Cheeks & Chins

He's all cheeks and chins! ;p Benners got a new car seat (the 'Aloha' print seat) as he's already outgrown his infant seat. This one we will NOT carry him around in, but that was getting hard with his other seat anyway! He's a very happy baby, and even happier now that Mum is in the process of moving the start date for her fieldwork from January to June. This means five more months at home with Mum! Everyone is happy about this probablility, as the thought of starting four days/week in January was overwhelming (and sad!)... We're lucky and feel very blessed that this is a possibility, and we're always thanking Daddy for making it so. He's been working really hard at the hospital and Winthrop Ambulance, which has allowed Mum and Ben to stay home together. For this we thank him!!!

Hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving. Send us an email or post a comment so we know how y'all are doing!

Happy Boy

Ben has been a very content little (? Big?) boy. He's smiling and laughing all the time now, which is the best thing in the world. Despite going to bed very early, he's been getting much better at sleeping at night. He discovered his hands a few weeks ago and loves to suck on the side of them, though won't suck his thumb or fingers (and he still wants absolutely nothing to do with a pacifier). He's truly a blessing...

Blue Eyes

Ben got a few minutes in his cousins' exer-saucer and seemed to love it! Such a strong neck~ he'll be rolling over and crawling soon. He loves to spend time on the floor sucking on his fists and kicking his legs all around. He's growing so fast!!!

Over 18 lbs!

Benners weighed in at 18 lbs, 2 oz on his 12-week birthday! Big Ben is pictured here with his older cousin Claire. We visited Claire, Gracie, and Madelyn over the weekend. There's a lot more activity at their house then ours & Ben was wide-eyed the whole time! :) We also went to Longfellow's Holiday Open House and looked at all the pretty decorated trees with Grampie over the weekend (Ben wore his red vest and outfit to fit the holiday decor...).

Jay made a trip to Connecticut and New York City over the weekend with Sue and Phil. They spent the first night in Sturbridge and then on to Joanne's. It was a whirl-wind trip, but Jay really enjoyed Bodies: The Exhibition at South Street Seaport in the city (http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/). It's nice to have him home and he doesn't have to go back to work until Thursday night!

Mumma's Boy (for now)

Ben loves to nap on Mum's chest (and it's a good excuse for me to 'have' to take a nap!). I'm enjoying it while I can because I'm sure once I go back to school in January he'll become much more attached to Daddy. In the meantime, he's growing like crazy. He has to have hit 17 lbs (and probably passed it) by now. He's hard to carry around. He doesn't fit into the front pack anymore, so we've been taking walks with him in the stroller. Benners loves to look around while he's in the stroller and really seems to enjoy our walks. Pretty soon he'll be in the back pack & we'll be snowshoeing!

Happy Halloween!

Nana dressed Benners up as a pumpkin! :)

A family gathering

This weekend Grammie & Grampa Wentzell came up from Portland and got to spend time with their great-grandchildren. The bottom photo has 4 generations: Great Grammie Wentzell, Nana Dwyer, Katie, and Benjamin!

A stroll outside

Benjamin and I went on a walk today in the cool weather. Ben rode in his stroller (it was a bumpy ride down the driveway!) and he loved it! He fell asleep and I didn't want to disturb him when we finally got home. Harley trotted along with us and all three of us felt great after some fresh, cool air!

Blue Eyes

He's all Daddy! :)

Benners & Maci

Benjamin apparently likes older women~ Maci is 2 months older than Benners, but he outweighs her by over a pound. :) We went to Scott & Shay's for dinner this week and Ben was awake and alert during the whole visit (must be trying to impress his new girlfriend). We got home and Ben finally fell asleep in his crib around 9pm and slept for 5 1/2 hours straight!!! I woke up refreshed and even a little disoriented from all the sleep. Last night the little trooper slept for 4 1/2 hours before waking up to nurse, and we're hoping he'll keep up the trend of sleeping for more than 4 hours.

Two-month Check-up!

