Merry Christmas!

We headed to the lou for xmas again and it was a lot of fun. Ben enjoyed his first Christmas and stayed up late on Christmas eve over at Momo's (my grandma) house. There was so much going on that he just wanted to be a part of it.

Christmas Morning (in Papa's hat)


Ben all wrapped up.......................Opening his first present on Christmas morning


Ben with Mallory & Riley...............Caroline holding Ben


Ben & Deebo as reindeers........... Ben with Papa (notice what Ben is holding - Holy Benjamins!)


Then on Christmas it snowed and gave a great dusting so that it was truly a white Christmas. Although when we got back home we noticed that we had a lot more snow - I'd guess almost a foot or so and it's still snowing! Just look at our deck!

7 Month Mark!

Yep - Ben hit 7 months just before Christmas. He's having a blast lately rolling around and playing on the floor although after a bit it leads to frustration that he can't crawl. Still thinking we're pretty close to that milestone since he will get up on all fours and lung forward. Ben is definitely a mover and has a ton of energy. I have a feeling once he's mobile we won't be able to keep up with him, but at least for now all the movement is stuck to rolling or pushing himself backwards. You can only get so far that way (luckily for me).

Click on the pic for a slideshow of the last month.



Merry (early) Christmas to everyone ! We get to spend it with my family so I know Ben will be excited to see all his cousins!

Santa!

My company hosted Mr. & Mrs. Clause yesterday and we took the little guy for his first visit. He didn't seem to mind who was holding him which was good, but we were still unable to get a smiling Ben on their laps. He made out a big wish list for them in babble talk so hopefully he doesn't get any of that. He did receive this little dump truck toy that he loves so that was nice.



He is still not crawling, but will roll all over the place to get from here to there and is getting frustrated that he can't get around or certain things like he could if he was crawling. I guess that means it's probably coming up quick, but I still haven't baby proofed other than outlets so I should really think about getting on top of that.

Dada?

So Brian is convinced that Ben has said his first words. He basically has been repeating the sounds which forms dada. Judge for yourself though.

"All I Want For Christmas...

Is my two front teeth!" At least that's what Ben would be saying if he could talk. And yes, the two bottom teeth are coming in! The past few days have been a struggle between giggles and cries, but he's no worse for wear so far. One thing some friends recommended is teething tablets which helped him sleep much better last night. We haven't used them much, but I'm a believer so far.



We also went to the doc today for his check up and he's still average. He weighs in at 17 lbs and 2 oz (50%), height is 26-1/2" (50%), and head circumference is 17-1/4" (55%). He also got the flu and h1n1 shot today so hopefully he will only mantain the cold he's had the past three months instead of getting something worse.

6 Months Old!!

Ben is 6 months old!!! Yippee! Click on the pic for a slideshow of the past month.



And just think he started out like this 5 months ago...


He's growing so fast I can't believe it. He can sit on his own and is even hinting at the beginning of crawling by getting on all fours and rocking a little, but I think we're still a little ways off from the actual movement. Guess I should think about baby proofing in the next few months.

He loves eating solids and most are really easy to make, but apparently my applesauce is like poison and he refuses to eat it. Instead he would rather have processed applesauce made by the one and only gerber. Who knew?!

Early Turkey Day

My parents came in town to visit us and since we won't be there for Thanksgiving we decided to host an early thanksgiving here. We had a few close friends over who were missing out on their traditional thanksgiving as well. A fun time was had by all. Here's a pic of the kiddos.

Ben, Jack & Nicola


Unfortunately I'm terrible about getting pictures or videos with Deebo & Papa so next time I will make sure to get some.

Mini Mangino

Ok - so not quite, but there are still four chins in this picture. We tried to root for KU, but it seems like Ben is a jinx. Every time I dress him in a KU outfit they lose so next week we are going plain. No KU gear will be found on Ben and hopefully that will be enough to snap Reesing out of his slump.



As for the rest of things, all seems to be well. We figured out that he hates peas, but loves just about everything else we've given him. We are still trying to get a good nap schedule figured out, but no luck so far. He still has his 'fussy' time around 5-7 so hopefully we can get that fixed in the near future, but other than that he enjoys his days and sleeps 11 hours at night. Not too much to complain about.

He is starting to get to play with more of his toys and actually play with them rather than hold them. He's mastered the art of throwing things too so depending on the toy he has in hand it may be dangerous to be around (just ask Brian).

Happy Halloween!

