Christmas Surprise!

We are so glad that we waited until Christmas to find out if this little baby is a boy or a girl!  Tim was so excited to be with his family when we received the big news, which made it even more fun.  The family didn't arrive until Christmas afternoon, so we had a long day of anticipation.

We did a little polling before the big reveal.  Eight family members guessed "boy" (including Tim) and thirteen guessed "girl" (including me).

We skyped in my parents and grandparents, who were in Montana, and once everyone was there we opened our sealed envelope (I promise, we hadn't peeked!).

Tim let me do the honors (probably only fair after the exhaustion, wild hormones, heartburn, etc, etc, etc... :)

 It's a... BOY!!! 

We are totally thrilled!  Ben has no idea what's happening.

So fun to have family around us and see everyone's reaction to the surprise.

Hugs all around.

Showing my parents the sonogram and the "boy parts."

Yep, definitely a boy!

Another little boy!  We keep saying, "The boys..." and it sounds so sweet.  God truly knows the desires of our hearts.  Tim and I had both been hoping for another little boy to be a buddy for Ben.  We would have been thrilled with a girl, too (I mean, we just must have at least one little girl eventually) but it will be fun to have two boys so close in age to grow up together.

Another sweet little boy on the way.  This Christmas surprise will be hard to beat.

The Night Before Christmas...

Christmas Eve was such a wonderful, laid back day for our little family. I met a girlfriend for coffee that morning, we went to the park to play (it was 80 degrees in Houston!), and we enjoyed the Christmas Eve service at church with family and friends. 

We were a little nervous about the whole "No Childcare Provided" deal at church, but Ben was a total champ.  We went with a diaper bag stocked with snacks and distractions, Ben loved the singing, the service was short and sweet, and there were lots of children around us- a winning combination!

With Amy, Amber, and our families after surviving the service.  These girls are high school friends who are also forever friends.

Since Kyle and Nancy had to stay at church for the second service, Tim, Ben and I went out to dinner afterwards, just the three of us.  We ordered comfort food and enjoyed just being together.  I'm soaking in these moments.  It's hard to believe we will be a family of four in just a few months.

When we got back to the house Tim read us the one-year-old, abbreviated version of the Christmas story.  (The "Luke 2" version is still a few years away.)  Thank you, God, for sending your Son!

Finally, we did Santa preparations.  We set out cookies and milk and made a big, exciting deal about the fact that "Santa is coming!"

After lots of enthusiasm and anticipation, it was time for bed.  Ben started bawling when took him back to lay him down, which is pretty out of character.  I rocked him and snuggled him while he cried and cried.  "What's wrong, buddy?" I asked.  He finally caught his breath and sadly said over and over, "Ho, ho, ho.  Ho, ho, ho." 

We realized that Ben had no concept of the fact that Santa comes after we go to sleep.  Ben was so sad that Santa was coming and we were making him miss the big arrival by going to bed.  What a concept!  That little boy is too smart.

Tim slipped in the next room, made a quick call to my dad, and a minute later Ben received a phone call from "Santa," wishing him a Merry Christmas and encouraging him to go to sleep.  The phone call did the trick, and our sleepy boy had visions of sugarplums dancing in his head just a few minutes later.

Christmassy Stuff.

Nevermind the fact that it's 80 degrees around these parts, Christmas activties are in full swing!

Ben is loving all the Christmas books I pulled down from the attic.  He was multi-tasking at this point, also watching "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street," a family favorite for the last 25 years.

Decking our halls (notice the open window behind us)...

Ben helping Gramma put the ornaments on the porcelain tree in her foyer (notice the short sleeves).  When Anthony and I were little we used to fight over who got to put the star on top.   Ah, Christmas memories...

We broke out the snuggly Christmas jammies, though I still can't bring myself to put the flannel sheets on the  bed.

Ben has been so great about only gently touching the ornaments on the tree.  There are a few that are just too tempting, but (fingers crossed) nothing has been broken yet!

We went to see the Parade of Lights in Fort Worth.  It was literally packed with 100,000 people and oddly cold, but "festive."

Last weekend we ventured down to Chesepeake Plaza to check out the all beautiful trees there.  Ben loved the lights.

