All I Want Are My Two Front Teeth

Benson's getting his first set of teeth!  The front two, bottom row have finally cut through and are making their first appearance.  He really started drooling about 3 months ago and we would blame any kind of fussiness on teething.  Apparently we were wrong as they came in a lot later than we expected.

Here's a quick picture.  They look cute and adorable, but watch out ... their sharp!

A little tidbit about baby teeth: Generally, there are 20 primary teeth (baby).  This is compared to the permanent set of 32 teeth that later replaces the baby set.  When referencing individual teeth, dentists use an alphabetical system (A through T) for baby teeth and a numerical system (1 through 32) for permanent teeth. Benson's two teeth then would be teeth O & P, or the lower central incisors.  As you can see in the chart below, he was a little late in cutting these (he's almost 11 months) and he only gets to keep them for 5-6 years before they are replaced.

When you have a Hygienist for a wife ... you have to learn these things.  Knowing the reference for each tooth is very practical too.  In a restaurant, all I have to say is "numbers 8 & 9" and Lisa understands that she has something between her front two upper teeth.  This way, I can let her know without drawing any attention to the situation as no one has any idea what I am talking about.

Benson at 8 Months

Benson is growing up way too fast!  We feel so grateful to have this little bundle of happiness in our lives.  Literally – he is a bundle of happiness.  His smiles and laughter are contagious.  It takes Lisa an extra half hour to get through the grocery store because of how social he is.  He looks at every passing customer and just lights up.  It’s so fun to watch the reactions.  Each person’s life seems to get a little better.  It’s not rare for someone to stop and just stare and start to talk to him.  We probably get asked several times a week if we’d be willing to give him out on loan (or permanently).  He is just lovable and we love him so much!

Every once in a while, a passerby will lower his/her head and avoid eye contact.  Maybe their day had been bad or something had happened - but they consciously avoid this ray of happiness staring right at them the whole time.  It is a good reminder to me of how our Heavenly Father might sometimes feel as he reaches out and seeks to bless us - but because of our own pride, we turn away and avoid that contact.  There is so much to gain if we let these good things in our lives - and sometimes all it takes is to look up and say hi to a little 8 month old to improve your day.

Last week, we took a couple of pictures of him in his high chair.  We found a couple of his common expressions and thought we’d share.  He has learned to feed himself now and doesn’t want anyone putting a spoon in his mouth if he feels he can do it himself.  We’ve given him his freedom at the expense of some mess every time he eats.  Hopefully this is just a phase!  No teeth yet, but he seems to be able to get at least some food in.

Meal Time!  Benson and his many expressions demonstrating satisfaction for Mom's cooking!

Today, after church, we took a couple of pictures in our front yard.  It was a beautiful day and we couldn’t help but try out our camera for a little ‘photo’ shoot of the little guy.  We don't have any official 6 month pics, so we thought this one would do.  We think we got a few good ones and they will be going up on the family wall as soon as we can get them printed.  Enjoy!

Benson Photoshoot

You're so loved Bud!

Time Flies When You Have a Baby!

Wow!  I can't believe it has been over two months since our last post!  So much has happened in such a short period of time.  To begin, Matt took a new job with a company in Salt Lake City two weeks after Benson's birth, which required our family to relocate to Utah.  After some quick packing, lots of help from Emily and Chloe, and unanticipated good-byes to our Denver family and friends, we loaded up two cars and a moving truck and made the 8-hour trek (9 1/2 with newborn Benson) to Utah.

We arrived in Orem on October 1, and stayed at the Grande Hotel Ririe for three weeks (five star accommodations, world renowned cooking, concert pianist, like heaven on earth!).  Mom and Dad Ririe were so kind to accommodate us.  While there, Matt and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary on October 15 (what a wildly wonderful year! Had I known how wonderful marriage with Matt would be I would have gone out with him the first time he asked! Oh how I love this marvelous, selfless man.).  We also celebrated Matt's 29th birthday on the 17th.  Each day Matt made the long commute to and from work near downtown Salt Lake, while Benson and I continued getting to know each other and adjusting to mortality.  A beautiful learning curve!

On October 20, we moved into an apartment in Cottonwood Heights and will be here temporarily until  January when we move up the street to house sit for relatives leaving on a mission.  The apartment we found is a lease transfer from a family who needed to leave their contract early, which lease happens to end in January, the same time the couple we are house sitting for leaves on their mission (which we did not know at the time we signed the lease).  We are amazed at how Heavenly Father continues to bless our family, especially in the significant timing of numerous unforeseen events over the last two months.

