Happy New Year

Have a blessed 2009! Be safe this week, and I'll update you when we return from Massachusetts.

Christmas week #1

We spent most of the last week in Ocean City for Christmas #1. We had a great time; Ben, of course, was spoiled by his Grandma and Grandpa. We were able to spend great time with family, give and receive great Christmas presents, see the Winterfest lights (an annual tradition it looks like we are starting), play at an arcade, have a great lunch on mom, and celebrate the birth of our savior.


Here are a few pictures from the week...

My favorite present.


At Grandma and Grandpa's we open the stockings first. Each person opens one gift at a time. Ben opened one present first, then Kim and Uncle Steve, Grandma & Grandpa, J.R. then me. Then Ben got to go again. With seven people and about 15 gifts in each stocking, I really didn't know how long Ben would last. He did great! He opened up his gifts and played with them or visited with everyone else until it was his turn again. He was extremely patient. In fact, by the end of the stocking, he didn't really care to open any more gifts, and he really didn't care too much about opening the gifts under the tree. He just wanted to visit, and when a cool new toy or book was opened, he'd play with that. Here's a picture of him opening a gift from his stocking.


Ben's cool new coat.


Ben with some of his arcade tickets. Ben (we helped a little - I personally kicked butt at skee ball) won 395 tickets, and with that, he was able to get a 500 ticket car. The woman behind the counter was very kind to give him that even though he didn't have enough tickets. Ben is very into cars right now so he loved it! After we played there for a while, we walked on the board walk for a little bit. The beach was deserted, even though it was a nice day.

Ben (Grandpa in the background) on the train to see the Winterfest lights. We went to see the lights last year too...we are starting a tradition. As you can see, Ben is starting to become a little ham when the camera comes out.

Now it's on to Christmas week #2 - after a visit from our friend Rachel, we are heading to Massachusetts for the rest of the week. Happy New Year!

Phanta Claus

OK, I did it again. What a new mom I am.

Anyway, we took Ben to the Phillies ball park so we could have his picture taken with the Philly Phanatic dressed as Santa Claus. We thought if the picture came out good, we could use it as our Christmas card picture. Last year, Ben did great with Santa. In fact we think this is the most precious picture of the two of them.

So, I naively thought this year he wouldn't be afraid of Santa. What was I thinking? He's 18 months old! Isn't every 18 month old afraid of Santa? Especially if he's big and green? This is the result.

I'm not as hormonal as I was last week, so I'm actually laughing pretty hard at this. And here's the kicker - notice no J.R. in the picture? We got in line at 10:45 AM and pictures didn't start until 11:00 AM. We had to wait outside so we were freezing. Ben was getting antsy so J.R. walked him around for a while. Then Ben started getting cranky, so I thought I'd take him into the store and walk around in there. Upstairs there is a life size Phanatic statue, so we thought that if Ben couldn't take much more, we'd just take a picture there. Well, not long after I got out of the line, it started moving. J.R. stayed, but when I didn't come back right away, he started letting people ahead of him, then finally got out of line. Ben and I were upstairs looking at the statue and he was calming down pretty good. "Phanta Claus" was there too; we could see people getting their picture taken so we were watching them. That really calmed Ben down. Finally I decided to get back in line. I didn't realize J.R. had stepped out, so I went through the entire line, excusing myself as I went, expecting people to get mad and think I was cutting (actually, everyone was really nice). I got all the way to the front of the line, and the woman who was originally standing behind me told me J.R. got out of line. She and her husband let me get in front of them, and I tore off our coats to get ready - there were only like 1 or 2 people in front of us. I didn't even have time to call J.R. to tell him to join us. I put Ben down and he immediately made friends with a Mrs. Claus (a ballgirl I guess). He seemed really happy so I was happy. In fact, when it was our turn, he was ready to go. The security lady said the same thing. Well, there was another Mrs. Claus near "Phanta" and she picked him up. That was the beginning of the end. Cry, cry...sigh. The picture is obviously the result. The Mrs. Claus that took our picture was cute - she said "I got him looking at me". Thanks. I just said "Awesome, thank you very much" and we got out of line. There was a fanfoto guy there too so crankybaby's picture is on the website too.

Guess we need to come up with something else for our Christmas card.

Christmas Tree

We put up our Christmas tree tonight. I don't know what I was thinking. I wanted Christmas music, a cozy atmosphere...I wanted to reminisce with each ornament I took out, wanted to show things to Ben and have him be into it. Yeah, right. He was carrying around a heavy candle holder and broke it, he smashed a small glass candle holder into the computer screen, I think there was an ornament he broke too. He was stepping in everything, he was cranky, and it just wasn't the evening I hoped for. Sigh. Again, I really don't know what I was thinking...I mean, he's 18 months old and has no clue whats going on. Oh well. Here are couple of pictures we managed to take.