Well, he's done it. He's over 16 lbs!!! Benners is 16 lbs 9 oz and is 'off the charts' for both weight and head circumference for his age (9 weeks). His pediatrician is very pleased with his growth (guess, we're doing something right with all the breast feeding!). He had four shots and one oral vaccination, none of which he was very happy with. We go back at the beginning of December for his four-month check-up. He's a healthy boy!

Who wouldn't love this face?

Homecoming at Sugarloaf

We went to Sugarloaf for another overnight and had BEAUTIFUL weather. Jay was able to bike both Saturday and Sunday, and Benners and I took a nice walk to look at foliage. We joined Sue and Phil up at the condo, as it was Homecoming Weekend, and Ben was able to spend some time with his Grammie and Grampa. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. Ben did great in the car again, but didn't sleep during the night so Mumma was tired on Sunday! (See how relaxed Benners gets when sleeping in Mumma's arms? This is partly because he didn't sleep the night before this picture was taken!!!)

Jay has worked his last day shift at Maine General and goes to the night shift starting this week. It should be quite a change and one I hope he can get used to quickly. It will be a great schedule once I am back doing my fieldwork, but one I don't imagine he'll want to continue for the long haul.

In the meantime, Benners turned eight weeks old on Saturday~ it's hard to believe. We go to see his pediatrician a week from today, so it will be interesting to see how much he weighs at that point... Any wagers? ;-p

Benners and Daddy

Think they look anything alike???

Seven weeks old!

Saturday was Ben's seven-week birthday! We celebrated by going to a surprise bridal shower for Auntie Monkey~ an hour each way in the car! Ben did great on the way there (he slept the entire way), but wasn't so thrilled with being in the car seat on the way home (I had to stop four times to console/nurse him). It took us 2 1/4 hours to make the one-hour journey home!!! Oh well, we're practicing. And we had a great time at Kirsten's shower. Benners met Oliver, who is over 4 months old and weighs at least two pounds less than Ben! Today Ben has his first runny nose :( and Mum isn't feeling 100% either. Guess that's what happens. Wish us a speedy recovery.

Relaxin'

Ben has been spending much more time awake and alert, as he closes in on his 7-week birthday! He tolerates being in his swing chair and alone lying down a little bit more (not requiring Mum to hold him every minute). He even offers smiles every few minutes! His neck is getting very strong, and he's gaining head control quite quickly. Benners noises are branching out, he's practicing his yells and squaks! He definitely keeps us entertained. :)

A smile?

Here's a (sideways) photo of a 14 1/2 lb Benjamin~ smiling!! (??) He's been on the verge of giving a full gummy smile, and I was able to catch this expression on camera today.

Common Ground Fair

The three of us spent Friday at the Common Ground Fair~ it was a beautiful day! In the picture I'm wearing a sling made by Amber Austin (http://www.mommyandmeforyou.com/) and Ben and I spent a good portion of the day wandering around the fair grounds (and eating!!!) with Jay. Ben loved the sling, and slept curled up in there for most of the day. It had been many, many years since we'd been to the fair & it was a great way to spend the day.

Six Weeks Old!

He's getting bigger!!! I weighed him last week and he was a whopping 14 lbs! I'm getting quite a workout carrying him around, but he certainly loves to be close. He's sleeping for longer periods at a time, though still hasn't gotten the hang of night time is for sleeping, NOT playing! :) It's amazing to see how alert he is for a lot of the time now, and content being in a swing and watching what's going on around him. He's on the verge of giving us a full-fledged smile, which is amazing!!!

Ben with Grammie & Grampa

Benners has lots of family to love him!

I'm awake!

Nana holding Ben and a more alert-looking little guy!
Benners' awake-time becomes longer and longer all the time, and it's neat to see him so alert. He's becoming more and more aware every day.

Congrats to Bryan & Anna

What a beautiful place for a wedding, and a really nice ceremony. Thanks for having us. It was really nice to see as many aunts, uncles, and cousins as we did & I'm pleased to have you finally meet Ben. We had to take off early, so missed out visiting with many of you again, but we're happy to have been able to attend. Anna & Bryan~ you looked wonderful and really had a beautiful wedding. Congratulations and best wishes!

Benjamin loves to be held!