The fuchsia trees are my favorite

We made hot cocoa and headed out to look at lights, and Tim and I laughed as we reminisced about this evolving tradition. Two years ago I was pregnant with Ben.  Tim and I went out in Tim's truck (which has since been traded for a more "family friendly" crossover vehicle), stopped at Starbucks for warm drinks, and drove all over town "oohing" and "aaahing" over the beautifully lit neighborhoods. We listened to Christmas music and enjoyed easy conversation.  I remember that my Nana called in the middle of our drive and excitedly described the cute little outfits she had just put in the mail for Ben.  I hung up the phone with her and felt so thankful- for Tim, for the baby on the way, for our family, for the warmth of the season... for our blessings.   Truly too many to count.

Last year we attempted to recreate the memory, but having an eight-month-old along for the ride made things a bit more interesting.  Tim was hungry by the time we got across town and asked if we could swing by In-N-Out Burger, which had just opened in our area.  I was slightly annoyed (because In-N-Out isn't very "Christmassy," after all, and Ben only had so long before his next feeding) but we stopped.  While we sat in the (long) drive-thru line, Ben got fussy and hungry.  I unstrapped him and nursed him while we waited in line and Tim freaked out because I was in plain view (though covered, mind you) of the crowd of people in the parking lot and the kid at the drive-thru window.  We sat in the parking lot so Tim could eat his burger and Ben could finish nursing and I couldn't help but consider how much life had changed in just a year.  I don't think we saw too many lights that night.

This year was a little more like the first.  The trip was abbreviated because Ben doesn't love being in the car, but the hot cocoa bought us a little extra time.  We rolled down the windows and turned up the Christmas tunes and named the colors of all the lights.  We were home in time for Ben to be in bed by 7:30.

Things sure aren't as simple as they were a few years ago, but they're definitely better.

Routine.

Ben,

One of my very favorite things about staying home with you is enjoying our quiet mornings together.  A few days a week we have places to go and things to do, but the other few days allow us to set our own pace.  I realize these mornings are probably short-lived.  There will soon be more mouths to feed and activities to scurry off to, but for now I treasure these mornings- just Ben and Mommy.

You wake up happy almost every day and play by yourself in your crib for a while.  I make my bed and my coffee and read my Bible while I listen to you reading and talking and singing to yourself over the monitor.  After you've completely woken up and are ready to get going, you start yelling, "Maaaaaa!"  I always stand out in the hall and loudly ask, "Where is Benjamin?  Bennnnnnjamiiiiiin?  Where are you?"  You make lots of noise and giggle and laugh until I throw the door open and yell, "Oh!  There you are!"  You jump and jump and jump out of excitement.

You hate being changed, so I always end up singing or doing something silly to help distract you.  Every morning.  I'd think by now you'd get used to the fact that you really do need to be changed first thing, but you still fuss about it every single time.  You are way too busy to be laying still first thing.  I sing "Good Morning, God" and "This is the Day" and "Before My Feet Hit the Ground."  Now you're old enough to say, "No, no, no..." until I skip to the song you want to hear.  (What a stinker.)  If we don't have anywhere to go for a while, I let you pick out what you're going to wear.  This is always fun for you and amusing to me.

We wander out to the kitchen (you still walking a bit like a drunken sailor as you find your footing). I put you in your highchair and you drink your milk while I make you eggs and "peanut butter bread" and cut up your fruit.  Usually I just want to kiss all over you because your bed-head is so irresistible and I've missed you so much all night, but you have little tolerance for that.

"Good Morning America" hums in the background, and you usually ask to call Daddy or Gramma or Grampa on speaker phone to say "good morning."  You never have much to say, you just like the comfort of listening to them talk to you while you eat your breakfast.

While I wash the dishes and rinse off your tray, you pull on my pajama leg and say, "Maaaa!  Maaaa!"  You are ready to read, want to put on your boots, and need to show me something all at once.  The day begins.  I can't think of anyone I'd rather spend it with than you.

Love,

Mommy

Holly Jolly Ben.

When we visited Santa last year, Ben exhibited slight curiosity. Okay, mostly just indifference.

