11 Months...

Well, Benjamin hit the 11 month mark on the 15th, and my head is spinning wondering where the time has gone! But oh boy, he is such a CUTE little boy with boatloads of personality! I guess I should start planning the big 1 year birthday party coming up around the corner!!! (I think we're going with a Mickey Mouse theme!!!)

 Our house has sort of become a well oiled machine as of late. Benjamin has a really solid schedule about 95% of the time, with the exception of those days that are upset by swollen gums or sick tummies. Anyway, I thought I'd better document our schedule! I love comparing it to when he was just a baby! What a different household we have now! Here goes...

Between 7:30-8:30 AM: Benjamin starts squawking from his crib - "I'm up, Mama!" That morning smile will never get old. :)
Immediately afterward: Diaper change and Breakfast* while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He's obsessed with Mickey. We DVR the episodes so there's always one to watch.
Remainder of the morning: Hardcore playing! He loves to play chase, which consists of either chasing me around or being chased. Wrestling, tickling, and loving up on me is also included in that game. He enjoys lots of toys (especially interactive ones), and really likes this fun Sing & Discovery Story Piano. It comes with a microphone that really amplifies your voice while you sing along, which he's only recently discovered! Another favorite thing right now are balls. He knows how to roll a ball back and forth to me. He also loves to watching them bounce along the kitchen floor and then chase after them. He adores reading books! Benjamin is such a BUSY mover, and I relish the uncharacteristically long amount of time he will sit still on my lap and flip through books! He looks at the pictures, feels the textures, and loves to press any buttons that make noise. (By the way - he can say "button." sorta.)  Benjamin also practices walking while exploring our apartment! He stands up on his own and walks quite well if he's supported by furniture or our hands. So far he's taken two steps on his own! Any day now! He's become quite adept at pushing drawers and doors open and shut. He likes to eat his snacks while roaming and playing, so we've now become that house with the goldfish crackers ground into the carpet. I've also started taking him to Storytime at the library on Tuesday mornings! He has some friends that go too, and he loves to watch the bigger kids and dance along with the music. Lastly, Benjamin doesn't stop talking. His real words include Mama, Dada, and Button, but the space in between is filled with lots of baby babble. I love it! He is quite enthusiastic! He also loves to try and sing along with people, especially while dancing.
 Approximately 11 AM: Benjamin sucks down a big ol' bottle and lays down for a nap! He is a great napper (only in his crib) - I lay him down and walk away.
Between 1:30-2:00 PM: I hear more squawking coming from his room - "Come get me, Mama!"
Immediately afterward: Diaper change and Lunch*
Remainder of the afternoon: This time is usually spent running errands, visiting friends, going for walks, swinging at the park, and lots more playing!
Approximately 6:00 PM: Dinnertime*
Between 6:30 and 6:45 PM: Benjamin takes a bath and changes into his pajamas.
Between 7:00 and 7:15 PM: The nightly routine: Bottle, rocking with Mama, lullabies, goodnight!
...zzz until the morning! YAY!...

*What's Benjamin eating these days?
Well, he currently has 5 teeth! (Plus one more eye tooth coming in soon!) He's put them to good use munching on snacks such as goldfish crackers, Cheetos, string cheese, Gerber graduate snacks, fruit such as peeled grapes and apples, and cherry tomatoes. He's also still eating lots of baby food, but we're introducing more "real" food, too. He likes rice, meatballs, pancakes, bananas, french fries, yogurt, and almost anything else that Joel and I eat. His favorite baby food flavors include any of the vegetables - especially if they are mixed with some meat and rice cereal. While all of this may sound impressive, do not be fooled. Although he has eaten a variety of foods, he is still the world's worst eater. I often have to force feed him because he's just not that interested in more than a couple bites. If he's eating real food, he probably actually ingests only a teeny, tiny amount. He totally prefers to have a bottle, which I usually save until the end of the every meal so he'll eat as much as possible! In fact, lately I've been slightly concentrating his bottles to maximize his caloric intake just in case... He's just a little guy! :) I do have to add something that I've noticed the past couple days. Benjamin LOVES to feed himself with a fork, and I've noticed he actually does better at eating the food if I help him pierce it with his fork and he takes it to his mouth. It's so stinking cute!

