Daddy Lovin'

Ben is getting old enough for some daring stunts now.

Climbing on and around Daddy.

I put Ben on my shoulders...stupid idea. He is at that stage where anything and everything goes directly in his mouth. He gave me a thorough spit bath!

Ben has discovered his ears. He does a cute pose with his fist by his chin when he is bored with his ears, but I haven't captured it on camera yet.

This outfit has a hood attached :) We thought we might get to use it since it was forecasted to rain today, but we still haven't seen a drop.

Tripod

Ben is trying to sit like a big boy sometimes. He really does not like to be held facing toward my body, but likes to see the world. When in my lap, he prefers to sit without leaning against me and stand as long as I will hold him up in my lap or on some other surface. He is constantly looking around when he hears a sound or sees someone walk by. However, when we are in a room full of people he isn't near as social. He gets his serious look on his face and refuses his smiles. He likes smaller crowds (the way his mom and dad like it).

Here are some pictures from our evening playtime.

Push-ups on dad's feet.

Look at me sitting like a big boy.

Oh no, I'm leaning. Stay strong!

This doesn't look good. Leaning...too...far.

It's hopeless. Head over heals I go.

This is how I ended up. From sitting to tummy time.

Trying again later.

Mom, put down the camera and catch me! Ouch.
(I tried to put the camera down and catch him in time. The camera took the picture as I dropped it and he bumped his head. No tears, no worries.)

I forgive you Mommy!

Finally!

I finally left Ben so Ryan and I could enjoy an evening alone to celebrate our anniversary and birthdays. It was strange to have an almost empty bag on my shoulder and to actually be able to hold my husband's hand instead of holding a baby carrier and toy, but I did enjoy myself. We went to dinner and then to see Harry Potter (a little underwhelmed again with the movies).


Our friends, Daren and Tina, kept Ben. They played, bathed him and put him to bed. Ah, the first time I haven't been the one to kiss him goodnight. But, since he still gets a dreamfeed I did get to cuddle and give him kisses after we got home. Daren and Tina are expecting their first, a boy, in September so they were excited to practice. I tried to tell Ben to give them a dirty diaper and fuss a little extra to really give them a taste of parenting, but he was his usual laid back, easy self.

Swinging

Ben was given this swing from a friend of my moms in Midland that happens to have a son exactly 2 years older than Ben (both born on March 10th!). We hung it in front of the apartments on the World Impact campus because we don't have we have no trees, no shade, live on a busy street...you get the idea. This way, he hope to bump into our friends when he is swinging and share with the other little children that live here! Thanks Wren Family! We love it.

Thanks for hanging the swing Daddy!

Notice that I will be able to push from the bench - perfect place!

Ransom

I was trying to be a good housewife this evening by cooking dinner (Ryan helped. Am I still a 'good' housewife?) and doing the dishes (Some were left over from a baby shower I hosted last night. Does that still count as being a good housewife?) when my phone rang and interrupted me. My mom was on the other end and she said, "I am at your Grandmothers house. It has been too long since she has had any pictures of Ben. She needs to see how much he has grown OR ELSE!" (She didn't really say "or else.") I feared what might happen if I didn't do as she demanded and immediately got to work chronicling our evening so Great Grandma would get her Ben fix and here are the results. If you weren't needing a fix, I wont be hurt if you don't watch the video - it is 4 in 1, so it is 3.5 minutes long.

The baby shower I hosted.

This is just for you Grandma. I gave in and bought gloves, just like you. However, my nail polish still chips terribly.

Our Evening:
Talking n Playing - Ben played while I did dishes.
Fuss - Then, he started fussing.
Tummy Time - Oops, he was fussing cuz he pooped his pants for the second time today requiring a new outfit. Forget it - just play in a diaper.
Bath - He loves to kick and suck on the washcloth.

Ready for pjs.

Bedtime Stretches

Reading with Mommy (this is one of the actual books I used to have read to me as a baby).

Goodnight!

