Benton is Here!!!!!

Just as I suspected....in the same fashion as his big brother, Henry, Benton Frederick arrived early! He came into this world on October 28, 2009 at 7:41 pm weighing 7 pounds 4 ounces and measuring 21 inches long! Hey, like I said before, I am glad for the early babies as long as they are healthy! Seven pounds is fine with me!! I was well on my way to a 9 pounder if we made it 40 weeks!!

Labor was quick and relatively easy. I woke up at around 4 am with some lower back pain and some painless contractions which progressively got as close as 6 minutes apart. So, I woke Ross up and we prepared ourselves to call the doctor. Then...contractions stopped. So, since we had a routine doctor's appointment anyway at 2:45, we decided to go about our day knowing that this would most likely be our last work day before Benton. Sure enough, Dr. Shoemaker checked me and I was 4 cm already, almost completely effaced and had a contraction while he checked:). Hooray! I was pretty miserable and tired of being pregnant, so this was great news to me! He broke my water at around 3:40 and I got my epidural shortly after---Hey, why wait??!?! Legal, good drugs--I'm a fan! I pushed for about 15 mins or so and he was here! It was great!

Henry is doing very well, much better than we expected. He really enjoyed his cousins coming to see him for a couple of days, as you will see below, and was most happy while they were here. He is a little jealous, likes to poke and hit a little, but, overall, he really is impressed by him and thinks he is really neat. We just have to keep him from disturbing him while he's asleep. He wants to get into the bassinet with Benton and we are desperately trying to teach him that he cannot. That's been the one tough thing. If we can master that, it should be easy otherwise. Daddy has really stepped up to the plate with Henry, too. They are two peas in a pod these days. Henry and daddy have done everything together since Benton arrived. They have spent a lot of time with the Fetners so that Sam and Henry can play. They spent the whole day together on Halloween--Benton and I joined the party for a little while just to see Henry is his costume and watch him trick-or-treat--but for the most part, Daddy has been all about his biggest boy! I miss my time with my sweet Henry, but I know that once things even out again and I get a little recovery time, things will be back to normal.

Ya-Ya stayed for 4 days, one night in the hospital so that Ross could go home with Henry. It was so nice! She helped so much and we were so sad to see her go!! But, she and Do-Dah will be back this weekend to visit again and let Do-Dah meet his new grandson. We cannot wait!

Benton is a wonderful baby--I cannot stress that enough! He eats great, sleeps great, etc.....what more could I ask for! I am loving every minute with my new little miracle! It is truly amazing that you can love something so much! I did wonder if I could ever love him as much as Henry, but it's like God gave me another heart to love with!! I am truly overflowing and full with love for both of them. Ross and I talk everyday about how blessed we are! And it is true--we could not ask for more than we have already!!!!! Thank you Jesus for our sweet healthy boys!!!!



Henry loved having his cousins, Charlotte and Anna Claire, visit him for a couple of days

First ride in the car with Benton

Snug as a bug and ready to go home

First family photo--if this doesn't speak volumes......

Mommy loving on her minutes old baby boy!!!

A brand new Benton!

Lots to update you on!

Well...it has been a while. My computer officially decided to rebel and since I could not upload pics at all--no way, no how--we got a new one. So, maybe I'll be better at blogging now!

There is much a buzz in the Brereton household! First and foremost, we are about 37 weeks and counting down to Benton's arrival. Last week, at my doctor's appt., we found out that I am already 2 cm and starting to efface, so he may be coming sooner than we expect!! He is still measuring a very large baby (they are prepping me for an over 9 pounder!!)--his measurements are all well into the 90th percentile. Of course, that is provided that we make it to 39-40 weeks. I keep telling Ross that just because I am gearing up for a large boy, he will probably be 5 lbs....fine with me. Honestly, I just want a healthy baby...but a 7 pound healthy one would be just as nice as a 9 pound one!! :) We are very excited...and finally ready. Here are a few pics of the nursery so everyone can see...... All packed and ready to go......
A view from the door......

