Bennett

Just a few pictures of the life and times of our little man. Happy one-week Birthday, Bennett!!

Meeting big brother and sister for the first time.
Mommy is sitting in bed shedding happy tears :)

Visitors in the hospital - cousin Xander is 3 months older than Bennett.

My three favorite guys.

Going home!!!

Found a comfy spot on the couch at home :)

Meeting Great-Grandma Shouse.

Told you he was perfect ;)

About The Name

Well, as most of you know, Caleb and I deliberated long and hard over what to name our baby boy. We went into his birth on Tuesday still open-minded, but were pretty sure he would be named Bennett Isaiah. When that little face peeked over the drape, I smiled a huge smile because I saw my Bennett.

This name is incredibly special to us because of the meaning behind it. Growing up, I knew a little boy named Bennett, and one night when looking up name meanings on the computer I stumbled across it. Bennett means "blessed," and even though it wasn't at the top of Caleb's list at first, I knew in my heart that this would be our son's name. One of Caleb's favorite's name was Isaiah, which means "God is salvation."

Caring for 3 children age two and under (just for another two weeks now) is never something I would've imagined Caleb and I doing. Were I in charge, I probably would've spaced them a bit further apart, certainly that would've been more reasonable. I might have waited until we had a little more saved up, or until I felt a little more recovered from my first pregnancy. BUT...the Lord had other plans.

The words I use to describe our family situation change hour-by-hour. Joyful, crazy, full of life, overwhelming...but I can sit down at the end of each day and label it with the same word: blessed. What an honor and blessing to be charged with raising three (or more) beautiful little lives. I can honestly say I am humbled by the concept.

So, Bennett Isaiah it is. Our third perfect blessing from the Giver of good gifts. We are so thankful to Him for three healthy, precious babies and can't wait for the months and years ahead!

Announcing...

(just a little late)

Bennett Isaiah Sieh
born November 17, 2009
12:39pm
7 lbs, 15 oz, 20 3/4 in

He's perfect.

Hedge Your Bets

Giving in, due to many (crazy) requests for a belly photo of myself. I am posting two, and also taking predictions for baby boy's stats. Here is some background information to couple with the photos that may or may not influence your bet:

• Cameron was 7 lbs, 21.5 inches, and arrived 1 day early.
• Elly was 7 lbs, 10 oz, 21 inches, and arrived 1 week early.
• This baby (boy) is predicted by the dr to be 9-10 lbs, and will arrive 3 days early.
• They told me Cameron was going to be 9-10 lbs as well.
• I have been measuring a little large for my dates for about 3 weeks now.
• I'm retaining water like a mad woman.
• This past week, I've had the worst heartburn I've ever experienced.
• Surprisingly, I've gotten kicked in the ribs very few times.
• Boys are (traditionally) bigger than girls.
  
• They say babies get bigger each pregnancy... :)

My attempt at a picture while I looked presentable.

My true, natural state. 39.5 weeks!

Two days away, my friends! Let the guessing begin! What do you think baby Sieh #3's stats will be?

Favorite Things About Elly

Following my post about Cameron yesterday, it's now the turn of the spicy-yet-sweet sister, the middle child, my precious Elly girl. Here are some of my favorite things about my only daughter.

How with Elly, there's no time for anything less than 100%. As Cam learned to walk, it was a steady process. Once she learned to pull up, she went from standing, to walking, to trying to run in a matter of days. Until she hits her tired wall, she's go-go-go, nonstop!
♥
The way she loves to organize and put things away. I have a little helper in training with Miss Elly. Cam will dump out all his Hot Wheels or blocks, and she'll sit there for 20 minutes putting them all back in their proper slots. Cute and practical!
♥
How much she adores her big brother. They reunite after naptime with a very long, serious hug...and if they're ever apart during the day for more than a few minutes, the reunion is so precious. She loves to tag along and antagonize, but I am convinced she mostly just wants to be near her beloved Cameron.
♥
Pretty little girl things are Elly's favorite. She loves necklaces, bracelets, and shoes, and decking herself out in whatever she can find. She is already quite opinionated about which shoes she wears out of the house...I might have quite the case on my hands in the teenage years.
♥
Love her pin-straight, baby soft hair and putting it in "pretties." Something I've always dreamed of doing, fixing my daughter's hair.
♥
How she loves to play with babies. She burps them, feeds them bottles, lays them down for naps, and "shhh's" them to sleep. Nevermind the occasional grabbing the doll by the hair and dropping her from the chair...it's too cute to see her pretend to be Mommy.
♥
Those beautiful, dark brown eyes. She is truly a gorgeous girl (and gets told that quite frequently!) :)
♥
Tired Elly loves to cuddle, and I love how she rests in our arms and rubs the silky side of her blanket against her chin and cheek. That thumb always finds its way into her mouth, too...probably won't be a fun habit to break :)
♥
The way she greets everyone she sees! Family, friends, and even strangers in the grocery store get a big, beaming smile, wave, and "HI!" from my precious one.
♥
The staring contests we have. I've talked before about "the look" she gives me when I give it to her. I am always in a battle with myself, trying not to laugh at those stern eyes and raised eyebrows, but knowing I need to be the winner of the contest. Such a girl...
♥
How she loves to play hard. She needs her daily tickles/rough-housing! She loves getting chased and running away from her chaser with her head down like a speeding bullet! Elly just loves having fun!

