11/30/05
13 days old
Owen's first time to wear pants!
7/22/10
24 days old
Ben's first time to wear pants!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
He ain't heavy...
Owen has proven to be the sweetest big brother imaginable. If he hears Ben crying, he tells me that his brother is hungry and needs to eat. Or he will run get a pacifier and try to soothe him himself. He wants to be a part of diaper changes and baths, and he gets very upset if we get a diaper or wipe out--that is his job! I'm so looking forward to seeing this sweet relationship develop over the years...Swim school graduate!
Since Owen has always really loved swimming and has not exhibited any reservations about jumping into water by himself, we decided it was definitely time to get this little fish enrolled in some swimming lessons. I took lessons when I was very young and was always a strong swimmer. I even took those crazy looking survival swimming classes where a fellow classmate kind of tries to drown you so that you can practice suck-tuck-duck! After tons of research (obsessing!) I picked the Vanderbilt Swim School. Owen had 9 classes and they seem to have really paid off! Although he could already swim without any assistance from an adult or a flotation device, I really wanted him to learn the fundamentals of kicking, breathing, and arm strokes properly. This was a good first step, and we'll surely be continuing next summer. He loved his lessons so much! Plus, with the new baby here now, this was a fun activity just for Owen and gave him something new and different to look forward to every day rather than feeling like his whole world now had to make room for the new kid. :) We are so proud of our
little swimmer!
Proud VSS Graduate!
little swimmer!
After his first class...a bit chilly but excited nonetheless
Proud VSS Graduate!Thursday, July 15, 2010
Special visit!
Last week, we were excited to introduce little Ben to 2 very important people: his Gi Gi and his Nana! Mrs. Susan and Nana came for a few days from South Carolina and boy was it a treat. Owen spent lots of time with them at the guest suite at Grande View while Benjamin and I worked on nursing and napping. We're hoping to make it to South Carolina soon to show Ben off to the whole family, but in the meantime, here are a couple of pictures from Gi Gi and Nana's visit:
Gi Gi holding Ben for the first time
Nana meets her second great-grandson!
Four generations!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The name game
Soon after finding out we were pregnant, Richie and I started casually tossing around baby names, as most expectant parents do. I felt very certain that we would be having a boy, but we batted around girl names too just in case. I was surprised that we quickly agreed on a girl name. A boy name, however, did not come as easily. Over the course of my pregnancy, we tested out a few names but never decided 100% on anything. Then the baby was born and we were faced with a 5 day deadline to pick something for his birth certificate...pressure! The night before we were discharged from the hospital, we took some time to really think about our new baby and what his name should be.
We decided on Benjamin Branum, which honors special people on both sides of our family. Benjamin comes from my dad's father (my Granddaddy Griffin) and from my Uncle Bennie (my mother's brother), with whom I share a birthday. Branum is Jeremy's middle name and it is Richie's grandmother Lila Mae's maiden name (Mr. Richard's mother). We also found out after we named him that Mr. Richard has recently found 4 Benjamin Branums in the family tree dating back to the 1700's. Benjamin has been such a blessing, and we both agree that his name just fits him perfectly, although the name he hears most often around our house is "my baby brudder" from his very proud big brother...
We decided on Benjamin Branum, which honors special people on both sides of our family. Benjamin comes from my dad's father (my Granddaddy Griffin) and from my Uncle Bennie (my mother's brother), with whom I share a birthday. Branum is Jeremy's middle name and it is Richie's grandmother Lila Mae's maiden name (Mr. Richard's mother). We also found out after we named him that Mr. Richard has recently found 4 Benjamin Branums in the family tree dating back to the 1700's. Benjamin has been such a blessing, and we both agree that his name just fits him perfectly, although the name he hears most often around our house is "my baby brudder" from his very proud big brother...
Monday, July 5, 2010
A family of four!
Monday, June 28, 2010 at 6:17 p.m., we welcomed Benjamin Branum Lister into the world! Here's how it happened:
My mother got to Nashville on Saturday, the 26th. Sunday evening I debated whether or not I should go to work on Monday. I was feeling pretty exhausted, and the idea of going to work just didn't get me terribly excited. So I decided to stay home on Monday and see if anything interesting would happen. My mom and I spent the day doing a little running around town. We enjoyed a nice leisurely lunch before heading home to rest for the afternoon. I wrote some Thank You notes and then got on the bed to check my email and browse around online. All of a sudden at 2:45, I felt the tell-tale gush of my water breaking. I excitedly informed my mom and then texted Richie, who was at work. He called almost immediately and said he would be coming straight home so that we could go to the hospital. I thought that was a little premature, as I wasn't even having contractions at that point. But he felt very strongly that he needed to come home, and it is a good thing he did!
