The days of Ben's life...

like father, like son

2010-04-19T20:14:00.003-05:00

It has come to my attention that Ben's biggest fans are still checking in here periodically! I had no idea anyone still read this, so I kind of...stopped posting, obviously. I know I say this every time, but I really will try to get better! I will show you momentarily what has been keeping me away, but I have to share a funny little thing first...

Ben is REALLY into playing with his trains. He loves to hook them all together, build towers on them, and drive them all over the place. This is all ordinary boy stuff, I think. Except...well, except for this!

That is ALLLLL Jon's influence. I didn't even help him do that, he just figured it out on his own. Anything that can be made into a "trailer", gets made into one. I want to get him a Cozy Coupe car, but I'm almost afraid to for fear of him creating some kind of "hitch" and hooking up his wagon! He really would do such a thing, with a little assistance from his daddy, of course!

We got a new camper this weekend, and Ben is in LOVE with it. He calls it his camper and he can't wait to get out in it. He is going to be quite the happy camper this summer - he can't get enough of the great outdoors.

AND, he has started taking on a truly 2 year old attitude. His favorite word is NO!, it would seem. Sometimes it's really adorable, but I am really trying to put a stop to it before it becomes a huge problem.

So, I just figured I would show a few examples of my scrapping "hobby" (read: addiction) to show why I've been away from this blog...

And just for those who are curious about the whole digital scrapbooking thing, this is a preview for a "kit" you can purchase...the elements and papers are all separate files and you simply put them together in Photoshop:

And with that, I will call this post complete!

busy busy busy

2010-02-17T09:55:00.003-06:00

It seems like that is the word of choice when I am asked to describe Ben's personality. And I'm not lying, he is soooo busy! During his waking hours, he is playing non-stop. Occasionally, something on TV will grab his attention for a minute or two (if there's music involved or Elmo!), but normally he just is always tinkering with something, trying to figure out how something works, reading a book, or generally making a mess. His newest favorite thing is to say "nigh nigh" and lay down on the nearest pillow/blanket/etc...he even did that this morning when I went to get him up for the day! He's still totally hooked on his paci for naps and nighttime, so there is generally a small battle to pry the paci from each of his hands when he gets up in the morning. He knows better, but that doesn't mean he doesn't try his hardest to sneak a paci or two past me in the morning!

He has started a few not so pleasant things as well - like yelling "MINE!", pushing, saying "NO!" and generally not understanding sharing (which, yes, he is 19 months old, so of course this concept is foreign to him). We are just doing our best to encourage good manners (he usually says please and thank you without needing prompting anymore!) and redirect him when he starts to get a little rough. Sometimes it's a little challenging to ignore his tantrums, but he gives up pretty quickly when he sees he's not getting his way.

He has also just very recently started putting a couple words together - he started with "Please mommy" and "please daddy" (or "Please pappy!" haha), but has since evolved to "daddy trailer" and he likes to read this puppy book and say "biiiiiiig puppy"! He has so many words now I have lost count, and it's so fun to listen to him talk.

He had a birthday party a couple weekends ago for Kael (son of some friends of ours), he enjoyed himself but didn't really understand that the toys were not all for him!

Sharing? Not really!

I believe at this moment, he was saying "MINE!"

So not into sharing...

Grandma Julie thought he looked a little shaggy, so he has since had a haircut:

Apologize for the weirdness of this photo, Ben is so not into looking at me anytime I am holding a camera these days!

eighteen kids and counting...

2010-01-22T13:39:00.003-06:00

err...months, that is! I will NOT be having 18 kids, unless my next pregnancy yields 17 babies! (Which I really hope it doesn't!)

So, little man is officially 18 months now. I seriously cannot believe 18 months have passed since that day I gave birth to him! It really is a trip to go back and read those first blog posts after he was born, and see how little he was! He's come a long way!

We had his 18 month check up today and he did ... well, just okay. He screamed for all the measuring parts, and he hasn't grown since his last appointment, but he was REALLY wiggly and mad today, so I'm not sure it was accurate. They weighed him at 24 pounds. Not sure on the length, will have to take him into work and check that. From the little questionnaire that I filled out before the appointment, he is doing most things on a 21 month level (I'm not sure how they come up with that number, it seems a bit random to me!) - and the doctor is very pleased with his language development - even though he wasn't his usual chatty self in the office, he mostly just cuddled with his blankie (which, thank goodness, I had the good sense to bring with!)

He is such a polite little boy, not that I give him much of a chance to be otherwise. He still whines, of course, but usually all it takes is me asking him "Is that how nice boys ask for things?" before he grins and says "PEEEEEAAAASEEE??" We're still working on thank-you as well, but I'll take what I can get!

I have an alarming amount of photos, and I am weird about editing them first, so I only have 2 for now...because I am not in the mood to go through them ALL right now!

He loooooves to read, and often will pull out a book and look through it. Sometimes he even "reads" it, but usually he just looks through it. Especially in the car, he has an Elmo book that gets a lot of his attention!

by popular demand...

2009-12-30T21:00:00.003-06:00

And I'm back! We're all still well and good here in Elgin...just got sidetracked again. For an entire month. Again. :)

But, I was reminded today that I need to post here, and post here I shall. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good many pics from Christmas this year. Ben was all over the place - last year he mostly stayed in place! He really enjoyed Christmas although I think he was overwhelmed (and easily distracted by cookies, he probably had about 6 cookies on Christmas eve, if not more!). We celebrated with the Laures's on the 19th, then the Stolp's on Christmas eve...then we did our little family gift opening on Christmas day. This weekend we'll visit the Espy family to celebrate with them! Ben got a lot of goodies, he is most excited about anything Elmo these days - I got him a Sesame Street music video and wow - it actually holds his attention for a few minutes at a time.

He continues to learn new words on a daily basis and is finally starting to pick up on his manners! I try to remind him constantly about asking nicely for things, and it's paying off! Now he will sometimes say please without any prompting from us. He gets so excited about things - especially his snack, and now when he gets excited he says "oh boy!" and it's the cutest thing you've ever seen. He can almost say all of the dogs names, though I haven't heard him say Gracie yet. It is pretty darn funny when he says Oliver though, it sounds like "Ah boo boo". I understand a lot of what he says, but I can see how others wouldn't...I'm just used to it!

Here are some pictures from Christmas...just a few, and then some of when I took him outside the other day - he hated it. I think I need to invest in a sled, I think he'd like being pulled around in the snow!

His Christmas outfit...that I forgot to wash so he didn't actually wear it on Christmas! Oops!

He was pretty excited to rip paper since he's normally not allowed!

The boys with Foster's fire truck. If it looks like they are getting along, don't be fooled. There was lots of fighting over this particular toy!

Opening presents at home - that's the Sesame Street video!

Pound a peg...he doesn't really get it.

engrossed in Elmo's world

We gave him a front-row seat! :)

He looked like the little boy from A Christmas Story...he could hardly move his legs!

Brrr!!

another month passed us by...

2009-11-29T21:36:00.003-06:00

I seriously have no idea what happened to November. It seems like it was Halloween, and then I blinked and now Christmas is staring me in the face. This time of year goes way too fast.

Ben has had a verbal explosion over the last month! He chatters ALL the time now (well, he always has!), but now we can actually UNDERSTAND some of his words. Some that I can think of off the top of my head are bye, ball, quack quack, cheese/please (they sound the same), thank you, tractor, apple, tree...I am sure there are many more, but those are ones that are somewhat distinguishable. I think I know now how it feels when other parents have kids that say something, and no one can understand them except the parent! I can definitely see how other people wouldn't understand him!

He is such a fun kid, loves to giggle and be silly. But when it is time for bed, all we have to do is say the words and he runs right into his bedroom and gathers up his blankie for the nightly routine. He's just so darn SMART and we're very proud of him.

Today I shot a few pictures of him for Christmas pictures...he was definitely difficult to keep focused, but I got a few shots anyway.

Here's a few:

And just to prove that the day was not ALL smiles:

Ahhh, the mood swings of a toddler.

what's that?

2009-10-30T13:34:00.003-05:00

I am so behind in taking pictures of our crazy little monkey - he is on the go go go these days and doesn't like to sit still for pictures. Actually, he'll sit still ENOUGH, but then he won't look at me. I have resorted to making strange sounds and banging things together to just get him to look up for half a second so I can snap a picture.

