Merry Christmas

9 Months

This morning Ben had his 9 month appointment. His percentages radically dropped from his six month visit from the 95% in both height and weight to 60% and 75% respectively. He has also gotten his first official cold.

Clapping

Ben has been clapping for some time, but it's been impossible to capture on video because of his deep love for the camera. Here is my best attempt.

Trick or Treat

Weekend

This weekend Grandma and Grandpa came to visit. We went to the local grocery store's Trick or Treat on Saturday. Sunday night, our block had a party and the fire truck came. Ben took a look around. Yesterday, Ben and his friend, Kathryn, met at the park to swing.

Fun with socks

Ben and I have a ritual whereby he comes upstairs with me to change clothes when I come home from work. I've made a habit of throwing my socks at him after I take them off, which he enjoys to no end. Many times, when he sees me taking off socks (whether it's after work or just some random time), he closes his eyes, leans in, and starts to giggle.

-P

7 months

Tooth!

Thankfully, Ben has done very well with his first teething experience--no fussing to speak of, really, just a little more drool than usual.

Scarecrow Row

Last Friday, Ben went to his first "Sing and Sign" program at the local metropark with two friends. He enjoyed the singing and the motions (and the bells!). After the class we went to Scarecrow Row. This picture makes it look like he's patting the scarecrow. In reality, he's slightly pushing away from it.

Ben's 1st Half-Birthday

Ben had his 6 month appointment last week. He weighed 20lbs (19 lbs, 14 oz to be exact). Ben enjoys standing (with help), clapping, and playing with his toys. Here are some new photos. Ben wears his special football pajamas on Saturday night in preparation for Sunday's big game.

Solid food

Ben had his first experience with solid food this week. He took right to it, which I guess we should have expected, given his love for eating.


We also worked on playing catch this week, but that didn't go so well (note the faint, but distinct snort ~7 seconds in).


And finally, Mackensie took some outdoor pictures this week.

Wake up, Ben

Nothing groundbreaking here, but watching Ben wake up on the one day each week he spends at his grandmothers' house is one of my favorite things.
-p

Adventures with Daddy

Five months

It only took five months for Ben's sense of humor to become as sophisticated as mine.


Other stuff Ben's up to:

Buckets as Hats

Asleep in the Bumbo

Playgroup

I found this photo on the camera this morning. Yes, that's my precious baby going up the stairs in a laundry basket!
-Mackensie

Four months

Ben had his four month checkup today, where he weighed in at 16 lb. 13 oz. That puts him in the 90th percentile for weight, while he remains in the 75th percentile for height and head size. The doctor said he may have to revise his height prediction of 5'8".

Over the past week, Ben has started reaching for things and bringing them to his mouth, sucking on just his thumb (instead of shoving the whole fist in his mouth), and trying to sit up when he's reclined on his back. He's also recently shown a fondness for the songs of The Carpenters. "Close to You" calmed him down on the way home from the doctor's today after he got his shots.

Photos

We had some photos of Ben taken recently, and several turned out very nice:

Father's Day

Mackensie and Ben made this video for me for Father's Day:

Bath time

Ben's favorite things

Ben doing three of his favorite things: getting a bath, sucking on his fingers, and reading books:

11 weeks old - Bumbo Seat & Spit Up

Baby's first yoga class

Happy Memorial Day

Big Weekend

This weekend was Ben's baptism. Unfortunately, the battery in our video camera ran out before it was our turn, and there was too much going on between services for us to take pictures at church. But the sound guy at church captured the audio for me:



And here's the three of us afterwards in front of a tree.



We had 15 guests in the service--both sets of grandparents, Mackensie's sister, and two of my friends from college, all with accompanying family members. We were very touched by the show of support, and it was a very special day for our new little family.

Oh, and on Saturday, Ben was in a parade.

2 Months

Morning Stretches



Enjoying Mobile




Thinking about the Day



Enjoying Car Seat Toy



Shots!

Six Weeks

Ben had his six week check-up on Monday. He is now 11lbs and getting longer by the day. It's amazing to me that he is already filling 0-3 month clothes and that some smaller items may be retired soon. We go back in two weeks for three shots and one oral immunization. I told the doctor that I would hold Ben down, but I am going to look away.

I went for my six week check-up on Tuesday. The doctor said, "Oh my, you're pregnant." She was joking, but it was not funny. She says that I have healed nicely and all my vital organs seem to be back in place.

Ben got a new blanket from his Aunt and Uncle. Here is a picture of him using it:

Growth Spurt

Thanks to his most recent growth spurt, Ben's thighs are finally big enough for his Fuzzi Bunz diapers. Also, Mackensie thinks she saw his very first real smile over the weekend. We're trying hard to get him to repeat it.