Catch all…

This blog is going to be a hodgepodge of events, because I haven’t even gotten our Christmas photos up here, and it is almost time for Benjamin’s 13-month blog!

We have been up to quite a bit since I last posted. We took a trip to Michigan and had a wonderful two days with Jeremy’s sister and her family. We saw where Aaron works at the Coast Guard and were absolutely amazed by the beautiful view from their house. The area is filled with vineyards and cherry orchards. I am sure it is so beautiful in the Spring!

As soon as we returned, I had two days to catch up and then I repacked my suitcase for Washington, D.C. It was an amazing opportunity to get a taste of what the national media experiences daily. I sat in the front row of the press gallery in the Capitol, and if you look closely on some of the photos of John Boehner getting the gavel passed to him by Nancy Pelosi, you can see me leaning over the railing! I will have to find the one online where I spotted myself and zoom it in sometime.

This is on top of the Capitol.

 

This is outside the Speaker’s office. It has the best view in Washington!

 

And, inside the Capitol. He spent three days in D.C. and I practically lived in this building or in the tunnels underneath!

While I was working far too much to play tourist, I did get some exclusive tours via my press badge. Boehner’s press secretary took me on a tour of the new office Tuesday evening after most people were gone for the night and the building was closed to tourists. There is something about walking through those old hallways and hearing the echo of your footsteps that gives you chills. Our country’s forefathers walked those hallways and deliberated in those offices.

 

My other awesome tour was of the Capitol dome. Only a handful of people in Washington ever will get that tour, and John’s press secretary got me a spot along with our photographer. Only Boehner’s closest supporters got to go. I must admit I was a little nervous as I got near the top, and I had to hold onto railings with both my hands. I could barely look over the edge.

I was up really high!

When I got home, I felt like my baby boy had grown so much in three days! He is toddling so much more, and it is so cute to see him grin in satisfaction when he makes it across a room. I swear this morning he said “OK” twice. He hasn’t done it since, so I have no proof, but it was precious. His new favorite game is to empty something completely and fill it back up. So, his basket of diapers gets dumped out many times, and he enthusiastically flings them over his shoulder. He also likes to throw his blocks out of the basket one by on and then drop them back inside. We caught him doing this with his wipes and had to put a stop to it, since those aren’t cheap!

Tonight, Benjamin played catch with us. He kept throwing his ball to us every time we bounced or rolled it back. He was so pleased. He also has been Mr. Monkey. He LOVES his chair, and he especially loves that he can climb on it. After several dives over the edge, he hasn’t yet learned that it hurts to fall. We are working on that.

Benjamin always is teething, so I am sure it comes to no surprise that he again has been rather miserable with those darn teeth. He now has all his 15-month molars and the canines are popping through. His poor gums are bright red, and he is constantly trying to find relief, even if it is gnawing on his own fist.

Benjamin still loves to dance, and music of any kind makes him smile. He sings…or at least sounds like he is singing to me… and he babbles non-stop at times. I love to hear the inflection in his voice as he tells us all about his day. Tonight, he read some books to me. It was precious.

We have always found this funny, but Benjamin has been making us laugh so much this weekend with his insistence that mommy and daddy  refrain from PDA. Jeremy and I were cuddling on the floor of Benjamin’s room while he played. He looked up, crawled purposely at us, and tried to separate us with his hands. Later, I was holding Benjamin, and Jeremy came over to hug us both. Benjamin kept pushing him away. I handed him to Jeremy and tried the same thing. He pushed me away! Someone doesn’t like to share! Benjamin will always know how much his mommy and daddy love each other, and I am sure he will be that kid going “aww Mom!” or “Aww Dad!” as we totally embarrass him in front of his friends!

OK. Here is my photo dump of all things Benjamin!

Our crazy warm day at the end of December when it hit 65 degrees!

Look at me walk!

My television junkies…Benjamin gets more excited over Praise Baby and Baby Einstein videos than anything else. He jumps up and down screeching and pointing at the screen. He laughs out loud whenever something strikes him as funny, and that just melts our hearts…so we let him be a TV junkie at times just to hear that.

 

Here he is when we first gave him his chair.

 

Here he is watching story time with Nana. We also have these on our ipods so he can watch when we need to distract him.

 

Still don’t have all the b-day and Christmas photos, but here Benjamin is with his Grandpa Bob Hilty.

 

Until next time…I need to get my camera out tomorrow for a few updated shots with all his teeth. We also have some funny videos of him walking and also of him laughing hysterically. We will get those up soon. I am hoping things will be calmer for the next few weeks. My boss said to take Monday off, so I plan to get a massage and relax!

