Iowa Energy

We took Bennett to the Iowa Energy game at noon today. He sat mesmerized through the first quarter but inevitably got fidgety after that. He liked watching the dancers and he was crazy for Surge, the mascot. The entire game he just kept saying his name and whenever he was on our side of the court he'd wave and say, "hi Surge!" He finally got to wear his Jordan sneakers that Uncle Aaron bought for him when he was just a few weeks old. They're now dubbed his b-ball shoes. His t-shirt was from Uncle Aaron too. It was an exciting day for Bennett and he was expressing his independence. He wanted to climb the stadium stairs all by himself (even though he can barely step up!) and he wanted to walk everywhere else too.

On the home front, I spent the entire day yesterday painting at the Johnston house, thankfully with tons of help (and good food) from my mom and dad and also my friend Erin pitched in. We got the master bedroom and powder room bathroom finished. Next on the list is the basement. Jon's working on all the trim work right now and making good progress.

Bennett's back

I wanted to post an update but hate posting too many blogs without any pictures, so sorry about that! About 3 days ago, Bennett was all of a sudden completely back to his happy, mostly obedient self! From one day to the next he was a completely different baby. He hasn't even been throwing his mild fits he usually does when we get his jacket on and put him in the car. I mean, it was one extreme to the other. So thankfully it was just about 5 days of bawling Bennett and then we got our baby back.
Yesterday was such a great day. Its always so amazing how warm 50 degrees can feel. The three of us were outside after his nap, exploring the backyard, and little roly-poly was falling on the uneven ground about every 30 sec. Certainly didn't phase him though. It just made me so excited for the summer to come. I was even telling him how much fun he'd have this summer because we'll get to go outside every day! Wow...what a foreign concept. Since he didn't walk at all last summer, I just can't wait for all the fun we'll have with him this year, not to mention the last months we'll have as just the three of us.

Well, the countdown is on. We have one month, as of yesterday, before the big move. Judie's watching Bennett on Friday and I'm going to have a marathon painting day at the new house. Let me know if you want to join in on the fun! Ha.

The Aftermath

So, according to both of our moms, Bennett was great the entire 10 days we were gone. They said he never really fussed, went down to bed just fine and was his usual easy-going happy self. Well, apparently he did miss us terribly and is now taking it out on us! Now granted, he does have a cold, but that usually doesn't phase him in the least, so I don't think that has anything to do with it. He is an absolute wreck. The last few days, he's cried at the drop of a hat. He's been so crabby and has thrown a crying, sobbing fit at least 4 or 5 times a day. Its unbelievable. Today and yesterday, I've resorted to just putting him up in his bed when he has a breakdown and that seems to help. He hasn't taken 2 naps a day for months but this week he's a lot more tired too. A few minutes ago, when he was bawling uncontrollably because I was pouring some dry cereal onto his highchair and wouldn't let him pour them out himself, I told him he was going to bed and he says, "okay. Bed." So Jon starts carrying him up there and he calms down immediately and starts sighing happily. Oy vey. I don't know where my happy baby has gone but I hope he comes back soon.

baby love

Well, I had my first prenatal appointment today with the midwives. I was so excited to go and bring Bennett in there to show off to all the nurses who remembered us. It was pretty fun. We got to hear the heartbeat, which was wonderful. Its finally sinking in and becoming real. Up until this point it seriously seemed like something I made up in my head since I've had no symptoms (ok, not no symptoms per se, since I eat a full meal every 2 hours or so, and my jeans have long since buttoned up). But for some reason, I just haven't felt like there was really a baby in there. So after this morning, I've definitely had that warm fuzzy feeling, knowing I'm carrying around our precious little baby who's heart is beating away at 170 beats per minute. Its such a miracle and I'm grateful to be experiencing it all over again.

Home Sweet Home

Its good to be back. Jon and I were more than ready to come home by about day 8. We had a lot of fun and did some really cool stuff but it was great to get home. Some highlights: We got to watch a movie on a big screen on one of the beaches at night; like a drive-in (which I've always wanted to do!) but laying on beach chairs! We had a couple of great snorkeling trips and saw a sea turtle and a huge moray eel and even some baby squid. We had quite the adventurous ATV ride along the rocky north side of the island with huge waves crashing in, through the pouring rain at a couple points and through these crazy thorn bushes that I still have scratches all over my arms from! I'll post some more pictures tomorrow...Jon's been working from his computer nonstop today so I can't get them right now.
Our reunion with Bennett was great. We had 2 days of travelling (our flights were free so we couldn't be picky!). We spent some of Valentine's day in Miami and had plenty of time to leave the airport and go to the beach, then stayed overnight in Dallas and flew home the next morning. We picked him up from the Colyer's and he was definitely happy to see us, although he had kind of a mild reaction. He just got a big smile on his face and gave us big hugs. He was extremely clingy all day today and even said, "Mommy home" a couple times which was so sweet and sad.
He's always been a good talker for his age but it was fun to actually notice the progress he made in 10 days. I couldn't believe how much better he was saying things. He's talking in 3 word sentences now (before it was mostly just 2). Today he said, "ladybug! see it?" while pointing at one and at lunch we were both eating peas and he said, "mommy peas too". He can say his name clearly now (before it was meh-meh) and is saying so many words that he couldn't say before. Sorry, I'll quit being a mom and boring you with these things :)
I'm still recovering from the two nights in a row of 5 hours of sleep and didn't lift a finger on housework today other than feeding, diapering and clothing. I promised Jon I'd get back to work tomorrow!!

hello from curacao

Well, our vacation is about half over and we've been having so much fun. We've done some great sight-seeing, snorkeling and relaxing on the beach. We're staying at a resort that's attached to this little Aquarium that we have unlimited access to so we've gotten up close to some sea turtles and rays and sea lions. It just makes us think about how much fun Bennett would have here, being the animal lover that he is. Speaking of our little boy, I'm missing him A LOT but our moms have been sending us regular updates and that makes it a lot easier, knowing he's doing ok and having fun.

PS. The offer went through and we've officially sold our house!

I guess Bennett was trying to come to Curacao as a stowaway (that word always makes me think of Chip, the teacup). I came out of the bathroom this morning and found him sitting in there!

This is Bennett with Larae Ramsey, one of my closest friend, Erin's, baby. We went over there the other day since I hadn't seen her since the hospital and they had their first "playdate". I have to say, these pictures don't do her justice because she is one gorgeous baby! Bennett was shirtless after dumping a cup of water all over his head and shirt. Bennett loved being around her and kept saying her name, which sounded like "away" when he said it.

And this is what I think our daughter will look like... wig courtesy of Jon's costume he wore to 70's night at the Iowa Energy game last night. He won gift certificates for having the best costume! He said the crowd went nuts for him when they had to cheer for their favorite.

stylin

Today was "Daddy gets Bennett dressed for church day". Those come around every now and then when I have to go early to sing and I forget to pick something out before I put Bennett to bed the night before. These days are good for my character. Reminds me that it really doesn't matter what he wears and its kind of fun to see what Jon picks out. So today Bennett wore the t-shirt his Nanna and Poppy brought back for him from their cruise.