Dear Ben #2

Dear Wonderful Nugget,

Although every day I wish I could express to you my love and delight for you, I know you will only know this love if you one day choose to become a Dad.  I waited for and wanted you for so long,.. always thinking I'd know just how much I'd love you if only you would be brought into my life.  I was very silly for thinking I knew anything about it because my love for you is indescribable and so much more and different than I imagined.

Right now you delight me most when you scrunch up your nose and breathe heavily in and out of it like you are an angry fire-breathing dragon (all with a big smile on your face.)  I call this "crinkle-nosing."  And your toes.....your sweet sweet toes are always so busy moving around while you roll your feet with excitement.  

You continue to show daredevil tendencies that frighten me and right now you try to get me to let go of you all together while you are standing, (which you CANNOT do on your own.)  

I absolutely adore how you lean back into one corner of any shopping cart and pull one knee in and lean back with your arms up on the sides like you are totally relaxed and way too cool for whatever we are doing.

You are starting to say Mama beyond moments of distress and uttering long (and sometimes very loud) strings of dadadada ddaaaaadadadadaddaddddaaad, which is your favorite happy sound.

Right now you can't get enough of the book, The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle and we read it every day and usually before bed, too.

We've been having some very fun lunchtime conversations and I would give anything to know what's going on in that perfect Nugget head of yours.  Your capability for learning and absorbing is growing so quickly you astound me nearly every day.

I am thankful every minute for the miracle you are and the blessing you are in my life and I will do my best to always remember that-even when you drive over my azaleas or come home late or use a marker on the couch.
I have a collection of quotes I wanted to use in decorating your nursery.  In fact, by the time you read this, you may know them all by heart.  One however, I came across while longing for our paths to cross.  When I found this quote, I didn't know you were on your way to me, but when I did learn you might come into my life, I kept this quote at my desk at work, right in my constant line of vision.  It helped assuage my fears and doubts that something might interrupt the universe's plan for you to enter my life and so often helped calm me when I was scared or anxious.  So, Dear Ben, remember that dreams do come true and always dream big!


Dreams do come true. Without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.                                                                       -John Updike


                   Love you,
                          Mom

Good-Bye

Thankfully it's not really good-bye yet, but Angela and I put together a going away bbq for the TS's (Caleb, Tisha, Cadyn) last night.  It was fun to get people together and we all did a pretty good job staying jovial and not getting too sad.  Cadyn was handing out kisses to Ben and Riley and that did make me tear up at the sheer sweetness.  She was very careful to get perfectly lined up and plant it right on the kisser.  It was pure sweet innocence and neither Tisha nor I captured a pic as Cadyn couldn't be convinced to do it while we had cameras at the ready.  

The TS's have found an AMAZING home for their 2-3 year stay in Calgary and I'm already saving miles in hopes of making a trip to visit next spring or summer after the great thaw :).

I'm hoping Tisha, Cadyn, Ben and I will at the very least get a few more walks in and trying to convince them Missoula is on their way to Calgary as Ben and I will be there when they would be driving through.  As they will leave town after Ben and I do, I am hoping to return to Wichita and successfully convince myself the TS's were just a wonderful, happy, dream but something that was never real and therefore can't really be missed.  Yeah, good luck with that Erickson!

Cadyn considering trying on her new dress from Di and Barry

 

Everyone!!

 

Smiley Riley

10 Months

We had Ben's 10 month well-baby visit this morning, and all is well, except for his space cadet Mama!  The biggest reason for today's appt was a hemoglobin check to insure he is getting enough iron and the PA left the room and said, "ok, you're all set and we'll know the hemoglobin results by the end of the day." I was a little confused about when she had snuck in the toe prick but was also pre-occupied with getting all my questions in.  I walked out and as there was no one to ask and checking out took a minute, I thought we were indeed "all set."  Well, no! We should have waited for the nurse and they had called before we made it home and said we could just do it at his 12 month visit.

Ben is doing everything on the milestone checklist and the PA said that because he's such and adept roller and mostly gets where he wants to go that he may not crawl.  She said that if he does it will come as a part of pulling himself up into standing against things and at the same time.

Ben is in the classic 9-10 month growth curve plateau with his height and weight and the PA added that his thumb and forefinger pincing are ahead of the curve and his sippy cup use will really help with quitting the bottle.  We got instructions for the switch to whole milk in a couple months and clearance to eat any and everything including meat and whole milk dairy products besides milk, of course.

I have some research to do about how to make pureed meat taste good and I think I'll start with whole fat plain yogurt with his current fruits mixed in to minimize extra sugar.

