Ben - Four Weeks!

This week was another one of firsts for Benjamin. He had his first bath after losing his umbilical cord.



He doesn't like them, even though the colorful rainforest tub is more comfortable than the sponge baths!



He also has started looking at more things further away - like the book spines in the study and our Aggie Band blanket that hangs above our living area couch. Ben now is more interactive with people, has even more expressions and places his hands together!









Here he is at four weeks with one of his aunts!

Ben - Three weeks old!

Last night, Ben decided to stay up from 9:30 pm to 2:30 am with constant feedings - he must be on another growth spurt! Unfortunately, last night I felt terrible, likely a mild reaction to the flu shot I received yesterday morning, mixed with sleep deprivation. I finally ended up getting about 6 hours of sleep, since being on disability right now I'm able to sleep in until 11 am if need be (but not for too much longer...).

Today Ben is three weeks old. The dogs continue to adjust. They've always been very cautious and gentle around him, but try to protect him from others.



He is more alert during his awake times, but has one heck of a yawn!



Benjamin has grown so much!



Since I will likely be back at work in three more weeks, I am starting to pump so that Ben can adjust to having some bottle feedings. Today he had his first bottle and he took to it like a pro! He gulped down a 3 ounce portion without any hesitation.

Balsamic Barbecue Chicken

I recently received my Amazon.com order in the mail, which included "Giada's Kitchen", the newest cookbook from Giada de Laurentiis. Josh usually likes any of her recipes that I try, and this one was no exception. I was a little disappointed to see how many of the recipes were taken straight from the Food Network show "Everyday Italian", rather than being recipes I've never seen.

That being said, the Balsamic Barbecue Chicken recipe I made for Josh was the third success in a row. He really liked the sauce and thought that the chicken (which I baked, instead of grilled) cooked perfectly. I hope there are more successes to come!

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Tonight I made another Cooking Light recipe: Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad. I used two avocadoes, but next time would use three. I did add a little bit of the adobo sauce from the chipotle chili in adobo sauce can. We really liked it and plan on making it again. This one also makes tons of leftovers if you're just cooking for two.

Ben's Getting Bigger!

It has been one week that Josh and I have been taking care of Ben without assistance, and the high learning curve continued! The first 24 hours involved many outfit changes, a crib set change, a few changing table clean-ups and a bassinet change. Luckily the laundry demands subsided in the days to come, but the next night Ben was up crying from 11 pm to 4 am.

I'm now avoiding broccoli and Oreos until I no longer nurse Ben, hoping that one of those (likely the broccoli) was responsible for the really late night. Normally he does get upset if he is awake without attention, but it is nothing like the frantic screaming that we experienced on Tuesday night. He is becoming more and more expressive too.

Last Tuesday he had another check-up. He weighed in at 8 lbs, 7.5 ozs - a significant change from the 7 lbs, 9 ozs from the previous Monday! We know that he is getting enough to eat too - some days I am feeding him every hour during the day!

Here is Ben at two weeks:


Ben during one of his alert times:


Our future Aggie!


Ben is enjoying his Boppy more as he grows, but prefers the incline position instead of the tummy one. Given tummy time and nursing, this is one of the most useful items that we have!

Crab Cakes with Roasted Vegetables and Tangy Butter Sauce

Now that Ben is born, I am trying to cook dinner at home each night. While last week consisted of our "staple" recipes, this week we're trying some new ones. On Saturday, we made Crab Cakes with Roasted Vegetables and Tangy Butter Sauce from the April 2008 Cooking Light issue.

The recipe turned out to be very good, unlike our recent mascarpone polenta disaster.

However, the amount of dishes generated was more than usual, and it is probably better for when we have more than 2 adults eating the meal. Given that the crab alone was $16, we will make this again, but likely only once in a while.

A Week of Firsts - Ben's First Full Week

After coming home from the hospital on Friday, Ben experienced a few firsts in the next week, including his first sponge bath at home:


He doesn't particularly like the baths, so hopefully that will change once we can give him baths in his rainforest tub - should be fairly soon!

Some nights it seemed as if Josh and I would never get sleep - but here's a photo before bedtime of Josh with Ben sitting peacefully!


Both Sadie and Perry like to be around Ben to guard him, especially during tummy time.




And Ben certainly takes after his father - once he is asleep, it is hard to wake him up! (Guess nine months in the womb around two loud dogs will do that...)


Ben really likes being swaddled.


Ben had his first baby lotion massage later in the week. Like baths, he doesn't enjoy these too much:


Luckily Josh is there to comfort him afterwards!


What a cutie!


On Friday night, we were in San Antonio for the weekend. Everyone else was at a football game while Ben and I stayed home. He was finally awake for a tummy time!






On Saturday, Ben wore his first onesie and pants outfit, and even gave us a glimpse of a gassy smile! I can't wait until he really starts smiling!



Last night we returned home. Ben quickly adjusted to a routine of clothing and diaper changes - we've gone through several outfits - and it hasn't even been 24 hours! I wonder if he senses that today is the first day that I'm here with him alone... either way, he is currently napping in his crib and could not look more peaceful - He is such a blessing!