He's quite a cuddler! Here he's cuddling with Auntie Monkey (Kirsten); being held by his cousin Madelyn with Gracie looking on; and with his Grampie. He's still growing like a weed, though we haven't weighed him recently. He's becoming a great sleeper too, so hopefully we're moving in the direction for some kind of a nighttime routine!

We're planning to attend Bryan and Anna's wedding on Saturday, so we'll see some of you there!

Trip to Sugarloaf

Our first overnight trip with Benners! We went up to Sugarloaf on Friday and spent the night. The weather was beautiful up there and Jay got in a couple of bike rides while Ben and I did some walking through the cross-country and dog trails. It was nice to have a change of scenery and Ben did wonderfuly in the car! He slept the whole way up there and though he was awake on the way back home, he didn't fuss (much) and made the car trip a great experience (I was pretty nervous about that). It was an awesome weekend for us all!

Benners and Grampie

Grampie came by for a visit this morning and our 11 lb, 12 oz baby boy fell asleep in his arms. Ben is a great sleeper and, obviously, a great eater as well! We're still trying to figure out a nighttime routine, but imagine that will take a while. There are times when he is much more alert now during the day, and it's fun to start seeing him focusing on objects and learning about his environment. Though his world is still quite small at this point, we can see it expanding every day. It's quite amazing!

Big Ben

We weighed Benners the other day and he's about 11 pounds! Saturday marks week three, and we've all learned a ton about each other in those three weeks. Breast feeding continues to be a challenge, but we're getting much better at it. Ben is, obviously, not suffering in the food department and appears very happy for the most part (but we all suffer from the occasional bout of fussypants, right?). I feel extremely fortunate to be able to stay home with Ben through the rest of this year, and imagine it will be quite difficult to go back to fieldwork in January.
Ben and I went out on our very first solo outing yesterday~ we visited Daddy at work and got to meet all of his co-workers, and then we visited Nana at the library. It was quite a big day for us!

Our wonderful midwife

At my two week follow-up appointment~ Me, Ben, and our midwife Susan. She was wonderful throughout my prenatal care, and amazing during labor and birth.

My two-week appointment went well, despite a case of mastitis. I am healing well and getting more comfortable every day. Ben continues to nurse, nurse, nurse and grow like crazy! He seems very healthy and is in a pattern of napping for 2-3 hours after he eats. His favorite place to sleep is on Mum or Daddy's chest, so we're trying to get him used to sleeping in his own bed for short periods of time. It'll come. Jay's back into a 'regular' schedule at work, and it's strange not to have him around the house~ we miss him! Ben and I are trying to get into our own routine, which I assume will also come with time. Jay and I fall more in love with little Benners every day!

Proud Papa

Jay and Benjamin sharing some close time! Ben is almost 2 weeks old already, that's hard to believe. He's already changing every day and continues to eat and sleep like a champ. Jay has been back to work a couple of days, which has been a hard transition. Ben and I certainly love having Daddy home all the time, but I think it's hardest on Jay being away from his new family. We learn things every day and continue to branch out in our experiences. Ben has had a couple of successful car rides and one bumpy (but soothing, apparently) stroller ride in the past week. I plan to take him out for a walk with Harley this afternoon. We'll see how that goes!

Thanks to all the good wishes and the patience on visiting. We're still limiting visitors at this point, until I'm a little more recovered, but look forward to introducing Ben to everyone in the near future. Thank you all for keeping us in your thoughts~ and for continuing to check the blog!

Cousins

Ben's foot is on the left, his older cousin Claire's foot is on the right! The two were due just a few days apart, but Claire arrived early and Ben got to grow some more before he arrived.

The Jewetts

The first picture of the three of us together at home...

Benjamin's Due Date

Today is the day Muffin was scheduled to arrive! At 6 days old he already weighs 9 lbs 3 oz~ 90th percentile for weight! For height he's in the 85th percentile, and head circumfrence 75th percentile! He's our big boy! The pediatrician said he looked wonderful, and all is well.

Ben and Mum are getting the hang of breast-feeding, and Mum is definitely learning the meaning of sleep deprivation! I'm healing well, though abdomen is still quite sore. I'm resting well and often while Dad takes care of us. Jay has become a domestic diva (his own term), and is taking care of everything.

