February 2012

February proved to be another busy month in the Benscoter household.  Since we are mostly settled in our new-to-us home on base, we decided to host a Super Bowl party for our friends on February 5th.  There was lots of great food and fellowship although the outcome of the game was less than stellar in our opinion.  Maybe next year Patriots?!?  A couple days later on February 7th our favorite niece/cousin turned one!  We thought of Ava all day and were sad we were not closer to the Cape to help her celebrate.  Then on February 9th Aunt Julie had another birthday and again, we were sad we weren't closer to be with her.  Darn you Air Force for keeping us so far away!!  Joe and I had a great time on February 12th as we hired a babysitter for Sophia so we could have a nice Valentine's Day date.  Joe took me to Dakota's for a nice steak dinner then we headed to the movies to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.  The dinner was delicious (the company was better ;) and the film was very good too!  When we got home, Sophia was snuggled comfortably in her crib.  On February 14th, Mommy and Sophia surprised Daddy at work with a big cookie cake and a little love note.  His face lit up when he saw his littlest valentine as she ran right to him at his desk to give him a big hug!  When Mommy got to work later that day, Joe had flowers waiting for her at her desk AND a bouquet of flowers on the porch at home for Sophia (Mommy ate the chocolate candies that came with the flowers at home :) On Friday, February 17th, Joe, Sophia, and I flew to San Dimas California for Cortney's wedding.  We had a great time catching up with family Friday afternoon and evening.  Saturday morning, February 18th, a bunch of us went to The Huntington Library to enjoy a few hours outside in the gorgeous weather.  After our outing, we headed back to the hotel for a few hours of down time before Cortney and Adam's wedding.  The ceremony was flawless and beautiful with a very impressive reception afterwards.  Sophia had a blast eating all of the yummy food, meeting new friends, and dancing (check out the pictures and videos!!)  We were sad to leave the next day, February 19th but thankful for the time we did get to spend with the Benscoter family.  On February 28th we had our second ultrasound for baby #2!  We were so excited to see our little peanut again and to learn that we will have a son/brother! The sonographer also detected that our little guy had a heart defect so we were referred to a pediatric cardiologist.  Our first visit with the cardiologist was technically in March but I will fill you in a little early.  We met Dr. Sam on March 2nd and he immediately put Joe and I at ease with his easy-going demeanor and big smile.  He performed a fetal echo which is performed via an ultrasound in which he focused just on the baby's heart for 25 minutes.  He determined that our little guy's left ventricle is not contracting properly as it appears to "wiggle" instead of having a nice, strong contraction.  He would like to follow up with us every 3-4 weeks to closely monitor this abnormality.  Dr. Sam believes it could possibly resolve on its own or, worse case scenario, may require surgery after birth if it progresses.  We will continue to pray that our little man's heart will heal on its own!  We will be sure to keep you all posted!  In the meantime, please enjoy the pictures and videos we gathered this month!

Sweet sleepy girl

I love Olive Garden!

Yummy pasta

I found Daddy's nose!

This bread is really good too!

Lounging in my new chair while Mommy makes Valentine's Day dinner.

Joe's National League of Lagasse Championship Trophy came in the mail!

17 weeks

Look at my new TOMS that Nana bought for me!

Stylin' in my new shoes :)

Watching my show on Nick JR.

Crazy bed head!!

Blowing on my bananas and yogurt puffs....just incase they are a little too hot ;)

18 weeks

Benscoter family getting together for dinner the night before Cortney's wedding

We had a great time watching the magician!

Sophia was especially entertained/entertaining!

We went for a day trip in the beautiful weather the morning of Cortney's wedding

Playing with Funcle David!

Sophia sees her Nana...

...and gives her BIG hugs :)

A beautiful view of the gardens that was used in one of the scenes of The Wedding Planner.  Good job to Melissa for figuring it out!

Sophia is worn out by all the fun!

Grandpa Ben made some new friends while playing in the Children's garden :)

Aunt Gail and Grandpa Ben

Melissa and David 

Sophia is well rested and ready for the wedding and reception!

Adam, the preacher, and his groomsmen

Courtney and Uncle Jim walking down the aisle

Vows

The first kiss!

Cortney and Adam are husband and wife!

Sophia is enjoying some of the appetizers

Social hour with David, Kane, and Melissa

Dancing with Grandpa Ben

Melissa and David looking snazzy at the wedding

Aunt Gail and me

Sophia has a song request for the DJ

She loved dancing on the dance floor!

Jan and Jim entering the reception

Bride and Groom arrive!

The newlyweds enjoying a dance together

Uncle Jim's welcome speech.

We sat with Nana, Grandpa, Melissa, David, and Aunt Gail

One of their family members sang a few beautiful songs

Sophia loves dancing with Aunt Melissa!

19 weeks

20 weeks

"I'm going to be stubborn and hide my face with my arm!"

"Don't look at me!"  Still hiding his face with his left arm.

"Ok, you can have a quick look at my face"

Baby Boy's profile

Yep, its a BOY!  Look at the arrow on the left screen shot...there's the proof!

One more profile shot of our little guy.

Tiny Dancer

Tiny Dancer 2...incase you haven't seen enough already ;)