Dad and Mary came to meet Ben and see our new house. Their visit was short but we had fun and the kids loved all the extra attention!
Ben
A little Scooby Doo is everyone’s favorite.
(On a side note, it appears 3 of my 4 children are dressed in stripes. Evidently I like stripes.)
Mornings are rough.
Trying to get a good picture with four kids may be beyond my capabilities.
Ben and I spend a lot of time just like this – especially when everyone else is at school/work.
Napping.
Ben’s first bath went about as expected. (To complete this picture, imagine the 3 year old who was by my side desperate to help.)
Matching pjs – sadly the big boys have outgrown these styles.
Almost a smile.
Ben’s ready for his first Christmas.
Ben was so content while I cooked lunch for Kaitlyn and I.
Today was the town’s Christmas celebration. Local businesses were open throughout town and offered crafts, snacks, and fun activities. The town also had caroling and the tree lighting on the Common. Most of us took naps after church so we only attended a few of the afternoon activities. We had a lot of fun and plan to explore a little more next year!
(When you realized your entire family (except you) is wearing a toggle coat, you must take a picture.)
When I checked on Ben today he was snuggling a lovey – most likely put there by Kaitlyn.
I’m pretty sure he’s thinking, “What have I gotten myself into?”
Finally getting our tree – next year we’ll be back to cutting our own!
First Christmas pajamas.
How is this comfortable?
Brother bonding.
The sweetest part of this picture is that Ben is wrapped up in one of Wade’s baby blankets.
All snuggled in at home and ready for a bedtime book.
Finally, Ben and I can go home today! Granny and Pop had bought donuts for the kids yesterday and bought me some donut holes (my favorite) which were delivered last night. When I opened them this morning, I saw that sneaky Pop had included a $20 for Ben and me.
I was told Ben and I both needed to be checked/released by our doctors and then we would be good to go. That happened and then I was told Ben needed to try his hearing test one more time. When they took him back for the hearing test, I called Wade and he brought all the kids to pick us up. The nurse returned Ben to the room and told us there was one more test, but it had to be approved by a doctor (who had left the hospital hours ago) and then performed. I told Wade to go on home. It was lunch time and Kaitlyn needed a nap. The chances of us going anytime soon were slim.
A few hours later, we were really released. Our neighbor walked over to stay with the kids and a napping Kaitlyn. Wade arrived and we pretty much rushed out the door. I asked the nurse to take a quick picture of us, but that didn’t go exactly as I had hoped…
Now we are home! I am so glad to be here and the big kids are all loving on the baby.
Due to the crazy day, I didn’t get a picture of Ben in his “going home” clothes. So I took one a few days later.
Baby Ben.
Today Ben and I hung out in the hospital and Wade held down the fort at home. Then he loaded up all three big kids and brought them to visit and for a pizza party. The kids were all over and into everything, but we had fun being together. (I begged to go home from the hospital today, but they were adamant Ben had to stay 48 hours to be monitored.)
Ben has been an awesome baby. He sleeps and transfers to his bassinet well. He isn’t a big fan of the bottle and is taking very small amounts but we’re assuming he’ll get the hang of it before too long.
I’ve been ready to have this baby for a few weeks, but it only really seemed to make sense this week. The nursery was finished on Sunday. My doctor told me I was 4 cm dilated on Monday. Judy and Jerry are in town for Thanksgiving. I am officially 38 weeks. The most important reason – I am insanely uncomfortable. When I hadn’t gone into labor by Tuesday, I started to rethink all this. I didn’t want to miss Thanksgiving with my family. Birth story below. Feel free to read or skip that part and just see the pictures.
The baby must have taken all of this into account. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day and I woke up about 1:30 am pretty sure I was in labor. I woke Wade up and we called his parents. We got to the hospital a little after 2 am. With my history, I was a little surprised that I was only 6 cm dilated. I was having contractions every minute and there was some discussion about how quickly I would progress. They quickly moved me to a room and I asked for an epidural. After getting all the information/disclaimers the doctor has to discuss before the actual epidural, the OB brought up that if he broke my water, I would most likely be immediately ready to deliver. (Or if it broke on its own, I would be ready to deliver before the epidural took effect.) Then the anesthesiologist also mentions I am a greater risk for the nasty headache I hear people talk about after an epidural. Decision made. I have had one delivery without pain medication and it wasn’t too bad. I told the OB to break my water. He did and suddenly everyone in the room was suited up and ready. Then the OB realizes something isn’t quite right. He keeps checking me (which HURTS) and demands an ultrasound. They were afraid the baby had suddenly turned and I would need an emergency C-section. The ultrasound confirmed the baby was in the correct position but something still wasn’t right. The OB finally realized the baby was head down, but coming face first (instead of crown first). He warned me it would hurt but we were going to deliver immediately. I did, but wow. I should have gotten the epidural.
Benjamin Fuller Burch was born on 11/24 at 4:26 am. He was 7 lbs, 5 oz. and 20.5 inches long. The poor thing has a bruised face with a very swollen nose and mouth, but hopefully that fades quickly.
After we were settled in our room, Wade ran home to take a nap and check on everyone. The entire family came back later that afternoon to meet Ben.
Introducing Benjamin Fuller Burch.
7 lbs, 5 oz.
20.5 inches
We had a wonderful day celebrating family. Due to baby’s upcoming arrival, Wade’s parents and sister came to spend the holiday with us in Grafton. The cooking was easy (and something I enjoy) – especially when there are three extra adults to entertain the kids. We had a big meal at lunchtime and then most everyone took an afternoon nap. We had pie late afternoon and then spent most of the evening playing games. Emily introduced Alex to some new ones and I loved that he was old enough to understand games we like to play.
Our neighborhood had “Santa at the Beach” today. Our neighbor is in charge of all kid activities and set the entire thing up. She asked Wade to play Santa and he was a great sport. We let the boys in on the secret and drove Daddy to the fire station a little before the event. The firemen let the boys ride in the firetruck too and I hurried to the beach.
Kaitlyn wants nothing to do with Santa – even when it’s Wade dressed as Santa. She watched him get dressed but as soon as he had the beard on she wouldn’t go near him. I have a single picture of him holding her in the fire station and I think she just hadn’t realized what was going on yet.
These four got some good quality snuggles in this morning.