New Things

I have mentioned a few times that Ben has rolled from his tummy to his back, but doesn't seem to know what he is doing. He generally only does it when he is mad and kicking his legs. Today, while over at a friend's house, he rolled (while happy) from his tummy to his back and then from his back to his tummy! What?!? I thought he might master tummy to back before he ever started rolling back to tummy. Then, once home later this afternoon, he wouldn't stay on his back, but rolled over every time. Once on his tummy though, he would fuss until I rolled him back to his back. He would be content for one minute and then roll to his tummy. Then fuss. Then I roll him back. Then he rolls back to his tummy again. Over and over we played this game. Here is a quick look at it.

Cereal is still going well. It is too early yet to know how it is affecting him, but since we started it, he has woken up in the middle of the night. What?!? I thought a more full tummy = better sleeping. Maybe he knew he couldn't sleep any better because he is already such a good sleeper. We will see how it goes. It does seem that he has been cleaning out his bowels since starting cereal. Lovely.

Mom, I would like to save some for later!

Ben gave Daddy the puppy eyes and begged for this new toy (and maybe I gave Daddy some puppy eyes too). Ben seems to like it. It has a little piano that makes 4 sounds. Ben hit one of the keys and immediately looked up to find the source of the noise. Not finding the noise, he went back to playing. He hit another key and again looked up to find the noise. It was hilarious. It is so fun to watch him explore and discover his surroundings.

Twins

I got to babysit Lincoln this morning who is one month older than Ben (I have blogged about him most recently about July 4th). Ben and Lincoln actually seemed to notice each other and interact some. I did learn that I will not be praying for twins. Wow. Here are some pictures from our morning of fun.

Cereal update - we tried it again today and he ate quite a few bites!

Double Trouble

Wanna be my best friend?

I promise I didn't stage this - instead I just took 30 pictures waiting for it to happen.

I don't know what Ben was saying, but he sure looks funny.
Lincoln born Feb 11, Ben born March 10

Mom, can we have some privacy please? I'm playing with my friend.

Ben is getting excited about watching the trick Lincoln is about to teach him.

When she puts you on your tummy, you just roll over.

Lincoln has mastered rolling from tummy to back. The second I put him on his tummy, he immediately rolled to his back. So, of course, I put him right back on his tummy and he went right back to his back. Hillarious!

We were given this walker before Ben was born, but haven't put him in it yet. I got it out for Lincoln (who also played in it for a while), but was surprised to see that Ben really enjoyed it.

Happy 4 Months

Ben is 4 months old today. We can't believe it has gone so fast, and at the same time, it seems like he has always been here. He has gotten so much more social and independent this month. He has taken on more personality, smiles constantly (we have gotten a few laughs) and has even tried to blow raspberries a couple of times in the last few days. He still rolls front to back, but not on purpose yet. He tries very hard to roll back to front, but ends up chillin' on his side instead. As soon as I think I figure out a routine for him, something changes. He was moving to a 4 hour feeding schedule, but after all the activity with all our guests, he thinks he still needs the attention and wakes up hungry demanding to be fed every 3 hours. Thankfully, he does still sleep through the night. He goes to bed between 6-7pm, I give a dreamfeed at 10pm and he wakes up between 6-7am. No complaints about sleeping in our home! He enjoys his bath a lot more these days. He kicks and kicks. He has taken notice of the letters that stick to the tub, but can't figure out how to get them off and into his mouth. His mouth is his favorite toy! Everything and anything must be tasted. I call him my "birdie" since he always has his little mouth open wide waiting for something to sample.

Our big boy!

Ryan said this is Ben's GQ look!

Ben had his 4 month check-up and shots. He now weighs 14 pounds, 10 ounces - 50% (he has doubled his birth weight) and is 25 1/4 inches long - 35%. We were surprised at his length, thinking he was longer than 35%. He seems long to us, but apparently, not too long. His sweet little head is only in the tenth percentile though. Again, he was a total He-Man when he got the shots. The nurse made me hold his arms down although he didn't try to fight me. He cried only when actually being stuck and stopped immediately when I picked him up. I kinda hope this doesn't mean he has a high pain tolerance because that could make for a more acrobatic childhood.