May 2008

October 2008

March 2009

November 2009

My precious baby girl.

Favorite Things About Cameron

Okay...I got this idea from my friend Janel @ Team Sullivan. I thought her posts a couple weeks ago were so cute. She listed her favorite things about each of her two sweeties (who, may I add, are quite similar in age and personality to my own).

Being we are adding #3 very shortly, I think it's the perfect time to point out some of the wonderful things that make my kids the delightful little people they are! So...here goes! My favorite things about my firstborn, my Bubbaloo, my Cameron-boy.

His sweet, inquisitive personality. There is always something for Cameron to observe and retain. He is an excellent learner and quite a smart cookie. He is at the age where discoveries are everywhere, but I also think it's a big part of who he is.
*
The way he treats his sister. Sure, they fight (quite a bit) like siblings do, but he approaches her with gentleness and love, just the way an older brother should. One of my first thoughts when I found out we were pregnant again was that the Lord simply wanted another child to be gifted with Cameron as a big brother. He's the best!
*
How he loves his fruit and veggies, and will often choose to eat them over carbs and sweets (wish I could take credit for this trait). The only thing that might take precedence...M&M's. :)
*
Our cuddle time together after his nap. He needs that Mommy time, and I need it even more!
*
His thankfulness for simple things. A snack, a cup of juice, a bright-colored leaf off the ground, or a tootsie roll in the van...he always has an, "OH, thank you, Mommy," just for me.
*
The way he loves to sing and dance. I am not yet sick of his rendition of the ABCs, the Veggie Tales theme song, or Jesus Loves Me!
*
How he mimics his parents (especially his Daddy). He comforts Elly just like Caleb does. I find him in the toyroom, hugging her and saying, "It's OK Looney, I am here." He plays the same games with her as his Daddy does, and in his pretend play, does all the things Daddy does too. He picks up some of my sayings, "Oh my goodness!" "Not quite yet, in a couple minutes." "Okey-dokey!" And uses them when appropriate :) Makes me watch what I say very closely...
*
His blonde hair and blue eyes. With darker hair in my family and Caleb's brown eyes and hair, I didn't think there was a genetic chance we'd have a blondie. We'll see in a couple days whether it happens again, but I sure love his sweet, fair-faced combo. I think his hair will darken eventually, but he and I will always share our blue eyes.
*
His creativity. He can take whatever toys are available and turn them into whatever he wants...a shoelace is a fishing pole, a straw is a Veggie Tale, two baby bottles are the bean head of a combine, etc. :)
*
His sweet hugs and kisses, and precious little smile.
They never fail to make my day!

December 2006

November 2007

December 2008

June 2009

My sweet, sweet boy.

Wimpy

A couple of weeks ago, Caleb complimented me on being a very tough pregnant woman. The way I see it, there's really no choice but to be...I kinda got myself into the situation ;) I try not to complain about the routine aches and pains that go along with the process.

Anyway, I graciously accepted his compliment, and tried to use his words to propel me to get the last bit of nesting done before baby boy arrives on Tuesday. I was on a good roll until a couple of days ago, when I started feeling sick. It started out as the sniffles and a scratchy throat, and quickly progressed to entire body aches and general exhaustion.

So, those of you who know how week 39 of pregnancy feels, add that to extra-sensitivity everywhere, and every step, twist, lift, and bend-down-and-pick-up-a-toy feels like the most difficult job imaginable. I am an uber-wimp when I have (whatever I have?) the aches.

Needless to say, I've accomplished almost NOTHING in the past couple days. I finally did the dishes today (lots of paper plates in the near future for this family!), and I will get baby boy's dresser organized during naps. I could swear he was coming any minute, the way I feel, but I think the pressure and cramping is just magnified by my being sick.

All in all, this post is a thank you to my husband for being so very understanding and compassionate towards his largely lazy wife as I lay in a heap on the couch. He is so loving and affirming in the midst of it all!

Tuesday the 17th is the BIG DAY! Can't wait :)

Going Bananas?

Yes, probably. Most days.

This post, however, isn't about what you think, (I bet). It's about actual, literal, bananas. And my son. I don't know what is lacking in his diet (ummm, potassium?) but he's been asking for bananas all day, every day, for the past two weeks.