Peek A Boo

So Ben thinks this is the funnest (yes - funnest) game ever. We've begun to play it on a daily basis just to hear the giggles and it seems like every day it gets more hilarious. It doesn't seem to matter what object or if we are hiding from him - either way he cracks up. Here's a video we got of it the other day when he couldn't get enough.

Yes, he is in the baby bjorn. His fussy time is late afternoon and he is only content in that or his door jumper so we switch off between the two. Also, that is a deflated balloon of what used to be a bear.

Pumpkin Patch

Ben went to his first pumpkin patch this past week and was very entertained looking at the pumpkins. He just stared while we picked out our pumpkins and even let out a few laughs. Here's a pic of him next to pumpkins that way just as much if not more than him.

This week he's started to sit completely on his own. Ok, so it's only for a few seconds without tipping over, but he tries real hard to sit there. He's also enjoying his jumper. We let him sit in it for quite a while today and he was very content the whole time. I'm glad he's finally enjoying it more than the first couple times we had him in there. It's always nice to have new arsenal for keeping him busy. See the video below for playtime this afternoon.

5 Months Old - Yeah!!!

I apologize it's been a little while, but things have been super busy around here lately. This past weekend Ben was sick with a fever and ear infection possibly, although that went away the next day so we weren't too concerned. He still has a stuffy nose and he has since past this nice bug onto his dad so now I have two sick boys. Wonder when I'll get it....

The weekend before my dad came to visit and stayed with Ben and I when Brian was out of town. Ben loved his Papa time!!! In fact, the night my dad was gone Ben was much more fussy - I think he was a little spoiled :)

Anyway, Ben is officially 5 months old and doing well. He has sort of mastered the art of sleeping on his stomach. He loves to sleep that way and normally he is out when he does, but sometimes when he wakes up with his butt in the air he doesn't like it. Luckily he's getting over that and sleeping better again. Plus he's so cute when he's sleeping like that with his knees tucked under him. (I know - I'm biased)

We've also started giving him rice cereal and he has mastered the art of eating it. In fact, he enjoys it and laughs the whole time. It's very entertaining!! He's also now reflux free!!! No more drugs - yeah! Although the last month he was on zantac he didn't mind the taste of it, it appears that us pinching his cheeks was the real culprit for his screaming. Oops. We'll learn this parenting thing eventually.

Here are some pics of the past month - click on the pic below for the slideshow.

Cardinals or Blues?!

Post season vs home opener? Too many choices! Since the cards lost today and the Blues are currently behind I guess Ben wasn't too much of a good luck charm. I had him in both outfits though just in case and to root them on. Hopefully the Blues come from behind and win, but if not, these pics should cheer people up.

Yes, that would be a puck on his butt. I was looking for a mini hockey stick, but guess I don't have any here. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure they are in my parents basement. Oh well - he'll get one soon enough!

Lions and Tigers and Bens - Oh My!

Just a random pic of Ben in his bear suit :) Couldn't resist putting him in it for our neighborhood party since it's starting to get cool out now and Brian and I have been dying to dress him up.

Did you see the paws?! Cmon - how cute is that!

Ben's Baptism

Ben was baptized this past weekend and the whole fam from STL came up for the event and yes it was quite an event. We even had the Archbishop baptize him since he's a family friend and baptize me when I was just a baby also. Ben handled it like a champ and didn't make a sound throughout it, but he was very curious as to who was pouring water on his head when the time came. Here are some pics.

Cousin Riley & Ben

Godparents - My sister Lara & Brian's brother Steve

Us with Archbishop Naumann

4 Months

Ben's hit the 4 month milestone quicker than I'd thought. Sorry I'm a day late and my posting has slowed down so much, but it's been busy around here with work, studying, baptism prep and MRIs. Yep, Ben is still a pain in my behind, literally.

So to play catch up he's....(deep breath)...grabbing toys, making lots of interesting sounds, sucking his hand and thumb at times, watches football, making monkey faces, rolling over both ways, and laughing (especially when Brian does the theme from Monday Night Football).

He had his checkup today and basically he's average. He weighs in at a whopping 15 lbs 1.5 ozs (55%), 25" long (50%), and head circumference is 16-3/8" (40%). So he has a small head like Brian and I.

Here are some pics from the last month - click the pic for a slide show and there's a video below of just him lounging around.