Next......we got a dog! Yes, you did read that correctly. We got a dog. Sucker must be my middle name. I never thought I would give in, but I did. She (yes a girl--I need something a little feminine in this house) is a lab/golden retriever mix and her name is Maggie. Needless to say, Henry loves her. He wakes up every morning and runs to her kennel just to see if she's still there. He's genuinely surprised each time she is. He knows his mommy well:). She's really good, I have to say. It's definitely something that we are all getting used to: Henry in the sense that he cannot for the life of him understand why he cannot pick her up and drag her everywhere by her tail or face(he also bites her--great-- which everyone who knows him well understands completely), mommy in the sense that I am not used to a puppy yelping to go outside so early each morning, and daddy bc poo-poo piles are his expertise, not mine:). It is a big responsibility, but one that we are all adjusting well to. Seeing Henry with such a big smile on his face playing with Maggie is such a treat. Here are some pics of them playing and posing.

Next, we have a new niece!!!! Molly Claire Harbison was born on October 22, 2009 at 10:18 a.m. weighing in at 7 pounds even and measuring 20 and 3/4 inches long .She is a knockout! What a cutie! We didn't get any good close-ups of her after she was born but we did get a few of her with her daddy and grandfather and a shot of the hot new mama! Katy looked absolutely fantastic after Molly was born and is adjusting to new motherhood very well from what I hear. We are so thrilled to have a new member of the family!! Last but not least, we,of course, have been to the farm on multiple weekends, and Henry enjoyed it more than ever. I, on the other hand, was absolutely spent after every weekend. He wore me out getting into everything all day long. He is such a busy little guy that it's hard for his very pregnant mama too keep up!! He adores Peanut the Pig (aka "Nut" to Henry) and I wish I could record the noise he makes when you ask him what Peanut says!! So funny! We missed the Cotton Pickin' Celebration this year, and I was sad....but little Benton is first on our minds, so Daddy, Drew and Matt went up without us to help out. We had a nice weekend at home together with Clarissa and Sutton, but we hated to miss all the fun! And....we did miss Daddy a little, too! Here are some farm pics for you to enjoy!!! Sporting Grandaddy's hat--he loves that thing and tried to wear it out the door a few times!!

I am thinking that my next post will be Benton's arrival, so keep us all in your prayers for a healthy baby and a safe delivery!!

Henry's New Hiding Place....

There are a lot of things missing around our house...namely, a very expensive remote control that does it all for our big(gest) TV with all of its little recievers and speakers and such. With that missing, I can no longer watch TV in the living room without Ross' assistance. We have been very sure that Henry is the culprit. Well.....a few days ago, while I was on a very important phone call with my sister, Leah, I noticed Henry going in and out of the master bedroom, taking various items with him but not bringing them back out. So, I checked up on the little guy. Not missing a beat, he realized that I had caught onto him, so he stood completely still looking very innocent. He had my phone charger in his hand. I asked him what he was doing and he just smiled, as usual. I finally found out....I looked under a part of the coverlet on my bed beside the mattress and found an unbelievable stash! He had hidden books, my sunglasses, his new "power tool" set, some hand sanitizer, vitamins, toys, framed pictures from around the house, you name it. It was all in his new stash. He is really into hiding things from us and going there to get the when he wants to play with them. Ross was so excited! He was sure the remote was there. It wasn't. Bummer. I just have to find that other place that he's hiding things.....

Finally...a blog with pictures!

Okay, so I am no better at blogging than posting pictures...but I have much to update you on!!

Pregnancy update: 28 weeks and counting! Benton is growing nicely in my tummy and I have posted a picture below to prove it! I have my glucose test this week....the three hour one. I failed the little test, as usual, so I'll keep you posted!

Benton's room is almost complete! Sweet Ross has been working so hard in snippets to get it all done. Henry wants to move into Benton's room...but not the finished room. He wants to stay in there with all the tools, paint, brushes, open light sockets, etc. He doesn't need a bed, toys or anything else a normal room usually offers. Just the tools and the danger. He likes to work....what can I say!?!? I do not have any finished project pics just yet....but here are a few of Daddy and his little helper....and his big helper, Drew.
Henry went to the dentist for the first time. He adores his "teetch"(teeth) and everyone else's too, so I was hoping he might be interested enough to like it. He didn't love it, but he didn't hate it either, which to me, was a victory. He has perfect teeth, no cavities and we do not have to go back for a whole year! All good news. His dentist is absolutely fantastic...he was so great with Henry. It was very quick and mostly painless due to his skills. I was so worried that my child would be "the one they talk about for days after we left." But I think they forgot us as soon as we walked out the door...just how I prefer it!
Henry has really turned into the little helper around the house, and not just with the tools, but for mommy as well. He loves to load the dryer and push the buttons to turn it on...mostly push the buttons. He also likes to unfold the folded clothes and "hang up" daddy's shirts. He spends a lot of time in the laundry basket, as we produce more dirty clothes than many families of five. I am convinced that in a few months, he will have daddy's undershirt fold downpat! Here are a few pics of him both getting some things dirty and helping clean them up again!!

