Treasures

Our little man is growing so fast. It is hard to believe a month has almost gone by.


We have enjoyed having Benton around so much. Learning to be parents of two little ones has been challenging at times, but certainly entertaining. Adaline has been wonderful at her role as big sister, and she seems bigger than ever. She always seemed so small until we brought Benton home. Now she is impressing us more and more each day.

Napping arms crossed on the couch / Adaline giving one of her many many kisses to Benton

Here are some videos we have taken recently... The first is just Benton, mostly for family at a distance that hasn't gotten the chance to meet him yet. He is just hanging out, but very alert when awake. He is much more vocal than Adaline was, so we are still getting used to the loud cries (not in video). The second is some tummy time with Benton, and Adaline is showing how much she loves being near by. Every day when Adaline gets home with Shane, she runs to Benton and gives him lots of kisses (not sure if it is pure love or just the praise from us).


As I mentioned, Adaline has been growing so much. She is really improving on her skills with a fork and spoon (videos below), she is showing a great deal of understanding when we speak to her, and she is trying a lot more vocally. She says several words now with consistency and comprehension, including yeah, no, uh oh, ball, shoes, knock knock, and even hello. We are so proud of her accomplishments and love hearing her new found voice. The speech therapy is finally showing progress, and we are excited to get more and more.


We celebrated my 31st birthday this past weekend, and I had a marvelous day. Shane did a project of mine (that I wanted to do years ago) for my gift, and I am so pleased that now I can hang some pictures in our hallway. I will post a picture as soon as we get them up. We were also able to have a night out thanks to Nana coming to stay with the kids. Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone, and we wish you all well!

It's a BOY!

Yeah! He's here! Benton Parks Brown was born on Wednesday, March 16th, at 5:30 PM. It was the first day of my 36th week (5 weeks longer than Adaline!), and I was getting ready for work. Around 7 I finished up my cereal, and on the way to the sink with my bowl, my water broke. I called to Shane, and after mom arrived to help with Adaline, we were on the way to the hospital. I spent the day trying regular labor (with only a one sided epidural), but after getting to 8 cm, the doctor decided I would not get any further and this baby would have to come another way. I went in for a c-section a little after 5:00 and soon after, Benton was with us in the world. He arrived at 8 pounds, 15 ounces (just a few ounces short of his estimated weight) and was 20 and 1/2 inches long.

We spent the next three nights in the hospital. Many people helped us out so much with Adaline back at home to allow for Shane to be at the hospital as much as possible. Thanks! It was difficult for both her and us to be apart, and we were excited to get to come home on Saturday.

The first night home was tough and a new challenge began with two children so young. Adaline has been a bit confused as to who this new little creature is in our house. She wants to touch, poke, and grab at Benton a lot, and we can't let her. She also is showing us that she may be a bit jealous and needs some extra loving. It is hard to tell her I cannot pick her up and play with her as I normally would because I am still healing. She doesn't understand, and I look forward to feeling normal again soon so that we can play as usual.

On Sunday, some family came to visit, including my grandmother and aunt from Colorado. It was a fast, but wonderful visit, and we were happy that we got the opportunity to get together.

Adaline watching Benton / Great Nanny with the great grand-kids

Since we have been home we have been getting settled and enjoying life as a family or four. It will still take some adjustment, but we are so blessed and happy!

Still Cookin', Still Waiting...

Two more weeks have gone by and we are still waiting for our new arrival. Cheri is just over 35 weeks pregnant now and is still doing relatively well. We had another ultrasound appointment last week and the doctors estimate that the baby is just over nine pounds already! It is hard to believe the new baby could easily be over twice Adaline's birth size by the time it is born. This of course is all pretty nerve wracking, and Cheri continues to have contractions at various intervals all of the time. The doctor wants us to keep hanging on as long as possible to give the new baby as much time to develop as possible and said that by the time the baby is born it could weigh in the high 10's. None of this helps Cheri feel any more comfortable trying to sleep at night or get around during the day. It is hard sometimes to stay patient and just wait for the baby to let us know when it is ready.

Adaline is pretty much oblivious to our stress level and continues to grow mentally and physically every day. She is saying "uh-oh" pretty regularly and seems to be trying to work on other words too.




Adaline really likes it when we sing to her and has been working on the motions for Itsy Bitsy Spider, If You're Happy and You Know It, and Row, Row, Row Your Boat.




Adaline seems to finally be feeling better after a double ear infection diagnosis and a quick round of antibiotics. We were able to get out and enjoy the great weather last weekend at Adaline's favorite place - the park.




Life for the Brown's rolls on and we will just keep waiting, watching, and praying. Who know what the next update will bring...