This year Ben's much more familiar with Santa.  We've read a few books and have a few Santas around the house, and Ben goes so far as to yell "Ho, Ho, Ho!" when he sees Moses or Noah in any of his Bible books.

Before we went to visit Santa we went for a yummy BBQ dinner and talked Santa up pretty big.  Ben seemed receptive.  Things were looking good.

We made our way into Sundance Square and Ben made visual contact with Santa.  Very interested.  Intrigued.  Possibly even... excited?

Dad and Gramma continued to talk up the experience as we waited in line.  I felt hopeful.  Alas...

Ben was terrified.

Santa didn't appear too happy, either.

Even after Tim rescued Ben and he was a safe distance from Santa, Ben continue to sob- nay, hyperventilate. He looked at us with sad, disbelieving eyes.  The betrayal.  The audacity to set him on Santa's knee. 

Don't worry, buddy, we won't do it again... this year....

20 weeks!

Yesterday was officially the half-way mark in our wait to meet this sweet little baby!  Although the first trimester seemed to drag along at a ridiculous pace, the last eight weeks really have flown by.

20 weeks pregnant with Ben- December 2010

20 weeks pregnant now!

Yesterday we had our first sonogram.  Praise the Lord that this little one looks to be in great shape.

"Hi, sweet baby!"

I had to snap this picture of my unwavering, supportive husband.  Tim is there for me (and the baby!) every step of the way, despite his intense aversion to hospitals.  Sometimes I catch him rubbing his head and I get a little nervous, but he hasn't passed out yet!

   

We left our appointment with lots of pictures of this little baby, but one major question remains...

 

We have gone back and forth about whether or not to find out if this baby is a boy or a girl.  Our original plan was to wait until the baby was born.  With Ben, I just had to know.  I was having so much trouble imagining us with a baby that being able to fill in details ahead of time really helped me bond with him and feel prepared for what was coming.  We had the sonogram tech write Ben's gender in a sealed envelope and we took it to breakfast after our appointment and opened it together, just Tim and me.  It was a sweet, intimate moment that we still remember often, and I truly don't feel like we missed out on anything by finding out early.

This baby feels different, though.  Now that I can anticipate how it will cause our world and our hearts to explode with love, I feel much less concerned about the gender, the name, etc. So, we planned to wait...

When we made the decision to wait, we were planning to move and I intended to just set up a neutral nursery in the new house.  Things have changed in the last few months, and we're staying put.  Our nursery currently looks like this...

Cars and trucks and buses and motorcycles everywhere!

Still, I reasoned that the baby doesn't actually sleep in the nursery for the first several months, so if this baby is a girl I will just re-do things after she arrives.  That plan sounded great until a few friends who actually have more than one child informed me that the last thing I will have the time or energy to do when I have a newborn and a toddler is re-decorate a nursery. I can see that...

So, we decided to find out.  We went back and forth a few times (neither of us felt really strongly one way or the other) and ultimately decided just to make things easier for ourselves in the long run and go for it.  If this baby is a boy, we really won't have to do much except buy some tiny diapers and change the name over the crib (which would require us to agree on another little boy name, which may never happen...). If this baby is a girl both the room and the wardrobe will need an overhaul, and I think taking some of that on now will make me less insane, emotional, overwhelmed, weepy allow us to relax and enjoy the baby after it arrives.

At yesterday's ultrasound we had the tech write the baby's gender in an envelope and seal it up for us.  Our plan is to open it on Christmas morning, which we think will be so special and memorable!  What a great Christmas surprise.    We've had the envelope in our possession for 31 hours, and so far so good!

 

 

  Just nine and a half days to go!

"Bye-bow! Bye-bow! Bye-bow!"

Ben's current favorite book is his Bible.  Hands down. There's not even a close second.  His favorite story is  David and Goliath, and he mimics David throwing the rock with such intensity (technically it was a slingshot, but we'll fill in the details later) and Goliath hitting the ground.  "Boom!"

When Tim got home from work tonight, the first thing Ben did was drag Tim to his bedroom to look at his "bye-bow, bye-bow, bye-bow!"  Most likely, he loves it because there are so many pages and so many bright pictures, but it doesn't really matter to me.  I just love that he is interested and listens to the stories.

