I just put Ben down to bed and he is wearing new pajamas (size 9 months). . . how can that be when he is only 15 weeks old today? They are a soft pale blue color with a little puppy and turtle on the bottom left leg...I love to see Ben in baby soft clothes. Of course he is adorable in everything, but there is something about a baby with soft colors on them that makes their skin seem almost ethereal - like they're so fresh from God that they still have a little heaven in their skin and their smell. I think that's why holding a baby is so good for our souls. It's like a little piece of heaven on earth - just enough to keep us going until we get to the other side. I have been thinking a lot about those on the other side today... It rained all day long and Ben and I both got a little stir crazy and cranky - we had a late trip to Barnes & Noble tonight just to get out of the house (Daddy had a late meeting, so he couldn't join us.) I had a pumpkin spice latte (decaf of course!) and we strolled around looking at books and cards (of course) and finally settled on a new journal for me. It was pink and had verses from the book of Psalms scattered all throughout it and it made me miss Beth terribly. It is difficult to comprehend that this Friday will mark 6 years since Beth made it to the other side. . . it seems at times she has missed so much that it feels like she has been gone even longer and yet, I feel her so close at other times, it's like she can't possibly be gone. Every time I read a book with Ben, I think of her. I will always remember Beth reading to all of the children and how much they loved that time. It forces me to remember that reading a book to Ben RIGHT NOW is always more important than cleaning up or folding laundry or checking e-mail. I have to take these moments as they happen and scoop them up like the treasures that they are. Time is too fleeting and these moments are too precious not to savor them down to the last drop.

By the way, Ben had his 3 month check up last Thursday the 22nd. It was Mike and I's 4th wedding anniversary and we just smiled at each other thinking about how wonderful it is to see how our falling in love has led to this little person being created and entrusted to us by God. What an anniversary gift! Ben weighed in at 15 lbs. 13 oz. (88%) and measured 26.5 inches (98%) Suffice it to say, the kid is eating good in the neighborhood and thriving...it makes me feel like the best Mom ever to watch him put on weight and grow like a weed - it's just amazing that my body is making the food that is making this happen. I am so grateful that breastfeeding has been such a positive experience for both Ben and me.

Well hell, I can't figure out how to make this picture turn right side up...again, working on the whole technology side of things. . . At any rate, I wanted to post this for several reasons.

1) Ben is sitting up in his Bumbo chair. He always looks at me like "Hey Mom, don't you know I'm not old enough to sit up yet?!?!?" and I just look at him and say "But you're doing it right now silly!"

2) Ben is wearing his pumpkin hat, which Ann Walker MADE for him and I have put on his head EVERY single day since we have received it...I am a sucker for all things fall and this hat on my child may be the cutest thing ever.

3) The blanket that I draped over the Bumbo is from Janie & Jack - an adorable, but overpriced store that I indulged in last fall when I had found out Mike and I were expecting. I bought this blanket because I loved the weight of it - heavy enough for fall walks, a small, white quilted pattern on one side and then little fall leaves and acorns and the words "Little Acorn" on the other side. I can remember picking up that blanket and wondering whether our little acorn would be a boy or a girl, what it would be like and then just today - taking Ben for a walk in our neighborhood with that blanket and him being 3 months old and just loving every minute of being his mother. How lucky am I to have this job?!?

I came across this quote recently and I just love it. "Nothing in life can hold more joys or more tears, can make you more proud or more tired, or give back more rewards than being a mother." It's a rainy day here in Knoxville so far, so Ben and I are probably going to stick pretty close to home and enjoy some books!

My boys...

My Mom snapped this picture recently while we were down at my family's lakehouse in Eatonton, GA. It was so wonderful to have a break from our normal routine and I was especially glad that Mike could have so much time with Ben. Nap time is definitely hard to beat!

Me - a blogger???

So I've been seeing more and more friends with blogs and I thought to myself, "why not?" My computer skills are lacking to say the least, but hopefully pretty soon I can get the hang of this and everyone can see what we are up to with our new baby boy, Benjamin - the newest addition to The Baisley Bunch!