Grabbing Toys

Ben has mastered the art of grabbing toys (although it's quite a process). He does a big open swing with his arms until his hands come in contact with the object. It's amusing to say the least. I captured this video today pre-chiefs game as part of the 'warm up' to the game day routine Brian seems to think is fun. (Basically watching nfl countdown for 3 hours so needless to say I entertained both Ben and I for a while.)



He has also learned how to roll over from his back to his stomach this past week, but he's only done it a handful of times and we're yet to get a video of it. Updates to come on this one.

Lake, Big Lake!

So it's been a while and I have some catching up to do - I apologize in advance for the length of this post and amount of pictures. Two weekends ago we went to David & Michiyo's BBQ/Volleyball affair and it was a great time.

Here's Jack pulling bottles out for us - a nice progression. And Emily & Nicola - who can resist those cheeks!!

Then last weekend we were at the lake. Ben's first trip and he seemed to enjoy himself. Here he is getting ready for the chiefs kickoff. Shortly after he threw up all over the outfit just out of spite for the chiefs lineup this year.



And while we were at the lake I headed to the outlet malls and got a great deal on his halloween outfit so here's a preview.

I'll try to keep on the updates a little more, but it has been busy trying to balance work and mommyhood - normally I'm just too tired to post things.

3 Months Already!

It's hard to believe that my little man is growing up so fast. Click on the pic for a slideshow.

T-Bones Game

My company had a night at the T-bones yesterday so we decided to pack up and take the little tike to his first baseball game (although Brian kept reminding him that it's only minor leagues in which I stated so are the royals, but that's a whole nother story)! He did really well until he finally hit a breaking point past his bedtime that told us we better go or it will get ugly fast. Of course he slept once we got in the car so it all worked out. He got to enjoy sitting on the hill and watching a bunch of other kids play on the jungle gym and blow up things. I think he was jealous, but he was a good sport and let out a lot of smiles to everyone. I can't believe he is already 3 months old! Here's a pic from the game and I'll post his 3 month pics shortly.

Big Boy Chair

Lately he's ben enjoying his bumbo chair and on sunday he watched the end of the PGA Championship in it. He let's out lots of smiles and laughs, but eventually he gets bored of trying to hold his head up as it's still a little wobbly. Hopefully time in the chair will help him get complete control of his neck.

He's been in pretty good spirits even though he has a cold. Yep - one week at daycare and he's already sick. At least it's just a cold and no fever so he's doing okay although a little more fussy when he can't breath. I can't really blame him for that.

Sitting up!


Laughing at Ellie


Watching the PGA Championship

Gonna be a rockstar!

When my parents came through town last weekend they dropped off a little present...soft cowboy boots for Ben. Yep, so what was I to do except dress him in his rockstar shirt and put the boots on him for some prime pics. This is Ben in his element with spit up and drool all down him. I'd have to change him at least 3 times on a good day so I got lazy sometimes. That would explain the drool on his shirt, but the face - that's just priceless! It's as if he knows this picture will come back to haunt him one day.

First Week of Daycare...

Well, we've made it through the first week of daycare and he's no worse for wear. He still seems to be very happy and is even sleeping better through the night. I, on the other hand, seem to be a little worse off. I never realized how hard it would be to leave him each morning to let someone else watch him and enjoy him all day while I go to work. Unfortunately I have to work so we can afford his diapers and such. Here's a video of him enjoying his friday afternoon.



My posts will probably be reduced to just one a week now that I'm back at work, but I'll try to post as much as possible with updated pictures and videos since he's changing so much now.

Burping is a 2 person job?!

My parents stopped by for a couple days on their way back from a vacation and here are some pics of our time together.

Yesterday my mom fed Ben for the second time and it appears that both of them had to burp him after the first time since he threw up almost half his bottle on her shirt. Oops! I warned them that he is a big spitter, but they weren't quite prepared for what he had in store for them. Since then they have seemed to double team it or hand him off to me for the burping portion. Hopefully one day he will learn to keep it down better!

We went to the Steamboat Arabia Museum for a tour and it was really interesting then we went to Fogo de Chao for dinner and it was great! Here's Ben dressed for his dinner on the plaza.

Then when it was time to leave, they decided to sit and watch him sleep until they had to go. At least they took turns instead of pulling up two chairs!

Walking?

