Happy Birthday, "Nana"!

Gotta be quick, little guy is cranky & Mike is on the road... Mike got to come home for a quick lunch break the other day. He could bounce Benjamin on his knee for hours.
More of Benjamin being propped on against pillows... Mike can't get enough pictures like these. We took a bunch, but this was his most ridiculous face.

Had to take down the pack & play today. Turns out Calvin doesn't mind aluminum foil so much after all.

Rainy day

It's been raining all day, and the sound must be putting Benjamin to sleep - he's actually taking a nap in his crib instead of in my arms like most afternoons. For some reason, he naps fine in the morning. This must have been an afternoon nap with Mommy on the couch. For anyone who suggests clipping his fingernails while he's sleeping - trust me, it's no easier. Even naptime is active for this kid.
Benjamin has realized just how delicious his fist is. He spends a lot of time trying to jam it into his mouth and consequently drooling all over himself.
Someone's getting hungry... I'm glad Mike gets a kick out of this, because I'd be a little creeped out of Benjamin went to town on my hand that way. Benjamin also likes to gnaw on Mike's forearm; it looks like he's eating corn on the cob. Big droolfest.
The little babbler especially likes to talk to his friend the singing lion who hangs from the playmat. They have daily chats now.
Calvin has gotten a lot braver around Benjamin and all of his things. He tries to sneak into the pack & play, and I have resorted to lining it with aluminum foil to try and keep him out. Most of the time it works. One night last week Mike woke up to find Calvin sleeping in the bassinet. (Benjamin was in his crib in the nursery.) Since I was clearing out a bunch of maternity clothes from the closet, I piled them into the bassinet, thinking it would keep Calvin out. I ended up making the most awesome nest for him. At least he's not in the pack & play anymore...

Had to take a break there for a feeding... Normally Benjamin wants to be fed every two hours like clockwork during the day, then once in the middle of the night and once very early in the morning. He's been going through a phase the last couple days where he won't nurse as long or finish his bottle for several feedings in a row, then he'll double up for a couple of feedings. For those of you who don't know, I both breastfeed and give him formula. I have tried everything possible to exclusively nurse, but I think I will always have challenges with it and I'm too stubborn to give up entirely. It's expensive (formula costs an arm and a leg) and time-consuming (breastfeeding and pumping when I can) doing it this way, but I hope that I'm doing the best that I can for his nutrition.
Here's an area where there have been few challenges: crib sleeping. Benjamin seems to love his crib and sleeps for pretty decent stretches at night. We normally don't have too much trouble getting him to go sleep; he gets drowsy on his own, and as long as he's smack up against the side of the crib for security he's fine. Mike is still swaddling him every night, but it's more difficult to squeeze him in the blanket as he gets bigger.
It's reassuring to see Benjamin smile and hear him coo. For weeks and weeks, we've been waiting for some indication that he's content or happy or at least recognizes us. Now we definitely know when he's happy with what we're doing. He seems to especially like it when Mommy sings silly songs and makes funny faces. No, there won't be any pictures of that for the blog. He really does like constant stimulation when he's awake, and sometimes it's a challenge to keep up with him and his needs. While it was fantastic to see him smile those first few times, I thought we'd never catch him in the act for a photo op. These are the best so far... He loves having his chest rubbed and tickled, especially while he's on the changing table like he is here. Sometimes he practices making sounds so much right before diaper changes that I think he tires himself out.
Nanna, this is as close as you're gonna get to a picture of me. Most of the time I'm behind the camera. Benjamin usually likes car rides, as long as someone is in the back with him. We just bought one of those mirrors to put in the back seat so that we can see him while we're driving. I've been trying to get to the base trail as much as possible now while the weather is mild; in a few weeks it will start getting too hot to be out in the afternoon, then it will be miserable from early morning on. Benjamin seems to enjoy the walks, and it's one of the best ways I have right now of trying to chip away at my pregnancy weight. Unfortunately we have thunderstorms today and a cold front moving in, so no more walks until the end of the week.
I am really enjoying my time at home with Benjamin. I feel very fortunate that we're able to go down to one income and watch our budget so that I can stay with him for now. Mike has been trying to come home for lunch when he can, and he just can't get himself enough Benjamin when he gets home at the end of the day. We have a pretty good routine down right now and are getting enough sleep that we're not walking zombies. Most of the time, anyway :)

