Water Baby

We got to my folks' house in PA a couple of days ago... it's not quite as easy for me to post photos, but here are a few.

Nana and our son the fish. My parents' neighbors had a cookout yesterday, and since they have a pool my mom thought it would be great to introduce Benjamin to the water - she was all prepared with swim trunks, swimmy diapers and an inner tube. He absolutely loved it. It made him very calm, which really surprised me.

Being passed back and forth. He wore the sunglasses for a long time before trying to eat them.

Losing steam. As it got to be naptime, he put his head down and started to hum. The pool experience was so successful that we brought him back today (thanks, Terri!)...more pictures to come.

The trip up went better than expected. We left around noon; with one meal stop, three short stops, very good traffic and a little rain, we got in at about 1:30 in the morning. And of course, even though Benjamin goes for days and days between dirty diapers, he had a big stinky somewhere in Virginia. We haven't had to use the earplugs in the car yet (he has a history of screaming) and he slept a little more than I thought he would, even though he was a bit restless. Mike did the vast majority of the driving (as evidenced by how quickly we got here).

This is the first time Benjamin has been at Nana & Grandpap's house, but he seems very comfortable and took to both of them immediately. Nana had a beautiful crib set up as well as a wide array of toys. All this excitement has him tuckered out...he's been taking better naps here than he ever does at home!

Congrats, Tech Sgt Richter!!

Have to brag on him: Yesterday was Mike's first official day as a technical sergeant. That's a pretty big promotion, and he got it very quickly - and on his first try. He found out a year ago that he scored high enough to get the promotion, but he had to wait months to actually get that new stripe. We're proud of you, honey! I mean, Sgt Richter.

I had the silly idea of taking an impromptu family portrait, only my arm wasn't quite long & flexible enough. This was one of oh-so-many attempts. Mike looks great, Benjamin looks scared, I look like a dork. But we had fun.

Chasing down bits of puffed rice cereal. I think he likes the sound his fingers make when he scrapes the plastic as much as he liked trying to pick up the cereal. I love it when he's concentrating on something and gets really quiet and still. Although he does make these little grunting sounds under his breath, which is also adorable.

Got one! Now if only he could get it from his fingers to his mouth.

Somebody has learned to love this hat. He smiles when we put it on him, and Mike said that yesterday he was trying to grab the rim but ended up grabbing at the air right above it. That hat used to be so big on him, but now it's a perfect fit.

So a couple of nights ago Benjamin was inconsolable and would not stay asleep. He was gnawing on everything, and I suspected he might be teething. I gave him some teething tablets and waited: nothing. Still screaming like a banshee. After a while, I gave in & gave him Tylenol, which kept him asleep from ten to four. Then today he woke up in the middle of naptime - again, seemed like teething. This time I got out the big guns, which I really didn't want to do: Baby Orajel. I'm so afraid it'll numb his mouth to the point where he'll choke (although plenty of people have told me not to worry too much about that). I was worried about the wrong thing. He H-A-T-E-D this stuff. Don't know if it was the taste or the sensation, but he had a fit for a few minutes, then went to sleep for another 45 minutes. I really don't like using medicine like that, but if I've learned anything over the last year, it's been this: 1) I don't know anything about anything; and 2) I'm not always going to get my way. But I sure would like to know when that first elusive tooth is gonna pop out!

Mr. Independent

In the car on the way back from the pediatrician earlier this week, Benjamin was playing with his toy keys when he fell asleep. He held onto them even when we brought him into the house. Those well-baby visits always tire him out. Must be the shots. He weighed 17 pounds 12 ounces and was 26.5 inches long, putting him right in the middle of the pile.

He suddenly seemed to be teething again yesterday, and all he wanted to do was gnaw on this big, textured teething pacifier, even when it wasn't cold anymore. My only complaint is that the sound of his gums rubbing against it gives me the heebie-jeebies. That's a medical term, by the way.

He has finally started to try to hold the bottle on his own (Benjamin, not Mike). It takes him a while, and is quite messy, but he's getting the hang of it.

Being a silly bug. He has been squirming all over creation lately: we put him down in the crib and two minutes later he has turned himself over and upside down. While in a wrap. Pretty frequently when he cries from the crib it is because he got himself in a position he doesn't like and can't get out of it. What a wiggle worm.

My friend Laurie stopped by for a visit a couple days ago, and Benjamin liked her right away - smiles and giggles all over the place. He even let her hold him for quite a while. Mike has noticed that he's pretty comfortable with most people, as long as he's in the house. Anyway, I enjoyed the visit and hope we can get together again...Mommy needs friends, too!

Mommy Eating Apple

Mike took a bite out of an apple a couple of days ago and Benjamin started laughing his head off. I mean, this was the funniest thing he had ever seen. So of course, Mike started hamming it up to get him to laugh even more. Then Mike thought it would be nice to get a video of him so amused at us eating fruit. Honestly, we're not doing anything other than taking bites out of an apple and chewing (a little more enthusiastically than usual, I have to admit). I'm the one eating in this video, and he's not quite as amused as he is with Mike, but it's still a much bigger reaction than I'd expect for watching someone eat a piece of fruit.

Daddy Eating Apple

Much shorter, but what a smile... It's hard to eat an apple and shoot a video at the same time.

Six Months Old!

Benjamin had his first crack at the high chair this morning. It went much better than I expected. For some reason he didn't want to put his left hand on top of the tray. We fed him some cereal, but there's no need for MORE cereal pics.

He's been making this face a lot, like he's chewing on his gums.

A few days ago we went to a birthday party thrown by our friends whose son is now one year old. There were more adults than kids there, though. That's Mike holding the beer. And no, he didn't let Benjamin have it.

The party was a lot of excitement for the little guy. This was right around the time he usually has a catnap in the late afternoon, so he fell asleep right where he was. Of course, the afternoon was stressful for him and he had a pretty rough night's sleep later (as did we).

Tomorrow is his 6-month well-baby checkup. More shots. Ugh. Hopefully I'll remember to bring his Tylenol this time.

Sleep Habits

Our new sleep routine: one arm in, one arm out. Arm out hugs the snuggle bear. Still smack up against the side of the crib. Despite him now turning his head to the left a lot while he sleeps, the right side of his head is still kind of flat.

Rise and shine! At least Daddy's chipper.

Monkey. He really loves to hang upside down, but we have to be careful about how long it's been since he's eaten. We've been doing a lot of spit-up laundry lately.

Horrible focus, but Mike loves this shot. By the way, the ONLY time I put him in this seat while on the bed (or any raised surface) is when I'm standing right there, like when I'm folding laundry on the bed. Apparently I was taking too long and Benjamin took control of the situation. Usually he bends backwards to pop himself out, but this time he chose going over the side.