"Rocking around the Christmas Tree...."

Where to begin? So much has happened since our last post!!!! We forgot to mention last time that right before Thanksgiving, we realized Tyler had his 2 bottom teeth coming in- which was masked by symptoms of his cold. He also began eating cereal and trying solid foods just in time for Thanksgiving! As you can see from the photos, both Benjamin and Tyler have been in the holiday spirit- Benjamin in his new Thomas the Train Christmas jammies from Memere that he wore while helping decorate the tree a couple weeks ago when Papa & Grandma were here visiting.....which was such a nice Christmas gift! My Dad is doing so much better- no doubt thanks to all of the prayers that were said for him, so he and my step-mom Karen were able to make a trip down to celebrate an early Christmas with us. Tyler has been nothing but smiles, and is always so cheerful and ON THE MOVE!!!!!!! He's been sitting up by himself forever it seems, and is content to just sit and play with his toys, except for when his big brother conveniently moves them all out of reach....and Benjamin calls Tyler "Sneaky"?! Tyler doesn't let it bother him too much though, because he also has been scooting and rolling across the room and finds a way to get whatever he is after! As you can see, he is up on all 4's and getting ready to crawl any time now- as a matter of fact, he took a couple of "steps"forward crawling today, only appropriate as Uncle Pete was in town celebrating Christmas early with us, and just a little over 2 years ago, he was a witness to Benjamin taking his first steps walking! My how fast they grow!

Gobble Gobble

Benjamin met Sir Purr at the opening of the new light rail system in Charlotte.

November has been a month full of fun and visitors for Team Goguen. Memere came to town for the first two weeks in anticipation of Emerson's arrival, thankfully Memere was in town for her arrival on 11/18 and got to spend lots of time with the boys. Tyler celebrated his 6 month birthday on 11/17. Tyler has started eating rice and oatmeal cereal along with Bananas, so Benjamin enjoyed the donut on his birthday! Grampa, Sharl and Uncle Joey arrived and celebrated Thanksgiving in Charlotte, with a deep fried turkey of course.

Happy Halloween

Benjamin the Pirate and Tyler our precious Pea had a great time Trick or Treating in the neighborhood. Mom and Dad joined in and dressed as Sir Purr the Panther according to Benjamin and Curt Schilling, complete with a bloody sock! Benjamin really showed an interest this year leading his friends from house to house. He greeted those answering the door by saying "Happy Halloween" instead of Trick or Treat. Fun was had by all!

Tyler's Baptism

On Saturday, October 8th we celebrated Tyler's Baptism. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great celebration following with family and friends. We are honored to have our best friends Ann & Chris as Tyler's God-Parents, and they made the long drive down from Albany,NY to be here for the big day!

Benjamin continues to do well in school, and seems so big these days.....he is still the best big brother, and is always so excited to see Tyler when I go and pick him up from school. Today he surprised me by saying "Mom- our house is a planetarium"- that word sure seems like a big one for a 3 year old.....he even knew what it meant when I asked him! I'm thinking he must have learned it from either Curious George or preschool- most likely his buddy the monkey!

Tyler is also growing leaps and bounds and we cannot believe he is 5 months old already!!! He is smiling, giggling, babbling, and rolling over like crazy- even beginning to scooch/scoot when on his tummy. We are sure he must be teething too with the amount of drool he has, and time spent eating his hands!! He also grabs everything from hair to toys to Benjamin's sippy cup the other day, and looks as though he's almost ready to try rice cereal with the way he watches us eat! As you can see from the picture, eventhough Ann and Chris are trying to train him to be a fellow Yankees fan, he has taken an interest in his Daddy's team while reading one of his books!

Hilton Head Island

We finally got to have a much needed family vacation to the beach with the boys. Sara and I like to get away for our anniversary (9/21) and we returned to Hilton Head Island where we have enjoyed so many trips over the years, including our engagement. Benjamin really enjoyed playing in the ocean as well as the pool. He got to see dolphins and even found a starfish! Between naps on the beach Tyler dipped his feet in the ocean and splashed and played with his big brother in the pool.

Brotherly Love...

As you can see from the photos, in the past month both Benjamin and Tyler have grown leaps and bounds, and continue to be quite affectionate with one another. Tyler continues to have the biggest smiles (will post more pictures next time of these) and could light up a room! He recognizes those closest to him and tells you so with his smiles and sounds! He is a "talking" machine these days, and we love all of the sounds, squeals, and coos that he makes- he's even started to giggle, which is fun! A few weeks ago, Tyler decided to roll over onto his side in his crib and that he likes sleeping that way, and you can see him doing it in one of the photos.

Benjamin began school this past week in the big 3year old classroom and has continued to be successfull at going on the potty! He is the best big brother and is always so excited to see Tyler when I pick him up in the afternoon- where I usually have to peel him off of Tyler so Tyler can catch his breath from all of the hugs, kisses and wet raspberries bestowed upon him!

Benjamin Turns 3!

