Just to Compare...

The first is Reeves, the second is Bennett. I can't believe how much fuller Bennett's face is, and he is a week or so younger in this picture.

Here they both are in their going home outfit. Oops, looks like we forgot the hat for Bennett. We'll just chalk that up to his being early.

This picture of Reeves is one of our favorites. Of course, he was just over a month old at that time. Bennett was two weeks old when his picture was taken. And the outfit is already tight on him!


So, maybe they don't look quite as much alike as I had originally thought, but I still don't think there is any doubt these two are brothers!

Bennett's Second Checkup

Thriving. That's what this boy is doing. He's thriving. While this may not seem like such a big deal, particularly here in this First World country of ours, for us, it is a momumental achievement. Reeves never gained any weight until after his surgery. It has been so refreshing to see Bennett noticably grow nearly every day.
His second doctor's appointment was on Wednesday. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces. That's a gain of 14 ounces in only 10 days! We are so happy. His cord stump has fallen off, so diaper changes are now as pleasant as they can be. Everything else looks great on him. We also had another first at that appointment. We don't have to come back until his two month check up. What?!? With Reeves we were in there at least once, if not twice a week at this age. What a relief.
His latching on is still hit or miss. Unfortunately for him, he only latches on very well if he is starving, so that's what we do. No food for him until he's crying. Again, it may seem cruel, but just like you can lead a horse to water, with this child, you can offer him food, but you simply cannot get him to eat it until he is ready.
He is really starting to have some good awake time now. He is constantly looking around and making faces. His grip is getting stronger everyday, and he is getting faster and faster at unswaddling himself. We are so happy with our little Deuce and are so blessed to have him.

The Ark and Her Cadets

How many cadets has this house seen enter and exit through her doors? It was built by a cadet of the Class of 1894, my great grandfather, Samuel Pickens Anderson. All three of his sons were cadets. My grandfather's two sons in law were cadets. I can't even begin to imagine how many countless friends each of them brought with them over to this most special of houses. And now, 100 years after The Ark was built, Henry Miller Anderson III walked through that backdoor as a Citadel cadet. I get a lump in my throat just thinking about it. You could take that picture of Miller, and other than the age of the photograph, substitute any one of these older men and not be able to tell what year it was taken. There's something comforting about things that don't change a lot - The Ark, the uniforms, the bald heads, the joy of being out on leave for even a few hours. As fast paced and crazy as our lives can get, it's nice to know some things stay the same.

When it was time for them to head back to Sing Sing on the Ashley, Miller made a point of hugging Poppa and telling him goodbye and thank you. Holding his only grandson, his namesake, dressed in his Citadel uniform, was nearly more than Poppa could bear. His blood runs Citadel blue and other than the church and his family, I don't know os anything he holds more dear.He was so proud of Miller. It brought tears to my eyes. I am so glad they could share in that moment. And I am even happier that Miller has chosen to follow in our grandfather's footsteps. Perhaps he'll be another Anderson in the Summerall Guard. Maybe he'll be a company or batallion commander. Whatever he chooses, he made the most important step when he decided he wanted to be like Poppa. There aren't many men like him. The world would be a better place if there were. I'll be proud of my sons if they become men like Poppa and the man Miller is becoming.

First Day of School

I can't believe it's already time for school. We have been talking it up with Reeves for some time now, and, despite his reaction to "school" at Kanuga, he has seemed genuinely excited about going. We went to Open House on Saturday, which he loved. He knows that Henry is going to be in his class, and he loves Henry. He was so happy when we got there today. He and Henry immediately greeted each other in whatever way it is that two year olds do. Reeves then started playing with the trains, of course. We kissed him goodbye, and he didn't even cry. Then he saw us walking past the window. We saw his tears start. I wish we hadn't seen that because it made my tears start. The magnitude of this day really hit me. This is the first step in a lifelong journey. Every August, for the next 20-odd years, he will be starting school. I feel like we should have made a bigger deal of it. I'm getting ready to go pick him up in a minute. I pray that all the reports are good and that he didn't cry the whole time. I know, just like at Kanuga, it will take some time for him to get adjusted, but it will happen, and dropping him off will get easier and easier for all of us.

We're so proud of you, Reeves!!

