Video attempt

I hope this works! I've never posted a video before and I'm really not sure what I'm doing.

Ben has been smiling more and more lately... It's probably not reactive smiles to Nick's silly voices or my 'peek-a-boo', more likely just gas or something. But he was in a really good mood this morning and I happened to get some smiles on video:) Enjoy!!

New Mom = Little time for blogging

I know it's been a while... and for those of you who have been asking for pictures I hope you enjoy! I have very legitimate reasons for the lack of posts in the last few weeks:

A. When Ben lays down for a nap, Mom lays down for a nap
B. I have been practicing to defeat any standing records for fastest diaper changer, including Desitin application
C. I spend minimum 4 hours a day feeding Ben- I sometimes refer to him as my newest appendage
D. "E" has been airing Legends of the Fall" for the past week every afternoon around 1:00 ET. Need I say more?

So I hope you will forgive me for neglecting the blog... I promise to try and do better! In all honesty, Nick and I are adjusting pretty well to what we consider to be our "new normal." I love being a Mom. I have learned to eat standing up over the kitchen sink, that a hot homemade meal is a luxury, I can live comfortably off of limited and very interrupted sleep, and that I can't carry a tune (even Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star). More importantly, I have learned that there is nothing more precious than holding, squeezing, and loving my son. He is perfect in every way, and I can't think of a better way to spend my days than at home caring for him. Thankfully, he is not judgemental of my singing.

This is Ben's face while I'm singing my rendition of that "Bushel and a Peck"

song that my Mom always used to sing to us...

Behold... my camo clad little man

Pooooooor Gunther... feeling very neglected

All bundled up, ready for a walk!

Proud Papa

First Bath

Ben's umbilical cord finally fell off, so it was time for his first official submersion. He was pretty cranky about it, probably just a little cold!

Ben's "not-so-happy" face

Ben's "Oh-so-happy" face

Our little Boilermaker

Uncle Aaron and Aunt Carrie are coming for a visit tonight, and we thought we'd get Ben dressed for the occasion. This little outfit was a gift from them- it is so adorable! Since Ben comes from a long line of Boilers, we thought we'd get him started early:)

"Mom, why do you have that camera so close to my face?"

It's a little rumpled, but you get the idea...

New pictures of Ben

We've been home from the hospital now for a week (I think, the days are meshing together), and we are quickly adjusting to life at the Vollmer house with a newborn! Life, as we knew it, will never be the same!! We are loving it though... the diaper changes, feedings, rocking, and cuddling... it's all worth it!

My Mom was here until Tuesday and she was absolutely amazing. She had officially been here for almost 2 weeks, and yet she was happy as ever to be helping us out. Between cleaning, cooking, and laundry she kept pretty busy. Thank you Mom- we couldn't have done those first few rough days at home without you!! I love you!

Nick's Mom Becky was also here for a day, and much like my mom spent her time cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry. It's so nice to have the help! Today Nick's Dad Scott is here... and he's not doing so much of the cooking and cleaning, but it is great to have his company and help with Ben! Nick isn't ready for me to be home by myself yet due to the surgeries and that, but I have to say I don't mind it. I've enjoyed the visitors that we've had, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of you come our way!

Here are a few of my favorite pics from the last week...

Dad on diaper duty

Wonder what he's thinking?

This one has to be my favorite- his first swing experience!

Grandma cuddling her brand new grandson

Gunther, you are not forgotten

Home with Ben

Hello everyone! If you haven't heard, Nick and I welcomed our son Benjamin Alan Vollmer into the world on Thursday, March 18th at 11:05pm. Ben weighed a whopping 9lb 3oz and was 21.5 inches long! We had a very eventful 8 days in the hospital, and let's just say we are so very thankful to all be home and healthy.



