6 Week Weigh-In

Benjamin is now 11.5 pounds! Egads! And his head is too big for those 0-3 shirts that have the little snaps at the neck. I tried to put one on him today and it got stuck. Poor big head Ben. It's tough having an infant skull that holds a full third of your body weight. He's looking forward to a more proportional future.

An Open "Thank You"

I just want to publicly acknowledge you all as a loving and supportive community. I am so humbled and grateful for the way people in our neighborhood, church, and family have surrounded us with strength and peace and joy. Sometimes I can't even believe how good we've got it.

So, to recap the ways you all have blessed us, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, if you have...

brought us dinner or a bottle of champagne
walked our dog
sewn Benjamin a pocket diaper
dusted my bookshelves
mailed off some hand-me-downs
thoughtfully purchased a gift for Benjamin
gotten me a massage
bought a car seat or a stroller for us
asked questions about our adoption story
listened patiently to our adoption story
carefully prepared food for the baby shower
celebrated Benjamin at our shower
shared relevant and encouraging scriptures
knitted a hat or blanket
cleaned and organized the cabinet beneath my kitchen sink
looked after Benjamin at a moment's notice while I was upstairs trying to recover from a violent stomach bug
donated a changing table
changed a diaper
baby sat for a few hours so I could run errands
dropped off soup
stopped by after work to check in
shared wisdom from your own experience
attended the entrustment ceremony
held up a blanket to hide my breasts as I attempted to breast feed in a rest stop.

God has blessed us richly through your actions large and small. We can't imagine going through this without you. I don't have the words for the size of my gratitude, so I will stop here. Thank you.

BenTV 001 - One Week Old

This is raw footage during Benjamin's first week of life. Doesn't he look dainty and fragile? Not so much anymore.

As for the quality of this video, I need to get a program that allows me to edit MPEG files. Until then, I will try to post little glimpses into Baby P's life...raw and uncensored! (And full of mommy making an embarassing amount of baby talk.)

Channeling Cameron Diaz

Benjamin has avoided the camera this past week and may continue to do so for another week. He has a serious case of "infant acne". I am not sure if it is the usual 4-6 week old "shed your excess hormones" stage or if it's an allergic reaction to something he's eaten. (He's had the same perfume/dye-free detergent since he came home, and the same bath soap, so I don't think it's that.) Over the phone, the nurse told me that what I described was nothing to cause concern, thus we are not being concerned. (No fever=nah, just keep an eye on him.)

So, just like Cameron does when she has a big breakout (which she occasionally has because she's a normal girl in addition to being a celebrity), he is laying low. Next Sunday is his dedication at our church, though, and with a clutch of relatives coming to town, he's going to have to brave the flash. Ah, the life of a fresh-faced young star.

Social Butterflies

Well, Benjamin is going to begin traveling young. We are planning to visit family in Escondido in March. He is also going to start entertaining. Over the next month we will be hosting my parents, Brent's parents, his aunt, and his sister's family. Fun, fun, fun!

For planning purposes:
:: Feb 22-24: Grandma P and Aunt Gerri
:: Feb 24-27: Grandma & Grandpa G
:: March 13ish-17ish: Jessica and Little P fly to Cali (send Brent food and call him often)
:: Other dates in March: The Zseberan Four, Grandpa P

I am nearly finished cleaning, painting, and furnishing the basement guest bedroom and the bathroom. It will be quaint and cozy! (And by cozy, we acknowledge the close quarters...and their charm.)

The Seal of Approval

Early this morning, or late last night, at 12:00 AM anyway, Benjamin officially became ours! In New York, birthparents have the right to change their minds and reclaim their child up to 30 days after the adoptive parents have taken the child home. While this adoption appeared to be something that all parties were in agreement on, we did breathe a sigh of relief when the critical hour came and went.

