Introduction
Welcome to the Bensley Bulletin Number 2! As stated before, our goal is to publish a quarterly newsletter updating family and friends of recent events in the Bensley Household. We know with our own schedules, as well as everyone else's, that it's hectic these days to stay in communication. This bulletin covers the months of October, November and December, 2007.
We've had a lot of exciting events in the last few months and we're anxious to share the good news.
These past three months were dedicated to welcoming our first child, Siena, and two other newborns into the world.
Three Times the Shower Fun: A large baby shower was held at Bob Woodruff Park in Plano to celebrate the pending arrival of all three babies. The theme was "Fall Carnival" and included carnival games for guests as well as "show games" performed by the three couples. Friends and family of all parents-to-be were present, and a good time was had by all. Gifts received were greatly appreciated and thank you cards should be going out soon. Feel free to view pictures of the event.What's Up Doc? Who knew you should interview pediatricians? Apparently this is standard. Man, are we glad we did! One interview ended with the pediatrician literally "freaking out" about giving birth with a midwife. After a few interviews, we chose Dr. John Porter located in Richardson. He's been in the business for 16+ years and has an excellent manner with parents and children.
Births
After all the preparations were made, it came time to have some babies.
Bella Marie: Trish was the first to deliver a healthy baby girl, Bella Marie, on November 24th at Dallas Presbyterian. She was accompanied to the hospital with Cody on Friday night while Jen watched Mya. Bella was born at 11:21 am and weighed 9 lbs. Trish labored for 17 hours and had no complications.
Kaylee McKenna: Two days later, Mindy and Stephen had their first baby, Kaylee McKenna, at the Birth and Women's Center in Dallas. There's a fun story behind her birth as Stephen barely made it in the door before Kaylee popped out. Kaylee was born on November 26th at 6:46 pm and weighed 7 lbs 6 oz. Jen was honored to witness the labor, birth and post-birth events.
Siena Renee: Exactly one week later, on December 3rd, it was finally time for Jennifer to have our baby. Jen became "uncomfortable" Sunday evening and began true contractions at around 10:00 pm. Jen & Jeremy went to the Birth and Women's Center around 3:00 am. Though the night was spent enduring back labor and freezing cold walks in the park, the birth occurred quickly Monday morning in the bath tub at 10:41 am. Ms. Siena Renee weighed 8 lbs 4 oz and was 20" tall.After mom received a few stitches and Jeremy bathed Siena, the Bensleys were ready to head home that afternoon. Check out pictures here!
Babies, Babies, Babies!
Recovery: The first few weeks proved to be a bit challenging as Jen and Jeremy adjusted to the new bundle of joy. Siena was tongue-tied and had to be snipped. Fortunately, our Pediatrician performed this work immediately with no issues. She also had Jaundice the first week but cleared up after a few days of sunshine. There were a few latching problems in the beginning but breastfeeding has been successful ever since.
Siena's umbilical cord fell off after only 3 days! She's been using cloth diapers since the Miconium has passed and they've been great so far. The sleeping cycle is still a work-in-progress but both mom and dad are enjoying the new member of the family.
The pets have also adjusted. Initially, Titus barked and whined a lot though Yoshi couldn't care less. He's been more interested in the baby toys and laundry. We've been losing a lot of socks and mittens. Tux only freaked out in a meowing session once, when Siena was wailing. Other than that, he's been fine. Froggy is only interested in the baby room for sleeping hiding places.
Wet Nap: Siena's first bath at home went well in that she was so comfy that she fell asleep!
Marking up the Walls Already! As is tradition at the Birth and Women's Center, Siena had her feet stamped on the wall. Kaylee had hers done a week or so before and kindly reserved a spot for Siena so they can walk the walls together. Too sweet!Employment
Business Drive: The following week Jeremy and many of the other LCC crew took a business trip down to San Antonio for a conference. The company rented a minivan, and with Jeremy at the wheel hit the road. On the day of departure, Taco Bell was giving away a free taco per person. Never ones to miss out on a great deal, the guys made a full meal by stopping at several Taco Bell restaurants along the way, all the while filming the documentary "Taco Bell Runs", to hopefully be appearing on YouTube someday.
A quick recap of Jeremy's dining on the Riverwalk:
- Delores del Rio : Good food, be prepared to be
annoyedentertained by a belly dancer. - Saltgrass Steakhouse : Never disappoints.
- Ácenar : Great environment, yummy food, and strong drinks.
- Mexican Manhattan : Exactly the opposite of Ácenar -- stay far away.
Spotted Leaf Photography: Jen & Helen are open for business! Due to their complimentary image skill sets, Jen & Helen have started a photography business for family and corporate work. We are currently providing photo sessions VERY CHEAP to get started. Check out the Spotted Leaf Photography site to learn more.
Events
Never to let such a small thing as a pregnancy and a newborn baby slow them down, Jennifer and Jeremy kept busy with business trips and hosting social gatherings.
Pumpkin Carving: On the Sunday before Halloween, Jennifer hosted her annual pumpkin carving party. Aside from the usual carving of the big orange fruit, we also decided to put the "babies" into costume, featuring Siena as Frankenstien, Kaylee as Jack Skellington from "The Nightmare Before Christmas", and Bella as a skull pumpkin.
