WE HAVE A DATE!

I finally got word from my OB that unless Bennett decides to make an early appearance, he will arrive around 7am on Tuesday September 13, 2011. YAY! I still think he will be here before then, but it's nice to have a day and time just in case my gut is off. :)

My friend Stacey is a surrogate and is currently carrying twin boys. A couple of days ago her water broke prematurely at 23 weeks, but since only twin A's sack broke she is able to continue carrying them for now unless infection sets in or her contractions return. Please keep Stacey, the babies, and the babies' parents in your prayers as they go through this very scary time! If you'd like to follow her journey, her blog address is http://mylastsurrogacyjourney.blogspot.com

Yesterday Deacon and I hung out at the new house again for a little bit while we got another estimate for solar screens. My friend Susan lives a few streets over from us and she came over to visit with her little foster puppy Pip. Sweet little Pipsqueak has a broken leg and Deacon was fascinated with her "boo boo". She also has a tail so that was lots of fun for him to chase around and tug on when he thought I wasn't looking. On the way home I gave him a water bottle to drink from and he kept telling me that the label was it's "boo boo". :)



This handsome boy is Midas, he's another foster boy with Legacy Boxer Rescue. We went to his house yesterday morning to take pictures of him for the website, isn't he handsome? Midas had mange like Knight but he's looking fabulous these days!

Deacon's using the big boy potty!

Last week I was using the bathroom, and of course Deacon is standing right there, who gets to pee alone these days? All of the sudden he pulls down his pants, points to the toilet, and says, "PEEZ?!" So I asked him if he wanted to try and potty, he said yes, and ta-da! I was shocked. We've never asked him before if he wanted to start using the big potty and had just decided we would wait until we got to the new house to tackle that adventure. Apparently Deacon had other plans, because we bought him a Spider Man potty seat and he's been using it for the last week! Obviously he still goes in his diaper most of the time, I really haven't pushed the issue and just wait until he asks to go, but probably once a day he'll actually go. I haven't taken away his diapers or made him wear training pants, I think I'm going to try those plastic underwear things because he does NOT like to be wet or messy. Right now though we're in the middle of moving and potty training on top of that just sounds entirely too stressful to me. Once we get everything settled in the new house then I'll get serious about this potty training business, but until then we are loving that he's having so much fun with his potty seat! Doesn't he look precious reading his book on the pot? :)


Bennett Bennett Bennett... Only about 6 more weeks until I get to meet this little man! I can hardly believe I'm already 32 weeks pregnant, the time has flown by and I literally feel like I get bigger every single day. This little dude is growing like a weed! No, I still don't know the date of my c-section, I just left another message for the nurse to call me back with the information and I haven't heard back yet. (sigh)

We just picked out the color of the walls for his room and it should be painted next week with the rest of the house, I can't wait to get started on everything! I've been searching everywhere for a cowhide rug with no luck, they're SO incredibly expensive it's unreal. There's no way I'm paying $300+ for a rug for a nursery. Oy. I had one lined up that I found on Craigs List, but she just emailed me and said that instead of meeting me tonight to give me my new rug she's decided to give it to someone else. SO annoying, but I'm hoping that means that something better will come along. Guess the search continues!

On another note, some of you probably remember my crib dilemma that we've been dealing with as of about a month ago. Today Scott called the company again to see if there is anything they can do about a replacement piece since they should be responsible for it. Well, apparently they're only offering replacements for the natural or dark pine models, not white or black. (WHAT?!) They're trying to claim that only those two colors are dangerous even though they're all the exact same crib, it's the dumbest thing I've EVER heard! So I picked out another crib that I like and added it to my registry, but it's only available in select stores and may or may not be eligible to ship. We also need a new changing table because Braxton sat on ours and snapped the shelf in half. We're not off to a very good start here, this whole thing is incredibly irritating! It's not that we don't have the money to buy a new crib, but I just really wasn't planning on needing to. Anyone else feel like it's always one step forward two steps back? Oh well... Here's the 32 week update on baby Bennett :)

"Although your baby will still remain active, his days of trying out for Cirque du Soleil are nearly over. About this time your baby will settle into the head-down position in preparation for birth. Other fascinating facts:

Both you and baby are putting on some serious weight at this point. You'll probably gain about a pound a week for the next few weeks, with half of that poundage bulking up baby. He'll likely double his weight in the next eight weeks.