Coos & smiles

Wow, it seems like I just posted but it's been a while. Our little boy is two months old and weighs around 12 pounds now, & he's going to grow out of some of his three-month outfits soon. The most amazing thing recently has been his communication: he has the sweetest smiles and is starting to vocalize a lot. Here's an example... Benjamin likes being carried around the house like this & often talks and smiles at the carrier. He and Daddy have been having lots of fun time this past week. Who wouldn't be amused at a face like his daddy's?
An action shot on the changing table. Benjamin seems to love having his diaper changed, I think because he likes the close face time with us. Daddy likes to take him "running," as seen here. Benjamin could stare and coo at that wreath for hours.
More Daddy fun time. Notice the excellent paint job to the kitchen, courtesy of Nanna at her last visit.
The family's first walk on base together. The trail goes right past the lake, a great resting point. Nice weather and lots of birds this time of year.

Quick, while he's napping...

Finally, a chance to post some pictures! It takes so long to load them from the camera to the computer that I run out of time to actually get them up here.

Daddy & his little Yankee pal. Still haven't figured out how to get rid of the red-eye.
Benjamin is mesmerized by this playmat. Unfortunately, he loves it most when someone is shaking the toys hanging above his head, so it takes some effort from Mommy & Daddy. The adorable overall outfit was a present from friends here in Georgia.
Our little conductor. The bouncer has colorful blinking lights and plays a bunch of songs, but a lot of the time he ends up looking at the TV that's to his right (even when it's not on).
Daddy loves to prop him up like this on the couch. He looks so little beside the pillows. Such a serious face!
All tuckered out. It's amazing to look at earlier pictures of him in this pack & play to see how big he has gotten. We think he's around 11 pounds, & my arms are feeling it. It didn't take him long to get bigger than Calvin. He's also starting to coo & looks ready to crack a real smile any day now. He had his first walk on base earlier this week, but it has been to cold to go out again. Hopefully this weekend we'll hit the trail again.

Daddy's first trip

Since Mike had to go on the road, he could probably use some recent photos of our little guy...

Nanna is here while Daddy is gone & has been sharing feeding duty.

Benjamin is focusing more & more on things around him. He really seems to like this activity mat, especially when Nanna shakes the whole thing (known as a "hurricane").

Benjamin taking a nap after a dinnertime feeding. He likes being on his side. This outfit is labeled for 3 months but almost fits him. He has grown out of most of his newborn clothes but can still wear his teddy bear coat.

Aunt Kate arrived today & we'll be having a girls' weekend. Finally, less testosterone than estrogen in the house!

Catching up on photos

Sorry for the delay in posting; when I was told that feeding a baby would take up most of my time, I didn't understand that that's not an exaggeration. These are a couple of weeks old, I've got more to post soon.




This sums up how Calvin feels about this new thing in his home (curious but REALLY scared).

One of Mike's favorite pics.

This is an example of what Benjamin has been doing lately, a lot of riding a rollercoaster or putting one arm straight up in the air. Mommy & Daddy have been wacked in the face several times. Check out the adorable ouftit (pretty sure it's from Aunt Kate).

One of many mornings where my boys let me sleep in after a long night.

Taken while Nanna & Grandpa were here around the New Year.

One of our first trips out. It was unseasonably cold for a few days.

Benjamin absolutely loves his bouncer (sponsored by Aunt Becki). You can't tell in this photo, but now he's starting to focus on the dangly sun & dragonfly. He even hit the sun by chance a few times.