Getting Wild in the West

Week Seven

2010-02-23T23:43:00.001-06:00

Week Six (and so behind)

2010-02-23T23:37:00.000-06:00

Week Five

2010-02-11T21:57:00.003-06:00

I'm finally getting these up! Last week was a big week and I couldn't choose just one.

Cupcakes made by me (cake mix from a box- don't let the fancy frosting fool you).

Cake made by my sister, Megan (not from a box).

Happy Birthday one more time little man!

Happy Birthday Ben!

2010-02-06T22:27:00.003-06:00

I cannot believe my sweet baby is a year old. He survived his first birthday and his first massive intake of sugar (donuts and cake) and is snug as a bug in bed.

At one year old Ben:

weighs about 19.5 pounds. Yes, if we travel back to month 11 our little piggy weighed 20.5 pounds. The poor guy had a bad bout with a stomach virus last week and lost some serious weight. It was an unpleasant experience for all involved.
wears size 3 diapers and 6-12 month clothes.
has 5 teeth. Three on top and two on bottom. He also loves to show them off with a huge smile.
is super verbal. He can mimic almost any sound we make. His favorite is "thank you."
may be a yogi (yoginni?) when he's older. His gigi is so proud.
bear crawls.
was baptized.
likes to hang in his crib after his nap and read books. I love the extra time it gives me to get a few more things done. Thanks B!
had his first day at Gymboree and loved it!
has changed our lives. Neither Nate nor I (and probably Cooper) can imagine our lives without Ben. He makes every day exciting and I love him more than I could ever say on a silly blog. He is our life. Happy Birthday little man!

And for a trip down memory lane, here is the back of Ben's first birthday invitation showing his monthly picture for the last 11 months. Funny enough, the kid started life looking exactly like dad and at one year looks exactly like his mom (minus the eyes- those are 100% daddy).

Cooper and Ben celebrate their first year of brotherhood.

Week Four

2010-01-30T21:45:00.002-06:00

This has been a long week. Poor Ben was blessed with his first stomach virus. We spent a good part of the week covered in puke and a very sleepy. Thankfully, Ben is on the mend.

This picture perfectly captures our week with Ben eating nothing but oyster crackers. I also love that I caught his awesome hair. This is how he looks after every nap. I love it!

Week Three

2010-01-25T17:25:00.001-06:00

This is the story of my life these days. My legs are getting very strong.

Week Two

2010-01-19T21:54:00.002-06:00

I'm a little late this week. Again, this isn't the greatest quality picture but I love it for about a billion reasons.

All the stripes. I love a good stripe and this picture has at least three different kinds of them.
The way Ben is looking at his cousin, Drew. Drew stayed the night with us while his family went skiing. Ben absolutely loves Drew and the look on his face shows that.
The way Drew is being so sweet with Ben. I'm not sure why he wanted to put Ben's shoes on but he sat there a good five minutes trying to get those suckers on. He was so sweet and careful trying to get them on (and they're a pain, I promise).
Cooper in the background waiting for someone to throw his toy. This is the story of my life.

Week One

2010-01-07T17:47:00.003-06:00

In an attempt to document 2010 and improve my photography I've joined the ladies over at Clickin' Moms in a 52 challenge. The challenge is to take at least one picture a week (please) and share it here.

This is sweet Ben last night. This is not the best quality picture but I love his face. He's always so sweet and quiet before bedtime.

One down, 51 to go!

At Eleven Months...

2010-01-06T11:33:00.004-06:00

Note: Yes, I realize it is 2010 and not 2009. My bad.

Ben:

weighs 20 lbs. 8 oz. He's definitely a little chunker!
wears 6-12 month clothes.
has four teeth. Two on top and two on bottom. He also hasa new silly smile he likes to do to show them off. Unfortunately said smile has gone undocumented but I'm working on it.
was lucky enough to get many beautiful and fun new toys for Christmas though his favorite thing to play with is a drum stick and old measuring cups (he does love all his new toys though).
loves crawling up the stairs.
is getting a pretty great sleep schedule down. Finally.
is a snuggler (is that a word?).
can say dada, mama, gigi, and bye. Mostly he just says mama when he's crying but whatever.
has such a personality. He loves attention and thinks he's pretty funny. He loves playing games (especially with daddy) and knows how to get attention when he thinks he deserves it!
has a sad mommy! While it's so fun watching him grown and learn, I want him to stay young forever! I can't believe we will have an actual toddler in one month!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T10:30:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday... Teeth

2009-12-23T23:03:00.000-06:00

At Ten Months...

2009-12-06T17:00:00.002-06:00

Ben:

is 19.5 lbs and 28.5 inches. I was shocked that he is so long! He's still only 20th percentile for weight and 40th for height but you'd never guess that looking at him. He has some serious cheeks!
wears 6-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.
says go, go, go! He specifically says it during football games. It's possible he's learning this behavior from his Gigi (she gets quite wild during sporting events).
is one fast crawler. He has taken off and really needs to be watched at all times. It is going to be quite exciting around here when we get our Christmas tree up!
can cruise around furniture.
finally has two teeth! His two bottom middle teeth have finally popped through. I was pretty sad about losing that cute toothless baby look but Ben with teeth is pretty darn cute too!
no longer enjoys wearing hats. This is unfortunate because it is colder than cold.
loves to read and turns the pages in his books.
feeds himself little dry things (like paper or small toys and sometimes Cheerios).
drinks from a sippy cup.
is very excited for Christmas!

I Heart Ben

2009-12-04T11:28:00.001-06:00

Today is Fix It Friday over at my favorite blog! I was lucky enough to have one of my pictures of Ben picked for all to fix! Go check it out. Ben all over the World Wide Web!

Wordless Wednesday... Drew

2009-12-02T17:20:00.001-06:00

My Favorite Things: November

2009-12-01T16:05:00.003-06:00

1. Thanksgiving! How can this not be on my list. I loved having family in town. Having so many people around to watch Ben meant lots of lovely breaks for me! We ate delicious food- my favorite is pumpkin bread made by moi, we watched movies and football, we talked. I remembered back to last Thanksgiving spent with best friends and me on the couch. While I miss Christine and Rob so much, Thanksgiving is definitely made to spend with family!

2. Nate got a job! He's working hard and doing well however I must say that Ben and I miss having him around!

3. Pictures, pictures and more pictures. I had a great time taking lots of pictures this month. Ben's 9 month pictures, sweet baby Riley, and a family Christmas shoot for a friend. Such great practice and I feel like I'm getting better each time.

4. Ben found out he's getting a new cousin! We can't wait to meet little baby Geis this summer!

5. Duck football. I'm pretty sure that nothing more needs to be said.

6. Christmas decor. Yes, Christmas should probably be saved for December but I love to stretch the holidays as long as possible. I use to be all about beautiful white lights and classy Christmas decor but this year I say bring on the tacky! I love seeing the look on Ben's face when he sees sparkly and colorful Christmas decor. This season will definitely been seen through the eyes of a child and I can't wait!

Iron Willed

2009-12-01T12:15:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was Ben's 9 month doctor appointment (though he'll be 10 months on Sunday). All was great. He's a big guy and has great fine motor skills. Dr. T said he's a very social guy. He had his second flu shot and a blood test.

Late last night we got a message to call the doctor for the results of Ben's blood test. Never a good sign in my opinion. They were checking his iron levels and so I was sure we would be finding out he was anemic. Not a big deal at all.

As I was feeding Ben last night and rocking him to sleep I had all these horrible visions swim though my mind. Why this always happens at night I will never understand. I knew in my heart that everything was fine but couldn't beat the negative thoughts out of my head with a stick. I rocked him and cuddled him more than usual. Ben woke up a few times during the night (something he finally has gotten over). He knew his momma needed extra cuddles.

This morning we talked to Dr. T (and I mean we- Ben was chatting up a storm with her). Everything is perfect. Ben is boarder line anemic and needs to eat more meat (a small burn to this vegetarian). I gave him some extra loves when I got off the phone thinking how lucky we are. I can't imagine how parents can survive hearing heartbreaking news about their own children. I'm so thankful that all the children in our family are happy and healthy.

Vote for Cooper!

2009-11-24T15:42:00.003-06:00

Cooper Lyons | A Dog Named Christmas

Posted using ShareThis

Material Girl

2009-11-22T13:18:00.002-06:00

Not everything I'm thankful for can be quite so touchy feely. Here is my list of material possessions I'm thankful for this year!

My iphone. I'm not sure what I would do without this little gadget. It was love at first sight. After loosing two cell phones in 6 months I resorted to toting around Nate's old ghetto phone circa 1999 (not really but you'd think it was). Nate purchased this little gem for my birthday almost 4 months ago and it hasn't left my side since. We go shopping together, to dinner together. It even has an app for taking care of Ben. I should bungie this thing to me permanently.
My gym membership. So this isn't exactly a material possession but I love it. My parents must have seen how badly I needed to whip my butt into shape because they bought Nate and me a year's membership for my birthday. As a side note, while working out at said gym I watch movies on my iphone. Bestill my heart.
My camera and computer. These two pretty much go hand and hand. I am in love with taking pictures. Not only of my son, but of any poor soul who gets in my way. I then love to spend hours on my computer pouring over said pictures and getting them ready for you all to see here. P.S. my iphone takes pictures and video.

There you have it. I have to say I've been racking my brain for even more material possessions to rave about and I'm coming up short. I must say I'm proud of myself. Material possessions have nothing on me.

Healthy as a Horse

2009-11-21T13:43:00.002-06:00

With all the craziness going on it's easy to forget it's the little things to be thankful for. This year I'm remembering back to a little over a year ago when I was knocked up and not allowed off the couch. It's actually sounding pretty good right about now.

There was a time our family use to have surgery wars. I had knee surgery so Nate had to one up me by getting surgery on his spine. Cooper's the really hard core one though. He went and had his toe amputated. That's commitment.