More highlights since we moved - Halloween with the Riries, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins last weekend and Benson's Blessing yesterday in our new ward .

Benson's first Halloween (Matt crocheted the beenie)

Grandpa Jenkins and Benson taking naps

Attempting some family photos near Snowbird  in Benson's first blizzard

You WILL take family pictures and you WILL like it!

Benson's first snow angel (actually, Matt is holding him so he's not really touching)

Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins - doesn't she look like she's made for the snow?

Benson's Blessing, Sunday November 11, 2012

Benson's Photoshoot

Today, we took little Benson over to Matt's sisters home - Emily Smith.  She has invested in a new camera and is excited to develop her skills and portfolio in photography and had asked for the opportunity to shoot Benson's newborn pictures.  We were so excited!  When we arrived at her place, everything was ready to go.  There was a little elevated station set up in Chloe's bedroom for easy picture angles and she had warmed the room up to an almost unbearable temperature for us (which put Benson right at ease).  It was perfect!  And ... after a couple of accidents, Benson finally fell asleep and we think Emily got some great pictures and has done a great job.  Take a look for yourself!

If you like these, check out other pictures she is taking on Emily's Facebook Page!

Benson meets Family!

This last week has been phenomenal!  We have had so many people reach out to help and have had some important visitors come into town.  Lisa's Mom, Judy Jenkins, came in and spent almost an entire week with us.  When not taking care of Benson and giving Lisa time to nap, she helped make meals, clean the house, do laundry, etc.  She was an absolute heaven-send and we were so happy and grateful for her visit.  It was a very sad moment when we had to finally say goodbye and watch her enter the airport on her return to Boise.

We were also pleased to be able to introduce Matt's parents and brother Steven to Benson.  They drove out and spent a couple of days here as well and we were able to spend some enjoyable time together.  How blessed we feel to have the support of family members!  Thank you all for your love and generous service!

One memorable experience occurred when we were all together Friday night.  After dinner, we looked in the game closet and pulled out the old game "Moods."  If you haven't played it, the basic idea behind the game is to repeat a predetermined phrase in one of ten available moods.  Points are then awarded on how well others can discern your acting skills and correctly identify the mood you were acting.  Anyways, if you'd ever like a good laugh, invite Matt's Dad, Brent, and brother Steven over and have Brent try to romantically speak to Steven.  We were rolling with laughter!  

TL: Lisa's Mom - Judy Jenkins. BL: Matt's Parents - Brent and Beverly.  BR: Emily's Block Tower

Boy Oh Boy!

We have just participated in one of the most sublime experiences of our marriage.  On August 22, 2012, we welcomed into our family a sweet baby boy, Benson Matthew Ririe.  We'd like to share the story on his getting to our family and a couple of thoughts on how he has changed our lives.

Benson's original delivery date was announced as August 29th.  However, during an ultrasound at 28 weeks, it was discovered that Benson was in a breech position (meaning he was head up - which is the opposite of how baby's are normally born).  We actually tried a lot of little exercises and even a couple of wives tale tricks to encouraging him to flip on his own.  If you ever have a breech baby, these are a couple of the things that we heard would work.  For the record, we only tried the handstands in the pool, pelvic tilts, walking, and the flashlight and none of them worked.  Here's a list of things other women have sworn work:

• Handstands in a Swimming Pool
• Putting Ice Packs at the Top of the Uterus (baby will move their head away from the cold)
• Shining a Flashlight in the womb (the baby will move away from the light)
• Walking with one foot on the sidewalk and one foot in the gutter.
• Just lots of Walking
• Pelvic Tilt Exercises
• Laying on the floor with your hips lifted at a 45 degree angle (normally on a couch)
• Getting on all fours and trying to manually turn the baby yourself.
• Acupuncture on the mother's baby toe
• Chiropractics

At 38 weeks, Benson was still breech.  We scheduled an appointment to meet with a perinatal specialist to discuss one last option in hopes of avoiding a Cesarean Section delivery.  The option is called ECV (external cephalic version) and is performed by a doctor who manually turns the baby around by pressing on the stomach of the mother.  As part of our consultation with the specialist, it was discovered that the umbilical cord was wrapped around little Benson's neck and as such, the doctor recommended that due to the increased risk of complications we forgo the procedure and schedule a C-Section.  We were happy to accept the advice of this specialist and scheduled the C-Section for August 22nd.

