Meeting more cousins!

Reuben, Gigi, & Peter, reading to go swimming!

We had a super fun time last week when we had David's mom, sister Stacey and our nephews Peter and Reuben visiting. The Leonards adopted Reuben from Korea a few months ago and we were so happy to meet him. He is a very happy, cute little guy. And it was great for Stacey and her kids to meet Gianna!
We did lots of fun things- hit up all of Stacey's favorite Southern California spots, and more. Here is the link to the photo album, there are a lot of fun ones to look at!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600986546942/

P.S. I also added a few cute pics of Gigi in her flower girl dress to the "July 07- first half" album that I got from the Dears (thanks guys!). Gigi at 10.5 weeks- she's full of smiles these days!

Gianna is 10 weeks old!

Look how much she has grown already!!

New July Photos

Is it possible to take too many pictures of your first child? :) I think not! She's just way too cute!! Here are some pictures from the fun events of the first half of July. Gigi's really getting big!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600859555769/

Last week was a week of a few firsts for Gianna. On Monday she met her cousin Riley who is just 5 weeks older than her when I met her Aunt Tiffany and Great-Aunt Jann for lunch in Orange. Riley and Gigi had fun staring at each other.
And on Tuesday she went to her first Dodger game! The Dodgers won and it was the day that they made history by being the first sports franchise to have 175,000,000 fans! We had a fun time hanging out with Alex & Angelina, and Aunt Laurel, Uncle Joe & Marissa!
We spent her first 4th of July at the beach and bbq-ing with friends from David's work. She didn't seem to mind the fireworks at all, and we had a lot of fun.









Yesterday we spent the afternoon celebrating the retirement of a good family friend from the fire department where my dad works. Apparently in the car on the way down, Gigi laughed a little giggle in the back seat with Unc A and Angelina-- mommy & daddy will have to see it for themselves though to make it official. :-)









More pictures from all these events will be forthcoming!

Diaper Rash Remedy!!

Just wanted to share a little secret for babies with red, sore tushies. Gigi had a pretty bad diaper rash last weekend and her doctor, Dr. Pauline Pepek, gave us a somewhat obscure but miraculous remedy!

Mix a 50/50 batch of 1% cortizone cream with Lotrimin (or generic) anti-athletes foot cream (I got a nifty little bottle from the travel section at Target to mix it in). It medicates the area nicely and then you cover the medication with your diaper rash ointment of choice (we use A&D, Buttpaste and/or Aquaphor) to seal the medication and block the pee/poop from the skin. After just a couple of applications at diaper changes, her rash almost completely disappeared [enter sigh of relief here]!

Is June really over?

Everyone always talks about how time flies and it's true! Here are the rest of our photos from June. Gigi got to be the littlest flower girl ever possibly in her Auntie Rena & Uncle Jesse's wedding. It was a really fun night but I didn't do a very good job taking pictures. Hopefully I'll get some more pictures that actually show Gigi in her cute dress soon from the other girls.

This month Gigi went swimming for the first time in my parents' pool! She seemed to like it, or at least, it didn't bother her. :) I will post a video of that later. Gigi also went to her first bachelorette party! Although, most of the time she just hung out with Yaya.

Here are the links:
Rena's bachelorette & the Frey Wedding:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600625332561/
Gigi- Weeks 7-8:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600668867897/

8 Weeks Old!

Today Gianna had to have her 4 shots at the doctor's office. She had one in the hospital and it didn't really bother her, but today's were obviously very painful, and it was pretty traumatic for all three of us; I think we all had teary eyes. After she finally calmed down, I fed her before we left, and then she seemed fine and fell asleep. So hopefully she isn't too fussy tomorrow as a result, since we are off to Gigi's first Dodgers game tomorrow night!!
I've been working on editing some video clips and here a couple of little movies I've put together for you all!

