At Abigail's 2 month check up she weighed 8lbs 11oz and was 21 inches long.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Abigail - 2 month photo
WOW! This past month of Abigail's life is almost over and I realized that I have not posted her picture here. She is becoming more alert every day and loves to look around. She has discovered her Charlie dog this month and it is so cute when she reaches for him and loves grabbing his hair; can't say that Charlie is thrilled but he loves her and doesn't seem to mind.
At Abigail's 2 month check up she weighed 8lbs 11oz and was 21 inches long.
At Abigail's 2 month check up she weighed 8lbs 11oz and was 21 inches long.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Where has the month gone...
Well Abigail has reached one of many milestones in her life. She has turned a month old. Anna is doing amazing with being a big sister; however her behavior towards me has its moments. Not sure if it is the age she is at or that Abigail is here. But with that said she loves her little sister. Always asking if she can hold her and play with her. Abigail is starting to do so many new things daily. She has been trying to hold her little head up by herself for the past 2 weeks. It seems as though she is getting better and better at it every day. She also has been trying to roll over on to her side in her bed. I keep telling her to slow down there twiddlebug; you can grow up later! She is nursing like a pro and growing like a weed. She has grown about a 1/2 inch since she was born and is back to birth weight and a little more. It is bittersweet to put on some of her outfits that we had for Anna and get to use again - it is hard to believe that Anna was once that small and even harder to think that Abigail will be that big in a few short years.
So in honor of Abigail's 1 month birthday we did Photo Shoot Monday. Anna had fun with it and I let her take some pictures too. She told me that she loves the camera and her sissy does too. Oh the fun to come! I am going to video tape Anna's love for the little sister next; this way I have proof when they are teenagers and ready to kill each other!
Well Abigail has reached one of many milestones in her life. She has turned a month old. Anna is doing amazing with being a big sister; however her behavior towards me has its moments. Not sure if it is the age she is at or that Abigail is here. But with that said she loves her little sister. Always asking if she can hold her and play with her. Abigail is starting to do so many new things daily. She has been trying to hold her little head up by herself for the past 2 weeks. It seems as though she is getting better and better at it every day. She also has been trying to roll over on to her side in her bed. I keep telling her to slow down there twiddlebug; you can grow up later! She is nursing like a pro and growing like a weed. She has grown about a 1/2 inch since she was born and is back to birth weight and a little more. It is bittersweet to put on some of her outfits that we had for Anna and get to use again - it is hard to believe that Anna was once that small and even harder to think that Abigail will be that big in a few short years.
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| Abigail 09.26.11 |
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| 09.26.11 |
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| Sisterly Love 09.26.11 |
Monday, September 5, 2011
Abigail Quinn Bennett
Well the time has come to say good bye to our family Bennett Party of three, and hello to Party of 4! On August 26, 2011 wee were blessed with a healthy beautiful baby girl; Abigail Quinn Bennett. The night before Abigail's delivery we went out for dinner as a family and had a wonderful time, and we kept telling Anna that her baby sister was coming the next day. The morning of August 26th we tried to keep as normal as possible. Daddy went to work for a bit, Anna watched cartoons and ate her Cheerios but she was not happy at the fact that mommy did not eat cheerios with her. We gave her the first of some of her "special" gifts. That day Anna got her "I am the big sister" t-shirt and some other goodies.
On our way to the hospital we were talking to Anna; she was asking all sorts of questions about her baby sister's car seat which was now in mommy's car. Our families were at the hospital and waiting our arrival, they all sat with Anna in the waiting room while we went off to the pre-op room. Abigail was also a c-section like her big sister.
This time was a bit more overwhelming than when we had Anna. I am not really sure why; you would think that the first birth of a child would be. Maybe because so many things coming rushing in your head: how is this little creature going to fit into the family, will everything be ok, what is Anna going to think about having a little sister. Once they did what they had to and got the operation underway things seemed to become more relaxed, bit then the anticipation set in. What is she going to look like? How big will she be?
At 12:37 PM on August 26, 2011 all those questions were answered. "WOW" was what Joe exclaimed when he say her first (he stood and watched the whole thing) and then my doctor said "Jennifer, she has a head full of dark hair!" And as many know Anna was bald as can be when she was born. All in all it was a day that we will never forget, it is in my top 3 days in my life so far.
We are all home and adjusting to life with a newborn in the house. May we have days that are not filled with too much crying, too many tantrums by the 2 1/2 year old kind, and not too many sleepless nights...that is not asking too much!
On our way to the hospital we were talking to Anna; she was asking all sorts of questions about her baby sister's car seat which was now in mommy's car. Our families were at the hospital and waiting our arrival, they all sat with Anna in the waiting room while we went off to the pre-op room. Abigail was also a c-section like her big sister.
This time was a bit more overwhelming than when we had Anna. I am not really sure why; you would think that the first birth of a child would be. Maybe because so many things coming rushing in your head: how is this little creature going to fit into the family, will everything be ok, what is Anna going to think about having a little sister. Once they did what they had to and got the operation underway things seemed to become more relaxed, bit then the anticipation set in. What is she going to look like? How big will she be?
