Headed Home

We somehow managed to fit all of our boxes AND Ben in the car on the trip to the Houston airport. He was packed pretty tightly into a little cave in the backseat.


Here is all of our stuff! Since I'm pregnant Matt got the privilege of moving all of these suitcases every time. Needless to say, he was pretty tired by the time we got home!


My favorite sight - Ben completely sacked out on the plane. The seats are so close together now that when he's sitting in his carseat he can easily kick the seat in front of him, much to that passenger's displeasure. Unfortunately, there isn't much I can do about it because I can't hold his feet for 20 hours, so it's much easier when Ben is sleeping.


Ben is back in action in his own home and happy to play with all of his old favorites. We've gone through 3 shirts today alone because he's had so much fun playing in the sink with the water on full blast.

We're Expecting!

Happy New Year! We hope 2008 is a year full of joy for everyone. May God bless you all in everything you do.

I'm still way behind on the blog but my excuse this time is our trip back to Singapore. We made it in safely last night and are happy to report that all 6 of our suitcases made it as well! We had an unbelievable amount of stuff to bring back with us and I'm sure it's going to be that way every year, but it's so exciting to get to shop in the US and find all the things we want at normal prices. Ben was great on the flights and didn't throw up this time so I was very happy as well :)

This was our family Christmas present this year! We got our first glimpse just before Christmas of the 2cm fetus and the tiny heart beating.


We're due August 1, 2008, and would love nothing more than a healthy full-term baby. It's exciting to be pregnant again because I absolutely loved being pregnant with Ben and felt so cheated on the 3 1/2 months we missed together. It's also a little bit terrifying because we could very likely have another preemie, although we are hoping and praying that the Lord will bless us with a nice chubby baby this time around. In the next month or two, I will have a cerclage procedure to hopefully help me carry this baby at least 36 weeks, which is considered full-term. I won't go into detail but you can read about it at http://www.webmd.com/baby/cervical-cerclage-to-prevent-preterm-delivery. We have an excellent neonatalogist in Singapore if needed and they have all of the same technology found in the NICUs stateside so at least we know that living abroad shouldn't pose any additional risks to this baby.

My only regret is that I spent most of my time in the states with morning sickness and fatigue so I didn't get to visit everyone I'd hoped to see, but it was nice having fast food close at hand so when I needed a whataburger taquito it was easy to find. I had originally hoped to return to Texas in the summer with Ben for a few weeks but since we'll be busy with a newborn it looks like we won't be back until next Christmas. Baby #2 should be about 4 months old next December so hopefully that will be a good time to travel with a toddler and an infant.

I'll get more pictures updated soon!

Pictures

Pictures!! Here's a look back over the past several weeks...

Toys all over the house and where does Ben want to play? In his carseat, which happened to be in the bedroom one afternoon.


Ben and Koko the dog became fast friends because Koko was so entertaining and Ben was so generous with his crackers. I had to cut him off when he kept asking for more food just to feed the dog. (but Ben has learned that if Mama says no, ask someone else! It starts so early!!)


We flew to Alabama last week to see more of Matt's family and Ben was excited to have his silver elite frequent flier card. Since the company is generous enough to buy him his own seat on all those long flights he's already racking up a lot of miles in his name.


At bedtime Ben has learned to pick up his socks and shoes from the living room. Maybe he can teach his daddy this trick? :)


We went driving out in the pasture to show Ben some cows, which he really enjoyed and kept calling "dog". Ben has learned several words now and still babbles a lot. Some things have taken me a while to figure out, like "deeka". I thought it was just something he liked to say but I realized after hearing it about 1,000 times that he was saying "tickle". He knows a lot more than I'm giving him credit for!


For the pickiest eater in the world, he sure liked some fried oysters! Ben grabbed several off my plate and popped them right in his mouth without a second thought. I think he would have eaten a lot more if I hadn't stopped him. This is the same kid that won't eat macaroni, mashed potatoes, chicken nuggets, fries, or nearly any other tried and true kid food.


Back in Texas and all excited on Christmas eve.



When he woke up Christmas morning Santa had come! Ben really hit the jackpot this year but still needed some help opening gifts because he'd run off with one piece of tissue paper and be happy. We had to ask everyone to be creative in their Christmas shopping so we could make sure everything was small enough to carry back on the plane.


Ben is a big fan of the swing now and enjoyed a beautiful Christmas afternoon at the park.


On a different note, people are always telling me Ben takes after me (poor kid!) but after looking back at my own baby book I'd have to agree! Here is Ben at 19 months:

and me around the same age:

Ben has even begun to sit in my favorite position as a kid:


He has definitely inherited my hair (or lack therof) because I didn't get much for several years and Ben's is slowly growing in. We're still not sure what he's inherited from Matt but it will be interesting to see as he grows.

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas!!
We hope you and your loved ones are sharing a wonderful day together in celebration of Jesus' birth, enjoying spending time together, and eating way too much.

Sorry I've been so behind on the blog but it's been a busy few weeks. Matt arrived in Houston on the 14th and we've been going nonstop since then, spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Kirkham in Tomball and in Alabama, where we also got to visit Great-Grandpa Kirkham. Ben has loved all the attention and has been quite a trooper with us changing houses every few days.

I can't find my camera cord to upload pictures at the moment but I'll get some good Christmas photos up soon.

We wish everyone the very best on this special day!
Love,
Matt, Laura, and Ben

First Boo Boo

Ben can finally wake up in a happy mood now that he's back on a normal schedule. I love seeing my happy boy in the mornings!


This was after a nap when he apparently discovered how to remove his pants and leave them on the floor.


Ben got his first big boo-boo :(
It was a skinned knee on the driveway but the little guy is so tough he never even flinched. I'm not even sure when he did it because it didn't slow him down for a second, however the process of cleaning it up sure brought out the tears. (Ironically, his shirt says "I do all my own stunts")


Cute little guy in his church clothes on Sunday afternoon.


We went out for MORE mexican food tonight and Ben was really in the spirit when we got home!

New Interests

Ben has found several new hobbies in his home away from home...

He keeps every door in the house closed if we forget to do it. He hasn't figured out how to open them yet so I get an urgent page if he finds himself on the wrong side of the door...

He pushes Grandpa's gardening stool up and down the driveway, over and over...

He checks the hardware on the furniture to make sure it's all functioning properly...

...and he's very prompt about throwing things in the trashcan, whether they need to be thrown away or not!


Ben got to visit Santa today and he wasn't as excited to meet him as last time, but at least he didn't cry so I was happy. I'm not sure what he asked for but I'm pretty sure Santa will bring plenty of exciting things for Christmas!

Who Loves Blue Bell?

Santa came a little early this year...Ben already got his gift from us so he can enjoy it for a few weeks before we have to pack it up to take to Singapore. He's so excited to have a chair just his size.


This kid knows how to relax!


He has also discovered that there is no ice cream on earth like Blue Bell! I don't think he could open that mouth any wider. We're going to eat all we can while we're in Texas.


Ben has really enjoyed playing outside in the cold weather. I think his favorite part is walking in and out (and in and out...and in and out) of the front door right into the sunshine, instead of having to go down stairs and around the corner to see a little bit of nature.


On a very happy note, we had a full night's sleep last night! It's safe to say Ben has finally gotten over his jetlag, which means I can finally adjust to the schedule here as well and we can both really enjoy ourselves and visiting our friends. Thank goodness we're staying until early January so we didn't mind as much letting a week pass in a sleepy blur. It is so much fun to be back in Texas and see everyone and eat some real tex-mex. There are a few Mexican restaurants in Singapore but nothing comes close to what we get here...I wonder how much I can eat in the next month?