This year we are all healthy (despite the occasional runny nose by Ben). Nate and I have lost over 40 pounds combined since we moved back to Oregon (one of us more than the other but I'm not naming names). My blood pressure is awesome. We both have realized how scary this time last year really was (luckily we realize it more after the fact or my blood pressure might have been even higher than it was). We have a sweet and healthy baby boy and all the pregnancy health problems in the world would be worth it for him.

Deep in the Heart.

2009-11-20T12:12:00.002-06:00

If you are a regular reader of this blog (all 3 of you) you probably wouldn't be surprised to hear I love Oregon. However, despite my love for my home state I am thankful for the 2 brief years we lived in Texas.

Texas is a pretty bada** state. It's one of the only states you can recognize from it's outline. There's also Florida and California. Maybe Alaska and Hawaii- it's the only island. I guess also Louisiana because it's shaped like an L but all those states could fit inside Texas (besides Alaska of course but put the people of Alaska in a battle against the people of Texas and I guarantee the Texas people will win every time).

Jordan and I at the Alamo

Nate and I definitely lived deep in the heart of Texas and while I love Oregon (in case you forgot) there is no place I would choose over Texas for second place. Nate and I wanted an experience as far from Oregon as we could find and I think we found it in Texas (it was a little like living in Mexico if you're curious). I am thankful that Nate and I had those two years to live on our own. We relied only on each other. We made new friends (with the help of a little something I like to call the internets). I for one become much more outgoing and independent.

The Texas friends

Though we are no longer "doing it Texas style" (though we did do it Texas style and got a Texas baby out of it) I will forever be thankful for those two years. Nate, Cooper and I (and Ben) will never be the same! You can take the Lyons out of Texas but you can't take Texas out of the Lyons.

Thank You.

2009-11-19T12:08:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know I'm a week early. This year has been such a whirlwind of a year and we have so much to be thankful for that I've decided to post something I'm thankful for everyday for a week. Stay tuned to see what's made the list this year. It's going to be good.

Ben is thankful for Charlie!

Wordless Wednesday...Mr. Personality

2009-11-18T10:14:00.002-06:00

Heroes

2009-11-11T09:47:00.018-06:00

Happy Veterans Day to my husband. Happy Veterans Day to my husband who spent 14 months overseas. Happy Veterans Day to my husband who I married on March 11, 2003- the day the war started. Happy Veterans Day to my husband who sported a Tom Selleck style moustache.

Happy Veterans Day to my husband who wrote me hundreds of letters. Happy Veterans Day to my husband who toted home loads of Iraqi soil (we are still finding it hiding in books to this day). Happy Veterans Day to my husband who never complained about living in a tent in miserable heat for over 365 days.

Happy Veterans Day to my husband who broke his neck overseas and is now the proud owner of a piece of metal in his neck. Happy Veterans Day to my husband who was man enough to sport a Henna tattoo (with the Tom Selleck no less).

Happy Veterans Day to my husband who was (and is) so respected by the men he helped lead.

Happy Veterans Day to my husband who was only 22 years old overseas (and was one of the older kids there).

Happy Veterans Day to my husband who is proud of his service and the good he (and everyone) did overseas.

Happy Veterans Day to all the Veterans who help these little kids smile!
Happy Veterans to my husband who is my hero (and a hero to many).

And Happy Veterans Day to my other hero, my dad, who also sported a Tom Selleck style moustache in Vietnam (though that was the style in the 70's). I love you!

Baby Love

2009-11-07T10:17:00.000-06:00

On the eve of Ben's 9 month-day I was lucky enough to get to hang with one of his BFF's, Riley. Riley was born on October 24th and is the sweetest baby! He is a tiny man like Ben was (though it's still impossible for me to remember Ben being that small only 9 months ago). Riley was so alert and is pretty much a stud. Thanks so much for letting me hang and take his picture!

Click here to see more pictures.

At Nine Months...

2009-11-06T08:29:00.003-06:00

Ben:

weighs a lot more than he did at birth! We think we must be around 18.5 to 19 pounds but we don't go to the doctor until the end of the month.
wears size 6-12 month clothes and size 2/3 diapers (sometimes size 3- they are cheaper).
has learned so much this month! It's just incredible how quickly he is picking things up. He may have gotten off to a slow start but we think he's pretty amazing.
is a great mimic.
can crawl! He started about 2 weeks ago (so 8.5 months). He is very fast and does the typical baby crawl- hands and knees.
can pull himself up on most things. He can also get back down. For awhile he could only get up and then he was stuck. One angry night he pulled himself up in his crib, got stuck and fell asleep standing up (disclaimer: we kept going in to put him back down and he'd stand right back up so we finally figured he just needed to learn on his own).
plays a game with himself where he drops something, bends over to pick it up and drops it again. It is quite like the "bend and snap" scene from Legally Blonde.
waves "ba-ba." He first did this on Tuesday as his godmother was leaving. We were all shocked. We hadn't even been trying to teach him this skill. His wave is very elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist (must be the Texan in him).
claps!
still has zero teeth. The kid seriously has gums of steel. He has like 5 or 6 teeth that look like they are about to burst through his gums at any minute.
plays peek-a-boo. He pulls his blanket up over his head and then yanks it down when you say "where's Ben?"
shakes his head "no" when he doesn't want to eat.
chooses his books. At bedtime I hold up two books and he picks which he wants to read (it's the little things people).
is the sweetest baby ever.

Here are three more pictures from his 9 month shoot on Monday.

Wordless Wednesday...Bath Time!

2009-11-04T11:33:00.000-06:00

Urban Baby

2009-11-02T23:41:00.003-06:00

Ben, Nate and I headed downtown to the Pearl to take Ben's 9 month pictures this afternoon. His 9 month birthday is Friday but you have to take the sunny days you are given.

Here are a few of my favorites. Click here to see the rest.

My Favorite Things: October

2009-10-31T16:00:00.003-05:00

1. Nate and I took Ben to our favorite pumpkin patch (The Pumpkin Patch). Another bonus to being unemployed is being able to hit the patch during the week when practically no one is there. We played on the hay bales, saw the animals, picked pumpkins and bought tons of fresh food. Ben loved it!

2. Ben and I had a few playdates with friends. Ben definitely misses his Texas friends but is loving hanging out with Maya, Brayden and Anna (and I really love seeing all my friends again).

3. Ben finally learned to crawl! Just last week (at almost 9 months) our very laid back baby finally took off. He still takes it slow (which makes his parents very happy) but he's getting around and loving it!

4. We've been enjoying tons of Duck football! The Ducks are having a great season and it's been a blast watching the games in true Oregon style.

5. I've been working my big old 4 hours a week! It's been a great learning experience already and I love the adult time. I've also taken pictures for my friend's son's 1st birthday and for my sisters. Next week I'm doing a newborn shoot as well!

6. Tonight was our first of many years of trick-or-treating. Sadly Ben received no candy (people asked me if he wanted some and what was I supposed to say: "He doesn't but his mom sure does.") We enjoyed ourselves despite no candy. It was definitely one of those crazy parenting moments where I realized that I was taking my child trick-or-treating.

Spooktastic!

2009-10-31T15:57:00.002-05:00

Ben is loving his first Halloween and can't wait to trick-or-treat with his cousins.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Seriously?

2009-10-29T18:01:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that I had more to write while on bedrest and now that I'm out living life I have nothing. At least I can share some pictures.

Pieces of Me (or us)

2009-10-17T17:43:00.001-05:00

Slacker.

That is the only word that can describe me and this blog lately. Nate, Ben and I are still getting use to having so much to do with family and friends around. Here are a few quick updates with us and I promise you won't hear that 7 letter word around here again.

Possibly the only thing I am good at keeping up on are Ben's monthly updates so you should all remember that little Ben is slowly turning into Big Ben. He's 8 and 1/2 months old and still has no teeth and is just about to take off with his crawling.
I have a job! I am getting paid in experience rather than money but I am so excited! I am working once a week (so I'm not sure I can really call it a job) at Kate Kelly Photography. I am working as an assistant in the office and on shoots. Hopefully soon I will get to be a 2nd shooter on portrait sessions. Kate is an amazing photographer! If anyone needs photos taken definitely check her out!
Nate has been to every home Duck game this year and Ben and I have been faithfully watching on TV.
We are enjoying everything Fall in Oregon. We've been walking in the cool weather, gone to The Pumpkin Patch, and taken many driving "naps" through the country. Have I said how much I love Oregon?
We are looking forward to a ton of changes this year (and no, I'm not pregnant). It's like 70% fun and 30% scary not knowing where we'll be a year from now. Stay tuned because who knows where life might take us!

Welcome to Oregon.

2009-10-16T22:43:00.004-05:00

I am enjoying every minute of the Oregon fall. It is cold, rainy and overcast. I love it (in on October 16th, on March 16th not so much). I forgot how much I missed the Oregon seasons.

In true Oregon fashion, we welcomed our friends Tomas, Shae and Beckham last month with a rainy weekend. We hauled the two babies all around the state (more on that to come) and around Portland.

In an effort to introduce Tomas and Shae to Oregon beer (and organic food) we drove down to the Pearl for lunch at Bridgeport Brewery. Waiting in line behind a group of typical Oregonians we noticed a sweet baby not much younger than Ben.

As all mothers do, the mommy turned around to ask about Ben and Beckham. She asked how old our babies were and I looked down at her tiny bundle getting ready to return the question when my eyes grew wide as I realized this mom was breastfeeding her child while waiting for a table. I tried desperately to turn Shae and Tomas's attention to the free peep show as I quickly averted my eyes from the mother's areas.

It must be said that I am all about nursing your baby. I would even go as far to say I support feeding your baby in public, but in line at a restaurant? Please lady, if you are out there, please at least wait until you are seated. And get yourself a Hooter Hider.

Welcome to Oregon.

At Eight Months...