As you can probably tell, we're dealing with a real little boy around here! It's so much fun, and he is so happy. I am constantly hearing comments about how much he smiles and what a little ray of sunshine he is. We're so blessed to have him in our lives.

In other news, here's some good news about Joel:
We get to see TONS more of him! He's built himself a little office in our bedroom and has started staying home to study. He gets to see way more of Benjamin (who by the way, is OBSESSED with his dada...), and it's just nice knowing he's here.

Want to see how I can tell when Benjamin is pooping?

We built him a cardboard house... He loved it!

 

I'm not kidding when I say he adores his Dada. Here's the proof:

He looks so big in this picture!!!

And our most exciting news of the month?! This picture was chosen as the "fan photo of the week" on the America's Test Kitchen facebook page! This was their first photo ever that wasn't food! Woo hoo! Just in case you're wondering what recipe Benjamin is sharing in this picture, it's called Pineapple and Kiwi Salad with Mint and Lime. He's an aspiring foodie.

Ten Months Old and Some Family Updates!

Two days ago, the Benjamin boy officially turned ten months old! Wow, what a month it's been! We had a lot of fun experiences this past month, including:

* Traveling to San Francisco with Bev Rice to visit Taylor, Amy, and Daphne Rice! Wow, what a GREAT trip! We explored all the exciting parts of the city and had delicious food, but most of all we loved hanging out with Taylor/Amy again! Also, Benjamin had tons of fun playing with Daphne and her cool toys!

* Experiencing our first illness! Benjamin had some bad cold symptoms (congestion, sneezing, runny nose, cough) so I took him to doctor where we learned he really had STREP THROAT! How crazy! So we had a rough couple weeks battling the symptoms... Also, Benjamin had to take an antibiotic which gave him his first ever (extreme) diaper rash! Oh, the tears and screams when we had to gently wipe his bottom... It made me cry! Luckily we're doing much better!


* Readjusting to "school schedule." That's right - Joel is back in med school and his schedule is so intense! The second year is supposed to be the absolute worst, so we prepared ourselves as best as we could. He's working really hard, and I'm so proud of him. He does his very best to be home as much as possible, and he never misses meals with the family! However, Benjamin and I have been trying to have fun without him for most of the day! :)

*Benjamin officially reached 15 pounds! (With clothes on...) Woot woot!!!

*Benjamin insists on holding his own bottles and cups now. He's so cute - he gently tips his head back little by little until the milk starts flowing.

 *The little man has become a terror around the house! His favorite activities include helping me with the laundry (aka taking out folded clothes and throwing them on the floor one by one), taking out all the DVDs from the shelves, opening every cupboard down on his level, unrolling all the toilet paper, pushing open doors, climbing over anything in his way, and playing chase with his Mama! (He likes to be chased, but LOVES to chase me even more!)

*I have a new job! I am the new Vermillion Jr. High Show Choir director. I've been hemming and hawing over accepting the offer for months now, but I finally decided to just do it. I think it will be a really fun experience! I'll only have to hold rehearsals one night a week, and the program has been severely watered down due to budget cuts, so I don't think it'll get too stressful! I've been busy planning and prepping - we start next week!