thoughts on sleep

I've been reflecting on Gigi's sleep habits and wanted to share a little... we've been so blessed that she has been sleeping between 5-7 hours every night since she was 6 days old.
I have some friends who have had really rough times as far as babies/sleeping goes, so I don't at all mean to brag. I don't know why God chose to bless us this way, but He did. In this time, we've heard lots of comments like, "she's spoiling you! (my mom)", "don't get used to that!" (Gigi's doc), etc.
But through it all, we've been praying, and have been confident that the Lord is bigger than everything, I mean, he created Gianna, so He's definitely big enough to control her sleep habits! Thanks also to a friend, one of our pastors' wives, Heidi, for encouraging us to just keep praying and have faith that God could keep it up.
So I guess my motive behind sharing all this is simply to give God all the glory. Ultimately, it's not how well we stick to our Babywise philosophy, or how much we love our daughter, or even how much we pray, that is the reason behind this miracle of sleep-- it it is simply because of God's amazing grace and for that we are so thankful!

Go Angels!

Just a quick update from little ol' me...
Last night we went to my second Angels game and they won in the 11th inning! We had to stay until the end because it was Big Bang Friday! Too bad I just slept right through those fireworks; I heard they were awesome. And supposedly there was a really annoying lady behind us but I didn't notice that either. We went with my Unc A and his girlfriend, Angelina. I'm still looking forward to my first Dodgers game though! It's in July.
Love,
Gigi
P.S. A big thanks goes out to my Unc A for making my really cute birth announcements!!

I'm 6 Weeks Old!

Hi Everyone. I wanted to personally update you all on ME, now that I am six weeks old! I'm getting bigger every day, working on my double chin and my leg & arm rolls.In the last few days, I started smiling more at my mommy and daddy. It's cool, because it always makes them smile back at me. I also started "talking"-- saying things like "goo" and other cool words that mom likes to try and imitate.

We had a fun Father's Day yesterday. We went to ESPN Zone so Daddy could watch the Dodgers on the really big TV. I pretty much slept the whole time, which is what I usually do at loud restaurants.
Well, that pretty much sums it up for me, it's time for me to take a nap. I do have a new photo album for you to look at. Mommy just loves taking pictures of me, must be because I'm so cute!
Click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600392699240/

Bennett Family Fun

Granny & Grandpa feeding Gigi at the game.

Well, this post is a little late, but I wanted to finally say that we had a great time with the Bennetts visiting! David's parents and his sister Carly (& her boyfriend Chase) all came to visit for a long weekend over the first weekend in June. We went to Gigi's first baseball game (to see the Angels because the Dodgers were out of town), and also saw David's aunt and uncle Jann & Bill there. Gigi went to her first Mullets baseball game too and saw her daddy pitch, and the Bennetts all got to take part in Alex's birthday party racing extravaganza. Also, 3 out of the 4 Bennett-side aunts came out from Riverside on Sunday to go to dinner. It was great to see the extended family that we don't see often.Bennetts & Pavones at Alex's birthday.

Also, last weekend we were down in SD for my friend Sarah's wedding-- I was her matron of honor. It was probably the most beautiful wedding I've been to, or at least way up at the top of the list. :) The ceremony site overlooked the beach in Carlsbad where Sarah & I learned to surf. :) And Gigi looked adorable in a dress that almost matched mine!











Here are the links to the latest albums:
Bennetts visiting: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600316696737/
Alex's party: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600320657063/
Sarah's wedding: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600344682238/

What's in a name?

By now, most of you know the significance behind Gigi's name. But just in case you don't, I wanted to give a little explanation...The First Name: "Gianna" comes from Italian and it means "God is gracious." I found the name online, a while back, and wrote it down on a scrap of paper and put it into the desk drawer. Months later, after 2 miscarriages, we decided it was a fitting name, because we really felt the power of God's grace after finally being able to get (and stay) pregnant. We also liked it because it lent itself to the nickname "Gigi" (I've always loved nicknames). A good college friend of ours, Shannon Flett, has a friend (who we knew casually) named Gigi and I always loved the name (and she's a great surfer too!).