2009-10-06T14:15:00.000-05:00

Ben:

is wearing size 6-12 month tops, 3-6 month bottoms (poor shrimp) and size 2 diapers.
is about to get his first tooth! It looks like it's just about to break through. He has been such a good baby during this time. He's not fussy but is having trouble sleeping!
is about to crawl! He's up on his hands and knees. He rocks back and forth. He pushes up on his feet (he's into yoga). It's going to happen any minute!
says "da da." He has no clue what he's saying but he's making the sounds!
has a re-occuring date with his lady, Anna, every Wednesday. They love talking to each other and their mommies love it even more.
constantly has the "cough." He may be the best fake cougher ever born.
is growing some serious hair. It's light so it's hard to see but we think it may double every night.
loves Cooper and "uncle" Brady. He grabs onto them and tries to pull himself up. They are two very tolerant dogs and they love him too!
is a regular at baby library time. He really loves listening to his mom make a fool of herself during the songs. He particularly likes "My Little Red Wagon."
has the biggest smile. He smiles with his mouth wide open and does it frequently. He's definitely not a serious baby (unless anyone with facial hair is around, then he's uber-serious).
talks constantly.
makes the funniest faces. He is a very expressive child.
loves being near all his cousins and family. He's such a lucky boy to be loved by so many!

Ben Recommends...

2009-10-01T23:35:00.003-05:00

Sophie. He is obsessed with this little lady. Any girl wanting to steal Ben's heart is going to have a battle to fight. In Ben's eyes Sophie is the perfect woman. She is tall and skinny. She has sweet pink cheeks. She lets him suck her face whenever he wants. Sophie rocks.

Wordless Wednesday...First Day of Fall

2009-09-23T10:11:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday...First Taste

2009-09-16T11:05:00.000-05:00

Ben-chanted

2009-09-15T21:18:00.000-05:00

I think everyone has one of those childhood places they visited every year. A place you would never appreciate as an adult if you hadn't been so captivated by it as a child.

I took Ben to my place recently. As a kid it was a story book fantasy. A place where you were literally thrown into nursery rhymes, the old west, a haunted mansion. As an adult it is a place reminiscent of the scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where the puppets catch on fire. You notice the cords, the dirt, the plywood painted bright colors. It's still an amazing place.

The last time I went was almost 3 years ago when Luke (my nephew) was only 2 1/2 years old. He and I had to leave the small theater (where today we saw Snow White and the Seven Dorks) because he was scared of the man dressed as a lady. Today, his fear of drag queens has been replaced by a love of rollercoasters and the dark.

With Luke and Ellie, 2006

This time I saw Enchanted Forest through Ben's eyes. He loved the bright colors, the drag queens, and the water show. He loved being with his cousins, sliding down the Old Woman's shoe and getting his first pressed penny (he's collecting them of course). He even ~~loved~~ tolerated the haunted house (and actually fell asleep while walking through).

Ben with my cousin, Jane

This was one of those times I really felt like a parent (is it scary I don't feel that way more often?). I'm so looking forward to more of those moments and helping Ben make those memories that make my childhood the amazing time that it was.

Ben's first squished penny

At Seven Months

2009-09-06T10:22:00.002-05:00

Seven months has hit me much harder than 6 months. Six months seems like a baby still while at 7 months Ben seems well on his way to becoming a toddler.

At seven months Ben:

weighs 16 and a 1/2 pounds. He is in the 25th percentile for his age.
is 27 inches long (50th percentile).
wears 6-12 month clothes. It's strange that these clothes should actually span an entire 6 months!
wears size 2 diapers.
can sit up! He mostly props himself up on his arms but he's up!
loves jumping in his jump-a-roo. This may be his favorite place.
is beginning to need his mommy. While very sweet, this can also be quite the pain in the a**.
spends much time in his "office".
eats solid foods.
has quite the little personality and is very much a ladies man.

Wordless Wednesday...

2009-09-02T21:50:00.001-05:00

My Favorite Things: Summer Edition

2009-09-01T23:52:00.006-05:00

Technically we still have 3 weeks left of summer but who really counts these last three weeks as summer. School is about to start, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are on the menu at Starbucks and it's currently a lovely 62 degrees outside (a far cry from the 100+ temperatures of early summer).

Here are some of our favorites of the last two months.

1. We celebrated many birthdays. My two sisters, a nephew, my forever friend Becky, a cousin, a sister-in-law, and me all are born in the summer.

2. We drove the hour and a half to the beach twice. It was gorgeous and has to be the most beautiful beach I've ever seen (and I've been to Hawaii many times).

3. Ben, Nate and I spent a week with the family at Black Butte Ranch where my parents have a cabin. We swam, rode bikes, walked, drank milkshakes and went to the fish hatchery. Ben loved the time with his cousins and loved Black Butte!

4. Design Star and Project Runway started!

5. In baby related news, Ben started solid foods (which he loves), can sit up, reaches for his mommy and sleeps all night (almost every night) in his crib.

6. We were finally able to spend time with all our family and friends back in our home state! There is so much to do when you actually know more than 3 people where you live!

I know.

2009-08-21T00:12:00.002-05:00

I've done nothing lately but post pictures. Life has been pretty typical here and I'm pretty sure no one needs to hear about Ben's new sleep schedule or our adventures with solid foods. Yes, the life of a mother can be overly exciting.

Stay tuned because I promise there is some excitement brewing (and we aren't talking Oregon microbrews- though we may have to throw some in). I can feel it in the air.

The evidence.

2009-08-14T20:11:00.004-05:00

Here is Ben in all his 6 month glory. We were at Black Butte for these pictures and the quality isn't great.

And another cute one just because.

At Six Months...

2009-08-06T00:17:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe how fast Ben's first 6 months of life have flown by! He is more fun than ever and learning new things every day.

Ben:

is definitely not the petite baby he once was. Ben weighs close to 16 lbs this month!
wears 3-6 month clothing and size 2 diapers. Some of his clothes are getting small and he can manage in some bigger things as well.
sleeps in his crib and all night long! He catches on quickly. We let him cry one night and he pretty much figured it out. It is a dream to get so much sleep again! He also naps in his crib. It's amazing how much I can get done when I don't have to hold the child.
sleeps on his tummy. Yes, I should win Mother of the Year for this one, but I tried to keep him on his back and he rolls immediately to his tummy. As long as he's sleeping, I'm okay with it!
loves laughing at his Gigi and Papa.
is ticklish on his tummy. This also makes him laugh (as does throwing him in the air- I know, Mother of the Year).
got his first owie. Poor Ben slammed his head against the side of the tub. It bled. It bled a lot.
is the next Michael Phelps (minus the whole bong thing).
immediately rolls onto his tummy when he is set down. This makes getting him dressed and changing his diaper harder than getting Jillian to invite you to the Fantasy Suite.
grabs things intentionally. He loves playing with his feet!
has been to the beach, Black Butte and the Nordstrom sale.
is able to get his car seat toy and jumper to play music by pressing the buttons. Seriously, he's a genius.

Stay tuned for 6 month pictures (on location in the BBR). Here is a picture from Ben's 6th month to hold you over.

Here's what you're missing...

2009-07-28T11:51:00.000-05:00

Check out this guide to our new (and old) hometown of Portland, Oregon (and then come visit)!

Living in Style

2009-07-21T22:00:00.004-05:00

Our family has quickly realized the difference of living in Oregon vs. Texas. We are busy. We have family, friends, the weather isn't a million point 3 degrees everyday. We go to the gym and for walks. The Nordstrom sale started. We babysit.

Life here is good. We are still getting settled into life and will be back to posting more often soon. I will leave you with a few Oregon/Texas comparisons.

In Texas we counted pick up trucks. In Oregon we count Subarus.
Our recycling bin is about twice the size of our garbage can in Texas and we can actually recycle cardboard (yes, Oregon peeps, you read that right).
We drink sake over margaritas (or if you're Nate you just drink lots of Oregon beer- he has to make up for lost time, right?).
The produce actually tastes like real fruit (the way I remember it). This is probably because it doesn't have to take 3 different planes just to get to the grocery store.
There are no margaritas to go in Oregon but you can buy alcohol before noon on Sunday.
Speaking of Sunday, places are not closed for worship and the mall opens at a normal time in Oregon.
No queso! (Seriously, what is up with that?)

Stay tuned for more Oregon adventures (and yes, I know I need to change my blog name)!

At Five Months

2009-07-06T10:56:00.004-05:00

Ben:

is big. We are sure how much he weighs and aren't sure where we can take him to find out. I will get on that and let you all know (because it's bound to be good).
wears 3-6 month clothing (however still fits in a few 0-3 month things and wears a Run DMC shirt that's 6-12 months. Go figure.)
wears size 2 diapers.
lives in Oregon.
can almost roll from his back to his stomach. He gets all the way over but can't get his arm out from under him once he's over.
can turn the music on on his jumper.
chews on everything in sight. It looks like he has a little tooth just about to break through.
still isn't sleeping well in the night. We miss the days of ole' when he was sleeping through the night.
loves hanging out with his cousins. He has many great male role models now.
has been to Vegas. Really just the airport but he loved the slot machines so much we were told we had to leave.
loves fireworks! The noise didn't bother him at all and he would fuss between fireworks.
Is the sweetest baby ever!

My Favorite Things: June

2009-07-02T23:24:00.004-05:00

The month of June consisted of packing, packing and more packing. In between the packing we were able to squeeze in a few more things. My favorites were:

Taking Ben to the zoo for the first time. It was obviously more enjoyable for us than him, but we have to try to be educational every once in awhile.
We celebrated Nate's first Father's Day. Unfortunately we decided to take Nate out for a celebratory breakfast were Ben decided to scream. Nate and I both took turns eating alone or walking Ben outside the restaurant. Fun Father's Day for Nate.
A farewell dinner with Rob and Christine! We will miss our Texas friends so much but it was so much fun to spend one last day with them. The theme of our party was "clean out the pantry" and we ate whatever after a fun day at the pool. Ben and Rob bonded over grilled chicken.
Moving back to Oregon. This is also on the worst of the month list as I hate moving but I'm so glad it's over and we are here!

Hello Oregon!

2009-07-02T00:42:00.002-05:00

We made it here safely! Nate was a champ and drove the 2100+ miles in under 3 days (with Rob the brother-in-law). We couldn't have arrived a better week. The weather is amazing.

Here is a picture of Ben's sweet cousins at the park. Ben was asleep in his stroller (which you kind kind of see in the background).