It's a.....

well, what do you think it is?

Everything is going well. The quad screen I took at the end of October came back negative. The doctor couldn't find any indication of any abnormal chromazones. He did say that an ultrasound isn't the perfect way to find anything wrong, but they can be reassuring. He ended by saying, this was a reassuring ultrasound. So...all things point to good :) It's definitely a relief, but I'm still praying for a healthy baby.

The technician, and the doctor, took some 3D or 4D (whatever it's called) pictures - it was so cool! I wasn't expecting it at all. All of a sudden, the picture on the monitor completely changed and there was this yellow baby! It wasn't just a black and white picture, it was a baby! It was absolutely awesome! Here are a few pictures of that. He's hiding behind the placenta.

J.R. and I were talking after the appointment and we realized that we still can't use the name Emma for our child. I thought maybe we could find a name that was a boy version of Emma, or similar to Emma. The first name I thought of was Ernie. J.R.'s exact quote was "Over my dead body". So, of course I said, from now on, I'm calling him Ernie. Well, he has to have a name, right? Right? J.R's response to that was, "Do you really want his name on a Masque sweatshirt to be Ernie? Come on now?" The Masque is the theater group I advise, and when someone is inducted into the club, they are given a Masque name. Ben's is "Jack Bauer" since that's what I called him when he was in-utero. We'll see I guess.

I'm thrilled to be a mom of two boys. It would have been nice to have a girl, but I think in my heart I was hoping for a boy more than I was hoping for a girl. As long as the baby is healthy, I OK with whatever the gender is. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to be a mom again.

Allergy update

Well, first we had a great time in Massachusetts for Thanksgiving. We saw lots of family, went to Edaville Railroad where we rode on a train and saw Christmas lights, and we went to my 20th High School reunion. I'll post more pictures later as I haven't downloaded them to my computer yet.

When we came home, J.R. called the doctor's office and asked about the "D" and "pareve" markings on food labels. We were concerned because even soy milk has the "D" on it, and the pareve marking didn't make sense to us, especially after a good friend of mine (who is Jewish and often cooks kosher) seemed confused by that statement as well (see my previous post...and thanks Maani for being such a good friend and helping me once again to cheer up while I have the baby blues). The doctor said that basically those markings just mean those products are made in a facility that also processes milk. He said not to worry about it; nowadays manufacturers really keep their products very separate from each other. We can give Ben those products, but if he reacts, then we should stop giving them to him (obviously). I'm thrilled because this opens up so much more for us, including the products specifically labeled as being processed in the same facility as milk can be processed. Ah...I'm feeling better.

I'm still a little stressed about it, but I'm very thankful it isn't a gluten or peanut allergy. I think those would be worse! I feel this is minor compared to those, and compared to what some other people can have. I met a student today who is basically allergic to everything outside (grass, ragweed, pollen....)pet dander, I think she said dust, mites and oh....is lactose intolerant. She has to get shots on a regular basis. Thank you, God, for blessing us with a challenge that can easily, by comparison, be overcome.

I'll post pictures of the cuteness that is Ben soon.

Kisses.....

Milk Allergy

It's been a rough weekend for me. We found out on Friday that Ben definitely has a milk allergy. I'm taking it really hard. I know you'll tell me it's not true, but I feel like it's my fault...I carried him for 9 months, I breastfed him, there must be something I did wrong. I wish I knew what it was so that I stop doing it now...I don't want the new baby to have an allergy. (You're also reading words from a hormone crazed pregnant lady - keep that in mind.) Another thing that saddens me is that there is so much he can't have now, that he enjoys eating! It breaks my heart. He eats what we put in front of him, so it's not like he can choose what he wants, so I guess he's not missing anything there. However, there are going to be times where everyone else is eating something he wants but can't have.

This is what it boils down too. Ben still isn't drinking milk (he drinks soy). This summer when we tried to give it to him, he would only throw it up. He also throws up if he eats cheese, although lately, he's had a little cheese and he's been OK. I told his doctor this, and also that daycare says he breaks out when having pineapple or orange juice. She referred us to an allergist. The allergist said even though he's been able to tolerate some milk products, if we continue to give it to him, his body will continue to think he has an allergy. So we need to stop giving him any and his body will, heal I guess, and hopefully he'll grow out of it. Milk allergies are not uncommon in kids, and it can be grown out of. (Oh - and the allergist says Ben has eczema, and when certain things, like syrup, o.j., and pineapple juice, touch his skin, he'll break out.)

