Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Well Hello There.


Oh wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I updated this blog. Nothing really too exciting to report on since my last post.

We dismantled Ben's Exersaucer and transformed it into an activity table. He's at a transition phase with it right now - he's too big to sit in the Exersaucer any more but he's not big enough to stand and play unassisted. He did pull himself into a standing position while sitting on my lap by grabbing hold of the Saucer and pulling himself up. He'll be standing on his own and walking before we know it!


new activity station

Let's see, we went to the fair. Ben did really good, he was fairly calm about the whole experience, just being really quiet and taking everything in. We went through the animal enclosures and looked at Llama's & Alpacas (these made him burst into tears for some reason), sheep, pigs, cows, roosters, chickens, hens, baby chicks, ducks....we didn't go over to the horses because by the time we go through the other animals his face was red and his eyes were watering - I think he may have some animal allergies like I do. That being said, we skipped the petting zoo part. We did have him pose with some of those "insert your face here" cut out things and he got to go up in a tractor.


looking at pigs at the fair

tractor - goodness he's tiny :-)

sitting in a tractor

We went camping this weekend. It was a short trip - Nick had made plans to help his friend Eric move out of his apartment on Saturday (Eric got a job in Iraq! He's crazy!!) so we couldn't go up until they were finished. We didn't end up on the road til close to noon - by the time Nick got here, we got all the last minute stuff packed, dropped Sadie off at my mom's for the dog sitter to watch, filled up with gas and got last minute formula (man he blows through that stuff like it's nobody's business - I should have never given up nursing from a financial stand point...however from a mental health stand point, mama and baby are much happier on formula)...and by that time we were starving as neither of us had breakfast. Anyway, we met up with my parents and my brother's family around 2:00ish (they had come up the night before). Nothing much to say on that, pretty typical camping. Ben's feet didn't touch the ground the whole time. He was just passed from lap to lap. I don't think he minded one bit. ;)


cuddling with nana

more cuddle time

A clothing update - I stopped by my favorite consignment shop before camping and picked up the CUTEST sleeper (it's brown fleece and has animals like bears, owls, and moose on it - how perfect was that for camping??) in size 12 month, thinking it would be a little big still. Nope. Fit like a glove. He ZOOMED through 9 month stuff - in fact the other night I had to take him out of the sleeper I was going to put him in because he couldn't straighten his toes all the way. :( My mom bought him a little outfit to go camping in size 12 month and I brought him size 6-9 month jeans just in case the 12 month jeans that mom got were too big. Nope. 6-9 month were high waters... so... looks like I have an excuse to go shopping! The way the few size 12 month clothes I have for him fit, I think he'll be in 18 months by Halloween (if not sooner) - and I still have no idea what to dress him as for Halloween...

He's working on pulling himself up to stand. If I hold his hands in mine and just provide the balance, he'll pull himself up to a stand with no help from me. He's started to put his hands on the edge of his crib but hasn't pulled up yet. I had to take the mobile out of his crib because he could reach the monkey's. He's been spending more time on his knees, just rocking back and forth (a milestone he skipped in favor of his army crawl), so I think he may modify his army scoot to a on all fours crawl here soon.

Still no teeth but I think he's teething hardcore. Who knows for sure, right? Because I've been dead certain he's been teething since 3 months. Lately, though, he's been fairly cranky (for Ben) and just biting on anything he can get in his mouth. I hope something peeks through soon (sort of).

So that's my big ol Ben update. In non-Ben news, Nick just finished summer quarter. He's doing really well in all his classes and I believe he's on track to graduate with honors again. Just 3 quarters left and WE ARE DONE!! We have a busy second half of September planned. We're going up to the Lewiston area for my cousins wedding, me & Ben will spend our first overnight alone (Nick has to go to Portland for work), my aunts are coming out for my dad's birthday...after that, my newest niece is going to be born the first part of October, little Emme will turn 6 (HOLY COW!) in the middle of October and I'm getting some random pictures of Ben taken at the end of October. The photographer that did his 6 month pictures is having another special, so we booked her for some fall pictures. They're not any special month (he'll be 10 & 1/2 months when we have them taken) but I've been wanting to have a pumpkin patch session since he was born. I love fall... :-)

I've been crafting a bit more. I finally won a Cricut cartridge on ebay (and just won another one last night and have my eye on 2 more today) so I actually made 3 pages of his scrapbook. I need a bigger space to do it. I think I'm going to have to convert my guest room into part craft space. I really don't want to and have been talking myself out of it forever. I always wanted a dedicated guest room. Nick says I should make our front room a crafting area since we're not using it for anything anyway right now so maybe I'll do that. You know, when I find the time. Ben's been really clingy recently (I think it's the teething thing) so I haven't had a lot of time to do much.