Benjamin had an exciting 3rd birthday to say the least! Aunt Tami flew down from NY for his birthday party, and let him pick out his 1st pet- something neither he or his Dad will have an allergic reaction to....2 pet frogs whose names seem to change daily! Tyler has been continuing to smile away and adores his Big Brother as much as Benjamin adores him.......Benjamin had a blast at his Backyard Birthday Bash on the 4th that many family and friends turned out for, including Memere and Charlie who flew down from the Cape and Uncle Pete/Cousin Kevin who drove up from Myrtle Beach. Benjamin was thrilled with the planned surprise visit from Brrrgin's IceCream Truck- this year's obsession! Last year it was buses, this year it is popscicles and the icecream truck!

Upon coming home from our whirlwind visit in NY, we have been working dilligently in the potty training dept. in preparation of Benjamin beginning preschool in his 3year-old class where the children are required to be potty trained.....Benjamin has been a trooper and with the help of Aunt Tami and Memere while they were in town, has pretty much mastered going on the potty- number 1 that is, so there has been lots to celebrate at our house this past week! As you can see, Tyler even donned his "party" hat for Benjamin's birthday festivities!

Since Memere was in town and available to help out with Tyler, Benjamin had the sty that he has had on his eye since Tyler was born surgically drained on his actual birthday- Again- Benjamin was a trooper and being 3 seems to agree with him!

17 Hour Ride

A couple of weeks ago we went on a family adventure and drove to NY to visit with some of Sara's family. Although the ride was long (17 hours) and stay was short (2 days) the boys did great riding in the car for such a long time. Tyler was able to meet lots of family and friends during our visit, including his Papa who we were happy to see is continuing to improve at home. Benjamin enjoyed playing with his cousins, Anna and Lauren and meeting baby Michael for the first time.

9 Weeks

Tyler had his two-month check-up today, he now weights 12 lbs 4 ounces and is 23 1/2 inches long. He did receive 4 shots today, but Daddy was there for support of both Tyler and Mommy! Benjamin finished his two weeks of summer camp at preschool today, he really seems to be warming up to the change of classrooms and teachers which hopefully will make his return in September easier.

Sunday night Tyler gave us a wonderful gift of 7 1/2 hours of sleep (9:30PM to 5:00AM) at 7 1/2 weeks. Tyler continues each day to show more and more of his personality. Benjamin is starting a two week summer program at his preschool, which will give him some time with some of his school friends. As you can see he and Tyler had some fun last week playing with stickers!

7 Weeks

A couple of weeks ago, my Mom and sister Amy came to visit for a week. As you can see from the photo, it was love at first sight, just as it had been when Benjamin was born! While they were here, Tyler had his one month check-up where he weighed in at 10lbs.2oz. and measured 22.5in.
I am proud to say his doctor referred to my milk as "liquid gold" seeing that he had gained 3lbs. 1oz.from his lowest weight, and grew 3inches in one months time!

Following the last of our visitors for a while, the boys and I have begun to get into somewhat of a routine. I have found that it is all about finding the balance, although it can feel like a juggling act at times, which can sometimes be frustrating, othertimes almost comical! For the most part, we have found a groove of our own that is working so far, and that's all that matters! Needless to say, we cherish our morning time with Jason prior to him leaving for work at 8:30am, and always look forward to his return home from work at 7pm.

Jason is slowly but surely healing from his run-in and severe reaction to poison oak following a golf outing, and Benjamin is enjoying activities with Mommy while Tyler is sleeping, such as baking cookies in the photo shown. As you can see from the most recent photo of Tyler taken today, he is smiling more often and cooing which we are all loving, and it brings back some of our most favorite memories of Benjamin at this stage.

Nicknames

Benjamin has developed some interesting nicknames for Tyler lately. Sara and I figure that we would call him Ty, notibly after Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) from Caddyshack. Sara calls him Ty-Man and Benjamin has called him Ty-Lo (like J-Lo) and Ty-Lowey. The most interesting name came yesterday when Benjamin called him Donkey after the character from Shrek. The boys adore each other, when Benjamin is in the room Tyler always seems to follow his big brother around the room. As you can see they have started having tummy time together!

Visitors

The past two weekends we have had family visitors. First, Uncle Pete and Cousin Kevin stopped by to meet Tyler on their way back to Myrtle Beach. Then Grampa flew in and spent the past weekend visiting with everyone! Tyler is doing well, he has his one month check-up next Tuesday. We continue to try to help him sleep better and longer at night, thankfully Benjamin has not gotten up when we change and feed during the night. Benjamin had an ear infection which is clear but now has a virus, we are trying to limit the touching and kissing of Tyler by his big brother. Unfortunately I head back to work next week, but Gaga and Amy are arriving on Sunday to visit for the week.

First and foremost, we want to thank all of our friends & family for all of your thoughtful phone calls, e-mails, cards, as well as gifts! Our 2nd week home has proved to be a little hectic, to say the least, so we apologize for being slow to get back in touch with thank you's, updates, etc! I have unfortunately had a slow recovery due to some complications that haven't gone away since being in the hospital, and am now on my 2nd round of antibiotics. We have had numerous doctors appointments between the boys and I, and Benjamin's cold that he had the day we got home from the hospital, ended up turning into an ear infection this week! I don't know what we would have done had Memere not been here that 1st week home, and if Jason weren't home on leave....he has been a Godsend as usual- and deserves the Best Dad/Husband of the Year award!