So, we are now shopping for milk free products. This is SO hard! Here is the list the doctor gave us...
artificial butter flavor, butter, butter fat, butter oil, buttermilk, casein, caseinates, cheese, cream, cottage cheese, curds, custard, Ghee, Half & Half, lactalbumin, lactalbumin phosphate, lactoglobulin, milk chocolate, milk (derivative, powder, protein, solid, melted, condensed, evaporated, dry, whole, low-fat, non-fat, skimmed, and goat's milk), nougat, pudding, rennet casein, sour cream, sour cream solids, sour milk solids, whey (in all forms including sweet, delactosed, protein concentrate) & yogurt. Also a "D" on a label next to the kosher "K" or "U" or the word pareve (even though pareve means made without meat or milk, according to Jewish law a food product may contain a small amount of milk product but still be considered pareve - taken from www.foodallergy.org). Other things that may contain milk product are flavoring including caramel, Bavarian cream, coconut cream, brown sugar, butter, natural chocolate (semisweet, sweet), lunch meat, hot dogs, sausages, high protein flour, margarine & Simplesse.

Now do you see how hard it is!?! What do vegans eat? Should I be glad it's a milk allergy and not a gluten allergy? We've found milk in all sorts of things we didn't expect...there is powdered milk in our breadcrumbs, cheese in our tomato sauce, milk products in our mayonnaise and Miracle Whip! Also, all Wal-Mart brand products are made in a facility that also processes milk - so that's out too.

Thanksgiving is going to be tough...my aunt is making carrots and corn without butter. Oh boy! Lot's for Ben to eat...not that it's my aunt's fault. We are just going to have to bring our own food with us when we go places; restaurants are going to be especially hard. I guess it's a good thing we aren't going out to eat a lot lately. No more goldfish at church. No more Ritz crackers at home. Spaghetti only with pizza sauce. I'm worried about a few things, like daycare, but they understand and have the list, and don't have a problem with me bringing in my own food.

It's only been a few days, but we have found a few things he can eat, and few ways to get around it (i.e. the spaghetti with pizza sauce). We'll find more, and I'm going to look for some online support groups to help us, or rather me, through it. Ben seems OK so far, and hopefully he won't miss pizza night.

S/he moves!

Yup, the little one is moving around :) I thought I felt movement yesterday at work, but I thought, "Nah - it's just because I'm reading something right now about baby movements". Then last night, I was lying in bed and my arm was on top of my belly. I thought I felt something move, right through my arm (not kicking my arm, but kinda vibrating through...kinda hard to explain). I took my arm off and thought, "Nah, it wouldn't be a strong enough kick to kick my arm. Must have just been my stomach digesting dinner". Then I waited for a while, and felt it again, really concentrating this time. It was definitely baby. It really is hard to tell because at this stage, it feels more like bubbles or stomach movements or some women even say popcorn. I really thought about it though, and it was definitely baby. I thought about keeping it a secret from J.R., then in a few weeks when the baby is big enough to kick through my stomach, just reaching for his arm and surprising him with a kick. But, he was laying next to me, and I looked over at him and smiled. He looked at me and I could see he was thinking "What's up with her", so I told him, through happy tears, that I felt the baby move.

This makes me feel good in a couple of ways. It feels great because it's just a fun thing, but I'm really nervous right now about the baby's health, so it's reassuring to know he or she is bouncing around in there.

Happy Halloween

I wanted to post some Halloween pictures in my last post, but ran out of time while blogging. So, here is the 2nd part of what I wanted to post before....Ben's 2nd Halloween! While my mom was visiting, she bought this costume for him. Isn't he just the world's cutest cow?!?!!He wasn't real happy when we took the picture - I think we interrupted his playtime or something. I still think he looks cute! I'm not real crazy about the costumes with the heads on top of them, but this costume was just so cute!

At the end of the month, our friends Kelly, Bill, Molly and Ben came to the zoo with us for Boo at the Zoo. We had a great time visiting, especially since we hadn't seen each other for a while. Boo at the Zoo was a trick or treating event at the zoo. There were different candy/snack stations all around the zoo, so Ben went trick or treating for the first time. Although, I do have to say, mom did most of the trick or treating! I tried to get Ben to hold out his bag, but he was more interested in playing with it, so I mostly took his bag and went to the tables myself. Here are some pictures of the day.

Ben and J.R. when we first arrived at the zoo. (I love this picture!!!)