PS If you notice typos in this blog, I apologize. I am writing it in a hurry and I can’t see the screen well enough from my couch to tell exactly what it says.

Christmas post no.1

So, as promised, here is my first of several Christmas posts. The following photos are the only ones I have with me as we drive up to Michigan to see Benjamin's Aunt Rachel, Uncle Aaron and cousins Asher, Eden and Levi. We have been stuck in traffic, so I have all the time in the world!


Jeremy and I got Benjamin a red chair for his Christmas present, and he loves it. His favorite thing to do is climb on it, so we have had a few boo boos from falling off. But, he also likes to sit in it and point the remote control at the television or hold onto the computer mouse. He is into mimicking us, and apparently we spend a lot of time with electronics!

We took the chair to Findlay with us, so he could have it on Christmas...and all weekend. Doesn't he look like such a big boy?

Benjamin is now 23 pounds and 30.5 inches tall. He has had his first hair cut... by me, so it isn't the best. He loves to babble, and he says Mama, Dada, Na (no), Nana, Pap, Daisy, hot, and bye-bye. He also says Ba a lot, and I am never sure if that means he is thirsty, or if he just likes the sound of it.

Benjamin is such a little stinker with endless energy, but he is so darn cute, it is impossible to get too annoyed with him. He has mastered the art of throwing dramatic temper tantrums, but they don't last too long and he usually finishes by laughing at his ridiculousness. He is good at fake laughing. He makes a booming "ha, ha, ha" noise, and then cracks up with real giggles at his joke. He loves to make us laugh, so if we do something he knows is aimed at making him laugh, he uses this laugh or a real one, depending on how funny we actually are.

His latest forms of protest are making himself a wiggle worm when we try to change his diaper, going stiff as a board when we put him in his car seat, fake coughing when he doesn't like something and throwing things. If he doesn't want to nap, this is the scene that unfolds on the weekends.

As mommy lies on the floor next to Benjamin's crib, demonstrating what proper sleeping looks like, she no sooner closes her eyes when a Taggie frog makes a thud just inches above her head. Cracking an eye, she looks to see a gleeful toddler standing at the railing. Her eye shuts rapidly, but not soon enough. His pleased shriek lets her know that was just the reaction he was looking for. Next to launch is the State Farm dog. Mom makes no move. It is quickly followed by the Taggie Blanket. Finally, a beanie Tigger lands on her face. She refuses to acknowledge his jumping up and down on the crib turned trampoline. His laughs turn to protests. He protests turn to unhappy short burst of angry wails. He throws himself down on to the crib, kicks his feet, and then springs back up to a standing position. He lands face first again in a frustrated huff. He sits up and protests. He lies back down. This repeats for several minutes until the room gets quiet except for the steady slurping of a pacifier. Both Mommy and Benjamin give in to exhaustion and nap side by side, one behind bars, the other on the hard floor. Then, Mommy wakes up with a stiff back and realizes an hour of prime cleaning and organizing opportunity has passed. But, as she looks down at a precious little booty sticking up in the air, one cheek pressed against the mattress, she would rather spend all day staring at that sweet face than get anything else accomplished ... especially when he wakes up with a giant grin on his face, ready for the next adventure.

Preview

I am tired, and I have no pictures downloaded.

What a way to start a blog, right? I just wanted to tell everyone to stay tuned, because I have the cutest photos and memories to share just as soon as I can get a spare moment…and it might be a few more days. I may be working extra long tomorrow, and then we have to pack for a trip to see Jeremy’s sister Rachel.

But, don’t give up on me! I promise…pictures soon. Just to wet your appetite, I will tell you that Benjamin’s favorite gift this weekend was a car. Yes, he is a little young to drive, but Papa pushed him around on endless loops through the house. He will have to keep pushing until Benjamin has long enough legs to push himself. At that time, the Fisher Price car is apparently insured by State Farm, because it has the sticker clearly stating the affiliation on the back.

Also, I must mention that my baby boy…who up until about a week ago refused to eat anything that wasn’t in a baby food jar, has fallen in love with crab legs and shrimp. He also got his first taste (Ok several tastes) of peppermint ice cream with hot fudge, Christmas cookies and cheesy potatoes that he shoveled in his mouth by the fistful. The kid loves cheese and will sit there and eat cubes of it until you think no more will fit…and then he shoves in a few more. He also likes to shove fistfuls of fish crackers into that surprisingly large mouth of his. His other food explorations this weekend included a cheese ball and crackers, blueberries and an attempt at dog food…again. Daisy got even though, because she ate my mouth guard that Benjamin must have knocked off the table.

That’s all for now.

P.S. Benjamin is winning the bottle war.

