What's New?

Its been awhile since I've made a post.  Why?  Benny is on the go and getting into lots of trouble.  Why is having Benny kind of like having a puppy?  They both like to dig in the dirt and chew on things they aren't supposed to.  We have this bigger plant (a hibiscus) in the dining room.  He LOVES to dig in the dirt.  That and attempt to chew on electrical cords.  Both are bad ideas.  I try to have the house babyproofed.  But, you can't put a gate around everything and you can't unplug all electrical devices.  Truth be told, I'm finding this phase of Benny to be a difficult.  Just feel like I cannot do anything.  He loves to play with this toys and read books if I am down on the floor playing with him.  But, left on his own---he's into trouble.  If you parent folks out there have suggestions, feel free to let me know!  (Disclaimer:  Benny really is a very good and sweet baby.  I just with it weren't so difficult to make dinner, brush my own teeth, practice for church, or send an email.)

Some fun stuff we have done since I last posted.  We went to Max & Melissa's wedding.  Very fun wedding.  First wedding I've been to that had a photo booth and a 'candy bar.'  Kevin and I ran our 5K!  We finished in 31 minutes.  Not bad for not too much prep.  Also, Kevin took off last Monday from work.  We did some work around the house and then took a walk along the bike path and grilled burgers on our deck.  A welcome relief from being home by myself with Benny for a day.  On Tuesday, I got to tour where Kevin works with Grampie and Papa.  Very interesting!  Speaking of Papa---Nana and Papa flew to Belgium yesterday to visit John/Marian and their kids.  They will fly from Belgium to Florida and then back to Ohio at the beginning of December.  We are going to miss them!

And, how could I forget, I donated 12 inches of hair to locks of love!  Here are the before and after pics:

Lots of hair!

My new hairdo.  I like it.

 

 

Benny approved!

Here are some pics of Benny at Granny Lindy's house.  Honestly, he wasn't that impressed by the picture taking experience.  These are the best we got.

 

 

 



Date Weekend!

Last weekend, Kevin took off Friday from work.  It was so nice!  Grammy watched Benny for us on Friday afternoon.  We took a hike at a nearby park and then went to a local market.  The market was fun!  I told Kevin that I felt like I was in the movie Aladdin.  Lots of fresh produce, bakery, meats, etc.  Among the tasty things we tried included a German cheese pretzel, an apple fritter, homemade pita and hummus, and an empanada.  Afterward, we went to a brewery we hadn't been to before and tried out some delicious beers.  I had a Fall Porter and Kevin had their IPA.  So good.  It is so nice to spend time together.  Kevin has been working 9 hours a day at work (a welcome relief from the 12 hour days he consistently worked all summer.)  However, his MBA program is in full swing.  It takes up A LOT of time.  {I remember the good old days when Kevin didn't care about school or working.  Now, he is a work-aholic.}  I must admit.  I am proud of him.  I recall when I thought he would never graduate with his undergraduate.  He successfully did that and now is on to the next.  We are looking forward to another 3 day weekend Oct. 20, Oct. 21, and Oct. 22.  We are going to run a 5K race together on Oct. 20.  I must admit, I'm not the runner I once was pre-Benny.  I just don't get a chance to run as often.  But, we are going to give it a try!

While on our Friday date last week, Benny had a good time with Grammy.  This included taking a bath in her sink.  I'll have to try and upload the video.  It was a splish-splashing good time!  Here are some pics:

 

 

 

Benny is super cute.  No doubt, he is getting into a lot more trouble these days.  Among his favorite activities are....

1) digging in our hibicus plant dirt

2) hanging onto our living room curtains

3) CORDS

4) racing as fast as he can toward the refrigerator door every time we open it

5) the carbon monoxide detector

 

Practicing for church is getting interesting.  Practice a measure.  Get Benny out of trouble.  Practice a measure.  Get Benny out of trouble.  Ah!  Multi-tasking.

 

Developmental milestones:

1) He feeds himself.  He's done this for a while--at least bigger things like crackers.  More recently, he has perfected feeding himself smaller things, like the Gerber puffs.

2) He turns the pages in board books.  His favorite book seems to be "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See."  He listens to the story very intently and turns the pages as we go.

3) He pulls himself up to his knees.  Ex. While I'm practicing the piano, his little chin will rest on the edge of the bench.  He seems a little too nervous to pull himself up to his feet still.  I'm sure, he will figure that out sooner than later!

4) He is sleeping MUCH better again at night.  For a while, he was getting up several times a night.  But, he is back on track--hopefully for good!

 

Nine Months Old!

Say its not so!!!!!  My baby turns nine months old today.  He is definitely looking more and more like a little boy and not a baby.  I'm not sure I like it.  What's Benny up to at nine months?

1) Crawling all over the place.  He doesn't want his toys much anymore.  He wants things he is not supposed to have.  His favorite thing----cords.  Cord to the computer, cell phone charger cord, heater cord, etc., etc.  I believe I spend 80% of my time dragging him away from cords.

2) He now will sometimes notice when you leave a room and crawl after you.

3) Pulling my hair!  He loves my hair.  Thus, I always keep it pulled up in a ponytail/messy bun thing.  However, he has discovered that he can reach around behind my head and pull it down.  He winds up with fists full of hair that he pulls out.  Don't know what to do about that....

4) Teething???  Still no visible teeth, but he has been biting so hard the last few days.  We shall see.  When I pick him up he likes to bite on my chin.

5) Last Thursday we had a doctor's apt.  He weighed 23 pounds 6 ounces and was 30 inches long.  That is 90th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for length.  100%  healthy :)

***An aside from #4 and #5, we had a few nights of horrible sleep.  I saw every hour of the night for a few days.  Maybe it was just the vaccinations he got because he did a lot better last night.  Hopefully.

Two weekends ago, Aunt Martha from Texas came to visit.  We had dinner at Grammy's, and there happened to be a birthday cake for me :) 

 

With candles....

Benny liked the frosting!

 

Benny getting into mischief.  He loves to get into cupboards and drawers.  I allow him to play with the lids to our pots and pans.