Even though you can't see Ben's face, it's a cute picture of the whole costume. Ben always seems to fall asleep at the zoo.
Me and Ben, my little moo-cow!

Ben really knows a lot of animal sounds, so what made his costume more cute was when we would ask him what a cow says. He'd pucker up his lips and say "oooo". So cute.

Ben can also oink like a pig, roar like a lion/tiger, woof like a dog, quack like a duck, growl like a bear (and show his little claws), baa like a sheep, chomp like an alligator (he moves his hands like an alligator chomping), ooh ooh ah ah like a monkey (while raising his arms up a little and bouncing them) roar like an elephant (and raise his arm like it's the elephant's trunk), meow like a cat, stick his tongue out like a lizard (as previously posted about - check out the video if you haven't seen it), and hiss like a snake. We are trying to get him to neigh like a horse, tweet/chirp like a bird, and today I started working on a turkey gobble and associating it with Happy Thanksgiving. He's identifying quite a few body parts too, and does motions for at least 4 songs that I know of. He's not talking too much, but his signs are coming along pretty well. I can't believe he's 17 months old -he's getting so grown up :)

Fall Festivities

I love the fall; it's probably my favorite season. I love curling up under the blankets at night, wearing sweaters (did you know at one time I had 42 sweaters?) and watching the leaves change color. I find it so much fun to do fall related activities...like fairs, pumpkin patches, Halloween, etc. There was plenty to do during October, so we had a lot of fun. At the beginning of the month, my "yoga" friends and babies all got together at a local arboretum then had a light dinner together. The trip was fun, but it was also great to be with my friends. This was probably the first time the kids had been together since they've all been walking, too. It was so much fun to see them interacting and playing with each other. At the arboretum, we walked through this great train display. There were miniature buildings from around the world, and around the city, all with trains passing them by. Here's a picture of Ben and J.R.

OK - well, maybe later there will be a picture. I guess I don't have those pictures on this computer, so I'll have to update this post later on.

My mom came for a visit mid month. I'm glad she came, we had a great visit. We went to a pumpkin patch and Ben came home with his very own pumpkins. We went on a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, Ben saw chickens, horses, sheep and other farm animals, he went for a wagon ride and just had a fun time. Here are some pictures from that day.

Fightin Phils

Ben waving his rally towel.

Ben and J.R. at a Phillies game.

So the Phillies made it to the World Series!  It's very exciting around here.  I've only lived in Philly for 4 years (10 in PA) but I'm already a fan.  The Red Sox will always be number one in my heart, but it's OK to cheer for a team in the AL and NL, right?  So, my favorite team in the NL is the Philadelphia Phillies!  

Like I said, it's been exciting around here.  It's been 15 years since the Phils have made it this far.  The city is taking a break from it's normal green (Philly is totally a football city) and going red. I'm seeing more and more Phillies t-shirts and jerseys.  Even Ben and I are wearing Phillies gear now.  When the team clinched the NL title last week, J.R. was a little teary eyed.  He's been a fan all his life.  I actually got a little teary eyed when I watched the team disembark their plane from LA.  Yesterday, J.R. and I were dropping my mom off at the airport from a weekend visit, and we decided to take a ride.  We drove around to the side of the airport and saw lots of TV crews.  Come to find out, the team was boarding a plane to Tampa Bay.  So, we parked the car, and joined the 4 or 5 women from Citizens Bank and 1 or 2 other fans and watched.  Three TV stations interviewed us and the Phillies website interviewed J.R. Unfortunately, we watched the 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 and 10:00 news, and looked on all the stations' websites and found nothing.  J.R. did make it onto the Phillies website though, so that's cool.  It was a fun experience.  I feel like I had a small part in the celebration, other than cheering in my living room.  

I'm upset the Sox didn't make the Series, but at least its easier now for me to want one team to win over the other. Go Phils!  Beat Tampa Bay!

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First OB Visit

Yesterday I had my first OB visit. All is well, but the visit was actually pretty sad. I really like this doctor that I'm seeing, and was looking forward to going through my pregnancy with her. It's a shame that 72 midwives, doctors, nurses and staff are going to lose their jobs in an area where we truly need them. I may have to have my baby at a hospital where the doctor delivering won't remember my name even after having looked at my chart 5 times. The nurses won't know what room I'm in or remember who my baby is. I'm disappointed. And I'm sad not just for my family, but I'm sad for those losing their jobs 3 weeks before Thanksgiving. It's just rough. Stupid high-cost insurance! Anyway, I've been getting some advice on new hospitals, so now I have to look into finding a new doctor affiliation.