And here's a non-Beesley related goodie: my bestie Susan took the plunge and signed a lease on an apartment! She's moving in even as I type! I'm SO SO SO excited for her and a little bummed that I can't be there to help her out. Now I have to make good on my promise to go visit her, so we'll be planning a trip to Ohio in the spring (Nick wants to drive...ugh).

And here's one last FABULOUS update: a few months ago my mom's cancer tumor markers shot way up, unexpectedly. That meant the treatment she was on was no longer effective. The doctor switched her to something else to try to get the markers to come back down. Yesterday Ben & I took her to the doctor to get a treatment and her doctor passed through the waiting room while we waited (go figure, waiting in the waiting room? MADNESS lol) and gave good news! She said her markers were going back down, which means this new treatment is working!! Fingers crossed that they continue to come down or at least stay even. At the moment, there isn't anything left. If this treatment stops, well that's it...hopefully if that ever happens, they'll have something else out she can try.

Okay I think that's it. Off to find breakfast before Ben wakes up!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Bunches.

{12/21/2011: This was originally posted on a blog I started just for Ben. I no longer keep up with that blog, so I'm moving them all over to this one}

Oh lots to post since my last Ben blog.

Let's see - still no teeth. He's still gnashing everything he can get his hands on and has his cranky moments but nothing poking through yet. All in time! :-)

We went camping this weekend. It was a short trip - Nick had made plans to help his friend Eric move out of his apartment on Saturday (Eric got a job in Iraq! He's crazy!!) so we couldn't go up until they were finished. We didn't end up on the road til close to noon - by the time Nick got here, we got all the last minute stuff packed, dropped Sadie off at my mom's for the dog sitter to watch, filled up with gas and got last minute formula (man he blows through that stuff like it's nobody's business - I should have never given up nursing from a financial stand point...however from a mental health stand point, mama and baby are much happier on formula)...and by that time we were starving as neither of us had breakfast. Anyway, we met up with my parents and my brother's family around 2:00ish (they had come up the night before). Nothing much to say on that, pretty typical camping. Ben's feet didn't touch the ground the whole time. He was just passed from lap to lap. I don't think he minded one bit. ;)


snuggling with nana and gnawing on some tasty fingers


more snuggling with nana, all bundled up in awesome camping jams

This morning we packed up camp and headed home, via a diner on the way for breakfast (it was raining when we woke up and no one wanted to try to cook in the rain). We are glad to be home. So glad, in fact, that we blew off our plans to go camping with Victor & Tiffany next weekend. Now that he's crawling, it's just so much work. He doesn't want to be held for very long any more. He'll come in for a cuddle but after that, he wants down on the ground so he can explore. I think we'll pack away our camping gear for the season and have a whole new adventure next year when he's walking (as much as I HATE those backpack leashes for kids...I just might get one for camping only...).

A clothing update - I stopped by my favorite consignment shop before camping and picked up the CUTEST sleeper (it's brown fleece and has animals like bears, owls, and moose on it - how perfect was that for camping??) in size 12 month, thinking it would be a little big still. Nope. Fit like a glove. He ZOOMED through 9 month stuff - in fact tonight I had to take him out of the sleeper I was going to put him in because he couldn't straighten his toes all the way. :( My mom bought him a little outfit to go camping in size 12 month and I brought him size 6-9 month jeans just in case the 12 month jeans that mom got were too big. Nope. 6-9 month were high waters... so... looks like I have an excuse to go shopping tomorrow! Bubba (my newest nickname for him, he has a million...first he was monkey, then punkin and now bubba) has to have clothes! The way the few size 12 month clothes I have for him fit, I think he'll be in 18 months by Halloween (if not sooner).

We are having some fickle weather. Saturday I had him in shorts and a short sleeve onesie. Today it's sweat pants, a long sleeved onesie and socks. Tomorrow I think it might be shorts again...

