8 Months Old | Benjamin Craig

I crawl.
I clap when I am happy or when someone sings!

I sit up on my own.

I eat fruits and vegetables, twice a day.

I like vegetables best!

I am very determined to get where I want to go.

I want to be held, but I also want to go play - what a dilemma!

I love songs with hand motions and being tickled.

I reserve my laughter for only the funniest things - you have to work for it.

I laugh the most when people scare me... peek a boo!

I also want to give myself a big high-five.
I have exclusively pumped for this little guy for eight months. I am a bad ass.

7 Months Old | Benjamin Craig

I eat vegetables.

I am growing fast.

I sit now, and I love to roll across the room.
The only way I will fall asleep at night is relaxing with Daddy.
I want to examine anything new.
I am curious to the core.

6 Months Old | Benjamin Craig

Six Months!

Our litle guy is in the 5th percentile for weight, 

and 50th for height and head circumference!

Benjamin's sixth month was a busy one! We started eating rice cereal at the end of the month in preparation for veggies. He met Santa Claus and enjoyed Christmas celebrations with friends and family. Benjamin is rolling over and over and over... and practicing standing and sitting. He loves music and his dog and his parents. Mostly, he is just one smiley, happy kid. We are very blessed.

5 Months Old | Benjamin Craig

I jump and play in the exersaucer!
I am still little, but strong!
I love to smile and babble and sing!

4 Months Old | Benjamin Craig

Our little june bug is 4 months old!

 

 

 

His fourth month was significant. In the last days of September, John's mother passed away and Benjamin lost his sweet Mimi. She fought so hard to meet him. She was a tough, courageous, lovely woman who I grew to love very much in the last couple years. Knowing that a baby was coming was fuel for her to keep fighting the cancer, and I am so sad that Ben will not know her as I do. I know she would have spoiled him rotten!

 

His smiley, flexible personality - paired with his good sleeping habits - made travel to North Carolina much easier than I expected. Benjamin rode not only on his first airplane, but four! Mama was full of anxiety, but he was cool as a cucumber. He slept in airports, I pumped in weird places, we warmed bottles in tea pots on planes... everyone seemed to just beam when they saw him. He even laughed for the first time on our last plane! 

 

I never imagined how friendly and accomodating people would be. In fact, one woman could have moved out of our row because there were extra seats, but she WANTED to sit by him! My mom traveled with us, and I will be grateful for the rest of my life. She endured her worst nightmare - talking casually to strangers - and the topic is death - and we politely chatted for hours and hours, because everyone in the whole church wanted to meet Ben. My mom must love us very much.
 

Many milestones this month too! Benjamin didn't put on the weight we wanted, so we have been putting a little rice cereal in his bottles to help thicken it up and keep it in his tummy - fingers crossed! Formula was an option too, in case he has allergies, but I wanted to stick to the breastmilk - I have worked so hard! We also started some meds.

 

Benjamin started rolling over in the last few days - back to front only! His favorite thing! Until he can't get back over... Our perfectly swaddled sleeping baby has had his world turned upside down... and his Mama is keeping him in his Rock n' Play next to her bed until he masters the front to back. No more crib until I feel safe!

 

He is taking six ounce bottles, making friends at daycare, and seems to be thriving developmentally. He can pull the pacifier out and just about get it back in. His neck is really strong, he loves to "stand up," and he coos along when anyone sings.

 

Benjamin also went to his first wedding this month and saw his first band - all in one night! We missed the ceremony because the cold bottle (oops) put him into a tissy. We sat in my brother-in-law's truck and I cried. It was my first real breakdown since Martha died. I am just trying to keep it together, and it is all very overwhelming. Being a scrappy Mama, I warmed his other bottles in hot apple cider... and he loved watching the band!

 

To top it off - he was in the kiddie parade at Mapleleaf Festival!
What a big month!

