3 month pictures

We can't believe our baby is already 3 months old!!

Apple Picking

Bennett went for his first apple picking trip with Grammie and Grandpa Joern a few weeks ago. We had a lot of fun pretending he was picking apples :)

Florida Vacation

We were so fortunate to go on vacation with Chris's parents to Siesta Key, Florida for Bennett's first vacation to the beach! He loved the pool and playing in the condo with Nana, Grandad and Aunt Sara.

Bennett is 1 month old!

t is hard to believe that Bennett is one month old already! We had a doctor's appointment and he is 7 lbs 4 oz! He gained two pounds in a few weeks! Everything else checked out great! Here are a few pictures from our photo shoot a few weeks ago!

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Introducing Bennett James Collier!

Bennett James Collier was born on July 2nd via C section at 10:49 a.m. He is a little guy and weighed in at 4 pounds 15 oz and 19 inches long. He is doing really well and we are just in so much love with him. He had to go to the NICU for about 30 hours because his blood sugar level kept dropping. After that he got to come back to our room and is doing great. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and support!

So precious when he is sleeping!

Family Picture when we returned home

Poor little guy! He was hooked up to all kind of tubes and an IV

Right after I was born

He was a screamer when he came out!

Week 36

I haven't posted in a while, but we are about a month away from meeting our baby boy! We had some great pictures taken by a photographer. We are ready to go as much as we can be. The car seat is in, the room is ready, clothes are washed, books are read, and diapers are bought! I'm sure there will always be something you can think of before he arrives.

26 week Bump Picture

I am 26 weeks along and feeling great! It is hard to believe I'll be in my 3rd trimester soon.

We are team blue!

We had our 20 week ultrasound today and found out that we are having a baby boy! Everything checked out to be healthy. It has all of it's organs, limbs, and a heart rate of 144.

16 weeks!

I am 16 weeks along today. Here is a picture of my baby bump! I'm feeling good!

Baby Collier on the way!

We are excited to announce that Baby Collier is on his/her way! We are so blessed and can't wait for the special day. We are due on July 24th and are in our 13th week of pregnancy. Laura has been feeling pretty good. We will keep you updated on the progress!

Cinque Terre-last stop :(

We took a 4 and half hour train ride from Rome to Levanto, which is one town north of the popular Cinque Terre region. This region has 5 towns that all connect with a hiking trail. We forgot to validate our train ticket on the way and got off at a different stop just in time before the guy that works on the train found out. They charge you 200 Euro's if you don't validate your ticket. We just made the connection and forgot!! It was easy to buy a new ticket and get back on the right train.

It is so nice and peaceful here. It is a small town with cute shops, a beach, and lots of restaurants. Everyone is slower paced than the cities we were in. We love seeing the markets with fresh produce. There isn't such a thing as a grocery store here...you have to go to each separate shop to get what you need- a meat shop, fish shop, pasta shop, cheese shop, and produce.

We took the train to a town called Cogniglia and hiked north two towns. The trail was very challenging with lots of rock terrain and it added up to about 5 miles. Each of the two towns were just as cute with shops, restaurants, beaches, etc. We love it here!

We leave tomorrow morning on a train back to Pisa Aeroporto, which leaves at 1:00 Italy time (7:00 in Indy). We will miss it here and have loved every experience. We are excited to get back home (mostly for nice bathrooms in public places) but are so glad we took advantage of this experience. Hope you see you all soon!

Island of Capri

Today we took the train down to Napoli and met a nice couple from Australia on the train. They offered to share a cab with us to the port. We were so lucky to have met them because we had no idea where to go. We got on the hydrofoil (fast ferry) and got to the island in about 40 minutes.

As soon as you pull up the view is breathtaking! The island is very hilly with lots of rock. We ate lunch and figured out that you have to take a cable car up to the actual town of Capri. Boy was the cable car crowded! People around here do not have any organization and order....everyone just pushes their way in.

The actual town of Capri was really cute....lots of little shops and narrow streets. You could tell that the ritzy people from Italy go here on the weekends because there were tons of high end stores and hotels and villas.

We then found the walking trail to tour the island. We cannot describe the view from all aspects. After staying on the island for about 4 hours, we took the ferry back and then the train back to Rome. It was a long day, but well worth it!

The view from the top of the island

Where's Laura? Can you find her?

Our version of a sand bar

The little shops at Capri

Vatican City

We walked to Vatican City today and found a tour to take. Here are a few cool facts about the Vatican.

• Vatican City is it's own country- it is the only country you don't need a passport for.
• St. Peter's church is 4 football fields long
• Michelangelo did not want to paint the Sistine Chapel. He was summoned to do it by the Pope at that time.
• Each part of the Sistine Chapel has something to do with Christianity history before and after Christ.

Our tour was really informative and worth it.

The Pope's Apartment

The entrance to the museum (we got to cut in line and save us from the 4 hour wait by going with a tour)

The Vatican square where the Pope talks

St. Peter's Basilica

Segway Tour!

Our room has the best air conditioning and we slept great. We got up early to go on our Segway Tour. On the way, Chris stopped and had Cafe Americano and I had l'agua. (American Coffee and water). They don't have sugar free vanilla flavoring here for me :) Everything here is so fresh and nothing is processed! That is probably why everyone here is so thin!

Our tour was great. We went to things we wouldn't have even known existed. It started out with just the two of us but then the family that we found out owns the franchise name of 40,000 LA Fitness clubs around the U.S. joined us late on the tour.

After our tour, we headed to the Spanish Steps, which basically was a bunch of steps leading up to a monument.....turns out there are a lot of monuments in Rome that look the same. We were very hot and tired and didn't climb them.

For dinner tonight we plan to go to a local place that is close. We have walked miles upon miles because we don't really want to figure out the subway or bus system. (and you all know how Chirs likes to be cheap). The Subway was on strike today anyway. I guess they do that a lot here.

Tomorrow we are going to Vatican City to see a basilica that is 4 football field long and the Vatican. Hopefully Chris will let us take the bus. My feet are killing me!

On Sunday we are taking a day trip to the Island of Capri, which is south by Naples. We decided to stay in Rome two more nights instead of staying in Naples because we heard that it is not very safe and people said not to stay there that we talked to.

Here are some pictures....