Ever wonder what your baby is doing in there these days? He's busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things, making faces, practicing his breathing, peeing and listening to everything around him—pretty much exactly what he'll be doing for the first three months of his life, sans the adoring audience and the flashing camera.

Your baby may (or may not) have a full head of hair now. If she's a baldy, don't worry. You can always buy a Baby Toupee or some adhesive barrettes.

By the end of this week, your baby will weigh about 4 pounds and measure over 17 inches long—about the length of a hot pair of above-the-knee boots. Christian Louboutin? Manolo Blahnik? We're thinking Isaac Mizrahi for Target—you've got a nursery to furnish!"

P.U. Stinky Feet!

Deacon and I had to run some errands today, and I kept hearing him say "Peee-uu!" I didn't know what he was talking about, so at a stop light I turned around to see this... He's so silly! :)



Also this afternoon, Deacon went potty on the big boy potty for the very first time! I had intended to buy him a potty seat soon and just let him sit on it whenever he wanted until I thought it was time to do some serious potty training. But this afternoon I was going to the bathroom myself and all of the sudden Deacon just pulled down his pants! I asked him if he wanted to try and potty and he emphatically nodded "YES!" so I sat him on the seat to let him do his thing. Ta-daaa! He pottied! I'm still in shock, I can't believe he actually went potty, we are so proud of him! :)

On another note, I had my 31 week check-up on Tuesday and was told that they are scheduling my c-section this week. My doctor said I would know Tuesday or Wednesday, but surprise surprise it's Thursday and still no word. I was saving my 31 week update until I could share the delivery date, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen! Hopefully I'll know tomorrow, I know Bennett's Grandma and Grandpa would really like to plan their trip to come meet him!

"From this week on, your baby will continue to gain around ½ pound a week until shortly before birth (even though it may feel like a whole lot more with every step you take). Other highlights this week:

Due to increasing space constraints, your baby's arms and legs stay drawn up close to the body now, known as the fetal position (oh, so that's where that name came from!). Plus, your baby can now process information from all five senses—so she'll be all set to smell the pureed peas, taste them, feel them as she mashes them into her hair, hear you crack up and then see the flash as you grab the camera to snap picture after picture.

By now, your baby's lungs are the only system not fully mature. And by mature, we're not saying that the rest of your baby's systems are mature enough to be out past 10 PM with the neighborhood hooligan, just that her lungs need a little bit more time to bake before they can kick it in the outside world.

Your baby weighs about 3½ pounds and measures a little over 16 inches, about the same length as that miniskirt you used to wear (and will again someday!)."

I finally have a working computer again...

...which means I can post Knight's happy home pictures for you all to see! Here he is with his uncle Otis, dad Mike, mom Karen, and sister Alei Rae. Don't they make a sweet family? I have gotten fabulous updates from Karen for the last week and they are very excited that we can finally make the adoption official. Congratulations Knight and welcome home baby boy!

Congo Baby Fund!