3 Months Old | Benjamin Craig

Benjamin is 3 months old!
12.5 pounds (20th percentile) | 24.5 inches (60th percentile)

 

 

This month was a busy one! A week-long visit from Grandmother Badgett and Great Uncle Rod, two days alone with daddy, starting daycare, his first family wedding shower, and a trip to Ottawa! Ben is starting to grab at toys and hair and clothes. He is still sleeping tightly swaddled with a pacfier, but doesn't want to be held like a baby anymore. He wants to sit up and look around. Duh, he is a big boy! (oh my...) Oh, and the big news: he is sleeping 8-11 hours per night! Woo hoo!

 

Still trying to get his weight up, but we've pretty much settled on acid reflux as the culprit. Hopefully we'll see some improvement at our next doctor's visit.

 

2 months old | Benjamin Craig

Benjamin is 2 months old!

12 pounds (20th percentile) | 24 inches (85th percentile)

 

 

This month Ben starting smiling and babbling on and on about things that make him smile, like "ooo" and "oww." Pretty cute stuff! His weight isn't where our doctor would like it, so we are making some changes to hopefully help! He is our precious angel. A gift from God.



the lactivist.

Tired of my labor and delivery posts? Sorry! There is so much to say!

Breastfeeding was something that I expected to be easy. For my mother and sister, it was - so, I assumed it would be for me... I actually didn't realize until day two that I had a "problem"... specifically when a lactation consultant came in and told me I had one. (gulp. that was hard to hear.) I thought we were just having some latching issues, because he always eventually ate.

After our first feeding with her there, this same woman laid into me about my priorities! She told me she wanted to come back to observe my next feeding in 45 minutes. Knowing I had family on the way to the hospital AND wanted a shower, I suggested she come back in one hour. She told me, "I am going to tell you this, and it is going to sound harsh. Starting now, this baby and feeding him come before anything. You need to start putting his needs before your own starting today. You can't put anything before his feeding schedule." I was like - WHOA, LADY! Do I look like I am a character from TEEN MOM? I have been letting you grab my boobs for over an HOUR and say things to me like "nipple sandwich" and tell me how wrong I am doing EVERYTHING, and you are going to GUILT TRIP me NOW? Her damn "plan" for me was an hour and a half process of breastfeeding awkwardly with a nipple shield and pumping after each feeding that I had to start over every two hours... so, yeah... 30 minutes between feedings 24 hours a day... that was her brilliant plan... for my LIFE... because breastfeeding would apparently get me closer to God or something... (formula is the devil, don't you know?) (please read the sarcasm there...) Oh yeah, and her plan included John joining for every single feeding to support my wrist this way and press my boob that way... yeah right. Sorry, BRENDA, I don't know what planet you are from...

The next day a much more loving, gentle lactation consultant came in and lifted my spirits. She was encouraging, thoughtful, and she talked to me about what I was comfortable with and helped me come up with a realistic plan for my real life. Bless her - She is probably the sole reason Ben receives breastmilk.

In the end, I decided to exclusively pump. That is working well for us! I wish I had known that so many women struggle with this. I also wish I had been prepared for the crazy lactivists...

labor plans...

Benjamin's birth did not go quite as planned, obviously. But, the part that was the hardest for me was that I had a reaction to the pain medications - they made me hallucinate and then I had trouble staying alert during the actual birth. That was really hard for me, because I had elaborate plans in my head for how I would keep people up to date during my labor, how I would greet my baby, pictures that would take, people I would tell first, how I would tell them, etc. All of that went out the window!


After midnight, I didn't contact anyone because I was so out of it. In fact, I remember coming out of my fog in the morning and telling John to call my mom because I knew she would be worried. I never had any beautiful photos of me and Ben in the hospital... in fact I barely have any now!


I had a list written out of all the people I wanted contacted first when the baby was born. Because I was coming in and out of crazy-land (I don't recommend anyone ever take Stadol...), I pointed out the list to John and asked him to send the texts. I found out later that he only sent messages to about ten names on the piece of paper because it was folded up in fourths. Seriously. There were probably 40-50 names on the list, and only ten or so got messages! Did you get one? Lucky you! I had the piece of paper clipped to my planner, and your name was on the side that was facing out! haha... It took me days to figure all this out. No family received texts, most of my friends received messages from my sister, and many learned on Facebook. My apologies if you fall in this category. I had no idea, and that was not my intention.


