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!

Benjamin and Daddy

Benjamin got some quality time with Daddy this week, because I had to work some insane hours and wasn’t home a whole lot. In my absence, he made sure to document their time together.

One day, Jeremy decided Benjamin might like to play with this.

Yes, my dear husband gave our son a glass root beer bottle to play with. Such a safe toy!

But, he got a greater kick out of the photos … I am sure you can tell why.

After our library visit, we decided Benjamin needed a bead toy. So, while I was working this weekend, Jeremy and Benjamin took a field trip to Ikea. This toy was only $10! What a deal! The only catch…you have to put it together.  But, Benjamin didn’t mind. He enjoyed helping, especially with the shiny parts.

 

I forgot to mention that at the store, Benjamin tried to take off with the toy. He didn’t quite understand that the box Jeremy picked up was the actual toy. So, he liked hauling it around the house, knowing that he didn’t have to give it back.

 

After Ikea, they went to Panera to pick up dinner. They brought me a half a chicken salad sandwich and a bagel. Benjamin then ate the other half of the sandwich when they got home. He is such a good eater, and is eating nearly everything we give him. Tonight, he ate my bean soup.

Benjamin has another ear infection. He is still struggling with that and cutting his second canine tooth, but as you can see here, Daddy makes it all better.

The only problem was that Daddy had to leave for work this afternoon. Benjamin wasn’t too pleased with that.

He ran to the door (and I mean ran) to get one last hug.

And then he tried to convince Daddy to back up into the kitchen and stay a while.

 

But, alas, he had to leave. So, we decided to play.

Benjamin loves his books, and this one was $1 at Target and so cool.

 

Here he is implying “Come on Mom! Let’s go! Can’t you keep up?”

He loves to play with his magnets on the refrigerator and is getting better at putting them in the correct slot. He has been improving a bunch on his fine motor skills. He is now able to drop “letters” in his mail box and put shapes (with occasional help) into his shape sorter. He is so pleased with himself when he accomplishes these things!

Speaking of new skills, today I was on Skype with my parents, and Benjamin blew them a kiss goodbye. He has never done that before, so I did a double take. Later, in the bathtub, he made kissing noises at me. I was so pleased. All my efforts are paying off. Now, if I could just get him to actually give me a hug or a kiss on the cheek! Speaking of hugs, he still HATES when Jeremy and I hug. This morning, he grunted and grunted while trying to push us apart. It was hilarious.

 

One more random photo…

Since it was 38 degrees (a heat wave) today, we decided to take a walk outside before the ice storm of the century hits tomorrow night. OK, maybe not ice storm of the century, but if we get hit just right, my sources tell me we could get more than an inch of ice. That would be a disaster. So, pray we don’t get hit with much and we don’t lose power! If we do lose power, then pray people up north don’t ,so we can take a trip to see Nana and Papa.

Well…make it one last photo…promise…

I was just reading my sister-in-law’s blog about how my niece Logan loves all things dolls. Well, Benjamin could care less about dolls or anything stuffed…unless it is soft and he is tired. Here he is cuddling a stuffed bear that I handed him to rub against his cheek. He loves to rub things on his face, and he sleeps with his blanket against his cheek rather than covering him. Night Night!

TV

I am tired and need to get to bed, but I couldn’t resist posting one more blog. Benjamin and I spent a wonderful day together, and it including several episodes of “Praise Baby,” since we had to do two breathing treatments. But, in between, he kept going over to his chair and looking at me, then the TV expectantly. He gave up on me turning it back on, and this is what he did.

 

Come on mouse…work with me! I see Mommy do it!

It’s not working!

But I have another idea!

One of these should work!

Look. I just pressed a button…

Which one is it?!

 

I must need to be back in my chair for it to work.

On! Turn On!

It worked! Maybe???

Enter Mommy…Yes. I did cave at this point since he did manage to turn on the TV and DVD player. I let him watch a few extra minutes knowing full well I am creating a monster. At least it is positive music, right?

Library visit

Yesterday, we decided to take a short outing to get our of the house. Benjamin hates to wear a hat, but when I promised Daddy and Mommy were going to go bye bye with him, he humored us (just as long as we didn’t leave Daddy behind!)

 

OK guys! I’m ready!

So, off we went, with Daddy and Benjamin giggling in the back seat while I drove. We often take turns sitting in the back to entertain Benjamin and get some extra quality time.

When we arrived, we gave Benjamin a puzzle to try. We also gave him his pacifier so he wouldn’t put germy pieces in his mouth, nor would he spread his cold to other kids.

But, he quickly noticed something he wanted far more.

He dragged this toy off the table with a “GRRRR” and tried to haul it away with him so no one else would try to take it. We humored him for a while. This video is the best I could do to help you see how truly funny it was seeing him heft this thing around.

 

Eventually, he got distracted by…you guessed it…electronics. To top that, the electronics were being used by other kids, which just enthralled Benjamin.

 

We distracted him with another puzzle. But, then, our little hoarder tried to take as many pieces his little fists would hold and carry them to who knows where.

He kept dropping one or two, impeding his progress while he picked them back up.

Finally, he went back to the bead toy and tried to haul it away once more. We had to pry puzzle pieces and beads out of his hands as he struggled to free himself from our arms. The only consolation was that he got to play with the book scanner at the self check out, since Mommy picked up a few books to read in all her spare time.