I also received a surprise phone call this week (Wed.) from my Dad- who was calling me from home!! I just wanted to thank all of you who have continued to ask Jason & I about him, because showing your care and concern has meant so much to my family & I during this difficult time! (especially with it all taking place the last 2months of my pregnancy, which definitely took its toll on me) After 64 days in the hospital, all of our prayers and thoughts pulled through and my Dad was discharged home. Unfortunately, he went home with lots of contraptions- feeding tubes, drain tubes, and his incision wound still, but at least he has a break for now and a chance to see if things will resolve, or whether to face another surgery, which he is trying desperately to avoid at this point. Needless to say, your continued thoughts and prayers would still be welcomed with opened arms and very much appreciated!

Here are a couple of more shots of Team Goguen! Hope you enjoy, and we look forward to talking to you all/seeing you soon!

Hospital & Coming Home...

It's hard to believe Tyler is already 1 week old! Our hospital stay was a whirlwind & we were anxious to get back home to Benjamin- the best Big Brother ever! Benjamin was anxious for us to come home too, stating while visiting us "I don't like the hospital, Mommie." Jason & I are adjusting to our tag-teaming at night, Benjamin is adjusting to Tyler being out of my belly & here to stay-even though the first place he goes is the nursery to check on "Baby Brother" when he wakes up every morning, he has asked us a couple times now- "what's he doing here?" & Tyler is adjusting to having a very hands on, doting Big Brother who loves to touch his face. Tyler has kept me very busy as he is an eating machine, which is good since he was jaundice, and lost a lot of weight initially- we are looking forward to him being back up to his birth weight by next week's check-up! We were very grateful to have Jason's Mom, aka Memere here with us to take care of Benjamin while we were in the hospital, and also helping out our first week home. Now that our first week home is behind us, we can proudly say, Team Goguen prevails! Thanks to all of you for your congrats, support & encouragement- and also for the prayers for my Dad- please keep them coming...he was honored to have Tyler named after he and I to keep the Charles name going strong!

Tyler Charles Goguen

Yesterday was a big day for Team Goguen as we welcomed a new member to our team, Tyler Charles Goguen. Born on May 17th @ 9:46AM he weighed 7 lbs 12 ounces and is 19.5 inches tall. Mommie is doing very well recovering from her C-section, she is recovering much faster compared to the last time and we are shooting to possibly return home on Sunday! Benjamin has been very excited and has visited borhter Tyler twice now, he loves to cuddle up and touch Tyler gently as only a big brother can. Tyler looks quite similar to his big brother Benjamin as you can see in the photos.

Update from Sara

It's hard to believe BabyG2 is about to arrive.....even harder to believe it took us this long to catch up with the times, and send our friends/family pictures on-line, let alone Blog! We figured- as the saying goes- "Better late than never!"

Jason & I cannot believe how grown Benjamin is...he is definitely a tall 2- soon to be 3 year old, and very excited to meet "Baby Brother." He has been very gentle and caring towards my belly, oftentimes trying to share his toys, or a snack with him, which has been so sweet.

Last month we went on a sibling tour for children Benjamin's age who were about to welcome a new addition to their family at the hospital where I will be delivering...It was an interesting experience, as Benjamin wanted nothing to do with the baby doll he was provided to hold and carry around, and all about the real-deal nursery, where newborns were being brought in and out. He did a great job with the diaper changing exercise, however, and Jason has been trying to talk him into signing on for middle of the night diaper changes/feedings ever since!

The latter part of this week proved to be a little exciting, finding out that BabyG2 may be trying to make his grand entrance into this world a little sooner than our scheduled May 17th c-section....I am officially done with work as of last week, to rest up and get last minute things done, so that is good & I am taking it easy this weekend as instructed by the doc. We will keep you all posted, and are hoping the baby takes it easy on me, as this past week has been quite uncomfortable and painful to say the least!

For those of you who know my Dad- & even those who don't, I would appreciate it if you would keep him in your thoughts & prayers. He has been in the hospital since March 28th when he went in for a planned surgery, and unfortunately has had nothing but complications ever since, and remains in the hospital to date. His goal was to have the surgery and recover so that he could come down to Charlotte soon after the baby was born, and at the present time it continues to be indefinite when he will discharge home, let alone be able to travel. It has been a very stressful and discouraging time, and I know the extra prayers will help!

Welcome

With only a few short weeks before the arrival of Baby Goguen #2 (May 17th), I have ventured into the world of Blogging which we plan on using to share pictures of not only Benjamin but his baby brother as well. This will hopefully keep all of our family and friends from asking us to send updated pictures of Benjamin, which we have not done a great job of doing the past 2 years.

Last week we ventured to Benjamin's first big concert show, the Doodlebops! Whenever Benjamin rides in the car he loves to sing each and every Doodlebop song, especially Wobbly Whoopsy. It felt surprisingly like a Mastercard commercial: Tickets $100, Light-Up Flag $20, Cotton Candy $12, Beer $5 ...Priceless!

Jason, Sara & Benjamin