In fact, a few of our closest friends came over Saturday night to help celebrate (the agency hadn't been clear about which night was the official night and we originally thought it was Friday). We did our best to stay up 'til midnight, but with 50% of the participants being school teachers, well, parties just don't last that long when folks are used to getting up before 6:00AM. Benjamin did get a lot of attention which pleased him very much.

So, around 10:45, house deserted, we pulled out the family sheepskin and laid down as a family to simply snuggle (me and the three b's: Brent, Benjamin, and Buckley, also known as TripleThreat, B Cubed, or me and the boys)...and promptly fell asleep.

(Side Note: We will not be adding any more B names to our family. I am already thinking of names for any future canine members of the family...I like Sid or Paco. With names like that, I almost want to go out and get me another dog! Actually, I liked Sid for a boy-child, but Brent vetoed it on account of it being either too weird, or too Deadwood-villian-ish. Odd, I think, as he suggested we name our boy Sage. Hello?!! That's more mainstream than Sid?)

We need not worry about acknowledging the final moment, however, as my family was celebrating in California, with guests no less! They called at 12:00 to congratulate us - on speaker phone with half a dozen wine-imbibing friends and relatives. Woken from slumber, I could only mumble, "yeah, he's really ours" and then listen to all the cheering on the other end - things being yelled that I didn't understand but that clearly sounded exuberant and encouraging.

So, Benjamin is irrevocably a Petrencsik and we and our peeps couldn't be happier.

The Great Diaper Showdown

All right. I am now loaded with a variety of cloth and reusable diapers. I have several Kissaluvs, half a dozen BumGenius, a couple of gDiapers, and a pocket diaper handmade by a friend. I also have traditional old prefold diapers with pins and plastic pants. "Plastic pants" is not the preferred nomenclature today, but I have trouble saying "vinyl diaper cover." My mind reverts to what we called them when I was six and watching my mom diaper my siblings.

So far, here's the round-up:

Kissaluvs (fitted) - Must use an insert/doubler if they are going to work for more than about 15 minutes. Also need a waterproof diaper cover. Soft and snuggly, though, and it's really fun to hold Benjamin when that's all he has on...before adding the plastic pants. I have let him go without the pants for a while, but I usually end up washing the whole outfit and blanket afterwards.

BumGenius - These arrived today. Can't wait to try them. They are an all-in-one pocket diaper (which means that they are some of the easiest sort for non-Mommies, if you preload them - they're as simple as Pampers).

gDiapers - Probably the cutest of the bunch. I don't want to cover them up! Very easy, but I am not flushing the liner because of the ancient plumbing in our historic house. I like how the exterior does not have to be washed every time. You can rinse the plastic liner (or wash it if need be) and just reload the soft outer part. The hardest part is probably making sure the seal around the legs is tight. I think it will get easier when he's less of an infant (bent, kicking legs, big belly) and shaped more evenly.

Handmade pocket diaper - LOVE it. This would be my first (and cheapest) choice if I had a sewing machine and some patience. This one fits really well and keeps all the leaks in. However, my growing boy is already almost too big for it. Time for a new size!

Old School flat diapers - I also really like these - fold it, pin it, plastic pant it. But they're not as cute and the ability to add extra padding into the pocket diapers is KEY with Benjamin. Plus, the plastic pant-urine odor when this is your sole, long-term diapering method is not appealing.

Right now, I love using all these systems and the variety is probably good for Benjamin's bottom.

One Month Milestones

Benjamin can...

• hold his head up if he is being held or propped up securely
• lift his head and chest when lying on his belly
• bat at dangly objects
• stare intently at the batiks on his walls
• focus on my face
• help "hold" the bottle with his hands
• lurch nearly out of your arms if you are not paying attention
• occasionally sleep for a four-hour stretch
• make a Cheerio mouth

Benjamin almost...

• rolled over on his own

Benjamin still...

