7 months + (let's face it...I'm always a little behind)

Yep...a bit late for the 7 months post. We've been quite busy. We went down to NC for Thanksgiving and had a great time. I always miss my family, but it's even harder to be away now that we have the young'un.

In the past few days he's learned how to clap and wave. He has finally cut his first tooth. He says "da da da" and "ba ba ba" and "rar rar rar," although he doesn't seem to attribute these sounds to any one person/object. He just keeps hitting milestones. I'm trying my best just to soak it all in and enjoy the ride. It sure does fly by.


I'm very much in love with this child. W
When he looks at me and smiles, and those big eyes twinkle...I melt every single time.

Here are a few pictures from our trip down to NC.







This last picture is from when Benji and I played "ChubWub's bus." He picked up his stuffed animals at different "stops!"

Update on the ChubWub

So...it's quite a belated 6 month post! I apologize for the delay.

Benji has been keeping us on our toes. He's becoming more and more active and playful with each passing day. He's sitting up with only the occasional topple, so we spend a lot of time playing with toys on the floor. He also loves to go outside, so we try to get out daily to take a walk and to go to the tot lot where he enjoys swinging and going down the slide with Mommy. We also have what I half-jokenly call our "nature studis" where I let him explore his world. Lately, the fall leaves have been providing a lot of excitment.

He's really a funny and silly kid. He loves to laugh and giggle. It's also very clear that he's ruled by his little ego (as he should at this age). If one of us is holding him in our lap, but talking to someone else, he'll lean forward and smile until we make eye contact. He's just reminding us that the world still revolves around him!

He's really a sweet, sweet baby. I can't believe he's already been here 6 months, and yet I also can't seem to remember what life was like before he was here. It's hard to imagine that there was a time when I didn't know if we'd be blessed with a child. It's also hard to remember what it was like to feel him kick when I was pregnant, and yet not know whether the baby inside was a boy or a girl, or what the baby looked like. If I think about my days in college, or getting married, my mind wants to insert Benji into those memories! It really feels like I've known him forever. Isn't that what people say when they fall in love? Well....I guess that's exactly what has happened!!

We're headed down to NC for Thanksgiving, and we're excited for the trip. Benji should be especially excited. Now that he's exploring solids, he's got an awful lot of good Southern cooking to try for the holidays!

What an Adventure

I can't believe it's been a month since I've posted last. I was taking Benji's 5 month picture, and I felt like I had just taken the 4 month shot...it didn't seem like a whole month could have come and gone again.

He is still such a joy. He wakes up happy every morning and he always seems excited to find out what a new day will bring. It really makes a difference seeing the world through a child's eyes. Everything is new and exciting and different. He notices things that we may take for granted, and it's nice to take a step back and see things from his perspective. Something as simple as the wind making the leaves "dance" can captivate him.

Let's see...what are his new skills? He now can not only reach for his feet, but he can put his toes in his mouth, which he finds hilarious. He's "reachy" and 'grabby" in general. Whereas in the past he would try to grab onto something if it was presented to him, he now decides what he wants and tries to go after it. He may try to grab a cup if I'm drinking from it, or he might reach for a specific toy in the bathtub. It seems that he wants whatever I'm holding. For instance, if I'm giving him a bath and he has the rubber duck and I have the washcloth, he drops the duck and grabs for the washcloth. If I then pick up the duck, he drops the cloth and wants the duck! I guess he hasn't learned the whole bit about the grass being greener on the other side!

He enjoys watching the cats, although I think they could do without him screetching at them in joy while they eat. He also seems facinated by anything with buttons. It's kind of strange...we don't let him watch TV and he really doesn't play with toys that light up, etc. But he is absolutely entranced cell phones and remote controls. If one is several feet away he'll stare at it and sometimes lunge toward it trying to reach it. Guess he's a gadget-head already.

He's a very active little boy. His desire to be up and about is a bit ahead of his ability to actually do so, but he doesn't seem to realize this! If a kid runs by when I pick him up from daycare, he lunges after them. If he's lying down, he strains to sit up. While he still needs some support to sit, he's got an amazingly strong back, and I have a feeling the little stinker is going to be sitting on his own before I know it. I have to feed him in a dark, quiet room during the day to have any hope of getting some milk in his belly. Otherwise it's like trying to nurse a wild monkey the way he wiggles, squirms, and tumbles around in order to look around the room while trying to eat. He just doesn't want to miss anything.

Despite all this activity, he has yet to really roll over on a regular basis. It seems like he's just not that interested in it. He's rolled from tummy to back a couple of times, but he didn't seem to mean to do it (he just got mad enough about being on his tummy and flipped over). He can get from his back to his belly, which is usually the more difficult of the two skills....but he rarely does it because he doesn't want to be on his belly!

I have to admit that I'm really in love with this kid. I can't stop thinking about him when I'm away, and I can't get enough of him when we're together.

4 months old

Benji is growing like a weed. He's now four months old (as of 8/26), and showing us how it's done!