I think the part that was the hardest was not being alert when Benjamin joined us. I was emotional about it then and for quite a few days after. I was so helpless and couldn't keep my eyes open... I felt awful. Mother's guilt straight from the get!


I guess most women probably have their world rocked and end up in a labor scenario that wasn't exactly as they planned! I know that this is minor when it comes to surprises during labor, but for me, it felt like "everything" at the time.

shit storm

I had my six week appointment this week. I didn't think about the fact that I would be taking Ben until days before. I was a little worried about having him there alone, but I assumed this was a normal thing.

When we got there, he was asleep like a little angel. The nurse took my stats and then told me to put the gown on, sit on the table with the blanket over me, blah blah... he starts fussing just as she left the room. I hear a little toot and decide I will go ahead and change him before the doctor comes in.

Right as I pull him out of his carrier, I hear a much louder one and at the same time feel the wet begin to run down both arms!! I look down and he has had a major blow out!! Through his clothes, on the exam table, covering the sheet... I am standing there with the open-back gown dancing around the room half naked trying to get it all cleaned up as quickly as possible! Ugh. When the doctor came in, I told her what happened and that we needed new linens for the exam table. She also handed me a new gown. I told her I didn't need one, and she says, "oh yes you do!" I looked down, and I am covered in poop!

I thought that would be the end of it, but he really never stopped crying and fussing. I stood there, bouncing him, through most of the appointment. Then, when it came time to have my "exam," he wouldn't calm down... so, he laid on my chest. I can't wait to tell him that he joined me for that... haha.

The biggest lesson I have learned so far is that I can't really expect things to go as planned, and I have to give up some control and relax. It's a good lesson for me.

Oh, and on a not so funny note... I have a hernia that will need to be removed after my body recovers fully. Boo. For months I loved feeling this one spot on my tummy that you could always feel his head or butt, I wasn't sure what, but I could always feel my baby pushing out... WELL, when I got home I realized it was still there... haha. I have known for weeks that it was probably a hernia, but I was bummed to have it confirmed.

1 month old | Benjamin Craig

Benjamin is one month old!

10 pounds, 22 inches



Benjamin Craig

Well, he joined us almost a month ago and I am JUST now thinking about updating my blog! That shows you how busy life has been! I barely check my email, texts, facebook... what day is it anyway?!

In the last week, Benjamin has been allowing me some longer periods of rest, so I am functioning at a higher level, lol. No, really. Thank goodness this chunker keeps putting on weight and drinking big 'ol bottles before bed! My sleep should just get better and better.

Ben's arrival wasn't exactly as expected. I scheduled an induction, but ended up at the hospital that night in labor. I was contracting 3 minutes apart when we arrived at our scheduled time for induction... haha. We laughed that we would have arrived that the same time, even if we had never scheduled the induction. I guess we had intuition about the start of our labor??

I labored hard over night. I remember thinking that John needed his sleep, so I tried to keep quiet as the contractions worsened. I kept thinking I would wake him when it got worse... (I should have woken him up!) The nurse kept coming in and finding no progress with me... she kept turning me into these weird positions and my back and hip would pain from holding that position for the upcoming hour while she monitored me.  Turns out that our little one was having heart rate decelerations during each contraction. The nurse was getting worried.

By morning, I was having contractions one on top of the other without any break, but still no dialating! They were getting worried about his position, which they were determining might be not exactly head down... more of an angle into my hip...

I was given an epidural in the morning, followed by a bunch of doctors and nurses being brought in to give their opinions.... everyone was starting to look concerned, and I knew that a C-section was going to be brought up. I just knew it... when my water broke and it was full of meconium, that seemed to settle it for the entire team.

In the end, he came via C-section. The experience was not what I expected, and the recovery was much harder than anticipated, but he arrived healthy, and that was all that mattered.

The best part was hearing John yell out, "It's a boy!" What a crazy feeling to finally know! It felt so surreal.

Benjamin arrived on June 22nd and has been keeping us on our toes ever since!
7 lb, 7 oz and 20 inches long.
We've never been happier.
Named for the best man I never knew,
so you know,
he'll be a great man too.