Marvelous Monkeypants and the Awesome Afternoon

Yesterday was a very regular and routine Monday at the Heimer Hilton and it was Awesome.  Ben actually had his first stomach upset resulting in throwing up over the weekend and has a head cold to boot.  His Nana was also very sick over the weekend so we were all trying to stay and get healthy.  Despite all this, Ben and I had the most fun afternoon yesterday wrapping gifts and giggling incessantly.  He was very very cuddly for some reason and everything seemed to be over-the-top funny.  I just wanted to blog about it because my heart was so full and so warm and I hope wonderful memories might be sparked by a post and some pictures.  There was a mid-day wardrobe change for those who might wonder and they are all phone pics, but I think they'll work for me.

Yep that's a molar back there

 

What, You WANT me to tear it??"

In other updates I promised I'd forget from the late night 15 month round-up.........

Ben continues to LOVE sunbathing.  As it did at MeeMee's over the weekend, so did the sun stop Ben in his tracks at Cole and Amy's last week for a little relaxing.  He literally rolls from side to side slowly while ooohing and aaahhing with delight.  I'm confident Ben will grow to love the many days of CO sunshine as much as his Mama.

While reading his favorite, Grouchy Ladybug, Ryan has taught Ben how to beat his chest like the gorilla in the book!  Ben's feet circle faster and faster as the page with the gorilla approaches and today he looked at me for permission before beating away.  He did it the other day with an elephant in a different book, which is funny because the elephant comes a couple pages after the gorilla.  We discussed what an elephant does and talked about gorillas some as well.  I was rolling with laughter when I figured out his mix-up:).

Thanksgiving

Ben enjoyed his first edible Thanksgiving but slept through the first meal at Nana and Grandpa's and was VERY tired through the second with MeeMee and Tante.

All the fresh air at the Pigskin Classic in the morning must have worn him out.  That and the notes he was making in his head for when he gets to play next in several years.  Ryan and his friends have had the Thanksgiving morning tradition of football at Weaver Park for 15 Years!! The crowd and players vary a bit each year as Holiday plans take people in different directions but one thing has never changed....the last player to arrive always wears a pink dress!!  There were no major injuries this year as there have been in the past and the timeouts and breaks were longer than ever before :).  The nearly 70 degree sideline temperatures meant the crowd had as much fun as the players.

Eventually speedy Chad arrived to wear the dress and show-up the rest.

Look at the cute behind on #28! 

After football, we headed to our first meal at Nana and Grandpa's, and then on a couple hours later to eat dinner with MeeMee and Tante. 

Ben, MeeMee and Jelly discussing Christmas cookies

Tante and Ryan making the rue for the gravy

Molly's beautiful centerpiece

Enjoying his first Thanksgiving meal

We were all in bed not long after Ben to prepare for the Black Friday shopping festivities.  Many retailers opened at midnight this year to our dismay.  Molly and I in particular love getting to shop Friday morning as we both spent many years working retail and missing out on the fun.  We all refused, though, to contribute to people getting to spend even less time with their families.  What's next, day after Christmas shopping on Christmas?  Ryan joined the fun this year and MeeMee stayed with Ben.  We arrived at our first destination at 6 am and got the second to the last of what we had come for.  We stopped at home for breakfast as MeeMee made chile relleno casserole.  We made it to two more malls before calling it a day at 230pm and heading home for lunch.  Overall we were very successful and we all got lots checked off our lists.  MeeMee even capped the evening with a new TV purchase that we will all enjoy lots of Christmas movies on in the weeks to come.

Ben had lots of fun at MeeMee's while we shopped

He really contemplated climbing into the dryer

This year included a first for me, too.  As I have cooked the last couple years in Wichita, this is the first Thanksgiving in a long time where I was actually starving by the time the feast was served!!  I started my day with a fabulous and chilly run and was busy busy all morning getting ready and getting to football and back with the boys in tow.  There just wasn't time to snack and pick as things were being prepared and it was wonderful!!  Try as I might for many years, I've always ended up snacking and this year was fantastic to finally sit down hungry:).