Dazed after shots.

The doctore gave us the go-ahead for starting rice cereal. Of course, I wanted to try it asap just for fun. And, of course, Ben didn't want anything to do with it. He did open his mouth like my good little birdie, but then promptly spit it all back out. He did seem to have the ability to take the spoon rather than push it right back out with his tongue. We will keep trying and see how it goes. I can't wait to start manufacturing my own baby food. I have been looking forward to it! This will be the first time Ben has ever cost us money. So many people have given us all the baby necessities and money and diapers just keep appearing on my doorstep, so we have been extremely blessed. I better get permission for a bigger grocery budget :) Let the pureeing begin.

What is cereal mom? Will I like it?

Whew, glad that is over. It just made a mess and I didn't even like it.

It has been steamy hot here, so we haven't gotten outside as much as I would like. Even sitting on my porch has become unbearable. I am really looking forward to the fall weather when we can spend more time enjoying the great outdoors. Yesterday, our air conditioner wasn't working for most of the afternoon (we got it fixed), so Ben and I were terribly hot in the house, even with all the fans on. Here are some Ben-in-diaper pictures.

Talking

Ooh, my book. I think I can...I think I can.

MOM! I got stuck in the blanket while trying to get my book!

He wouldn't move his face out of the blanket and did not like being stuck there.

Mama D and Aunt Can Can Visit

My mom and sister were able to come visit. They arrived the day after Ryan's mom and sister left, so Ben only had about 24 hours to mourn the lack of attention. After Ryan's mom left, Ben really did seem discontented to play by himself. He would whimper when I left the room. How can he possibly get spoiled so quickly? Tomorrow may be a rough day for him since my mom and sister just left this afternoon. It is so much fun to watch other people play with and love Ben. He smiles and laughs and gives great cuddles and the grandmas and aunts can't get enough.

I still haven't left Ben with anyone (except Ryan) which means I am with him 24 hours a day. When company is here, I have to share. I know it is good for me, but I am glad to have him back to myself :) We do have plans to celebrate our birthdays and anniversary soon and I am working up my courage to leave him. I never would have imagined it would be this difficult for me.

We did have some great time with my mom and sister, so here is a photo review of the last few days.

Aunt Can Can gave Ben a "C" to play with while in the tub. I thought C for Carter, but she said it was C for Can Can. Ben keeps his fingers in his mouth at all times these days. He isn't too sure about the taste of bubbles though.

Aunt Can Can insisted on a couple more pictures before Ben went down for a nap. I think Ben is making his point quite clear - he wants to go to sleep.

How can he possibly sleep like this? He never ever stays in the middle of the crib.

It is World Impact tradition to go to the drive-in movies on July 3rd to celebrate our co-workers birthday that is July 4th. Since we joined staff we get to celebrate all three of our birthdays. Ben was kind enough to dress festively for our drive-in birthday celebration.


Of course Ryan wanted to wear the fun hat too.

This is how Ben and I watched Transformers II.


For the 4th of July, we went across the street to shoot off fireworks with our friends, the Kennedy's. Ryan was quite popular with the Kennedy kids when he lit tons of these snake fireworks. We all thought it looked like a pile of poo on fire - not real attractive, but a big hit with the kids, of course.

This is the life. Watching the men play with fire while trying to keep the kids from burning themselves. Left to right - Ben, Mama D, Aunt Can Can, Salyna and Andrew.

The Kennedy's have a little boy, Lincoln, that is a month older than Ben. I have always wanted a picture of them together, so this is an attempt to get one. My son has such a tiny head - sorry kid.

My baby looks so grown up on his first 4th of July.

This is blurry, but so cute!

Ah, I can't get enough Mommy and Ben pictures! Thanks for the adorable onesie Grammy.

I love you Mama D.