As if that weren't enough to make my heart burst, Ben also really loves to pray.  He folds his hands at the dinner table before Tim and I even have a chance to sit down.  As soon as we say "Amen," Ben does the sign for "more."

Each night I ask that God will help Ben know how much he is loved by us and loved by the Lord, and that God will give Ben a soft, obedient heart that will accept Him someday.

Now I'm praying that Ben will always love talking to Jesus and reading his B-I-B-L-E as much as he does right now.  What a sweet blessing his tender little heart is to his Daddy and me.

Better Together.

When I walk into Ben's room in the morning to pull him out of his crib, the first thing he asks for is Daddy.  The first few times it happened I called Tim and gushed about how sweet it was that Ben was missing him so much.  The following weekend, Tim went in to grab Ben out of bed and I was eavesdropping on the monitor (I just love listening to them talk to each other.)  Much to my surprise, the first thing Ben asked for was Mommy.

We've come to the realization that Ben really prefers us in our pairs.  If one of us is missing, he always asks about it.  When we walk into my parents' house and Gramma greets him, Ben immediately asks, "Grampa?  Grampa?  Grampa?" and holds his little hand out in question until Grampa appears, too.

So yes, he likes us together.  Giving him our un-divided attention.   What a stinker.

Happy Halloween!

This is Ben's 2nd Halloween, and while he may still be too young to "get it," that certainly didn't stop me from running out to purchase a costume and planning holiday related activities.

When Tim was growing up his family was pretty conservative with the holiday; he was only allowed to dress up like historical figures (Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, among others) and only allowed to carve crosses into pumpkins and attend church harvest festivals.  We still giggle with his parents every time the topic of "holiday traditions" comes up.  My parents were a little more liberal with us; we could pretty much dress up like whatever we wanted (as long as it wasn't evil/scary) and we carved pumpkins and went trick-or-treating together every year.

Tim and I haven't really discussed how much our family will do or where we will draw the line at "celebrating." We still have a couple of years to decide.

Last weekend we took Ben Mickey Mouse to First Baptist Arlington's fall festival. We kicked things off with a foot-long corn dog dinner, because good nutrition is really important, especially on holidays.

After Ben's Mickey's gourmet meal, we moved on to trunk-or-treat.  He can't say "trick-or-treat" yet, but seemed pleasantly surprised every time someone dropped candy in his pumpkin.  (Tim ate more than half of it after Ben went to bed that night, and he's not even the pregnant one!)

Spitting image of his daddy at the same age!

His ears were a little floppy, but is he seriously not the cutest little Mickey you've ever seen?  The coat tails just made the outfit!

Carving pumpkins is one of my very, very, very favorite traditions.  My parents always made it really fun.  They took us to the pumpkin patch and let us pick our own pumpkins.  Dad always claimed to have found the best one in the whole patch.  Then, while mom dutifully spread newspaper all over the kitchen table, dad would solemnly declare that he had a fantastic idea and his pumpkin would be the most creative.  We took the competition very seriously, and Mom (the photographer/judge) could never quite manage to decide exactly whose was best, which left each of us to confidently declare ourselves the winner.

When Tim and I had only been dating a month, I made asked him to carve pumpkins with me.  My pumpkin was supposed to look like Tim.  See the ears and the spiky hair?

Throwback to 10 years ago! 

Last night, we "carved" pumpkins as a family.  Ben was skeptical.  Perhaps it had something to do with last year's series of events. 

In any case, after Tim cleaned the pumpkin out we just let Ben finger paint on it.  In hindsight, we didn't really even need to gut it.  There's just something kind of necessary about scooping all those slimy seeds out, though. 

Ben wore his jack-o-lantern shirt to Bible Study this morning.  He can kinda-sorta-barely say "pumpkin," (ba-yum?) but he sure does say it with confidence! 

Tonight Ben was in his jammies and in bed by 6:30, just like any other night.  Of course, we had to go outside to say goodnight to the pumpkin first.

I have a good feeling that maybe, just maybe, next year could include some trick-or-treating.  Hey, there are some things you just have to work your way up to.

Happy Halloween!