Farewell Texas

2009-06-25T10:54:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day. The day Ben, Cooper and I (with the help of my parents) get onto the plane and fly back to Oregon. The day Nate begins the long drive back home in the Uhaul.

I never doubted for a second that I am truly an Oregonian but I have to say that I am definitely sad to leave. Texas has been good to us. We have met some of the best friends ever. We have eaten tons (literally tons) of delicious Mexican food. We have enjoyed more hot weather days than I've probably experienced in my whole Oregon life combined. Texas also gave us our very own little Texan.

For this baby of the family, living on our own has taught me a lot. I've learned a ton about myself and Nate. I value my family and the time we have together more than ever before. I hope I never have to live away from them again. I've learned a little more Spanish and how to make queso. Nate and I have raised an almost 5 month old baby mostly on our own. I've learned to never assume something doesn't have meat in it just because it's not listed on the menu. I've learned a ton about the Alamo.

I now know what a real rainstorm looks like and I've lived through many thunderstorms. I was never bitten by a rattlesnake (nor did I ever even see one). I've tried on cowboy boots and been about a foot from a longhorn.

Here are some things I adore about Texas.

The weather in the winter.
The HEB sells Texas shaped crackers.
Seriously, everything is bigger in Texas.
Sonic (specifically Sonic Happy Hour).
Super Target
Christine, Lauren and Shae (as well as Beckham and Elise).
Bunco
Bennett was born here. We can take Ben out of Texas, but we can't take the Texas out of Ben.
Taco Cabana
Our neighborhood pool
It stills feels like I'm on a perma-vacation with all the gorgeous flowers and palm trees.
Our home.

I know we will be back to visit but it will never be quite the same. I know Nate will miss Texas more than I'll ever know. I know Ben will wonder about the place he was born. We will have many stories to tell him.

Thanks Texas. We will miss you!

July 30, 2007

2009-06-24T10:51:00.001-05:00

Here is one more adventure that I had as a new Texan. I laugh at my naivete now.

A Vegetarian in Texas

Texas has to have AT LEAST one BBQ place per square mile. I'm not sure the people here have ever heard the word "vegetarian". Nate and I ventured to an awesome Mexican restaurant (which will remain nameless). I was informed that the enchiladas were "amazing" and decided to give them a go. As the only vegetarian in Texas, I ordered the cheese version (I also ordered the cheapest, most awesome margarita, but that's a whole other story).

Nate and I waited very patiently for our food (not only aren't people in Texas vegetarians, but they also aren't in a hurry to do anything). Finally or food arrives. I'm so excited for my first bite of delicious cheese enchilada! I look down and what do I see? My beautiful cheese enchilada covered in ground beef. Who puts beef on a cheese enchilada?

I calmly walk my nasty enchilada to the lady at the counter and explain my problem. "I ordered CHEESE enchiladas," I say.

She replies (in broken English), "Yes, cheese."

"But these have beef on them. I'm a vegetarian." The lady continues to inform me that it's "just a leetle beet of beef."

"But I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat meat!"

"Yes, but just a leetle beet of beef." We continue arguing this point for a while longer (me: that I'm a vegetarian, she: that it's just a little bit of beef). Finally she dumps the plate to give it another try.

I go back to the table where I can see her flinging food about (no doubt trying to hide beef somewhere in my food). She walks towards me, throws my food on the table and walks away. I look down at plate number 2 of cheese enchiladas to find them...covered in beef. Hmm.

This time I make it up to the counter where I just ask for the cheese quesadilla. I figure you can't mess that up. I'm informed the lady I spoke with doesn't speak English. I want to say, "She sure knows how to say 'leetle beet of beef'."

Needless to say, the quesadilla had no beef and the margarita was good.

About one week later, we go to Mexican restaurant number two and go for cheese enchiladas again. After I order I ask the waitress if there is any beef on the cheese enchiladas. She looks at me like I'm the stupidest gringo in Texas. "No," she says.

Cut to 15 minutes later. Our food arrives, and yes, cheese enchiladas covered in beef! This time I just scrapped it off and dealt with it (however cheese enchiladas with all the sauce scrapped off aren't the greatest).

Moral of the story: If you are a vegetarian and you find yourself in Texas, do not order the cheese enchiladas (unless maybe you've had so many margaritas you won't even notice).

July 18, 2007

2009-06-23T10:44:00.002-05:00

Two years ago Nate and I were busy unpacking in our new house. Today we are packing that same new house back up.

Here were some of our discoveries of Texas and our new house.

Scorpions, Red Ants and Crickets (oh my!)

**Disclaimer** Do not read if you are an animal rights activist.

Scorpions:
Fact 1: Scorpions are not as big as my hand. In fact they are more closely compared to my baby finger.

Fact 2: Scorpions do not chase you.

Fact 3: Any scorpion that chooses to come into my house will die.

Advice: When buying new carpet for your home, opt for a non-scorpion color. Those suckers blend in well.

Red Ants:
Fact 1: Red Ants are not actually red nor do they have flames painted on them to warn of the painful bite that is to come.

Fact 1 part 2: If you look carefully, you can see a tiny red head (more like maroon really). Unfortunately, by that time it's usually too late.

Fact 2: Pouring boiling water on a red ant hill also kills the grass.

Fact 3: Just like their sugary cousins, red ants do not like windex.

Crickets (by far my favorite of the 3):
Fact 1: Crickets come in a variety of sizes. Some are quite large in fact.

Fact 2: They like to hang above the doors at stores and drop on unsuspecting shoppers at any time.

Fact 3: Crickets are not very bright. They jump into any open door where you find large piles of their dead friends. The poor people at Blockbuster must have to sweep the floor every half hour.

2 years ago

2009-06-22T08:37:00.000-05:00

It was almost 2 years ago that I was packing up and getting ready to make the big move to Texas (actually, exactly 2 years ago we were enjoying a family vacation in Hawaii- thanks Dad!). It's funny to think back to 2 years ago and what was going on. There was so much uncertainty with the big move to Texas. Would I like it? Would I survive away from my family? How long would we live there? Would we make any friends?

In honor of this last week here in Texas I thought I'd wander back through BlogLand to see what my first month here was like.

Here is my first post from the Lonestar State back on July 17th, 2007.

The Plane Ride

Who would ever choose to fly anywhere at 6 o'clock in the morning (unless it's a trip to Hawaii or something)? Cooper and I decided it would be a great idea, so we got up at 3:30 and lugged all our stuff and ourselves (with the help of mom and dad) to the PDX airport.

Cooper was a little nervous for his first time traveling and, needless to say, so was I. We said a quick and sad goodbye to mom and dad and jumped through security. Mom and I had been joking about the security putting Cooper through the "puffer". You know, that's the booth you stand in and it puffs huge gusts of wind at you. As I gave the lady my ticket, she informed me that (because I had a dog with me) Cooper and I would be entering the puffer. I had to hold Cooper, a nervous dog by nature, to my chest and walk into the booth where I was told we would hear a loud noise and feel a "light breeze." We walked in and waited for awhile. All of a sudden there was a deafening roar causing Cooper to try and leap from my arms. I used my man strength to hold him tightly, planted my feet, and prepared for the gusts. As the noise died down, Cooper and I were blown back, Cooper's lips flapping in the "breeze." It was a good thing I had my feet planted.

Cooper and I made it safely through security and down to our gate. As it was time to board, I shoved Cooper, unwillingly, into his small carrier. It was a struggle, but I felt better knowing I was providing half my cabin mates with entertainment. I flipped Cooper over my shoulder and headed onto the plane.

As luck would have it, we were seated in practically the final row where the airline is so generous as to give you approximately 5 inches from the edge of your seat to the back of the seat in front of you. I tipped Coops on his side and shoved him down between the seats until I could jimmy him under the seat. He did well for about 30 seconds. Then he started to cry. Now Cooper is not a noisy dog, so I knew he was totally freaked. Luckily the nice flight attendant (and the even nicer man in the middle seat next to me) let me put Cooper's carrier on my lap. I got as much of my body as possible in the carrier with him (which either calmed him down or left him with so little oxygen he couldn't waste any on crying). The rest of the flight went smoothly until it was time to shove the poor dog back under the seat for the landing.

In Denver I decided I had a mission, and one mission only (besides dragging Cooper into the bathroom stall, but that's a whole other story). My mission was to fly Economy Plus. I got to the gate just as the lady was calling people to board. She obviously sensed my need for that extra 5 inches because she upgraded me at no charge. Cooper and I were living large. Not only did he fit under the seat (no shoving needed), we also had the entire three seats to ourselves. Those two hours were heaven.

All in all, the whole experience wasn't too bad. We made it alive (and one of us a little braver). Next time I will definitely be booking those extra five inches from the beginning.

Ben's Hero

2009-06-21T11:37:00.003-05:00

Ben loves his daddy. He has been so blessed to have his daddy home (since being laid off). He looks like his daddy. He loves napping with daddy. Yesterday daddy took Ben swimming. Ben may only be 4 and a 1/2 months old but you can already see that look in his eyes that says his daddy is the best and someday he wants to be just like him. Ben's daddy is his hero.

Happy Father's Day Nate!

For good measure...

2009-06-17T19:31:00.002-05:00

Yes, that is a children's menu.

Welcome Home

2009-06-17T07:36:00.001-05:00

With our time in San Antonio quickly coming to a close (only 9 days left) I thought I would share some memories of our home that we are so sad to leave.

Nate and I built our home two years ago when we moved to San Antonio. We are so lucky to have sold our house in less than a month but we are both so sad to leave it.

Welcome to our home, please come in.

This is our entry way. You can see our pup, Rufus. He's Cooper's BFF but Cooper gets very frustrated because Rufus never seems to want to play (he's a guard dog you see).

Come on into our dining room.

This is where we ate our first Thanksgiving on our own. We also had Christmas Eve dinner here (since we were trapped in SA because of bedrest).

Just across the way you will find my office.

This is where I do all my work. Mostly that work consisted of painting the office gray and then looking at it.

Come get a snack in our kitchen.

