Happy 3 Month Birthday, Chunky Monkey!

Jillian turned three months old yesterday. She is still by and large a happy, easy going baby, and her smile can light up a room. We are dealing with some mild reflux, which I suspect is contributing to occasional fussiness, but hopefully the medicine will kick in soon. She is 95th percentile in weight, so obviously it isn't affecting her eating too much. :)



Jill loves to watch her big sister, and Kate does her best to entertain us all. She loves to play dress up...the more bling, the better. This particular morning, she decided to add a cowgirl flare to the usual Cinderella attire. I think she may have a future as a rodeo queen.

He is Risen! Happy Easter!

Jill's One Month Old!

Jillian turned one month old on the 12th, and I can hardly believe it. Truly, this month has flown. Jill is a pretty easy baby, and we are counting our blessings, especially considering we have a toddler to take up any slack in the "needing attention" arena. Poor Kate has been sick nearly the entire month since Jill was born. Needless to say, I will welcome spring with particularly wide open arms this year.

When Jill was first born, I didn't think she looked much like her big sister. But as the weeks have passed I definitely see a resemblance. Here are some pictures of the two of them from roughly the same age. What do you think?

Jill:



Kate:



Jill:



Kate:



Here's a picture to commemorate Kate's absolute favorite pastime in the world right now...playing Mommy. And of course she must use the real baby equipment. There's a baby doll or stuffed animal in the swing, bouncy seat, car seat, and pack-n-play at all times. We have had discussions about how the real baby takes priority, and thankfully Kate is being very understanding. But, beware--if you enter our house with an infant car seat, I guarantee that within 30 seconds Kate will ask you if she can play with it.



Here's Kate also playing Mommy with her new camera . . .

Jill's only really needy time tends to be in the 11pm to 1am time frame, and Josh has been great about staying up late with her. He says she is the perfect size to fit on his chest while he plays video games.

Another sweet pic of father and daughter.

We are so grateful that Jill is a happy and mild mannered baby. Here's hoping the next few months bring more of the same!

Pictures from Jill's First Days at Home

Sweet Sisters . . .

Baby News!!

Our baby girl decided to make her entrance one day before her 42 week scheduled induction. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. Jillian Parris Benefield was born on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 8:38 p.m. She weighed 8 lbs., 12 oz. and measured 20.5 inches long. We were thrilled that labor started on its own and that it was much shorter than with Kate. We'll be going home from the hospital tomorrow and look forward to introducing baby Jill to friends and family. Until then, enjoy some of her first pics.

(P.S. Parris was Josh's grandmother's maiden name.)

Still waiting . . .

41 weeks and counting. Baby girl has less than a week to make her arrival on her own. My doctor has scheduled an induction for next Wednesday. Looks like it might be a repeat of Kate's birth. We are thankful that baby sister is healthy and that the doctor is letting me wait until 42 weeks. But, if you can say a prayer on our behalf that labor begins on its own before Wednesday, we'd appreciate it!

Christmas at Home

Since I am well past my "no travel" date per my OB, we spent Christmas at home for the first time since Josh and I have been married. It was actually really nice! Josh's dad and stepmom came to visit for a few days, then my parents came and spent Christmas with us. My brother lives in Austin and was able to join us, so it was nice to have family around. We had a wonderful time celebrating at home.

On a side note, this has been a really special Christmas season for us, not only because we are expecting our second child but also because Kate was old enough for us to share with her in a meaningful way the story of Christmas. We celebrated Advent with different crafts and activities all month long, continually focusing on the birth of Christ. Throughout this month I was reminded of just how much a blessing (and a responsibility) it is to be a parent and to get to share the one True Myth (as C.S. Lewis puts it) with a young soul.



Family portrait...all 4 of us! (I was 39 weeks last week. Now that Christmas is over, I feel more relaxed about our baby arriving. I just didn't want her to have a Christmas birthday. Now, come on baby sister! Anytime you're ready!)

Pawpaw, Nana (Josh's dad & stepmom) and Kate

Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Casey & us. We enjoyed a Christmas Eve dinner then attended our church's Christmas Eve service.

Christmas morning surprises...a baby doll care center. Kate loves playing mommy to her baby dolls.

We also got her a camera. It is the only toy she has actually ever requested. And she is pumped! She took 400+ pictures the first day and filled up the memory card. Here she is telling me to say "Cheese!" followed by, "Oh, good job!" She's an encouraging photographer.

The day after Christmas, we decided to take Kate on her first spelunking expedition to Inner Space Cavern in Georgetown. We all had a good time.

Here's Kate and Grandma mining for gold outside the cave.

In the cave. (Kate asked cautiously about there being bats, but the only ones we saw were tiny and hibernating.) She loved the adventure!