Ben :: Seven Months

Another month has gone by and as someone said in our mum's group - the bub's are closer to one than their birth date. I'm not sure I'm ready to give up having a babe glued to my hip. I often carry Ben in the Ergo when we are out and people are always saying - isn't he heavy. Um, why yes he is, but I like having him on me. And I know it won't be long before he isn't going to want to be there. Plus there are always stairs and slopes around here where I can't maneuver a pram down and when we are at home he is always getting placed on the floor and fending for himself. Speaking of floor play, he is all over the place. His breast stroke crawl has just accelerated and he isn't scared to go anywhere. Last week he started sitting up on his own, this is a little scary, because he is still a bit wobbly. But fortunately, the last couple of days his protective reflexes seemed to have kicked in.

He is eating well. Prefers food with a little more texture. He is not a fan of baby food in the jar, therefore I spend a good amount of time making his food. And with six very visible teeth he is ready to chomp. We've started giving him bits of crumbs like toast and he loves it. His teeth literally seemed to pop out with no warning, but he is going through some teething difficulties now.

Ben's still on the same sleep schedule. Goes to sleep around 8:00 pm wakes at 6:00 am for some milk, goes back for two more hours. He's still taking three naps, but I think he is getting ready to drop the last evening one. Truth be told I really don't mind his 6:00 am wake up call, it's pretty much our only quite time and he is so cuddly and delicious at this time. He typically falls right back to sleep when nursing and I get to cuddle with him for a bit with his head on my shoulder before I lie him back down in his cot.

Ben tends to go through a little fuss period at dinner time (of course), but it doesn't last too long. He can be calmed down by going outside or taking a shower/bath. He also loves playing downstairs in the play area, I don't know what it is - I guess it's just the change of scenery. But he'll giggle and crawl and wrestle all the stuffed animals. So right before bedtime we let Ben play downstairs while we gather the 5000 things Annmarie needs before she goes to bed.

We love you Ben!

(chew chew chew)

(channeling his inner vampire)

(my assistant)

(I'm done)

Ten Sleeps

The number of nights Annmarie was away on her little holiday and the longest I have ever been away from my best girl.

So Jamie had a 'business trip' he had to go to in Vegas. Whatever. If you know me, you know my eyes are rolling back in my head. You will see what a stressful business trip he had. Anyways, I told him the only way he could possibly go on this long of a trip was if he took one of the kids. Since Ben is still dependent on me, it had to be Annmarie. I was only half joking when I first had the idea and then we thought, why not. My folks live close enough to Vegas, this could totally work. And it did.

Here is how the trip went down.

They left on a Friday. The day before it rained, so we were stuck inside for most of the day, plus I needed to pack Annmarie and thought we could have a nice clam day at home before she left for her trip. I was wrong. She was manic. Bouncing off the walls excited for her trip. She refused to sleep/rest. Dinner time was a mess. She ended up going to bed with no stories. I understand she was just super excited for her trip, but it was crazy. I kept thinking - leave already. Thankfully, she slept well all night and was behaving well on Friday. When the airport shuttle came to pick them up I cried. Of course I did. I wanted to be going too. Then I remembered the flight back to the states with Ben three months prior and got over that real quick.

I received updates/texts from Jamie.

(on the plane)

(LAX Business class lounge)

The flight there went - not so great. I'm thinking this was partly due the fact that I wasn't there and she pushes it with her Dad. On our trip back over holidays she was an Angel on the flights, loves being on a plane. There were two major meltdowns this time. The first being, Jamie let Annmarie watch 'the scene' in the Lion King and she completely lost it. This was after they served dinner and people were starting to go to sleep. I have no idea what Jamie was thinking, but it was his own damn fault. She also only slept for about four hours. Last time slept around eight. Then she lost it again in the business class lounge when Jamie was trying to get her to use the toilet. She wouldn't. They left the the lounge, where walking to the gate and of course then she exclaims she needs to go. Go into the regular bathrooms. Not an option. There were tears...from both of them. Back to the lounge.

She slept the entire way to Phoenix and then the fun began.

They went to the park.
A spring training game!
Don't you just love that above photo.

Went swimming.
And the best part - going to see her cousins in So Cal.
What was Jamie doing on his 'business trip' in Vegas. Well, first he checked out a Spring Training game before heading to Vegas.
He ran into Terry. Like one of Jamie's best friends. He was kind enough to give the kids this Monster. He works for Monster.com. One evening while texting with Jamie and I asked him why he wasn't sleeping or working for that matter, he exclaims, but T has an open tab at Tao. He also ran into his cousin, who also happened to be hosting some VIP party at some other club. Really, I mean, really?.
He pretty much ate his weight in Mexican food all day everyday.
On his way back to get AM in So Cal. He went and visited the S's in San Diego.
So in between all that he fit in some meetings, conferences and an awards dinner. And somehow probably more Mexican food. I know he's not telling me, but I'm sure there was an Eddie Vedder concert or something he happened to fit in, because he knows I would completely lose it. As you can tell I don't have much sympathy for business trips, because I don't care what you say - business trips are way easier than real life.

