Fists and bubbles!

Benjamin has learned some new tricks this week. First, he loves to stick out his tongue at everyone and everything. He wants to taste things, including his fists, on which he happily sucks. At night, we can hear him on the monitor as he chomps away. Along with sucking on his fist, he likes to blow bubbles. When he isn't doing those things, he either is yawning or making a very serious, furrowed eyebrow look.


Also, this week, Benjamin decided he really likes baths! You may recall how much he disliked them from pictures in earlier posts. :) We found a new tub unit for him where he feels more secure and warm. Afterward he just coos and smiles!
Check out his big tummy! That is from all the eating he does!

Blessed sleep!

I stopped fighting with Benjamin on his sleeping habits and let him sleep as much as he wanted yesterday. The result? A mellow, happy baby!

We woke him up at 6:30 a.m. after he went to bed at midnight! Here he is cuddling with daddy while mommy took a shower. This outfit, unfortunately, does not really fit him, but he had to wear it at least once!

Neither of them could be called morning people!

 

We went to church today for the first time with Benjamin. He didn’t go into the nursery, but his crib was ready and the workers were eager to hold him!

It was a busy weekend. We went home to Findlay and Benjamin got to meet his Great Aunt Mary Beth!

He got plenty of cuddle time with Nana and Papa!

And basically. he just chilled.

 

 

We ended the day with a visit with Grandpa Bob, the great grandparents on the Hilty side and Uncle Brian.

 

Routines

I have been trying so hard to get Benjamin into a routine in time for daycare, but so far he seems to be sticking to his own plans. One of those is his love for sleeping during the morning. He sleeps for five hour stretches if I let him. I would prefer he would do that at night, so we are working on it! Last night he slept from 10:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. He woke up fussy at 6 a.m. so Jeremy held him in bed with us (yes, we know we aren’t supposed to do that, but he was in pain and needed comfort). Then, I woke him up at 7 a.m. ecstatic that he did so well. Perhaps my plans are working! He gets really playful in the morning (after he eats). We propped him up on my pillow and let him laugh, smile and coo at us until we were ready to get up for the day.

 

At the time I am trying to get him to nap, we hurried into the car to head downtown to pick up our other vehicle. In my haste the other night, I didn’t look to see that the tank was empty. Long story short, the car stalled, brakes went out and I put it in park in my panic. We thought the transmission had died. Thankfully, after the car was towed to the Honda dealer, they determined it was a much cheaper fix. We got a tune up and all was well. Benjamin slept the whole way there and back. I thought he would be hungry when we returned, but he preferred to keep on sleeping! This is him chilling. He slept pretty much until 2 p.m. after eating one more time. Mommy slept too. which was so nice!

Playtime!

Benjamin has been growing leaps and bounds, seemingly daily. Another outfit didn't fit him today when we tried it on for the first time! He can only tolerate so much dressing and undressing, so I strive for simpler outfits during days we don't go out. I guess I will have to start dressing him up even when we aren't going anywhere! We tried out the Bumbo again today. He still is not thrilled while in it, but we will get there.

He was thrilled, though, to try out his swing. He is the perfect size for it now, and he spent a good 20 minutes staring at either me or something on the far wall. Whenever I looked up, he was laughing or smiling. I love his smile!

Growth spurts

Benjamin is now six weeks old, and he has doubled in size, nearing 12 pounds! I had him dressed in a cute outfit this morning that showed his increased length as well. His legs stuck out the bottom like he was dressed in capris pants. But, before I could take a picture, he peed on the outfit. This is the result of too small diapers, which we ran into with the newborn size when he began to outgrow them. So, I pulled out a package of size 2 diapers for my little piggy, and they seem to work much better. Unfortunately, I am stuck with some non-returnable packages of size 1 diapers. I am sure I can find someone who can use them!

Today and yesterday, Benjamin ended his five-day eating frenzy. I couldn’t keep up with him and thought I would lose my mind! The lack of sleep, plus the stress of being in Findlay without Jeremy made it all the crazier. Thankfully, my mom is doing much better and miraculously healed again from a major scare. I don’t have a picture of her playing with Benjamin upon her return from the hospital, but I will take more this weekend. He smiled at her, especially when she sang to him.

