Life at the Hilty house

As usual, things are a tad hectic around here. But, I want to get as many photos posted as possible. So, here is a summary of the past two weeks. As usual, please forgive typos. I am usually in a hurry when I put these together, and I don’t read them over a second time.

 

This photo is of Benjamin helping us last weekend unroll a new carpet. We put plastic down under his seat, because the other carpet had all kinds of dried food and stains that would not come out.

He helped us clean and dry the floors…he is really enjoying “helping” whenever we get out the mops or vacuum.

We had some good cuddle time after he woke up from his nap.

Rarely do we get to cuddle sitting, because Benjamin is always on the move. But, lately, he likes to be held no matter what we are doing…  just as long as we are walking around.

Fast forward to this past week. Benjamin has been so interested in books the past few months, but now he is pointing to pictures and recognizing things like dogs or cats. Today, he actually said “ow” and pointed to a cat. It was so cute!

He also is teething. This is his last canine, and it is killing him. We have been trying to wean him from his pacifier unless he is napping. So, he finds other random objects and holds them in his mouth all day instead. 

Yes, that is diaper cream!

Benjamin loves blocks. He actually stacked a few wooden blocks by himself this week, and he is very good now at putting lego blocks together and pulling them apart.

He also is getting very good at going up and down the stairs. He slides down the stairs on his tummy. Lately, he figured out he can do that and haul things with him at the same time…like his sippie cup that works just like a pacifier! Don’t worry, he only is allowed water except at mealtimes.

I have caved a lot on the pacifier the past few days, because he truly is pathetic without it. Just look at that face!

He hasn’t quite grasped coloring yet, but he likes to play with crayons. I have to watch him like a hawk, or else they are in his mouth or being dragged along the floor. This giant coloring book was something we picked up at the grand opening of Menards the other day on a field trip.

You can see Benjamin is getting taller, and he likes to remind us of that every now and then. He can’t quite get it open yet, but he is trying!

Please ignore the mess behind Benjamin. That is the drop zone on the way in the door, and it was not very clean. But, you can see he also loves to play with toys that roll.

Aren’t I the cutest?

Except when I am whining, because I didn’t get what I wanted.

The other morning, Benjamin was stalling so he didn’t have to go to daycare. It was so sad. He even resorted to picking up his breathing treatment mask in hopes that I would decide he needed to stay just a little longer.

See mom? You can turn on the TV now and we can sit a while!

After I dropped him off, he was so not happy with me. So, when I picked him up, he punished me severely! But, I eventually won back his affections by letting him play with a Swiffer duster. It is his new favorite toy, and he loves to dust the floor with it. He thinks all cleaning should be done on the floor. Last night, he tried to clean the floor with his toothbrush. Ewww!

When Jeremy got home, Benjamin was so happy! But, he was even happier when Daddy got out his cell phone and ipod videos. You can’t see, but Jeremy has one in each hand. He was trying to send an e-mail while entertaining Benjamin.

Here he was Saturday morning, watching cartoons. Note the Swiffer duster clutched in his hand. Do not, I repeat, do not try to take that away from him!

For fun, we decided Saturday morning to go to Chick Fil A, since they are the only place with an indoor play area nearby. We tried to convince Benjamin to play in the toddler section, but he wanted to go down the big slide (or climb up it) like the other bigger kids. So, like a good mom, I ducked and hauled him up the stair case and through the tunnels in order to drop him down the very large slide. Jeremy caught him at the bottom, where Benjamin was giggling with pure joy. Like the mean parents we are, we packed him up to leave after only one time down the slide. He was heartbroken.

But, he cheered up when we let him run around at Kohls and touch all the soft clothes. Much to Jeremy’s dismay, Benjamin liked the women’s bathing suit section the best.

Here is our happy baby boy Sunday morning before church.

And here he is in his happier place after church, eating lunch. MMM spaghetti!

He ate FIVE meatballs. I refused to share any more after that.

We took a walk before Jeremy left for work, and it was so nice to get out in the nice weather. Benjamin and I went to the grocery store and spent the rest of the day cooking and playing. It was a good day, but too short!  I wish we could spend all day, every day together!'

