eats and sleeps with a couple wakeful periods a day.
Now for Jackson's update...we have been lucky enough to have a healthy year especially since last year came with a big wheezing scare that landed us in the ER. This year, we haven't had one trip to the doctor! Unfortunately, the 4 year check up is a big one; including 4 shots, a finger prick, hearing test, vision test, and regular physical. Jackson passed all with flying colors and was such a trooper through all the shots, not a single tear was shed. He is 40 3/4" tall (60th percentile) and weighs 39 pounds (74th percentile). During his physical exam, the doctor asked him many questions to assess his development including identifying shapes, colors, writing his name, and general questions about what he wears when riding a bike (helmet), not talking to strangers, etc. Jackson did very well but also provided some entertainment too. Here are a few things that left me crying I was laughing so hard:
~ Dr. S. - Jackson what do you play?
J - I play football.
Dr. S. - What kind of football? Do you play flag football or tackle football?
J - No! I play Georgia football!
~ Dr. S. drew an octagon and when Jackson couldn't identify it, Dr. S. tried to give him clues to help him guess. He asked Jackson how many legs an OCTopus has and tried to make the connection to the octagon. Jackson simply replied by asking the Dr. S. if he knew how many legs a spider had.
~ Dr. S. went through a series of questions on strangers; do you talk to strangers, do you go anywhere with strangers, strangers equal what and Jackson answered all of these correctly. Until of course, the doctor asked what if a stranger has candy, is it ok to take candy from a stranger? Jackson looked back at me, smiled and said yes! I guess we have to work on that one!
~ Dr. S. had on a couple of silly bands on his wrist and Jackson asked him if he had a lot. Dr. S. replied no, those were just from his son. For some reason this prompted Jackson to tell him he had 100 cars at home. Dr. S. said "Wow, 100? Can you even count that high?" Of course this was a rhetorical question but Jackson told him he could and started counting very slowly, "1, 2, ..." until the doctor in between giggles stopped him.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Bennett's Birth Story
On Monday, May 16th, I started having contractions but very few and not very strong. Over the next couple of days the contractions continued in the same way, very irregular until Wednesday evening when I was making dinner. I guess being on my feet really did the trick because all of a sudden they were 8 and 9 minutes apart. I told the timing and he joked he was putting me on bedrest for the rest of the evening which was actually quite nice, he cleaned the kitchen, got Jackson ready for bed and I relaxed in bed until I fell asleep around 9pm. I woke up a couple times and fell back asleep until 11:30pm. Then the contractions came back full force and although they were still only 9 or 10 minutes apart, they were definitely stronger.
At 2am, I had one that was only 6 minutes after the last and this continued for half and hour. I called the OB on call and he told me they like to wait until the contractions are 5 minutes apart for 1-2 hours!!! I was shocked since my scheduled c section was only a little more than 24 hours away but who was I to argue with the doctor. I did go ahead and call my mom just to give her the heads up that things may be happening sooner than later. She decided to go ahead and get on the road. I'm sure my being nervous and her being overly prepared had nothing to do with Lila making her debut a week early ;)
An hour and a half later, I had been having consistent contractions that were 5 minutes apart so I woke up Nick and called the doctor. This time he told me to go ahead and come to the hospital. We got ready, woke Jackson up, dropped him off at a friend's house and were on our way by 5am.
I was taken back immediately to a labor and delivery room and hooked up to monitors. By this time the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart but I was only 2 cm dilated. The nurse called the OB and confirmed he was going to do the c section that same day instead of waiting until my schedule time the following morning. Luckily, my labor didn't progress quickly at all because it wasn't until about 7:30 or so that I was taken to the OR to receive the spinal block. Nick was taken separately to get into his scrubs and cleaned up before entering the OR. One of the nurses was prepping him on the different smells, things he may see, how he may feel lightheaded, etc. when he politely interrupted and told her he was a prediatric resident that had been in on multiple c sections.
So I was wheeled in to the OR alone and that's when the anxiety and emotions took over. All of a sudden there were so many people doing so many things to me at the same time and it was very overwhelming. On top of that, they began the spinal block as a contraction started so it was very hard to stay completely still and try to make sense of what the nurses were saying. Luckily that part passed relatively quickly and before I knew it I was lying down with the sheet blocking my view and the OB had walked in to begin. I'm pretty sure he started before Nick had even come back but shortly after Nick was by side holding my hand and wiping my tears. At 8:07 we heard the first of MANY screams! Nick stood up to take a peak and announced we had another little BOY!!! He gave me a kiss and dashed off to be with our son. I got a quick peek at Bennett before they took him to the nursery to get weighed, washed, measured, etc. As the doctor was finishing up my surgery, he and the nurses started "betting" on Bennett's weight. I could tell from all their guesses he was a little peanut, even smaller than big brother Jackson who was 6 lbs. 11 oz. A few minutes later the nurses received a call with the birthweight, 5 lbs. 9 oz.
I was taken to the recovery area and about an hour later joined by Nick and Bennett. In the meantime my mom had arrived with Jackson so Nick went out to announce that he had a baby brother. Unfortunately, my temperature was pretty low so I wasn't released from the recovery room for a few hours but they did allow my visitors to trade off so my mom and Nick's mom were both able to come back and see me and meet Bennett.