Smiling is his newest thing. He smiled at me Tuesday of last week, and has been increasingly bestowing his adorable grin on others.  

He also has started laughing. It is really cute to hear his cooing. We will take a video soon to post! I have two more weeks before returning to work, so I will do my best to keep updating his progress.

Such a big boy!

We have been dressing Benjamin in his “big boy” outfits that don’t look like pajamas. We think he looks adorable!

 

But he still is our little baby when he curls up to sleep!

 

We have slowly been trying out various toys and things. Today, we attempted to put him in his Bumbo seat. He may need a week or two to really be ready, but he is close!

 

 

We really do like to torture our child when he is asleep. Yesterday I clipped his finger nails, and Jeremy played dress up with him!

 

When he woke up, it was play time and he was climbing up me, making use of his newfound finger gripping skills. When he tired of that, he insisted on bending as far backward as possible to see the lights on the ceiling.

 

Here we are during tummy time.

 

And here is more play time. He really wanted to see something!

Mommy and Daddy can be rather annoying sometimes.

 

One month!

Benjamin is one month old today! He is growing and changing so quickly! I need a cute one-month photo, but he is sleeping, so this will have to do for now. We just returned from the doctor's office, where he had to get his Hep. B vaccine. He cried and then went to sleep.

Speaking of sleep, I never thought I would get any ever again when he started cluster feeding like there was no tomorrow. He was eating every one to three hours, and sometimes the eating sessions would last an hour between the fussing from gas pains. So, that was all we did for days. I was dreading the nights and spending a lot of time in tears from exhaustion. But, last night the tide turned. Benjamin ate every hour for several hours and finished eating close to midnight. Then, we put him in his bouncy seat (awake) and went to bed. I know that doesn't sound like very good parenting, but he really does like his seat, and he was within arms reach. I heard him make a noise around 5:45 a.m. and ended up waking him up to eat. He went right back to sleep until I woke him up and got him to snack a little around 8:30 a.m. before his doctor's appointment. He is currently, you guessed it, sleeping. So, I feel great! The doctor said he is doing well and I can continue to encourage him to sleep through the night!

I am cutting dairy out of my diet to try to see if that helps his gas pains and also his sleeping, since the pain often wakes him up. It really is so hard to watch him cry and squirm so much. So far, it seems like it might be helping. I don't know how I will cope with no dairy for a few weeks, but if it makes him feel better I can part with my favorite food group.

So, what has all this cluster feeding accomplished? Benjamin weighed in at 9 pounds, 11 ounces and 21 3/4 inches long. His head and length are in the 75th percentile and his weight in the 50th. Don't ask me what that means, because I have never understood it! :) All I know is that our baby won't be really short, and that makes his daddy very happy.

Amber, my best buddy, is coming to spend the night and help me take care of the little guy. She works as a nurse all night long, so she said staying up for a night feeding is no problem. We may or may not need her help! In any case, I will be glad to have a girlfriend to hang out with while Jeremy works all day. He gets home at 10:30 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays, which is difficult. I like having him here to help me with Benjamin.

So, just to recap the month, here is a summary of what Benjamin is up to:

Benjamin Weston Hilty was born Dec. 14, 2009 at 6 pounds 15 ounces and 21 inches long. He was alert and happy from the moment he was born, and unless he is gassy or hungry, he really isn't bothered by much.
His daddy thinks his diapers are about the worst smelling things ever, but he diligently changes them for me. Benjamin is quick to soak both himself and us if we aren't careful. He hates baths, but often needs them when the diapers leak.

He discovered his toys at just a few weeks old, and he LOVES to look at a mirror that my Spanish teacher from high school got him. I think that is why he loves to lie on his changing table so much.

He looks at lights and especially at windows. His other favorite toy is his baby Einstein gym. He lays on the mat and happily watches the flashing lights or stares into the mirror. I am not sure if he has figured out he is looking at himself.

