Bennett James {1 month]

Little B you are such a blessing to our family and you were the missing piece to our puzzle that I didn't know was missing. Your first month has been quick, fun, tiring, hard, but with tons of cuddles and feeding and diaper changes! I didn't realize how much of a difference between a girl and boy was going to be! First of all changing your diaper was an art that took me a few weeks to master. Some how you would manage to wet your entire outfit and your diaper be bone dry! You have pooped on me TWICE! But, those days are few and far between thankfully! 

First Month Highlights:

• You weigh 9.4 pounds and 21" tall. You are not our petite little thing anymore!!!
• You eat 4oz every 2/3 hours during the day and your nights are starting to get longer between feedings! 
• You are still in newborn diapers and clothes- but I think thats all about to change! 
• You usually take your last bottle at 8:30 and you snooze anywhere between 1:00/3:00 and eat 5oz and then snooze for another 3 hours. You are not as a good sleeper as your sister, but we have made huge progress thanks to the Mom on Call book!
• Unfortunately you have battled reflux for several weeks and we finally have you on meds and I hope that starts to help.
• When you are not in pain from reflux or tummy issues you are an observant quiet little fellow. You just sit and look around and take it all in. 
• You like to hold your head up when we hold you upright and it amazes me how strong you are.
• You love bath times and sleeping on my chest.
• Your sister LOVES you and wants to help and give you pacis (even though those aren't your favorite things)!

We love you Bennett James!

Janie Beth {2.5 Years}

Sweet, sweet Janie Beth. My how you make our life so much more fun! You my darling are the most hilarious little girl but you can also drive us crazy!!! You are a talking machine and I wanted so badly for you to carry on a conversation with me and now there is no stopping you. You recently discovered the word "why" and it makes me want to bang my head against the wall! But, this is how you learn- I try to remind myself of that.

It amazes me how you remember the craziest of things that happened days, weeks, and sometimes months ago! You are so smart and I feel like you grew over night once we brought Bennett home. You absolutely love being a big sister. You always want to help with Bennett and you get very concern when he cries and it also bothers you that he won't take a paci.

Now, you and your daddy have a special bond that I LOVE watching! You absolutely adore him and will do EVERYTHING he does! Y'all will play from sun up to sun down and come up with the weirdest games. You depend on your daddy to make you laugh and to copy you when you make a funny noise or face. He will annoy you like a big brother, but turn on the daddy role immediately! Y'all are the cutest things ever! You are so lucky to have him!

When it comes to cuddling, eating, kissing boo-boos, and anything nurturing you come running to me! I love that you rely on me to make things better for you. I may not be the "fun" one but I love the things we do together. You are my girly girl. You love to read books with me, have me paint your toes and finger nails, fix your hair, and much more girly things! I am so blessed you are mine!

Other fun things about you:

• You have recently become obsessed with your dolls. You are constantly wanting to feed them, change them, burp them, and dress them.
• Your imagination has really taken off. You come up with the craziest stories and scenarios and make us act them out. 
• You absolutely love school and your teachers. They comment on how very smart you are and if they are ever absent they never worry about anything because they know you will run the classroom.
• Your best friend is Georgia Kate and I love seeing your friendship with her grow.
• You are a picky picky eater! Your favorite foods are spaghetti, pb&j, "Belle" soup, apple sauce, and yogurt! Oh - and you recently like hamburgers!
• You're sleeping like a champ in your big girl bed and still an awesome sleeper! You love your 12-2 naps and bed time! Still addicted to your paci and lovie!
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Roadster Racers are still your favorite shows, but mainly you watch awful craziest shows on the iPad!

I am loving this age and want to freeze it!!! 

A Letter to Bennett

Dear Sweet Bennett,

Man oh man how you were such a wonderful surprise to your daddy and me. We were definitely ready for another sweet baby, but you came much quicker than we expected! Your daddy went fishing one Saturday and it was just me and JB hanging around the house some time in April. Once Janie Beth went down for a nap I decided I needed to take a pregnancy test, and right away it showed positive. It seemed like eternity for your daddy to come home so I could tell him. We were both so excited and shocked.