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

Our baby boy is going to be 1 year old in two days! We can hardly believe it. This weekend, as most of you know, was his birthday party. I think I was much more excited about it than he was, but he certainly enjoyed himself!

I will have to post two blogs, because I don’t really have many good photos from the day. I have a few from my dad’s camera. My mother-in—law took a bunch too, so I will post those when I get copies. I was too busy greeting guests and taking care of Benjamin, who decided this weekend to develop a serious case of stranger anxiety! Friday, it became quite apparent when we attempted to get a photo with Santa. I will scan it in at work when I get the chance, but picture an absolutely heartbreaking look of betrayal as I left him in the arms of a furry man with an affinity for red velvet.

Anyway, back to the party. We had about 30 people there, so it was a good size crowd. Benjamin CLUNG to the people he knows best and let a few others hold him without too much of a fuss. But, for the most part, he was clinging to legs and asking to be picked up quite a bit! The exception was with the other children. My cousin Davis pulled out a container of cookies, and Benjamin made a beeline for him. Benjamin doesn’t know what cookies are, but he wanted one just the same. He pulled right up and got in Davis’s face. It was hilarious. He also decided that his cousin Claire must have had something better on her tray than his, because when he got down from eating his food, he started stealing hers.

 

 

He also managing to pull Claire right off her feet when she tried to take one of his new trucks. Don’t worry. I will teach him to be nice to girls, but I think he gets in defense mode from his days at the baby sitter’s house with all the bigger kids.

He loved opening presents, and it was difficult to get him to let go of one to open another. We tried to spread it out a little bit so he didn’t get too overwhelmed. Needless to say, our house is now filled with lots of noisy new toys.

Cake time was quite funny! Like he is with all new foods, he refused to put any in his mouth. When I gave him a taste, he shuddered.

 

But, soon he figured out it was kind of fun to squish it a little. He studied it for quite some time. Touched it. And, then finally tried to drop it on the floor and rid his fingers of the frosting.

He did get one good bite in, though!

We hosed him down afterward.

Like I said, I promise to publish more photos later, but here is the pre-party action.

Here is a photo of Benjamin with one of his favorite people…Papa…doing one of his favorite things…vacuuming.

 

In the background, you can see the toy Nana and Papa got him. It was a huge success with both Benjamin and his half sibling… Daisy.

The two typically get along very well, but this weekend…as siblings tend to do… they started to squabble over toys, food and bones.

First, to my horror…they both stuck their tongues out and… well it pains me to even write what happened next… Judging by the giggles from Benjamin, he thought it was a very funny greeting from his “Da Ssssee.”

Later, I looked over to see Benjamin sitting at Jeremy’s feet. The scene unfolded like a comedic horror film.

Me: “Jeremy, What is Benjamin eating?”

Jeremy": “What?”

He looks up from the television, glances down at Benjamin and then springs into action.

Me; “Please tell me that isn’t what I think it is!”

Jeremy, looking quite sheepish, pulls a bone…yes a bone…out of Benjamin’s mouth. He is OBSESSED with all things Daisy.

“Look mom. I can open and close the door… and…

Crawl inside and get stuck!”

We even caught him swishing his little paws in Daisy’s water bowl. AGGGGHHH!

Finally, the two got into it when Benjamin decided he wanted to keep Daisy’s favorite toy.

Here, the scene unfolds…

Pink socks and peek a boo

Benjamin and I spent the whole day together while Daddy worked. I love the weekend when we can cram as much cuddling, playing and teaching time as possible.

So, this weekend I spent time teaching Benjamin how fun a laundry basket and socks could be, how to eat fish so he can have healthy Omega 3 vitamins, how to make a snow ball… and we are working on how to say words. He spent time teaching me how many things he could get into when I wasn’t looking, and how every time I don’t want him to do something, he will just do it a gazillion times more. I have a feeling we are both going to have to learn a lot of patience, since we both have a stubborn streak.

Here he is playing with my pink fuzzy socks. He is enthralled by them and thinks they are great to chew.

My little teething machine!

I’m so silly!

One of Benjamin’s favorite games is “Peek a Boo” in the curtains. He wraps himself up and then flings them aside with a gigantic grin, awaiting his audiences’ exclamation of “Peek a Boo!”

Here you can see he also was obsessed today with a package of electrical safety covers. Don’t ask me why, but he would not put them down, even to play his favorite game!

Where’s Benjamin?

Peek a Boo!

The cord next to him became the next target, and after a dozen or more trips over there to say “no!” or “Not safe!” I had to relent and move the pole lamp so he didn’t pull it over and do some serious damage.

There are still no new teeth in that very sharp mouth of his, but they have to be getting close! Here is a demonstration of trying to bite Mommy’s leg. Sigh.

