Two Months

Milestones:

-Smiling

-Grabs toys and reaches for us

Benjamin is 2 months old! I can't believe he is getting so old...and big. Our little chunky monkey is now 12 lbs. 12 oz. and is 22.5" long, which means he gained 2 1/2 lbs. in a month. It seems like every time I take another picture of him, he has another chin. :) Breastfeeding is obviously going good and I'm so glad I stuck with it. I just wanted to quit so many times but I just kept thinking I couldn't give up after everything I'd been through. He's getting up every night to eat every 2-3 hours right now but I'm hoping he'll start sleeping a little longer soon so mama can get some sleep!

Benjamin has a ton of head control now and is very alert. He likes to bat at toys and reaches for my face, which is so adorable. He starting smiling at us (the real smile, not the gassy smile) a few weeks ago and it makes our heart melt. I captured a great smile on camera the other day too.

We hosted a 'welcome Benjamin' party on Saturday and it was a hit! We had no idea so many people would come and it was really fun to show off our little guy. I put together a slideshow of his life thus far so enjoy!

Benjamin's Video

One Month

Milestones:

-Dr. says he has incredibly strong muscles!

I can't believe little Benjamin is one month old today! He seems to change and grow every week and he just keeps getting cuter. Momma is completely sleep deprived and delirious but happy and grateful for it all! As of last Friday, at 3 1/2 weeks old, Benjamin was 9lbs. 12 1/2oz., so almost a pound over his birth weight. My guess is he will be out of his newborn clothes in about a week. He is also almost outgrowing his newborn cloth diapers, which usually go up to 6-8 weeks! We are so incredibly blessed to have this little guy in our lives and we just sit and stare at him all the time in amazement. :)

I've definitely had my breastfeeding challenges, as I briefly mentioned in my previous post. After the mastitis, I had a brief period of a few days where I thought all was well and finally got the latch down. Then all of the sudden I started seeing painful blisters and it was excruciating. Turns out we got thrush, which isn't uncommon since I just went off antibiotics. So back to exclusively pumping and to the pediatrician for some meds. We are both on meds now and doing much better, but probably won't be 100% for another week or so. Thanks to my BFF Kristen for showing me the information on APNO (All Purpose Nipple Ointment), which is a compound cream that a pharmacy can make and it is a miracle cream, not just for treating thrush, but also for cracked nipples. It is a combo anti-biotic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal and my breasts are thanking me. :) The good news is that I started breastfeeding again and it is virtually pain free...yay!! I had many moments of tears and pain and wanted to give up so many times but am so glad that I stuck with it.

I also want to say that I understand when people say it takes a village. I seriously don't know what I would do without my mom! During the first week I had the help of her and my sister and grandma that were here from out of town, which was great. My mom also came up for over a week straight to help around the house and is the sole reason that I ate 3 meals a day. She even took a few night shifts so that I could get some sleep (even though I still had to get up a few times to either feed Benjamin or pump). Rob also took as much time off from work as possible, but when you own a business you can't slack off too much! He's been such a trooper and has really picked up the slack by taking care of the house and making sure I get fed, since I'm pretty useless right now. He's also now a pro at changing diapers, which he had never done before. I LOVE watching him be a father to our little guy...it's priceless.

Benjamin watched his first football game and I think he really enjoyed it. :)





We also tried to take some naked newborn pictures. It was pretty funny and he did end up pooping on his cousin, Brooke. Good times. :)

We finally got the nursery finished so I wanted to post some pictures, along with some recent Benjamin pics. I also want to add that the green blanket on the crib is an organic blanket crocheted by my sister and the paintings on the wall are done by her to match the nursery as well. She's so artistic! Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

Wow, where has the time gone? Now I understand when people say the first 6 weeks or so go by in a blur. Time has little meaning to me now and I never know what day or time it even is. I can't believe Benjamin has been here for 12 days! It seems like he was just born but also like he has always been here, if that even makes sense. I'm pretty delirious these days but I guess that's what happens when you only get a few hours of sleep every night. It's been quite tough but we're adjusting to parenthood! I've had some breastfeeding issues, to say the least. No one told me it would be this hard! I ended up with a pretty serious infection and am currently pumping around the clock. We've also had to give him formula for 2 days (gasp!) due to the medications I was given, which I'm not happy about but today is the last day of that. Then we'll be back to giving him my pumped milk and hopefully will be able to move back to breastfeeding, if all of this bottlefeeding hasn't ruined my breastfeeding chances completely. I just have to say that I don't understand how single parents do this. Since Benjamin has been on the bottle for the past few days, it has given Rob the opportunity to take half of the night shifts, of which I am very grateful! My mom, grandma, and sister have also been down constantly to help cook, clean, and take care of things and I don't know what I would do without them here. My grandma and sister go home in a few days but my mom will still be able to help a ton. Rob is just working about an hour a day right now but will need to get back into the swing of things here soon, which means he'll need more sleep...which means I'm in trouble!

Other than that, we are just enjoying our little guy! We are so in love with him and I look at him every day amazed that he came out of me and that he's alive and he's ours. :) We had a nice quiet Christmas at our house with my mom, grandma, and sister. It was also the 1 year anniversary of my dad's passing, so while it felt like he was missing, I am confident that he is with my girls right now and hopefully they were all watching over us.

His nursery is finally almost finished, but there are still a few unfinished details. Hopefully it will be done in the next week or so and then I'll get some pictures up. It's so cute. :)

I meant to get on here sooner but you know how it goes. Here are more pictures of our little miracle.