Stats from today are: 

21lbs 12oz. = 55.25%

27 3/8 in. = 14.75%

the nurse seemed frustrated that I was taking a pic and did his length without my usual help.  At 9 months he was 28 in. and I don't think he's shrinking :).

45.5 cm head circ = 45%

In other 10 month news, Ben now has 8 teeth (2 are still on their way in), is more in love with Jelly (his Jellycat brand stuffed tiger and bed-time companion) than ever,  and got his first fat lip over the weekend.  There was a little blood and I more than a little freaked but calmed myself down and it was all over in less than 3 minutes.  We are still swimming several times a week and I really think he might need some private lessons over the winter at the YMCA.  Because he can't test into the next level group class for more than a year, I want to embrace his love and skills and develop them if he is ready.

Yep, that's the extent of the fat lip and it only bled for a moment. 

And yes, there is a hair coming from his mouth :).

I'm excited for all the new foods Ben gets to try and that we really are having to start baby-proofing a bit.  Next well-baby visit is August 25th.  Stand-by........

LIES

Ok, I lied.  One more post before Monday.  I was just inspired with a quick photo post.  As my plan remains to print and bind this blog once a year on Ben's birthday, I don't want these photos lost in the iPhoto caverns for eternity.  My dear friend Tisha captured them over the past couple weeks and they are a treasure to me.  I have very few pictures of Ben and I and even fewer I'm willing to share with the world, so here are a couple of my faves.  Thank you to Tisha for the capturing and the thoughtfulness!

On the Move

Spoiler alert!!  I am foraying a bit into "development" here, which I previously vowed to save until after Monday's well-baby Dr. visit.  You've been warned!  No, there is no crawling, but Ben HAS discovered the world beyond the family room.  Last weekend he rolled all the way from the family room to the kitchen stove and now no part of the main floor is off limits.  He gets very proud of himself when he gets to undiscovered country and looks around and then beams back at me or Ryan as if to say, "this is new, huh?  and I got here all on my own."  He is very creative about what I describe as eighty point turning and aligning his body at the next intended target for a quick roll.  

I am confident his initial motivation to move beyond the carpet was Anna.  He would see her laying there in the eating space and try to get to her.  Now he squeals with delight as he approaches her and forces her to get up and move, thus defining his next target.  Poor Anna must be thinking, "really, 11.5 years of love and loyalty for this??"  Poor pups!, if only they knew what's ahead for them!  I do think the continuing increase of food and puffs on the floor more than makes up for the inconvenience of staying the heck out of the way of the little rolling monster.

Ok, I promise that's the last spoiler before Monday and almost surely the last post as we have a busy weekend of going-away parties ahead.

"Wow, that's a lot of dog hair.  I know Mom just vacuumed yesterday."

Yes, this is my proud face and I don't know I'm stuck yet.

Mad for Mangoes

see also - Fruitaholics Anonymous.  

It is becoming more clear everyday what a wise choice I made in having Ben try most of the veggies before starting fruit.  Last week when MeeMee was feeding him, Ben threw a little fit because he could see the applesauce and didn't want whatever green thing she was offering.  His antics didn't work with her, and they won't with me, but we do have a smart little man on our hands.  

Today at lunch, I put him in is high chair (facing away from me) to snack on some puffs while I finished preparing his lunch.  I nuked his veggies and pureed him a mango and walked to the table with the bowl of green beans and carrots.  We do know enough by now to not bring the fruit to the table until his veggies are done.  He took one look in the bowl and instantly started a fit and wrenched his back to look towards the food processor.  He ate his veggies through screaming and tears and constant looks over his shoulder at the mango mess on the counter.  As you'll also see in the video link below, he was none too pleased when the mangoes were gone.  I do refuse to "hide" his veggies in fruit, which I could easily do, so from now on I'll have to be more careful about waiting to put him in his chair and keeping the fruit from view until the veggies are gone.  He acts the same about whole wheat bread and becomes obsessed with it and only it any time it's offered.  It's now "dessert" at the meals where he gets it-who knew?? wheat bread as dessert??  I am going to be on the look-out for a very low sugar bread and see if that helps.

There's a lot of other fun going on in the development department (no, no crawling,) but we have our 10 month well-baby visit Monday so I will save that stuff for then.