This morning we had a little photo session because I was so behind, so I will share some of those, along with a couple cute ones from last night. I have some of Ben with his costume, but I will wait and just do a whole Halloween post. I can't believe it's going to be NOVEMBER! It feels like Ben just had his first Halloween, and now we're already doing his second. It's sad how time flies.

The other big news for Ben right now is that he is saying "What's that?" It's pretty clear, I think. I mean, it doesn't come out the way a normal adult would speak it, but you can clearly hear that's what he's saying. His new game is to point at everything (or sometimes, just one thing over and over again) and say "what's that?" It's really too cute!

Anyway, here are some new Ben pics to tide you over!

My aunt (and Ben's great-aunt) reupholstered (is that the right word?) this chair for Ben and gave it to me for a baby shower. He now LOVES to climb on it and rock away. I know it's a family chair, but I can't remember at this moment who it belonged to originally. Maybe someone will see this who can help me out here!

Being silly with his PJ pants on his head!

My booger boy listening to all of the sounds of the great outdoors today!

Being a boy - he picked up a worm. Ewww!

Back inside we came for a little bit of toy fun!

And then the toy bin became the toy!

Mister serious pants.

That's about it for now! Happy Halloween!!

pumpkin patch

2009-10-14T21:41:00.003-05:00

This past weekend, we had a nice visit with Uncle Ryan and his new fiance, Jessica! They spent Friday and Saturday with us, and we ventured out in the cold to the pumpkin patch. We made the mistake of sampling the apples at the orchard first, so Ben was far more interested in eating apples than shopping for a pumpkin, but he did enjoy chasing Ryan and Jessica through the "hay maze" there.

Some pictures:

Oh yeah, we also dogsat Stanley...Ben loved it, and especially Stanley's kennel!

See? He did that himself. He dragged a whole bunch of toys in there, too.

Jessica graciously sharing her apple with little man.

Running to the apple house!

I like this one!

He wasn't so sure about this...but we took a few more for good measure.

the lovebirds. :)

Uncle Ryan picking up an angry little Ben man.

That's all I have for now. I took a ton of pictures at the pumpkin patch, but since Ben never sits still, not a huge amount of them turned out.

I have more pictures, but not more time, so I will have to post them later!

baby in a basket

2009-09-29T21:41:00.003-05:00

We have the goofiest kid. He loves to run back and forth across rooms "yelling", spin in circles, and offer Remi all of his (Remi's) toys...laughing hysterically when he grabs them. Well, tonight he was offering Remi his toys and eventually Remi's toy basket was empty. So Ben decided it would make a nice place to sit.

Jon would like me to clarify that we did NOT coerce him to sit in the basket, he did it all on his own!!

Stepping into the basket...

Hmm...this isn't so comfortable.

Getting better...and a bonus piece of wicker to chew on!

THERE! That's perfect!

What a silly little man!

PS - redesigned the blog! Am totally in love with it!

well alright then!

2009-09-23T21:50:00.003-05:00

I guess little Ben has a few fans out there still...so I will continue to post for you all!

Ben is growing like a weed. He would munch all day, I think, if I let him. As it is, he needs something to eat immediately in the morning or he is a total grump. and then he needs something to eat right when we get home or else there is no chance we'd ever prepare a nutritious meal because he would be screaming and tugging on our legs all night. I am running out of snack ideas!

I am hoping for some cooler weather before too long (cooler, not COLD!), so we can use some of these cute fall outfits we have. He's still pretty comfortably in 12 month sized thing, but they're starting to get short. Things are still loose in the waist, he's a big boy, but he has a small waist! Until he runs around naked...then he has a little buddha belly.

He LOVES his "cool dudes" (Ben language for sunglasses), and he is starting to understand a lot of words, though he isn't actually talking yet. He knows his ABC toy, his train, his vacuum cleaner, and books. He is getting sooo close to talking though, you can hear the changes in his babbles. He also loves climbing on our ottomans, and tonight he actually figured out how to get down without falling! I still don't trust him with stairs though.

We picked up a toy kitchen at a garage sale for $20 and he absolutely loves it. We put his snack on the stove, and his water sippy in the fridge, and he just thinks it's great. He's such a fun, silly little guy.

Playin' with the kitchen

Trying to climb the kitchen...tsk tsk!

Buckethead baby! (He thinks this is the best game ever!)

Cool dudes!

Tonight we played outside in our "little redneck" outfit (according to daddy...I thought it was cute! :))

Daddy's home, he gets big smiles!

Mommy doesn't get these smiles. In fact, Ben went to Kia at daycare today instead of mommy!

Daddy pulled out his bucket of golf balls.

And then Daddy filled his pockets with golf balls. Silly daddy!

That's all for now, it's my bedtime!

testing, testing...

2009-09-23T06:36:00.003-05:00

Okay, now that I am almost a month behind, I don't want to spend an hour getting pictures posted here (Blogger is so not friendly in that regard) and then have it sit here unnoticed.
So...does anyone still check this thing? If so, I will get a new post done soon...and this time really really try to be better about it. If not, I'll just let it fade into oblivion!

A treat for anyone who DOES read...

mini-vacation

2009-08-30T20:20:00.003-05:00

We have returned from our mini-vacation to Duluth/Superior and we had a great time! Ben travels pretty well - he gets a little tired of riding in the car, and he's going through a bit of a picky eating phase, but other than that, he's pretty willing to try whatever! We visited several waterfalls, the zoo (Ben didn't enjoy as much as we thought he would - he was scared of the petting zoo and cried!), Canal Park, and we took a small day trip down the coast of Lake Superior to Bayfield, Wisconsin. We were going to visit Madeline Island, but the weather was cold and dreary, so we figured we'd save that for next time.

Ben is totally walking 100% of the time now and he's gotten pretty fast. It is a challenge to keep him away from sharp corners, stairs, and generally anything he can injure himself on. He has little regard for safety! A surprise to those reading this, I'm sure.

I'll share a few pictures from our trip:

the falls at Pattison State Park (well, I guess not the falls, but the view over them!)

the little lake near our campsite. it had a neat swimming beach, but unfortunately it was always too cold!

blue eyed baby boy

playing in the fountains in Canal Park in Duluth - he was having a great time!

cheeser!

mom & ben at amnicon falls

amnicon...sooo beautiful!

growing and learning

2009-08-13T21:52:00.006-05:00

Today, for some reason, Ben decided he couldn't leave his blanket behind. Usually he wakes up with a paci in his mouth and one in each hand. I am trying my best to limit paci time these days, so I usually remove them all and away we go. Today he snatched up his blanket and wouldn't let it go, so it came with him to daycare. He's slept with that blanket for most of his life, but never really showed any attachment to it until today.
He's very sensitive to feeling hungry and throws an absolute fit if he's hungry and there's no food ready. Mommy & Daddy have learned to implement immediate snacktime as soon as we get home in the afternoon. Usually, that snacktime lasts until suppertime and it's not until his little tummy is full to the brim that he's finally back to being our happy little man.
He's started sharing, he'll bring a toy over and go "AH" and hand it to you. Sometimes, it's a toy that he wants you to turn on, sometimes he's just being friendly. Sometimes, he'll greet me after I get done cleaning up from supper with a big hug and kiss and then I melt into a big puddle of goo. Literally. Have you ever gotten a toddler kiss? :)
If I had to guess, I would say that Ben is pretty close in his particular habits as his daddy was as a toddler. He loves to rearrange boxes, put blocks and things into containers, stack his cups, and generally "organize" things. He's going to have a fondness for Legos when he's older, his daddy says.
He continues to be extremely difficult to photograph, but here are a few pictures from our trip this past weekend to La Crosse, where we met up with Jim, Jennifer, and Kael for a little sightseeing.

(hard to see, but he has dirt all over his mouth from trying to eat it!! such a boy!)

birthday bash

2009-07-31T14:35:00.008-05:00

I am woefully behind. Thanks, Jon, for pointing that out! I've gotten terribly addicted to digital scrapbooking and spend entirely too much time doing that. Plus, I am weird about pictures and only feel comfortable posting them once they have been edited (to fix lighting issues and sharpen them), and this is kind of a putzy process, so I tend to put it off. In any case, while I take a break in writing Ben's thank-you notes (he is dictating them to me in his own language...don't worry, I am translating), I thought I would post a few pictures from his birthday party. I do have some other good ones from today, but maybe I can make another post later if I get to it!

