The weekend is winding down, but it was a nice one! Saturday we went over to Travis & Kim's house for dinner, and although Ben went a little crazy with the spaghetti, it was a super time. I had to take a pic of Karra in her way cute swimsuit! She is the cutest ballerina. It's nice for Ben to hang around Ayden too because he doesn't see too many boys at daycare!

Today we went to the Y for a swim. Ben was a little cranky, so we didn't stay long. Turns out he had a belly ache because he made a little mess on the kitchen floor. It seemed to come and go and he would cry at the strangest things. So he went to bed promptly at 7 tonight and so far so good. While he was in a good mood today, we played dress up with some of his summer outfits. It supposed to be in the upper 70's this week, and I found a cute pair of overalls and his Elmo flip flops. He loves them. I tried taking them off because they seemed a little tight on his wide feet, but he wasn't having any part of that. We also discovered that the pool works miracles when it comes to napping. The last two weeks after the pool he has slept for 3 hours. I too have been enjoying a nice nap at the same time! Although I had laundry and I'm sure my bathroom could have used some cleaning, I "fell" on the bed and decided to cover myself in laundry for a nice nap. I could get used to this.

We are looking forward to Easter weekend. I won't have to prop Ben up on the couch for a picture this year! I remember that he kept falling over and Chad would have to hold him up so I could snap a shot. He also didn't get too much out of egg coloring, but I think he will enjoy it more this year. At least he will make a mess I'm sure. I'll be sure to ask the Easter Bunny to fill his basket with the Reese peanut butter eggs. Those are my weakness :).

Well we finally did it - we bought a YMCA membership! The weather has been quite cold, and we decided we were ready to swim. We took Ben this morning and he loved it from the first second he touched the water. He wanted to take off on his own, but I think he had just as much fun splashing in my arms. There is a shallow part which I think we will try next week. At least he can stand up there.

Karra came over for a bit today. It was nice for Ben to finally see her again! Although they both have developed the 15 month attitude, and it as quite interesting watching them duke it out over toys. I'm a little embarrassed to say that Karra won every time! However after a while they became friendlier and were holding hands. It was so adorable. They may be starting gymnastics together in the next couple of weeks. They have classes at the Y, so I think we may be signing up for lots of stuff. The swim one might be fun too. I looked at that when he was about 6 months, but I think he would have more fun now. There is a newer Y too, which apparently has ton of cool stuff for kids both indoors and out. We'll be trying that one I'm sure.

We cut his hair last night so he looks even more like a little boy. He enjoys getting it cut and just stares into the mirror as we do it. I'm getting better at it too. We were a little nervous as I was shaving the back of it last night, but it all turned out OK. At least it fairly light blond, so even if I messed up it would be hard to tell.

This week he is going to Jackie's daughters daycare since Jackie and her hubby are taking a trip to Colorado. Ben knows Robin because he has gone there for parent's night out. I think it will be great for him to play with more kiddos. At least she watches a few boys too! That is always a concern when going to a home daycare, that when they go on vacation you have to find care. They are so great, that they did it for us! Ben will miss Jackie and some of his friends for the week, but he will manage just fine.

Sometimes life is rough, but...

Sometimes my job sends me to sunny Ft. Lauderdale for a couple of days! Ah bliss! I had to go to a conference in Florida this week, which is why there was no blog. Although I hate traveling more than I hate green peppers, it was nice to enjoy the beach for a few days (in between the conference of course). In fact, I was wishing that Chad & Ben had gone with me. I did spend some time on Monday on the beach, and since I am allergic to the sun, I made sure to soak up some rays for no more than 15 minutes before retreating to a shady spot under a palm tree. Somehow I still managed to get burned on my legs and arms - bad. I had to wear a sweater on day two to hide my embarrassment. I arrived back home very late Wednesday evening, and was never so happy to see my bed. I don't sleep very well all by myself anymore. Plus, the time change set me back two hours and I'm still feeling it.

As for b-bop, he was happy as a clam with dad while I was away. In fact when I picked him up first thing Thursday morning, he said mama and then quickly ran away. I don't think he noticed I was gone really!

Chad painted the kitchen because he was on spring break. We went through several sample cans before settling on a neutral beige that didn't look too pink or yellow. It will allow for some nice accent colors and decor. Plus, it's no longer a flat paint like the one Chad painted last time I left town. It was filthy in 3 days! Next is the cabinets, then bead board, then tile. Making progress. We let Ben pain on the wall a bit, which in hindsight probably wasn't the smartest idea. Next time he grabs a pen and heads for my freshly painted wall, I'm not sure I'll have much to say.

He had his 15 month check up while I was out. Doc said he looks perfect!
Weight: 22 lbs 8 oz, 19th %
Height: 30 1/2 inches, 30th %
Head Cir: 46 3/4 cm, 40th %

He also said over 18 words while he was there. The doc said she was very impressed because kiddos his age usually say about 10 or so. He says much more than 18 and talks constantly. Smart boy! The next step she said is for us to pick a day to stop bottle feeding him at night and stick with it. I mentioned a while back that he was weaning himself. Well, that hasn't changed, but we still offer it to him. It will likely stop all together soon, and we will just add another story into his bedtime routine. He also has 12 teeth now. All the better to eat like a little piggy with. He sure does too.

Spring has arrived!

Usually I try to write weekly, however this weekend I spent on the couch with food poisoning. I ate my favorite sandwich at a new-to-me restaurant Saturday night, and Sunday I awoke to terrible nausea and stomach pain. Well, needless to say that until this moment I didn't have it in me to blog. I am however much better now, but will never return to that food establishment.

Ben on the other hand is doing quite well. Spring has certainly arrived and we had a few very nice days. We went outside to the little pond in the neighborhood and let him run free. He ran right for the water and it did not look like he had any intention of stopping. He did enjoy throwing some rocks in and digging his hand into the goopy stuff at the bottom of the pond. Chad even found the remains of a dead fish left over from last summer. Cool! However when it was time to go, the evil Ben came out. He practically screamed so loud that I think the neighbors thought we were stealing him from his real mommy and daddy. I am glad he enjoys the great outdoors, but seriously kid. He is really getting good at this temper tantrum thing. I can't imagine where he would have gotten that from :).

He did say the word "more" for the first time this weekend. He has this thing with drinking out of a water cup with no lid. We give him a little at a time, and it just floors him. When it's empty, he wants more. Round and round we go. We also tried cherries this weekend. We already know he loves blueberries, but since we ruled out raspberries and strawberries, I was in search of something else for him. Granted they are all frozen since they aren't in season, so we give them a go again once they are fresh. However frozen cherries are a big hit. This kid loves his fruits and veggies. It really must be a texture thing because when we try to give him foods such as hamburger, chicken nuggets, or fish sticks (all kiddo foods) he won't eat them! So, Chad & I usually enjoy his leftovers :).

Hopefully the weather will be nice this weekend too and we will have some pictures with Karra and Ayden at the park...that is the plan anyway!