At 12:37 PM on August 26, 2011 all those questions were answered. "WOW" was what Joe exclaimed when he say her first (he stood and watched the whole thing) and then my doctor said "Jennifer, she has a head full of dark hair!" And as many know Anna was bald as can be when she was born. All in all it was a day that we will never forget, it is in my top 3 days in my life so far.
We are all home and adjusting to life with a newborn in the house. May we have days that are not filled with too much crying, too many tantrums by the 2 1/2 year old kind, and not too many sleepless nights...that is not asking too much!
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| Abigail Quinn Bennett August 26, 2011 6 lbs 14 oz 19.5 inches |
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Betty Crocker at it again!
Since I get to stay home with Anna and baby #2, I am starting to feel a bit guilty about a bowl of cereal/pop tarts/oatmeal for breakfast. I think it is the pregnancy hormones; so this may be a short lived guilt. However with that said I decided that this morning Anna and I were going to bake something fun for breakfast. Having various items in the kitchen I thought about these yummy Pineapple Upside Down Biscuits that Paula Deen once made. (I am addict to the Food Network Channel, if only I had a kitchen like some of those hosts!) They are super easy and only take about 25 minutes start to finish. And Anna was able to assist mommy in the prep, plus she loves to eat them. Here is a picture of what ours turned out like
Here is the recipe for those of you who may want to try these out. As I mentioned they are easy and not very time consuming to make. They are great as breakfast or an item to add to a brunch menu. Enjoy!
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| Pineapple Upside Down Biscuits |
Pineapple Upside Down Biscuits
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Ingredients
- 1 (10-ounce) can crushed pineapple
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick butter), at room temperature
- 10 maraschino cherries
- 1 (12-ounce) package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine the pineapple, sugar, and butter, and mix well. Divide the pineapple mixture among the muffin cups. Place a cherry in the center of each muffin cup, making sure cherry hits bottom of cup. Place 1 biscuit in each cup on top of sugar and pineapple mixture. Spoon 1 teaspoon reserved pineapple juice over each biscuit. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool for 2 minutes. Invert the pan onto a plate to release the biscuits. Serve warm.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Relay for Life 2011
I had formed a team "Farley's Angels" to participate in the event Relay for Life Evergreen Park/Beverly on Saturday July 16, 2011. This was not my first Relay for Life but this one meant more to me than any I have participated in the past. Farley's Angels was to honor our dear Ed Farley who succumb to cancer on March 5, 2011 at the age of 60. Ed was a special person not only in my life and a part of my family's life but many others too. He had a way of making everyone feel extraordinary. In our family Ed was more than just a family friend since the beginning of time, he was family. My daughter Anna knew him as Uncle Ed and she was his "AGB". All thru my life Ed was always supportive of the many humanitarian tasks I love to do - so back in January when we visited Ed, I thought we could do this walk together. Sadly that is not what God had in mind. Being determined to honor Ed and maybe help another family from suffering the way mine and all of Ed's friends have suffered, I decided to form this team.
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| Team Farley's Angels tent |
As this was our inaugural year, I was so pleased with our turn out! It made me so proud of our team. You could see how many lives Ed touched. We had a tremendous amount of support in donations and the number of friends that came out to walk with us was amazing. And not only did people come out and walk they stayed and walked! And the weather that day only cooperated by not raining and gave us a little breeze; it was HOT!
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| Bag from Anna, Izzy and Bubby to Uncle Ed that was lining the track |
As I have mentioned we were there to honor Ed but many people on my team also were honoring family members that had suffered from this disease and we also had a survivor join our team. All in all this event is an experience that people should truly try to experience. You have families there, friends there and you make friendships with strangers because you have all come together for one main goal -To hopefully some day see an end to cancer. Some of the stories of other walkers were also sad stories but then there were the few tucked in there of hope and survival. This was an event I was glad to share with Anna; she loved walking around and then when the Luminiaria ceremony was over and we did a lap in silence to honor all, she in her own way even honored those who had passed. She told my parents and I that the bags were beautiful. Even though the walk has only been over for a few days; I look forward to participating in this event for many years to come.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Fun in Philly 2011
As the last few weeks of being a family of 3 are coming to an end, we decided to take Anna on a weekend trip. A trip of just mommy and daddy time because we know that the arrival of her little sister is going to change her life forever. Not in a bad way but it will be an adjustment to say the least. Anna's weekend adventure began with her second plane ride; which the last time we took her on one she was only 11 months old. Needless to say I was a bit nervous, however Anna LOVED the plane ride. She thought it was so exciting. And she was a trooper, we had to change planes which meant no nap (we paid for it later) and her main concern was that we got up high above the trees so she could watch Dora.
After our day of travel and walking a bit around downtown Philadelphia - stayed in a hotel across from city hall - we turned in for our adventures the next day. Anna has a great love for animals so we decided to go to the Philadelphia Zoo. This zoo is America's first zoo, it opened in the 1800s. We had a great time with our little tour guide Anna Grace. She had the map and was in charge! This zoo also has a Children's Zoo in it; you get to see baby chicks and ducklings - right after they hatch, feed and brush goats and sheep and ride ponies. Well she did it all! And after she rode the pony, Anna told us how she wants to ride ponies all the time (good thing we live in the "Horse Capital of the World). We then had dinner with 2 of our favorite Philly families - the Cornelius' and the Pedicones.