He's working on pulling himself up to stand. If I hold his hands in mine and just provide the balance, he'll pull himself up to a stand with no help from me. He's started to put his hands on the edge of his crib but hasn't pulled up yet. I had to take the mobile out of his crib because he could reach the monkey's. He's been spending more time on his knees, just rocking back and forth, so I think he may modify his army scoot to a on all fours crawl here soon.

So I think that's it for Ben news since my last post. I think. :-)

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Teeth

{12/21/2011: This was originally posted on a blog I started just for Ben. I no longer keep up with that blog, so I'm moving them all over to this one}

None yet. But I think they may come? Soon? Maybe? He's been a crab monster the last two days. He's been gnawing on EVERYTHING. We put some of his little teethers in the fridge and he loved the cold.

That's about it for today. Nothing terribly exciting - we ate dinner over at my parents house and I got some books from the library. I'm going to attempt to teach Ben some sign language. We'll see how it goes!

So yeah....that's it. Ben's crabby. It's frustrating for him and frustrating for me. We'll get through it! :-)


crawling through the barstool yesterday

Monday, August 23, 2010

Fair.

{12/21/2011: This was originally posted on a blog I started just for Ben. I no longer keep up with that blog, so I'm moving them all over to this one}


Today we went to the fair. It was okay, I was hoping there would be a carousel or other type of ride he could do. None this year, but next year he should get to do plenty! We went through the animal enclosures and looked at Llama's & Alpacas (these made him burst into tears for some reason), sheep, pigs, cows, roosters, chickens, hens, baby chicks, ducks....we didn't go over to the horses because by the time we go through the other animals his face was red and his eyes were watering - I think he may have some animal allergies like I do. That being said, we skipped the petting zoo part. We did have him pose with some of those "insert your face here" cut out things and he got to go up in a tractor.




This afternoon I gave him some of those melt away yogurt snacks that I put inside this nifty little cup. It's got a floppy lid that he can push his hand through to get snacks out, but it's supposed to keep the snacks from spilling out if it's knocked over. He figured it out in no time! I was so proud of him!

Today he also discovered the joy of crawling under things. Things like the barstools. He deliberately lined himself up so he could crawl under and to tell you the truth, I didn't think his giant melon would fit but it sure did! He did it several times, so I'm certain he's doing it on puropse.

He also finger painted today. We got VERY messy but the nana's should expect tiny B.O.B. masterpieces in their mail soon..... :)

That's it for day! Ben sends snuggles!


Sunday, August 22, 2010

Family.

{12/21/2011: This was originally posted on a blog I started just for Ben. I no longer keep up with that blog, so I'm moving them all over to this one}

Well, we tried to take Ben to the fair today. Unfortunately, we had some nasty windstorms last night that knocked power out to the fair and they didn't have it restored when we got there, so the fair was still closed. They opened later in the day, but we already had afternoon plans so maybe Nick can sneak away from work a little early and we can hit the fair before he goes to school. The weather today would have been perfect for it, tomorrow will be slightly warmer and the rest of the week may be too hot for standing around in the sun.

This afternoon we all gathered at my parents house to have a celebratory dinner for Connor's accomplishments with Little League. Jamie was sick and couldn't come. The girls had a good time chasing Ben around the living room while the adults visited. They start school this week - it's hard to believe that Connor is starting junior high (and will be a TEENAGER in March!!!) and Emma's ready for kindergarten. Time really does fly on by...

We dismantled Ben's Exersaucer and transformed it into an activity table. He's at a transition phase with it right now - he's too big to sit in the Exersaucer any more but he's not big enough to stand and play unassisted. He did pull himself into a standing position while sitting on my lap by grabbing hold of the Saucer and pulling himself up. He'll be standing on his own and walking before we know it!

I added some links and a little list to the right of the blog. We're certainly not asking for you to run right out and buy him presents, but wanted to let you know what sorts of things he's wearing or toys we think he might enjoy playing with, should you ever be thinking of getting him something but aren't sure what he needs. :-) I'll keep updating the list as he grows into new sizes and as we get closer to his birthday and Christmas.

I can't decide what I want to put him in for Halloween. Do any of Ben's readers have any suggestions for your favorite baby costumes?

Believe it or not - but I didn't take any pictures of him today! Shocking! So I leave you with this cute one from a week or so ago when we went to the park:


Saturday, August 21, 2010

Spaghetti.