Ben had a dramatic start to his birthday party - a few hours before the party was set to start, he was practicing his walking skills and tripped on my purse strap, falling into the corner of the wall and splitting his little forehead open. What resulted was a lot of blood, a lot of tears (mostly mine!), and a visit to the ER that ended with 5 stitches in his precious head. He is healing up nicely and you would never guess looking at him now, less than 2 weeks later, that he ever had 5 stitches! So that will explain the band-aid in the birthday photos.

Without further ado:

total destruction! the aftermath.

he wasn't totally sure about getting frosting all over his hands.

...and his cup. ewww!

present time! a wooden bus from great-grandma and great-aunt Lynn

baby kael was a party guest and dressed for the occasion!

ben got a wagon from grandma linda and grandpa russ - he has been on several wagon rides...mommy needs to remember the camera one of these days!

the 3 cousins on a household wagon ride!

a few days later....our own personal harry potter!

That's all for now!

one year old!

2009-07-16T21:34:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Ben's first birthday yesterday!! It wasn't a very eventful day...mommy had to work in the afternoon, but Ben got to bring some yummy cupcakes to daycare, and then he enjoyed another one after supper last night! He will have his big party on Sunday, he will love seeing everyone then!

We had his doctors visit this morning - after 4 shots, he cried loudly for a minute or two, and then started "yelling" at the nurse loudly. This kid has some attitude! He performed like a champ though, and was calmed almost instantly by mommy giving him her cell phone. When in doubt, give Ben a cell phone (but only a functioning one as he seems to know the difference!).

The past week or so has been huge. Ben started saying "mama" FINALLY, though he only says it when he's whining or crying. Perhaps most excitingly, he has started taking his first unassisted steps!! He started by walking to Remi from me. Then he would walk between mommy and daddy (we would bribe him with some electronic device). Now he will cruise along the furniture, then let go and take a few steps. He is getting more and more steady on his feet every day! He's picking up on it really fast. Hopefully he can show off some of his skills at his party on Sunday!

We had his pictures taken last Saturday, and even though he was crabby, we got some great shots from that session. I'll just post a couple!

watch this!

2009-06-24T21:40:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpzIQKsj5Qc

It's going so fast!!

eleven months

2009-06-22T21:24:00.007-05:00

Yes, I realize a week has passed since Ben turned 11 months old...I'm so lazy about uploading photos here, it's just not the most easy process in the world.
So, I have concluded that photographing an 11 month old baby is challenging. DUH, you say. Well, I managed to get ONE semi-decent picture of Ben for the sidebar, and about 150 blurry pictures of him trying to escape from the camera's eye. Then he cried and I took a picture of it. Y'know, because I'm just mean like that.

(I call this his "are you gonna stop me, mom?" look)

(this is especially for those missing the wild hair bath man photos...now we have mohawk baby!)

Tonight Ben took his first steps (and many, many more!) with his walker and we caught some on video, but since it takes forever and a decade to upload a video, tonight I will just post pictures, and come back with the video at a different time.

bathtime video and more!

2009-06-13T21:12:00.005-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6D-DWrchhc

I have the hardest time uploading videos here, so I will just link to his bathtime video!

Ben is going to be 11 months on Monday. 11 months old! I have no idea where the last 11 months have gone - it's like a whirlwind. He got his first 3 teeth when he was 6 months old, and then nothing until he was 10 months old. Then, in the past month, he has cut FIVE teeth. It's been miserable for all of us, but especially Ben, poor little guy. He's pulling up on everything and really cruising around furniture. He's become quite the pro at camping, which works out since we have three weekends in a row coming up! I'm excited that it's warm enough to get him into the pool - we bought our own little plastic pool on Friday and spent today splashing around in it. He so loves to play outside and we were happy to discover today that our neighborhood park is up and running! Now a swingset is just a short walk down the block!

Here are some recent pictures:

We took a trip to the park in Rochester yesterday and Ben enjoyed the swings and driving the "car" (yes, I realize at some point I need to start putting shoes on the boy!). Then we came home and tried out the new pool, but it was a little chilly so he didn't actually want to get in the pool, just splash from the edges and laugh at mommy going crazy with the camera!

haircut!

2009-06-02T09:34:00.006-05:00

Our little man finally had his first haircut. It was a spur of the moment decision while we were camping over Memorial Day and Grandma Julie had the honors of trying to cut the hair of our squirmy little man. He did okay - it was a rough day though. He turned his head as Grandma was trimming around his ear and got a little cut on his ear. Then he tried to stand up in the pool and crashed down onto the deck. All in all though, he did great and he's such a trooper. He looks pretty grown up now. I'm just going to post pictures from the camping weekend, including haircut pictures!

And now...he's a new man!!

ten months

2009-05-18T20:26:00.005-05:00

I can't believe it. I feel like he literally JUST turned 9 months old, and already my little man is TEN MONTHS OLD. I truly cannot believe it. We had a big month! I officially night weaned Ben, so he is no longer getting up for a midnight snack! He spent a few nights home alone with daddy which was a great success. He's currently cutting the top two teeth for sure, and then most likely another on the bottom (3 must be a trend, he cut his first 3 teeth all at once, too!). And he learned how to pull himself up on things! The couch is still too squishy for him to pull himself to standing, but he's a champ at pulling up on the entertainment center...and then sticking his fingers in the VCR! I don't know HOW many times I redirected him on that the other day. He's still fascinated with daddy's cell phone and in fact threw a huge fit tonight when we took it away - he was soothed only by going outside and watching daddy mow the lawn and mommy water the plants. It's hard to believe he can change so much in just one short month.
We did his 10 month pictures outside, but it is getting more and more difficult to even take these! He first of all, did not want to sit still. Then he wanted to watch Remi and wouldn't even look at me. Then he just wanted to chew on the camera. You'll be lucky if we get 11 and 12 month pictures!!
Some 10 month photoshoot pictures (very few....as I said, very uncooperative baby) and some other random ones!

That's pretty good for now...I'll share more later!

And PS - the overwhelming response to the haircut post is...CUT IT! And so we will soon. I'll keep you posted! And make sure you read below for our camping pictures!

camping trip!

2009-05-18T20:19:00.004-05:00

A few weekends ago, we ventured out to Whitewater State Park for our first camping adventure of the season. Unfortunately, it was a little chilly and rainy at points, forcing us to spend more time indoors than perhaps we would have liked. We did get to go on a few good walks, and despite it being FREEZING in our camper each night, Ben performed like a champ!
I'm too annoyed with the editing program on Blogger to caption each picture. Basically, Daddy got Ben this cute little mini-chair for camping. Ben enjoyed blueberry pancakes and sausage for breakfast! And Ben chewed on his ands and toys all weekend. That about sums it up nicely for you!

you decide 2009

2009-05-13T10:50:00.003-05:00

Ben's hair has become a subject of great debate in the Espy household. As you may know, Ben was born with a full head of hair that thinned out and then it's like we applied miracle grow to it, it has sprung back to life in the past few months. Jon is all for giving him a haircut, I'm a little more sentimental and take this as a sign that my baby boy is growing up. I will admit, his hair is becoming a bit unruly! It's super long on top, and then it's shorter on the sides and sticks out. He's getting a little rat tail/mullet in the back. I'm going to post a few recent pictures and I want YOU to leave a comment as to what you think...should we cut his hair or wait?

nine months

2009-05-02T21:52:00.006-05:00

I'm only about a half a month behind, but Ben is now 9 months old!! He turned 9 months on April 15th, and had his checkup on Friday the 17th. He is holding steady at 20lb 12oz and they measured him at 26 inches long, but I am pretty sure they measured wrong since that would mean he has shrunk. His weight and length have dropped into the 50th percentile, but his head circumference is still above the 90th percentile! What a smart boy! haha. He's still army crawling and into EVERYTHING. We're waiting on more teeth, it seems like the top teeth are pretty close, but no sight of them yet. He's had his 3 bottom teeth since he was about 6.5 months old, and nothing since then! He's only just now starting to even show interest in pulling up on things and is highly motivated by the remote control and daddy's cell phone. He loves, loves, LOVES to knock down towers - if he is ever crabby, I just build a stack of cups or blocks and he gets a big grin on his face as he goes after it to knock it down. He's eating everything - if we're eating, he wants to be!