Thankfulness

On this fine Gobble Gobble eve, I am very thankful for many things.  I'm pretty grateful most days for my life, but something has struck me this week as we attempt our first ever double Thanksgiving feast.  Many people have recently said, "oh no, really, you have to do two Thanksgivings?"  

I am so very thankful and so very blessed to have many people to celebrate with and be thankful for.  I am saddened for those who have no one or nothing to be thankful for or to eat this Turkey Day.  

I am also so thankful that in this time of transition for our family, we have been so welcomed by so many to stay in their homes for weeks, weekends or months.  I find myself thinking a lot these days about the movie Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith that was based on a true story.  What has always shocked me about that story is how they literally had NO ONE to turn to! How does that happen?  

I am so grateful today, tomorrow and every day for all the people who love and support us.  

One of mine and Ryan's most important roles as parents will be to teach Ben gratitude and thankfulness and not to take all of life's beautiful blessings for granted.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my dear followers!  May it be the start of a blessed Holiday season for you and all who you hold dear.

15 Months

Cuddling with Dad on 15 month Eve

Well, our little Ben has made that PA at his 14(15) month appointment eat her words.  Most excitingly, yesterday evening, just as his 15 month birthday was coming to a close, our little Nugget walked!! There were not 3 steps this time, but 5, then 8, then "Mama get the video camera!!", then back and forth across Nana and Grandpa's family room several times.  

You can watch clips here and here.

We spent today and will tomorrow with friends Grace and Sara while they are off school and Ben walked all over Sara's giant gymnastics studio today.  I was a proud, proud Mama, proclaiming to several spectators that Ben had, "been at this less than 24 hours!"  You can watch my upside down video prowess here.

We have all quickly learned the important role certain shoes, certain surfaces, and certain combinations of the two play in Ben's walking abilities.  Right now it's LOTS of fun.  I'll be sure and let you know if I still think so in a week.

In other 15 month news, Ben has added several words to his repertoire that I can confidently say he knows (not being a blind or fibbin' Mama).  These words include go, Anna and Nana (actually discernible), Hi, and we're getting close with Bye Bye.  Added to his Mama, Dada and Tante, I think the PA would now be satisfied :).

I think he loves having more people and family around which has made me cherish our one-on-one walks the past two weeks as he chatters away and giggles with delight at each pup we pass.  

Clement Park where we walk and run.

I am trying to let him help feed himself with utensils more and now that walking is underway, I will focus more time on self-feeding and drinking from a cup.  I have perhaps gotten a bit lazy with nearly all finger foods that I can let Ben feed himself.

While Ben still really loves Grouchy Ladybug, he is very into Goodnight Moon and It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown with interactive sounds that he got for Halloween from friend Cadyn.  His focus and love for reading increases every day and he'd be happy to sit in my lap and be read to for hours on end.

Since our move, he's been sleeping 11 hours or more at night and often taking two good naps.  I guess the activity and mountain air is good for him. 

Speaking of sleep, as this may be the latest at night I've blogged since Ben was 3 months old, I will say goodnight and promise an update for all I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Ben, when you read this when you are six or seven you will probably already stay up later than Mom and this will all make sense.  Love you!

Gimme 3 steps

This Lynyrd Skynyrd song has been running over and over in my head since last night when Ben took three full, strong and confident steps. He did so again this morning, though they were not quite as sure-footed.  I sat with video camera at the ready for quite a while this morning waiting for my chance, but it didn't come again.  I do think he's still weeks away from all-out walking, but we're making progress and watching his pride shine out is the best!