{12/21/2011: This was originally posted on a blog I started just for Ben. I no longer keep up with that blog, so I'm moving them all over to this one}

Today was a long and trying day for Ben. We asked a lot of him and he did such a good job. Ben was invited to a birthday party for a little girl turning 3 (I know her mother through the Bunco group I joined). The party started at 11:00. He napped prior to the party but was ready for another nap by 11:30. He didn't have one until after 3:00. Poor little guy. He made it through the whole party and a little bit of swimming - I set him in the pool to splash around but we only stayed a few minutes - he was done.



After that we came home and he napped for 2 hours and then ate a delicious spaghetti dinner. He made a MESS. It was smeared all over his face, in his hair, in his EAR, he rubbed his eyes with his spaghetti covered hands...I think it liked it, though. Didn't seem to have any trouble with the noodles at all!

No new real tricks as of the last few days, just getting better and better at the skills he recently learned. He's getting so fast with crawling and "chases" me a little bit. If I hide behind a door or a corner and peep out at him, he'll get very excited and crawl a lot faster in my direction. It's way funny. He's waving a lot more now - he doesn't do the open and closed hand wave that he used to very much any more, he just waves his whole arm now. He waves at his own reflection and at our shadows on the wall. He loves to eat toast - I have to limit the number of pieces he can reach because he's been stuffing 4 or 5 pieces in his mouth at once like a tiny chipmunk. He says both "mama" and "dada" but he's not directing those sounds at either of us yet, so I'm not counting them as his first words.

I've been limiting the amount of time he spends with the pacifier lately. I noticed at the Little Gym class that he's the only one there that depends on it during the day (or at least during the class) and I don't want him to HAVE to have it to be calm, so I'm not clipping it to him any more. I still give it to him at bed time and some times in the car and he's been really good with out it.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

New.

Oh lots to post since my last Ben blog.

Let's see - still no teeth. He's still gnashing everything he can get his hands on and has his cranky moments but nothing poking through yet. All in time! :-)

We went camping this weekend. It was a short trip - Nick had made plans to help his friend Eric move out of his apartment on Saturday (Eric got a job in Iraq! He's crazy!!) so we couldn't go up until they were finished. We didn't end up on the road til close to noon - by the time Nick got here, we got all the last minute stuff packed, dropped Sadie off at my mom's for the dog sitter to watch, filled up with gas and got last minute formula (man he blows through that stuff like it's nobody's business - I should have never given up nursing from a financial stand point...however from a mental health stand point, mama and baby are much happier on formula)...and by that time we were starving as neither of us had breakfast. Anyway, we met up with my parents and my brother's family around 2:00ish (they had come up the night before). Nothing much to say on that, pretty typical camping. Ben's feet didn't touch the ground the whole time. He was just passed from lap to lap. I don't think he minded one bit. ;)


snuggling with nana and gnawing on some tasty fingers


more snuggling with nana, all bundled up in awesome camping jams

This morning we packed up camp and headed home, via a diner on the way for breakfast (it was raining when we woke up and no one wanted to try to cook in the rain). We are glad to be home. So glad, in fact, that we blew off our plans to go camping with Victor & Tiffany next weekend. Now that he's crawling, it's just so much work. He doesn't want to be held for very long any more. He'll come in for a cuddle but after that, he wants down on the ground so he can explore. I think we'll pack away our camping gear for the season and have a whole new adventure next year when he's walking (as much as I HATE those backpack leashes for kids...I just might get one for camping only...).

A clothing update - I stopped by my favorite consignment shop before camping and picked up the CUTEST sleeper (it's brown fleece and has animals like bears, owls, and moose on it - how perfect was that for camping??) in size 12 month, thinking it would be a little big still. Nope. Fit like a glove. He ZOOMED through 9 month stuff - in fact tonight I had to take him out of the sleeper I was going to put him in because he couldn't straighten his toes all the way. :( My mom bought him a little outfit to go camping in size 12 month and I brought him size 6-9 month jeans just in case the 12 month jeans that mom got were too big. Nope. 6-9 month were high waters... so... looks like I have an excuse to go shopping tomorrow! Bubba (my newest nickname for him, he has a million...first he was monkey, then punkin and now bubba) has to have clothes! The way the few size 12 month clothes I have for him fit, I think he'll be in 18 months by Halloween (if not sooner).