I Think I Remember This Place: Upon returning to DFW at the end of that week, Jeremy celebrated his 10-year high school reunion in Grand Prairie. On Friday night, following dinner at Don Juan's, we attended a football game in the Gopher Bowl and mingled with a few graduates of Class of '97. When we left in the 3rd quarter the score was 42 - 3, and not in our favor. We stood in the chilly parking lot talking with an old friend for about 30 minutes, and then made the long drive home.I Think I Remember These People: The following night a more formal reunion gathering was held in a suite at Lone Star Park. Both the football game and the formal dinner was dominated by former cheerleaders, but we were able to settle down to a table with a few familiar faces. In an interesting twist, two of the other three women at the table were also pregnant, but they were incubating their second babies. Thus, the time elapsed with parenting topics and pimping out minivans. The food was good, and the horse racing element was interesting. Jeremy had always assumed that the horses ran around the entire track -- apparently this isn't the case.
"Dirt Zamboni"
Doggy Play Time: To conclude that busy weekend we attended a dog party sponsored by Pappy's on Sunday. The primary goal was to get Yoshi and Titus tagged and registered so that they can always find their way back home. The dogs got to visit and play with new friends, and also showcase their unique talents in silly competitions:~ Best Trick: Titus wins with a dizzying performance of his "twirl" trick.
~ Hot Dog Eating: He's not quite Kobayashi, but Titus again emerged as the "Hot Dog"!
~ Quick Sit: Due to some poor officiating, Smurfette was robbed of this honor, but still took home a consolation prize.
The Last Wild Party: As usual, the Bensleys look for any reason to have a party. Not only was this to be the last pre-baby party, we also wanted to give thanks to the LCC team for all their support during our medical recoveries. We hosted an "Any Day Now" Party on Nov 10th. As usual, there was a lot of food, people, discussions and alcohol. Ying brought her dog, Ruby, and Jen got to meet the elusive Lara.
Giving Thanks: Due to the pending births, travel was limited. Therefore, we decided to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year. Combined with Brandee's family, the gathering totaled 16 people and a ton of great food. Fortunately, no babies were born at the dinner table. :)An Icy Reception: In December Jeremy attended the annual LCC Christmas party, featuring the "ICE!" exhibit at the Gaylord Texan. As the baby was only 9 days old, Jen decided it would be best if she and Siena sat out this party. The night was cold and rainy, and the exhibit was even colder (8° F). The crew moved quickly through the frozen sculptures and on to dinner at the Riverwalk Cafe, a marginal buffet restaurant inside the huge resort hotel. The evening was concluded with a bit of night-life at the Glass Cactus.
The Santa Holiday: Christmas was a time for relatives to see Ms. Siena. On Christmas Eve, we visited Jeremy's maternal family for good food and company and then attended Grandy's church service to hear her play the bells. We concluded our evening with Grandy at Chili's for dinner. Christmas Day was initially spent with Jen's maternal family making breakfast (mmm ... waffles!). Late afternoon was spent with another family meal followed by an evening visit by Papa. Overall, the holiday was relatively calm. Siena received a good bundle of gifts and lots of love.
Doughy Affair: This year's Craft Ornament Party wasn't quite a party but rather a small gathering to see what could be accomplished during the football game. We were able to get a few ornaments created and have a handful of dough cookie cutter ornaments to paint next Christmas. Hopefully, next year will be more successful. Siena's first homemade ornament is a rendition of her in the bathtub as a memento of her birth.
New Years Eve: A small llama gathering commenced at our house to bring in the new year. We hosted food, played Apples to Apples, and toasted sparkling wine (Thanks Helen!). Resolutions were not stated but we hope to spend less time at hospitals and look forward to the great adventure of raising our first baby.A Week of Misadventure
One if by land: Jen and Mindy returned from a shopping spree unable to get back through the garage house door and Jen rarely carries keys to the front door. After much deliberation of how to get back into the house, Mindy decided she would go through the dog door. What? Surely a 7-month pregnant woman can't fit through the dog door? Apparently she can!
Two if by sea: Once in the house through the dog door, it was discovered that the washing machine had tried to escape. Fortunately, the machine miscalculated turning the door knob without arms. The washing machine then tried to float its way to freedom the next day by flooding the kitchen floor.A Craving to Move a Chair: Some pregnant women crave pickles and ice cream but Jen declared to get rid of an old reading chair at 4:00 am. Jeremy's response was, "OK" as he continued sleeping. The next day, once Jeremy departed to work, Jen took it upon her 7-month pregnant self to move the heavy chair. She achieved the desired result of moving the chair but not without dropping it and plunging a leg into the wall. The palm-sized hole is currently hidden behind a mirror.
Quarterly Toy
Baby Siena: Our quarterly toy is Baby Siena who provides never-ending fun and joy, mixed with occasional diaper changes. Get yours today! However, due to the unique nature of the product, the manufacturer is unable to provide documentation. Comes with rechargeable battery pack. Warranty: no returns or refunds.Other Fun Stuff
Jen was entertained by the fact that the plastic bags at Target list ways to recycle themselves.
Take note of the irony in this photo! Bonus: this was given to Jeremy by a U.S. Government agency.
For those of you who know the dog named "Turtle", we temporarily had a Turtle named "Dog". We rescued said turtle from a residential street and released him into the Spring Creek Preserve the night Jen went into labor.Communication
Please do not hesitate to contact us for anything! Feel free to submit questions to the Bensley family via email or by posting comments to our bulletin.
If you do not wish to receive notification of these quarterly updates, WE WILL NOT BE OFFENDED. Just let us know and we'll remove you from the distribution list for future posts.
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