Helicopter Mom

From Wikipedia:

Helicopter parent is a colloquial, early 21st-century term for a parent who pays extremely close attention to his or her child's or children's experiences and problems, particularly at educational institutions. The term was originally coined by Foster W. Cline, M.D. and Jim Fay in their 1990 book Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility,^[1] although Dr. Haim Ginott mentions a teen who complains, "Mother hovers over me like a helicopter..." on page 18 of the bestselling book Between Parent & Teenager published in 1969. Helicopter parents are so named because, like helicopters, they hover closely overhead, rarely out of reach, whether their children need them or not. In Scandinavia, this phenomenon is known as curling parenthood and describes parents who attempt to sweep all obstacles out of the paths of their children. It is also called "overparenting". Parents try to resolve their child's problems, and try to stop them coming to harm by keeping them out of dangerous situations.<sup>[2][3]

Until yesterday, I never thought of myself as a Helicopter Mom.  I have been surprised, in fact, by many things I allow Ben to do that I never thought I would.  I let him crawl on the floor in public places, eat lick fuzz from the floor (at home), and eat off restaurant tables after only one quick wipe.  I also let him share toys with and play with friends that go to daycare, another thing I thought I might not allow so early.  Yesterday, however, all of that changed.  Ben had his first experience at a mall children's play area.  A chilly, windy day moved our walking date indoors for a little holiday shopping.  While waiting for our friend, I noticed the play area was closed for cleaning.  There were six people scrubbing, drying and vacuuming for almost an hour based on the sign.  Now, to this germaphobic Mama, there was no better time to try this out than after a fresh scrubbing.  Kids and parents were all lined up and waiting so we strolled to avoid the mad rush and let everyone get in first and "settled down."  I took Ben to a quiet end with shorter play structures I thought might be easier for him to climb on.  Of course he took a bee-line straight for the biggest kids who were climbing as high as they could and jumping and landing in somersaults on the ground.  I stopped breathing several times and probably gasped out loud as well.  The big kids were somehow aware of the little kids around and managed to barely miss the babies while stopping or turning on a dime.  Even Ben turned his head more than once to avoid collisions that never came.  Ben loved every minute and even made good choices about finding the shorter distances to the ground from the bridge rather than crawling head first off the tallest end.  He and another baby had a stare down from either side of the tent tunnel and the biggest boy there politely asked if I could "move the babies."  I explained that only one was mine to move and maybe he could go play on any of the other twenty toys.  I hope something stuck with Ben about all the kids running and maybe he considered he was capable of it too.  We'll go back.  Soon.  Though I may seek out the slow time at lunch or early in the morning or take a Xanax before we go.</sup>  

 

Weekend Again

Here we are again, a week gone by and only a "Weekend" post to show for it.  Nana and Grandpa went to visit life-long friends Connie and Drew in Grand Junction so we had the house to ourselves with our "little family."

Ben and I have settled into a bit of a routine and friend Towbin has Wednesdays and Thursdays off for walking dates in one of the neighborhoods we love.  We are starting to make regular play dates with other friends on their free days and get some regularly scheduled kiddo activities going. 

We were blessed last Friday to help Great Grandma Lola celebrate her 94th birthday.  Ben ate up all the attention at Grandma's assisted living facility and loved the grilled cheese and chocolate ice cream he got for lunch.

Saturday we enjoyed a gorgeous fall day with a picnic in Washington Park and Tante, MeeMee, and Towbin stopped by to say hi.

Tumblin' with Tante

Happy Baby

Happy Dada

Happy Kali

Smith Lake

Sunday was one of the first lazy and relaxing days we've had in a VERY long time and it felt great to do nearly nothing.

I've been feeling bad about not posting more and not having more exciting things to share, but with the Holidays around the corner, something tells me our dry-spell won't last long.

Winter Wonderland Welcome, a Wonderful Weekend, and a Wee bit o' Walking

Last Tuesday night, the Welcome Wagon blessed the Heimer family with a beautiful fall snowstorm.  The locals were less pleased at it was their second in as many weeks, but it was beeeyoootiful!!  We spent Monday and Tuesday running around getting Ben snow boots and a suitable hat and waterproof mittens and every minute of errand was worth the joy on his face as he played in the snow.  There was supposed to be a similar dumping this morning, but we awoke to green grass and clear streets.  Won't be the last missed forecast of the season.

We started the weekend at the CU vs. USC game in Boulder with Tante Mollusk and JPizzle, and ran into several college friends of mine.  Though the game was brutal, it was beautiful and lots of fun, and great to be back in Boulder.  MeeMee watched Ben as it was a cold night game but I was surprised at the amount of people that had little ones at the game.