To all my Mommy and Grandma friends out there, check out Casey Nichols Chappell's blog post and her Best of BABY Basket! She and her husband are adopting two babies from the Congo in a couple of months and are raising money through these fabulous baskets. Please consider supporting the Chappell family and help them bless their babies, they're some very special people who I hold close to my heart. :)

www.caseychappell.com

It's the second blog post down. I hope Baby Bennett wins, but more than that I hope the Chappells are able to raise all the money they will need to bring their babies home and more! For those of you with baby girls on the way, stay tuned for next week when she debuts her Best of Baby GIRL basket. :)

My little man is sick. :(

Yesterday Deacon woke up from his nap with a high fever, and it's been an uphill battle since then. I had to wake him up after being asleep for 3+ hours and his fever was almost 103. I gave him Tylenol and tried to make him comfortable, but he didn't want anything to eat or drink and kept his hands in his mouth all night. I figured he was teething, but the fever was too high to be just related to that so I just wanted to keep it under control until we could get to the pediatrician in the morning. Last night during bath time he got so upset and worked up from a pain somewhere on his head that he threw up all over me. It was horrible and I felt so bad for my little man. Deacon fell asleep right after that and slept fairly well through the night, but I woke up every 4 hours with him to alternate Tylenol and Motrin.

This morning his fever was still 102 and he still wouldn't eat or drink, so I called the pediatrician and took him in to be checked out. Apparently there is a virus that has been sweeping through the community and Deacon has caught it. :( This viral tonsillitis has his throat and tonsils covered in white blisters and unfortunately there's nothing I can give him to ease the pain other than continue the Tylenol/Motrin regimine. I was told to expect a full body rash and maybe even a chest cough once the fever breaks, which should hopefully be in another day or two. He's contagious until Friday so looks like we're stuck in the house until then. :/

After a 4 hour nap this afternoon Deacon seems to be in a little bit better mood but I can tell he's still not himself. Poor guy can't decide if he wants to play or be snuggled and he's being super whiney. I finally got him to eat some tater tots and sausage from Sonic this morning and after nap he ate some peaches, but other than that nothing has sounded appetizing to him. Hopefully over the next couple of days we will see some improvements and get over this nasty bug quickly!

Here's a video of Deacon watching Blue's Clues yesterday afternoon, he's so silly trying to talk like Blue. :)

30 week update!

Big news for baby's brain this week: It's starting to wrinkle and fold and looks like something that grew in the back of your fridge. This is due to the rapid growth of your little genius's brain cells. Other highlights this week:

Fingernails and toenails are finally finished—causing his or her parents great fear and anguish the first time they try to cut those little daggers (it gets easier, we promise)! Plus, the bone marrow is completely in charge of red-blood-cell production now. Trust us, this is a good thing.

Baby is starting to shed his lanugo—the downy hair that was covering his skin. Now that he's chubbier and better able to regulate his body temp, he doesn't need to sport a fur coat 24/7.

"I spy an umbilical cord and the inside of my mom's uterus!" When your baby is awake, his eyes are now wide open and he's whittling away the hours looking around, checking out his rather dark, limited environs.

Your baby hasn't gained much weight or height this week, as most of his energy's been channeled to the brain. He weighs about 3 pounds and is approximately 15.5 inches long, about the size of London, not the city, Britney Spears' Yorkie terrier. Of course your baby is less hairy and way cuter!

Knight went home tonight...

It's been a very bittersweet day for me today, I've been crying on and off because I knew this would be my last day with my boy. Some of those tears were happy and some of them were sad, but it was all worth it because Knightacus now has a family to call his very own. Here are a couple pictures from today, please excuse my appearance I had a rough day! Haha.

Knight now has a Mom, Dad, 16 year old skin sister Allie, and Uncle to spoil him rotten, I have no doubt he will be the center of attention. Allie is learning disabled and considered special needs, but she's very smart and bright, so I knew Knight would take to her right away. He followed her around the whole time we were there and was fascinated with all the stuffed animals she had in her room. Allie has been begging her parents for a dog for a long time and Knight was a big surprise for her tonight. When Allie found out that he wasn't just there to visit and was actually her dog she lit up and was so excited she couldn't even speak! I know she's going to love on Knight just like I had hoped, they already went out and bought him new toys, a new bed, and a collar and leash that say "Bad to the Bone". Ha!

