What Ben's Up To

Ben seems to be getting bigger and bigger every day. Not necessarily in size, but in his development. He continues to be enthralled with his own hands. He has been holding our fingers for a while, but is now reaching out and holding his toys on his play mat as well as grabbing his own clothes and holding on for dear life. I didn't get a picture, but he had his thumbs in his jean shorts the other day and often wraps a finger or two around the harness in his carrier. He is getting more and more control over his limbs so that he grabs what he intended to grab.


He is also pushing up higher and higher while on his tummy. He grunts the whole time while on his tummy, but will play for 10 minutes or so before he gets too tired and gives up or cries. When playing independently on his back, he will look up and offer a big smile if Ryan or I come by and acknowledge him. The down side of tummy time is the drool that goes everywhere. He has begun to make bubbles with his spit and sometimes he pulls it back in, but usually it just goes everywhere.


He continues to thrive on his routine. I must admit though, the day after writing my last post about him sleeping through the night, he stopped! I intentionally waited until he had slept through the night for five consecutive days thinking he had established a pattern. But, he fooled me. These past few days he has gotten up between 3-4am and wanted a full feeding. Oh well! It was fun while it lasted. We have a loud, barking dog behind us, so he/she keeps me up anyways. I might as well see my sweet boy if I am awake, right? Back to his routine - no matter what errands we run during the day or what evening plans we have, he somehow always gets back on track as soon as we get home. I have been intentional in letting other people hold him when we are out with friends or at work functions, so he gets used to people other than me. But, it seems that no matter how many times I say, "He is supposed to be asleep right now," the person holding him inevitably says, "Oh look, he is waking up," and immediately holds him out and starts making faces and trying to coax a smile. But, my sweet baby will roll with it and fight to stay awake and show his tricks and then fall straight asleep once given back to mommy. His flexibility sure keeps me from stressing when we are out and about.