Nate cooked our first Thanksgiving Turkey here. Unfortunately it was still raw the first time and we had to keep cooking it. No one wants to eat a raw turkey (except for Brady, my parents' dog).

Just turn yourself around and enjoy our great room.

This is where I spent 3.5 straight months of my life. Our couch will never be the same.

Join us in our bedroom.

At night you will often find all four of us snuggled up in this bed. It's usually Lindsey all the way to the left, Nate all the way to the right and Cooper sprawled in the middle (with Ben thrown in on occasion). I wonder who rules this house?

And here is the bathroom just off the bedroom.

This is where I spent the first 4 months of my pregnancy. Cold tile does a lot for a sick pregnant lady. Ben currently shacks up in the exercise room directly off the bathroom.

If you'd like to wander upstairs you will find Ben's nursery. This may be my favorite room in the house and the one I am saddest about leaving. He will never remember it (except for the pictures) and has not spent one night in it.

The rest of the upstairs consists of guest rooms, media room, etc. If you want to see more pictures you can look here.

We will definitely miss our house but are looking forward to making our home somewhere else.

Live from San Antonio

2009-06-12T19:39:00.001-05:00

Here is a video of Ben being awesome.

A farewell gift

2009-06-11T04:41:00.002-05:00

From our house to us.

To clarify, this was not found in our cup but on the floor. We just put it in a cup to corral it.

Taking Suggestions

2009-06-09T16:32:00.003-05:00

Nate, Ben, Cooper (yes, he's still part of the family) and I will be living in Oregon in T-minus 17 days. Sadly moving from the Lonestar State to the City of Roses makes my blog name a little outdated.

SWB seeking new SWBN. Must portray adventure, family, and a little it of everything. Must enjoy the beautiful Pac NW but have a place in it's heart for Texas. Non-smoking is required. If interested, leave a comment here!

Chicken Fried

2009-06-08T09:37:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday Nate, Ben and I took a trip to the San Antonio Zoo (wanting to get in some tourist attractions before the big move). Ben loved watching all the animals and hearing about where they came from and what they ate. He was intrigued by the variety of rare birds and the warthogs.

Seriously he slept pretty much the whole time. He did however love the fish in the Hippo exhibit. Next time we're going to take our $20 and get dinner at the Thai place with the aquarium in the back.

Sadly this picture of Ben and Nate enjoying the fish is a bit blurry!

My favorite part of the zoo was definitely the rhino. Not because I'm fascinated with this great beast but because of the rhino habitat. The rhino at the San Antonio Zoo resides in a giant bowl. Nate and I were quite interested to see the large animal (it seems like most of the animals at the SA Zoo are quite small). We walked up to the wall that overlooked the rhino and searched for his massive-ness and horn. I finally leaned over the wall (which barely passed my knees) to see this approximately 10 feet below me.

Um, hello San Antonio Zoo people? Does this seem a reasonably safe choice for a rhino habitat? Seriously, take one crazy mom at the zoo (and she probably wouldn't have to be that crazy) and one whinny kid in the Africa exhibit and the rhino could be eating something besides hay. Here is another view of the great animal.

The top of the wall is just outside the picture. You can kind of tell in the top right corner.

Just as I'm sure many people have accidently walked straight off the Riverwalk and into the river, I would not be at all surprised if some curious little rugrat took a tumble onto the rhino. I'm just glad it wasn't my little rugrat.

After our trip to the zoo, Nate forced us to eat at Lulu's. I didn't take any pictures because I wasn't sure if people would think I was reaching for my gun and shoot us.

Lulu's will soon be on the show Man vs. Food. The star of the show, Adam Richman, chose Lulu's due to it's incredibly huge chicken fried steak and 3 lb. cinnamon rolls. Seriously, this thing was bigger than Ben!

Please excuse the picture. It was taken with Nate's iphone.

While I may not claim Lulu's to be in the top 100 restaurants (and that's being generous) the cinnamon roll was freaking good! Stay tuned to see it on TV soon!

While Nate and I are sad to be saying goodbye to San Antonio soon, we had an awesome day playing tourists with Ben. Only 18 days and we will be Oregonians once again!

At Four Months

2009-06-06T12:26:00.002-05:00

Ben:

weighs- Nate and I are guessing b/c Ben has his 4 month appointment on Monday and we will find out then. There is a prize for whoever is closest. Stay tuned... (Nate guesses 13 lbs 9 oz; Lindsey guesses 13 lbs 14 oz) Update: Ben weighs 14 lbs 5 oz.
is about 24 inches long (we will find this out for sure at his appointment as well) Update: Ben is 24 1/4 inches long.
wears 3-6 month tops but still 0-3 month bottoms. Poor little guy has short legs!
wears size 1 diapers.
has blue eyes.
has taken 2 showers. One with mom (he loved it) and one with dad (he didn't love it so much). He's still a much bigger fan of the bath.
has taken his first bath without his newborn sling. He loved being under the water more and it made a much bigger mess for mom to clean up!
holds his head up very well.
loves sucking on his hands, his blankie, spit-up rags (pretty much anything he can get in his mouth).
has been to the zoo.
is grabbing things. He likes to hold on to the side of his car seat and will grab at some of his toys.
loves watching So You Think You Can Dance. He is really into music (and watching TV). Put those 2 together and you have his perfect Thursday night. He also enjoys long walks on the beach and dinner by candle light.
does not sleep in until 9 or 10 anymore. Sad for mom and dad! We have been starting our days between 7 and 7:30 now. (I am thankful for the time we had together sweet bed. We will be together once again.)
has taken a road trip to Dallas and met a real live Texas Longhorn.
is learning things so fast!

We love you little Ben!

My Favorite Things: May

2009-06-01T17:43:00.004-05:00

1. My mom came to visit! Nate and I were having a little trouble (understatement) getting the house ready to sell with Ben hanging around (which he tends to do). Mama Wolcott flew out to help clean the house and spend some time with her newest grandson. Even with all the work we had a bunch of fun!

Sadly this is the only picture I took of Ben and his Gigi.

2. Nate and Cooper celebrated birthdays (their 29th and 4th respectively) and Ben celebrated his 3 month birthday! We celebrated by putting our house on the market and eating out at Nate's favorite birthday spot, Red Robin.

3. We put our house on the market. This is actually quite sad but we are really looking forward to actually selling it!

4. I celebrated my first Mother's Day. We had a low key day but it was great to celebrate being a mom. A lot of things are uncertain right now but I know for sure that I was meant to be a mom. There is nothing better!

4. We drove up to Dallas (the real Texas). Ben was awesome in the car and we had a great time with our friends, Shay, Tomas, and Beckham. We were attacked by mosquitos the size of humming birds and spent some serious time in the heat. Ben learned a lot from Beckham (he's bilingual and sucks his feet at just 7 months).

5. The Bachelorette and SYTYCD (So You Think Your Can Dance for all you non-fans out there) started! Nothing like some good trashy reality TV to get you through the summer!

A mini social

2009-05-29T15:15:00.005-05:00

For all you moms out there, check this out! The mini social is a website with adorable things on sale for a limited time only! Check out these sweet rubber ducks on sale! Word on the street is that they were originally $48 (seriously?) and are now on sale for $9! So cute!

Don't join if you can't control yourself, but if you want some awesome deals feel free to tell them I (lwolcott28@hotmail.com) refered you!

In all seriousness, there are some really great deals on there (especially for girls right now!) and some great ideas for gifts! Check it out!

Outlaws

2009-05-27T02:09:00.001-05:00

During our playdate in Dallas, Ben and his buddy Beckham got into a wee bit of trouble. It all started on Saturday. The two decided to join forces to tear up the town of Fort Worth, Texas. Walking down the sleepy streets they happened upon a gaggle of horses the size of Schnauzers (but they were horeses). With no regard to the small children in line to ride the horses, Ben and Beckham commandeered the horses and galloped off.

***Please check out the sweaty man in the background. It was hot!***

Their first stop was Billy Bob's, the greatest Honkey Tonk bar in the land. They tied the horses up outside, dumped the breastmilk from their bottles in the dirt and swaggered inside.

"Fill um' up!" they yelled at the bartender as they slid their now empty bottles down the bar.

B and B each downed a few of Texas' finest. In his honkey tonk state, Beckham threw caution to the wind and decided to wrestle a Grizzly named Brutus. A normal Grizzly would be quite a feat, but a Grizzly named Brutus is another tale all together. With only a small scratch, Beckham walked away the winner. The two filled up their bottles one last time and set off to ravage the town. Little did they know the authorities were already hot on their trail.

Galloping down the street on their tiny horses, B and B found what they had come for. An entire pen of Longhorns. These were definitely the real thing and B and B had a plan. Being part Oregonian, Ben is somewhat of an animal rights activist. Having just fought Brutus the Grizzly, Beckham knew the ways of the animals. B and B decided to set the Longhorns free before the big rodeo that night.

They rode up to the pen, tied up the tiny horses once again. They sauntered up to the Longhorn pen pretending to be tourists. Just as they were close enough, they reached out, unlatching the pen and setting the Longhorns free. Unfortunately Longhorns aren't the fastest (or smartest) animals on God's great earth and they sat staring at the two outlaws rather than making a run for it. B and B urged the great beasts on, focusing all their attention on the animals. Little did they know, the town constable had them surrounded.

B and B were taken by surprise before their mission had even been completed. The two were hauled away to the Forth Worth County Jail.

Once in jail the two outlaws got into a rumble, each blaming the other for their bad luck.

The two quickly came to their senses and put their differences behind them. While waiting to be rescued from prison they began planning their next adventure. Oregon, here they come.

270.9 miles

2009-05-26T07:08:00.002-05:00

The distance between San Antonio and Dallas is approximately 270.9 miles. Nate, Ben and I packed up our house and drove up for the weekend for the ultimate playdate.