Benjamin responds to voices and often stops fussing if I sing to him (or if he is being doted on my his Nana and Papa, who helped me take care of him for a week.) Jeremy doesn't sing, but he turns on music and "dances" with Benjamin, which they both seem to like. When Ben is hungry, he likes to suck on Jeremy's neck while Jeremy squirms to get out of Benjamin's clutches. It is pretty funny.

Benjamin makes the funniest faces, and he is especially funny when he is waking up. It takes him about 10 minutes of yawning, stretching, moaning and smacking his lips before he actually will wake up. Then, if he is hungry, he starts to howl just in case we planned to take our time getting his meal ready. I often have to remind him that his meal is ready and he doesn't need to kill it first. That doesn't stop him from beating his head against me and latching on ferociously. He then gulps and gasps his way through the meal, only grudgingly stopping to be burped. He often sighs and talks while he is enjoying his meal. If he isn't starving, he will look at me a while, get a glint in his eye, take a few deep breaths, smack his lips and then with one gulp, he will latch on. This makes Jeremy and I laugh hysterically.

Benjamin loves to talk, and he often makes a wide variety of noises while soothing himself to sleep, playing with his toys or just making his point clear. It is sometimes hard to separate his talking from crying, so we have to watch his face to see if he is still happy. He smiles a lot, sometimes from gas, but we like to think other times it is due to his contentment. He has started gripping our fingers more, and this morning he was sucking on his entire fist (something he typically can't do because we keep his long fingers covered due to the cold and his sharp claws.)

So, that's it for my super long post. Benjamin is waking up, and we know what that means!

Bathing bliss

Benjamin just loves to take baths! Just look how relaxed and happy he is! I told my dad to quit taking pictures and hold the flopping head, but now I am glad we have this shot!



We have had a wonderful few days in Findlay, and I love the extra hands. It is amazing how it takes three people to hold a squirmy infant just for a bath in the sink.

Benjamin met so many people this week, it will be impossible to put all the pictures up here. But, he got to meet Uncle Brian, Aunt Keri, Tricia, Katie, Lisa, Gale, Carol and his cousin Toby to name a few. Here he is with Toby. They were born four days apart and I am sure will be buddies!

Benjamin looked a whole lot bigger than his cousin! It was so funny to see them together, because everyone says Ben is tiny. But, Toby is tinier!

I leave tomorrow, though I know my parents would prefer we just move in with them. We already are planning our next visit, so they don't go through Benjamin withdrawal. I would stay, but I am missing Jeremy too much! Six days is a long time, and he is dying to see how Benjamin has changed in those few days. He almost is a month old, and he can do so much. Tonight, we watched him pick himself up while he was on his tummy. He looked like he was doing a push up. His feet are so strong, and if he scoots enough, he starts moving forward. I think we may have a climber on our hands! He also is responding to the constant singing and cooing of my parents. He follows people with his eyes, and they say he always responds to my voice. I think he is just thinking "FOOD!" He seemed to be slowing down on his eating, going three hours during the day and sleeping more than eating. But, tonight, he was back to eating full force and demanding food less than two hours apart. When I try to cut him off, he gets rather huffy and starts beating his head against me while breathing very rapidly and whimpering. How does one refuse such pathetic displays of starvation? Really, the way he acts when his two hours is up, you would think he hasn't eaten for days. I thought this was normal until I saw how quietly and calmly Toby ate. There were no gulps and squeals that could be heard from another room. :)It is kind of cute, though painful too!

Well, off to bed, but I will post more pictures when I get time.

Benjamin's first road trip

I was scared to take Benjamin out of the house, because I didn't know what I would do if he cried and I couldn't calm him. But, Jeremy loaded the car with enough stuff to last us weeks, and Benjamin and I took off for Findlay Wednesday before the snow hit. He slept the whole way! It was definitely an answered prayer. He is loving the visit with his nana and papa. They can't get enough of him. I dressed him in his car outfit for the occasion.

Here he is cuddling with Nana.