Ben's Baby Brother

I can't believe it's already been over a month since I last posted; it goes to show how quickly time is flying by for us! I felt like it was just a week ago that I wrote last. So I apologize for my delinquency to those of you who try to keep up with us.

We were thrilled this past Wednesday to find out that we are expecting another son! We were hoping for a little brother for Benjamin, but of course were only hoping for a healthy baby, no matter the gender. It was quite obvious to me, pretty quickly in the sonogram, that this was a little boy! There is no doubting those boy parts! We are so excited. The practical side of me is very happy to use all the cute boy baby clothes again! Ben grew so fast, he barely wore them. I know this one will also grow fast, but at least they get another go 'round.

Here is one of the profile pictures of our new son; he was so wiggly and active, we had a hard time seeing all his little features! He was sucking his thumb almost the entire time and no matter what the technician did, she could not get his hands completely away from his face! Big brother Ben did this, too - he was born with his hands up by his face. So this must be genetic!

Here is one of his little feet. I don't know what the circle-type part is next to it, though...these sonograms are hard to read if you're not trained! How exciting to see all his little parts moving and working just as they should, though! His heart, brain and other organs are functioning properly and he is apparantly a healthy little guy! We are so thankful to God for this.

Ben still doesn't quite understand what is going on, though he has noticed Mommy's tummy growing. We tell him that a baby is inside Mommy's tummy, and now he thinks that all bellies are called "babies". (He also calls all of his stuffed bears "baby", too, so we are not sure where he is making connections!) We may have to come up with new baby's name sooner than later, so that Ben will understand that this is a little person - not a bear. :)

Miracle from God!

We were so blessed last week to have an ultrasound of our new baby and to see the little person wiggling around in there! I was nearly 12 weeks along at the time, so the baby is pretty well formed, and we could see a tiny face - even the nose, mouth, and an ear - and little arms and legs kicking about! It was really special. We were so thankful to see that this baby so far is apparantly healthy.

Then a few days ago, and even today, I felt the first movements! I had heard that a mother can feel the second and subsequent babies earlier than she does the first one, and it's really true. I am nearly 13 weeks along now. I wonder - what does this mean for the rest of the pregnancy?? Is this going to be a really active baby? Will Mommy be very uncomfortable for the last few months? I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Here are a few more pictures of our new baby:

You can see a leg kicking up in this one! It looks disjointed but it is all there!

I thought I could really see his/her little arm on the side, up by the head, with the other arm up, too - Ben was like this in the womb, and even was born with his fists up by his head - the first thing he did was poke himself in the eye!

Another beautiful picture - again with the arms, and the little nose too! I can't wait to meet this little person!

Hope in a Heartbeat

We were thrilled yesterday when the OB was able to find our new baby's heartbeat! I am just 10 weeks along and she told me, "Now don't panic if I can't find it, it's early yet..." But then there it was, drumming along so reassuringly. Both the doctor and I were thrilled! She said the chance of miscarriage at this point is less than 5% - so I'm starting to relax about the pregnancy. I'm going to have a sonogram soon and am really looking forward to that! Bryan and Ben will get to come along and it will be neat to see the new baby all together. I'll keep everyone updated as things progress!

Meanwhile, Big Brother Ben is constantly on the go, barely pausing for sleep! Even a cold this past week did not slow him down. I think that he'll be a great big brother - he will love playing with his sibling! Of course he'll have to wait a little while before he/she will be able to actually play with him - but not for long! I can see Ben entertaining him/her quite well and enjoying it. I think he gets bored around the house with just Dad and Mom (though he and Dad have a lot of fun playing together). I have play-dates with friends and take him to the park, but having a real play-mate 24/7 will be nice for him. (and for the little one too!)

We love this picture of him - we think he looks like an elf with his ears sticking out from under his hat. Whenever he finds this hat around the house, he puts it on, though it never stays on for very long. He is so funny with all the little new things he is doing each day - trying to say new words ("Elmo" is still his favorite), pretending to read books to himself, climbing on furniture (yikes!), and stomping around the house in his shoes. He loves his shoes! He does this cute little "dance" of sorts, where he'll just stand in place and stomp really fast and giggle so hard at himself. He loves to laugh!

Now if only he'd sleep so that Mommy could sleep!

Finally, an update for everyone...

...I apologize for being so delinquant on updating the blog, but life has been so busy!! We were home for a short two weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, then we had a wonderful two weeks in Montana over Christmas and New Year's, and have been home for a very hectic week! Whew. Meanwhile little Ben has been going non-stop, exploring every inch of wherever he is, and learning new words and sounds every day! Today he was trying to say "cold". It came out more like "co!" This was while I was sharing a popsicle with him, then later when Daddy let him walk around on the cement garage floor in his bare feet.

We are slightly disappointed that after all our hard work with him, his first words were not "Mama" or "Dada", at least not in recognition of one of us (he says those words randomly) -- but instead, his first coherent word was "Elmo!" Sigh. I guess you just can't win sometimes. His favorite sound is still the monkey sound, thanks to his beloved Curious George. Those are his two favorite characters, Elmo and Curious George. So he walks around saying Elmo's name and then squawking like a monkey. It's pretty funny!

One reason life is so hectic right now, besides us trying to keep up with little Ben, is that we are now expecting our second child!! I am just 9 weeks pregnant and feeling every bit of it -- tired, sick, etc. It is not as bad as my first pregnancy (not so far anyway) but it is more difficult since I AM trying to keep up with a busy toddler. So this mommy is extra-tired.

Which is why I will now go to sleep. I just remembered that "hey - we have a blog that we told everyone about at Christmas" and in case everyone stopped checking in since I wasn't updating it...well, we are back! Happy 2009!