Friday, October 1, 2010

It's a Boy!

Benjamin Michael was born September 30th at 7:22 AM and weighs 8 pounds 7 ounces!
Dear Ben,

I wanted to write this letter to you while I still had the chance. Soon, your mom will be back full-force and I won't have any control over the blog again. Who knows, she might even try to change the password on me after my blog title adjustment stunt. And, I wouldn't be surprised if she edited this post. Her new phone does all sorts of fancy stuff.

First of all, welcome to the family. I've already informed your mom that I'm going to call you "Benny" because I think that is just the cutest nickname and I once heard your mom call Lydia "Lid" (not cute). After holding you for five minutes, your Auntie Stacey and I declared you to be the best baby ever. You made all of these little purring noises and even smiled a couple times. Keep up the good work.

I might as well tell you now because you'll find out soon enough, but you're expected to be laid back. As the third child, it is imperative that you go with the flow. I know, I know, it doesn't seem fair. But your older brother and sister are in school, so there's going to be a lot of running around. Plus, your mom is a writer, which means you'll have to do some of your eating and sleeping at Starbucks. If you need a few tips, just ask fellow third child, Auntie Stacey--she has laid back down to a science.

Finally, Benny (it works, right?), take your time. Don't go all growing up quickly or anything. You were pretty active in utero, making your mom's belly move in all sorts of crazy ways, but now that you're here you have my permission to slow down. Enjoy your time as a baby because soon your mom and dad are going to be saying things like, "Ben, that's 1 and 2...if I get to 3..." and "Clean up, clean up everybody everywhere..." Go ahead and get your nights figured out, take all sorts of long naps, gurgle and be happy.

Welcome to the world!

Love,
Auntie Laura

PS: Oh, and I hope you don't mind the spotlight. I'm sure there will be many Ben-inspired blog posts of the future...

119 comments:

Leah Clifford said...

Early flights have benefits! So excited to be the first to say congrats! xoxox

Leah

Unknown said...

Yay! Congratulations! Benny is my brother's nickname and it has served him well.

Martina Boone said...

Hooray, Lisa! We're so excited for you and your family. The pictures are precious. Thanks for sharing this special moment with everyone!

Hugs,
Martina & Marissa

Anne Gallagher said...

Oh Congratulations, he's so beautifully perfect. And Benny is the perfect name for an aunt to use.

S.A. Larsenッ said...

OMGosh...he's beautiful!! Congrats!!

Anonymous said...

Epic congratulations, Lisa! Here's hoping your 3rd is as laid back as ours was. (Note the "was." She's walking now. ZOMG WHY IS SHE ON THE KITCHEN TABLE AND HOW MANY APPLES DID SHE JUST TAKE ONE BITE OUT OF?)

(The answers are "because she climbs EVERYTHING, DAMMIT" and "about sixteen.")

Wait. I was congratulating, wasn't I? Yes.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Hearts all round. :)

Jayne said...

Aw - congratulations! And welcome 'Benny'. :)

Lee Nichols said...

Oh my God, you're like a movie star! No one's supposed to look that good in the hospital.

Ben is seriously adorable! All best wishes!

Matthew MacNish said...

Oh. My. God. Beautiful.

How can you possibly both look so clean and sweat free? And happy?

This is really really awesome. Congratulations Lisa! And Benny too!



... so sorry Laura. Your stint of running the blog was fun, too bad Ben had to pop out so quickly.

Christine Danek said...

Congratulations Lisa. BTW--You look really fab for just having a little bundle. Who is way cute.
Laura great letter. I'm sure the little guy will love this.
Have a great weekend!

Christina Lee said...

*jumping up and down* CONGRATS!!!!!!! And love sweet Ben's name (he is adorable!) I expect Ben to be at our next book club so I can hold him and coddle him (please?)

Renae said...

Congrats! He is just adorable! The nickname Benny is just perfect!

Loretta Nyhan said...

Oh, look at that little man! So cute. Congrats to the whole family.

(And...OMG, Lisa, this baby has the best genes because I don't think I've ever seen someone look so good after giving birth. Where's the puff face? The broken capillaries? You look beautiful!)

Tana said...

HUGE congrats! A job well done. =) Benny is adorable!

Jonathon Arntson said...

Confreakinggradulations! What a cutie!

Amie Kaufman said...

Oh, he's beautiful! And so is she! How is that even possible? Talk about setting a high bar for the rest of us!