My appointment did go well though, like I said. She didn't confirm a due date, but did say I was just barely 11 weeks. My uterus is where it should be and she tried to find a heartbeat, but couldn't "get it to stay". I was nervous that we wouldn't be able to hear it. I really need to hear it to assure myself that everything is OK. I did hear half a "whirl", and the doctor didn't say she couldn't find it at all, so I do feel a little better. I'm anxious for my next appointment though.

Ben has no idea what is going on, but he's begun to kiss my belly. It's ridiculously cute!

Ben is 15 months old!

We took Ben to the Dr's this week for his 15 month well visit. He is 31 inches, and 21 pounds. He's 50th percentile for height, I think she said. He's a little bit of a lightweight, so she told us to fatten him up (my words, not hers). She said to use butter on toast and give him snacks every couple of hours. I think we do that anyway, but we'll see what we can do. She also referred us to an allergist. Day care says he gets itchy after eating oranges and drinking orange juice or pineapple juice. He is also still not drinking real milk. With Ben's history of rashy, eczema-type skin, the Dr. didn't want to guess at anything, so we have an appointment in a couple of weeks. We tried to get Ben to do his little "tricks" for the Dr., but of course, he wouldn't perform on demand. So there was no nose touching, no head touching, no lizard imitation or doggie noises. He ran around the office and climbed a stepstoool, but that was about it. He had three shots, including his flu shot. He ended up getting a fever on Thursday from them. I picked him up early from day care because he just didn't feel well, and he stayed home with J.R. on Friday.

As for baby #2... he/she has elbows now...AND it's either a boy or a girl (I know, I know...I mean the baby's girl/boy parts have formed so it's either one or the other now and not just a blob). My Dr.'s appt. is in just over a week. Newest challenge...finding a new doctor and a new hospital to deliver at. The entire OB dept. is being cut from our hospital so I'm back to the drawing board. I have a suggestion from Ben's Dr. and I'll get another from my Dr. (I can keep this first appt. with her). I also have lots of suggestions from friends, but most of those hospitals are too far away. Anyway, I'm just thankful I'm not ready to deliver in the next two months! The little morning sickness I had hasn't been around for a few days, but I'm really tired. Just kind of worn out really. That'll be done in a few weeks though, I'm sure. Till then...I'm keeping my pillow fluffed up.

Happy Grandparents Day!

J.R. and I said when Ben turned one we'd try for another baby. We waited just a short time, then I became totally baby obsessed. A friend in the neighborhood had a baby right after Ben's birthday, and two friends at work had summer babies. So, I checked out the pregnancy calendars on the Internet and figured out when I was ovulating, when the baby, if conceived, would be due, (if I'd have enough vacation time to take for maternity leave) and if pregnant, when I could get a pregnancy test. It was crazy, but so funny. Anyway, according to the Internet, I could get a pregnancy test done August 12, so I made an appointment for August 15. Not pregnant. I almost told the doctor she was wrong. I was sure I was pregnant. I was even getting tired easily and felt different, well, let's just say I felt different, and of course, I was late. She said I could come back the next week and try again. I waited two weeks. J.R. stayed home with Ben that day because daycare was closed, so they both came with me to my 8:00 AM appointment. By now, morning sickness was entering the picture (which stinks by the way - didn't have it with Ben, and I'm telling you, I just don't care for it). The doctor scared me at first because she came into the office saying "What are you here for today" which was exactly what she said the first time. This time, she hadn't checked my sample. So, she checked it, came back, and said I was pregnant! YAY! J.R. and I kissed immediately. We are very excited.

I started telling everyone immediately. Everyone that is, except our parents. We wanted a fun way to tell them. J.R. made Grandparents Day cards and we mailed them out earlier this week. All three of them received their cards on Friday which was great. AND Friday was my birthday so it was a really fun day to celebrate.

I look at Ben everyday and think about how much of a blessing he is. We are all thrilled to have God bless us again with another child. I'm looking forward to the pregnancy as well - I absolutely loved being pregnant with Ben. I just pray this pregnancy goes as well and this new baby is just as healthy. Please pray for us as well!

Me at 7 weeks.

