Grayson Benjamin is Here!

After what the doctor and nurses called a "slam dunk delivery" Grayson Benjamin made his arrival at 11:33am on Tuesday, March 9. He weighed 8 lbs and was 20 1/4 inches long. Because he came so quickly, his face was a little bruised and he has busted capillaries on his face and neck (not sure of the medical term). It is already going away and he looks great! We are home and everyone is doing great...despite the sleep deprivation! Here are some pictures to hold everyone over until I can do a more detailed post.

March 9th is THE day!

I am writing this from a hotel lobby so no pictures...but...there will be a baby tomorrow! I had my 39 week appointment this morning and the doctor said he could induce or let Grayson come on his own. I am pretty miserable and with 2 other kiddos to worry about, induction sounded great! Kenny and I are in the "big town" and the kids are back in our town with a very dear friend. I think they are more excited about having a sleep over tonight than meeting their brother tomorrow! We have an early morning (have to be at the hospital at 5am) and the doctor seems to think it will go quickly! Next post: all about Grayson Benjamin!

A Sure Sign Spring is on the Way...

A brother taking care of business on the tree...

and a sister (unsuccessfully) attempting to do the same...

We are loving this beautiful day! The rest of the week looks to be as nice so hopefully we will be enjoying the great outdoors!

Still waiting for Grayson to make his debut...I have 10 days until my due date so it could be any day now!

37 Weeks (almost!!)

Tomorrow marks 37 weeks of Grayson being in my tummy. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and had an ultrasound. He looks great and is already measuring 7 lbs 1 oz. This totally blows my mind (I do know they can be off a few ounces) because I have never had a baby this big!!

When Kennan was born he weighed 7 lbs 8 oz and he was 3 days late.

Brayden was 9 days early and was 6 lbs 13 oz.

The doctor thinks Grayson will probably be in the low 8's.

I keep wondering who he is going to look like. Is he going to have hair? (the ultrasound showed some) Will he have blue eyes like the kids and me or brown like his daddy? The kids are getting pretty excited about meeting him...or maybe they are more excited about the fun things they are going to get to do when he is born. We've told them they will go swimming at the hotel pool and get to go to Chuck E Cheese with the grandparents.

How am I doing? I am thrilled that I lost a pound over the last 2 weeks!! Makes up for the ton I gained the month before that. I am pretty uncomfortable with lots of lower back pain which makes sleeping pretty much non-existent. Here's to hoping for a February baby!

Sheer Exhaustion

The title of this post sums up this picture...

and pretty much everyday we spend with our sweet girl. She is so full of energy and if you spend any time with her, it is a guarantee that you will pass out like this too! This picture was taken last night. Kenny laid her down after numerous warnings to listen and obey had failed. He gave her a few minutes to read in bed before coming back in to turn off the lights. He left her room at 7:04pm. This picture was taken at 7:12pm. Enough said.

Brayden is officially 2 1/2 years old (as of the 2nd day of February) but she wishes she were 4. She desperately wants to go to "school" with her friends so that she can be the snack friend and go to chapel. I am ready for her to go to school too (I can say that, right?) but know deep down that only means she is growing up right before our eyes!

Like I've said in every other post about Brayden, she adores Kennan. She wants to do everything he does...

as seen in this picture! Most days they play pretty well together and she doesn't know it yet, but she is going to miss him when he starts kindergarten next year. Kennan has started to call her "sissy" instead of sis or sister and I think it is pretty cute (maybe because that is what my brother used to, and sometimes still calls me!).

Brayden LOVES her friends. This is Tristan...

and whether Tristan likes it or not, Brayden is convinced that it is in her cards to marry this sweet boy. The other night Kennan and Brayden were going to sleep and the topic of marriage must have come up. Brayden came running out of the room asking "Mom, who I gonna marry?" I answered that I think she will need to wait until she is a lot older before she needs to worry about getting married but that God already has a special boy picked out for her. She responded, "Well, I gonna marry Tristan." Maybe God has spoken to her? Or it is her crazy fantasies about marriage? I would venture to say that the topic of marriage comes up at least every other day in this house.

In the last few weeks I have come to the conclusion that Brayden might become an actress or musician when she grows up. She seems to have a flair for anything dramatic. Her new favorite movie is the Sound of Music and she LOVES to dance around the house singing the songs word for word after hearing them...oh...about 50 times! She loves to dress up and pretend as seen in this picture...

Not a day goes by that this sweet thing doesn't test our patience....

but we wouldn't have it any other way. Her favorite word is "no" and she doesn't seem bothered by the negative consequences that follow her actions. Punishments don't faze her and the phrase"She'll learn her lesson" doesn't seem to apply to Brayden. I love her strong willed spirit and am hoping that she will hang on to it as she grows into a teenager and young woman.

Brayden is going to be an excellent big sister. We will have to make sure she is never left alone with him...she might smother him! She loves to take care of her babies and has the sweetest "talking to babies" voice. She already has plans to teach him how to talk and play soccer (which she has never played a day of in her life). She daily talks about how she is going to hold him and play with him...I can't wait to see them together!

I figured that with Grayson arriving in a few weeks there are going to be a lot of posts devoted just to him. So...here's to Brayden. The sweetest, most energetic, strong willed little 2 year old I know!

35 Weeks!

Over the last week we have gotten around a foot of snow...I am pretty sure we have gotten more snow here than we ever saw while living in New Jersey! The kids loved playing in it!