Nine Months Old

I'm beginning this post by admitting, with a very heavy heart, that my baby is not going to be a baby for much longer... He is getting to be a very busy, curious, energetic and happy little boy. While this saddens me, I have to admit that I'm having the most fun with Benjamin these days! He's learning how to do tons of things on his own and really becoming quite self-sufficient (as far as a baby can become, of course!) Benjamin has mastered the pincer grasp and feeds himself snacks and/or anything else laying around... (I've realized I don't vacuum nearly enough... ahem.) He's crawling around like a maniac, so he gets wherever he wants to go in record time! He pulls himself up on furniture and cruises along to check out interesting things happening up above. He can even pull himself up to a standing position without holding onto anything! He will most definitely be walking sometime soon! He says "dada" (first word), "mama", and "baba", along with various other babblings. He understands and follow basic "commands" (is that word too much like dog training?!) like "no" and "come here." He knows which items in our house are off limits, and he will even go so far as to ALMOST touch the silver teapot, then turn around and look at me with a big sly grin, knowing that I will soon be saying "no, no Benjamin", before turning around and crawling away, very satisfied with his trickery. Benjamin loves to watch the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while he drinks his morning bottle, and smiles at Mickey everyday! He's even traveled across the country! We visited his favorite Auntie Amy in Florida earlier this month, where he braved the heat and humidity but thoroughly enjoyed the beach, shopping, family spoils, and of course - the puppies that live there.

We had Benjamin's 9 month well child visit yesterday, and here are the stats:
Height: 27.5 inches (24.12%)
Weight: 14 lb 6.5 oz (0.06%)
Head Circ: 16.5 inches (0.35%)

I think the most enjoyable part of this past month (for me, anyway), is that Benjamin is now on formula! (That means I'm done breastfeeding! Yippee!!!) It was hard to let go, but life is significantly less stressful not having to worry about that. I'm finally feeling much more "normal" in my own skin, and am enjoying time having my body to myself without having to share it with anyone else for a little while! :)

Well, our little Benjamin man is just our own little piece of sunshine. I swear he wakes up with a grin that doesn't disappear for the rest of the day! He is bright and curious, wildly busy and always on the move, and learning and growing every day. It is a joy to watch him grow. We're relishing the last few days we have together as a family before school starts back up again on August 1st, when our lazy summer days will vanish altogether and we begin to face the challenges of everyday life as a med student family. Until then... here are some pictures!

Practicing for our Florida trip by playing in the "sand."

I love those big blue eyes. 

Tortured by Uncle Dax...

Enjoying Florida with Auntie Amy. Did I mention he learned how to "snap" his fingers during this trip?! (He tries to mimic snapping by rubbing together his thumb and index finger - hilarious!)

Teething, anyone???

 Some real Florida beach time!

 The famous Benjamin "oo" look!

 

 Getting into everything, of course! He just looks like a little man here!!!

Happy 8 Months, Benjamin!

Wow, I feel like I can barely keep up with these monthly posts anymore!!! Benjamin is just growing like a weed and changing every single day! Our sweet little man has done a TON of growing this past month! He's gotten so strong, and his main goal this month was trying to stand up as much as possible! He loves to climb, pull himself up, and stand up big and tall! I've caught him plenty of times standing up in his crib when I go in to get him after a nap! We've also made some headway with the crawling. In fact, even though it's now 4 days after his 8th month mark, he has officially turned the corner with this crawling business in the last couple days! I suppose I should be saving that info for next month's update, but it's close enough! :) He needs some prompting and motivation (like going after a toy for example), but the boy can crawl his awkward little Mogli crawl! He's also becoming more and more vocal! He still loves to blow bubbles and raspberries, and in the last few weeks he's been pursing his lips into a little "o" shape and saying "oo, oo" like a little monkey! It's so sweet and he totally knows he's hilarious! He's got the funniest little expressions that are so entertaining! We've also been working on waving goodbye these days. He's done it on his own only once or twice, so we still have a long way to go! Benjamin has been branching out with the foods he's been eating lately! He loves graham crackers, Ritz and Townhouse crackers, pieces of fresh fruit like strawberries, apples, and avocados, and the Gerber Graduate snacks. He has also learned how to suck up through a straw, drink out of a sippy cup, and hold his own bottle! If I have my jug of water, he just HAS to grab my straw and take a drink, too! He's so interested in everything we're doing and wants to be involved, too! Best of all, he's still our happy and very smiley two-toothed little guy! He's so fun to be around!

