Vacation Cont.

I couldn't get this video to upload to the other post, so it gets its own post.

This is a slide show of the pictures we took on our trip. The music has dual significance. First, we were in Oklahoma. Second, I have a weird habit of bursting into this song at strange moments. Just ask Ryan.

Vacation

We are back from our little vacation to Osage Hills State Park in Pahuska/Bartlesville, OK. We left Sunday after church and came back yesterday afternoon. Ben is not a very good traveler. He fussed and cried quite a bit in his car seat. Ryan was driving there, so we stopped and I got in the back with Ben. Ugh. Not a good idea since I get car sick easily. I was very relieved to get out of the car. On the way home, I drove and Ryan tried to entertain Ben. He did nap for 30 of the 150 minutes.

We stayed in a fabulous cabin, probably our favorite yet. It did rain quite a bit, but it was a blessing in disguise because it kept the temperature down. Plus, Ben still had to take his naps, so Ryan and I had to stay close to the cabin anyway. I was afraid the thunder would wake Ben, but apparently I was the only one awake to hear it all.

Ben was a wonderful trouper as we hiked 1 mile after dinner on Sunday night, another mile Monday morning and about 3 miles Monday afternoon...all with Ben in the front carrier. He seemed to like it and would look around at the trees.

I almost never put shoes on him since the boy can't walk yet, but he wore shoes almost the whole time we were there. We brought his walker so he would have a contained place to play but I wanted him to have shoes since the floor was a hard tile. And, our patio was a rough rock, so he had to have shoes to stand on that. He looked so cute, but grown up in his shoes.

Ben was a little off his routine, but I didn't care...it was vacation. He seemed a little off once we got home yesterday afternoon with some intense fussing, but he went to bed at his normal time and we will see how the rest of the week plays out.

Other than hiking, we played in the cabin, ate some fabulous chicken fajitas and steaks on the grill. We always eat great on vacation.

I have put together a video of some little snips from our time away. We aren't big at videoing yet, so it isn't too much.

Enjoy!

I got it!

I finally got Ben laughing on video!!! We think he sounds like a baby velociraptor, or our giggle-sauras. He laughs a lot in the morning when I take him to swing in the tree. I finally decided to bring the video camera for it. But, he was fussing this evening, so we tried to distract him with laughs. He kept a good mood long enough for me to set up the camera out of his line of sight and keep laughing for us! Enjoy.

He is interested in anything within his reach. He was grabbing for my cup of water tonight and Ryan grabbed the camera. He wasn't too sure about it, but kept reaching!

Ben is finally getting some length to the strawberry blond (where did that come from?) hair on the top of his head. The little boys around here have sported mohawks a lot this summer, though they are gone now that school is starting, so I thought Ben should join in. I used a little of Ryan's hair gel and ta-da, a baby mohawk.


A friend gave us this big boy bath seat, so we tried it out tonight. Ben was fascinated with the water coming out. He seemed to like sitting up much more than the sling.

Rocking

I know I have blogged a lot lately, but it seems like he does something new every day! He is getting up on his knees and elbows and rocking back and forth. What? I better start looking at all the stuff that needs to move to higher shelves...like the stereo, baby books and Indonesian dart gun right behind him in all these pictures.

Worn out after all that work.

5 months

Ben turned 5 months old yesterday. I look at these pictures and find it hard to remember that tiny, fragile little baby we brought home from the hospital. He is full of life, loves to sit up and stand (assisted of course) more than he likes to play on his back or tummy. He rolls both ways now, back and forth. He is lengthening his wake times which means there is more time to play. He is very flexible and adaptable when we have places to go in the evenings and will let anybody hold him. He is unsure of big crowds of people so he usually buries his head in the shoulder of the person holding him which always brings about the comment, "He is soooo cuddly." He makes lots of sounds and gives a squeal that would make a mommy dinosaur proud (but refuses to perform it for the video camera.


Last night we attended a baseball-themed birthday party for a 7 year old of a fellow missionary. They mixed the teams with kids and adults (boys only though!) and played three innings. Ryan loved it! Ben didn't last long in the stroller. He gave one little fuss and was happily rescued by another missionary friend.

In keeping with the theme of comparison pictures, here is my little shark at 1 month old and 5 months old.

Faces

When Ben was 15 days old, I posted pictures of his many different facial expressions. Today, I decided to try it again and see how much he has changed. He blows raspberries pretty well and has begun sticking out his tongue. He does smile a lot, but somehow knows to turn off the charm when the camera is staring down at him so he makes them hard to capture. He also loves to suck in his bottom lip and because of his love of gnawing on everything, his chin is always covered in drool.

15 Days Old

152 Days Old

Middle right is his profile so you can kinda see the patch of hair in the back.

Bottom left are his toes in his mouth.

Cereal Update
I posted about starting cereal when he turned 4 months old, but never followed up. It only lasted about a week! He got more gas and was fussy, so I quit cereal for a while. I have started again and he seems to be doing much better. He eats it well and actually gets the large majority of it down. I must have bought him a too-cute bib though because he prefers to chew on it in between bites. I don't have a picture now, but I will work on that!

Recent Happenings

My mom came for her last summer visit to hopefully fill her Ben tank now that school is about to start. Her friend Becky made the drive with her. Becky used to babysit me and my sisters when we were little. It was a strange feeling having my old babysitter here to see my baby. We had a great time. Here are the last few days in pictures and a short video at the end.

We took a trip to Babies R Us and saw this hat. We didn't purchase it, but I had to have a picture for my granddad.

Laughing with Mama D.

Playing some more.

Look what I found.

Taking a quick rest from all the playing.

Sitting outside enjoying the morning breeze and some toes.

Delicious.

It wasn't all fun and games. My grandma requested some fresh Kansas peaches and okra. We found this great farm about 20 minutes from Wichita where we bought 2 boxes of peaches, lots of okra, blackberries, blueberries, green beans, pluots, a cantelope, bell peppers, serano peppers, jalepenos, cherries, and a pineapple from Hawaii. We peeled and bagged the peaches to be put up in the freezer. We cut and bagged the okra. I made a blackberry cobbler and fresh blackberry jam (haven't gotten to taste it yet, but I can't wait). I also made a cherry crumble and we already ate all but one on the pluots. Delicious.

Finally, a 13 second video of Ben. He just started getting up on his knees a rocking a bit. He changes more and more every day.