Now that Fall is here, we couldn't help but dress the little guy up in some appropriate colors. He's officially crested 13 pounds, so these duds probably won't fit for long!

Music from Nickel Creek

Benjamin likes to make faces. He makes faces when he's awake. He makes faces when he's asleep. He especially makes faces when he's doing his business. Cutest baby ever!

Our little guy has managed to gain two pounds, ten ounces in just under three weeks. He is up to a whopping ten and a half pounds! Not bad for a kid that was due a week and a half ago. This explains why his newborn clothes are already out of the rotation. This also explains why I seem to accomplish little more than nursing him most days.

He continues to amaze us every day. He can lift and hold his head up for longer periods of time and he loves to look around. I suspect the renovation zone that is our house offers lots of interesting things for him to observe. His newborn jerky movements have been replaced by much more deliberate motions, and he likes to look at things and reach out to them. One of his new favorite things to do is grab onto the closest thing, most often my hair, and hold on for dear life. I can attest that he has quite a grip. I think he had his first stare down with Stinker the Cat this morning. Uh oh.

On an unrelated note, we finally had a stove installed this week, just in time for yummy fall cooking and baking. After four months of grilling and a steady supply of tasty vegetables from Grammie and Grampa Two Hives, I was totally ready to scratch my baked carb itch. First up? Zucchini bread. Mmm... And there is most certainly an apple pie, or three, in our near future. Come to think of it, it was probably a good thing I didn't have an oven for the last half of my pregnancy.

Music by Sarah Jarosz

So many things have changed over the past three weeks. I can't remember or even imagine life without this little guy. Though Melissa puts in all of the real work, occasionally I get to help out. It's such an amazingly important job to take care of little Benjamin that it kills me to have to leave for work every morning.

Nonetheless, some of my previously unknown talents are starting to shine through. As the photos prove, I provide a great place to take a nap or get a drink (surplus providing). Apparently, I'm also a great burper... though I guess I've known that for years.

Kidding aside, I race home every evening for the chance to do whatever I can - even if that means just holding him and bouncing around the house. It's hard to fathom that he's got his whole life in front of him - and I don't want to miss a minute of it.

Benjamin had a big week. He went grocery shopping for the first time (slept through it). He went to the farmer's market for the first time (slept through it). He went to the library for the first time (slept through it). He pooped on his daddy for the first time (slept through it). We discovered that he has dimples in both cheeks when he smiles. His umbilical nub fell off. But the biggest news of all is how big our little man is getting. When he was discharged from the hospital, eleven days ago, he weighed in at 6 pounds, 15 1/2 ounces. At his weigh in today, he was up to 7 pounds, 14 ounces. He has also grown a half inch. My o my, he is changing right before our eyes.

Benjamin continues to amaze us every minute of every day. We can hardly believe that it has been almost a week since he was born. At this time last week I was on my first, and last, day of non-bed rest in ten weeks. Looking back, perhaps my agenda was a bit on the aggressive side. Let's just say it was a very productive day for me.

In the middle of the night leading into Saturday, I began to suspect that something was up even though I wasn't having any contractions. After speaking with a nurse over the phone, she recommended that we head in to the hospital just to get things checked out. I took a shower, had a bit of breakfast. repacked the hospital bag, and we headed off to Boston. After months of worrying about going into labor during rush hour, we barely even hit a red light. Thirty minutes door to door.

Within a short while after arriving at the hospital, and fully expecting to be sent home for a false alarm, we were told that yes indeed my water had broken. By noon we were fully admitted and settled in to our delivery room. We like to think that Benjamin was so excited to meet us and start experiencing life that he just couldn't wait.

I wasn't doing much along the lines of contracting, so my labor was induced. The whole process was remarkably straightforward and complication free. Kevin and I mostly relaxed and focused on breathing through the contractions for the next few hours until they decided that it was time for me to start pushing. One hour later, almost to the minute, I was holding our little man.

Cue the sappy. Kevin was amazing throughout the whole process. He was just the right amount of encouraging, holding my hand, holding on to one of my legs while I pushed, making sure I had a cold washcloth on my forehead, helping me to focus. I think I was only rude to him once. I'm not exactly at my best when I'm tired. Mostly what I remember about active labor is looking into the eyes of my best friend and feeling like I could conquer the world if I put my mind to it. Brave guy watched the whole thing and even cut the cord. Since that moment, he has been unfailingly amazing with Benjamin. He has changed almost every diaper, done almost all of the burping (of the baby). He can calm our little guy down within seconds and loves to hold him and talk to him. I find myself tearing up with complete happiness fairly frequently watching the two of them together.

And of course there is Benjamin. He is changing before our eyes. He loves eating and sleeping, and had a glowing first appointment with the pediatrician. He smiles and squirms and seems to love exploring the world. We had our first family outing yesterday. A nice walk around Salem and lunch with Grampa and Grammie P. He loves opening his eyes and looking around. We can't wait to show him the world.

It's hard to find the words to describe this last weekend. So, of course, it's tough to encapsulate the feeling of leaving the hospital for the first time with our new son. So, I'll suffice it to say that we made it home in one piece and made it through our first night at home. Benjamin has been doing a lot of nursing and sleeping. Every now and again he decides to pull on the old heart strings by opening up his little blue eyes and making little baby noises. I think that "smitten" just about sums up our sentiments :)