Leavenworth haus

We ventured to the eastside once again - this time the weather cooperated and we got a serious dose of Vitamin D. Bennett had his first hike and we got to explore the property and marvel at all that spring brings to the hillside. So refreshing!

Real men wear purple...go Dawgs!

Our PEPS peeps

I joined a PEPS group and we're in our 5th week of meeting. It's a gathering of local moms who all have babies around the same age - it becomes our forum for questions, advice, tears, laughter and everything else that goes along with learning how to be a new mom. It's also a great excuse at least once a week to get dressed and get out of the house for a few hours. We've been meaning to do a "before" photo of all the babies and finally got around to it this week - there are two babies missing (Gabby & Eljas). They are in age order - oldest on the left (Ella, Liam, Marlowe, Bennett, Millie, Audrey, and Jayden).

I took Bennett to his first movie in a theater yesterday with another mom/baby from my PEPS group. There is a theater in Bellevue that shows movies every Thursday morning especially for moms - stroller and baby friendly environment, they keep the lights up a bit, the sound down and bit and even give you a menu and serve you food and drinks in your seat. It was fantastic!

Grrrrrrr....

Brent loves to bargain shop - there is no better Saturday than one that involves making a pot of coffee and wandering around to various estate, yard or garage sales in the neighborhood. He loves a good deal and is always on the look out for vintage classic books and garden tools. But this weekend he came home with his favorite find yet - he could not have been prouder of the purchase. Bennett will have to grow into it and hopefully won't be scared of it (we can't keep it in the nursery because it spooks me in the middle of the night); Lola approached the new bear with caution and curiosity - I'm pretty sure she thought it was real and that we'd brought her a new friend to play with; oh the disppointment when it wouldn't chase her!

Genetics

They say you inherit your maternal grandfather's hairline....but this soon? really? Sorry Bennett. The two of them received matching socks for Grandpa's birthday - and they couldn't be happier!

Happy Easter

Bennett's first Easter egg hunt - he may have slept through it but he still managed to find and capture an egg! We couldn't resist dressing the little man up as a bunny for a photo-op...as you can see, it's exhausting being so cute!

Happy 2 Months!!

Weight 12 lbs 3 oz; 70th percentile....WOW!
Length 22.5 in; 45th percentile
Head 39 cm; 25th percentile

This is a big jump from being in the 5-25% range for all measurements since birth. Apparently I make full cream milk...could it be all the ice cream cravings from the last 10 months? (let's be honest, pregnancy and breastfeeding are just convenient excuses for me to indulge my ice cream habit daily!)
He had his first shots today...only a few tears from him & a few from Mom. He seems to have recovered nicely already.

Celebrating Sarah

All of Sarah's loved ones came together this Sunday for her baby shower. She looks fantastic and is going to be a natural mother. I'm very excited to share this journey with my sister and think it will be such a blessing for Bennett to have a cousin so close in age. She's due May 19th but I'm hoping for an early delivery...sometime in April so that Grandpa has to share his "birthday month".

Other events this week - the sun came out!! The kids (Lola included) and I spent lots of time playing and napping outside these last few days - with lots of sun protection for the babe of course. We have his two month appointment on Friday so I'll update with the latest stats soon. Notice the arm rolls in the picture above; bathtime is a lot more involved now with all the creases he's sporting. But as Aunt Jenny would say - Chubby babies are way cuter!

I got some new kicks (thanks mom and dad!) and am ready to get my butt back into shape - oh the process is painful. I can't wait to get these things dirty...there is nothing better than a broken in pair of runners. Bennett is strapped in for one of our runs - he's holding on tight, maybe because I'm so fast?

Bennett has this new pouty face that I haven't quite caught on film yet - he sticks his bottom lip out so far it will melt your heart. I swear he does it for show when he really wants you to know he's upset...and he does it for Dad way more that anyone else. I love that his personality is developing - and that he already knows how to work his Dad.

Learning to Share

Amber and I will be watching each other's babes quite a bit once I go back to work so we thought it'd be a good idea to start doing trial runs at the 2:1 baby/mom ratio. I can't say it was the most successful first go for me - as you can see from the pictures, there were happy moments but once one melted, it became a chorus and it was all I could do to comfort one long enough to get to the next one. Fortunately, Amber and the rest of the Aunties joined us and all was well. Not sure what Avery is reaching for...I'm guessing it's the binky that Bennett's not using.

We traveled to Leavenworth for the first time with the babe. It was a little cold outside still so Mom and B stayed warm by the fire in the cabin while Dad showed off his handyman skills around the property fixing this and that and planting new trees. It was great to get away from the house for a bit and enjoy some peaceful, cozy family time.