Scary Noises and Smiles

We think the video above is so funny! Benton is smiling at me, but listen for Landon's growls and watch Benton's face... (Note: I hate my voice in home videos.)

Benton Update: 3 Months

Wow. 3 Months. They have gone by so quickly and have been so very perfect.

Some facts from Benton's third month of life:

-Wearing 3-6 month clothes.

-Mainly wearing cloth diapers on the middle snap. In disposables, he is wearing a size 2 diaper!

-Eating 6 times a day for a max of 15 minutes. He is also taking a 4.5 ounce bottle whenever it is more convenient.

-AHHH, sleep! We love sleep at our house. :) Benton is sleeping like a champ and we are all super happy and rested. We've been putting him down around 8:30pm and we wake him up at 7am. He is also taking a nap after every feeding (except the last, when we put him down for the night).

-He still loves his eat, play, sleep routine. His play times get more fun every month! This month he is starting to have "conversations" with us, he is smiling all the time, and he LOVES his little circle rattle thing.

Random things we don't want to forget:

-He found his thumb! He was so proud of himself.

-We put him down at night in his crib, and when we go in the next morning he has usually done a complete circle around the edge of the crib, ending up in the same place he started. We've watched him do this on the video monitor...otherwise you would think he didn't move at all. Ha!

-His smiles have gotten so big, and he kind of smiles with his eyes too. And his giggles are too much for us. He is just so sweet.

-Of all the places we put him, his favorite is BY FAR the changing table. He loves it!

-Mommy started back to work last week, so he has been going to the Fosters for 2 days and staying with my mom for 1 day. He is doing really well with everything (mommy on the other hand...), and he seems to be enjoying the new faces and activities.

-And, something monumental...we cut his fingernails for the first time...yesterday. We are horrible parents. He has pretty much been clawing us all day long, but we were too scared to cut his nails. It is now done with no harm to anyone. :)

-And, something even more monumental...mommy gave him his first haircut. And a bad one at that. He has the baby pattern baldness in the back, and he was also sporting a long, thick rat tail. Lets just say it was not as easy to cut as we thought. Please don't make fun of him if you see him! :)

-He loves his swing. Mainly, he loves the mirror and the mobile. Lately, he has been talking to himself in the mirror...so funny!

Sweet Benton has been an unbelievable blessing to us. When we found out we were pregnant about this time last year, we had no idea how much our life would change...for the better. We are so grateful!

Benton Loves Elliott

We are so very excited to welcome baby Elliott into our friend family! Elliott was born on August 6th, and is the daughter of one of my very best friends, Erica, and her husband, Kevin. I have waited 6 long years for baby Estep!!! :) She is so sweet and cute...and amazingly alert for a newborn (notice in the picture below that Elliott is checking everything out while Benton is snoozing away).



Ummm, how did my little baby boy get so big?! Elliott weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces at birth, while Benton weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces. Now, Elliott (5 days old) weighs 7 pounds, 1 ounce, and Benton (11 weeks old) weighs in at a hefty 15+ pounds. I didn't realize how big he really was until we laid them down next to each other.

We are so, so excited for the Estep family, and look forward to raising our sweet babies together!!!

Note: Erica had Elliott without an epidural. She is a rockstar! I am sure that she was smiling the whole time (for real). :)

Little Swimmer

Feast your eyes on this bundle of love...

Edit: Yes, Benton loves the pool! He just looks around and watches all the other kids play. Next year will be very different! And, his swim diaper is the Bummis Swimmi diaper...I definitely recommend it!

Benton Update: 2 Months Continued

Benton went to the Pediatrician today for his 2 month appointment. Yes, the dreaded 2 month appointment. He definitely didn't like the vaccinations, but he is doing well now...just a little snuggly and wimpy. Poor guy.

Stats from 2 month Pediatrician appointment:
-Weight: 15 pounds (95th percentile)
-Height: 23 3/4 inches (75th percentile)
-Head Circumference: (50th percentile)

I'd say he is eating well! :)

Dedicated

This past Sunday, we participated in the dedication service at our church. For those unfamiliar with a dedication service, it is essentially a time of commitment from parents to raise their children in a Christian home. Benton did really well while we were in front of the congregation, and even lasted for about 30 minutes of the actual service before we had to head out into the atrium.

It was such a special day for Landon and I, and our families. All of our immediate families were able to attend (except Landon's brother, Justin, and his family), and my grandparents even traveled down for the service. After the service, the family came over to our house for lunch and visiting. Benton is one loved little guy.

PS-Papa Son also came, but we didn't get any pictures of him with Benton!

Things We Couldn't Have Lived Without: 2 Months

I thought I'd keep this going since there are some readers who aren't mommy's yet, but are thinking about it soon. You know who you are! :) We still love all the things on the 1 month list, but here are a few more recommendations:

1. Angelcare Monitor. Benton is sleeping on his stomach now due to reflux, so Landon and I bought this so that we could rest a little bit easier (and we have!). It came highly recommended from other friends with little ones.

2. Breathable Crib Bumper. Benton is able to scoot himself all over the crib, so we removed his crib bumper. After we removed the bumper, there were a few nights were we found him with either his arms or legs hanging out of the crib. Obviously, he woke up everytime his arms or legs were out, and he in turn woke us up. :) The crib bumper is made of mesh material, so it prevents his body parts from escaping, but also allows him to breath if his face is up against it. More sleep for everyone.

3. Gripe Water. When Benton gets the hiccups, he spits up ALOT and for a long time. We use the Gripe Water to get rid of the hiccups! It works probably 75% of the time.

4. Brookstone Baby Noise Machine. We also have the Sleep Sheep, which we like, but it only plays for 45 minutes. The Brookstone noise machine is great because it plays continuously, which is perfect for nighttime!