We checked into the Parker Adventist Hospital Wednesday morning at 5:30.  Upon arriving, the nursing staff showed us the room we were expected to stay in for the duration of our hospital time.  Nurse, Doctor, and Anesthesiologist each came into the room to discuss the procedure and confirm our consent to the risks associated with the surgery.  Once all of the paperwork had been completed and no further questions were had, they left us alone in the room for a few minutes as we lay tired and anxious for the coming delivery.  Matt put on his hospital-issued scrubs and tried to look as much like a doctor as he could.  At 7:30, the nurse came and invited the two of us to follow towards the operating room.  Matt was left to wait just outside the OR as Lisa was admitted to the room where they began preparations for the surgery.  A nurse then escorted Matt into the room at 7:57 and at 8:07 a.m., Little Benson Matthew Ririe was born.

Lisa and Matt, just before entering the Operating Room.

He was quickly moved over to the corner of the room where he was cleaned, weighed, measured, and swaddled before he was handed over to Matt - a new Dad.  Benson's official birth weight and length are 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 20 inches. What a thrill to hold this beautiful little boy for the first time!  For nine months we had waited ... wondering who this little guy would be.  And now, for the first time ever, holding a little boy that we would call our son was such a sacred and humbling moment.  Some pictures were taken with Matt and Benson before they were ushered over to introduce the little guy to his new Mom.

Benson Matthew Ririe is born!  Here's a Collage of the Operating Room.

As a result of the surgery, Lisa was still not in a position to hold little Benson.  However, she did get to spend a few minutes cheek to cheek with him as Matt held them close to each other.  After some time, Matt and Benson were moved into a recovery room and Lisa joined them a few minutes later after the surgery was completed.  Here she was able to hold him and love him for her first time and she too was overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude for a healthy baby boy.

In the Recovery Room.  The top right picture demonstrates just how much Benson loves  baths!

After some time in the recovery room, the three of us were moved to our room.  However, to help balance things out, we were actually moved to a different wing a little later that day and Lisa was asked to stand for the first time since the surgery to get into a wheel chair.  We ended up in room 329 where we stayed until our official discharge from the Hospital on Saturday the 25th.

Emily Smith, Dr. Furr, Our Hospital, Room, and Benson

Well that summarizes the quick journey.  It should be said that the operation went as well as could be hoped for.  We had an incredibly talented OB, Wayne C. Furr, M.D., who performed the C-Section (pictured with Benson above).  Prior to his beginning of the first incision, one of the head nurses requested everyone's attention and informed them that he (Dr. Furr) and another doctor from his practice (Dr. Lane) were two of the best doctors that they would see perform one of these operations.  Hearing this was very comforting and confirmed our total trust in him.  Then, during the surgery, Dr. Furr lightened the situation for everyone when he saw the baby for the first time, exclaiming, "Man! That is an ugly face! ... Oh, That's the Butt!" Hearing him joke a little bit really relaxed Lisa and we were grateful to have his expertise.  Later, we learned that the umbilical cord had actually been wrapped around our little guy twice!  -  Thankfully, we didn't attempt version.

We were also blessed with an incredible nursing staff.  Each nurse that was assigned to us was so kind, thoughtful, and willing to do all that they could to make Lisa's stay a little easier.  We had a few favorites for sure who would come and look after us.  It actually took us three days to finally decide on a name for our little guy, so at the beginning of each shift, the new nurse would peek her head in and ask if we had given him a name yet.  We were happy to have such a great group of people looking after Benson and Lisa.  Were there to be any complications, we would have felt confident in their abilities.

Finally, we want to thank all of our family and friends that came by the hospital to visit.  We have loved sharing this little guy with those that have reached out and hope to one day share him with everyone of our good family members and friends.  In the short time that we have had him in our family, our family has seen an increase in love, understanding, and unity.  We have drawn closer to our Heavenly Father and gained a greater appreciation for the inspired Plan of Salvation that He has given to allow each of us this mortal experience.  We know that families can be eternal and that a return into God's presence is possible.  It is our greatest hope that we will be able to raise up this son to understand these truths and the path by which they may be accomplished.

We know Benson will grow quickly over the next few months and so we will try to be good about updating his progress here.  So consider this the beginning of a new journey and feel free to join us on it!