I'm just going to post a bunch of pictures without captions as it's my bedtime and I want to get this caught up!! (Or at least mostly caught up!)

Don't forget to scroll down for Easter pics from the Espy Easter! :)

catchup - Easter

2009-05-02T21:33:00.008-05:00

Ben's first Easter was pretty fun, and pretty bittersweet too, as it was among the last of our days with Gramps. We spent the first part of the weekend with the Espy side of the family, and Ben had a great time (though he wasn't too fond of sleeping while we were there, the little stinker!). He had fun entertaining everyone with his lightning fast army crawl and his ability to knock over a tower of cups in a split second. He even enjoyed some bonding time with Uncle Ryan, learning to play the piano.

off to get his Easter basket!

our absence

2009-04-25T21:41:00.005-05:00

I know I am behind in blogging. The past few weeks have been stressful, sad, and amazing (I know it seems like a weird word to use, but it really has been!). We found out approximately two weeks ago that my grandpa had about a week to live. He went downhill quickly, but held on for that whole week, fighting the whole way...still wanting to play with Ben and watch him grow and learn. He passed away peacefully in his sleep in the wee morning hours of April 17. I'm still not able to really think about it without tearing up, I miss him so much. He loved Ben and would have given him the world if he could. I feel so honored to have been able to spend his last days on Earth with him, and I know he's watching over us from heaven (and perhaps even in the form of birds pooping on fingers!).

I have some other pictures to post, but will do that in the next few days. For now...this one, of Ben and Grandpa, the Saturday before Easter. They had such a special bond, and I am so glad to have these pictures of them together so I can show Ben someday how much his great-grandpa loved him.

Enjoy your stay up in Heaven there, grandpa. We miss you down here, but we'll never forget you!!

best buddies

2009-04-08T20:12:00.006-05:00

Ben and Remi had a love/hate relationship at first. Well, I guess it was more of a love/tolerate relationship. Ben has loved Remi from the start, but Remi wasn't so sure about this little creature who stole his parents attention away and seemed to do nothing but cry all the time, disrupting his beloved all-day naps. Now, though, Remi seems to be really warming up to Ben, and not just when he's tossing food over the edge of his high chair! If Ben wakes up crying in the morning or from a nap, I always find Remi dutifully sitting outside Ben's door until I get there. Remi was even kind enough to share a piece of dog food with Ben the other day...that boy is quicker than I thought, I don't think Remi is pleased with now having his food and water put up on the table unless we're right next to Ben to supervise him. I also think he's not too happy about having to share his ducks with Ben...those seem to be what Ben goes after, too! Tonight they had a snuggle:

The last two are Ben's new "scrunchy face"....neither fully captures it. The first one is close, but usually he kind of puckers his lips. I don't know if he is getting his top teeth or what, but he has been extra fussy and his hands are red and raw from him chewing on them so much, poor little man.

photo dump II

2009-04-03T21:09:00.005-05:00

Yep, that's right, scroll down below this post for part I of the photo dump!

Ben got a new ride on/walker toy and he LOVES it, though he doesn't really move himself around too much on it. He loves the little compartment in the front, and he likes to bounce up and down on it! He also giggles hysterically when I say "BEEP BEEP, Here comes Ben!"...I have no idea why he finds that so funny!

Ben dressed up like daddy today!

Excited about something!

Prepping himself for his solo...

Ben Espy...your next American Idol!

Little man fought his nap HARD this afternoon, so when I went to wake him (if he sleeps past 4ish in the afternoon, he is a BEAR to put to bed at night!), I found him like this! Crazy kid!

Okay, those are the highlights from the past few days...I think I covered most of them!

photo dump I

2009-04-03T20:37:00.005-05:00

I have been on a picture taking frenzy lately...I have so many cute ones I want to share, but it is such a pain to upload them to blogger! I am just going to do a couple of photo dump posts, just to get caught up. Ben is pretty status quo anyway, except this week he DID learn how to get himself into a sitting position from laying on his tummy! Go Ben!!

On with the pictures...

We did a mini photoshoot the other day...not so easy with a mobile baby!!

loungin' and playin' with a sticker...he had his legs crossed and it was too cute!

daddy bought a steam vacuum and we had fun with the box!

check out that belly!!

have I mentioned how he's getting into EVERYTHING? he is.

his new favorite pasttime...break into the tv cabinet!

here comes trouble!

2009-03-23T21:21:00.007-05:00

WOW, has Ben really started to get into everything lately. He is going to pick up on the meaning of the word "no" very soon here, and maybe he already knows and has just learned to ignore us! He loves going after cords and opening the doors on our entertainment center, and when you say "BEN! No no!", he just turns and looks at you for a second, and then goes on his merry way. What a little stinker! I am frightened for what toddler Ben is going to be like.

Grandma & Grandpa Espy came to visit this past Friday. Grandpa spent the day working on Jon's office, and Grandma spent some time watching Ben (so mommy could go get lectured by the dentist on why she should floss more!). We so appreciate the help at the office, and I know Ben enjoyed his day of playing and reading with grandma!

On Sunday we all enjoyed a quiet day at home (well, Jon went to show some houses, but we spent the afternoon at home). Only, it was not so quiet as our little explorer was on a mission again!

He was going after the cell phone charger cords, and attempting to move the blockade.

And then he noticed there is stuff up there...like a tiny pocket gopher.

He's getting so good at feeding himself...he enjoys pancakes, waffles, bits of bread, Gerber puffs, biter biscuits, and he's tried diced apples, but he's not real motivated with the things he can't easily pick up! But he's much better at actually getting food IN his mouth. Albeit, slightly messy!

He's still pretty expressive...and sometimes he will even show off his three gleaming white teeth!

eight months

2009-03-17T20:26:00.003-05:00

WOW! Little man turned 8 months old on Sunday. I can hardly believe it! He's almost crawling. I mean, he's crawling, just not in the traditional sense, but he is getting up on hands and knees and rocking. But he gives up easily, knowing he can move himself without being on hands and knees. He is now almost 21lbs and almost 28 inches long, and battling a cold at the moment. I took him into the doctor today and it turns out he has his first ear infection! I would have never guessed he had one, I actually had him in for a cough he's had for a few days now. But he has a mild ear infection and a prescription for amoxicillin. Mmmm.

Anyway, he wasn't very cooperative with pictures this time around, so I just have a few:

Doesn't he look like a little beefcake here?

Injuries sustained at daycare due to his uncontrollable fingernails! I swear, I cut them every other day it feels like!!

I liked this one because it shows his (3!!!!) teeth, but you can't see on the small version!

yay! I got a smile!!

And that's what I have for now...I have lots more pictures I want to share, but it's so tedious to upload them to Blogger! Someday, I'll catch up!

go go go

2009-03-06T14:33:00.007-06:00

That's what Ben likes to do these days. Nothing is safe...except his toys. Ben thinks his toys are no fun at all, and prefers to chase after the TV remote, daddy's cell phone, the laptop cords, the knobs for the entertainment center, magazines, pieces of carpet fiber that are loose...anything that isn't his toys, basically. He isn't even into non-toy items that I give him anymore...he only wants what he can't have!

I snapped a few pictures of him today as we've been playing and hanging out. These were taken in the basement, I had set Ben down with his ring toy so I could throw some clothes in the dryer, and when I came out, he was going after Remi's precious duck...Remi was not pleased!

hey, remi...can I play with that?

uh oh...hand on the paw, hand on the paw!!!

after having given up on remi's duck, he was on the move again. he does get himself twisted in some strange positions!

found the ring from the ring toy!

uh oh...into the bathroom it went. here's a room i've never seen!

hey mama, i'm just going to get my toy, okay?

up on all fours...for the record, he doesn't crawl this way. it's really more like he's dragging his body with his arms when he crawls.

success! i got the toy!!

oh man! and now it's even further in. oh well, i guess i'll just have to explore this room a bit more!

ben and kael

2009-02-24T19:54:00.007-06:00

This past weekend, we visited our friends Jim and Jennifer who had a bouncing baby boy, Kael, at the beginning of the month. It was fun to see them and little Kael, who is so teeny tiny, yet he weighed more at birth than Ben did...still he seems so small. Was it really only 7 months ago that Ben was that small? It seems like it lasted only a day!

