Ben's First Haircut!

Chad's mom is here and we have been having such a great time! She arrived on Thursday and spent all day Friday with Ben. Somehow she managed to clean the house at the same time. I don't know how she did it, but there goes my excuse! Saturday was Ben's first haircut. He was starting to look a little girly (forgive me :)) with those long locks and eyelashes. He did a great job and didn't fuss the entire time. The salon had a tv set up and he sat on a dinosaur while she cut away. It is kind of funny though because she shaved his hair so far up in the back that it looks like she put a bowl on his head. It is adorable though and he is just the cutest little boy I've ever seen. Then, Chad & I went running around during the day to purchase some much needed safety items for the house. We bought a baby gate, crib rail guard, and bumper guards for the fireplace and coffee table. We managed to make it this long without them, but it was becoming rather risky. Saturday evening we went to dinner and a movie. It was lovely! Today was a little cooler and a bit windy, but we took the family to the nature center for some family photos. Ben looked very Elmer Fudd in his hat. The leaves were just amazing, and little Ben looked so darn cute sitting under the tree. Oh happy day!

Ben used to love baths. Now all he wants to do is stand up in the tub and try to crawl over the side. We have to hurry and rinse him off before he jumps ship! Maybe he needs new bath toys, because even the shampoo bottle doesn't amuse him much any more. He does however love his new (Thanks Karra!) push toy. It is certainly helping him with his walking. He takes off, rams into furniture, looks at us for assistance, then takes off again! Chad's mom is coming to town in two days, and we are all excited! Ben gets to enjoy hugs and kisses from Grandma. We have also been having the most peculiar weather! Saturday it was barely 50 and very windy. Sunday was sunny and in the 70's. Crazy Kansas. Due to this crazy weather though, the trees have been breathtaking. This is the first fall here where I have even noticed a change in seasons and the foliage. Although I am thoroughly enjoying it, my new LED Christmas lights downstairs are screaming to be put up. If I make it until the first weekend in November, it will be a miracle.

We took a trip to the pumpkin patch today despite the 5o mph winds. Ben needed to pick out his pumpkin for decorating! He also picked a little gourd to go with it. The search for a nice patch was actually quite cumbersome. 1 1/2 hours and three pumpkin patches later, we ended up at the same place we went last year. I wanted to go to the place mom used to take us, run by two little old ladies out in the country. They had apples, squash, pumpkins and such. No corn maze or inflatable jumping gyms (I dislike those greatly). Unfortunately we didn't have time to commute the additional 10 hours to get there. It was a nice reunion for Ben though - outside of the belly anyway. Also this morning we went to a Restore the Core class with one of my friends and her little guy. Ben had a good time playing with the workout equipment while I was in pain on the floor. Small steps!

Ben's first animal cracker.

Showing dad his cookie.

Standing like a big boy!

Top teeth are in!

The video is of Ben saying mama and dada - words he has down to a science. We are still working on cat, but he is awful close. Please don't mind the dirty baby face in the pictures...he just finished his turkey with rice!

Happy 10 month birthday Benjamin! It sure has gone by quickly, and we have loved every minute of it. Today is also the anniversary of my first date with Chad. It was probably my first worst date ever...yet here we are six years later. :) I type this as Chad stands behind me reminding me that I am the sole reason the Cubbies lost the National League Championship Series that night. He wonders why I call it the worst first date ever.

Today and everyday, I love my boys!

Ben is standing! He doesn't take any steps yet, but he can stand unsupported for at least 15 seconds! It's funny to watch him stick his bottom up in the air to stand, but so far he can only do it when we put him down or he pulls himself up on something. He also likes to kiss the baby is the window. Too cute!

It is mighty cold outside so we had to stay indoors and be creative instead. Although I did strategically place the rice puffs on Ben's face for this photo op, you should know that he has done this himself several times. If he is not throwing them all over the place, that is. We had a pretty relaxing weekend. We had Ayden & Karra over for dinner (accompanied by their parents), did some grocery shopping, and cleaned house. We decided to put off the pumpkin patch until next weekend. If it is still just as cool, we will wrap Ben in wool and go anyway! He has ear infections now, so we wanted to play it safe. This will be his 5th so far - poor little guy. He handles them quite well though. Also forgot to mention (I think) that Ben is becoming a champ at sleeping through the night. Finally! He may fuss for a few seconds, but if we wait it out he goes right back to sleep. He had us trained, but we figured it might be time to allow him to self soothe. More sleep for all of us is in order! Now if we could only get him to nap at school!

I know, I know this blog is for the baby...but I've been out of town and have lots to talk about! I went to Virgina for my brother's wedding and oh boy was it beautiful! It was straight out of a fairy tale. The view was AMAZING and my now sis-in-law looked unbelievable. They were married at an old church and the reception was at a winery. We spent 4 wonderful days out there, but Chad & Ben had to stay behind. They had some serious daddy/son bonding time. When I came home, Ben had another tooth on top. Now he has 5 total, but we see another poking through. It is amazing how much a few teeth can change the way he looks. He almost looks like a little boy instead of a baby! He is also doing quite well with table foods. He eats a big boy lunch at school every day and we tend to give him a little of whatever we are eating for dinner. It seems to be more of a texture thing with him when he doesn't like something. Today it was fish sticks. Who doesn't like fish sticks?! He is doing a great job though.

The weather has definitely changed here. It is nice and cool in the 60's. We hope to make it to the pumpkin patch this weekend and the fall festival. This will be Ben's first trip to the patch outside of the belly. Should be fun!