Congratulations -- and wonderful advice!

Katie Anderson said...

That little Benny is just the cutest baby ever! And look at Lisa - she's beautiful! Aw... such a great day!

Congrats all around.

Lisa Potts said...

What a cutie! Glad everyone is doing well. Tell Lisa no one should look that good after having a baby. Congrats!

Christine Fonseca said...

Ahhhh...CONGRATS! He is absolutely beautiful! Just like his momma and auntie!

Liza said...

Oh wonderful sweet baby, and wonderful sweet letter. Congratulations.

Laura Pauling said...

He's beautiful! So glad you're both healthy and doing well!

Bish Denham said...

Congratulations Mommy and Auntie

Kerri Cuev said...

Congrats! He is beautiful! I share your joy. I became an auntie 4 days ago also. In your defense the name is great. Lol, but I'm not getting in the middle.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!!!!!!!!

Kim Harrington said...

CONGRATS! Oh, he is so cute!!! And how the hell does she look so good? In my "hospital picture with baby" I look like I've been hit by a truck.

Congrats again. :)

Stina said...

Awwwww, he's adorable. But how come his mommy looks so good after giving birth to such a big baby?

Congrats both mommy and auntie. :D

Frankie Diane Mallis said...

Awww! Congratulations times a thousand!!!! Those pictures are priceless and Benny is ADORABLE!!!!! I'm so happy for you!!!!

Unknown said...

Huge Congrats!!! Benjamin is the sweetest little thing ever! And I think Benny works perfectly. Love the pics -- thanks for sharing with us! <3

kiri said...

Congrats!!!! :)

And man, I was fooled, could have sworn it would be a girl!

Kristin said...

Congratulations!

Jess Tudor said...

Gorgeous pictures! Congratulations!!!

Hardygirl said...

What a baby!!! I mean, he's breathtaking.

Okay--kidding. Both Benny and mom are absolutely GORGEOUS (uh, Lisa--how are you so glam after childbirth??).

And, yes. Laid back is the key word here. I've got three, and that's just the way the third one's gotta be. We called Julia the "go with" baby which was short for "go with the flow...".

Benny totally looks like he can handle it.

sf

Kaitlin Ward said...

Congrats!!

middle grade ninja said...

Awwwww. Congratulations!

Katherine Longshore said...

Happy Birthday, Ben! And congratulations, Lisa! It really is unfair of you to look so good. And Laura? The blog is great!

Unknown said...

YAY!!! I think Benny is the perfect nickname!!! Wow, talk about good looking people on this blog! Great pictures :)

Mia Hayson said...

Congratulations!

Unknown said...

Congratulations Lisa! He is adorable! Not to mention you look pretty amazing for recently giving birth! Cheers!-LB

storyqueen said...

Congratulations!!

Well done to Benny and his beautiful mom.

Welcome to the world.

Shelley

erica m. chapman said...

Congrats!! Lisa - if you're reading this. You look fantastic in that pic, my mom's after my sis was born wasn't even close to that good ;o) Ben is absolutely adorable!! Congrats to you, Laura and the whole fam ;o)

Love Benny!

Artemis Grey said...

Moohoohaha! Another reader for all of those fabulous books we're all busy writing!!!

Happy Birthday Benny! :D

Rhonda said...

Welcome to the world little guy! And congratulations to everyone in Benny's (yes, it totally works)family. :)

CHRISTIE said...

Yay!! Little Benny is so handsome, & mom is looking amazing. Congratulations!!

Sarah Ahiers said...

Yay!! Congratulations!

He's beautiful!

SCR said...

Congratulations! I don't know how Lisa looks so glamorous post-childbirth but keep up the good work!

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

So, so precious! What a remarkable aunt you are for writing such a beautiful letter to your nephew.

Congratulations to Lisa and to the family! I hope that Benny will be laid back and enjoy the smell of coffee and twizzlers.

Anonymous said...

Congrats Lisa and family! (Yes, Lisa, you DO look wayyyy too good for just having a baby!) Tell Mia and Lydia to stick together, they're surrounded by boys! :) I bet family parties just got louder, and more fun!

JKB said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Benny, if you need any tips, shoot Loki a mail. She's got laid back down to a science - not!!!

Shawntelle Madison said...

Congratulations! How wonderful! He's so cute!!

