Ben 7 Months

I'm 7 months old already? Are you kidding me??

Sweet Ben.  He is such a lovey.

He loves to hug and cuddle and be held.  He is very happy being carried around.  He is getting better about sitting on the floor and playing.  He sits unassisted quite well.  He can pick up toys, pass them from hand to hand, and of course put them in his mouth.   He is nowhere near crawling because he won't stay on his stomach (more on that later).

He has slept great the past two nights.  I'm not particularly superstitious but I hate to speak of it...

He is eating a variety of food, mostly purees.  So far he seems to like everything and isn't too picky.

I am 99% done nursing.  I'm happy to have made it 7 months.  I really wish I could have made it a little bit longer but my body seemed to be finished.  It's a little bittersweet.  Part of me is fine being done and part of me is a little sad.  He is getting about six 5 ounce bottles a day plus two servings of solids.  He should be growing into that head at a good pace now.

I'm not sure exactly how much he weighs...probably about 16 pounds.  He wears mostly 6 month clothes.

He thinks Avery is about the funniest person on the planet.  Avery can't stand for him to cry or fuss.  She yells "GUYS! Pick up my baby brother, please!"

We absolutely adore our sweet Benny.  I kind of wish he wasn't growing so fast though.

 Also, this is what Ben does when you put him on his stomach.  He can roll over by himself but he doesn't because why would he do that when he doesn't want to be there???

Weekend

Is there anything cuter than a baby in a towel?

Didn't think so.

Ben is getting pretty good about playing on the floor by himself for a bit.  Of course he prefers his big sister to sit by him.

We went to Chick Fil A on Saturday.  And Ben sat in a high chair for the first time ever.  No nuggets for him just yet, though.

Avery likes to trade her meal toy in for ice cream.  Who wouldn't?!  It's also a nice incentive to leave the play area (which smells like feet).























Of course we had to hit up Target while we were out.  We found a few treasures at the Dollar Spot,  namely some Jack and the Neverland Pirates tattoos.

She is a very good mommy to her doll.  Although she tried to give her "shots" (which I was assured the doll likes) with a marker.  I caught that in time, thankfully.

Ben now sits in his high chair like a big guy.    

And that was our weekend in a nutshell!  Tomorrow Ben will be 7 months!

The Weekend

Some things about the weekend:

-The weather was beautiful.  We actually got to spend some time outside.  Avery got to try out her new bike.  I think she had been a little intimidated by it, saying she needed to be a little bit bigger to ride it.  But once she actually tried it out she saw that it was perfect for her.

-We went to a birthday party on Saturday.

-Ben is sitting up on his own.  I sit near him or put the Boppy pillow behind him, but he's doing quite well.  He only topples if he gets excited and looks up at something.

-Avery made a wreath out of a plastic necklace and a headband and insisted we hang it on the front door.  Then she stuck a bunch of bottle nipples to the glass.  Our front door was very classy.

-Ben is sleeping a little better.  Some nights are pretty good, others are bad.  We can't find a rhyme or reason.

-I have succeeded in convincing Avery that Target is a) the best place on Earth b) far superior to Wal-Mart.  Sunday we headed out to pick up some things at Target. Rob was going to go to Wal-Mart to pick up a vacuum while I was at Target.  I told him to pick a kid to take with him (that's only fair, right?).  He asked Avery if she wanted to go to Wal-Mart and she said "no, that's not a good place.  I want to go to Target. I love the place called Target."  Me.too.

-Avery tells us her Cinderella doll is her baby (like Ben is my baby).  Rob jokingly said he didn't know if he liked the idea of her being a mommy.  She said "well, it's not your choice Dad.  It's my choice." Great.  Three going on 23.

-Ben likes me in his sight.  So sometimes he has to sit in the laundry basket and watch me do laundry.  Introducing the poor man's Moses basket:

This Week

A few random thoughts for the week. I don't have the brain power to string too many thoughts together.

-If Ben doesn't have rsv again he sure has all the symptoms. Maybe it's just a little cold.

-I joined a fitness program through our insurance that gives me access to a network of gyms. Now I just have to find the time and energy to go.

-I think it's time to be consistent with sleep training Ben. I really think he eats enough during the day not to need to eat during the night. I'm tired of constantly feeling exhausted and sleep deprived.

-Avery is back to liking school. Yesterday she told me "I didn't miss you today, Mom. I was having fun."

-Class started for me this week. Pile it on!

TGIF!

This Week

It's killing us.

First off, Ben is officially sleeping in his crib, unswaddled (had been sleeping in the Rock n Play).  Yay, right?!  Pffft.

This was a big transition that we first attempted during my time off for the holidays.  But then Ben got rsv, and was already not sleeping well due to coughing plus he needed to be inclined.  We officially moved him to the crib last week and stopped swaddling him at the same time.  He was too big for the one that worked well and he kept breaking out of the other one.  Plus, it was just time.   The initial transition went a lot smoother than we thought.  But it almost seems like he's regressing now.  Of course, he has a stuffy nose again, so that could be part of the problem.  But without the comfort of the swaddle and the Rock n Play, it is much harder for him to fall back asleep when he does wake up.  So that's led to some sleeplessness this week.  I'm really missing 8 hours of solid sleep right now.  I shouldn't complain too much since Rob has worked overnight a couple of nights this week (0 sleep!), leaving me to do the morning thing by myself.

Which, speaking of, getting yourself and two kids ready and to daycare by yourself is no joke.  I'm wondering if I'll ever be on time for anything ever again.

To be fair, it probably wouldn't be a problem if we could get up on time.  But when the alarm goes off at 6:30 and we've already been up a few times it is so hard to get up.  Add to that a malfunctioning alarm clock (I'm throwing it away tonight) and you have a recipe for tardiness.  Mornings are crazy hectic as it is with both Rob and I there to participate.  No matter how much I prepare the night before (bags ready to go, lunch and bottles made, clothes laid out, etc.) it's never enough to facilitate a smooth morning.   And then I am short with Avery because we needed to leave 20 minutes ago, and, well, 3 year-olds only understand urgency when it pertains to them.

Has anyone else noticed how 3 year-olds run and jump and zip around with SO MUCH ENERGY, until you ask them to do something?  Then they move soooooooo slooooooooowly.

There are corners of my house that are completely neglected.  I think I could use a housekeeper.  And a nanny (just for those night wakings-I'll do everything else!).  And then there's traffic, and errands, and appointments, and dinner to make, and bottles to wash, and paws to wipe, and a dog to feed, and laundry, and dishes, AND AND AND...

Maybe we're just having trouble getting back into the swing of things after the holidays.

But there's still this:
 

I suppose they're worth it:)

Winter Staycation

I was off work from the Friday before Christmas through New Year's Day. The kids and I mostly hung around the house, playing with new toys, watching movies, etc.

It was awesome spending so much time with them but WHEW. Hats off to all the stay at home moms or dads whose kids don't watch tv.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Avery was perfectly content spending days at home in her pjs. She's a bit of a homebody right now.

I don't think she was ready to go back to school (nor was I to work).