By the time Richie got home, I was definitely feeling things moving along. I had a couple of contractions 8 minutes apart. Then suddenly they were 5 minutes apart. We finished up packing our hospital bag and headed out the door. We got to the hospital and were shown to a room (a big, beautiful labor tub birthing suite!). The nurses started the external monitor, which measures contractions and the baby's heartrate. They were required to monitor me for 20 minutes before I could get out of the bed. The nurses also put in a hep lock because I tested positive for Group B Strep and had to have IV antibiotics. A quick cervical exam revealed that just an hour after my water broke, I was at 6 cm dilated! After the hep lock was in and the 20 minutes of monitoring were up, I got into the shower. The hot water on my back definitely helped me relax, but the contractions were coming hard and fast. I moved to the labor tub, which felt wonderful. I stayed on my knees for a couple of contractions, but during the first few minutes in the tub I told Richie that I already felt like I needed to push. Luckily my amazing midwife Linda came in to check me and discovered that I was 10 cm dilated and ready for delivery!
Richie and Linda helped me out of the tub and we moved back to the hospital bed. Linda helped me get into the position that would help me deliver with the least chance of tearing and then the pushing began. Linda encouraged me to listen to my body and push when I felt the need. I was timid about pushing at first, and Linda coached me until I was effectively moving the baby down, down, down. At one point the baby's heart rate dropped down and she instructed me to stop pushing to let him recover. She then directed me when to push hard and when to push gently. After about 17 minutes of pushing, our beautiful son was born! He had the cord wrapped once around his neck, so he was a bit blue at first, but he cried right away and quickly turned pink. I am proud and humbled to say that, thanks to the support and guidance of my husband and my midwife, I was able to have the natural birth that I was dreaming of. It was painful and almost overwhelming at times, but it was one of the most powerful, beautiful experiences of my life. It has given me new confidence as a woman and as a mother. I could not be any prouder of my sweet son and the amazing entrance he made into this world.
Below are just a few pictures of Benjamin's arrival...
My mother got to Nashville on Saturday, the 26th. Sunday evening I debated whether or not I should go to work on Monday. I was feeling pretty exhausted, and the idea of going to work just didn't get me terribly excited. So I decided to stay home on Monday and see if anything interesting would happen. My mom and I spent the day doing a little running around town. We enjoyed a nice leisurely lunch before heading home to rest for the afternoon. I wrote some Thank You notes and then got on the bed to check my email and browse around online. All of a sudden at 2:45, I felt the tell-tale gush of my water breaking. I excitedly informed my mom and then texted Richie, who was at work. He called almost immediately and said he would be coming straight home so that we could go to the hospital. I thought that was a little premature, as I wasn't even having contractions at that point. But he felt very strongly that he needed to come home, and it is a good thing he did!
By the time Richie got home, I was definitely feeling things moving along. I had a couple of contractions 8 minutes apart. Then suddenly they were 5 minutes apart. We finished up packing our hospital bag and headed out the door. We got to the hospital and were shown to a room (a big, beautiful labor tub birthing suite!). The nurses started the external monitor, which measures contractions and the baby's heartrate. They were required to monitor me for 20 minutes before I could get out of the bed. The nurses also put in a hep lock because I tested positive for Group B Strep and had to have IV antibiotics. A quick cervical exam revealed that just an hour after my water broke, I was at 6 cm dilated! After the hep lock was in and the 20 minutes of monitoring were up, I got into the shower. The hot water on my back definitely helped me relax, but the contractions were coming hard and fast. I moved to the labor tub, which felt wonderful. I stayed on my knees for a couple of contractions, but during the first few minutes in the tub I told Richie that I already felt like I needed to push. Luckily my amazing midwife Linda came in to check me and discovered that I was 10 cm dilated and ready for delivery!
Richie and Linda helped me out of the tub and we moved back to the hospital bed. Linda helped me get into the position that would help me deliver with the least chance of tearing and then the pushing began. Linda encouraged me to listen to my body and push when I felt the need. I was timid about pushing at first, and Linda coached me until I was effectively moving the baby down, down, down. At one point the baby's heart rate dropped down and she instructed me to stop pushing to let him recover. She then directed me when to push hard and when to push gently. After about 17 minutes of pushing, our beautiful son was born! He had the cord wrapped once around his neck, so he was a bit blue at first, but he cried right away and quickly turned pink. I am proud and humbled to say that, thanks to the support and guidance of my husband and my midwife, I was able to have the natural birth that I was dreaming of. It was painful and almost overwhelming at times, but it was one of the most powerful, beautiful experiences of my life. It has given me new confidence as a woman and as a mother. I could not be any prouder of my sweet son and the amazing entrance he made into this world.
Below are just a few pictures of Benjamin's arrival...
Taken by Gi Gi on 6/26...two days before Benjamin was born
Soon after arriving at the hospital...trying to breathe through a contraction
My blue baby and my bikini top (from the labor tub). What a surreal moment!
Very happy mommy and daddy at the end of a long and emotional day
Benjamin Branum Lister
6/28/2010
6:17 p.m.
8 lbs 9 oz
21.25" tall
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