We are having some fickle weather. Saturday I had him in shorts and a short sleeve onesie. Today it's sweat pants, a long sleeved onesie and socks. Tomorrow I think it might be shorts again...

He's working on pulling himself up to stand. If I hold his hands in mine and just provide the balance, he'll pull himself up to a stand with no help from me. He's started to put his hands on the edge of his crib but hasn't pulled up yet. I had to take the mobile out of his crib because he could reach the monkey's. He's been spending more time on his knees, just rocking back and forth, so I think he may modify his army scoot to a on all fours crawl here soon.

So I think that's it for Ben news since my last post. I think. :-)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Updates.

{12/21/2011: This was originally posted on a blog I started just for Ben. I no longer keep up with that blog, so I'm moving them all over to this one}


Well, we're back from our whirlwind trip. It was quite an adventure! Saturday morning we got up early and headed to the airport. We made it through the ticket counter and security just fine, no issues (other then Ben peed on me, but that was my fault for not making sure he was positioned right within his diaper - so I ran to change him before we got on the plane and missed our special family boarding and had to sit in the very back). He did super well on the flight, he looked out the window, played, ate and napped. After we got checked in to our hotel, we had lunch, met up with Carin, Hannah & Emma and then went over to the stadium to watch the teams do their ESPN promos. Then we came back to the hotel and Ben played in the pool. Then we got all changed and headed to the game. They lost. :( But they gave it a good run and I'm VERY proud of all they accomplished. After that it was dinner, met up with the baseball gang at their hotel for a bit of celebration and back to our hotel to sleep. We got up Sunday morning, got all packed up and headed back out to the airport.

Tomorrow my little boy will be 8 months old. It's hard to believe how much he's learning every day and to look back at how teeny tiny he was when he was first born to the sturdy little boy he's becoming. So much change coming ahead! From talking and teeth to walking and running to injuries and first days of school....

In the more immediate future, I've scheduled another little photo shoot for him towards the end of October. I love Carissa's photography, so we're going to go to a pumpkin patch and have some pictures taken. I've ordered the sweetest little hat for him to wear. :-)

I'm so excited for fall. For bundled up walks around the neighborhood, pulling Ben around in a wagon. Seeing him take his first steps. Gathering with the family for Thanksgiving and getting to watch Ben experience all those foods for the first time. I'm excited to make family crafts out of fallen leaves and pine cones. I'm excited for winter, for laborious walks through the snow, making snow angels and having him "help" to make a snow man. I'm excited for his first Christmas (and even the part where he may potentially destroy my Christmas tree) and starting our family traditions - baking cookies for Santa and waking up early Christmas morning to see what Santa left by the tree. I'm excited for his first birthday and have already started mentally planning what we'll do and who will be able to come.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Trip!

{12/21/2011: This was originally posted on a blog I started just for Ben. I no longer keep up with that blog, so I'm moving them all over to this one}

Not a super exciting day, as far as Ben news goes, today. We had the Little Gym today which papa didn't get to go to (he stayed home from work the day before to listen to Connor's baseball game so had to go into the office today). He did a lot of standing on his own (not completely by himself - he was balancing on what they call a "trap" at the Little Gym - just a raised platform thingie), did a forward roll, some walking on the balance beam and a bit of work on the bar. He played with the balls and crawled after bubbles.

This afternoon we headed over to Nana A's again to WATCH Connor's team on ESPN!! It was such an exciting day! Of course, Ben was completely oblivious to the excitement - except when we got really excited and cheered loudly. Then he looked a little concerned but then realized we were happy and started clapping. He is a constant joy, I tell you. Turns out, Connor's team did an amazing job and won their game! They play in the regional finals on Saturday against Washington - and Ben is taking his very first plane ride trip to California to be there to support in person!

I'm so very excited but I'm also really nervous. We're flying Southwest and apparently I'll have to prove he's not 2 years old by supplying a birth certificate. We've never needed his birth certificate so I don't actually have it (I've been meaning to order it, but you know...I haven't needed it, so it gets pushed to the bottom of my to do list). As far as I can tell, the only thing I can do is mail a request in for a copy and wait 2-3 weeks to get it.....I'm going to call the courthouse tomorrow and see if there's by chance anything else we can do. If not, I'll just take what I have. I received information from the Vital Statistics office after he was born, showing information from his birth certificate and I hope that will be enough. Otherwise, I don't know what we'll do. I guess the Beesley branch of the family won't go...which will be a completely disappointing and expensive lesson learned.