The Learning Tree

Watching Ben learn has really been fascinating lately. First of all, I can tell that he is learning in school (which translates into - I love the new day care!). I was singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to him the other night, something I haven't done in a long time. When I sang "went up the water spout" and "went up the spout again" he threw his hands up into the air. His teacher said they sing that, and that I should see him when they sing "Where is Thumbkin". I've tried singing that to him but he doesn't have any reaction for me. He does really watch my fingers though. At home, I read to him all the time and he's really picking things up. I've always read to him each night, but his new thing now is to bring me books. He'll sit for a little and read books on his own, so I'm trying to encourage that as much as I can. Last night I was reading "The Very Busy Spider" to him and I read "'Woof, woof' barked the dog" and Ben was making an "F" sound - so cute. Then after I meowed like the cat, he said "ow". Ah! Love it! He also knows where his nose is, where his head is, and now we are moving on to his ears. A fun game for us (ok, well, for me) when we get home at night is, "Free the Feet". I get excited and ask if he wants to 'free the feet, free the feet' and I take his shoes/socks off. Then I say "Ahhhh" and he wiggles his toes. Once in a while he'll grunt "ah". He can also imitate a lizard. See the video! I laugh every time.

The greatest athlete?

Michael Phelps just won eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympic games. Not only did he win gold medals in every race he swam, but 7 of the 8 races were world records (2 races were completed as part of a team). Unbelievable! He is an incredible swimmer -no doubt. He has won more gold medals in one Olympics than anyone else, ever. But is he the greatest Olympic athlete? Or the greatest athlete in general?

I don't want to take anything away from him, he is absolutely an amazing swimmer. I've enjoyed watching him and have been a fan since I first saw him in 2000. I just don't know what the greatest Olympic athlete is made of. He swam in 8 events so he had the chance at 8 medals. The "redeemed" US men's basketball team (my feelings on that we'll save for another post) have already won 6 of 6 games, and will play another two. If they win both games, they'll have played 8 games, but only won one gold medal. Couldn't they be considered the Olympics' greatest athletes? Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won 6 beach volleyball matches, each having 2 games for a total of 12 games played and won. They'll play one more time, and if they win, they'll win just one gold medal. But couldn't they be considered the Olympics' greatest athletes? I just want to know what the definition of the greatest athlete is. If it's the most gold medals, then yes, Phelps is the greatest. Who is a better athlete, a gold medal swimmer, or a gold medal runner? In his longest race, Phelps swam 400 meters. The longest running race is the marathon, where a Romanian woman (Constantina Tomescu Dita) didn't stop running for 26.2 miles! Amazing! Not only that, but she pulled away from the pack only half way into it, and for a good part of the later part of the race, she was over 1 minute ahead of everyone else. She ended up winning by 22 seconds! I would think she would qualify as a great Olympic athlete.

Should the greatest athlete be the fastest, most flexible, strongest? I don't know. I do know Phelps is phenomenal, as well as May-Treanor, Walsh, Tomescu Dita, Usain Bolt from Jamaica, and so many more.

My favorite athlete though is one that is so multi faceted. He can speed walk his way to any goal, run with the biggest bounce in his step , climb steps in the blink of an eye, shove more spaghetti in his mouth with his bare hands than I can with a spoon, gives a smile brighter than any Hollywood movie star and fills my heart with the most unbelievable love I've ever felt. My Ben is the most talented athlete I know. And that, in my opinion, deserves a gold medal.

The Nose knows no

At Ben's last well visit, the doctor told me he should start identifying body parts, so we've been teaching him where his nose is. Last night, for the first time, he pointed to his nose! It's really cute, we ask him where his nose is, and his puts his finger on the side of his nose. He smiles really big like he's so proud of what he's done. We get excited so then he starts clapping! We asked him where his head was after he had shown us his nose a couple of times. I put my hands on my head, then he did it. At school today I wanted him to show his teacher his nose, then she started asking him where his eyes were, so I'm thinking she might be teaching him that stuff at school too, which is great.

Then today, the little brat (kidding of course), refused to give me a kiss! He's giving kisses quite well now, and if you ask him for a kiss, he'll lean into you and you may get an open mouth kiss, but he's really giving many more closed mouth kisses now. He's even starting to pucker his lips. Well today, I put him in his car seat and asked for a kiss. He shook his head at me! I said "No? No?" He continued to shake his head then put a big smile on his face. He did this several times to me, in fact, he practically did it all night. I'm not sure if I should be offended or enter him in a crazy baby contest!

Music

"1. In My Arms - Plumb"

I'm on Rhapsody today and I see that I can post songs to my blog. I'm very excited about this since my life is one big song. I decided to try it out with Plumb's song because I had posted the lyrics here a little while back. Hopefully this works. Let me know if you can link to it! I think you have to click on the title of this post (Music).

Back to the Grind

Well, it's back to the grind after another great week of vacation. We started the week with a nine hour miserable car ride to NH, then went to Norway and Paris (Maine, that is) before heading back to Mass. Ben's now been to playgrounds in five different states! He also went on a train ride, went blueberry picking, went swimming and on a boat ride. He also saw lots of relatives, like his aunt, two sets of grandparents and his two great grandmothers. Here are some pictures.