In those 270.9 miles we saw:

58 pawn shops*
2 dead armadillos
an insane amount of Cracker Barrels (the restaurant, not actual barrels)
1 motorcycle gang (Los Bandidos)
Love Video with a sign stating: Love Video and Boutique Family Parking around back (hmm?)
approximately 1.7 million Texas stars*
2 snake farms
1 serious thunder storm
a giant plastic rabbit
a giant plastic elephant
1 building disguised as a caterpillar
a space ship
Italy
12 Longhorns, 7 of which were fake (we could tell because one fell down and was resting solely on 1 leg and 1 horn)

* Could be a slight exaggeration.

Tip Toe Through the Tulips

2009-05-25T18:42:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure I've ever mentioned but one of my first "Nate" experiences was him singing and dancing to this song (Tip Toe Through the Tulips) in an adult diaper. Yes ladies, he's taken.

I digress. Two weekends ago, Beth from Tip Toe Photography came out to shoot Ben's 3 month pictures. We love them all! Ben seems to have inherited a little of his dad's photo abilities. Hopefully you won't see him on stage in a diaper any time soon.

Here he is in all his adorableness...

And for your additional viewing pleasure.

Pool Party

2009-05-19T13:02:00.006-05:00

Today we decided to embark on our first trip to the pool with Ben. We bundled him up in more clothes and gear than he would probably wear in the snow. Grabbed about 45 towels. Slathered sunblock on any exposed area of skin and headed to the neighborhood pool where we stayed about 10 minutes.

While it's a balmy 83 degrees today, the pool water was frigid. We dangled poor Ben's feet in the lazy river and he wasn't having it. Instead we found a nice shady area to work on our tans. We will try again!

Now the poor little man is sleeping in his car seat all tuckered out.

Just because.

2009-05-18T10:46:00.001-05:00

Here is sweet Ben enjoying the beautiful Texas weather on our patio.

Our Friday.

2009-05-16T14:00:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was a whirlwind of a day for us. In the future we may refer to it as Craptastic May Day or possibly the Lost Debacle.

We started off having 4, count 'um, 4 showings of our house. That is pretty much awesome in this day and age. This instilled a false sense of hope and an overall optimistic outlook on our day. We should have known when Ben spit up all over Nate's face during a rousing game of airplane that something wasn't quite right (clue #1).

***Disclaimer: Continue reading only if you want to hear about poop.***

Friday night is bath night in our house (for Ben and occasionally for me too). Ben loves having a bath. He lounges in the warm water, all smiles and coos. Last night some of his smiles may have been due to the fact that he sharted (I'll let you figure that one out) in the water. We had to drain and wash the tub while a soapy and cold Ben waited patiently. This should have been clue #2.

The rest of the bath went off without a hitch. Ben was clean, in his manjamas and warm and cozy. He and daddy were having a cuddle on the bed when shart #2 occurred (have you figured it out yet?). Nate got up to change Ben's diaper.

Now Nate can get kind of annoyed with me (or really annoyed with me) when I tell him what to do when it comes to Ben (I'm sure all you mommies hear me on this one). Las night I decided not to pass on my invaluable advice to wait to change Ben. Nate got the diapering supplies and set to work. Just as he has about to wrap up the diapering, shart #3 blessed us. It blessed us all over the carpet (thank goodness we're selling the house), all over the manjamas, all over the diaper and all over clean Ben. This had now turned into a 2 person job. Ben thinking he was funny decided that now would also be a good time to throw some pee into the mix, hitting dad all down his shirt and the soon to be sold carpet. Luckily for Ben, dad thought he was pretty funny and cleaned up with a smile on his face. I think Nate may have learned his lesson!

As the night lingered on, Nate and I decided to watch the season finale of Lost online. I hooked up the computer to the TV and Nate got it all ready to watch. Now Lost is normally a confusing show (at least to us), but last night Nate and I were especially confused (how did they get off the sub? what happened to Sayid? have we ever seen that Jacob guy before?). We watched intently as Kate, Jack, Sawyer and company tried to blow up the island. We figured our confusion was due to our earlier poop episode and the general confusion the show creates.

The show ended (and it was a pretty good ending) and the screen flashed back to the episode list where it came to our attention that Nate and I had just sat through part 2 of the season finale. Nice work by us. The show made a lot more sense after watching part 1! I think Ben may be sucking my intelligence out through my boobs (Nate has no excuse though).

Ben and Cooper recommend...

2009-05-11T16:09:00.003-05:00

Baby Mozart by Baby Einstein. We bought this DVD with a Target gift card (thanks Nat!) to help us out around the house. While trying to get our house ready to sell we plopped Ben down on his Baby Einstein play mat to watch this 28 minute video. Yes, I know this is way down on the list of things that good mothers do, but sometimes there is no choice! Both Ben and Cooper will sit for the entire 28 minutes to watch this video. I'm not sure who enjoys it more! Get it!

Here are the boys enjoying their new favorite movie!

At Three Months

2009-05-09T16:41:00.001-05:00

* A few days late.

Ben:

weighs about 12 pounds (we are guessing). On Tuesday, April 28th he weighed 11 and a half pounds and we haven't been able to weigh him since.
is approximately 23 inches long.
wears 0-3 months clothes though some are too small. We are also putting him in some 3-6 months clothes though they are big on him.
fits comfortably in size 1 diapers.
still has blue eyes. They are a gorgeous steely gray and we're pretty sure they are going to stay that way. A big surprise for his two brown eyed parents (Nate's dad has blue eyes and my parents both have the gene- my sister also has blue eyes).
loves sticking his tongue out at us. He thinks he's quite the comedian.
has a best friend. Its name is "the fan". He loves the ceiling fan and will lie on the floor or bed for hours staring at it and smiling.
laughs and smiles all the time. I know I've said it before, but he is seriously the most laid back baby I have ever seen (and I've been around a lot of babies).
has grown a few chins.
has flown on 4 airplanes and in first class.
is starting to grab at things. He tries to grab the octopus hanging from his play gym. He also grabs Cooper's favorite ball.
has met all his aunts, uncles, and cousins.
usually only gets up once during the night (however the last few days it's been twice). He still sleeps until at least 9 most mornings. We are counting our blessings.
is also napping in his crib! We do swaddle him for naps and he sleeps for 1-3 hours.
has finger nails like razor blades. Ouch!
is growing up way too fast!

Our healthy baby boy (check out that gut)

The male future of Texas

2009-05-07T13:29:00.005-05:00

Nate and I are lucky. We have spent a good part of our lives around babies and children (me being a 1st grade teacher in my past life). For the most part we know what to expect when it comes to Ben.

This is not the case for everyone.

Example Number One:

Ben and I were weary from a long day of travel. We had finally arrived in the Houston airport around 6 pm. I was in serious need of some frozen yogurt. Ben and I wandered the terminal in search of something tasty when we happened upon Wendy's.

I decided a Frosty would suffice and, with Ben strapped to my chest, walked up to the counter. Being as there were no other customers anywhere near the store, there were a ton of employees. The majority of the workers were young men who looked like working at Wendy's may not be there first choice.

The young man (who informed me he was in high school) behind the counter took my order and proceeded to talk to Ben. Ben really liked the tall, skinny boy and smiled and laughed at him. He asked if he could keep Ben (to which I replied maybe). The cashier called over his buddies to look at Ben. The boys were LOUD and there were a lot of them. Tall, skinny boy's friend (shorter and not so skinny) informed me that Ben was "freakin me ow. He look like a bobbie dahl (Barbie doll). He too good lookin. He freakin me ow."

Apparently Ben didn't like this and his lip started to hang and the tears began to flow. This made not so tall and skinny guy feel bad. To make up for his he offered Ben a large amount of crackers ("Here gib him sum crackas").

Sweet? Yes. Logical? Maybe. I guess to some people a small 10 pound baby may look like he eats Saltines. It must be all his chins.

Example Number Two:

Last night Nate, Ben and I went to Red Robin for Nate's free birthday burger (hey, when your unemployed nothing beats free). The young man seating us looked down at sleeping Ben in his infant carrier and asked if we needed a children's menu. Seriously?

It looks like the young men of the world (or just Texas) need a little more baby experience. Either that or my baby needs to go on a diet.

Ben showing off his svelte body obtained by eating Saltines and Red Robin burgers.

Long haired freaky people

2009-05-07T04:06:00.001-05:00

I'm married to one of these long haired freaky people. A little over 10 years ago my husband had long blonde hair a la Kurt Cobain. He wore flannel shirts and had rock posters covering his walls.

I, on the other hand, was sporting my Polo's and khakis at good ole Jesuit High School. I did my homework, had slumber parties on the weekend and never once got in trouble. Seriously. My walls were covered in pale pink paint and Backstreet Boys posters and I had a teddy bear sitting on my bed.

Here I am at Prom.

The look here in Andres' eyes says "Lindsey is foxy".

Sixty minutes south, my future husband was going to his Prom looking like this*.

It is most definitely a good thing we didn't make each other's acquaintance for a few more years.

Here we are 9 years after meeting each other over Kafka and an umbrella. We now have a son. I'm starting to think he may also be one of these long haired freaky people.

We are so blessed to have an easy going child. He takes after both of us. He's mellow. He loves to sleep. He loves TV. However in one way he most definitely takes after his daddy. Ben is a rocker. While in utero he would throw a one man dance off any time there was rock music playing. Now the only thing that calms him is to sing "Signs" by Tesla. If he's crying, gassy, fussy, whatever. Sing a little Signs and he smiles.

Ben and his daddy will always have rock n' roll in common. I'm just waiting for the long hair to start growing.

Our little rocker

* First of all, please excuse the horrible quality of the pictures. These were times before digital cameras. Second of all, what was that sweet girl thinking?

Happy Birthday Boys!

2009-05-06T00:16:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my two boys! Today Nate is turning 29 and Ben is a whopping 3 months. The two remind me so much of each other. Here they both are at about 3 months.

Don't they look alike?

It's been so great watching Nate as a dad and seeing how much Ben loves his daddy. They are already so much alike.

Nate- I hope you have a happy day despite everything that is going on. Ben, Cooper and I love you so much and can't wait to celebrate with you! Thanks for holding our family together.

Ben- I can't believe how fast you are growing up! You are the sweetest gift your daddy and I could ask for.