Ready for sledding...although Kenny said she preferred to go down on her bottom and not on the sled!The other morning before work Kenny helped the kids make "Roby" the robot out of some old cardboard boxes. They had a great time!We've made it to 35 weeks! Only 5 more (or maybe less?) left!The other day Brayden wanted to look at my belly to see if she could see baby Grayson. I told her we would have to wait a little while longer before we could meet him. She then suggested, "We get some scissors?". I quickly got that idea out of her head and will make sure all scissors are out of her reach and that I sleep with one eye open at night!!

I am in the uncomfortable stage...not sleeping well at night and having a few contractions here and there. My 36 week appointment is on the 15th and we will have an ultrasound and then I'll go over to the hospital for my pre-admit appointment. I guess that means we are getting close!

Snow Day Take 2!

It is still snowing!! I think we probably have about 5-6 inches out there. The spoon in the snow is my measurement...although it doesn't work too well if you don't know how tall the spoon is! Maybe we will venture out today and get a better idea of how much snow is really out there.

The kids have been playing on the Wii...

Brayden and daddy playing princesses...

Kennan enjoying some play time with his recycling truck...

Yes, we are in the same clothes from yesterday. Don't judge.

Snow Day!!!

We have been enjoying a lazy day at home because it is snowing!!! Kenny stayed home from work and we are all still in our jammies. What a fun day!

Movie watching...

and fort building!!

Pictures!!

Kennan saw Stevie Wonder playing the piano on the Christmas Day parade...I guess he was feeling inspired?

My Superheroes!

Ready for church!

Kennan and Brayden's new room! We are getting a box spring for Brayden's bed (soon) and might paint and decorate more later. They are still doing pretty good sharing a room!

Back to potty training!

My little dinosaur lover!!

Things I Am Thinking...

*This is going to be a blog post without any pictures (gasp!!!). I haven't done that in awhile. The camera is up at Kenny's office and I felt like it was time to update the blog. Enough looking at the 30 week belly from the last post!

*This evening I pulled 4 gray hairs from my head. I am not even 29 yet. How can this be? My dear mother called me a few months back and told me she found a verse in the Bible that made her think of me. I was thinking it had to be something about the excellent daughter I am, or the loving mother I am, or the super wife I am. Not exactly. Proverbs 16:31 says, "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life." Thanks mom.

*We think we finally figured out Brayden's tummy issues that went on for about 3 weeks. After a visit with the doctor and a simple x-ray we found out she was just a "little stopped up" (if you know what I mean...). Simple fix and we are back to normal! Thanks be to God!

*Our town has extremely hard water. After running dishes through the dishwasher they look horrible with their hard water stains. A friend told me that Lemi Shine works wonders on hard water spots. Does it show how boring my life is if I am excited to see what my dishes look like after the next time I run the dishwasher? I can't wait to see if it works!

*Operation Kennan and Brayden Share A Room has been a success (I will have to put a picture up of their room once I get the camera back). They have been in the same room for a week and I have absolutely no complaints. They go to sleep almost immediately and only have come out of their room a few times. Usually, it's big brother sending little sister out to ask a question so she gets in trouble...not him.

*I have been wanting a necklace that has my kids names and birthstones on it for awhile now...well, since Kennan was born. I think I have found one that I like. What do you think?

30 Weeks!

Yesterday marked 30 weeks! Only 10 more to go!

Grayson is super active and I don't think he is head down anymore. He gets the hiccups 2-3 times a day and loves to play at night time. I am doing well...only gained one pound at my last appointment which was quite a shocker! I passed the glucose test with flying colors (the nurses words...not mine!) and am not anemic. All good news!

Even More Christmas!

Our third (and final) Christmas was with Grammy and Pops (my parents) and Uncle Kyle. It has thrown me off a little to be celebrating Christmas on New Years Eve, but it works!!

The kids got a kitchen, shopping cart, and cash register from my parents. They were a hit! The kids drew Pops pictures for his desk... and got Grammy a coffee mug!

Uncle Kyle got Brayden some Ariel jewelry. It was a hit!!!

He also gave Kennan a K'nex/Lego building set and they worked hard to put it together!

Preparations for our New Years Eve celebration have begun! The kids are helping Grammy make "clock cookies". Kennan got the idea from Max and Ruby...

Do they look like clocks?

We plan on celebrating a New York New Years Eve since Kennan plans to stay up until midnight. Should be a fun night!

More Christmas Fun!

Our next Christmas celebration was with Grumpy and Lala (Kenny's parents) and Uncle Chris.

Sweet kids!

Kennan got a Fisher Price Smart Sports. He calls it his Wii...
and he loves it!
Brayden got her very own Leapster. She is to young to really play the games, but she loves Kennan's so she decided she needed her own. Santa left it for her at Lala and Grumpy's.

Uncle Chris and Katherine got Brayden a camera...

she is still trying to figure out how to take pictures!
Helping Grumpy open his present...

Playing games with Lala on the computer.

Thanks for a great Christmas Lala and Grumpy!

Christmas Fun!

Well, it is New Years Eve and we have just celebrated our third Christmas! Our first celebration came on Christmas morning with our family of 4 at home. It was the first time we celebrated at our house since we have been married. It was wonderful to not feel rushed and to spend time with the kids.

Santa was good to us!

We spent Christmas day evening with some friends and enjoyed a Mexican food feast. After church on Sunday we headed to the metroplex to visit family!