Henry also currently loves to sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Old McDonald." Go figure that he thinks Old McDonald had a puppy is the most important "farm animal" there is. Those of you who are around Henry lots know that puppies are where it's at! No dog yet...but we'll see...

We had a fantastic summer in South Alabama and are truly sad to see it end...but with the fall comes much excitement for us: trips to the farm, fun holidays, a new niece in October and the arrival of our sweet baby boy! So, here are a few more pics from the last month or so....I cannot wait to start sharing some pics from the upcoming events in the fall....the more I share, the closer I am to my Benton being in my arms!!!

New blog, no pics

Okay, so I had every intention of posting multiple new pics of Henry, belly shots, etc....I even saved it for my business travel days so I had something to do in the hotel room. But...as luck would have it, my business laptop will not let me upload the photos from my camera. Nice. So, another blog....no new pics. I know you are all sad. However, here are a few updates that you might find interesting:
1. Henry is now trying to say his ABCs...so funny. Everything has an "E" sound attached to it so it sounds like he is super country.
2. Big boy bed is still a hit. However, he still makes an attempt to lure us into our bedroom just to see if we might crack. I'll be honest. Sometimes we do.
3. Henry had a pet butterfly that was stuck on our back porch. We said good morning, good afternoon and good night to this thing for three days....obsessively. I mean, he would stand at the door and scream incessantly until we let him go out there for the ritual each time. He loved this butterfly. He showed his newfound friend to everyone that walked through our door. They don't live long(in case you did not know), so it died. He could not for the life of him understand why that sucker would not fly anymore...so finally, after much hesitation, he picked it up and it crumbled in his hand. He could be scarred for life.
4. Benton is growing nicely and giving his mommy a few fits along the way. My Braxton-Hicks are annoyingly strong and even sent me on a random doctor visit the other day. I'm fine, though--probably mostly mental. I was sort of subconsciously hoping that he would tell me that I could not go out of town on my business trip. I'm not into work travel.
5. I am now roughly 24 weeks and do have a nice belly...promise pics are coming.
6. Mom, Leah, Ryan and all the girls...that includes Linley...came to see us. Mom and Linley stayed at our house while Leah's family stayed on the beach. They did stay with us their first and last night, though, during which Henry got used to a whole gang of playmates. Super fun! He has now forgotten how to play alone. He and Benton are going to be good friends:).

There are so many things going on each day for us. Henry is really learning so quickly now that I could go on and on. I am constantly amazed at God's miracles by watching my child grow and learn, and feeling this little guy in my tummy move around all day long! We are so blessed to have a Father that loves us enough to provide such a joy as our children. What would entertain me if it weren't for them??!?! My sweet Henry's hugs with his distinct "OOOHHHHH" attached are like God showing me His love!

Big Boy Bed!!

We did it! Henry has officially slept in his big boy bed and it was a smashing success! He slept for 6 hours with no wake-ups and when he did, just simply wandered his way to our room to see what we were doing in the wee hours of the morning. No crying, no freaking out, no problems. He seems to love it! Hooray! Maybe we have finally made a stride toward success against our long list of failures in the sleeping department. Of course, once he woke up I rewarded him by letting him sleep with us for the rest of the night:)...probably a really bad idea, but hey, baby steps, right? Mommy finally got a couple of hours of shut-eye, too ( I had been pretty much awake since he went down). Ross, of course, had no problem at all going right to sleep with the occasional "he's fine babe...don't worry about him." This was not much help since I still envisioned him either falling out of the bed (somehow over or around the massive safety railing that we have installed), being kidnapped by unexpected robbers, or wandering around the house without my knowing it. The mind really wanders when there is nothing left on T.V. Hopefully, tonight will be even better and I will get some sleep without Henry next to me. Don't hold your breath......

Here it is! My first Blog!

After much prompting from many....I have done it! I have created a blog! Since pregnancy number 2 ensued, it has been increasingly difficult to keep up with downloading pictures, info, etc...so according to many, this is much easier. I am willing to try. Anything. So, this will be the way to keep up with us from this point forward....unless, of course, it is too hard. Hope you enjoy!
Baby Benton at 18 weeks! Henry worn out on the boat!