The Second Name: Last September I lost one of my best friends, Brianne Nicole Shelton. She died in a plane crash while heading to Mexico to do a medical missions trip. The day I found out that she died, was, oddly enough, the same day I received the call from my doctor's office telling me that after a series of blood tests monitoring my hormone levels, I was indeed pregnant. It was a day of roller-coaster-like emotions, to say the least. We found out Gigi's due date was May 12 and we realized that it was Nurse's Day; Brianne was a nurse, and a darn good one, from what I hear. From the beginning, I felt strongly that Gigi was a girl-- and the middle name was perfectly fitting. We hope that when she's older, Gianna realizes how special her middle name is and that she becomes a young women who makes as much of an impact on her sphere of the world as her namesake did.
The Third Name: In keeping with the double "N" pattern, we chose a last name for her that had the same double letters, and reflected my love of Jane Austen. Just kidding! Now let's just wait and see if she lives up to this name, and ends up with a "Bennett Butt."

Here are pictures of Gianna with Debbie and Kelsi Shelton (Brianne's mom & sister), and a tummy time photo with her special blanket from the Sheltons that was made with the fabric from one of Brianne's scrubs (top of post).

3 Weeks and then some...

Our little one is just over three weeks old! This week's big news is that she is getting chubby! Well, relatively speaking, that is. :) In two weeks she has gone from 6 lbs, 7 oz. to 7 lbs, 12 oz.!! That's over an ounce a day! We've definitely noticed that her legs and arms have thickened a little and she even has a little bit of a double chin! And she is almost fitting in her "newborn" size clothes now. Way to eat, Gigi!
We had a nice Memorial Day weekend with my parents camping up here at the beach and we can't wait for David's parents & sis to come visit later this week.
Your most recent installment of pictures is just 2 clicks away- 2 new photosets; we hope you enjoy looking at Gianna's cute face as much as we do!
Memorial Day Wknd photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600287699045/
More pics from Gigi's 3rd week:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600288541310/

Two weeks old!

It's hard to believe that Gigi is already 2 weeks old! The last few weeks of my pregnancy went by so slow as we waited for her, and now that she's here, time is really going by quickly. Maybe that's partly because most of our days have been pretty monotonous- sleep, feed her, wait a couple of hours, feed her again, repeat. David said it's been a little "Groundhog Day-ish." But the last few days we've starting doing a little more, and it's been really fun. We've gone on walks and visited with some friends, and it's been good to get out of the house a little.
Gigi had her first doctor's appointment this past week and she had already gained back her birth weight, plus 1 oz (she also peed and projectile pooped while naked on the scale!). She's a good eater! She's also a good sleeper! We are soooo thankful that she has been sleeping for longish chunks of time at night, and we are praying that with God's help, she keeps it up!
Here are some more cute pictures for your viewing pleasure... we still can't get over how cute she is.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600241756228/

Thanks, Yaya!

My mommy & daddy and I just wanted to give a big shout-out to my Yaya, and thank her for staying with us for my first week. She helped us all out so much and held me and loved me a lot. She even sewed me a couple of blankets and a cute caddy for my room! I had a fun time with her, and I can't wait to see her again soon!
By the way, "Yaya" means "grandma" in Greek for those of you who didn't know! My mommy had a Yaya too, and now I do!
~Gigi

Week One in the Books

So it was one week ago this morning that we met Gianna for the first time. I will consider the fact that she is still doing well to be the first major parental milestone for me and Nicole. It is still amazing to Nicole that just over a week ago she was very great with child and now we have this sweet baby in our house.

We brought her home from the hospital last Wednesday. Nicole's mother, Karen, stayed with us all last week and she just headed home this afternoon. She was a great help with cooking, cleaning, laundry, baby care, and much more. We took her out for the first time today when we took Karen out to Rubio's for lunch. Gigi ordered the fish tacos combo and savored every bite of it (at least that's what she was dreaming about while she slept through lunch).
Our second parental milestone consisted of getting our little baby wet while she protested at the top of her lungs. She will thank us later for the great foundation we're setting for her personal hygiene. I get the feeling that she'll enjoy the real bath better than the sponge bath. By the way, she is almost ready for the real bath since her umbilical cord fell off this morning.

