Walk in the Park

I thought this one was too funny!

Today was a bit of a struggle for Ben when it came to napping. So, we decided to go for a nice walk at the nature center. Chad however became dinner for the mosquitoes, so we did one loop and headed home. We've been putting the little guy to be a bit sooner these days, as he seems to need it. Tonight however he decided to projectile vomit on me and then proceeded to giggle like it was funny. It was not funny. I think all his bouncing around upset his little tummy though. He is fast asleep now, so let's hope it stays that way!

He is becoming quite the walker now too - sort of. He will pull up on furniture and walk all the way to the other side. He has no interest in holding our hands and walking though.

I had to go out of town for work a night this week and he slept through the night while I was away. The next night, he decided to punish me for leaving and awoke several times. I seem to remember my mom telling me similar stories about my childhood. I would ignore her for days whenever she went out of town. While I'm sure this isn't the case with Ben (after all he is just a wee one), I fear that he will acquire that trait. He can be quite moody at times.

Tomorrow we will go support our friends flag football team and walk again if the weather is nice. It's supposed to be a hot one. I can't wait for Fall!!

Ben is quite the mover. He goes much faster since we shot this video - especially when you run after him because he is headed somewhere that he shouldn't be. He gets this evil little grin on his face, then turns around and takes off. He quickly hops up the step inside the front door too. Coming down is quite hilarious to watch, but he does it. We'll have to get him a toy to push around while he walks, but he is fast enough for me already and seems to prefer the crawling thing now that he has mastered it. I go to visit him over my lunch most days, and today another little boy came scooting by Ben and onto the ramp to the nearby toy. Well Ben wasn't having that and he went after him up the ramp. It was so cute to watch them "talk" to each other. He is also trying big boy foods at day care but having some trouble. It seems the pasta is giving him some issues because it's a texture he isn't used to. He eats cut up chicken and veggies like a champ though. We will keep trying, but I still have a freezer full of food for him so I hope he doesn't transition too fast!

Dad...no kisses in public!

We had another fun and relaxing weekend. Ben went over to play with Karra & Ayden so we could go out with their mom and dad. It was a fun couples night, and I'm sure the kiddos had a blast too! Saturday we were supposed to go to an event in town, but Ben had other plans. As soon as we were set to walk out the door, he started yelling at us. So we decided the less people around the better, and we opted for another location for a walk. We walked around and looked at the water fountain, the book store, and the scenic walk by the pond. The weather was really beautiful that we just couldn't stay inside! This morning we went out for Sunday breakfast. Ben behaved very well and even enjoyed some apples and hash browns.

Ben has now moved to a big boy car seat. He was just too big for the one we brought him home in, so it's time to move on. He went for one ride in it so far and didn't seem to like it as much. It doesn't have a sun shade so I need to work on that. It's just a little sad that we have to retire the other one, for now.

Oh we had his 9 month dr. appointment on Friday too. He is 19lbs 8 oz and just over 27 inches long. He got one shot and two pricks in his big toes. All looks good! He also has a front tooth coming in - the left one. It's funny because he has the front left one and the one to the left of it, but nothing on the top right yet. He's a little lopsided, but we love him anyway. His 9 months pictures were last week too. It sure was more difficult with a mobile baby. He made a mess with the fish bowl prop. I guess I should have warned her that he loves water. She said she's never seen a baby make quite a mess with the water. He soaked his jeans and couldn't wear them for any more pictures. He did very well though, considering he had four wardrobe changes and I forgot his cheesy-poofs to munch on. I'm sure they will be wonderful and can't wait to share with you!

9 Months!

Today is Ben's 9 month birthday. We went to Red Robin to celebrate (it had nothing to do with the fact that we all wanted big, greasy cheeseburgers!). Rozzy is in town, so it was doubly fun. Ben ate a few pieces of french fries, a mommy-made concoction of turkey, pumpkin and peas, and washed it all down with a taste of ice cream. Don't worry, we brushed his teeth afterwards! He spent the afternoon with Rozzy, and upon coming home from work, she took back the offer of being his nanny. He is quite exhausting!

Happy birthday baby boy!

It has been quite some time since I have written, yet again. We went to IN for my cousins wedding and planned to stay for the holiday. However, luck was not on our side. Ben & I flew in Thursday, and Friday evening at the rehearsal I came down with the flu. I was hoping to feel well enough to at least attend the wedding, but in the morning we discovered that not only did I still feel awful, but my mom had come down with it as well. We quickly sent Ben to my dads house, and he spent the night and the following day at Chad's parents. Also, Ben has been feeling under the weather for about a week now. He is having some stomach issues, although he still eats like a champ and acts OK. The doc is running some tests on him just to be on the safe side. We did have some good times on our trip though. We went to a White Sox game, the Blueberry Festival, and saw family and friends. Ben was able to love on his great-grandma too. He LOVES her nails! I think I remember being in awe of her beautiful nails growing up too.

On a better note, he is definitely a crawler. It's funny though because he crawls so slow. When he wants to take off he reverts to his army crawl. We also lowered his mattress last night because he has been pulling himself up on everything. We figured it was only a matter of time before he tried getting out of bed on his own. Well good thing we did because when I went in this morning to get him he was standing up and fussing at me! I put him in there tonight while I was getting his bath ready and had to snap that last picture. He was so proud of himself.

Chad has now come down with something. It seems it is all over the place because now several friends and family have been ill in the last week. Please remember to wash your hands everyone!