Thanks for all the emails and good wishes!

Ben's first few days

We're home now, a family of three! We were in the hospital for 4 days due to my having a C-section as well as some low blood glucose level readings from Muffin. Apparently Ben didn't like parts of the labor (I had 'unusually long' contractions) and it's thought that the stress from labor and pushing caused some low blood glucose levels. Also, being a big baby meant he needed a lot of nutrition to keep his blood sugar stable. Ben was a NICU patient for a day or two, though he was still able to room in with us, so he had an IV attached for a couple of days. The IV fluid was a 10% dextrose solution that ran at a continuous rate to keep his sugar stable until Katie's breast milk came in. Monday night Ben had his 3rd sugar above 40 which was a really emotional moment b/c that meant the nurse could take out his IV and he no longer needed to have his heel pricked with a lancet to obtain blood (he was not a fan of that process at all). We were finally able to come home yesterday and begin getting used to being a family of three!

He's a healthy, and seemingly happy, little boy and we're very proud parents.

I'm in recovery-mode at home, so may or may not pick up on phone calls for a few days. Though the surgery went well, I had worked really hard at the pushing stage and Ben was well into the birth canal once we finally got into the operating room. The doctor worked hard to get the little man out of the birth canal so I was manipulated quite vigorously in the process. The MD and Midwife said I would need to rest a lot for the next 2 weeks at a minimum and that I am not to forget that I had major surgery. I welcome email especially and will let everyone know when we're ready for visitors. Presently we're happy, busy, and learning all the time! Words don't come close to describing the feeling we have when we look at the little Benjamin.

Look for more post and photos in the near future!

Love from all 3 of us.............!

Muffin is HERE!

Benjamin Thomas Jewett was born on Saturday, August 12th at 4:25am! He's a gorgeous, healthy baby boy & this is the first ever picture of him. He was a whopping 8 lbs 13 oz and 21 inches long. Katie was induced on Friday afternoon due to high blood pressure and an ultrasound estimating Muffin's weight at about 9 1/2 pounds! Water was broken at around 5pm, full dilation occurred around midnight. And then there was pushing!!! Katie pushed with all her might, but couldn't get that big boy to go the final few inches. Muffin also was beginning to tire, and his heart rate was slowing down which is not a great sign. Katie had a C-section around 4am, and Ben arrived shortly after! Jay was able to be there at my head through the whole surgery, and announced to me that we had a BOY! (Actually, his exact words were "I know what it is!" and I replied, "Yeah? Well, TELL ME!"). With tears in our eyes, we welcomed this amazing person into our lives...

We're home today, after 4 days in the hospital. Tired, excited, happy, and in a perpetual state of fascination with our little one.

Good report

I had an appointment today with my midwife and things look good. My blood pressure is down a bit, as is the edema. I'm 1 cm dilated, so still have plenty of time left. I'm still doing check-ups twice/week and lab work, but my midwife said things looked a lot better today than last week, so that makes me feel better! Guess all this rest and relaxing IS helpful.
Muffin is due to arrive NEXT FRIDAY~ anyone want to wager on the actual birth day? ;-p

Still Pregnant! (38 weeks)

About 2 weeks left to go~ it's hard to believe! We're both very excited for Muffin's arrival and can't wait to meet her/him! I've still been feeling great, though am on an unofficial 'bed rest' due to a few high blood pressure readings, some edema in my ankles, and elevated uric acid levels... My midwife is just being cautious by having me rest and relax (I'm not complaining!), and I have been trying to keep my feet up and resting on my left side as much as possible. I do go to my midwife's office twice/week now for blood pressure checks and weekly lab work (blood and urine tests), and that's about the only time I've been leaving the house. My next appointment is Monday, where I'm assuming I'll be checked for any dilation (wow!) and to see how/if my body is getting ready for Muffin's arrival.

Jay is very busy at work~ both in the Critical Care Unit at Maine General, and about a shift/week at the Winthrop Ambulance Station. Once he gets through this weekend though he has quite a few days off (his birthday is Thursday!) and we're wondering if Muffin is just waiting for Daddy to have some time off before making the grand entrance!