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Oh my gosh I cant believe Bennett is 4 weeks old today! When did that happen? He will be 1 month on February 6th, but for the first few months of life development is monitored in terms of weeks so I will be thinking this way for a while. And speaking of development, he reached a few milestones this week: he smiled purposefully (and hasn’t stopped!), tracked his mobile, and sucked his thumb all for the first time this week. He has a stronger grip on his pacifier and can keep it in his mouth while sleeping most of the time. He does not like “tummy time” but his neck is strong and he is doing well holding his head up for several seconds at a time. I feel like B has moved from newborn to baby, and with that change comes a lot of memories in the making.

We had a great visit with Bennett’s grandma’s! My mom and Sam’s mom drove down to Georgia to spend a few days with B and to see Sam pin on Senior Airman. It was wonderful to spend the time together and get some advice from some seasoned pros. I do wish I had taken advantage of their help and napped a little more! One of these days I will get it through my head that I cant do it all…We are looking forward to visiting Virginia from February 24th - March 2nd and introducing Bennett to the rest of the family. My mom is hosting an “open house” for anyone who would like to come by and meet Bennett on February 25th from 1-5pm. (more details to come) I am thrilled that my brother, Jared, should be home from Afghanistan and back in VA for a visit as well!

The latter part of this week was rough for Bennett. He was diagnosed with a pretty bad case of acid reflux and painful gas that was affecting his sleep and eating. This sweet baby never cried or fussed more than a minute or two so it took me a while to pick up on the signs. So far the medications seem to be helping! As a precaution, his doctor has instructed me to cut diary out of my diet in case an intolerance to cow milk may be the culprit behind the gas - you know a mother’s love is strong when I am more than willing to cut out cheese and ranch! Also his doctor suspects that he is “tongue tied” and has referred us to an ENT to be sure. This could be the reason for the difficulty we have had with nursing. Please pray that both these things will be resolved and B’s pain/discomfort will be swept away. I am so thankful for the love and healing from our Father!

-Ashley