First hair cut!

This blog is a continuation of our family fun day! I forgot to mention that on our drive home, I fed him fish crackers to tide him over. As soon as we walked in the door after the Aquarium, Benjamin ate a very large lunch. An hour later, he ate a very large snack. I went to the grocery store, and when I got back 1.5 hours later, he was eating another snack.

So, it was on that note (with a very happy and full baby) we drove to Cookie Cutters to get Benjamin’s first hair cut. Much to his delight, there was big slide inside. Jeremy went right to it. Thank goodness for adventurous dads, because I would have written it off as too big for Benjamin and too germy.

But, you can see his delight.

He went down several times, and it was difficult to pry him away for his hair cut.

They must have thought he was older than he was, because at first they tried to put him in a car with no restraints. We nixed that idea, and got in this car instead.

Benjamin was so interested in what was going on.

But he didn’t like the idea of a giant bib. So, we took it off to avoid tears.

He wasn’t so sure about the spray bottle getting him wet, but the television playing “Bob the Builder” caught his attention.

Halfway through, I found a toy gator for him to hold. That, and the kid next to him, captured his attention for the rest of the cut.

And he got his pacifier for the final stretch. The hairdresser said he was such a good baby!

He was DELIGHTED to be given a balloon afterward. He hauled it around with him when we went into Carters for a few items and again when we went to Target to get him new shoes. He needs some with rubber soles now that he is running around outside.

When we got home, Benjamin ate his dinner around 5:30 p.m. At 6:30 p.m. he had a large snack. And, at 7 p.m. he was telling us he was hungry again…he had to wait for his bedtime bottle at 7:30. Oh how cruel we are!

Both Jeremy and I felt like this was a WONDERFUL day that we needed so badly. It has been such a long two months for us. But, we got some cleaning done, had wonderful quality time with Benjamin… and the best part is, we still have SUNDAY! We haven’t had a Sunday together in ages!

The Aquarium!

It was such an exciting morning, that I didn’t even mind it when I had to get up 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday! Benjamin and I played and had breakfast while Jeremy slept until 7:30. Then, Benjamin ate breakfast again. (not kidding…he ate a complete second breakfast less than an hour after eating 7 ounces of milk, a yogurt and two piles of Cheerios. So, I fed him a frozen peas, cheese and blue berries and crackers for the second breakfast.

We packed everything up and left around 9 a.m. so we could get there before it opened. And, good thing we did, because the line was long and it wasn’t too warm outside!

We bought our season passes, since they are the equivalent of two visits, and we figure we will be back. Then, we made a beeline past the crowd to get to the first tunnel. Benjamin, you can see, was quite interested in the fish swimming above his head. Jeremy thought it might seem odd to him to see the fish, but not to hear the Baby Einstein music playing in the background like on his movie.

 

My what big eyes you have! Benjamin chuckled every time this fish looked at him.

 

Most of the time we took turns holding him, but on occasion, Benjamin got down to explore. We moved through each exhibit quickly, so he wouldn’t get bored. His favorite, though, was the Frog playground exhibit.

 

When you push the buttons, each frog makes a different croaking noise. Benjamin leaned on this button until we couldn’t take it any longer and had to move him to another button. It just wasn’t the same, and he decided to go back.

Next. we went into the rainforest to see the otters. Benjamin liked the waterfalls the best.

Here he is in another tunnel with fish and a scuba diver floating above.

Either the shark scale is off, or Benjamin gained three pounds from his endless meals!

 

The gift shop was probably the highlight of the trip. BALLS!

You can see the stroller in the background. We hauled it the entire time, and Benjamin never rode in it!

Freedom! It is tough to get Benjamin to go where you want him to go now that he knows how to use those long legs!

We showed Benjamin a fish restaurant right outside the Aquarium.

 

And he took off down the board walk as happy as a “clam.” Yes pun intended.

 

He even found a friend and tried to grab his shoes!