When we left Knight was very nervous and scared, he knew what was going on and wanted to come with us. We had to put him in his crate so that he wouldn't completely freak out, it was so hard to leave him that way. :( Knight was with us for almost 6 months and I knew he would have a hard time with the initial separation, I just didn't know it would be so hard for me to leave him with someone else. I cried all the way home just like I thought I would, but now that I'm over the initial shock I know Knight is exactly where he should be. I've been praying for his forever family for a very long time, and they're everything I thought they would be, I'm so happy for Knight.

I'll post his happy home picture in a couple days, I want to give him some time to adjust and settle in before we make it official, but I know he's home. :)

Deacon's animal sounds!

Baby Bennett's 29 week update.

"Having a baby prematurely is frightening, no doubt. But here's a reason to relax: Due to the impressive advancements of medical technology, if your baby is born this week, she'd have a 9 out of 10 chance of survival, which is seriously great news. Other awesome developments:

Baby's brain can now control her breathing and body temperature. She can also cough, and her sucking abilities have been perfected. Look out, boobs!

Your Mini's skin is looking less wrinkled as she packs on the pounds. She's starting to look more like a Pampers model and less like a Depends model. She's now beefing up on the energizing and insulating white fat she'll be born with (unfortunately, white fat is not energizing and insulating for adults!).

And speaking of energy, your little Energizer Bunny is on fire these days. You're sure to feel your share of kicks, punches and elbows, especially when you're lying down. You might want to start keeping a kick chart to monitor your baby's movements, and also to later show your 13-year-old child what you endured for him or her. Ask your doctor how to count kicks and how often you should do it.

This week your baby is a little over 15 inches long—about the length of a loaf of bread—and weighs about 3 pounds, as much as a Macbook Air laptop."


Things are still so far so good with this pregnancy, now that I'm past the 16 week long battle with morning sickness it's been smooth sailing. The only major thing I'm dealing with now is a rash that I can't seem to get to go away. Two weeks ago I had my gestational diabetes glucose test and the next morning I woke up with a rash all over my entire body, it was horrible! Now the rash is gone but the incessant itching still lingers and nothing seems to help. Benadryl doesn't really do a whole lot and Cortisone cream only helps temporarily so I don't even bother. I told Scott the other day I feel like a drug addict constantly picking and scratching at myself, it's ridiculous! It's gotten a little bit better and my doctor said it's probably just an allergy to something, so I just have to deal with it for now.

The heat in Texas is miserable when you're not pregnant, but I'm going to have to ask that someone hit me over the head with something large and heavy if I EVER think about being pregnant in the summer ever again. It's an average of 100 degrees every day and it's HORRIBLE. We try to go to the pool and stay cool as much as possible, but I never want to do this again during this kind of heat. I feel like I'm constantly drinking water, yet I never feel hydrated. It's really important to keep plenty of fluids in my body so I don't go into early labor, so I'm always carrying around a huge cup filled with water. You know what lots of water means though, I make LOTS of trips to the bathroom too! Haha.

If these are the only things I have to complain about, I'm very lucky. At least we are both healthy, I can't ask for anything more! I have another appointment in two weeks and at that point I'll be able to set the date for my c-section. I can't wait to finally have a prospective date for the arrival of this little one!

Our fun day at the lake!

Scott's Uncle Shane has a boat and we took Deacon out this weekend for a day of fun. He loved driving the boat, swimming, riding on the tube, and watching his Dad surf. Uncle Todd even came with us! Here are some pictures from our day. :)

The Hensley's have gone patriotic!

Deacon and I found some cute little flags in the dollar section at Target this morning and decided to have a 4th of July photo shoot! As you can see, he's very proud of his flag. :) From top to bottom we have Deacon, Willow, Spruce, goofy Spruce (because it's just not a Hensley family photo shoot without at least one silly Spruce face!), Bonsai, and Knight.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy 4th of July! Please double check and make sure all of your fur babies have their collars and tags on in case they are scared by the fireworks and other festivities. :) Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Love,
Scott, Maggie, Deacon and baby Bennett Hensley


P.S. This is a message from the Deac-man himself! :)

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