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

Lisa - you better be photoshoped b/c no one is allowed to look that good after having a baby!

congrads sweetie :) Thank goodness he's out! Finally! :)

Heidi Willis said...

Congrats!! He's absolutely beautiful!

Creepy Query Girl said...

Oh wow, congratulations! Lisa looks beautiful and Benny is a handsome little guy! Enjoy those first year moments!

Little Ms J said...

Very sweet. And what an alert little boy. Does he have a twitter account yet?

Hugs and kisses to the fam!

XOXO

J

Unknown said...

cooongrattss!!!! beautiful benny! xoxox

Carolyn V. said...

Yay!!! Congratulations! He is so beautiful. <3 <3 <3

Sara B. Larson said...

He's beautiful!! Congratulations Lisa! I hope your recovery goes well, and that he's as laid-back as you are all hoping. ;) BTW - how is it fair for you to look that gorgeous after giving birth? Hello - did you not get the memo about looking sweaty, exhausted, and half-dead? Oh well, I'll still like ya. :D Congrats again!!

Laura S. said...

This is so sweet, Auntie Laura!

Congratulations, Lisa! Benjamin is adorable!

Carolin said...

Awww, he's SO adorable. Beautiful. :D

Congratulations!

Rachele Alpine said...

Congrats! He's beautiful! He'll be at bookclub this month, right? I can't wait to meet him! :) Kidding!

Rachele Alpine said...

Congrats! He's beautiful! He'll be at bookclub this month, right? I can't wait to meet him! :) Kidding!

Caroline Starr Rose said...

Beautiful! And my word, what a glam Mama (in the hospital, no less).

Tere Kirkland said...

Welcome to the blogosphere, Benny!

Just adorable, thanks for sharing!

Lola Sharp said...

First, CONGRATS!! He's gorgeous.
Welcome Benny!

BUT, WTF?! Lisa, you look like a freaking model, all dressed cute and fresh faced! PLEASE tell me that picture is photoshopped or some kind of explanation.
Because, dude, when I was through squeezing my daughter out of my vaj, I was a train wreck for days/weeks.

CONGRATS! So happy everyone is healthy and happy (and beautiful). :)

Love,
Lola

C. Michael Fontes said...

CONGRATS! Bringing home a baby is one of the most amazing experiences... second only to the first time they sleep through the night ;)

Jackee said...

How precious he is! Congrats to Lisa, Benny, and Aunts Laura and Stacey.

May he be as laid back as my third is. :o)

Cheers,
Jackee

Kimberly Derting said...

You both look gorgeous! Congrats to the entire family!!!

And great letter, Auntie Laura, I'm sure Benny will appreciate all the great advice ;)

Jennifer Rummel said...

Congrats! So exciting :)

Stasia said...

Congrats and enjoy!!!

Nicole Zoltack said...

Congrats! He looks so precious. I just want to hold him. There's just something about newborns. They grow up so fast. My 8 week old already doesn't look the same in the face as when he was born.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Yay! Congratulations mommy Lisa and auntie Laura! He is absolutely adorable! :-)

Dara said...

Congrats!

Also, Lisa, you look pretty amazing after labor :P I don't think I'd look nearly as good.

Sarah Wylie said...

Oh!!! He is so gorgeous! Congrats, Lisa!!! This is such a wonderful post, Laura! Make sure you save it for when he's old enough to read :)

Unknown said...

OH MY GOD Benny is so beautiful. CONGRATULATIONS!

Lindsey Roth Culli said...

Congrats! He's adorable!!!

Mary Aalgaard said...

Oh, Congratulations! Everyone looks so happy and healthy and wonderful. Good luck in the 3rd child role. I loved the line about needing to nap in Starbucks. Cheers!

Krispy said...

Aww congrats!!! He's adorable!

Sherrie Petersen said...

Too cute!!
It'll be interesting to see if the blog title sticks. Some how LaLi doesn't have quite the same ring...

Kelly Polark said...

Congrats!! Benjamin is beautiful! Enjoy this special time with him.

Conda Douglas said...

CONGRATS! And Mom looks fantastic!

Marsha Sigman said...

OMG!!! How the hell does Lisa look that good???

So not fair. But congrats and Benny is adorable!!

Shannon Messenger said...

Awwwwwwwww...what a cutie. And OMG it's not fair that Lisa looks that good!

Huge congrats! And yay Benny--it's like a new celebrity has been born. :)

lotusgirl said...