Anyway, Jennifer was kind enough to send some pictures along, so I thought I'd share some pictures of baby Ben meeting baby Kael!

Hmm...what's this?

oooh! He has eyes!

Can I chew on him?!

He moves, too!!

It's all good, I like this guy! I can teach him all of my fun tricks.

Ben also tested out their high chair...he approved! (also, a plastic cup = MINUTES of entertainment! which is about all we can ask for these days.)

seven months

2009-02-15T09:56:00.004-06:00

Ben's sixth month brought a lot of change...he cut his two bottom teeth, began rolling to get places (everywhere!), started eating solids regularly, started making sounds like "dada" (still no "mama" of course), and just a few days before his official seven "monthday", he started sleeping unswaddled at night! He's just growing up SO fast and I have a feeling he will be crawling at some point during his 7th month...he's very close now. He's also grabbing for everything and of course, everything goes in his mouth!

Here are the pictures from our photoshoot this morning:

(this one was too cute not to include!)

I took so many...I think this is the best sampling of them!

just random pictures

2009-02-15T09:33:00.006-06:00

Okay, I finally cleaned off the memory card from the past few weeks, so I am here to share a few random pictures before I bombard you with the seven month photoshoot that we did this morning!

First, from Uncle Ryan's birthday party:

Ben loved Ryan's presents and tried to steal them...just like at Christmas!

Uncle Ryan was very gracious about sharing his presents...he did get to keep the presents, just not the wrapping!

Mommy and Ben accompanied Daddy to show a rental property, so while Daddy worked, Mommy attempted to photograph Ben's two tiny teeth!

And some of Ben reading his favorite book (Rainbow Rob) and a cheeser shot:

And finally, Ben's cousin, Scarlett, in a bag...just because that's how things go:

(she doesn't look pleased, but she really did enjoy being stuffed in a bag!)

Stay tuned, 7 month pictures will be here shortly!

man v food

2009-02-06T08:27:00.003-06:00

I haven't posted many pictures of Ben enjoying his solids since we started him on them because...well, he's a boring solids eater! He generally doesn't smear them all over his face or spit them everywhere, he is just content to let me shovel them into his mouth and he swallows them easily! Not surprisingly, he eats like a champ. For the past couple of days, however, he has taken more interest in the spoon and wants to hold it himself. Mostly he just wants to chew on it as he has both of his bottom teeth now! This morning I broke out the camera while he had his breakfast (prunes/apples and oatmeal...mmm!). I gave him a different spoon to play with than what I was feeding him so that some food would actually get into his mouth. Solids are so fun!

Remi has also been paying a little more attention to Ben these days, and not just when he's eating solids and flinging food covered spoons onto the floor. This morning he tried to share his icky duck with Ben (Remi's most prized possession)...he really likes Ben! (And NO, I didn't let Ben chew on that stinky old duck!)

I have more pictures from last weekend to share, but I can't find the camera at the moment and Ben is not enjoying his exersaucer anymore at the moment, so I'll have to post those a little later.

Happy Friday!

learning some skills

2009-01-27T07:10:00.004-06:00

The other day, I mastered the art of taking pictures using the manual setting on my camera. Well, I still have a lot to learn, but I finally figured out how to adjust the settings to make the pictures actually come out clear, and I posted them on my message boards for critique, and someone made a few edits in photoshop and now these photos look AMAZING! So I thought I would share them!

Isn't he handsome?

In other news, I think we are VERY VERY close to having a tooth. Yesterday when I nursed him at lunch time at daycare, I noticed a tiny little "hole" in his bottom gums, which would explain why he has been sleeping poorly the last couple of nights. But no matter how poorly he sleeps at night, you can count on this kid waking up between 6:30 and 7am no matter what! Didn't he get the memo about how he NEEDS TO SLEEP? :)

on the move

2009-01-23T08:26:00.005-06:00

Well, Ben has officially learned to use his rolling over skills to his advantage...time to start babyproofing! Usually in the morning after I nurse him, I will set him in the living room on one of his blankets and with some toys, and make myself some toast in the kitchen, or get his cereal/fruit ready for breakfast. As you know, our kitchen is close to the living room, so I check on him frequently and usually he just plays with his toys and is happy as a clam.

This morning, I was doing something in the kitchen and I could hear him chattering away happily in the living room. I peeked in to check on him, and he wasn't on his blanket! It took me a few seconds to figure out where he was.

yes, he was CHEWING on his bouncy chair. and he started out in the middle of that quilt!

I repositioned him and returned to the kitchen to make his cereal for breakfast, and literally 2 minutes later when I came to grab him, I found him once again in a new spot!

He was checking himself out in the reflection!

Time to start babyproofing...this baby's on the move!

jumping bean

2009-01-20T20:54:00.003-06:00

Well, he finally figured out that his jumperoo is for JUMPING! I didn't have our actual camcorder on hand while he was doing this, so I had to settle for the grainy quality of our little camera, but I did manage to capture our little dude bouncing in his jumperoo!

click here for video!
(sorry, it won't let me post the actual video, just a link to it!)

Enjoy!

six months

2009-01-15T20:04:00.004-06:00

Little man is six months old today! He is resisting sleep this evening in honor of his half birthday, so hopefully he keeps those eyes shut long enough for me to post from his six month photoshoot. We have his 6 month shots tomorrow, and I will be able to update on his weight and length at that time. I can say that he's really getting sooo good at sitting, and now instead of faceplanting, he purposefully moves himself down to his tummy and sticks his little butt up in the air...do I sense a crawler in our not-so-distant future? Only time will tell! No teeth yet, but he is still a drooling machine and EVERYTHING goes in the mouth. We started solids this past month and so far he has tried rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, peaches, sweet potatoes, and sweet peas. Next up will be butternut squash, homemade by momma! He hasn't really turned up his nose at anything, though he definitely doesn't care for rice cereal on it's own...he liked it after I mixed it up with bananas. He's making all kinds of funny sounds and he LOVES daycare, I think he gets bored when he has to sit at home with mom all day! He's just really developing a little personality and it's SO fun and interesting to watch.

Anyway, on with the pictures from the photoshoot! We tried two outfits. The first one, he kind of drooled/spit up on, so I decided to try out a more festive winter outfit, but he spit up on that before I even got him back to the living room to take more pictures! But in the end, the official "six month shot" is in his festive winter outfit!

No more will he smile for the camera...he's too cool for that!

Showing off his super awesome sitting skills!

Outfit #1

Oops...down we go!

Yep, he's a crazy wiggly dude.

Here's to another wonderful six months to come!!

status quo

2009-01-13T20:04:00.003-06:00

I am so completely and totally exhausted and frustrated with our current sleep situation (or lack thereof!), that I just don't even have anything to write lately. I am hoping we will soon snap out of this sleepless slump so I can resume a normal human life and get back to posting for real.
For now, pictures of the blue eyed babe.

squirmy man

2009-01-09T14:02:00.004-06:00

The other day I brought Ben in to the doctor for a follow-up on all of the crud he was suffering from over the Christmas holiday. It was fine - he is better and back to his regular old self (except still not sleeping that great at night), and when we were all finished, I laid him on the exam table to get him all dressed back up again. I had set my purse up by his head so I could call Jon when I was done to get money for the parking lot, and I had to lean down by his feet to put socks on those squirmy little things. When I looked up next, he had his entire head in my purse! I had to dig my phone out to take the following picture, it was too cute!

He does love to accesorize!

distraction

2009-01-06T18:05:00.002-06:00

hi all, ben here! my mommy is too busy reading her books to post on this blog, so i just wanted to tell you that she is planning on coming back and posting regularly once she is finished with her book. it is a huge book. i tried to read it tonight, but i was confused because i haven't read the first 3 books.

i have also been keeping mommy (and sometimes daddy and remi!) up at night lately, but it's just because there is so much interesting going on and i don't want to miss anything. i might be getting some teeth too, but i don't know for sure.

my mommy will come and post again really soon, but i didn't want anyone to forget about me!

love, ben

christmas sneak peek

2008-12-30T08:06:00.004-06:00

I have only a few moments this morning as Ben is playing in his exersaucer behind me and surely not going to tolerate it for much longer.