I love you both and hope you have an amazing day!

My Favorite Things: April

2009-05-01T18:00:00.003-05:00

This month made us its B**ch. It was full of ups and downs and therefore I'm not going to do my usual favorite things. One thing did stand out however. Our trip to Oregon to introduce Ben to everyone. It was fantastic and so good to be home. I have a few stories from our travels that will be posted soon (and many pictures).

Here's to hoping that May is a much better month!

Paranoia, paranoia everybody's coming to get me.

2009-04-28T23:06:00.005-05:00

I have an unnatural fear of natural disasters. It doesn't matter what it is, if it's natural I'm totally freaked. The other night there was talk of a tornado around San Antonio. I had about 45 dreams about tornados that night.

After the tsunami of 2004 I woke up in a cold sweat at my brother-in-law's beach house. I was alone in bed and it was dark. If there was a tsunami, how would I know which way was up?

About 2 months before I was born, Mt. St. Helen's erupted. My hometown of Portland was covered in snow-like ash. My parents still have some to this day. Maybe this is cause for my unnatural fear.

I love any movie that has anything to do with natural disasters (also man-eating sharks but that's a different story all together). It's like a train wreck I can't turn away from. Tornados, planet destroying astroids, volcanos, nuclear winter. Whatever. I'm into it. Is there an actual known phobia for my condition?

As a mom a whole new fear has crept into my being. I'm totally freaked to have Ben sleep anywhere except next to my bed. He's asleep there as I type (in a bassinet because his bedroom is way upstairs while ours is downstairs). What if there was a fire while he was upstairs? What if a crazy craigslister broke into our house while we were asleep? What if a tornado rips through our home (or a hurricane or astroid)? How does one overcome this fear?

You see, I have plans. Things I will do if any of these scenarios come true. We're downstairs if our house lights aflame. I know where to go if there is a tornado. I sleep with a weapon next to my bed when Nate is gone (when Nate's home he is my weapon). If an astroid hits us I guess we're pretty much screwed no matter where Ben is sleeping. At least that would be fast. But for the most part, my plans are foiled with Ben upstairs.

As it stands, poor Ben is going to be 15 and still sleeping on the floor next to my bed (I guess I should say poor Nate as well). They may both end up in therapy twice a week. Hmm, maybe I'm the one who needs the therapy.

It pays to be nice.

2009-04-27T11:21:00.007-05:00

To get to Oregon from San Antonio one is required to fly on at least 2 different planes for at least 7 hours. Most often we fly through Denver which splits our time pretty evenly.

This past trip we flew Continental to Houston which is only about a 30 minute flight. Not bad. I wish we could fly to P-town in a half hour. Flight numero uno went smoothly. Ben ate and was silent the entire trip. Not so hard for a half hour.

It was the next flight I was nervous about. From Houston to Portland is about 4 hours and 30 minutes. That's a long time in the eyes of a 2 month old (and in the eyes of his mother). Nate informed me I had an aisle seat. I wasn't too happy about the thought of flashing myself to an entire plane while feeding my son (I didn't yet own a Hooter Hider and had only a mere blanket to shield me from the onlookers). While in Houston (after eating the most delicious milkshake) we walked up to the gate attendants and asked to be switched to a window seat. We were informed there were none available. I have to be honest, I was mad. Mad at my husband for not getting me a window seat to begin with (what kind of man doesn't think about the effects of breast feeding on a plane?). Mad at the ladies for telling me no. Mad that I would have to feed my son and worry about the drink cart slamming into his sweet little head. Luckily my internal anger monitor was in service that day because I simply thanked them for checking and said I hoped no one minded my feeding my son.

As Nate and I walked away to wait for our plane o' misery the lady called me back to the desk. As a mother to a mother, she said, how would we like to sit in first class. I had to think about it for awhile. Did I want to spoil Ben like that on his first trip to Oregon? Would he think we had money to spend in frivolous ways when really he has two unemployed parents? Would he expect extravagant gifts at Christmas and one of those gigantic blow up decorations in our yard? No. And if he does then let him suffer. We were flying first class.

Flying first class kind of ruins any other type of travel for the rest of your life. Was it worth it though? Yes. We did receive a few nervous looks as we boarded the plane with young Ben. Just wait, I thought. Wait until they see what an awesome baby he is. Before the plane even took off Nate was sucking down free whiskey like he was born to do so. I was really wanting some free alcohol but decided the stares I would get while simultaneously drinking and nursing my son wouldn't be worth it. I stuck to Diet Coke. We also got free dinner, a free movie, a really super hot towel that I'm not sure what you are supposed to do with besides burn yourself (it was really hot) and they use real dishes! Ben didn't make a peep the entire trip (take that haters) and actually slept through the majority of his first class experience (no need to worry about previous worries). I, however, tried to stay awake the entire trip so I wouldn't miss one second of luxury. Seriously though, first class rocks.

The moral of this story is: Always (I stress the always) be nice to anyone who might be able to put you in first class. It's so worth it.

And we're back

2009-04-26T13:10:00.005-05:00

I had every intention of updating my blog while in Oregon but the two weeks flew by! Nate and I are currently trying to get the house ready to sell and Ben has his first cold. I do promise to be back shortly to share some Oregon stories.

I leave you with a few pictures (because what is a blog post without pictures?).

Ben's first plane ride. He's obviously getting tired of the paparazzi.

Ben and his cousins (Wolcott side). Not a great picture but I'd like to see anyone get a great picture of 6 Wolcott kids.

From left to right: Ben (2 months), Luke (5), Max (2 3/4), Drew (3), Ellie (7 3/4), Makena (1)

Life revisited.

2009-04-07T13:11:00.003-05:00

Today Nate was laid off. We've been preparing for it but it still sucks. His company laid off close to 500 people and it sounds like there may be more. Not to worry, we are looking at the bright side of things.

We are so lucky to have a wonderful family to support us. Nate's employer is giving the laid off a pretty good deal. We do have to sell our house (know anyone looking in San Antonio?) but most likely we will be moving back to Oregon (stay tuned for a new blog name)! Nate isn't as excited about this prospect as I am.

photo courtesy of dan_photoman

We are also cutting back and realizing what we don't need. We've cancelled our cable (so hard), sold a computer. We are bargain grocery shopping and finding free things to do around the city. I think this could be a good thing.

Inconceivable!

2009-04-06T20:17:00.002-05:00

Nate and I are watching The Princess Bride. Does anyone notice a resemblance?

Happy 2 Months Ben!

2009-04-06T19:05:00.001-05:00

At Two Months

2009-04-06T18:39:00.003-05:00

Ben:

weighs 9 lbs 14 oz. He's up 4 lbs from birth (and 2.5 lbs from a month ago) which puts him in the 16th percentile for his age.
is 21 1/4 inches. Poor guy is only in the 7th percentile for height.
wears size 1 diapers though they are quite huge. He could really benefit from a size in between newborn and size 1.
wears 0-3 months clothes.
still has very blue eyes. They have gotten lighter but we are still expecting them to change. It would be pretty amazing if they stayed blue.
loves to be held. He is the stage of not wanting to be set down (I'm wearing him in the Baby Bjorn as I type).
sleeps well. Yesterday he slept until 10 am. Last night he slept from 10:30 pm until 4:30 am. He does sleep in bed with us at times, but mostly sleeps in his crib.
finally loves his swaddle blanket.
has had two bottles.
does not help his dad with chores (Nate wanted to be sure I included this).
loves watching TV though I try not to let him.
goes to Story Time at the library with his girlfriend, Elise.
has been to the Alamo.
is starting to grab at things.
loves being outside (thankfully we live in southern Texas).
really enjoys being in the bath. We have only had one peeing in the tub incident and one falling asleep in the tub incident.
is starting to smile.
rolls onto his back or falls asleep the moment we set him on his tummy.
is about to take his first plane trip to Oregon!

Why?

2009-04-05T15:31:00.004-05:00

Why does my son grow hair on the sides and back of his head and not on the top? He looks like a 70 year old man in desperate need of a comb over. Let's take a look at the evidence.

Poor kid.

Gorgeous

2009-04-03T16:34:00.004-05:00

Cooper and I are outside playing (and blogging) while my two men sleep inside. It is a beautiful day in San Antonio (definitely one of the perks of living in Texas). Here is an awesome picture from my computer of the beautiful weather from the back porch.

More photos

2009-04-02T13:40:00.003-05:00

My 2 punks

2009-04-02T13:02:00.004-05:00

Punk #1- Cooper (our first born) in Punk #1. I'm not sure you've ever met a dog with more personality. He loves watching TV. See this video for proof. He sleeps in bed with us (under the covers, head on pillow). He smiles. When he pees he alternates legs. We call this the hip swivel. I think he must be trying to mark as much territory as possible. He loves Punk #2. Yesterday I came out of the closet to find Punk #1 standing over Punk #2 (who was smiling and smiling) wagging his tale. Later in the day I was holding #2 and #1 brought his ball (see picture) over to #2 and pressed it against his hand. Sorry #1. Not going to happen for quite some time. #1 heads straight to the door as soon as #2 starts to cry.

Today I was taking some pictures of #2. #1 got jealous. He decided to get in on the action and pose for some shots of his own. He did this all on his own.

Punk #2- Bennett is starting to grow into his own personality as well. He also loves watching TV (hmm, I wonder where they get this from). He needs to be held. He loves watching #1 run by and listening to him bark. He loves listening to the fan in the bathroom and the sound of my hairdryer. He rolls over or falls asleep as soon as he is set on his stomach. #2 is really great at catching you unaware and spitting up all over you. He loves to be on the move.

These two crazy punks make our days and nights more interesting. It's so amazing that they already are so aware of each other and love each other so much. They definitely make our family whole!

My Favorite Things: March

2009-03-31T19:49:00.002-05:00

1. My sister, Karley, came to visit. I seriously have the best sisters ever. Karley left her own 3 kids to come visit for 4 days. We had a great time relaxing, visiting with one of Karley's sorority sisters (actually mine as well). Ben loved his aunt and can't wait to see her next week (and meet his cousins)!