(one more taco before getting on the plane - LAX)

The flight back to OZ was a hundred times better and Annmarie did great. Jamie's philosophy - let her watch as much Caillou on the iPad as she wants until she passes out. It worked. It ended up being a great and special trip for Annmarie. She totally did not miss me. Well, she said she missed me, but she was so consumed with attention that it didn't even phase her. She did give me the best cuddle in the world when she arrived home. She is still talking about the trip and I know it won't be forgotten anytime soon.

As for what Ben and I did for ten sleeps? It was almost like being on vacation in your own home. My house stayed spotless. It was fantastic. Seriously, do you know how many times a day I need to sweep the floors. And since Ben can't feed himself or use a bathroom yet, things just stayed clean. Incredible really.

I manged to get a bunch of projects started or completed. Such as starting Ben's baby book, organizing Annmarie's art in a picture book. Cleaned out closets. Took walks to the beach. I hosted a Mum's Group at home. Took a trip to Ikea. Went to the farmers market. Started using Pinterest. Ben and I had a swim date. And more.
He loved it.
And this was the pool we were at with Ben's mates.
I know. Awesome. Life is pretty darn great right now. So I probably shouldn't give Jamie so much heat for his business trips, because this is how I get to spend my afternoons. I'll be sure to thank him today.

It ended up being a good ten sleeps for everyone. Ben and I got to spend some special time together just the two of us. Not sure when or if that will ever happen again. Annmarie got some special time with her grandparents and other family. And Jamie got to pretend he was 21 again. Win win for all.

Another one

..of Jamie's outfits. I had no idea the nautical theme was so popular in 1975. Also, look who is getting up on their knees and rocking - this chunky monkey. All 19 pounds!

On the move

The Weekend

Jamie went to Japan for three nights last week. He was back Saturday morning and picked up this Hello Kitty for Annmarie. It's her new favorite. She took it to preschool today for news. When I asked her what she said, she told me this:

Good afternoon kindy friends. Me, Ben, and Mom stayed home and Daddy took a big plane and stayed at a hotel, it was called Japan. He bought me this kitty.
We let Jamie rest and Annmarie and I colored.
Then we had Ben wake up Dad from his nap.
The sun came out on Sunday (it rained all day Sat), so we headed to the beach and had breakfast at our local beach cafe. Ben sat in a high chair for the first time and started working on building his immune system. After all the excitement of breakfast Ben passed out at the beach, luckily he will still sleep at the beach (he likes the sound of the waves). He doesn't sleep as long as he would at home, but it's enough. He has a rough life.
He now joins us at the dinner table. He likes it.

This Week

Just some pictures from this week.My attempt at trying to get a picture of both of them.At swim lessons.
And a video!

Ben :: Six Months

Ben was six months on Tuesday, 28th.

Six Months!!! I know yada yada yada. Every mum says it as every month passes by, but really, it goes by so fast. And I'm just going to keep saying it - how can my baby already be six months old!

They sure don't stay new for long.

The other evening we were out with one of Jamie's colleagues that just had a baby and I couldn't help but swoon over this little baby that just stayed cuddled up in his mum's carrier like a little koala. Ben on the other hand was sitting on our laps trying to pull all the cutlery off the table and eat all the napkins. It's just so crazy what a difference months can make.

This has been the month of grabbing. For everything. Everything. Then he puts it in his mouth and tosses it to the side. Repeat. He pivots in circles and is showing the first signs of a commando crawl, well, it looks more like the breath stroke. He also enjoys sitting up on his bottom, he's still a bit wobbly, but he loves the perspective. He's on two solid meals a day, dinner being his best meal. He also likes to grab the spoon out of your hand and gag himself. It's a constant fight. His favorite food being sweet potatoes and pumpkin. I breastfeed him five to six times a day. He's on the same sleep schedule as last month, no complaints here. We usually just bring him in the shower with one of us, but when he does get a bath he loves it. We are totally lacking in taking video of him, I resolve to change that soon. He has the best giggles. He's beginning to look at books and then he tries to eat them. He weighs about 18.5 pounds and I will be taking him in for his six month check-up soon.

Ben is such a joy and you can't but help but squeeze and kiss him all day long, so I do.