Christmas Eve

The best Christmas present ever

All of my loves :)

First family pic!

Birth Story & Pics :)

Here's my birth story:

So last night my friends gave me some of Dave's Insanity Sauce, which is the hottest hot sauce ever! I think it was that, among other things ;) that brought on my labor at 5:30am. I awoke to some contractions that were 5 minutes apart and painful, which is similar to what happened last Friday while I was getting ready for my appointment. I got my ipod out and listened to my relaxation scripts and timed the contractions, which were 5 minutes apart for an hour. At 6:30am I figured I better take a shower if I wanted one and Rob woke up to find out what was going on. I told him to get ready because I thought this was it. I also told him that he didn't have time for a shower. :) We went into the garage, I opened the car door to get in and our dog, Bailey, jumped right into the front seat to go with us! She would never normally that, so it was really funny to see her reaction to what was going on. We got on the road and arrived at the hospital at about 7:30am. They put me in a triage room to monitor me and my water broke at 7:50am. I was 4cm dilated and 80% effaced at this point. They sent me to a labor room and got me all set up. My mom and doula were there at this point and I was just sipping water and breathing through contractions, which were about 3-4 minutes apart. They got really intense really fast and by 10am or so I thought I might die. Really. I was so not strong, it was sad. I begged for the epidural...many times! My doula was SO amazing and kept redirecting me but by 10:30am we decided I would get checked again to give me some encouragement on how far along I was. I was only 5 1/2 cm...not exactly what I was looking for. That convinced me that I couldn't go on for another minute and demanded some drugs. They called in the anesthesiologists to come give me a consult. Then they had me go empty my bladder to help ease the contractions a little. As soon as I sat down, I felt like I needed to push but I was literally just checked and was only 5 1/2 cm. So I sat on the toilet for about an hour and breathed my baby down. The anesthesiologist gave me a consult in between killer contractions while I sat on the toilet and said that was a first for them, since I refused to get up. They were super busy so wouldn't be able to come back for about an hour or so, so my doula and I both knew I wouldn't be getting any drugs. I knew that the baby was coming down, which seemed impossible since I was not dilated enough; but I reached in and felt his head only an inch away from crowning. I never shared this with the nurse because my doula said the nurse would never let me stay on the toilet to push. A little after 11am, my nurse finally said I needed to come back to bed because she was having a hard time keeping his heart rate on the monitor, so I stood up and everyone saw that he was now crowning. They immediately called my OB to come ASAP so that he wouldn't miss the birth (he would've been upset). I labored on my knees while holding on with my arms to the top of the inclined bed. My OB got there quickly, and I pushed for about 20 more minutes in that position. He was born at 11:52am and was 8 lbs, 13 oz, and 20.5 inches long. I ended up with a 2nd degree tear, which is probably because he came so darn fast. I'm happy to say that I delivered with no drugs, which was my goal, but if my labor had been an hour longer than it was, that wouldn't have happened! The important thing is that he is here and he's healthy...and he's ours! :)

I'm also happy to say that he shares a birthday with his oldest sister, Makenna, who was stillborn 2 years ago today. I think it is very sweet that they were born on the same day. It is so surreal to stare at him and know that he just came out of my body and that he is finally here. It has been such a long journey and I am happy that I was able to share the stories of my children with so many people. The encouragement and prayers from everyone that has followed our story has been amazing and I am thankful for all of you. It is also amazing to watch Rob with our son...he is truly a natural and it is adorable. We feel SO blessed!

Here are some pics to enjoy. :)

Benjamin Samuel


After delivery

Rob & Ben


New Grandma, Ben & Me

And his name is...

After prayerful consideration, we have chosen his name: Benjamin Samuel Cline! To God be the glory for bringing our little child into this world. Words cannot express the joy of seeing and holding our son...

Benjamin means "favored son", or literally "son of my right hand". Samuel means "...because I asked of God". The Historical account of Hannah in the Old Testament is the root of our choosing this name. After much difficulty bearing a child, she fervently asked of God to give a son to her, and God answered her prayer. In response, she dedicated her son to God. Samuel grew up to be a great prophet and righteous servant of God all the days of his life. Our prayer for our son, in dedicating his life to our Heavenly Father, is that he be a righteous and wise man of God, truly worthy of being named after Samuel.

Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob (Israel), who Jacob favored and held dear to his heart after "losing" Joseph, the only other son of his beloved wife, Rachel. Benjamin grew into a warrior tribe of skilled marksmen who were deft at defending Israel for generations. Apparently a fighter and defender of the Nation of Israel, Benjamin is a fitting name for our little tuff-guy, who has shown us his energetic "fighting" spirit throughout Jenell's pregnancy with his constant activity.

Thank you Lord, for this precious gift.

Rob & Jenell

He is born!

Well, I was going to give an update around 10:40 am, but things happened so fast! Our little boy is here! He is a healthy 8 lbs, 13 oz, 20.5 inches, and cute as can be. Jenell did awesome, and things are beautiful with her and our little guy both. Mommy is peaceful, relaxed, and our son is already latching and nursing at less than an hour old. Jenell did it naturally! Of course there were second thoughts when dealing with all the pain of labor, but things moved along so quickly that she just braved through it, and our son was born at 11:52 am. It was amazing to hear his first little cry, and we are so very happy and blessed =)

His name announcement will be next... Thank you everyone for your prayers, love, and positive encouragement. We are blessed to have such wonderful friends, family and blog buddies.

Rob