Benjamin is 14 months tomorrow.

Wow, how has he grown. He has been doing so many things that I keep meaning to document. First, when we ate at Macaroni Grill on Monday, they have a paper over the table that kids can color on. He was all over it, still working on his coordination with the color. But he was scribbling!!! I thought that was really amazing.

Also, the boy loves to blow kisses. Any time we say goodbye to someone, he puts his hand to his mouth/face, and kind of looks like he is slapping himself, but really he is blowing kisses.

He has become quite fond of pushing things around the house. The first thing would be this laundrey basket.



Last night he went on to start pushing the pack n play that I put up. At one point he had blocked Mugsy in the hallway by pushing it across the room against the doorway. It was pretty funny to watch. Reminded me of the time when he first started crawling and was using his head to try to push the pack n play out of the way.

He says, "done" when he is done eating in his high chair. That one was hard to catch because he is always using the syllable "dadaddadaddundun" when he jibber jabbers.

He loves walks in his stroller. He is such an observer, and now waves at the cars as they drive by. Such a friendly little guy.

Oh, and high fives all the time, to complete strangers. At Church last week I think he gave everyone behind us like five high-fives each.

And the things he's learned that we are trying to un'learn'. Pulling hair, hitting, and yes, he bit Jake and I the other day. Not hard, but hard enough for him to get in BIG trouble. When Dad, used a stern voice with him, Ben knew he wasn't playing and put the saddest face on ever, just before he melted down like he was dying.

Time out does NOT work at this stage. He thinks it is a big game. When I place him facing the corner he turns his head and smiles and looks right at me. I even try to make him place both hands on the wall to keep him facing straight ahead. It is so hard not to laugh when he is looking at you and he is supposed to be in trouble. Then when I let him up, he walks back over to the corner and lays against the wall, like, "Look at me, I am over here again!" He hasn't quite learned it is supposed to be punishment. So for the time being I am not quite sure what to do with disciplining, and if you have any ideas throw them my way.

Great weekend ahead. Hanging out, and not a whole lot going on. My kind of weekend. Happy Friday everyone.

Ben got a shirt that says......

On August 28th, actually my best friends birthday, I decided to buy three pregnancy tests at Dollar General(Ladies, they are only a dollar!) to prepare for the months of ahead when Jake and I planned on trying for another baby. I decided to use one, knowing that I was supposed to have my monthly friend come any day. Figured I would use this one, and still have two left for the future months. I did have a very weird feeling before taking it. Ya know all the "what if's" go over and over in my head, but I was assured I was not pregnant yet. We weren't even trying, and that would be too easy. With Ben we tried for four months.

Well, God decided it was time. He had other plans than Jake and I. So, I took the test at work. After a minute it looked negative, I sighed not really happy or sad, but figured it to be negative anyways. I went to lunch and came back. I decided maybe I should look at the results one more time, JUST in case. Remembering with Ben it took several minutes for the first test to show postitive. Well, low and behold, TWO lines and a positive test. My heart at that moment leaped into my chest. I literally couldn't breathe for a moment. Tears came to my eyes. I immediately said a prayer. It was like instinct. Dear God protect this baby inside me, and help it to grow healthy and strong. I even think I called "him" baby bean in that first hour, so I am pretty sure this will be the nickname from here on out. The tears were of anxiety, excitedness, and yes, Scared! Ben and baby bean were going to be less than two years apart. OH MY! How could I handle that?

I called Jake once I gathered myself together. I said, I am sending you a text, and DON'T say anything when you get it. He was at work at the fire station. He says, "uh okay". He could tell the anxiousness in my voice, and knew something was up. I send the picture of the positive test, and he texts back...."Hmmmmmm" --Pretty certain I caught him by surprise. But, I won't lie, I really 'wanted' more than that! A few minutes later he texts me to say, "i have axious and scared feelings." Right here in the same boat, hon. haha. Well, he was at work busy, and couldn't really say much. We were both pretty blown away.

I sat at my desk for several minutes looking on in a daze. I figured it would be about the end of May our little one would come. Looked at the "ovulation calendar" wondering How I messed up on my "days". Then went straight to the Baby Develpment Calendar on baby center.com to see exactly where bean was at in development. Just in cellular division and implantation.. Really only two weeks/maybe three I guess, from conception day. I really don't know.

WOW! Reminding myself, I am pregnant. And, I actually took five tests just to make certain. ha!

The next thought is, "Ben is going to have a brother." As I was taking the test, I was thinking a girl, but as soon as I knew it was positive, I 'felt' boy! So we shall see. Every single waking/sleeping moment I remind myself, "Baby" which puts me on my health track. Back to all my multi-vitamins with Essential Fatty Acids, Calcium, Iron, and Folic Acid. And the wonderful soy protein shakes I have been drinking every morning since Friday. My first thought was wait till the end of the month to let everyone know. Each minute that passed, I was so anxious to share the wonderful news.