On the train with Grammie and Pepere.

Picking blueberries at Grampy and Grammy's

Blowing bubbles with cousin Brooke

J.R. and I went to Fenway to watch the Sox take on the Yankees. Unfortunately, it was boring game with few hits, and even worse, the Yankees won. We had awesome seats though and J.R. was able to be at Fenway for a game.

Every time Jeter came up to bat I'd shout "I hate you but you're hot!" Hey, Yankee or not, he's hot.

It was Papi's first night back.

I'm still horrified that the Red Sox have a mascot (Wally - get it, Wall-y the Green Monster?), but here's J.R. sitting with a statue of him.

Other highlights of the night included Leanne Rhimes singing the National Anthem, Kenny Chesney throwing out the first pitch (I'm not into Country music but thought it was cool they were there - even I know who they are) and Jack Nicholaus threw out a ball too. We also saw Beckett pitch for the Sox, and Chamberlain and Rivera pitch for the Yankees. Rivera was not met with kind applause.

The first day back to daycare for Ben was good in the morning...Ben went right to a toy and started playing. I didn't even kiss him goodbye because he was to busy washing his hands. He cried when I picked him up though. He was behind a chain link fence and was all upset because he couldn't get to me. He cried when I dropped him off yesterday and today, and cried again both days when I picked him up too. I understand the dropping off cry, but it's strange that instead of being happy to see me and giving me a great smile (and boy are those smiles great) as he runs to me, he gets upset because he can't get to me fast enough. I'm hoping that now that he's going to daycare five days a week, he'll get better. Although, he's definitely at the age where separation is a stressor on him. Poor guy. Another stage he's in is the "what's that" stage. He points to everything and says "dat". It's cute, but I'm sure soon, it'll be annoying. He likes trucks and loves busses. Today we were in the kitchen and he heard a bus go by and said "dat". He said "ball" over vaca too. He has also signed "more" a few times lately and does "all done". We've been trying to teach him sign language for 7 months now and he hasn't done anything. He recognizes eat, and more, but to him, eat is opening his mouth and more is reaching out and/or opening his mouth. His "more" looks like he's waving to his food. It's cute. Because of that, though, I think he probably did it a few times before we realized what he was doing. Tonight he was eating blueberries and he was making noise/fussing a bit because he wanted more. Well, my back was towards him so he had to get my attention somehow. Once, I looked back at him to see what he was up to (he was in his high chair, I was washing dishes) and he looked at me and did "more" perfectly. He did it over vacation too. What's really great is that he did it, like I said, perfectly, just like J.R. or I would do it (more is making all your fingertips touch each other). A lot of times, kids will point with one finger to the palm of their other hand. We've let a lot of other signs go, but I'm trying to pick back up on "sleepy/tired", and "bed/sleep" as in go to bed. Speaking of bed...yeah, he's back to wanting to go to bed at 10pm. Sigh.

Vacation Ends but the Fun Continues

Well, one vacation down, another yet to come. We finished up at the beach with a fun playground trip (Ben loved the swings and the slide), a water park (Ben didn't love that so much) and a rainy trip to Assateague. J.R. and I got to have a nice night out by ourselves too. We went back to work for a couple of days, then took a pre-vacation #2 trip to Knoebels. It was a long ride, but we really had a great time. Besides the rides at the beach, it was Ben's first trip to a real amusement park. I think our favorite thing may have been Ben in the ball pit. We weren't sure what he'd think of it, but being the kid that he is, he of course loved it. We were also excited to see Ben dance. Yup, he's been quite the dancer lately, moving side to side with a big smile on his face. Now he's adding hand movements too.

This is Ben on his way to sneak a crab onto Grandpa's boat!

I didn't know which dancing video to post, so I decided to post both!

V A C A TION!!!

Woo hoo!  We are on vacation!  We come down to the beach all the time, but it's to visit J.R.'s parents, so it's not like we "go to the beach" a lot.  This week, we are here to vacation.  We came down Wednesday after work.  Thursday we relaxed, Ben wasn't feeling the greatest.  We did manage to visit a few friends.  Thursday night we took the boat over to Fish Tales and had dinner.  It was a lot of fun. Friday - Sunday J.R.'s parents were home so we spent time with them.  We were out on the boat a lot, went back to Fish Tales, Linda and I went to Seacrets for a girls lunch with her two sisters, watched fireworks, and yesterday we went to the boardwalk.  Ben went on his first amusement rides and had his first Thrasher's fries.  He was dancing with a couple of street performers too.  It was really a blast.  Today, just the three of us went to the beach for a little bit.  Ben wasn't a huge fan of the sand, and definitely didn't like the freezing cold ocean water.  Poor guy.  He fell asleep almost immediately in the car.  We are off to a playground this afternoon, then dinner at Aunt Sandy's.  We plan on a trip to a water park and the zoo before we head home on Wednesday.