2. Nate and I celebrated out 6 year anniversary on March 11th. We brought the house down with a romantic dinner of Quiznos. Yes, we are that romantic! We celebrated again the next night with a more romantic dinner (con Bennett).

3. Ben got to meet his Gramma and Grandpa Lyons. We loved snuggling with them and talking to them (he's becoming quite the talker).

4. Ben also got to meet his Auntie Suz (Nate's sister). We had a great time eating out, visiting the Alamo and touring the Riverwalk.

5. March was my first full month off of bedrest (since October). It's been a slow recovery and Ben, Cooper and I are talking many walks to build back some muscle tone!

6. We have been enjoying American Idol and love watching the top 13. No favorites yet though!

Happy Spring!

2009-03-20T15:05:00.005-05:00

Today is gorgeous here in San Antonio. Ben and I took a trip downtown to have lunch with my friend, Christine, on the river. Ben loved looking at the ducks and loved the sun. Unfortunately Ben dropped his favorite binkie into the disgusting river. All in all it was a successful trip!

Ben and Christine on the famous San Antonio Riverwalk.

The ducks on the river were very brave and interested in us.

These are a few of my favorite things (Part II)

2009-03-16T15:49:00.000-05:00

1. Ben's Boppy Newborn Lounger. My friend, Lauren, gave us this. Ben loves to lie on it and it helps me be able to get thing done (including shower).

2. The E*TRADE commercials with the talking babies. My favorite is the one where the baby sings The Book of Love. I like to drive Nate crazy by singing that song to him. I'm not sure why he hates it (with my American Idol voice).

3. Complex 15 face lotion. I use to think this was such a splurge (it costs about $8.50). I have used this stuff since high school and it is just as awesome as it was back then. It is made with a lot of water and is on the thin side. My face just sucks it up!

4. My camera. I'm still learning how to use it, but it takes great pictures on it's own. Even I can't mess it up!

5. The Oball. Here at Casa de Lyons (that's Spanish) we call these Wonka balls. Cooper goes crazy for them and they are less expensive than most poor quality dog toys. Good luck finding them because we may have just bought the entire stock!

Time flies when you're having fun.

2009-03-11T10:42:00.012-05:00

Nate and I have been married 6 years today! We were married at Fort Carson, CO in a church made of cinderblock. We had a church full of soldiers dressed in fatigues and covered in mud. They bought us a cake from the grocery store and we drank punch from red paper cups. It was the most perfect wedding ever.

Nate and I have been through a lot in the last 6 years. Some memorable things are...

We spent the first 13 months of our marriage apart. Nate was in Kuwait and Iraq while I spent my first year teaching 6th grade.
We bought our first (and my favorite) house. Nate agreed to let me buy it sight unseen while he was in Iraq.
Nate was able to come home for R&R over Christmas!
Nate came home in April 2004!

In July of 2004 we celebrated our marriage with all our family and friends.

We took a "familymoon" to Maui. Nate and I were there for a week before my family joined us and my sister got married.

Cooper joined our family! He has provided us with so much entertainment!

Nate got a new job and we sold our house, Nate moved to Eugene, OR and we bought a house. I stayed in Portland (and lived with my parents) because I had already started teaching. I visited Nate on the weekends.
Nate had neck surgery from an injury overseas.

About 4 months after moving to Eugene, Nate was transfered to San Antonio.
Nate moved to Texas while I stayed in Oregon for the rest of the school year.
We built our house.
My parents took the whole family to Maui again!

Last spring we decided to have a baby!
Nate was a rockstar while I was on bedrest for 3+ months. He did everything!
Our son was born!

This is only our 3rd anniversary we've actually been able to spend together. I am looking forward to many, many more!

In this economy...

2009-03-10T21:23:00.003-05:00

Cooper has decided to help us out by getting a job at Hooters. He's a team player.

Here he is sporting his uniform.

At One Month

2009-03-06T21:39:00.003-06:00

Ben:

weighs about 7 pounds 5 ounces
still has his umbilical cord
hates sponge baths
is looking more and more like daddy
has very blue eyes but we will be surprised if they stay that way
loves to sleep and usually has very good nights
sleeps in our room but in his own bed (his nursery is upstairs and we are downstairs)
gets up 2-3 times per night
will sleep in until 9 or 10 each morning
loves his binkie
has rolled from his stomach to his back 3 times
has rolled from his back to his side
doesn't like his arms to be swaddled
is very, very mellow
is wearing newborn diapers
is wearing newborn clothes (and some preemie clothes)
loves driving in the car
enjoys being on his newborn lounger, in his bouncy seat, swinging in his swing and the vibrations and white noise in his Pack n' Play
is great out in public and at restaurants
has his parents wrapped around his finger

28 days later

2009-03-06T16:45:00.008-06:00

Ben is one month old!

Update: Ben is actually only 7 pounds 5 ounces. Not sure what happened there! I apparently don't know how to weigh myself.

I can't believe how fast the time has flown by, yet it also seems like he's been with us forever. Ben is a sleeper. He doesn't like to be swaddled because he wants his arms above his head (I also sleep with my arms above my head though my arms actually reach over my head). He loves the eat and that's about it. We can't believe how big he's gotten!

Ben with his stuffed lion, Charlie.

Ben snuggling on his blanket made by Great Grandma Marie.

D-Day

2009-03-03T09:38:00.003-06:00

Today is Big Ben's due date! I have the day marked in my calendar. Instead of being in the hospital, I'm sitting on the couch with my almost 4 week old son. I have loved these last few weeks with him.We are so blessed that he was a healthy preemie. Happy D-day Ben!

Ben at 3 weeks. He's getting big!

The Greatest Man

2009-03-01T09:25:00.005-06:00

(at least we think so)

My Favorite Things: February

2009-02-28T21:05:00.001-06:00

February 2009 has been one of the most eventful of my life. Here are some of my favorite things.

1. Obviously, my son was born on the 6th. You can read all about his birth here. Right now the little guy is curled up on my chest (making typing a little difficult). Bennett is the best baby ever. While my pregnancy wasn't the easiest or the most fun, it was worth it a million times over. It's crazy to think that little Ben should still be cooking for a few more days (he was due March 3rd).

2. My mom was able to be here for her grandson's birth. She was actually on her way to San Antonio to hang out with me while on bedrest when I went into labor! We called her on the way to the hospital while she was enjoying her layover in Denver. That was a fun call to make! I didn't realize how important it would be for me to have my mom with me while in labor. She was also in the room for the delivery! It couldn't have worked out any better.

3. Nate and I have spent the last few weeks getting to know our son. He looks like his daddy. He loves to sleep like his mommy. He loves Cooper and is great on his own. He enjoys his newborn lounger, bouncy seat and swing. He makes the best faces. Nate is able to calm him down if he gets upset (which is rare). I don't think either of us realized how in love with this little guy we would be. He is the best and has made our family complete.

4. My dad came to visit! He was able to meet his 6th grandchild and helped us out around the house (being on bedrest for the last 3 months, our house needed a lot of help). It was so fun to see our little man with his Gigi and Papa!

4. Megan and Makena came to visit us! We had such a great time and it was so fun to see the cousins together. Makena loved Ben and he loved watching her. We went shopping and relaxed. It was so great to have family in town. I always have such a hard time saying goodbye.

March is going to be a great month too! Ben gets to meet his aunt Karley this weekend. His grandparents are coming later in March as well. We can't wait to see what happens next!

Brotherly Love

2009-02-25T11:12:00.003-06:00

Ben and Cooper love each other! Cooper has to be right next to us (and touching us both) whenever I nurse Ben. They are the cutest!

Thanks Gigi!

2009-02-23T17:52:00.006-06:00

Ben with his Gigi

Ben is so lucky. He has the best Gigi in the world (and I have the best mom in the world). My mom just happened to be on her way to San Antonio when I went into labor early. We think Ben knew how important it was that she be here!

Gigi left San Antonio on Monday after two and a half weeks here. She helped out with Ben and Ben loved having her around. Ben's Papa was also here for a few days. Ben loved having some man time with him! It is very sad for us to think that Ben will spend the first part of his life so far away from his family. We can't wait to fly home to Oregon in April so Ben can meet all his cousins and aunts and uncles. Ben is a very lucky kid to have so many people who love him (even if they are far away). We are all counting down the days when he can see his Gigi and Papa again!

Ben with his Papa

Ben and Daddy

2009-02-17T20:36:00.002-06:00

I never thought I could love Nate more. I was wrong. You should see him with his son. He can't get enough. You would be surprised to know that there was a time when Nate wasn't sure he wanted kids. Seeing him now, I can't imagine him not being a dad. He rocks.

Life with Baby

2009-02-14T11:20:00.006-06:00

Nate, Ben and I are adjusting to our new lives. Thankfully it's going very well so far (I'm sure this is in no small part due to the fact my parents have been here). Ben sleeps well and on his own. We think we have the Billi lights to thank for that. Nate and I are a little sleepy but doing well. Here are a few pics of our little man to tide you all over until I'm back to blogging more regularly! We think he's pretty cute.

One More Night

2009-02-08T11:10:00.005-06:00

Nate and I are happy to report that big Ben is doing great! He is a sleepy kid (wonder where he gets that from?) and is eating pretty well. Unfortunately, because of his size and being so early (4 weeks) he has had a few small issues to deal with.

Ben is one strong kid. He has been poked and prodded so many times that he has bruises on his little heels. He has had a few blood sugar problems which are common with preemies. He also got a fever which has now gone away. He is currently battling jaundice under the Billi lights. He seems to be loving his personal tanning bed but it's hard on mom and dad! He has to stay under the lights and can only come see us for 30 minutes every 3 hours. We are missing him big time!

Because of the jaundice, big Ben gets one more night in this luxury hospital. The most amazing part is, the hospital is letting us rent the room I've been in for an extra night (for $35!) so we don't have to leave him here alone! That is the best news because neither of us can imagine having to leave him overnight. I can't imagine how parents with babies in the NICU do it for days on end. They are stronger than us!

Bennett under the Billi lights