Update

All reports were good. He only cried for 3 or 4 minutes after we left. Henry was apparently a huge help in making Reeves feel better. Mrs. Ledbetter said that every so often throughout the day he would get upset, but then he would easily distract himself with playing. He didn't really nap, but I know that will come in time. I just hope he is still excited about school when we go to take him on Wednesday!

Just a Quick Update

I know I have been remiss in posting recently. I'm still trying to figure out where Mommy's "computer time" is going to fit into my day. I had assumed it would be late at night, but I have taken everyone's advice and am putting myself to bed right after I put Bennett down after his 9/10 o'clock feeding. It has really made such a difference and is giving me a blessed extra hour or two of sleep a night. So, until Bennett drops one of the nighttime feedings, it looks like posts will be sporadic at best.
I am still working on the birth story. It is turning out to be quite a tome, much longer than I had expected and probably not terribly interesting and riveting reading to most, but at this point, it is becoming more for posterity than for entertainment value.

Reeves is still loving his new brother. He doesn't appear to be showing too much jealousy, although he has recently become fond of wanting to climb in my lap to read a book (usually the heaviest one he has) while I'm nursing. As long as I don't gain any weight, this is working out OK, and I honestly do love holding them both at the same time. Bennett has been having some latching on issues lately, but they seem to be working themselves out. It is now taking no more than 10 minutes at the longest to get him to latch on. This improvement could be due to Reeves' help - pushing his brother's head into my boob - but I don't really think so. My solution has been to let him get absolutely starving. It may sound cruel, but it works. And after trying to get him to eat for an hour and a half, I figured I might as well spend that time not fighting with him. I never thought I would dream about feeling the pain of a child latching on as sweet relief, but I do. We go back on Wednesday for another weigh in, but both Bryant and I agree that he looks like he is gaining weight. This was not something we ever saw with Reeves at this age, so it is a welcome change.

I am working on establishing a schedule, and so far, we are pretty consistent in the mornings. He eats around 6 or 6:30 and is then down for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. If this morning's second feeding is any indication, his stomach is getting bigger because he ate well on both sides. I'm glad I have already pumped a good bit because it doesn't look like I'll be able to get too much of that done for a while.

Bennett's First Checkup

We headed to Dr. G's yesterday for Bennett's first checkup. It was a little early. He was only 8 days old, but given the weight gaining problems (read: pyloric stenosis) we had with Reeves, we, including Dr. G, were all a bit anxious to see how Bennett is doing. He was 7 pounds, 1 ounce when he was born, and yesterday he was 6 pounds, 10 ounces. Maybe a little small, but nothing to worry about. We go back next Wednesday for another weigh in. It is very unusual that a second child would have pyloric stenosis, but we will be vigilant, and at the first sign of projectile vomitting, we will go straight in for an ultrasound. B and I had been a little concerned that he might have some jaundice, but they assured us he was fine.

Bennett, who latched on like a pro the first time he tried to nurse, apparently on Friday night, forgot everything he had learned in his first 5 days of life. This weekend has been nothing but frustrating for both him and me. He eventually gets it, but it was taking nearly an hour each time. Of course, by then, he and I were both exhausted, and as a result, I know he wasn't eating as much as he should. It's really my fault for bragging from the get-go about what a great nurser he is. When will I learn? However, we seem to be inching back towards a relatively happy median. He still misses a lot and gets frustrated, but it is only taking him 5 or 10 minutes to get it now. Hopefully this will continue to improve. One benefit of all this (see how I'm looking for the silver lining here?) is that I have lots of milk already pumped and in the freezer. I was not very good about this with Reeves and hope to be much more dedicated to storing up with Bennett.

Both boys are napping right now. We have had a big day. We dropped stuff off at Once Upon a Child, stopped to go into Babies R Us until Aileen told me that the thing I wanted was on-line. Thank heavens I hadn't unbuckled Reeves yet! We stopped by Daddy's office, and everyone there got to meet the newest little Bair. They all are amazed by his resemblance to his big brother at that age, well, without the busted up face and all. From there we went to Costco to load up on R's soy milk, TP, and PT. It would definitely stink to run out of any of those right now! Reeves and I had a wonderful $3 lunch date of hot dogs and lemonade. You just can't beat that deal. Someone said Reeves looked like a commercial, eating that hot dog that was as big as his arm. On a side note, the lure of the post shopping hot dog was wonderfully sufficient to keep Reeves confined to his seat in the buggy without making a huge scene. It may become a necessary part of any Costco trip in the future.