Dr's appointment

I forgot to post about Ben's 1 year well visit. Ben is now 30 inches tall and 20 lbs. 10 oz. He is tall and thin, but not in a bad way. He's right on track developmentally, and our homework is to work on identifying body parts! That'll be easy I think, whenever he grabs my nose, I always say, That's Mommy's nose. Now we are pointing to Ben's nose and saying, Nose, nose. He thinks its a fun game. He can drink whole milk now, but doesn't really like it. I got him to drink it the other night before bed when I heated it up and put it in a bottle. We're trying vanilla soy milk for a little bit, then may move on to 2%, then back to whole. Try to work him into it slowly. So far, the soy is going OK. I don't think he likes it cold from the fridge. He seems to drink it faster once it's been out of the fridge for a little bit. I'm also trying to work on getting rid of the bottle, however, he's really not a huge fan of the sippie. He really wants to hold onto a glass by himself, so I bought small Dixie cups. That's what they use at school. My mistake though, at school they use plastic cups. I think they are harder to fold. Last night, Ben spilled milk all over us because he squeezed the cup. Sigh.

Relay for Life

Ben participated in his 2nd Relay for Life this past weekend. Last year he was only 2 weeks old. This year he could enjoy the day, and had a lot of fun. He was pushed in his stroller all afternoon/night and had a ball checking everyone out and being treated like a King (well, he is a King after all). He actually walked a lap by himself too. We were lapped a few times by other walkers, but it was fun to see him walk so much. It was his first time sleeping in a tent, and he did well. He spent it with Grandma and Grandpa in their tent. He went to sleep awfully late, and got up early, but he pretty much slept through the night. I was able to sleep for 4 hours, then had an hour nap later. I got to kick out two drunk people too - woo hoo - wasn't that fun!? The Relay raised over $66,000.

It was a patriotic theme this year.

Walking a lap...

He had spaghetti for dinner after Relay.

Washington, D.C.

This weekend we visited a friend just outside of D.C. Saturday we went to the Air and Space Museum Annex and Sunday J.R., Ben and I walked around D.C. We had a lot of fun. The coolest part of the trip for Ben, was that we switched his car seat around, so now he faces front like a big boy! Here are some pictures of the weekend.

Ben in his big boy seat...

Ben driving a cessna...

Ben and J.R. at the Lincoln Memorial...

Picnics!

Yesterday we went to an Alumni picnic and had a nice time. I really wanted to get a picture of Ben sitting or standing in the grass. It's something I always kinda envisioned, like something from a magazine. Goofy, I know, but just something I hoped I could capture. Here's what I took.

I love these pictures! I can't wait to scrapbook them!

After the picnic we went to our friend Abbey's birthday party. Ben went in the water for the first time (well, besides baths). He really had fun. He loved splashing around.

New Daycare

Ben started a new daycare today - hooray! I just found out that the daycare where I work will now take 12 month old babies. I'm so excited. It's cheaper, and he'll be so close to me. And...they feed him! It's great. If there is something going on at work, I can pick him up and bring him. If I miss him and want to stop by, I can, although I wouldn't want to interrupt his routine, so I probably won't. I was able to visit a few weeks ago to check it out and everyone was so nice. All the teachers are certified and have been there for years. We went for 1/2 a day today, so that Ben could meet the other kids and teachers, and they could see what he's like. He had a great day. They said he played well with the other kids and he didn't fuss. He had french toast and an apple slice for breakfast and pizza and spinach for lunch. However, he wasn't digging the spinach. I picked him up as they were finishing, and he was throwing it on the ground. I took him back to the office for the rest of the day. He got to visit with a bunch of students and my co-workers. He had a ball. He was walking all over the place, laughing and playing games. Such a cutie. Since I picked him up before his nap, I was able to get him to sleep for about 20 minutes in the office. I found something for Julie to use her leftover Spring Fling t-shirts for.

Ben's first official day at the new daycare is Monday. For the next five weeks, I'll be putting him in for 3 days (saving me more money). I'm going to work from home two days next week, and one day the week after. After that, I have a bunch of vacation time I'm taking, which allows me to be able to do this. I'm so thankful that my bosses are letting me do this!