So that's the news! No new tricks today, not too much floor time with the Little Gym, sporadic napping and not being at home much. I'm making a list of things to remember to bring on the plane and hope that my baby is an excellent flyer. I really hope he's not one that screams his head off the whole time....

Little League FEVER.

THEY WON!!!!!!!!!!! THEY WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The power of my blue shirt reigns on!!!

Just in case I have a random follower on my blog that doesn't otherwise know - my nephew plays on a Little League team here (that my brother also coaches) that won their state championship back at the end of July and has been playing down in San Bernardino, CA the last week for regional champs. They've won all but one game and are slated to play the winner of the Washington vs Montana game that's going on right now (that I'm also watching, just to check out our potential competition - our boys have already beat Montana but have yet to play Washington who is presently undefeated).

So thus my Little League FEVER! I'm SO excited for these boys and all they've accomplished - I know they play as a team, but it's so exciting for Jamie & Connor to finally have a winning team. There were some pretty lean years there where they didn't get hardly any wins. This has got to feel just FANTASTIC for them. I know I'M incredibly excited - every time I saw Connor on the TV I wanted to cry.

Sooooooo we're going! We're going down to San B on Saturday to watch them play either Washington or Montana (and from the looks of this game, we can TOTALLY take either of those teams). If they win on Saturday, they're off to Pennsylvania to play in the World Series!!!!!

This is the most exciting thing EVER! I'm so proud of my nephew and my brother and all the rest of the boys and their families - it's such a big deal!!!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

High Five.

{12/21/2011: This was originally posted on a blog I started just for Ben. I no longer keep up with that blog, so I'm moving them all over to this one}


More crawling adventures for Ben today. He uses what I now call the Ben Expressway to get to the kitchen faster - there is a Ben sized space between the couch I sit on and the coffee table that he scoots through to get from the living room to the kitchen. It makes me laugh. if he starts to take off around one of the couches or the Ben Expressway to another part of the house, I like to run around and surprise him on the other side - which makes HIM laugh. :-)

Today we went over to my mom's to listen to cousin Connor's 3rd game in the Little League regional games. They won! Hooray!! While we were there, I ran out to bring back lunch and my mom played pattycake with Ben and taught him to high five. Cutest thing ever! The next thing I want to teach him to is blow kisses.

That's about all the Ben news I can think of for now. I'm going through some of the older movies I took of Ben and put on my computer but never shared and posting them on our youtube channel, rather than on my FB. You should check it periodically as I add more: http://www.youtube.com/user/we3beesleys#p/a

See ya!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Park.

{12/21/2011: This was originally posted on a blog I started just for Ben. I no longer keep up with that blog, so I'm moving them all over to this one}

Took Ben to the park again today - he has such a blast on the swings! he LOVES them! He isn't frightened by going fast (not too fast) or high - he just hangs on and grins. He loves the rush of the wind on his face. We took him down the little kiddy slide but he didn't really care about it at all. He did enjoy crawling around on the grass.

I have to say, I'm so thankful I have a healthy kid. Nearly 8 months in to this life and his biggest scare was the fever he got after one round of shots. A girl I go to Bunco with has a 5 month old son who is getting tubes in his ears on Friday, as he's had 4 ear infections in 5 months. I'm go grateful that Ben is a happy, healthy little boy!!

On a totally random note, here are a few of Ben's favorite things (burst into random song here):

Favorite Toys:
measuring cups
coasters
bottle lids (from his bottles)
clothes
the curtains

Sounds He's Making:
a putt putt noise
shouting ("AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!")
mumumumumumumumumum
naynaynay
wwwwwwwwwwooooooah!
growling

Monday, August 9, 2010

Food!

