Benjamin goes digital

Heaven help me when Benjamin discovers video games! Already, he is fascinated by the key board. He wants to type with us so often, that we decided to give him an old keyboard to play with. I haven’t yet thought of any hazards to this new toy, so if someone else thinks of any, please do let me know! :)

 

 

 

 

Also, since Benjamin likes so much to bite things, I thought we could try out his new sippie cup, which works best when he bites down on the straw.

 

He loves to suck on wet washcloths when he is teething, so he got a similar effect chomping on his new cup. And, mommy didn’t worry so much about him being too hot from his long run/walk outside.

Finally, here is a picture of our big guy demonstrating how well he sits up and plays with toys now!

Slap happy

When Benjamin gets really tired, he laughs at anything. Here he is cracking up before bedtime.

 

Here are some photos of him from that same evening. He stayed home with Daddy all day because he didn’t feel well. You wouldn’t be able to tell from his smiles.

This is one of the first pictures recently that I looked at and saw so much of Jeremy in Benjamin.

Look at me! I didn’t topple over!

 

Stop in the name of love!

 

Do it again Daddy!

I’m as big as my teddy bear!

Party animal

Benjamin was exhausted after this crazy weekend! Friday afternoon we drove up to Findlay for my friend Tricia’s wedding rehearsal. Benjamin stayed home with his daddy while I went with my daddy to the church. Here is Benjamin gearing up for the car ride in his new car seat.

 

Saturday, I spent the day getting ready for the wedding and hanging out at the church, etc. Jeremy took care of Benjamin. I couldn’t wait to hold him when I finally got to see him later in the day. Here we are playing outside and watching all the bubbles.

 

Benjamin was so tired, he went home right after the wedding for a nap before the reception.

He was so sleepy there too, but we managed to get a few smiles out of him while showing him off to the guests!

Sunday, we went to church and visited with Uncle Mike, who was home for another wedding. It was so much fun to see him play with Benjamin!

And, here is a photo of me with Tricia, the bride, just because she was an important part of this weekend!

Splish splash

We tried to take Benjamin to the pool the other day, and he was not too sure about having his legs in the water. So, we decided to practice swimming when no cold water was involved.

 

“No problem mommy!'”

Conditioning Benjamin to swimming may take a while, so instead of hitting the pool without daddy, we decided to walk around the block, wave at the neighbors and explore the deck.

Benjamin thought it was especially cool to sit in the big boy chair.

Lots caught his attention!

Fine dining

Benjamin loves food. But, the problem with feeding him solid food is that he also loves to play with his food.

Here we are all ready for our meal.

But after the first bite or so, Benjamin decides he wants to help hold the spoon in his mouth (ie teethe on it).

And the, he likes to stick his whole fist in his mouth.

And finally, the whole bib.

So, as you can see, most of the food ends up on Benjamin rather than in his tummy.

Who me?

Joyful noise

Benjamin learned to make a joyful noise this week. He also has discovered a new octave in which he can sing (shriek).

If you hear it, you aren’t quite sure if he is upset, complaining or just chatting. Typically, it is a series of high pitched squeaks and shrieks coupled with some ah, ah, ahs at a lower pitch. He says this all while chomping (he looks like he is chewing gum) and wrinkling his brow or raising his eyebrows, depending on the mood.  His whole conversation may not sound like words to anyone else, but Jeremy and I know how to translate: “Mommy and Daddy! Are you not listening to me? My gums hurt! And, let me tell you another thing. I am not too pleased that I am stuck here right now. Pick me up so I can see what is going on! If I am going to be miserable, I might as well be on the move and seeing the world.”

(He is a very mature baby with a very big vocabulary!)

Jeremy had to work today, so Benjamin and I took a long nap and then made a trip to Babies R Us to pick up a new car seat. (Thank you Nana and Papa!)

On cue, Benjamin grinned at anyone who looked his way. I keep waiting for him to learn to wave, because I am certain he will hold court from his perch on the grocery cart. He already has the “You may kiss my hand” thing down. Anyway, on the way in the sto9re I heard, “Oh my gosh, look at those huge feet!” Then, “What cute brown hair.” And then, “How old is he?”

Prying him away from his adoring audience, I wandered through the store (a very dangerous store in which to wander) and collected some items with my coupons. Then. a very nice clerk helped me load it all in my car while Benjamin cooed and blew raspberries at him.

From there, we headed to my friend Mary’s house to return some maternity clothes that I still had sitting at my house. We just never get to that side of Cincinnati, so it was a good excuse to visit. Here is Benjamin playing with her two boys.

He had fun, but I think he was quite overwhelmed by the time we left. He isn’t used to quite so much handling from boisterous toddlers. He sees kids like them at Miss Linda’s house, but I don’t think they get quite so close. :) It was really cute to see how excited they were to play with a baby and how confused they were that he couldn’t play back.

Memorial Day

We had a busy Memorial Day weekend! Benjamin and I drove up to Findlay Friday night, and spent Saturday with Nana and Papa. Here is Benjamin in his new bathing suit!

 

 

He is so big! He looks like such a big boy!

We put on our sunscreen, filled the pool with warm water and were ready to go…

 

But when we got in the pool…

 

Benjamin decided he didn’t like this so much. Shaking in fear, he started this high pitched squeaking. It was so sad!

So, we got out of the water and rushed inside to get all dry.

 

Sunday, we headed to a graduation party for Cory Hilty. Benjamin got to see his cousin Toby, who is starting to catch him in weight, but not so much in length. They sat looking at each other for a few minutes and then just poked at each others’ clothes. Toby liked Benjamin’s pockets!

 

And here we are with Uncle Brian!

Sunday night we had a traumatic drive home. Poor Benjamin is teething all the time, and essentially is just plain miserable. He cries and fusses from the pain, but laughs at you if you make silly faces to distract him. He doesn’t want to be sad! I had to pull over once to comfort him when he had big tears rolling down his precious cheeks. But, we made it home.

Monday, Jeremy’s dad Bob and his Hilty grandparents came to visit. Here is Benjamin with his great grandma Hilty.

 

And Grandpa Bob

And Great Grandpa Hilty, who made Benjamin laugh every time he made a noise or a face at him.

 

Monday night, it was just Mommy, Daddy and Benjamin time. Daddy taught Benjamin a most important skill…

Rewinding a few days, here they are again in their own electronic world. Benjamin won’t eat his bottle without watching television if there is something on the screen.

And even when we face him away from the TV, he manages to spin himself around to get a better view.

 

Finally, I will leave you with photos of Benjamin from today, Tuesday, as he played in his exersaucer. We have been trying short periods of time in it, and tonight he was thrilled to play for quite some time. He makes this adorable concentrated face as he decides what objects are and if he can eat them.

Look at me Mommy!

I can get it!