Afterward, we played in Barnes and Noble for a few minutes (they have a Thomas the Train table) and then we headed home, since it was past lunch time. All in all, we only stayed about 1.5 hours downtown, but it was the perfect amount of time. Benjamin was so excited, he couldn’t sleep at nap time. He just sat in his crib and talked and cooed for an hour while Daddy and Mommy napped!

Sick and busy

The past two (or has it been three?) weeks have been a bit of a struggle. I covered a federal court case downtown, which meant I saw very little of Jeremy and Benjamin for two weeks. On top of that, Benjamin was sick, so while I was busy all day, I spent all night holding him and trying to make him feel better as he cried from a really bar earache.

Jeremy is in a tough rotation right now, and he gets home late most nights. He leaves at 5:30 a.m. so that means it is up to me to get Benjamin and myself ready each morning. This is especially a challenge when Benjamin doesn’t get to see me much  in the evening, because he wants to be held the entire hour we have to get ready. It breaks my heart! But, a few more months and Jeremy will graduate!

On a more positive note, here are some of the fun memories we have made the past few weeks.

Benjamin was so sick one Monday. Jeremy had a residency interview and I had to be in court.  Papa came to our rescue and jumped in the car to come stay with Benjamin, who had been up all night crying. Here they are bonding at dinner.

Once Benjamin got over the worst of it, he started to get his appetite back… and boy does he have an appetite! Here he is eating a whole apple. (He stole it right from Jeremy’s hands.)

The little ham knows when the camera is pointing at him!

Benjamin has been enjoying the Valentine’s Day cards he has received in the mail (and the treats he got from the other kids at his baby sitter’s house). This card was from his Grandpa Bob. For whatever reason, Benjamin thought this one was HILARIOUS. He chuckled when we opened it, and then again every time he looked at the hamster sitting in a sports car. He carried it around the house with him, stopping to “taste it” every now and then, or to look at the picture. It is so funny to see what captures his attention, and what he finds funny. You have to wonder what is going on in that precious brain of his!

We went home for a visit this weekend, since Jeremy had to work Saturday and Sunday. Benjamin LOVED playing with Daisy, and actually started to understand the idea of fetch and tug of war.  A few times he snatched her bone and took off in a wobbily run with Daisy on his heels. She adores him, and he thinks she is a fun toy. He even started calling to her and dramatically dropping food for her to sample.

When we got home, he kept finding balls and throwing them either to me or just in whatever direction he pleased. Then, he would run as fast as his little legs would go to catch it…usually wiping out along the way.

 

He also has learned how to go down the stairs once he reaches the top, and it is a favorite game of his. So, here he is making a break for it.

And, trying to make sure we could not follow!

 

I know these aren’t the best photos, but I promise to take more this weekend. I might also steal a few from my grandma, who took a bunch with her new camera this weekend. Benjamin LOVES his car, and he climbed in and out for hours Saturday when my grandparents came to visit.

Finally, I will leave you with a few updates, since this is the day Benjamin turned 14 months old!

He now has 15 teeth and is cutting his last canine tooth. We hope for a break before he cuts his 2 year molars! He weighs 23 pounds and seems to be getting taller, though it is tough to tell. I gauge it by the fact that he can almost reach door handles now.  His favorite foods are chili, meatballs, chicken and biscuits, any beans, frozen peas, yogurt and fruit (especially blueberries). Essentially, he eats almost anything we put in front of him. Though, lately he decided he doesn’t’ like shrimp anymore. He eats all evening long, and while he sits in his chair, he hums made up tunes to himself and sways.

Bath time is still a highlight, though now Benjamin likes to “swim” by diving headfirst into the water. He takes a drink and comes up sputtering. I cringe when he drinks the water, because it is so not clean. Since he decided a while back that pooping in the tub was part of his nightly routine, I do bleach it quite often. Still…bath water? I guess it is a boy thing. He also likes to sample dirt, leaves, random things he finds in the carpet and dried food he hides for later.

I will write more this weekend. Jeremy is home both days, and we plan to do everything we can as a family, since family time is rare. On the agenda is a trip to the Aquarium and a hair cut. So, stay tuned!