 

here's a link to the end of the mangoes, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqjTv7j8P3E

Father's Days

Yes, the Day is plural above because Ryan's birthday was yesterday, the day after Father's day.  Someone didn't think that through when they were pining for a baby!! I must have used every pot and pan we own on Father's day alone.... Every dish washed was worth the effort for great food and great quality family time.  Ryan got to spend Saturday watching the Wichita Open golf tournament with friend Rob, which made for an entirely fun and relaxing weekend for him.

Sunday started with my first attempt at chilaquiles and eggs.  We ate them every morning of our honeymoon in Cabo and have been talking for 3 years now about making them.  Along with hashbrowns and fruit, they were delicious.  In between Ben's naps we all headed to the nearly empty neighborhood pool.  It was lots of fun and nice to have help at the pool and get to swim on my own a bit.  Ryan spent nap time playing with his new drill press and I had to call him in to hang out with Ben while I prepared dinner.  I hadn't realized how many projects were on hold while Ryan hoped for a drill press.  For all who contributed, it was a great gift!!  Ben got him another very nostalgic gift, but as only half of it has arrived, I will post a pic when it's all here and together.

Dinner was steak au poivre, Emeril's red potatoes au gratin, and honey balsamic green beans.  The day was capped with strawberry shortcake after Ben went to bed, but the fun did not end on Sunday.

I got up early Monday to make muffins and quick bread for Ryan to share at work and Ben and I made final preparations for his birthday dinner.  Ryan requested a light meal of shrimp and veggies on the BBQ after the heaviness of the previous night's meal.  An after dinner trip to Dairy Queen finished the celebrating and meant we wouldn't have ice cream cake all week in the freezer and then on our thighs.

I can hardly wait until next year when Ben can cook and maybe there will at least be one day in between!

Here is a link to another of Ben's gifts to his Dad, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGnqFRmu3MI

Fantastically Fabulous Fountain Fun

MeeMee came for a wonderful visit last Sunday and sadly left us Thursday morning.  Ryan was in Cedar Rapids so we had a nice visit filled with shopping, sewing, swimming, and some running and cooking........

and belly nibbling!

On Wednesday morning we joined the usual crew for a playdate at Riverside park.  They have a large fountain play area, as well as standard playground equipment so I hoped it would please all the kiddos.  Cadyn was content so sit back and watch with a couple quick walks up to touch the water and retreat.  Charlotte liked the fountains but did not like Ben splashing her.  And Ben, well, it should come as no surprise that he sat next to the fountain with his hand spraying a steady stream of water in his face and seemed content to stay there forever.  I made him take a couple of breaks and after lunch he enjoyed the shady swings at the playground.  I do believe this park will be a regular stop on our summer tour.

 

Someone said, "double-fisted, just like Daddy."

EEEEEEEEEE! Oh Charlotte!

 

Beautiful Girls

 

As the last pic above shows all the kiddos, I started thinking about when we first started hanging out when we all attended itsy bitsy yoga together.  I threw in some pics below for a little growth perspective from only 6 months ago-crazy!

Chew Toys

No, this post isn't regarding the four-leggeds.  My darling Ben is discovering more with his mouth everyday.  He has four teeth on top, two on the bottom with two more on the way, and is almost always chewing on something.  He has bitten my ankle bone and tries regularly to munch on any part of his Dad or myself that he can get in his mouth.

While he still loves Sophie the Giraffe (French teether given to every French baby upon conception by the French government),  he regularly tries to get very large objects into his mouth.  He picks up his entire kitchen, driver toy, and new basketball hoop to try to chew on.  He is only about 50% successful with the chewing part but is so strong he can always pick up these large toys and bang himself in the head or drop them on himself or his extremities.  We try to intervene and distract while allowing a little bit of learn by doing.  It is certainly entertaining but a phase I won't miss.

"What Mom, What?"

The Chicco Driver, another fav chew toy

Poor Sophie

Some people eat what's in the fridge........

Ben just eats the fridge.

 

The basketball hoop here is the newest "chew toy" from a recent $32 garage sale score

(Yes, that's right $32 for the $149 worth of currently sold toys above.  Surely a once-in-a-lifetime find.)

Photo Shoot

Tante Mollusk got Ben a cute preppy outfit earlier in the spring that I planned for him to premier at Charlotte's birthday party.  Unfortunately, the shorts did not fit at all yet and we certainly have some room to grow in the shirt.  Some other khaki shorts from Nana Pat stood in beautifully and as I forgot to take pics before we left, we had a little photo shoot when we got home.  Ben's Easter hat was a perfect compliment and this proud Mama had lots of fun shooting this subject.

 

And the best of the blurries........

working on his Zoolander face