Meet Ben

As the old saying goes.... people plan and God laughs.

Friday morning at 5:30 AM my water broke. So much for "the plan" of an induction next week! Honestly though, if my water didn't break I wouldn't have gone to the hospital. The contractions I felt were nothing at all like those with Corinne (sharp, take your breath away) and instead were dull cramping. Scary to think I may not have taken action...

Oddly enough, the length of the labors were identical to the minute, just an hour delayed. With Cori my water broke at 4:30 AM and she was born at 10:06 AM. My water broke at 5:30 AM with Ben and he was born at 11:06 AM. Freaky! They were both 20.5 inches and 1 lb apart.... Cori was 8 lb 14 oz and Ben was 7 lb 14 oz.
The labor itself was easy thanks to the epidural. I went lightening fast from 2 CM to 10 CM in about 3 hrs. I just kept feeling pressure down below and finally told the nurse I wanted the doctor to check me. She said "no, you were only 2 CM" but I insisted. Sure enough, I was 10 CM and ready to push! 5 pushes / 10 minutes later, Ben was out!

Ben seems to look different from Corinne - a little darker in complexion, and not quite as chubby. (maybe that pound makes a big difference). His eyes are a darker slate blue and his hair is darker and fuller.

For comparison, here is Cori after she was first born.

He is also much, much calmer; he is one laid back little dude! He only cries (which sounds more like a kitten's mew) when he is hungry, and he quites down right away. He is sleeping great though up a little more frequently during the night, but that is to be expected until he gets his days and nights figured out.

Cori has been adjusting great, much better than we expected. I think she's been a little clingy but more so because I was gone for 2 nights and she had a busy social weekend. She is very gentle with Ben, and often wants to hold him and help feed him, etc. She just keeps saying "he's so cute!!" We've been really trying to keep her on her schedule of daycare and eating / sleeping. Hopefully it will make for an easier adjustment.
As for me, I'm doing much better than I was while pregnant. I can't explain it, but I just feel like me again. Mentally I've not freaked out yet, and I think I'm a little more laid back than I even expected (and MUCH more laid back than when Cori was born). Physically, I'm shrinking back to normal size and only sore when I needed some stitches. Cori keeps commenting "Mama, you got a new belly?! Why did you get a new belly?" While I'm not back in my pre-pregnancy clothes, it's amazing how much I've already shrunk. Emotionally I'm looking forward to the ride!