We had a pleasant Mother's Day yesterday with Nicole's family. Nicole's dad was here in the morning - he left around lunch time because he was coming down with a cold. Our good friends David L. and Beth E. Dear came over for an early dinner and we BBQed some steak. It was really special for Nicole that Gianna came just in time for Mother's Day. I did not get to see my mother but I had a nice conversation with her on the phone. Gigi can't wait to meet her Granny and Grandpa (my parents) when they come out from Chicago in a few weeks.
I have uploaded some more pictures to flickr that include but are not limited to the events detailed in this account. For your viewing pleasure: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600215659795/

Stay tuned for some more updates...

Gianna Brianne

I am proud to introduce you to Gianna Brianne Bennett. She arrived very early on Monday, May 7 at 1:34 a.m. Nicole and I showed up at the hospital around 7 p.m. on Sunday night after we had walked over 10 miles in the previous three days. Nicole was dilated to 4 cm when we checked in so the nurse had us walk around for an hour in the hospital (we were very familiar with the maternity ward after that hour). While we were walking, the nurse spoke with Nicole's doctor and they decided to admit her.

She continued having contractions for the next few hours and her water suddenly broke around 11:45 p.m while I was on the phone with Nicole's mom. The contractions progressed rapidly after that and at 1:34 a.m. on Monday morning we got to meet our precious Gigi. Nicole was amazing as she went through all the pushing and contractions without any medication! As a result of that, all the nurses have said that she is pretty alert and is breastfeeding well for a baby as new as she is.
She has beautiful eyes and huge feet and hands. She is pretty much the most beautiful baby ever. God's miracle of child birth is amazing - for those of you who have witnesses it yourself I'm sure you understand. I am so proud of Nicole for being so strong and I am so blessed to have a precious, healthy baby. And for those of who are dying to know...I am doing well :) In the photo below, Gigi is doing her best pirate impression (one eye is closed and the other is open).
I have created a photo set on flickr for you all to enjoy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettars/sets/72157600193794512/

We will continue to update the blog and photos as Gigi grows!

-New Dad

Let's get it started..

I went to the doc this afternoon and I'm now 3 cm. dialated! She said that it shouldn't take more than 4-5 days now, so hopefully she's right! We're going to keep up with the walking, and see what happens. Contractions are still pretty irregular, but are occasionally a little stronger.
Please pray for a safe and easy delivery! Thankfully, my doctor is on-call this weekend; she only is on-call every 5th weekend, so it's nice to know that if I have the baby in the next few days we get to have our doctor deliver her.

Waiting (im)patiently

I'm about 38 1/2 weeks now... I've been having stronger contractions the last couple of days, but they are still very irregular- sometimes close together, sometimes very spaced out. I go to the doc tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully I will have made some progress in the dialation category.
We're still trying to do a lot of walking-- went to the beach on Monday, and last night we had a nice dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (we had to bring dessert home because dinner was so good!), and then walked around the mall a little and around our housing complex too.

I also wanted to post some pictures from this season's first baseball games! We've been to 2 Dodger games (one with my brother & cousins), and an Angel game with one of David's old co-workers, Wes & his fiancee, Daphnie, and we met Dodger Andre Ethier and got his autograph at a furniture store (after waiting in line for 2 hours!)-- he was really nice.

Oh, and for those of you tracking David's spectacular radio-prize-winning skills, you can add one more to the list, and this one might top them all (even the $400/ea Dodger Dugout Club seats). Yesterday morning David won 2 tickets to ANY regular-season sporting event in the contintental U.S. and 2 round-trip plane tickets to go with it! We're contemplating going to a Red Sox/Yankees games at Fenway Park in September, but haven't decided yet for sure.

37.5-week update

We went to the doctor yesterday and everything is looking good. I'm not dialated at all yet, but my cervixed has softened some and the baby has dropped all the way down so the doc said that I should be dialating soon now.
Monday we walked 2 miles! It was really hard for me after not doing a whole lot of walking in the last month or 2. We're going to keep that up though, and we also bought a pineapple to cut up and enjoy because our childbirth class teacher said that was a natural labor inducer too. Does anyone have any other ideas they've heard to naturally induce labor? (And yes, we know about sex being one!)