Fresh Cut (Haircut #5)

Just when I thought we might not be able to take Ben to Bobbi anymore........

(Yes, that's lollipop drool on his smock)

He discovered the joy of a lollipop! On his last cut, Bobbi offered them and he didn't seem to care, but this time was very different.  He loved it so much that at one point of shuffling around, I asked where it was and he had sucked the stick in half and had both halves in his mouth still sucking away.  He wasn't quite ready for bed on time but a rambunctious baby is a small price to pay to avoid the tv and video game plastered kiddie salons.  He looks so handsome with his fresh cut :).

Beginner's Luck and the Baby Bible

First, if you read yesterday's post, night 2 of our new sleep routine went great!! Ben squeaked at 11:15, I think because he was uncovered, and quickly went back to sleep.  I heard him stirring at 5 am and snuck in and covered him before he got fully awake and ........voila!!!......he slept until 730.  11.5 hours!  As I said yesterday, this isn't a first, but we are trying to make it a regular.

I will never take for granted how blessed we were with an infant who slept great.  At 9 weeks he was usually sleeping at least 7 hours.  There were lots of horrible afternoons of forcing him to stay awake to get there, but it paid off.  The blessing of bottle feeding was also that we always knew how much he was eating and well, .....he liked to eat:).

 Thank you for indulging me in a Chunky Monkey Montage.....

Back in the "good Ole' days," we used to walk a couple times a week with friends Tisha and Cadyn.  Anytime I'd have a baby rearing question Tisha would quip, "Get The Baby Whisperer."  This was also during a time when I'd ask for help on Facebook and my message box would be filled with suggestions of books to read and others to avoid.  I got a few, "you are NOT a Baby Whisperer mother!"  Of course I would think about the particular problem and how this particular advice givers children acted in said department and usually move forward based on those observations:).

At some point I gave in and agreed to borrow The Baby Whisperer, and it was love at first read.  I will quickly admit I don't fully agree with everything she says but there are two important facts.  

1)Every tool of hers that we've used has been smashingly successful.

2)She gives credence to the fact that kiddos are inherently different and should be treated based on their personalities.  There are no one-size-fits-all solutions.

I have recommended this book over and over and have witnessed that those who follow it all have also found success.  I was with the "common sense parenting" bunch and was quick to say I didn't need a book to raise my kids.  And while lots of the theories in my Baby Bible are common sense, others aren't.  For instance, with our current sleep issue, BW suggests "waking to sleep."  For example, because we know Ben's been waking at 4 or 5, we should wake him at 3:45 and settle him back down before he wakes on his own.  Now, to me, there is no common sense in that, and though we haven't gotten there yet, I'm sure it would work.  Because Ben's been going back to sleep when he wakes we are going to wait to try the "wake to sleep," but I won't hesitate if necessary.  

Another important piece of this book is that's it's very pro-active.  Unfortunately, when all is well you just go on with life and grab the book when problems arise, but reading it regularly, especially in the first year, could stop lots of issues before they start.  I've also had some friends utilize only parts of the book with limited success.  For instance, you can use all the sleep techniques in the world, but if you're not feeding your child enough, they are going to wake up hungry.  This book intertwines all aspects into a clear plan for a hopefully happy, healthy child.

Finally, if this one isn't your bible, I would recommend you find one that is:).  I was happy to take any advice I could get and at least see it through.  The Baby Whisperer has come through for us time and time again.

*Note: I was in no way paid or benefited from the exultations in this post.  It's just the plain truth that worked for us.

17 months

"How did I get here?" wow! 17 months is so close to 18, and that seems so close to two! In fact, things change so much from day to day right now that it's hard to fathom what Ben will be doing and saying 6 months from now. Right now there is lots of almost instant gratification for mama. It seems I spend very little time teaching or showing him things and suddenly a day or two later he does said thing leaving me in awe that my teaching actually worked!!

His only new word at the moment is baby, which he has repeated twice very clearly. While that's his only new official word, he is making new sounds and sound combinations every day. I keep having dreams about him starting very clear statements ended with his own special gobbldygook. As his MeeMee noted last night, with all this babbling, "when he finally finds his words, we'll never get him to (be quiet)."

With his quick learning of late and new found motor skills, lots of Bens old toys are all new as he can play with them in all new ways.  We also learned at MeeMee's last week that this boy should never be without a ball.  He actually bit and deflated a (very thick skinned) ball at MeeMee's and we were stopping him from throwing his other toys and objects all week. 

Toddlerhood of late has also brought expected and unexpected challenges.  I clearly remember attempting to read a book to Ben's friend Cadyn about this time last year.  She was very into word and object books (without story-lines or plots) and not very into waiting for all the words on the page.  Though Ben has been peacefully turning the pages when prompted for many many months, he now turns them at hyper speed not caring what you are reading (but don't dare stop.)  His infatuation of late is the book, My Very Own Name, which I have more than memorized and which we often spend two hours a day reading over and over and over and over and over and over and over.........now you know how I feel:). 