Fast forward to the end of May.... when we told our families! Everyone was TOTALLY shocked and excited! We announced it by Janie Beth wearing a "Big Sister" shirt. It didn't take them long to read it and realize what it said!

Janie Beth seemed so excited, but we were not sure if she truly understood what was happening. She told everyone she came in contact to that she was going to have a baby brother and would pat my belly if you asked her where he was! I loved seeing how excited she was and enjoyed helping me get things ready for you!

Your pregnancy was so different! Mainly because it FLEW by! I feel like once we announced we were pregnant I blinked and we were finding out what you were going to be. I was pretty confident you were a girl. Your dad's vote was a boy (which he successfully guessed both you and your sister correctly)! To say that I was shocked was an understatement!! I was happy, scared, excited, and all kind of other emotions about having a boy. I was so happy for your daddy because he wanted a little boy! And, I can't wait to experience the mommy/son relationship! Your future wife better be ready! HA!

 Our family and friends showered us with sweet boy things! Which we were very grateful for considering most of our things were pink. Who knew boy stuff could be cute and sweet?! We started getting the swing, bouncy seat, bath tub, etc down from the attic and organizing your cute room! Things were started to get real! We were about to have TWO kids. My dream of being a wife and mommy was about to be complete with a son!

As ready as I was to meet you I am cherishing your ninja skills in my tummy. You let your presence be known a lot and you will totally change the look of my belly when your moved. I am also trying to soak in these last moments with your sister because her life is about to change as well, only for the better! I promise to try and make you always feel special and loved. I promise to make special days just for you! You are loved so much already and I know you are going to be the perfect piece to our family!

Love, Mommy

Janie Beth's Big Girl Room

How is my first baby old enough to be sleeping in a big girl bed!? It makes me so proud of her but so so so sad! I can't believe she is 2.5 years old, but yet she's still my baby! She is so mature and all of a sudden grew a whole year once Bennett was born!

JB is such a fun, happy, and stubborn little girl. She has such a kind heart for everyone and a sweet spirit! She has been such an awesome big sister and it just melts my heart.

We have said from the start of my pregnancy with Bennett that we weren't going to kick JB out of her crib until she was ready! We have been talking up a big girl bed and decided to set it up but keep the crib in her room and let her decide. The first night she chose to sleep in her crib after attempting to sleep in her bed, but she lost her lovie in it and that settled that decision for her. Then, the next day she napped in her bed and it was success and then that night she told us she wanted to sleep in her bed and she slept all night!! I was so excited for her because she was so proud! She has made this transition so easy!

So.... introducing JB's big girl room!

Bennett's Nursery

When I found out we were having a boy I knew his themed had to be fishing/hunting. But I didn't want it to be redneck looking. So I went straight to Pinterest. I found some awesome ideas! I absolutely love how it all turned out! My mom and sister helped with some paintings and canvases, and Ben helped paint the furniture and hang things for me!

My kids rooms are probably my favorite rooms in the house! I hope they love them as much as I do!

Janie Beth's First Snow {December 2017}

Janie Beth got to experience her first snow! She wasn't too sure about it at first, but then Chase brought out the sled and it was over after that.

Christmas Galore {2017}

It is so hard to believe that this was our last Christmas as a family of 3 and this time next year our Bennett will be almost ONE! 

This Christmas has been the best one YET! Janie Beth loved everything about Christmas! She wanted to go look at lights every night, she loved Santa, she adored her elf, Carol, and of course the presents was a plus. Seeing her excitement is exactly what being a parent is all about.

The best part? She knew exactly why we celebrated Christmas- birth of Jesus. She even played Mary at school in their program. 

We kicked off our Christmas traditions by visiting Wadsworth Tree Farm to pick out that perfect tree.

Honestly, JB wasn't as impressed as she looks in these pictures. I was sad. 

Next, we did something different this year. We visited the North Pole Express in Calera. Lollie, Pop, Will, Britton, and Cade joined us. The kids had a blast while the parents were stressed about containing to two year old to a seat.

Here you are learning all about the birth of Jesus at school. So stinking cute!

Then,  it was Polar Express Day at FBCDC.

I can't wait for next Christmas with TWO kiddos! Each year will get better and better!

Saying good-bye to Carol; until next year.