So, Sunday after Church we went over to Grandma and Papa K's house with Ben wearing a shirt that says, "Big Brother." Took them both a second. My Dad saw it first, and paused then said Congratulations, and put a blessing on my forehead. Ben had just awaken from a nap and had his clueless, tired, leave me alone, look on his face. But the shirt said the rest. Ha. Mom was coming up the steps, and we were standing at the top. I said, look at Ben's new shirt. She looked and said the words then screamed in excitement. Gave me a big hug and then Jake too.

Uncle Charlie kept saying to Ben, "aren't you excited to have a big brother" Even he thinks he is going to have another nephew.

We had just talked a couple hours before about switching out bunkbeds with Mom and Dad for a queen bed that we have at home....when a new baby comes.... Mom quickly reminded me saying, I guess you are gonna need those bunkbeds sooner than you thought. HA!

There is always the fear of being able to afford a new baby and it's coming. By the fifth day when I wrote this, I was filled with the uptmost excitement and still am. Ben, my sister Katie and I went for a morning walk last weekend on labor day, and I could barely hold my excitement in.

I had a friend(Jesse) explain the love for a child once to me before I ever had Benjamin. And another friend(Lori) talked in her blog about the future and how a person could have love for TWO children. I always wondered the same after having Ben. How could I share this love I have for Benjamin? As soon as the moment I was pregnant, and as a natural feeling as ever, it was like my love multiplied. I felt as though I would explode with all these feelings and love I felt.

Ben is going to be in for quite the surprise, but he is really going to be such a good big brother! It may still be sinking in for Jake, but pretty sure it is going to hit him like a bull-dozer at birth, just like it did with Ben. Both of us broke down almost collapsing the first time we saw each other in the hospital room alone after Ben was delivered. I remember Jake didn't want to leave our sides. He went home the second night we were at the hospital, and said he couldn't sleep, and was up all night. Thinking about getting back to us. Waiting for the alarm to go off so he could leave for the hospital. If I remember correctly, he ran several errands before getting back in our room and was there at 7am.

We have created two miracles together. God has given us this chance. I want nothing more than another healthy baby. God take care of us.

As I sat and wrote this, Benjamin was napping, and I remember wondering. How did this happen? WELLL....... haha! We know how this happened, but really why are we so blessed. I have never been more thankful in my life, and am overwhelmed. I already have felt this pregnancy is a little different. I don't remember feeling so bloated or aloof, or in awe. But I am pretty sure I was. I guess you really do forget a lot of things. It feels like yesterday I was pregnant with Ben, but it was 14 months ago.. They are going to be 14 months apart. Crazy! Soooo much more to write in time...............

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Labor Day Lazy Weekend Random photos

Mama needs to set up someone an appointment for a haircut!

Playing with a stick. Funny how random things like that keep him very occupied.

Running around the house with my pants on my head.

Still pants on head. You will notice that many pictures Ben will not be wearing a clean shirt, unless I just put it on him, and well this was the end of the day.

Rice Milk and a visit to the Chiro.

So we are trying some alternative routes to fix Ben with his constant ear infections. I really am sick of putting him on antibiotics only to calm, but never cure the EI. So, tubes right now, I don't want to think about. Especially when the doctor mentioned that approximately 50% of children, it doesn't help, and another 50% of those same children they fall out and have to be put in again. I AM NOT saying that tubes are a bad idea. If they work, then that is awesome. I am also very scared about putting Ben under anasthesia again. The experience of him being put out for the debreding of his right hand from the second degree burns was horrible. I was holding him down screaming, and then all of a sudden his eyes roll back in his head and he goes limp. Give me shivers thinking about it. I KNOW this would not be the case for the tubes, but someone would be holding him down before he passed out. So, we are trying some alternative routes for our little guy. Number one, after his spinal adjustment at the chiropractor on Friday, he did awesome. Instead of being one stuffy mess, his nose began to drain. They adjusted his atlas and axis, two vertebraes that directly affect ears and sinuses.They also muscle tested him for allergies. They found that is likely allergic to dairy and soy milk. So, that leads us to the rice milk. Which really doesn't taste too bad at all. He has been on that for four days now. He is still draining quite a bit and still has a cough, but we go back tomorrow for another boost. I can't wait.

One thing I know for certain is that it really has helped. For the first times ever Benjamin slept in on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday til at least 7:15, but Saturday and Monday morning he slept in till 8am. CRAZY! It was heavenly. I don't remember that Ben has ever done that, especially several mornings in a row. We have let him stay up till b/w 8:30 and 9pm, where as he usally is in bed asleep by 8, but I really don't think that has affected it. Mainly, because there are always nights sometimes, that he may not get to sleep till 9 or so, but still would wake up at 5:30 or 6. So, this has really been wonderful. So, that is a quick update there.