I am still working on the birth story, but at the moment, I am purging through the mountains of clothes that we have accumulated over the 7 short years we have been together. I don't see how it has only taken 7 years to have this much stuff! Goodwill, here we come! In the meantime, here are some cutie shots of the new brothers. Reeves is incredibly sweet with Bennett. I can't wait to watch them grow.

Not Pregnant Anymore, Thank You Very Much

I'm working on the birth story, but in the meantime (since I have only yesterday ventured back into checking the blogs - a daily ritual I have truly missed) I will regale you with the story of what happened to me the first time I ventured out post partum.
The circumstances were very sad. Bryant's cousin's husband had died. The visitation was Tuesday night, the funeral was Wednesday, graveside. Knowing there was no way I would make it through a 97 degree graveside funeral, I wanted to at least make it to the funeral home to see her. I was really feeling OK, so Mom came up and watched the boys. I would be gone no more than an hour.
The funeral home was nice, and I was so glad I did go. I can't imagine losing my husband at 41. Unfortunately, we had just been there two weeks earlier for B's grandmother's funeral, so there were a lot of the same people there. Of course, I was big and pregnant then. Now, I'll grant you that I did have on a maternity shirt, but still...two people came up to me and asked when I was
going to have that baby! Are you kidding me?!? He was 7.1 and if you add in the placenta, I dropped over 8 pounds on Sunday! That's over half of what I had gained in total!
So I ask you, which is worse? Assuming someone is pregnant when they aren't at all or assuming someone is pregnant after they have just delivered? I mean, I know I'm not back to my catwalk physique but I am definitely not as ginormous as I was this time last week!

Nearly 38 Weeks

Carma. That's what it must be. Not that I was rude to the receptionist last week, but I should have known better than to even mention my frustration with her on the blog. I knew it was going to be this way. I got "squeezed in" for my appointment today, and what should have been a quick 30, maybe 45 minute visit turned into an hour and 45 minutes. On a positive note, I now know many more secrets to improving my golf game than I did before I walked into the office. I also know that the shaft angle of the newer, bigger drivers is sharper than it used to be, forcing the golfer to stand closer to the ball than he would otherwise off the tee. I think I only closed my eyes three times.
Anyway, here are the stats:
Heartrate: 120's
Weight Gain: 1 pound
Dilation: basically same as last appointment, maybe 1-2 cm's
Becky has ordered another ultrasound for next Thursday, mainly just to check the amniotic fluid level and re-check the baby's size. She's not worried, just wants to be sure of the size since my total weight gain for this pregnancy has been only 14 pounds. Well, 14 pounds since my first appointment. I know I packed on a few pounds before that appointment! No talk of inducing, which is fine with us. Hopefully, that will still be the case after Thursday as well. Open house at Reeves' school is on my due date. Should be interesting. I remember washing the car on Reeves' due date back in 2005, so I'll probably try to squeeze that in too. It'll be a nice way to cool off if nothing else.

Regatta Weekend (But Really Just a Great Sunday Night)

Rockville Regatta with children is definitely a different experience than it was just a few short years ago. This year, we didn't even venture out until after the last race on Sunday. We joined the Willises at Ebb Tide and caught the final boat ride of the weekend. It was absolutely perfect (except that Van had to stay behind with Guerin who had had just about enough of the boat). We left the club dock and headed to Privateer with hardly a soul in sight. All this prego wanted to do was sit in the water, which I did, once I figured out how to extract myself from the boat. Not exactly the picture of grace, more like something anyone who saw it would rather forget! Regardless, I finally made it into the water. What sweet relief it was to have something besides my spine and ligaments supporting this belly. I could have stayed there for days. The boys loved playing on the beach, and, as there was no one else there, we could be a bit more relaxed in our tending of them. It was nice not to have to keep them out of other people's picnics. We brought the tube in hopes that Davis would be brave enough to try it. Was there every really any question? Of course he wanted to do it. And he loved it! Reeves and I spotted from the stern while Bryant captained. Jodie rode with Davis and got the best upper body workout to date. As it turned out, B pulled them a little fast, but it was necessary to get them over the plane, and once you get to that speed, who ever really wants to slow down. Besides, in a 20 year old boat with a 20 year old motor, it's hard to be precise. You pretty much only get to choose between Reverse, Stop, Forward - fast or slow. Apparently, D kept saying, "Ride 'em, Cowboy!" and "This is hilarious!" Reeves just kept waving at them and giving them the thumbs up and laughing. I had thought he might want to do it, but he didn't. Although he loved playing in the tube with D at the beach. He was even jumping off like D was, but of course, my camera battery had died by then. We stayed out much longer than we had anticipated. What a treasure Van is. He had dinner cooked and ready for us when we returned. The boys played till they crashed, and we all sat on the porch, chatting, eating boiled peanuts (J&V make the best), and glistening with sweat. It was that Tennessee Williams, pre-air-conditioning kind of hot - where you sit around and can see how hot everyone is, feel the sweat dripping down you, not a breeze in the air save for the occasional burst from a fan. It was the perfect cap to a super evening.