The question I get asked the most these days is, "is he sleeping through the night?"

Not even close! At one point he was getting up every 3-4 hours with an occasional blissful 5 hour stretch thrown in just to make Mommy feel like a woman of leisure. Since I went back to work, however, he's been getting up every 1-3 hours to eat. His pediatrician is a stickler for sleep so he's a bit put out by it, but I'm not too worried. He's growing and developing like he should and he's a happy baby, so right now this is working for him. Not that I wouldn't enjoy a good night's sleep. But he's only a baby for so long.

Luckily, Benji is quite the morning person. He wakes up with a huge smile on his face, and is in full on let's play mode. If I wake up wanting to cry about the fact that it's already 5:30 and I have to get up and get ready for work...he manages to smile and giggle at just the right time and I suddenly feel ready to face the day.

Now that he can see the world so much more clearly, he's so interested in his world. Feedings have become like wine tastings...he'll take a few sips and then want to just sit back, have a little conversation, and take in his surroundings.

A few days ago he finally figured out how to get his feet up so that he could grab them. Those 10 little toes are providing him a lot of entertainment these days. He also loves to people watch. He's a huge flirt, and I think he knows how to get that "awww, how cute" reaction out of people.

Today, we went to the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial with Uncle Bill and Cousin Mason. It's quite an inspirational place. I'm glad that we'll be able to take Benji when he's old enough to appreciate the significance.

Ring, Ring

Hello,

You've reached the desk of Benji Bremner at the Department of Child's Play. I'm not available right now (busy having fun) but leave a message and I'll get back to you!

Back to Work

Hi folks. Sorry that there hasn't been a recent post, but my limited time has become even more limited! This is my third week back at work and so far we're surviving. He's 3 1/2 weeks old, but here's his belated montly picture with Mr. Quack.

It was so hard to leave Benji at daycare that first day. He has a great daycare provider near our house, so I know he's in good hands...I just wish he were in mine! Since then, it hasn't been any easier to leave him, but we're starting to develop a routine of sorts. Having Wednesdays off is my saving grace. I get to spend all day with the Munchkin, and also regroup and get things ready for work/daycare for the rest of the week. I'm even more exhausted than I was before, but I'm handling it better than I thought I would. I tell people I've just
developed a new baseline in terms of fatigue! I'm just taking it one day at a time. Trying to figure out how to get everything done over the long term is just too overwhelming!

The daycare provider is on vacation for the first two weeks in August, so my mom is taking care of him this week, and then Ed/Alex will be off for a week to watch the little one. Mom, as most grandparents are, is completely infatuated with Mr. Benji and they are having a great time with each other. We even went to the pool on my day off. He was in awe of everything around him (waterfalls, kids playing, etc) but he seemed to have a good time.

Benji is growing like a weed. Everyday I notice that he's a little stronger, or that he's just a bit more skilled than he was the day before. Over the past few days he's started passing objects from one hand to the other (crossing the midline is a big step). He's really trying out his voice by letting us hear his excited, high-pitched squeals or his sweet cooing all day long. He's started to give "kisses," and he seems to like to play with anything cloth/blanket-like. He loves the little mini-blankets which are attached to a stuffed-animal head. Even a clean diaper will keep him happy if we're in the car coming home from daycare.

He sees his feet, and occasionally tries to grab them, but he can't quite get that little foot into his hand quite yet. He's a little less perturbed by tummy time, and when he's on his back he can turn on to his side.

He's a wonderful little boy. I can't imagine life without him.

Up, Up, and Away

The three of us took a trip down to North Carolina to visit with my family and to introduce Benji to some of his relatives. We had a great time, and Benji was a champ when it came to traveling. The plane ride didn't seem to phase him at all, and it was much easier to navigate the airport with a baby than I had expected.

I sure enjoyed being home with my family. I always miss them, but having a baby makes me miss my family even more.



Over the past couple of weeks, Benji has been reaching for and batting at objects. Sometimes he even manages to grab them! It started with him reaching for my necklace when he was nursing, and slowly evolved into him reaching for toys, etc.

He is also becoming progressively more vocal and expressive. He recently started to laugh a bit (occasional chuckles), and he loves to blow bubbles (or spit, according to Ed/Alex). He also seems to get a kick out of sticking out his tongue, especially if we stick ours out in response.

This is my last week at home with the little fellow, and then I have to return to work. I'm certainly thankful that I have a job that I enjoy, but I'm really going to miss being home with my baby. We were able to find a home daycare provider whom I feel will give Benji lots of nurturing and attention, so I know he'll be well taken care of. At the end of the day, however, I wish I was the one taking care of him all day. Luckily, my workplace has been wonderfully flexible with me, and I'll have every Wednesday off. In exchange, I'll work a longer day on Tuesday, but this will give Ed/Alex and Benji some guy time together without me hovering!

Here are some of his cute expressions:

Um...I think someone ought to check my britches...



I'm so excited I can't contain myself! I love bathtime!


Hey, why did you take me out of the bath?

Oh happy day!


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