• spits up a ridiculous amount of what he consumes

Buddha Belly

One of Benjamin's favorite pasttimes is filling his belly. And now his belly is filling him. It is his one-month birthday (can you believe it?!) and time to take more "portraits" so that you can appreciate his round cuteness. Enjoy it while you can...he recently took up boxing with a toucan at the gym. He's likely to slim down if he keeps up this new routine.

See more from this series and download high res pics for photos at my Picasa album.

!Mijo!

Who can resist such a munchkin? Here we were getting ready to stuff him into his koala suit for a walk in the park. Download the whole series here.

Baby P's Improved Bedroom

Benjamin's room is finally up to speed, so here are the pictures! The big blank wall is where his crib will eventually go along with whatever is needed to fill in the blankness. And the door you see is not the main door used to access the room - it's actually blocked off on the other side by a bookshelf. I created the little tags on all the baskets with stamps using a travel motif. The batiks were brought back in 1999 from Zimbabwe, as well as some of the other knick-knacks. We were not able to do a fancy matching sort of room, and we didn't have a chance to paint it a baby color, but it works for now. The only things his room really needs are a rug (for coziness!), a diaper pail, and a crib.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

This cold, windy day made for the perfect afternoon for a family nap on the sheepskin rug. The lamp on Brent's head is really a head lamp. He seems to think there's not enough light in the room for reading.

Lovin' Laundry

Benjamin absolutely insisted that he be allowed to help fold clothes today.

Why Quality Baby Skincare Products are Important

I was researching a line of children's skincare products, TruKid, and found this info on their web site. Have a look:

In our search to make a safe and great product for your kids, we discovered some alarming facts along the way. Thus, our goals have expanded; TruKid™ wants to spread the word on the dangers of ingredients found in skincare and cosmetic products.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Organization states, "Ingredients in any kind of product - from sunscreen and mascara to deodorant and baby shampoo - are sold to consumers with little to no restrictions and little to no requirement for safety testing." Essentially safety testing is performed only according to the honor system.

The European Union has banned over 1,100 chemicals from cosmetics sold in Europe. The United States has banned 9 and allows all 1,100+ chemicals banned by the E.U. to be used in our personal care products.

There are approximately 10,500 ingredients used in personal care products only, and 11% of those chemicals have been tested for health and safety. Don't feel safe yet.

When ingredients are tested for health and safety in the U.S they are only tested for immediate or short term afflictions such as rashes or swelling. They are not tested for long-term effects such as cancer, birth defects or learning disabilities, just to name a few.

Younger children absorb chemicals through the skin at a larger surface-to-volume ratio when compared with older children and adults. This means that for the same amount of skin covered with a chemical, the younger child may receive up to three times the dose received by an adult.

Thank you to cosmeticdatabase.com and Princeton's publication; "The Future of Children"

Emma & Kevin Visit

Last Sunday, Emma and Kevin (Benjamin's birth parents) visited him for the first time since he came home with us. They kindly brought all sorts of hand-me-down donations - including boxes of clothes and a high chair - courtesy of extended family. Thanks, everyone!

Safe Mamas (and their friends) Unite!

So Cousin Sarah (who is the nearest thing to a Supermom that I can find) told me about Safe Mama, a web site that explains things like what BPA is and why it's a problem in baby bottles and posts updates on product recalls, etcetera, etcetera.

Actually, the official subhead is: One-Stop Child Safety, Product Recall, Health and Well-Being Resource for Parents. Cool, huh?

I also added a Safe Mama widget that links to recent posts - check out the bottom of the sidebar on the right.

Cloth Diapers

Benjamin is now wearing cloth diapers as part of his rotation of undergarments. When Mama figures out which style works the best, we will be on our way to full cloth diaper assimilation.

10 Pound Mark

The unofficial weigh-in (me holding Benjamin on the scale and then subtracting my weight) for today is 10 POUNDS! What a hunk! So here are some photos to commemorate it.

My Mad Face

Icicle Morning

Benjamin awoke this morning to this view from his window. Beautiful day full of large fluffy flakes.