And once we were finished with the museum we had to get a quick nap in because our day was not over yet. We spent the afternoon and evening at Sesame Place. If you have children it is a place that you should check out. It is a theme park all about Sesame Street. You see characters, and rides and even a show and parade. It is a mini Disney, but with Elmo. At first Anna was not too keen on the characters - she cried when we took her picture with Daddy and the Count. But by the end of the night she was looking for the rest of her friends on "Sunny days" as she calls them to get their picture. As the night came to an end we had 4 very tired little people and 6 very tired parents. All in all it was a great time and some memories that we will always remember.
I know that Anna enjoyed her trip because on our last night in Philly when getting ready for bed Anna asked me if we can bring Bubby (her name for her sissy-to-be) next year and go to the zoo and Sesame. She then informed me that Anna will have to hold Bubby when she gets her picture taken with all the characters so that she will not be scared. I am going to remind Anna about the love she has for her sister some day when they are fighting!
After our day of travel and walking a bit around downtown Philadelphia - stayed in a hotel across from city hall - we turned in for our adventures the next day. Anna has a great love for animals so we decided to go to the Philadelphia Zoo. This zoo is America's first zoo, it opened in the 1800s. We had a great time with our little tour guide Anna Grace. She had the map and was in charge! This zoo also has a Children's Zoo in it; you get to see baby chicks and ducklings - right after they hatch, feed and brush goats and sheep and ride ponies. Well she did it all! And after she rode the pony, Anna told us how she wants to ride ponies all the time (good thing we live in the "Horse Capital of the World). We then had dinner with 2 of our favorite Philly families - the Cornelius' and the Pedicones.
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| Tour Guide Anna |
Day 3 in Philly was anything but dull. Our dear friends the Chatterjees came up from Washington DC to spend some time with us. So after we all had some breakfast we ventured off to the Please Touch Museum. And this place was awesome! There is a transportation/construction/space area, a grocery/deli/bakery, hospital, train area and an entire section dedicated to Alice in Wonderland. Water tables and a carousel. The kids had a blast! And us, parents did too.
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| Dr. Anna G. Bennett |
And once we were finished with the museum we had to get a quick nap in because our day was not over yet. We spent the afternoon and evening at Sesame Place. If you have children it is a place that you should check out. It is a theme park all about Sesame Street. You see characters, and rides and even a show and parade. It is a mini Disney, but with Elmo. At first Anna was not too keen on the characters - she cried when we took her picture with Daddy and the Count. But by the end of the night she was looking for the rest of her friends on "Sunny days" as she calls them to get their picture. As the night came to an end we had 4 very tired little people and 6 very tired parents. All in all it was a great time and some memories that we will always remember.
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| Anna, Mommy, Zoe, Stacy and Erin |
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| Anna, Daddy and the Count |
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| Anna and Erin loved the tea cup ride |
Monday, July 11, 2011
Thru the eyes of my 2 year old
Recently Anna and I were eating dinner at a fast food restaurant before heading out to daddy's softball game. While we were eating there was a man sitting by himself and he has special needs. As we were eating he started talking out loud to himself and making some rather interesting noises and Anna asked me, "Who is he talking to mommy?" Not sure of how to respond I just told her he must be on the phone, thinking this was a good answer. Nope. The man turned and Anna saw that he did not have a phone, and she called me out on it. "Who is he talking to mommy?" she asked again with her big blue eyes rather inquisitive. So I had to really think about my answer, how do you explain to little people about those with special needs?
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
Our local grocery store has many young adults working there that have needs and we see them there. But they act a bit different than this young man. You want to shelter and protect your little one but know that is not the way life really is. And Anna isn't one who likes a random answer, she really wants to know. She also asked on a different day about a couple who were "little people", Anna thought they were her age and wanted to know if they were with their mommy too.
So I have to ask, do you try to tell a 2 year old about "special" people or make up an answer. The easy way in parenting would be to just change the subject and/or make up answer. But that would not be the most effective thing to do, you know that this issue will come up again. I guess this is just one of the many challenges we face when we are parents. This one wasn't too bad, just one that I wasn't prepared for.
Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.
(Proverbs 29:17 ESV)
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
Our local grocery store has many young adults working there that have needs and we see them there. But they act a bit different than this young man. You want to shelter and protect your little one but know that is not the way life really is. And Anna isn't one who likes a random answer, she really wants to know. She also asked on a different day about a couple who were "little people", Anna thought they were her age and wanted to know if they were with their mommy too.
So I have to ask, do you try to tell a 2 year old about "special" people or make up an answer. The easy way in parenting would be to just change the subject and/or make up answer. But that would not be the most effective thing to do, you know that this issue will come up again. I guess this is just one of the many challenges we face when we are parents. This one wasn't too bad, just one that I wasn't prepared for.
Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.
(Proverbs 29:17 ESV)
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