Sweet Bennett,
Today you turn 2-years-old! I can’t even believe it as I type it! The past two years have been years of growing for your Daddy and me. It took time to adjust to being a family of 4, time to figure out how to parent you and Logan the way you needed to be parented, time to grow and mature as the parents we desire to be! And we are by no means there…but we’re learning. And having you and your big brother to learn from has been nothing short of amazing. You compliment each other so well because of how different you both are (in looks and personality!). Those differences can be challenging at times but remarkable for us to witness in parenting. We know how special your relationship is and will continue to be as you get older. It is the most incredible relationship to watch and we love our boys immensely!
You, Mr. Baby Bennett, are the first one to start wrestling in the morning but also the one who will really cuddle with us when you first wake up from nap. You love anything that ROARS, you are obsessed with Buzz and really anything ‘Toy Story’ and you can only handle reading 2 books maximum. You run constantly, there is rarely a moment where I can actually just walk with you, but I love seeing those little legs get moving! You love to play with any ball you see, and if there is an object laying around that you can hit something with, you will grab it. If you see someone hurt, or you think mommy or daddy or ‘dowa’ (logan) has an ‘owie’ you go right up to us and say, “ohhhhh, owie…” and give it a big smooch. And wow can you give a kiss! They are the BEST and your daddy and I ask for kisses quite often from you. Your favorites words right now are “huh?” “nope!” and “ohhhh yes!” You love babies, love them so much it looks sometimes like you want to suffocate them, and puppies are a favorite of yours to watch and pet at the park. Just like your brother, you are a social little boy and will basically talk to anyone or anything that says anything to you. For some reason ‘shy’ isn’t in our family
and wow do we love how people come up to you and want to listen to you gab! You are our adventure-seeker! Always have been and we’ve seen it come out more and more. Rarely does anything scare you, and you are daring and brave at the park in ways that sometimes scare your mom just a bit! You will take off the second the door is opened and there have been times where I’ve found you chatting with our neighbors up on their deck and I’ve barely had a chance to put my shoes on. You eat anything and everything, which is fun as your mom, and sometimes you will say “hmmmm yummy mommy, yummy!” after I’ve been in the kitchen making our family dinner. Love, love that. Please keep doing that until you move out and go to college! You are stubborn and strong-willed and can be very naughty to your big brother, but he’s learning to stand his ground against you and you’re learning…slowly…but learning, how to be more gentle.
You make us proud, Bennett! And you melt us with your red cheeks, big brown eyes, and hugs & kisses that flow abundantly from you! We know there are great things in store for you as we learn more about you and you grow up to be the man God has designed you to be! I think you will be a leader in a different kind of way than your brother, and I can’t wait to watch that all play out as you grow. You have taught me so much about parenting. I know I am not a perfect mom, but we’ll keep learning together, through every stage and every journey. I am proud to be a mom of boys, and the 2 of you bring me countless joy. Your Daddy and I love you so much and wish you a very Happy Birthday!
Love,
Mommy
….and reflecting back on 2 years ago today, a very special Mother’s Day for me! I went back to Bennett’s birth story in my blog and relived the precious moments!
Bennett was the most amazing Mother’s Day present I could have ever asked for and arrived on Sunday, May 9th 2010. I was able to sleep in that morning as Brian and Logan made me breakfast. I woke up feeling more energized than I had felt in a long time. I had been walking around for a couple of weeks at a 3+ and about 70% effaced so I had been feeling quite a lot of pressure for a while and the last week I was pretty uncomfortable. We ate breakfast together, got ready for church and I received a flower in church honoring Moms that day. During the last worship song (around noon) I stood up to sing and felt this little trickle of water. I didn’t think much of it but water proceeded to trickle all the way home and when I got in the car I told Brian that my water might be leaking. We stopped at Subway to grab sandwiches and Brian realized he needed to go in as my dress has a spot on the back of it from my water leaking. But still, I didn’t really know if it was truly my water (at this point I was about 15 days from my due date so I was still thinking we had a couple of weeks). I looked online when I got home and saw that you could perform a ‘test’ where you lay on your side for 1/2 hour and if you sit up and more water leaks out, you are probably leaking fluid.
{Let me just pause here in the story and remind my readers that although this was my 2nd delivery, with Logan I was induced and had a vaginal delivery a few hours after induction. So I wasn’t used to this ‘natural’ thing happening. Totally different experience for me!}
So I laid on the deck in my Mother’s Day dress looking at the beautiful blue sky and the sun was beating down on me. Brian was putting Logan down for a nap and I felt like I could also take a little snooze. But after about 15 minutes, I got restless and sat up. Instant water leakage and the start of some mild contractions. At this point I decided I should probably call my DR. The DR on call told me I should probably come in and they would do an amnio strip test to determine if it was indeed amniotic fluid or not. Since Logan was napping, and we weren’t even entirely sure that this was indeed labor, I drove myself to the hospital.
{Let me again just pause here to tell you that the week before this happened I had thought my water broke. Brian and I got into a big argument/discussion about whether or not I should drive myself in because Logan was also sleeping during this incident. I was stubborn and didn’t let him tell me otherwise. I was driving myself. So this beautiful Sunday Brian decided he didn’t want to fight me on the issue and reluctantly gave in without much of a fight.}
We packed up the car and I gave him a kiss. As I was driving in, contractions started getting a bit stronger. I was having contractions on and off for weeks and the last week I had some that lasted 2 hours during the night. So again, still not thinking this was actually happening but my hopes were getting highter. I called Brian on the way in and said, “this might be the real deal” I felt like I was in a dream. I arrived at the hospital at about 2:30 and the nurse gave me the strip test. She came in 30 seconds later and says, “you’re going to have a Mother’s Day baby” I was 5 cm and 80% effaced. I called Brian immediately. For the next hour and 15 minutes I walked around the hospital room through contractions waiting for B, who was waiting for my sister and her husband Noah to get to the house to watch Logan. I also was on the phone calling my family and friends who were definitely not expecting me to say we were having the baby! So fun!
Brian arrived at 3:40 p.m.. and everything went much quicker from there. My contractions were super intense and I was moving along pretty fast. At 5:00 p.m. I got my epidural and was a happy camper after that! I felt extreme pressure and just waited it out for a while because my family was coming in to see us. Then I told Brian we needed to get the nurse because I was ready to push (I definitely didn’t forget what that sensation felt like). I pushed for just about 7 minutes and out came Mr. Bennett Harker Senske weighing 8 lbs 2 oz and 21″ long. He was born at 6:21 p.m. and was perfect.
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Sarah wahl - These are so great! Love his little tushy!