He's here!

Ben made his big debut a week ago today. So far things couldn't be going any better at the Millard/Brown house.

My labor and delivery were faster and easier than I expected. I labored most of the time at home and only spent 3 hours at the hospital before big Ben was born. The mental preparation leading up to the big day really paid off for me and I was able to deliver naturally and, by accident, in the water. I think the water birth made the whole experience better than I could have imagined it. My contractions were less intense and I had less physical trauma "down there" because of it. I highly recommend it.

You guys would be so proud of Sean. He was an awesome labor support and was a comfort to me by staying close during and after delivery. He's been doing everything for me since we've been home, preparing food, doing laundry, going to the supermarket, helping me with the baby etc., and somehow finding a way to spend extra time with Graham while I'm busy with the baby.

Then there's the baby. Ahhhh. I don't know if I've ever been so in love. He is perfect sixth finger and all. :) We've spent most of our days in bed laying around since we got home. He's an excellent nurser and very alert. And he smells so good! I'm not sure if you can tell from the pictures Sean sent but he looks just like him. He's got the Millard nose and Sean's pointy five head (You know what I'm talking about Shan). He's even got Sean's hairline. We're hoping that receding hair line will fill in :). The only physical attributes of mine we can see are his big hands and feet.

We learned at his check up that he's gaining weight and over all health is good. So good in fact that the Doc didn't want to see us again for a month. By then it will be time to start his immunizations and birth chart. I'll keep you guys posted on that.

In the meantime, enjoy the slideshow.

Happy New Year

I hope you guys had a good new year. We went to dinner at a very tradition french restaurant called Chez Pierre. Its kind of tired but its a local landmark and we thought it would be nice for Graham. Sean and I barely made it to midnight. I think Graham passed out around 11:30. We did toast to the new year with 7-up before he fell asleep. Sean and I stayed up just long enough for a new year's kiss then passed out ourselves.

Sean is all geared up for the USC game today. I know he's going to get on the phone with Richie to talk football and he will be so loud that I won't be able to escape it anywhere in the house. Graham and I will probably go to the movies.

Still no signs of labor yet. I really messed up by expecting Ben early. We're all anxious for him to get here. Sean just said this morning, "Honey, I want that boy out!".

I'll keep you posted.