The unexpected change of late has been sleep patterns.  While Ben has never consistently slept 12 hours a night like some of his counterparts, he did spend a couple months this fall sleeping 10.5-11 and allowing us to begin the transition to a single nap. Even then, however, that nap was usually 10:30 to 1:30 or 2, leaving us with a VERY tired baby by 8pm.  Sometime over the holidays this sleep began to shorten and over the last couple weeks Ben has been waking consistently at 4 am and sometimes during the night.  I do remember and give credit to our crazy life right now bouncing from house to house and seeing lots of new people all the time.  We made a mistake at MeeMee's last week and brought Ben into bed with me and both of us when he woke at 4 or 5 am.  He would then sleep on until 730 or even 830 one day. So, with the help of The Baby Whisperer (see future post for how her book is my bible:), and caffeine, I am going to tackle this sleep problem head on.  The hardest part has been and will continue to be pushing Ben a bit past his tired state for a while.  I am such a lover of sleep that when he shows tired signs I just want to let him nap.  I know a struggle now will pay off for all of us in the long run and I also know that I tried this transition too early before.  I am confident the time is right now.  Today has been a success and he woke at 4, 5 and finally 6, and just went down for one nap at noon.  Unfortunately, due to the Kurre Curse, there was no sleep for me after the 15 minutes of back rubbing and shooshing at 4am, but perhaps this will be a training exercise for both of us in falling back to sleep.

I've been a pretty good Mama in the food department and have been taking the time to have Ben practice with a spoon and fork.  It's WAY too easy to always give him finger foods and often use food time to cook our adult dinner or clean the kitchen.  I've been consistently sitting with him at least once a day and guiding him and it's definitely been paying off.  One day too soon I will long for the days when he couldn't manipulate utensils on his own so a little progress is perfect.

Ben's dancing skills continue to change almost daily and keep all around him in stitches.  He has taken on some ballet moves of late after watching Angelina Ballerina and I will try to get a video before this too passes.  The most humorous trick in Ben's back pocket right now is his flirting :).  Countless (mostly female real estate agents) people have quipped, "he's flirting with me....for real."  or "did you see that look?  He really knows how to flirt."  And sadly, I admit, this boy can flirt!! He tilts his head down and to the side and raises his eyes in perfect, "how you doin'?" fashion.  Yes, I am afraid.....very afraid.

We did successfully find a pediatrician and get everything transferred, so next month you'll get a full well-baby update, complete with stats galore! Amen!  I promised in his 14/15 month Well Baby post to have some nakey baby pics "well before" his 18 month visit and I am a woman of my word who forgets very little so here you go.........

Operation Jelly rescue.......

32

Yes, I turned 32 last Thursday and with Ben's early rising schedule of late, I feel it most days.  In my head, I keep likening my thirties to a war (but one I'm glad to be fighting.)  I think at 32 your socks are maybe a bit wet from the swamp but your toes aren't wrinkly yet......You haven't encountered any enemies face to face but still try to stay in top shape to defeat them........the food is awful because you're not starving enough yet that anything tastes good....the real fight or flight hasn't kicked in yet, but there is certainly no turning back now.......you are in the trenches but still appreciating the sun on your face rather than cowering away from it.....I imagine lots of this is status quo till about 34 when the real fear of being closer to 40 than 30 starts to kick in.  I guess I should ask my husband about that!

My celebrations this year were wonderful.  It's great to spend a birthday with extended family after many years apart.  Wednesday night Ryan's mom cooked a delicious dinner as she was flying out the next day.  (wow, the rest of this post is mostly gonna be about food:)  On the big day, Ben and I joined Molly downtown for lunch at Illegal Pete's and a leisurely stroll and photog session on the way back to her office.  I hurried home to cook my Grandma Theresa's breaded pork tenderloin, Great Aunt Mae's wild rice casserole, and wedge salads complete with blue cheese crumbles and fresh bacon.  Yum! Yum!  It was a tedious job but well worth it.  Thankfully, MeeMee had stopped by pre-dinner to drop off flowers and hug her favorite daughter on her birthday.  Her help wrangling Ben was the only way I got dinner done on time:).  Her visit was also a highlight as she told Ben about falling in love with me in the hospital when I was born just as I had with him when he was.  She said it was actually the day after my birth that she really became smitten as after 36 hours of labor, I 'm not sure she could feel anything on my birthday.  It was so special to me to hear and I certainly have a whole new understanding of that love now that Ben is in my life.  I'll surely be bugging her to retell the story year after year until Ben can tell it himself.

 

Tante was surprised I let him play in the dirt in his Polo chinos :).

huh?

Good photo ops at the Pavilions sign (need to remember)

At that point the celebration was just getting started.  With complete coincidence of it's proximity to my birthday, we joined friends Blake and Betsy for dinner Friday night at their home.  We met them while living in Wichita but they actually made the move to Denver about a year before we did.  It was great to see them and share hints and tip for making the most of the Mile High City.

Saturday started with breakfast with the Laura's (Lou and Towbin) who have been my dear girlfriends for over 13 years, (HOly Man, I am old!!)  I ran home to gather the boys and we headed to MeeMee's to pick up Molly and my Mom and head to Boulder for Ben's (and Molly's) first college basketball game.  JP joined us in Boulder and another nearly 60 degree day made the whole experience all the more delightful.  Ben was in total awe as we entered the stadium with the band playing and people everywhere.  The Coors events center is fairly small as college basketball stadiums go and I was thrilled Ben could take in the action on the court and all around him.  His awe was not unending and I am thankful to all who let Ben do laps around the concourse while I enjoyed the action.  The game was a nail-biter and CU pulled out an amazing 1 point win against a team they should not have beaten.  We made dinner a quick affair with our quickly fading Nugget, but the day week was absolutely wonderful and I am so blessed to have gotten to spend time with so many who are dear to me doing such fun things.

and these aren't even the pretty parts of campus