So the title may be a little misleading, but judge for yourself. If he could hold himself up, not walk on the sides of his feet, and not criss cross his feet to say the least, he would be all over the place. We discovered he would start 'walking' anytime we would hold him up and Brian is of course encouraging him to go straight from laying down to walking and skip the crawling, but I'm just not ready for him to be mobile yet. He does move his legs when you place him on his tummy (when he's not rolling over), but the arms just lay there or he does mini push ups. Seems like we still have a ways to go luckily!

Happy Baby

I realized I don't have much video of Ben on here and since he's starting to be a lot more interactive with us I thought I would post this video of him smiling and having fun. I wasn't able to capture his huge open mouth grin, but this is pretty typical of most his playtime. (He never stops moving...NEVER!!)

Hands are fascinating!

As of last Monday Ben has finally figured out his hands and loves to play with them in his mouth. He has not started sucking his thumb, but rather his whole hand. Yes, he practically puts his entire fist in his mouth and sucks. This helps with us not having to put the binky in his mouth so much, but it does lead to hickies. Yep, Ben is giving himself hickies now once he gets a good hold of his hand or even his arm - whatever is nearest to his mouth. At least he has a new form of entertainment now!

Yo Gabba Gabba!

Yes, anyone with kids is probably familiar with this show and now my poor little guy seems to absolutely be entranced when it comes on. So naturally, I tape it and use that 20 minutes wisely for showers and cleaning. At least it's educational although I'm not sure how much he truly understands any of it yet. It's just like a mini version of the baby einstein vidoes but much better or at least entertaining for me! After all they had Jack Black on it the other day. How much more intriguing can it be to see him dance around in a tight unitard dancing with big stuffed people?! Here's a pic of Ben watching it.

Jumper

Today we tried the jumper out again and he seemed to enjoy it a little more, plus I didn't have to prop him up as much. He does really well standing on his own, but I don't think he's quite figured out the jumping/bouncing part of it. Of course Ellie wanted in on the action also! Sorry it's sideways - I couldn't figure out how to rotate it.

Ben is 2 Months Old!!

Ben has finally hit the 2 month mark!! It really has been going by so fast. He is definitely smiling at us and can recognize our voices. He is so close to laughing, but hasn't quite let out a good giggle yet so we're still working on that. He can focus on objects farther away and loves to look at himself in the mirror along with starting to be fascinated with the tv. Looks like we may have to limit his tv watching time (although the baby einstein vidoes are really a lifesaver for my shower time - even though they creep me out a bit)! Ben is still rolling over from his stomach to his back and can roll to his side from his back, but he hasn't quite made the leap to roll all the way to his stomach yet. I'll be sad when that day comes as I won't be able to place him in the many unsafe places I currently do if he was rolling off his back! He's getting with nighttime and is generally only waking up once to eat although he still has his rough nights where he'll want to be up for a bit instead of sleep.


We went to the doc today and he got his shots :( It's too bad you can't warn the poor kid what he's in for or he can't eat a lollipop when it's over, but he made do without too much fuss. He was asleep when they came in with the needles which made for instant cry when he was awoken to three shots! He stopped though once I picked him up. He is currently 12 pounds and 60th percentile along with 23-1/2" long which is 75th percentile.



I didn't take quite as many pics this month as I did last month and since there are more posts with pictures of his adventures on the blog there aren't as many pics in the slide show, but click on the pic for a few from this past month.

St. Louis Visit

Ben took his first trip and of course it was to the stl. He did great on the car ride both there and back with only one stop for some food. We had a fun filled weekend with his cousins and the grandparents. A huge thanks is deserved for my dad for taking the night shift for three nights in a row!! Brian and I enjoyed sleeping a whole night through (although we were each up out of habit just to check that he wasn't a demon for my dad).

On Sunday we went to my grandma's (Momo) house for her annual BBQ and extreme croquet tournament. The ribs were great, the game was entertaining and the company was the best. Ben was a good boy and enjoyed all the attention. How couldn't a kid enjoy being passed around and getting constant attention for 6 hours?! He also got to meet my cousin's new little one, Lily, that is only 4 days younger than him. She's adorable and has some of the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen! It's amazing how quickly all the cousins are growing up each time I go back for a visit - they're getting so big! I can't wait for Ben to be walking to be able to play with them.

Click on the pic for a slide show from the BBQ.

Another Playdate

So we had another play date with Nicola and Milo and this time they were sort of awake for some of it. We have been getting together weekly so this is just the beginning of the pics since we're going to try and take them each week to capture the essence of these wonderful times.

You better wake up quickly Milo - Nicola's getting fresh! Ben's isn't too sure about it either!


Party time!