This past month has been so much fun! Joel had the whole month of May off so we took advantage of him being home all day long! We were so happy to stay home, relax, and enjoy our long days together as a family! We did some fun things - we took Benjamin to the pool for the very first time! (He didn't love it... it's taken a few times now, but he's coming around!) We went to Mitchell for awhile and visited the Grandmas and Grandpas! Mostly we just enjoyed the weather outside, took a lot of walks with Benjamin in the stroller, and enjoyed not having a schedule! :) Joel has since started working in Sioux Falls Monday-Friday, so now my goal is to keep us busy at home with lots of fun activities. Benjamin loves to drum on the pots and pans, read books and play with his toys, watch Baby Genius DVDs, sing songs, and we've even finger painted with chocolate pudding! Last week Katie and Brian Hazen and their kids came to Mitchell, so we went and spent this week as well since we haven't seen them in forever! We had SO much fun together, and it was great to see the little kids play together. Benjamin is positively terrified of his cousin Zach, who is about 4 months older, but little Maddie was mother hen to all. I think the next time we'll all be together will be around Christmas, so it will be interesting to see how different all the kids are then!

Well, here are a few pictures of the little man this past month!

Benjamin has been eating lots of new foods these days, and especially loves graham crackers!

We had lots of fun finger "painting!"

We're in tooth-growing mode, so he's been extra drooly these days!

He loves dad best! They have so much fun together!

Having dinner and loving up on Nana and Papa!

First time at the pool in Vermillion, SD with Dad. It didn't go over too well!

Post-nap! This is prime smiling time!

I've Got Two Teeth!!!

The chompers are coming in, folks! There are two distinct bottom teeth that are starting to feel more and more sharp! :o) He's getting to be such a big boy! This is the absolute best photo I could get of them - Benjamin really doesn't like me trying to get good shots of his mouth! Oh well...

Seven Months Old

Benjamin Joel hit his seven month mark on May 15th! He's just so cute, it's almost wrong!!! Don't worry, I've been photographing him excessively to document every move he makes!

Benjamin has been doing all sorts of big boy things this month! He loves to eat food - fruit and veggies, cereal, and crackers! He doesn't even mind making a little mess!

He loves to have fun in his exersaucer (and Nana/Papa's walker!) He really enjoys being able to look around and check out everything around him! He also loves when I put new toys on the tray of his exersaucer! I think he's gotten a little bored of the pre-installed toys!!! He's already mastered them and enjoys the new things to play with!

We celebrated Easter during this month, and it was so fun to experience another holiday with a little boy! We did all the fun Easter activities, including dying eggs, making a fun Easter-themed spread for our meals, and looking through our Easter baskets on Sunday morning! We spent the holiday with Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Dave this year! It was so much fun!

Here's Ben with his Easter bunny bread!

He LOVED dying Easter eggs! I think every single on had his name on it!

He was loved up by Grandpa Dave and Grandma Debbie. We found out quickly that Benjamin has a special bond with his Grandpa, even preferring him over me!!! Grrr!!!

Benjamin had his own Easter basket, of course! He got some pacifiers, a teething ring, and a bunny blanket made especially for him by his Grandma Debbie! There was also a chocolate bunny in there, but I think that might have been meant for me! :)

We just love this little mug!

Benjamin loves his daddy, and the feelings are reciprocated!

Now that the weather's nicer, we've been enjoying a lot more walks outdoors! Benjamin loves to see and hear the birds chirp, the cars go by, and all the other outdoor action!

Just a few more pictures of my big seven month old!

Benjamin's biggest achievement this month? He's mobile! He doesn't crawl quite yet, but he does get up on his hands and knees and rock back and forth. He can also shimmy himself backwards quite well! Sometimes he does what we call the "tripod." He likes to use his head as a third arm to help himself figure out how to work his arms into crawling. I'm pretty sure he's just going to take off any day now! We've got to get the gates put up!!!

We've been taking him to the park now that the weather's been so nice, and he loves it! He loves to swing and play, and he especially loves to watch all the other kids!

We sure do love this little man! He's just growing and changing before our eyes! I know this is a month late, but we had some 6 month pictures taken and are starting to get them back, so here's a sneak peak!!!