Smiles!

Wow, it has been a while since I've written.  I've thought about it, but just haven't made the time to actually do it.

Eli is growing so fast, I feel like he changes right before my eyes every day.    It is so much fun to watch him reach milestones, even though they are still seemingly small at this point.  He gave his mom the best Valentine's Day present ever - his first smile.  And I'm pretty positive it wasn't just due to gas!  He has been smiling more and more every day since then, and has actually become quite a happy baby overall.  He loves to be held and cuddled, which his momma doesn't mind at all!  He is also sleeping about 5-6 hours every night, which the experts say is "sleeping through the night."  That doesn't mean I don't still feel exhausted though!

 Full of smiles!

I just can't get over how richly the Lord has blessed our lives with this little man.  What a gem!

Elijah Bennett Enters the World!

Well, I'm over a week late in posting this, but I'm sure you'll forgive me, as I am a brand new, first-time mom!  Elijah Bennett entered the world on January 20, and he has stolen our hearts!  He is a great baby, and has already gotten back up to his birth weight and surpassed it.  What a little chunk!  So far there haven't been a whole lot of milestones - just a pattern (or not really any sort of pattern) of feeding, burping, changing diapers, and watching Eli sleep.  That's about it.  Oh, and a whole lot of hiccups.  I noticed them once in a while when I was pregnant, but it seems that about every time he eats he gets the hiccups.  Hopefully that's normal....

Here are a couple pics of our precious one:

Yup, head-over-heels in love with this man!

Last Maternity Hoorah!

Well, Grant and I really like pictures - more so taking them than being in them.  But we really wanted some maternity pictures before Baby Hanson arrives.  We're also kinda cheap and didn't want to pay for professional photos, so we decided to try our own talents out.  Here are some of our favorites.

And quick baby update:  Baby Hanson is still measuring big, and my body is just not ready to be induced yet.  Due date it tomorrow, so we will see if he decides to make his grand entrance on his own soon!

On the Verge of Something Great...

I feel it...I don't know if every first-time mom feels this way toward the end of her pregnancy, but it really hit me over the last few days that my life is REALLY about to change very soon!  It's all been pretty surreal up until this point, but it is finally all becoming real.  I love feeling his little kicks inside of me, but I'm just ready to meet this guy!

I love watching the way Grant is changing too.  Although I know he is having headaches and neck pain due to the increased stress surrounding impending labor, it is fun to watch him get really excited to meet Baby Hanson.  It is almost comical how he can hear me two floors apart in our house if I make a grunting noise and run to my side asking, "Are you okay?!  Can I do anything?  Is it contractions??"  I love having such a supportive, caring husband.  I know he will be a great daddy!!

Speaking of contractions, nothing real big or noticeable yet, but I'm hoping soon!  I must say that my vote for D-day would be on the 11th, then he'd have the cool birthdate of 1/11/11.  And not to mention he'd share a Birthday with his Grandma Hanson.  I know he'll come when he's ready though, and that's all that really matters!

Well, that's about it for now.  Not much news on the progression, except that Grant and I are overwhelmed with excitement to meet this little bundle!

Entering the World of Blogging

So, I have decided that since I am having a baby (very) soon, that I would now have plenty of time to start a blog and keep it updated daily - HA!  But seriously, I thought I'd try it out and keep it updated with all the things that will be changing in our lives very soon!  Baby Boy Hanson is due to arrive in 17 DAYS!!  Speaking of, we have set up a poll over to the right for you to guess the date that Baby Hanson will actually arrive.  (I had no idea how to do it, so anything remotely cool on this blog that you see from here on out is done by my husband.)  Feel free to leave a comment and guess the time if you feel lucky!