The rest of the day went by in a very happy haze as my meds wore off and we were all enjoying the newest addition to our family, Bennett Alexander Kelly, born May 19th at 8:07am, 5 lbs. 9 oz. and 19.5 inches. And just as the meaning of his name, blessed one, we are so thankful and blessed to have him in our family. We love you!
At 2am, I had one that was only 6 minutes after the last and this continued for half and hour. I called the OB on call and he told me they like to wait until the contractions are 5 minutes apart for 1-2 hours!!! I was shocked since my scheduled c section was only a little more than 24 hours away but who was I to argue with the doctor. I did go ahead and call my mom just to give her the heads up that things may be happening sooner than later. She decided to go ahead and get on the road. I'm sure my being nervous and her being overly prepared had nothing to do with Lila making her debut a week early ;)
An hour and a half later, I had been having consistent contractions that were 5 minutes apart so I woke up Nick and called the doctor. This time he told me to go ahead and come to the hospital. We got ready, woke Jackson up, dropped him off at a friend's house and were on our way by 5am.
I was taken back immediately to a labor and delivery room and hooked up to monitors. By this time the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart but I was only 2 cm dilated. The nurse called the OB and confirmed he was going to do the c section that same day instead of waiting until my schedule time the following morning. Luckily, my labor didn't progress quickly at all because it wasn't until about 7:30 or so that I was taken to the OR to receive the spinal block. Nick was taken separately to get into his scrubs and cleaned up before entering the OR. One of the nurses was prepping him on the different smells, things he may see, how he may feel lightheaded, etc. when he politely interrupted and told her he was a prediatric resident that had been in on multiple c sections.
So I was wheeled in to the OR alone and that's when the anxiety and emotions took over. All of a sudden there were so many people doing so many things to me at the same time and it was very overwhelming. On top of that, they began the spinal block as a contraction started so it was very hard to stay completely still and try to make sense of what the nurses were saying. Luckily that part passed relatively quickly and before I knew it I was lying down with the sheet blocking my view and the OB had walked in to begin. I'm pretty sure he started before Nick had even come back but shortly after Nick was by side holding my hand and wiping my tears. At 8:07 we heard the first of MANY screams! Nick stood up to take a peak and announced we had another little BOY!!! He gave me a kiss and dashed off to be with our son. I got a quick peek at Bennett before they took him to the nursery to get weighed, washed, measured, etc. As the doctor was finishing up my surgery, he and the nurses started "betting" on Bennett's weight. I could tell from all their guesses he was a little peanut, even smaller than big brother Jackson who was 6 lbs. 11 oz. A few minutes later the nurses received a call with the birthweight, 5 lbs. 9 oz.
I was taken to the recovery area and about an hour later joined by Nick and Bennett. In the meantime my mom had arrived with Jackson so Nick went out to announce that he had a baby brother. Unfortunately, my temperature was pretty low so I wasn't released from the recovery room for a few hours but they did allow my visitors to trade off so my mom and Nick's mom were both able to come back and see me and meet Bennett.
The rest of the day went by in a very happy haze as my meds wore off and we were all enjoying the newest addition to our family, Bennett Alexander Kelly, born May 19th at 8:07am, 5 lbs. 9 oz. and 19.5 inches. And just as the meaning of his name, blessed one, we are so thankful and blessed to have him in our family. We love you!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Baby Update 37 Weeks
Oops I missed my 36 week update but now that they're weekly I'm not sure how much will change in between appointments.
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How far along: 37 weeks
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Total weight gain: 19 pounds
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General disposition: Good
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Sleep: Pretty bad, I take an hourly bathroom break and then one of those times I can't go back to sleep for about two hours. And the last few days it's been even worse because Nick has been working the night shift in the ER so when he gets home around 3 or 4am, I wake up.
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Best moment: Hitting the full term mark, there's just a little sigh of relief although prayers for a healthy baby are still ongoing :)
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Movement: Yes and from what I can tell this one is going to be an early riser.
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Labor signs/body changes of note: I'm pretty sure I grew substantially, I keep running into things with my belly. Jackson also hit my belly while trying to squeeze by me and told me my belly was too big and hard.
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What I miss: Not having heartburn!
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What I'm looking forward to: THE BABY!!!!! I had a very vivid dream last night that I had the baby, when I woke up this morning, it took me a minute to realize why I didn't have a baby in my arms.
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How far along: 37 weeks
.
Total weight gain: 19 pounds
.
General disposition: Good
.
Sleep: Pretty bad, I take an hourly bathroom break and then one of those times I can't go back to sleep for about two hours. And the last few days it's been even worse because Nick has been working the night shift in the ER so when he gets home around 3 or 4am, I wake up.
.
Best moment: Hitting the full term mark, there's just a little sigh of relief although prayers for a healthy baby are still ongoing :)
.
Movement: Yes and from what I can tell this one is going to be an early riser.
.
Labor signs/body changes of note: I'm pretty sure I grew substantially, I keep running into things with my belly. Jackson also hit my belly while trying to squeeze by me and told me my belly was too big and hard.
.
What I miss: Not having heartburn!
.
What I'm looking forward to: THE BABY!!!!! I had a very vivid dream last night that I had the baby, when I woke up this morning, it took me a minute to realize why I didn't have a baby in my arms.
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