I did a little experiment and purchased nine bananas on Wednesday. Today (Friday evening) there are two left. Elly ate one. Caleb and I ate zero. He has been consuming these fruits at a rate of 2.5 per day for the past three days, and ate up the last batch I bought in about the same time frame.

He wants bananas for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. And tonight, in an attempt to use his dramatic skills to fool me, he said, "Mommy, you never give me 'bannas' [sigh]. Nope you don't." Right...

Cam is a fan of all fruit, and has been known to pass up brownies, cookies, and ice cream for an apple, orange, or pear. He went through a stage (about when he turned 2) that he refused bananas for a few months. Guess he's making up for it now!

I know this is extraordinarily random, but I had to document the banana obsession somewhere! And I must say, at $.29/pound this week, I can't complain about his indulgence of choice!! Love you, Bubby.

from www.medicalcravings.com

Happy Birthday, Sonya!

My baby sister was born 17 years ago on Halloween. I still remember that year...it was pouring buckets outside and we weren't trick-or-treating due to the weather. We got the call that she was born and, instead, headed to the hospital to meet our sweet little baby Sonya!

Sonya Renee was kind of like my little daughter, whether she wanted to be or not. I took full advantage of the 11 years between us and mothered her up and down, fixing her hair, fixing her meals and taking care of her like she was my own little bebe, loving every kiss and cuddle. Now, she has grown into a gorgeous young woman, beautiful both on the inside and the outside.

I wanted to get this post done on her actual birthday, but my brain was fried and my nose full of brown fuzz from Bam Bam's costume. So, in continuing my often belated, always sincere birthday blog tradition, I want to tell you a little bit about my baby sis, Sonya.

Sonya is one of the nicest people I know. Rivaled only by my other sister (eek - don't know where I fit in - ha!), Sonya absolutely always gives the benefit of the doubt, takes the high road, and puts on a smile through the biggest bummers. She probably actually needs some sort of "kindness boundary bodyguard" to go ahead and be assertive when it's necessary. Hmmm, I might be good at that ;)

Sonya has the most beautiful smile. Fantastic lips, teeth, everything. She lights up the room!

She has such a tender heart toward animals. It is no coincidence that as Sonya grew up, my family got closer and closer to having an indoor cat. First, it was in the garage, then, inside part of the time, and now Sonya's cat, Sugar, is one of the family. She comes over simply to pet and cuddle my farm cats because she knows they need TLC from somewhere!

She can play all sorts of sports, and is much more coordinated than I. She is a pretty great hurdler in track. I am so proud of her for even jumping one hurdle...something I've never been able to do!

Sonya is incredibly talented! She's a fantastic singer, actress, pianist, and saxophone player. She truly enjoys and excels in all these areas. She's also a very good artist - I always request homemade gifts from her for Christmas because she is so creative and the things she comes up with are precious to me!

She makes me laugh, all the time. We're just on the same wavelength. It might be scary to some people - we just get each other!

She can sing almost any Veggie Tales song from any video (one of the staples of her childhood). She amazes Cameron and Elly by singing along with the episodes they watch. They think she's pretty cool. She also cuddles, reads, plays games, and sits on the floor with the kids anytime she can. It's all about the babies when "Auntie Sonna" is around.

Probably a symptom of being the youngest of 4 kids, Sonya has learned to "go with the flow." She is laid back in situations where I am freaking out. She's up for anything. I admire these traits very much.

Sonya is a snuggler and a cuddler! Caleb always laughs because when Sonya is over, my spot on the couch next to Caleb is always stolen. She loves to hug and gives the very best of them!!!

She loves Jesus, and sees people with His eyes. She has such a tender heart and I love watching her grow more and more each day.

It's truly a blessing to have you as my baby sister, Sonya. Wherever you go, you bring joy! I love you so much and I'm so proud of the woman you are. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!

Sonya and me. August 2008.

Ells and Auntie Sonna. August 2009.

Trunk Or Treat

Our church here in Iowa had a "Trunk or Treat" party on Halloween for the kids this year. Cam and Elly dressed up as Bam Bam and Pebbles, and Caleb decked out our trunk in prehistoric style, complete with a volcano that erupted orange foam :) The family with the winning trunk got a Wii! The kids had a blast and it was so precious to see all of them dressed up!

Here are some pictures from the day:

Not trying to chew on the costume. Just giving Halloween love :)

Dressed up cousins.
Jocelyn the Princess and Malachi the Tool Man!

Our trunk! We got third place :)

Showing off those HUGE muscles...

Cam putting the moves on Garden Fairy Leila!
So sweet.

Bam Bam & Pebbles

Happy Halloween, everyone! Cameron and Elly were Bam Bam and Pebbles this year for the church's Harvest Party. They were the CUTEST. Just look:


It was also my sister's birthday today. Happy Birthday, Sonya! More about both of these topics tomorrow...