We have a thirteen month old boy! As of the November 14th, these are his stats:
Weight: 17 lbs (with clothes, diaper, and all... but we will take it!!!)
Length: 29 inches
And... here's the smorgasbord of Benjamin news:
Our happy boy is still the cutest ever. He's (FINALLY) getting some "hair." I'm not sure if you can really call it real hair; it's so fair and fine, but there is some actual fuzz coming in! With a little more length it might be slightly more legit. :) Mmmm. I love his soft little bald head, though... Benjamin boy walks - nope, runs everywhere. I hardly ever see him crawl. He basically roams around our apartment like he owns the place. He's also starting to learn how to climb. So far he climbs into his rocking chair, up onto the couch (with a little help), and I've even witnessed a successful climb into the bathtub. I was impressed. Speaking of bathtubs, he is obsessed. If I even mention the words "tub," "splish" or "splash", he runs to the bathroom and starts flinging his leg over the side of the tub. Once naked and inside, he loves to stick his head under the faucet while the water is running, make huge messes with his big splashes, and dunk his face ever so gently into the water. He has a BALL! What a water baby... Benjamin's completely obsessed with our pop bottles and water jugs. He thinks he has to have a drink of everything. He's completely on cow's milk now (yay!) and has also started drinking some juice. We're starting the bottle weaning, and he really likes his sippy cups. He refuses to spoon feed anymore, and won't take baby food. Don't even ask me about his eating habits. He is the WORST. The kid has literally no interest in food. Mealtimes take a million years because he takes his sweet time to eat the tiniest amount. So far the only real winners are: bologna, hot dogs, string cheese, apples, strawberries, tomatoes, grapes, Chef Boyardee's Spaghetti, and sometimes Cheerios, yogurt, and peas. He does try all food - sometimes there's something I make for dinner that he likes, but those are the reliable go-to foods. He's so funny... I've tried sandwiches but he just pulls the bologna out, eats it, and tosses the bread over the side of his high chair. So then I thought I had a great plan and made an inside out bologna sandwich... I even squished the bread together so it was super thin and hardly noticeable between the layers of bologna. But nope, he found it and soon it was added to the discard pile on his tray. That boy... We haven't noticed a ton of new words yet besides his usual mama, dada, baba, "what's that?", and "there." He is constantly vocalizing and babbling, so I hope the language "explosion" isn't too far away. His laugh kills me - it's too cute. That and his smile. It kills everyone who sees him - his amazing smile is the trait most commented on by people. He's just a smiley, happy, sunny little guy. I feel so lucky that I get to spend my day around him! He's getting pretty good with the puzzley toys we have around the house - matching shapes and whatnot. He's totally obsessed with reading and is always bringing me a book to read. He hands me the book then waits patiently for me to pick him and up and set him in my lap. I love it... He can point out SO many things in books and around the house. It's amazing what he knows but doesn't say quite yet. He LOVES other kids but gets slightly wary when he sees his little friends playing with his toys at his house... Time to learn how to share?! :) He gives loves and kisses to EVERYTHING. Oh my gosh, it melts my heart. I can't get enough of Benjamin's sloppy open-mouth half-grin kisses. And the feeling of his little head resting so comfortably on my shoulder while his little arms wrap tightly around my neck? THAT is pure heaven.
Well, that was one big run-on section of Benjamin vomit. Excuse the grammatical issues and stream of consciousness typing. I just wanted to get it all down!
In other news, Joel is swamped with medical school-related stuff. Someone send him an endless supply of 5 Hour Energy, chocolate bars, and Coke Zero.
We are starting to look for a place to live in Sioux Falls for this spring/summer! Ugh, there is nothing worse than moving and everything that goes with it. But I'm really excited for Target and Hobby Lobby! I hope Sioux Falls is ready for us!
My middle school kids performed in their first performance of the year tonight at the Fall Show. They were excellent! I was very proud and still amazed at how well they learned the whole show in the very small amounts of time we've been allowed to rehearse. I'm having lots of fun working with them! It's been good for me to get out and teach, even if it's just once a week for an hour. We have one more performance tomorrow night and then we'll have a little break until January!
Other than that, life has been busy and fun... We have really great friends who keep us busy and I'm enjoying this beautiful fall weather as long as I can get it! Now, bring on Thanksgiving!!!
For your enjoyment:
Me: "Benjamin, where's the pumpkin?" Him: "Right there."
Just giving Blue Dog some loves.
