Liam - two months

Here are a few quick pics from the last month...Liam is now 13.5 lbs and 23.5 inches long! He's so sweet and easy going yet loves attention from all of us.

Sweet brothers.

St. Patty's Day!

Concentrating.

Max loves being a big brother.

Sweet, sweet Liam.

Liam growing strong!

Liam is now 6 weeks old and growing like crazy! He weighed in at 11.5 lbs when he was just over a month old so he's eating very well. He is a pretty calm baby for the most part, but he doesn't care to be held or cuddled unless he's tired, and he definitely does not like loud noises which makes it interesting with a 3 yr old around.

Max is still enjoying being a big brother and is very proud when we are out-n-about to show off Liam. But, when at home it is sometimes a different story. He hasn't quite mastered the art of "being gentle" with Liam, but he's improving. The hardest times for him to be gentle are when he's tired or hasn't eaten for a while, seems obvious. Overall Max is a great big brother who can't wait for Liam to get old enough to play with him.

Isaac and I are still adjusting to having two kids. While I was pregnant I kept thinking it would be a change, but didn't seem like it would be that big of a deal. However, since giving birth I've been proven wrong. Days are filled with laughter, tears, playful banter, tantrums, deep breathing, and also many joyful moments while my nights are mostly exhausting. I'm not a very good sleep-deprived person and these last six weeks have been trying. I know there is a light but I'm still trying desperately to seek it.

Max is improving behavior wise but he's had a very hard time sharing our attention especially because I've been breast feeding which is consuming. Isaac and I don't get much "quiet"time together but we, too, are learning and adjusting. I know that in the next 6 weeks things will again change dramatically so I'm trying to appreciate each day that we get through and be thankful for the new life that's been given to us. "This to shall pass."

Liam - two weeks old

Two weeks old trying to ignore all the noise.

Liam, Max and my cousin, Lori when she was in for a visit from Boston, MA.

Liam and his Mi-mi Ford. Isn't she beautiful?

Mi-mi Ford with her two grandsons. How lucky!

Welcome Liam Isaac Bennett!

Our family has grown by one new human in the last week. Liam Isaac Bennett was born on Monday, January 25, 2010. He was 7lbs 6oz and 20 inches long! We arrived at the hospital around 12:30pm and he was born at 2:47pm. It was a quick delivery (only 15 minutes of pushing) and has been a speedy recovery.

We now have two boys...one with red hair and one with what seems to be light-brown. Max is a very proud big-brother who loves to help mommy with everything baby related. He's very gentle and loving and has already offered Liam his "B" (Max's special blanket) and offered to share his bath toys. :) So sweet.

I also want to note that I had a wonderful nursing staff caring for me for my two days at Beaumont Royal Oak. This experience has been so much more pleasant than my first stay after giving birth to Max three years ago. The labor and delivery were much easier, my recovery has been easier, and the hospital staff were so understanding, kind, and thoughtful.

And, the extra bonus was that one of the nurses who helped care for me and Liam right after his birth was Irish! She had the most beautiful accent and of course felt a very special bond with him due to his very-Irish name. We took it as a sign that we'd named him correctly.

Oh man! Max and Isaac were so cute playing guns, chasing monsters, and then shooting at me! They kept jumping in this box and using it as their hideout. This was a classic pic!

Merry Christmas! We've had a very big year and there is more to come in 2010 beginning with the birth of our second son....due January 24th! We like to start things off with a bang, that's for sure. With the move to our new home in September and the expectation of a new baby things have not been dull. Max is growing and developing like a weed! Sometimes I think he's a 10 year-old trapped in a toddler's body. He's a very independent child who is an amazing problem solver. He has an engineering mind, is a great critical thinker, and typically very thoughtful. We can't wait to see what this next little boy will be like, but we know that Max will be an awesome big brother.

Hope you all had a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Two months to go and Merry Christmas!

This tree was my grandmother's favorite tree. It's very old and very cool! I'm so happy that I inherited it. Max and I put it up about two weeks ago and he's been so excited about Christmas ever since. He found several of my Christmas boxes that are decorative and began filling them with his toys. Then he'd come and grab mine or Isaac's hand and pull us over to the boxes telling us he has a surprise for us! So cute!

Here are a few pics of my 7-month pregnant belly. ha!

Max and Mi-mi (Ford) fishin'

So sweet. My mom took Max down by the lake on one of the nice warm days we had in October to fish, which is one of Max's favorite things to do. Eventhough there was no hook or worm, he and my mom "fished" for almost an hour. No, they didn't catch anything, but man did they have a great time casting. And, Max really was able to throw it in by himself. So cute to watch.

Halloween 2009

Here are a few pics from Halloween this year....a little late, but at least I'm getting around to it. ha!

This is from Max's "school." We're part of a Mom and Tot program at Mayfair Co-Op in Farmington Hills and all the kiddos dressed in their costumes the Monday before Halloween. Max had worn his costume for the entire week beforehand and suddenly didn't want to put on his hat or coat! I did convince him to put his Fireman coat on, but not the hat for the picture. And, as you can tell he's trying to figure out what he's suppose to be doing....he was a little weirded out by everyone being dressed up.
We went to the Franklin Cider Mill in Farmington with a few friends and Max HAD to wear his Fireman outfit. It was so warm that day and his jacket was made out of plastic...he was sweating! But he refused to take it off. ha!

Yes, we did dress up! Who can resist? I love Halloween! I was a witch and Isaac was a pirate...a sexy one I might add! ha! We had fun. We lost power the night before when a transformer blew in the backyard from all the wind storms we had so instead of trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood for the first time we drove to Courtney's for some Halloween fun! We were just glad they took us in!

The boys had a blast trick-or-treating. This was Max's first year and he was energized about it. At first he didn't understand that he was going to get treats from people and was a little nervous to walk up to the doors, but after the first handful of candy he got the idea! He was running from house to house screaming "Trick-or-treat!" The boys were all so cute and Connor does such an amazing job taking care of the little ones! He's awesome.