What a whirlwind Christmas we have had! Ben went to the doctor on Christmas eve morning and some combination of the magical elixir of amoxicillin plus a nebulizer treatment seemed to have kicked his immune system back into shape. While he wasn't totally back to himself by the time we celebrated on Christmas eve night, he was much much better by Christmas day and the following weekend. He enjoyed all of the pretty paper and bows, and of course he got spoiled with lots of fun presents - practically a full wardrobe so he can keep being the dapper dude that he is!

I'll post a few pictures and hopefully get to more in the next few days...I haven't even had a lot of time to sort through most of them myself (I blame Aunt Shelly who bought me the Twilight books for Christmas which have me hooked!). Plus, Jon got me a camcorder for Christmas, so hopefully I can post a few videos here, too....once I find a good site to host them!

Christmas eve, while the rest of the family was at church...Ben practiced his sitting and drooling!

Later that night, he got a little too warm, so he slipped into something a little bit more comfortable. :)

Christmas morning we opened our gifts at home, Ben loves his Sing Along Stage!

At our Espy Christmas, Ben tried to steal Uncle Ryan's present while he "walked" past it!

And finally, to end today's photo posting, Ben's newest face, where he sucks in his bottom lip and generally looks adorable.

Be on the lookout for more Christmas picture fun...it's coming, someday!

i am behind!

2008-12-22T20:04:00.004-06:00

Ben has been having some issues lately - I don't know if it's teething, a cold, ear infection (his ears were given a clean bill of health less than a week ago, but who knows?) or WHAT, but the poor little man is just not himself lately and I don't know how to fix him. :( Thus, the updates have gone by the wayside as we try to console our little man and then practically collapse in exhaustion once he goes to bed at night. I am hoping we will pass this phase soon, it is so hard to watch Ben obviously not feel well and not know how to make him all better.

Anyway, he did have a pretty good weekend, complete with his first Christmas celebration, his first bites of rice cereal, and his first venture out into the great snowy wonderland (for a few minutes, which he hated).

He looks happy but trust me...he wasn't!

Later that day, he played in his jumperoo while I baked. I had to photograph his mood because he's been SOOO grumpy lately and his smiles just light up my day.

He has started doing this thing where he kind of sucks on his lips, then puckers them up and sucks on his tongue (or something)...it's hard to explain, but oh so cute.

First bite of cereal....ehhhh, I'm not so sure about this stuff.

Not so much actually went into his tummy, but his face sure did get a good meal! :)

I'll post Christmas pictures later...which will probably end up being after our whirlwind week-long Christmas extravaganza!

Merry Christmas!!

big boy rolling over

2008-12-15T21:20:00.001-06:00

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

five months!

2008-12-15T20:42:00.007-06:00

Our little man is FIVE MONTHS old today! We have daddy to thank for the official 5 month picture above, he took it tonight while I was at work. I attempted to do the 5 month photoshoot yesterday since I knew I had work all day today, but Ben was sick and he just wasn't having it at all.

Of course, I'll show you pictures of my grand failure!

Not happy, but not overly sad either!

Okay, this isn't fun anymore, mommy!

I've had enough!!

And later that day....

Daddy to the rescue!

ben's smile

2008-12-12T10:27:00.003-06:00

I came across a picture of me as a baby, finally! I think Ben has my smile. It might be the only trait that Ben inherited from me!

Here's the proof:

Ben (obviously)

Me! (obviously!) I have no idea how old I was here.

So...what do you think? Does Ben resemble his mommy at all??

christmas portraits

2008-12-11T20:52:00.004-06:00

We had our Christmas portraits done last weekend (mostly Ben, but we did get a few family photos), and Ben did so great! He was a pretty happy guy until the very last few shots, when he was just getting tired and overstimulated. Here are a few of our favorite shots:

Ben really enjoyed being a big boy in this miniature chair.

Such nice big smiles!

He looks like he's crawling, when really he's just getting ready to faceplant into the floor.

Such a big boy!

During the photoshoot, Ben decided to roll from his tummy to his back on his own for the first time! He wouldn't do it again until earlier this week, and now he really has figured out how to get off his belly! He's definitely growing and learning so much every day, and he has become fascinated by what I'm eating lately, so we'll be starting cereal pretty soon, I think. Stay tuned for the messy "first meal" pictures! :D

He also got his first bout with pink eye. I spent the day home with him because he's just so charming and irresistable, those youngins at daycare couldn't stay away from the little man. I certainly don't want to create an epidemic, so we came home and tried to keep hands away from the eyes (and used our eye drops diligently, though Ben hates them). He looks better already, so here's hoping we're beating this ick!

ben's discovery

2008-12-06T20:47:00.005-06:00

Ben has discovered his feet! It happened suddenly, and now he always wants to hold them. Tonight he finally managed to get a few toes in his mouth and it was the cutest ever. Yesterday I had him laying on his blanket next to me while I wrapped Christmas presents, and I had socks AND slippers on his feet, and he had somehow managed to completely turn his body around without me noticing (not rolling over, just turning to face the TV!) AND he managed to pull the slipper and half a sock off one foot. He's turning into quite a little mover and shaker, we're going to have to keep a close eye on him now!!

Look ma, I have feet!

I like naked blanket time - mommy lets me have naked time every night before bed!

A little Christmas photoshoot he did. Just before this picture, he managed to almost fall off the couch (well, he DID fall off the couch, but I caught him before he hit the floor!) - like I said, we're going to have to keep an eye on this little mover!

Playing with Daddy and he grabbed the glasses, so Daddy let him try them out!

Ben had his first Christmas party this evening and he did not do so well. He was having tummy issues and tired...better luck next time! He was definitely not his usual self...he had a busy day and just got worn out.

thanksgiving

2008-11-30T10:25:00.004-06:00

I just realized that I have posted 6 times per month for August, September, and October. And this is the 6th post for November, falling on the very last day! Interesting trivia, huh?

Yeah, yeah. On with the pictures, right? Ben had an excellent Thanksgiving weekend! He spent Thanksgiving day at Grandma and Grandpa Laures' house with the throngs of people, and then yesterday he went up to Grandma and Grandpa Espy's house to celebrate with them! Unfortunately, Daddy was sick yesterday so he did not get to come up and enjoy the company and wonderful food! I brought a plate home for him though, for when he starts to feel better.

He enjoyed a tiny fingertip full of sweet potatoes at both places, he took to it better the second time than he did the first! Grandma Julie snuck him a finger of Cool Whip too, which he really enjoyed, surprise surprise!

I took a TON of pictures of the last few days, so I'm going to have to just post highlights.

Ben's super festive Thanksgiving outfit!

Not a huge fan of the sweet potatoes! (He'll grow to love them since they're sooo tasty, right Grandma Julie??)

He does enjoy a good pop can to chew on!

Ben and Foster playing "Gimme!!!!" with the plastic spoon.

Grandpa Russ and a very tired Ben, snuggling!

Great-grandma Mayer and Grandma Linda reading to Ben. He was helping to turn the pages!

Grandma Linda and Ben...taking inventory of the guests!

Uncle Ryan stayed with us for a few days this weekend, too. Ben enjoyed his company and was showing off his "almost rolling over" skills!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I can't believe it's December tomorrow...where is the time going??!

cousins

2008-11-26T10:11:00.003-06:00

I am behind once again, I have some pictures from this past weekend when we had lots of visitors, I only got some of them off the camera so far...Ben still really likes to be entertained at all times so I have to work with his naps. He enjoyed a visit on Saturday from his Grandma and Grandpa Espy, and his Great Grandma Espy, too! He had a rough night on Friday night, so he was in the middle of a super power nap when they arrived, but once he woke up he showered us all with smiles and babbles and LOTS of drool! I'll have pictures of that posted at some point, I just take SO MANY PICTURES it's hard to keep up!
On Sunday, we had people over to watch the football game, and here are some Ben pics really quick from then...he's waking from his nap so I have to cut this post short! (I have no idea what is going on with the placement of the pictures and I can't figure out how to correct it so...here ya go!)

(By the way, we had his 4 month appointment yesterday and he is almost 17.5 lbs and 26.5 inches long. His head circumference is in the 97th percentile!! )

monkey baby

2008-11-21T12:22:00.004-06:00

This baby is turning into quite a little monkey. He still enjoys spending time on his bouncy seat, only now instead of kicking frantically at the toys, he likes to prop his legs up on the toy bar and lounge. Or else he wiggles and scoots his way to the bottom of the seat, to where he's almost falling off. And, of course, he doesn't love the seat nearly as much when he is strapped in! Where is the adventure in that?!