 

The most precious moments of the day, though, were the very random things: Benjamin chasing after the vacuum yelling gibberish at the top of his lungs while gleefully trying to catch the cord or jump on the machine; Benjamin singing like Mariah Carey…octaves higher than seems humanly possible; Skyping with Nana; Benjamin bounding up and down the matted play gym in the church nursery like he was king of the jungle; and finally, Benjamin giving mommy a rare gift of cuddle time after his bottle before bed…he rubbed my shirt against his cheek while I sang Christmas songs to him until he got sleepy and wanted to be put in his crib.

Let it snow!

I don’t really care for the cold and snow, but it was a lot of fun introducing Benjamin to the concept for the first time Saturday!

Here he is all bundled up in the closest thing we could come to a snow suit. It is part of the box of clothes we are borrowing from my cousin Jen, and it is pretty darn cute!

Here he is after Jeremy made a pile around him, removed a glove and told Benjamin to stick his hand in the snow. Then, he took a handful and tried to get him to eat it. Poor Benjamin!

Perhaps later I will post the video of Jeremy tossing snow balls at Benjamin and then accidentally smacking one in his face!

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

I haven’t been doing a very good job keeping up with my posts! So, here is a summary of life in the Hilty household since last time.

We still are fighting the coughs that hit three weeks ago. But. we all feel much better, so that is a good thing. Benjamin is cutting more teeth…he never seems to stop… so that has been the most recent challenge. We think he is getting his right side molars and the canines will follow shortly. It is crazy that at 11.5 months, he has 10 teeth! The problem is that when he is teething, he bites…the furniture, random objects…anybody that picks him up or walks within a few feet of him. I could feel his teeth through my leather boots this morning! We aren’t quite sure how to curb this new bad habit. He doesn’t do it unless he is really hurting…but it isn’t something we want to continue!

 

We spent our Thanksgiving in Bluffton and Findlay. It was so nice to visit family and have some down time to catch up on sleep and relax. Benjamin learned so many new things while we were there. He learned to say “Nana,” something that sounds like “see” for Daisy, and Ba for bottle. He also learned how to sign “all done,” but instead of waving his hands, he waves both of them at the same time. He thinks this is how you wave “bye bye” also. I wish I would have caught it on camera. The funniest moment of the weekend was when he sat in his high chair at the top of the basement stairs, happily watching Papa paint the stair walls while he ate his dinner. He just grinned and grinned! Again, I didn’t get what would have been an awesome photo!

We also spent some time with his grandparents in Bluffton. He got his pictures taken at Grandma Jan’s house, and we plan to order some next week, so stay tuned!

Benjamin LOVED playing with Nana. They spent lots of time reading books and singing songs.

When we got back to Cincinnati, he didn’t know what to do with himself after such an exciting weekend.

Here is a photo of him trying to break out of his gated kitchen. One of his new skills is turbo crawling. He can turn it on when we least suspect it and take off for the stairs before we even notice he is gone. That means, we have to keep the gates closed ALL the time. This does not make him happy!

While Benjamin has always had a sense of humor, he has been cracking us up with his antics. He loves to make us laugh as much as we love to make him laugh! His “pig nose” is the cap from my shaving gel. We use it as a cup in the tub to wash his hair. He also decided it is a nice cup with which to drink tub water. Eww!

Jeremy insists Benjamin needs a hair cut. But, I can’t imagine cutting these precious curls. Just look how adorable they are!

Finally, here is a photo of Benjamin watching story time with Nana. We recorded my mom reading books, so if we can’t Skype or we can’t visit in person, he can watch her on television. He especially liked her puppet, Charlie Bear!

I am trying to think if there are any more developments. I guess the only other thing is our adventure in trying to get Benjamin to eat regular food that isn’t delivered in the pureed form. So far, it is a challenge. He will eat graham crackers, apple slices, cantaloupe slices and Gerber snacks that resemble Cheetos. Yep. That’s it. Occasionally, I can sneak in a few bites of Cream of Wheat if I am lucky. Otherwise, that’s his diet. So healthy! The other challenge is getting baby food in his mouth on a spoon, because he likes to throw temper tantrums when he doesn’t get to feed himself. If you hand him the spoon, he just flings the food on the floor. My precious baby is turning into a VERY strong-willed toddler! But, I love him to pieces and wouldn’t trade him for the world! :)

Here is a video of me trying to convince him to eat Cream of Wheat. He was laughing so hard he was crying. Jeremy just recorded him when he was winding down, so he wasn’t really laughing all that much. Then, you can see the stubbornness…he was ready to fling that food onto the walls!

 

 

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