37 Weeks

I had a doctor's appointment this morning. Unfortunately, it was at the Jim Island office so the audio heartrate machine does nothing more than acknowledge the fact that my baby's heart is beating. It doesn't give them the number. Thanks, the constant kicks to my diaphragm have assured me that there is a heartbeat. That drives me crazy! The nurse agreed with me and said she'd try to switch it out with one from one of their other offices. That's great, but unless I have a third child, it's not going to do me any good.
Anyway the stats are:
Heartrate - yes, there is one.
Weight gain - none
Dilation - maybe 1 cm, but I haven't really dropped
The head is still down, so that's good.
No talk of inducing yet. I told Becky I'd like to hold off since Reeves starts school on the 27th. I'm sure I'll be quite uncomfortable, but I still think it will be easier pregnant than fresh from labor. Of course, I could be completely wrong. Who knows?
As I was scheduling my next appointment, which Becky had said should be within a week, the receptionist punched her little keys, looked up at me and said, "How about the 17th?" Ummm, have you seen me? Can you read? ONE WEEK, LADY!! I could have this child by the time you get around to scheduling me. Unbelievable! But I kept my cool and just mentioned that the doctor had said I needed to be seen in one week. Luckily, Becky was within earshot and told her to set me up on Wednesday. I mean really, it's not like I'm booking my yearly physical where we do have a few weeks playroom on either side. I've got a bun in this oven, and I'd like to be seen again before it comes out! So, check back for the next update then.

The BBB - Night 2

Last night started out better in the Big Boy Bed. He went down more easily. He is still nopt so sure about going to sleep in there, but we're keeping at it, and I know it will get better with each passing night. I say last night started out better, but he came into our room much earlier than the night before. Not sure why he's waking up like that, although I think the fact that it was like a thousand degrees in our house last night had something to do with it. That AC is the bane of our existence and has been since we moved into the house. Apparently, it's too powerful for our humble abode. What the heck is that? Isn't that like being too rich? Is that even possible? Well, yes, it is. I hate that AC, and it's not like replacing it is a real option right now. So anyway, B took Reeves, put him in his crib, and worked his magic with the AC. (Somehow he's able to get it to go cooler that I ever can.) Things finally cooled off in the house. Reeves fell sound asleep. Bryant fell sound asleep. I tossed and turned and tried to get comfortable, read some, watched some Cosby Show reruns, and finally found sleep somewhere in the wee hours of the morning. I'm convinced the last month of pregnancy does nothing more than fully develop the baby's lungs and prepare the mother for sleepless nights.

First Night in the Big Boy Bed

This was his position the last time I checked him before I went to bed.

After many pleading "Mommy"s and "Momma"s, he finally fell asleep in his big boy bed last night. It wasn't until 3:30 that he came into our room. That's a rude awakening, realizing your child has the run of your house when he's not confined to his crib. I think we'll be locking the door or at least getting a baby gate. There's nothing fun about having a toddler staring you in the face in the pitch black night. Well, it is kind of funny when it scares the bejeebus out of your husband!

We have been reading in Reeves' big boy bed nearly every night, and although the room is not totally ready, he still is enjoying going in there and playing. I know (hope) it won't be long before he feels as secure in his big boy bed as he does in his crib. Until then, we'll just keep putting him back in bed and reading tons of books and rubbing his back for a bit before he falls asleep.