33 weeks and still counting...

Week 33 with baby still on the inside! I had one slight scare last week after my first monitoring appointment. I was put on the monitor late in the work day, and because the baby wasn't moving as much as the doctor would like, she sent me to the hospital "for about an hour" to continue because they were closing up the office. When I got hooked up at the hospital, I was showing more consistent contractions, so ended up being monitored over night. Blah! I did get a test out of it that said I was 99 percent not likely to go into labor in the next two weeks. When I went back into the doctors office on Monday, I was continuing to show contractions averaging every 6 minutes...and the same on Thursday. So, I suppose that will continue to be the case and so far so good. I do not feel them much...just in the evenings, really. I do feel a lot of discomfort, however...I mean, look how big I am getting!


Adaline has started up with "swim" classes again. We went to our first one last Saturday. Shane got in the pool with Adaline, while I stood out and watched and took pictures from the side. At first, I think she was a bit uncomfortable because the water was chilly and it was pretty noisy in the pool with everyone. However, it only took a few minutes for her to remember how much fun she has splashing in the water. The class sang songs, practiced throwing objects out and kicking to them, and practiced getting out on the side of the pool. Still, Adaline's favorite activity was simply splashing with her tongue out. Sadly, we had to miss this weekend's class due to Adaline having a fever and Shane not feeling well, but will be back in action next week, I'm sure. Adaline's fever is down today, and Shane is feeling much better!

entering "terrible twos?"....naaahhhhh

A few weekends ago, we had some pretty nice weather, and were able to take a family walk to a neighborhood park. Adaline has been loving to climb lately, and she had a blast on the park equipment that was the perfect size for her. She had fun going down the slide on her own and sticking her tongue out to feel the breeze while swinging.



Speaking of climbing...we did purchase a "learning tower" off Craigslist so that Adaline can join us in the kitchen and "help" out. So far, she hasn't really enjoyed just standing at the counter, and instead just wants to climb in and out of it. I look forward to having her (and new baby Brown) help with cooking and baking one day!


So, I have passed the gestational mark of when Adaline came by a full week, and am at 32 weeks tomorrow. I am carrying a big baby and can certainly feel the strain. At our last week's ultrasound, the baby was showing up at 6 pounds already. I will begin twice a week doctor visits next week to continue with shots and monitor the baby through non-stress tests. fun fun


In other big news...Adaline turned 2!!! Valentine's Day was Adaline's second birthday, and we used this past Saturday to celebrate with a trip to the Greensboro Children's Museum. Ryan and Jennifer joined us at the museum and helped us keep up with Adaline. She was excited to run around and play with things, but was still perhaps a bit young for the full experience.



Then we headed home for lunch, birthday cake and ice cream. There we were joined by a few others that helped us celebrate, including Nana, Pops, and Grandpa Brown. Adaline seemed to like her cake a lot, as she ate a whole slice of it.




Before catching her "late" afternoon nap, Adaline had some time to open presents. We think she finally has figured out the concept of opening presents and finding a treasure inside.



When her actual birthday came yesterday, we took in cupcakes for her class party to continue her celebration. Unfortunately, Adaline had a giant accident that involved poop, her shoes, the classroom slide and Shane having to pick her up around 10 in the morning. Luckily, they saved the cupcakes for today and she wasn't actually sick. In fact, she had her 2 year check up today and is doing well.

Also, we have noticed even more growth in her speech. She is really trying to tell us things and say words, even though we cannot yet understand her. We have been able to make out "uh-oh" when she drops things and "ball" when we are actually playing with the ball. Big strides!

growing, growing, growing

Hello friends and family,

We are getting into the swing of 2011, and are off to a good start. Shane has been feeling much better since the last post, and his headaches are not very frequent. I have been doing well, also. We are in the 28th week of the pregnancy now and just had another ultrasound. The baby is measuring on the higher end of the weight scale, but everything looks good. I think it is mostly related to my crazy blood glucose numbers, as I am adjusting my pump a few times a week to try to keep up with the changes. The doctors don't seem to be concerned, but I am doing as best I can to keep them in control. I have had too ultrasounds for blood clot checks, due to some pain in my leg, but all is good on that front too. We have a fetal heart echo scheduled this coming week, but I am positive that all will be well!


Adaline is continuing to make progress in her speech and learning. She is catching on to more and more every day, and has even tried to repeat some words (diaper, apple, help). Of course, we haven't been able to catch any on video yet, and they are still pretty unclear, but she is making efforts. She signs more and I can tell, even though she is so quiet, that she is understanding a great deal. This is a video of her doing a puzzle with me...you can see her sign "puzzle," "more" (a little different than the real more sign), and "all done."