Congrats! Lisa, you look fabulous. How did you pull that off? I always looked like I'd been through the wringer after I had a baby.

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Congratulations! Wow, what a beautiful baby -- and mom looks fantastic too! (It's not photo-shopped, is it? You can tell us!)

Best wishes to both of you and the rest of your family!

Bethany Elizabeth said...

Aww! Congratulations!!!!!

Lori W. said...

Beautiful baby and such a sweet letter. Congrats!

Kelsey (Dominique) Ridge said...

Oh, he's so cute. And he has lovely hair already. Congratulations! :)

Chelsea said...

YAY! Congratulations! What a cutie! And you look beautiful!

JEM said...

Congratulations!

Rachael Harrie said...

Ooh, he's gorgeous! Congratulations!!! :)

Meredith said...

So adorable!!! Congratulations to your family!

Tessa Quin said...

Congrats! He's so cute! *Makes silly baby talk*

Anonymous said...

Congrats Lisa!! He's beautiful!!
And what a great letter from Auntie Laura:-)

Robin Mellom said...

Gorgeous!!!

"you're expected to be laid back."
Hahaha! LOVE that... ;-)

Congrats!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Congrats Lisa. Benny is so cute. Hope he lets you sleep at night.

Kim said...

eeeeeeee! How exciting! Beautiful baby. Beautiful mommmy. Beautiful letter from a beautiful auntie!

Mega congratulations!

Gail said...

Mazel Tov!!!!
Best wishes to Momma Lisa, Daddy, Big Brother and Sister too. And happy birth day to beautiful Ben!

~Jamie said...

Oh. my.

That is one BEAUTIFUL BABY!!!!!

So adorable, I can't even stand it!

Lisa Desrochers said...

Lisa--you look gorgeous and jesus you're stacked! They sort of go away after a while so enjoy them while you can ;p

All kidding aside, congrats! Your son is beautiful =)

A Canadian Girl said...

He's so cute! Congratulations, Lisa!

Julia Karr said...

OMG! Congratulations!!!!

Ben, Benny = cutest little boy ever!!!

Wow!

K. M. Walton said...

Welcome to the world, little one!!!

It isn't fair that she looked so stunning after just giving birth!!! I am so thrilled for her!!!!

B.E. Sanderson said...

Congratulations! Benny is a beautiful baby, and the nickname's cute, too. =o)

Lisa Gail Green said...

OMG HE'S GORGEOUS!!! Congratulations!!! It ALMOST makes me want another one. But I"ll just get my baby fix by borrowing thank you. :D Seriously, you all look fantastic, and it is such a beautiful letter. Welcome to the world Benny!!

Kimberley Griffiths Little said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Both of you!!! So happy for you all!!! I wanna hold him!

Christina Farley said...

Congratulations! He is soooo adorable.

Jemi Fraser said...

Congratulations!!! He's gorgeous! Welcome to the world Ben! :)

Elana Johnson said...

Beautiful pic -- and fabu letter! Congrats Lisa (and Laura)!

Unknown said...

Congratulations!

Aleeza said...

aww, congrats to both of you! benny (hope you dont mind me using your nickname, laura) is ADORABLE! gosh, i loooove babies!
congrats again!

Sonia Gensler said...

Congrats to Lisa! (And to Auntie Laura!) Those are gorgeous photographs.

Angela Ackerman said...

The Hugest congrats ever! So happy for you! He's a handsome little man, all right!

Angela @ the Bookshelf Muse

Claire Dawn said...

Congrats Lisa!

Laura, she is going to kill you for the blog name :D

Lindsay said...

Congratulations Lisa. He's such a cutie.

Unknown said...

Congrats--he's adorable! Great letter from Aunt Laura too. :)

Samantha Vérant said...

Wooo-hoo! Congrats!

Natalie said...

I'm late to the party, but CONGRATULATIONS Lisa (and Auntie Laura). Benny is adorable.

Donna Gambale said...

Of course this is the week I didn't catch up on blogs!!! So sorry for the late congrats, but CONGRATS! So excited that everyone's healthy and happy!

Casey McCormick said...

AHHHHHH! He's so cute. Welcome to the world, Benjamin!

Congrats again Lisa!

Unknown said...

That is one freaking adorable baby. Congratulations, Lisa!! (Blog catch up. Sorry I'm late to the party.)

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