Ahh, the spoils of a good life. Rings to chew on, a cow toy to snuggle, and a bouncy seat to wiggle on!

He has really started grabbing at toys lately and of course shoving everything in his mouth. And he got a fun package with some new toys and other treasures in it from his Great Aunt Karen and second cousin (I think that's what she'd be to him...Jon's cousin) Jessica! I set him up in front of the new toys today for tummy time and he actually ENJOYED it for a few minutes. Then he got angry and burrowed into the blanket, as usual.

Hey...this thing is pretty cool!

By the way, the special blanket is courtesy of Great Aunt Buck and we love it! I don't know if she reads this thing, but here is our proof that this quilt gets used!!

Okay, the wee one is getting fussy, I must be off!

four months!

2008-11-15T10:08:00.003-06:00

Our little man is 4 months old today! What a big boy!

We don't have his 4 month appointment until the 25th, so I can't update on his stats currently. He's still working on rolling over, and he loves to chew on/mouth EVERYTHING that touches his little hands. We think he may be in the beginning stages of teething with the massive amounts of drool he's had lately, too! I just still can't believe how quickly he's growing up. He's even kind of transitioned himself into *somewhat* of a napping schedule and usually takes two per day - sometime in the morning and sometime in the afternoon.

Anyway, here are some of the other pictures from this morning!

He can sit up for a few seconds at a time...good thing I was using the fast camera to capture these moments!

Almost a blooper, he was about ready to face plant into the carpet!

Such a big boy!!

That's all for now!

Happy weekend!

catching up

2008-11-11T20:26:00.002-06:00

I am so behind! I don't know if anyone still even checks this thing, but I will post new Ben pics for those hungry for an update!

This morning, Ben woke to eat at 4 in the morning and wouldn't go back to sleep. Finally, after many battles and lots of paci policing, at around 6:30 I gave into the temptation and put him in the swing. He has a cold and needs his sleep and once he was in there, he slept until almost 9!

He's really starting to love the jumperoo! He plays with the toys and tries to eat whichever ones he can get close to his mouth. Really, he just tries to eat ANYTHING he can get his hands on. We're definitely in the beginning stages of teething, complete with drool and fussiness!

I have to still kind of prop him in there with the teddy bear - despite his weight, he's not a HUGE huge kid!

Laughing at mama - I dance to the little songs that it plays and he thinks it's just hilarious!

No rolling over here...yet. He's very close, yet so very stubborn. He'll be 4 months old on Saturday, stay tuned for the official 4 month pictures!

Bye!

halloween 2008

2008-11-03T20:59:00.003-06:00

Ben was a little pea pod this Halloween. Mostly he was not amused. The peas were attached with velcro and all fell off by the end of his night of travels, especially since now that he has really discovered his hands, he wants to shove ANYTHING that touches his hands into his mouth. The peas did last long enough for one photo. By the end of the night, our pea pod had become a simple green bean.

Mmmm...rice cereal in his "Halloween basket" from Grandma Julie. A few more months, buddy, and I'll let you taste it! (yes, I'm a mean mom, and we're not starting solids yet!)

I hope everyone had a fabulous Halloween!! I think in my next update I might be telling you that Ben has rolled over FOR REAL without help. He's soooo so close, it's frustrating not being able to just "teach" him how to do it!

more great-grandparents

2008-10-31T12:38:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, Ben got to visit with his great-grandparents again. He had a great time, though he timed his naps right in the middle of their visit, but what can you do? They did get to see some smiles and hear some of his great "stories"!

Ben & Great Grandma Mayer

Great Grandpa and Grandma Mayer enjoying the baby!

Great Grandma Espy also enjoyed a little face time with Ben. He was eating his bib here, a new favorite pasttime.

He just soaks up all the attention - he's definitely a ham!

One more picture for good measure...Ben and Daddy playing video games. I doubt there is any way that Ben won't enjoy a video game or two in his future. :)

Hopefully later this weekend I can post some pictures of our little pea pod in his costume, we're still planning on making the rounds tonight if Ben permits!

Happy Halloween!!

rolling over...kind of

2008-10-24T09:59:00.005-05:00

Ben is sooo close to rolling over - both from his front to his back and back to front, though he is closer to rolling from his tummy to his back. Anyway, if I sort of "get him started", he will finish the rolling process. Today he rolled to his side while he was on his back without my help...but he didn't finish, he just doesn't like his belly so he fixed his mistake right away! :)

Anyway, the other day I helped him get started and then took pictures of the rest of the process.

This is how I get him started...he takes it away from here!

Throwing the body weight into it!

Almost there!

Success!!

And just for good measure...a happy picture from this morning:

Have a good weekend!!

our little monkey

2008-10-20T08:06:00.002-05:00

Did you know that we had a little monkey baby?

Well, we sure do! That hat, my friends, is a size 12-24 months and it fits our THREE MONTH OLD perfectly! Go figure! In this photo he is channeling his dad's favorite pose for the camera.

He also spent part of the day as a pumpkin, but it was far too cold for that outfit and that little hat (size 6 months) didn't even cover his ears!

So we busted out the fleece bear outfit that Uncle Ryan got for him, with some bear slippers and his monkey hat and he was good to go with Kate!

He enjoyed his last weekend camping for the year. He got all tired out and fell asleep on his belly while his great-grandma massaged his back. We all asked for a turn, but only Ben was lucky enough for this star treatment!

Tomorrow is our two year wedding anniversary, I can hardly believe it's already been two years! Of course it seems like much longer because in May we celebrated our SIX year anniversary as a couple!

Happy Monday!

three months!

2008-10-15T10:10:00.003-05:00

Little Ben is 3 months old today! After Grandma Linda got him all dressed this morning, we did a little photoshoot in his little "Hot Diggity Dog" outfit. Thanks to Grandma Linda for keeping the dogs at bay and getting little Ben to smile for the camera! Well, he did smile, the camera just wasn't quick enough to capture them all!

Ben has been spending the last few days with the Espy grandparents while I am at work and he is having a great time! Everyone is enjoying Ben's colorful stories, whole face smiles, and the way he moves his whole body on his bouncy seat...especially his little legs! We've got a mover and a shaker here, folks!

Pictures from our little photoshoot today:

Please...no more pictures!!

Happy Wednesday!

placefiller

2008-10-12T11:13:00.004-05:00

Ben and his best friend, Remi!

Our blue-eyed babe.

Ben attended his first bonfire...he slept through it all snuggled up on his mama!

Peek a baby!

Nope...he still doesn't look like his mom!

Well, I started back to work on Wednesday and it went okay! Ben had some struggles with gas and screaming at daycare, but I think in time he will get used to it and perhaps even start taking naps again! This little guy is so curious about the world, he's just not interested in napping and sometimes it is a real struggle to get him to sleep...even when I KNOW he is tired!

He is sooo close to rolling over from his tummy to his back, I keep putting him on his tummy to practice and he's hating it less and less. I'm just trying to be consistent about it, he's getting so strong and can hold his head steady now for the most part while sitting in his BebePod chair.

He'll be three months on Wednesday, so I'll be back after that to post more comparison pictures!

For now, I just have a few (which I can't figure out how to move so I guess they are at the top!)!

happy october!

2008-10-01T09:09:00.002-05:00

Yay! We can finally bust out all of our cute Halloween clothes!

Happy October, everyone!

OH! I forgot to mention - I took Ben in and weighed and measured him on Monday...he's up to 15lb 1oz and 24 inches long! It doesn't look good for all of these 6 month sized clothes that I got him for Christmas! (BTW, just as a warning to all, Carters labels their clothes weird. I have found that the 3 month size is actually more like 0-3 month, 6 month is more like 3-6 month, etc.)

plethora of pictures

2008-09-28T20:35:00.005-05:00

Yes, a plethora indeed. I have somehow gotten terribly behind! Ben has become quite a master at not napping, so my time at the keyboard has been limited to when I'm nursing him, and there's no way I can post a blog entry while typing one handed. He's sleeping peacefully in his crib at the moment, so I am going to just get as many pictures posted as I can before *I* have to head to bed (my bedtime keeps getting earlier and earlier as I try to get as much sleep as I can...especially since I go back to work a week from Wednesday already...I can't believe it's already been almost 12 weeks).

