Labor Day Fun

"Picnik Show"

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Ben & I made french toast for breakfast. Eating it was even better than making it.

Nihao!

Ben and I have been thrilled with our very special guest from China, Amelia. (That's her English name.) She, 19 students and one other teacher, arrived on the 14th, and will be here until August 3rd. Ben and Amelia are absolutely nuts about each other.


This weekend we're heading up to Duluth to see Lake Superior. Stay tuned...

First Drive-In Movie

Ben's, and mine!

Tuesday night, Ben & I met Scott, Minda & Andrew at the Cottage View Drive In and we saw "UP". Of course the trouble with a drive-in is the movies start pretty late for little boys, so I don't think Ben saw much of the movie. But it was a little cool, so it was a good night for footed jammies and snuggling up with a blanket.


We loved "UP", by the way.

What's on the Menu

Between bottles, Ben eats fruits, veggies, and cereal three times a day. I will also give him some small table foods like chicken soup noodles and pita bread. Today after Ben's nap his dinner consisted of canned peaches, raisins and noodles. He does really well with feeding himself all three. Missy hangs pretty close by in case there is any droppage. Today I cleaned him up, sat him on the floor, and he promptly opened his mouth and showed Missy that he had saved a raisin to share with her. Luckily, I was fast enough to thwart their plan. Poor dog will have to stick with the un-chewed, dropped raisins if I can help it.

Six Month Status Report

Yesterday, after several days of pain and crabbiness, two more teeth finally broke through. Where are your teeth, Ben?



Instead of being the top front teeth, it's a top front and the one to the side of it, so he's a bit off center for now. But for now, he is so very much happier. Happier, at least, until it's time for the next teeth.


What, more teeth??

I'm going to be able to cut back my hours a bit starting next week. My hats off to all of the single moms out there who work full time or more and keep everything running. I'm looking forward to being able to get to the Y a little easier, take Ben to the park when the weather's nice, and just keep up with the house.

Rant Over! Time to Catch Up...

The only thing Irish about this boy is his hometown's school mascot. But Happy St. Patty's day anyway! At five months, he now loves to sleep on his tummy- more precisely, he loves to sleep on his face. He's getting much more steady when he's sitting up. And he loves books, music and listening to people talking.

Just Hangin' Around Florida

We had been searching thrift stores for a Johnny Jump Up, and yesterday at a children's consignment shop, we found two! It's a good place for Ben to sit and play, and it will fit in my suitcase for the trip home.

Watch Me Grow

10/14/2008
Weight: 7 lbs 12 oz
Length: 20 1/2 in
10/17/2008
Weight: 7 lbs 4 oz
Length: 20 1/2 in
10/23/2008
Weight: 7 lbs 11 oz
Length: 20 1/2 in
12/16/2008
Weight: 10 lbs 11 oz
Length: 22 3/4 in
2/17/2009
Weight: 12 lbs 8 oz
Length: 25 in

In my brain I always substitute "the pediatrician" with "the vet". Whoops. I've just been a pet owner much, much longer! Anyway, Ben's vet wants to see him gain a little more weight, but I don't know what to do, the kid just exercises too much!

Maybe table scraps?

Welcome Baby Klara Therese

Kevin, Carrie, Julia and Eva welcomed baby Klara into their family yesterday morning. She is a beautiful girl! Ben needs to wait a few months for her to catch up and then he'll have a fantastic playmate.

Four Months Old

No Way!

Ben's been drooling and chewing more than usual. Then, about a week ago, we noticed that a spot in his gumline was a little swollen. And he's been a smidge crankier, but not bad. Last night, I realized I could see it, and today, it's broken through. But it turns out it's really hard to catch a photo of that first little tooth.

Big Day!

So Much to Say, So Little... Sleep

Ben got a wee bit overstimulated yesterday, and I paid for it last night. He has discovered a new thing: Anger. Hey, at least he learned to laugh first, right?
Anyway, I wanted to update the ol' blog and I thought I had plenty to say, but now that I'm here, I'm not feeling too eloquent.

So here's Ben! Minda took a whole mess of 3-month pictures of him yesterday. I think he's thinking, "Hello baby, did somebody put you on your tummy too? Mean lady."


See what I mean? Blech. I need more sleep...

First Laugh

Ben & I went to Minda's to scrapbook last night, and we each worked on a layout. Benjamin worked on a new skill:

C'mere

I'm making you something for Christmas...

Child of God

We had Benjamin's Baptism this morning. He was a trooper. Now comes the fun of sorting through all of the beautiful photos that were taken...

So glad that Dave's flight finally made it last night!

Watch Me Grow

10/14/2008
Weight: 7 lbs 12 oz
Length: 20 1/2 in
10/17/2008
Weight: 7 lbs 4 oz
Length: 20 1/2 in
10/23/2008
Weight: 7 lbs 11 oz
Length: 20 1/2 in
12/16/2008
Weight: 10 lbs 11 oz
Length: 22 3/4 in

Benjamin had his 2-month checkup yesterday. All was well. He had 3 shots, poor baby!

Two Months Old

My eyes are brown. Dave's eyes are brown. So, based on dominant vs. recessive genes, our babe's eyes are...
Becoming more blue every day.
I think he looks a little like his half-brother (who has brown eyes) and a little bit like my brother, Pete (brown eyes). Where did this kid come from, anyway? I have no idea. It's really too bad that he's not mine because I'm crazy in love with him.

Finally...Caught on Film

He's been rewarding everybody with big smiles for a few weeks now, but would quickly stop once a camera appeared. This morning, dressed in his first pair of denim overalls, he was nothing but grins!

Greetings from South Carolina!

In a little while, we're off to go walk around for a while and then go to The Dixie Stampede. I'll write more details about the trip later, but here are a few pictures of that boy...