We left for the hospital Wednesday afternoon, the 17th, to be admitted. We had an induction planned for Thursday morning, and they like to get you in the night before to start some medicine to help move things along. That night we watched American Idol and shared our excitement to finally meet our son the next day! We both had a pretty tough nights sleep- Nick with his first on the fold out cot and me in a hospital bed with monitors hooked up all over.... we had no idea it would be the first of 8 long nights. I will spare you all the details, but here's how it all played out.

The next day, 7:00am, nurses were in and out of the room, buzzing around to get the medicine started to induce labor. Nick and I were so excited- today was the day!! We had some anxiety about the whole labor process, but it wasn't long before anxiety didn't matter- labor was full force. Nick coached me through the first 5 hours of contractions, but eventually an epidural was the route to go... and let me tell you I LOVE that decision! And luckily for us, it didn't slow down labor at all. About 5 hours later, around 6pm, I was fully dilated and ready to push. Remember me saying earlier that Ben weighed 9lbs 3 ounces... well, needless to say, 2 hours of pushing, and his 14 1/2 inch head wasn't budging. The doctor delivered the sad news that we were going to need to do a c-section. Nick and I were pretty upset at the idea of surgery, but knew that it was the only safe way to bring Ben into the world.

The surgery went well- it was a very emotional experience for the two of us. I will never forget hearing Ben's little squeals and cries and seeing the look on my husbands face as he held our son. Then on the way out of the OR, being wheeled to our room, Ben was laid in my arms for the first time. I love him more than I thought possible.

I always said I would never show people the scary looking hospital pictures of me after giving birth... but I think it's just too precious.

The next 3 days were spent with lots of visitors and recovering from surgery. By Sunday, things looked good and we were ready to take Ben home! Unfortunately, when we were about 10 minutes away from leaving the hospital, I experienced unexpected complications. I had severe abdominal pain that came on pretty quickly, and it was soon apparent that I had internal bleeding. The next 24 hours are pretty blurry for me, and I know I gave my husband and family a big scare. I had another surgery on my abdomen, and they were able to find the source of the bleeding. Most likely, during my c-section, a blood vessel was somehow cut and I had been bleeding internally for a few days. I needed a transfusion of almost 5 units of blood after all that I had lost. I spent the night in the ICU after surgery, and then several more nights at the hospital after that. Nick took over feeding and care duties for Ben in a family room that was provided to him by the hospital.

I am so thankful that I have made so much progress in my recovery, and I was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon. Nick and I were finally able to bring our son home, and we are loving every minute of it. I am still not very mobile, so I have good helpers (Mom and Nick) here with me. Thank you to all of our friends and family that have been saying prayers for us over the last week, and through the scary uncertain times.

Now that we are home, I am just enjoying my precious little son! Ben is a GOOD eater (coming in over 9lbs, what do you expect), and we just spend all day loving on him and taking care of him. It's a great way to spend our time! We think he's pretty much the cutest thing on earth! Gunther is also adjusting pretty well... although we think he is jealous:)

Due Date Doldroms

The big day is here! March 15th... the infamous DUE DATE. There is so much anticipation surrounding this day, and now all of the sudden it's here, and I have a feeling we're going to go to bed tonight and watch the day go with no baby yet. I can't say I wasn't warned, but I guess there is still that little bit of hope that he might decide to make his debut!

Just in case you weren't 100% sure: Doldroms= a state of inactivity or stagnation, as in "Adrienne's due date was a time of doldrums at the Vollmer household."

What, you might ask, have I been doing to pass the time? Good question. I was up at 7, still trying to wrap my head around the idea of not getting ready for work. So now what, I thought. I made Nick some lunch, drank coffee, watched the Today show, sterilized/boiled all parts to my breast pump, showered, ran to the post office and video store for returns... then back home. Okay, so now what? It was only 11:30. So I did what everyone has been telling me to do on my days off before the baby arrives... relaxed! It's been fabulous! I ate some soup, took a nap, and have watched 2, going on 3 episodes of A Baby Story on TLC (how cliche...heehee).

So that's all for now. I guess I'll go resume my position next to Gunther on the couch. If he's lucky we'll go for a walk this afternoon...