{12/21/2011: This was originally posted on a blog I started just for Ben. I no longer keep up with that blog, so I'm moving them all over to this one}

Today was an AWESOME day for Ben! So many adventures - the biggest one is that he fed himself for the first time ever! I've been giving him little bits of finger food for about a week or so now and mostly he just moves it around the tray or smashes it in his fist. Today he moved the food from his hand to his mouth! I was so proud and excited! I did manage to grab a movie of the event:





After breakfast, Ben went on a crawling adventure. He started out in the living room, went around the love seat, down the hall, into the foyer and into the front room. Then he crawled most of the way back to the hall. He was a very tired little boy and slept for about 2 and a half hours. :-)

Now he's tucked into bed and there's a gorgeous lightning storm outside, mama and papa are cozy in the living room watching Forensic Files (so romantic) and sharing home made brownies. Life is pretty good for the Beesley's today!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Nana A's

{12/21/2011: This was originally posted on a blog I started just for Ben. I no longer keep up with that blog, so I'm moving them all over to this one}

Today was a fairly relaxing day for Ben. Last night was an adventure - since we had dinner over at my parents house (and the chef may or may not have been behind a few, delaying dinner) we didn't get home until some time after 8:00 which was well over an hour beyond Ben's bed time. We nixed the bath and did a short "night night dance" and got him to bed. He slept until about 7:30 which was a nice surprise. I fully expected him to be up at 5:00 (it seems when we mess with his schedule and get him to bed late, he sleeps poorly that night and is up early) and he was - he woke up at about 4:00, fussed a bit and put himself back to sleep and did the same again at 5:00. Then not a peep til 7:30 - hooray!

Today his crawling adventure took him to the guest bath. That's a long trek - he went from his room, down the hall and in to the bath. There he had a grand time slapping the floor until he found the trash can and we promptly escorted him out. :-)

This afternoon we saddled up and headed out to my mom's to listen to game 2 of Connor & Jamie's Little League games and to cook dinner for my mom (dad headed to Chicago for training for a week boooo). Sadly, the team lost but we still had a nice visit and Ben got to destroy a phone book and eat dinner in mom's living room.

Now my little monster is snuggled all cozy in bed and looking cute as can be. I wish I could share a photo but I'm certain the camera would wake him up so you'll just have to imagine his cuteness.

We hope you all had a wonderful Sunday!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

All About Ben.

{12/21/2011: This was originally posted on a blog I started just for Ben. I no longer keep up with that blog, so I'm moving them all over to this one}

Welcome to Ben's blog! He has no idea but is absolutely thrilled! :-)

I wanted to create a friendly place to update you to his daily (or weekly, depending on what he's up to) shenanigans. He's growing so much and trying new things every day and I know some of you could just eat up every little detail! I'm going to keep this separate from FB, so keep your yes open for new posts!

Today Nick, Ben, my dad & I headed out to Ann Morrison Park for the annual Boise Beer Fest (I was the DD - lucky me!). Ben did fairly well, he was a bit clingy and wasn't interested in sitting in his stroller but that's okay. He played in the grass and looked around at the different sites. He was in a fairly good mood, even after missing a nap and being up for nearly 4 hours!

I noticed recently (either yesterday or the day before) that you can actually see his bottom two teeth as they make their way up to the top of his gums. This isn't Ben, but here's an idea of what I'm talking about:

Now on this kid, you can see like all of his bottom teeth working their way up to the top of their gums. As far as I can see on Ben, I can only see the bottom two middle ones. It's kind of exciting but it's bittersweet. I am so unbelievably excited to watch him grow, but at the same time I want him to stay little forever :-) Of course, that feeling depends on when you ask me. If he's in the middle of a fit, I can't WAIT for him to grow up. HA

Anyway, aside from the teeth, Ben's trying out all sorts of new foods. Mostly just larger of what he's been eating - I'm trying to encourage him to try feeding himself. He really enjoys cut up orange pieces and cut up avocado (but doesn't really like it smashed...maybe it's the texture?). This morning I gave him little torn up bits of toast which he really liked, especially dipped in yogurt. He tried some honeydew melon that he wasn't too keen on, but it wasn't the greatest melon. It could have been more ripe.

He's getting really great at his crawling - still more of an army crawl/inch worm than a traditional "up on all fours" crawl - which is both a lot of fun and super annoying. LOL he loves things like cords and Sadie's food/water dishes and pretty much all the stuff he isn't supposed to have. He's figured out how to get out of his Bumbo chair, so now I just let him play on the floor while I make his food (but I have to move Sadie's water & food out of his reach, first!).

He's such a great kid, he really is. He smiles and laughs so much and is excited to try new things and go exploring. He makes every day an adventure and I couldn't ask for more!

Well, I think that's it for Ben's inaugural post. Standing in the sun all day at Beer Fest really took it out of me and I'm pooped. More later!