With friend Ty from college

Sissies

baby in a bag

Saturday we stayed at MeeMee's and headed out for lunch at Blue Bonnet and some house hunting in Wash Park.  Of course we loved the neighborhood and I actually loved one house but we are in no position to buy until our house sells and we are in the midst of the great urban vs. suburban debate which has no clear resolution at this point.

Ryan headed south to Colo Springs Sat night for a guys night leaving Tante, MeeMee and I to watch Crazy Stupid Love and have a girls night of our own.

Sunday I met my very tired husband at Cole, Amy, Grace and Sara's for lunch and a trip to a beautiful local park.  We closed the afternoon with some suburban house hunting where, of course, Ryan found a house HE liked.

my boys

Grace manning Anna.  Notice the big boy totally stuck in the baby swing.

Sara posing

The appeal of the western 'burbs

In the midst of all of this Ben took more and more steps.  He still hasn't taken more than one and a half, but has done it several times, and stood for almost a minute last night.  I'm not convinced he'll be running to The Turkey but certainly to the tree on Christmas morning.

A Welcome from Tante

From:     edwards.molly@gmail.com
    Subject:     CO
    Date:     October 31, 2011 1:53:33 PM CDT
    To:     benheimer@me.com
Nuggs!

You are in the car with you mama at this very moment about one hour away from Denver.  Vacationing in CO again you say?  Nope nope nope - you live here now!!!!!  My life could not be more complete today than to have the two of you back and living so close to me.  Words just don't even come close to describing how happy and content I feel. 

We are going trick-or-treating tonight in dada's old neighborhood and you are going to steal the show!  Rawrrrr!!!

In other super exciting news....you totally said "Tante" today.  I know you don't really know what it means but it was the sweetest thing to hear that tiny little voice say a name that means so much to me. 

Love you to pieces, my little Denver Nugget!!

xoxoxo,
Tante Mollusk



Ben has actually said Tante on queue several times since!! Though it's a close tie with go, it's officially his third word :).

2nd Halloween

Ok, I promise that at some point I'll stop with the 2nd this and the 3rd that, but Halloween was Ben's first major holiday to experience for the second time.  And yes, per the last post, Ben was the tiger on the loose.  As Halloween loomed, (in July) I thought about what Ben would choose to be if he could.  The answer was quick and clear-a tiger, just like his best friend Jellycat.  He also makes a cat hissing noise quite often that I hoped he'd keep up through Halloween.  Although he still makes the noise frequently, getting him to do it on queue was laughable.  There is a video here.  I found an amazing deal on a costume on Zulilly in August never dreaming he'd be trick-or-treating in Colorado. 

We drove in from Wichita and quickly freshened up and put Ben into his Tiger best.  Our first stop was great Grandma Lola's assisted living facility where all the residents that choose to line up in chairs around the lobby and hand out candy.  It was very busy and noisy and chaotic and Ben took it all in stride and quickly wanted to set off on his own to explore.  I was a bit worried as he has screamed at the "hello's" of well meaning older ladies in the grocery store several times, that the older people might frighten him.  He loved every minute and I think Grandma Lola was quite surprised and thrilled by our visit.

Visiting a little pup

Ryan telling his Grandma that we live here now

Walking up to surprise Great Grandma

We met up with Tante next and looked at a couple houses before heading back to Nana and Grandpa's for trick-or-treating.  After a quick dinner, we headed out around the cul-de-sac where Ryan had done the same MANY years before.  It was fun to see neighbors we knew and meet new ones.  Ben enjoyed himself though was totally clueless the whole time.  He did enjoy the Grandpa who counted four treats into his treat bag, but other than that, I think Monkeypants Nugget Tiger was just happy to be outside surrounded by his doting family.  Some playing with Tante capped the evening and we all fell into bed EXHAUSTED!!  After reading about our friend Cadyn's Halloween experience in the great white north, I am excited for how fun Halloween #3 should be.

I think the pumpkin patch last year had lasting effects :(

This was the sweet counting Grandpa

Waiting patiently

rrrrrrawwwwrrrr!! Hissssssss!

a happy Tiger