So, on with the pictures!

While dad hitched up the camper this weekend, Ben enjoyed some play time on the special quilt that his Great Grandma Mayer made for him...well, here's his sad lip, guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings!

His spirits were soon lifted as mom made silly faces at him!

Laying on the quilt in his handsome little outfit. I am hoping Grandma Linda reads this and can hopefully share these pictures with Great Grandma Mayer so she knows how Ben enjoys his blanket!

Ben and his daddy relaxing at our campsite. Ben did great again, he was born to be a camper!

Like father, like son...right? Matching expressions!

Doesn't he look like such a roly poly baby here? I haven't weighed him recently, will have to stop in at WIC and do that this week sometime!

We bought him a mobile for over his crib with some gift card money and he LOVES it. He'll track the little animals as they rotate over his head and he just squeals with delight!

His grasp has gotten stronger - I did have to put the rattle in his hand, and he didn't really notice it that much, but he held on to it for a few minutes!

Bathtime tonight with a baby mohawk! He really loves to take baths and has started splashing around and laughing in the bathtub...it's really so cute!

And after his bath, I put him in a bag and off to bed he went!

And that's all for now, it's time for me to get some sleep!

chatterbox

2008-09-19T19:47:00.005-05:00

Ben has discovered a new love for "talking" to me while he's laying on the changing table. He talks to me in other places, but he REALLY gets chattering when he's on the changing table for some reason. He also seems to have recently figured out that he can move his tongue around because he's always sticking that thing out. I can't believe how much he has learned and how much he has changed in just the past couple of weeks! The chattering, the tongue sticking out, he really loves kicking at the toys on his bouncy seat (still working on a video of that), and he seems to even notice Remi now and then (he always smiles at him...Remi is oblivious still!).

Today Ben & I went and helped out Grandma Julie and Great Grandma Ronnie at the garage sale at Aunt Shelly's house. Ben did so great - he took some mini naps (but he needs at least one long nap per day as we were reminded of again tonight when he completely melted down and subsequently went to bed at 7:30, the earliest ever!), he charmed the pants off of the garage sale customers, and he "talked" to the mobile on his pack & play. I have decided to use some of our gift card money to buy a mobile for his crib - he loves the Rainforest soother that's in there now, and I know he'd love a mobile, too!

Snoozing at the garage sale - he sleeps better when his arms are swaddled....hopefully he grows out of that before too long!

Grandma Julie and Ben - he had just been napping and wasn't quite ready to wake up yet!

Looking serious in his bouncy seat. This was after a long day of shopping yesterday with Aunt Shelly (he did great on that trip, too!) - he's going to be a fashionable guy this winter and next summer! I could shop for baby clothes every day, I think, and we hit the Carter's outlet store...a personal weakness of mine!

Hopefully there is a video below of some of Ben's chattering...enjoy!

Click for Ben's video!

two months!

2008-09-15T12:37:00.004-05:00

Our little boy is two months old today! It is hard to believe it's been two months - sometimes it seems like sooo long ago that he was born, and sometimes it seems like just yesterday! He's changing so fast and noticing more of the world around him - I am trying to get a video of him enjoying his bouncy seat, he hasn't cooperated yet...a little camera shy!

This past week was rather trying as Ben was spitting up a ton after every feeding, he would refuse to nurse for more than a minute or two, and anytime he was awake, he was fussy/crying. I cut way back on my dairy intake and it's like we have a new baby - one who smiles and talks to us and has us wrapped around his tiny little finger. So while I will miss my heaping bowls of cereal and my DQ Blizzards, I know that this is a temporary thing and he'll get over it before too long. In the meantime, now we can enjoy his smiles and personality more!

New pictures from yesterday - we had his two month doctors visit this morning (he was not a fan of the shots, the nurse commented on what a strong kick he has! haha!) so I took some two month pictures last night, not knowing how Ben would be feeling today (he's pretty sleepy). His doctors visit went well and he now weighs 13 lb 11oz! He's somewhere around 24 inches long - the doctor said two feet and then kind of trailed off, so I'm not sure if he's 24 inches exactly or what, but close enough!

Two months old - getting big for the Boppy!

Laughing with his whole body on the changing table

Yay! I'm two months old!

He's starting to sit up in the "bumbo" chair...sometimes he's not so sure about it.

But sometimes he loves it!

That's all for now! Check out the side of the blog for comparison pictures from month to month!

relaxin with grandpa espy

2008-09-08T10:36:00.005-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa Espy came to visit this past weekend and Ben enjoyed their company! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of Ben with Grandma Espy...so they'll have to come down again sometime soon so I can get some! :)

Grandpa Espy made a cozy place to nap!

So cozy, in fact, that Remi had to join!

Speaking of cozy...Remi still enjoys sleeping on soft pillowy surfaces as any spoiled dog would!

A little blurry, but the best I have been able to do yet in trying to capture Ben's smiles!

Conked out in his bouncy seat and looking a little like a Buddah baby!

Stylish baby in his Calvin Klein onesie!

Poor Ben had a little rash on his bum, so we laid him down (on a waterproof pad!) for some naked time and Remi just wanted to lay in the sun. Ben thought that was pretty funny!

Alright, I had better get back upstairs to the napping baby, I just thought I'd hop on and post up-to-date pictures!

new things

2008-09-04T15:08:00.003-05:00

When we returned home from camping on Monday evening, I decided to try putting Ben in his crib to sleep, instead of his bassinet, since he did so good in the Pack & Play over the weekend. He's done quite well with it - and has been sleeping in it all week! We've attempted several naps in it, too, though he doesn't do quite as well with those and needs a little more encouragement to go to sleep...the other day I got a 2 hour nap out of him, and he's napping right now in it, too! I'm taking this (possibly brief) opportunity to post the pictures I took today!

Our not so little man is now in his carseat without the infant insert - he is now 12lb 13oz as of Tuesday, so that insert was supposed to go when he was 11lb, I decided today was the day!

He was a happy baby playing with his gym today!

He does this nose wrinkle thing now which is adorable and impossible to capture on film!

He's all smiles on the changing table!

He'll watch the Rainforest music thing on his crib now...or sometimes he doesn't want to pay attention to it!

And now he's waking up...way too early - from his nap!

camping weekend

2008-09-01T19:34:00.004-05:00

Well, we have returned from a very successful camping weekend - Ben's first at nearly 7 weeks old! He is a true camper, he enjoyed his days outside being passed around from arm to arm (and I enjoyed some much needed sleep, thanks to those arms!) and slept like a champ in his Pack & Play in the camper. Due to the success of the Pack & Play sleeping, Ben is currently sleeping in his crib for the very first time! We'll see how it goes...he's starting to get pretty big for his bassinet anymore! We are definitely hoping to enjoy some fall camping now that we know Ben likes it!

Without further ado, and because this mama is very tired and lazy, here is a plethora of pictures for your enjoyment....in no particular order!

Great Aunt Lynn worked her hypnotic charm on Ben when we got there.

Grandma Julie was getting some smiles - it's so hard to capture them!

A rare photo of myself and Ben!

Kris & Mike's dog, Harper, found the pond...and the mud. He was super popular after that!

Great Grandma Ronnie got some smiles from Ben, too!

Daddy and Ben enjoying the shade!

Gracie and Stanley...the newest additions to the family dog zoo!

Great Grandpa Jerry and Ben enjoyed each others company

Poor Foster man was put into baby prison...he didn't seem to mind.

Scarlett loves her cousin and he loves her!
That's all for now (I think we took like 239857928735 million pictures this weekend, but it takes forever to load them so...here are the highlights!)...I can't believe it's September already!

just pictures today

2008-08-27T06:57:00.003-05:00

Has it really been a week since I last posted? Wow! Time flies! I only have a few minutes as it sounds like Ben is waking up as I type this...he's an early riser, and I have even bought myself a few minutes by putting him in his swing!

Remi has found an alternate use for the Boppy pillow!

Bright eyed baby!

Ben in his cloth diaper! (He wasn't so much into being photographed!)

He was a bit more patient with me here!

That's all for now - I'm still trying to post more often...I just never can find the time!

getting playful

2008-08-20T15:22:00.004-05:00

Well, I think we may have passed the 4-6 week growth spurt as Ben was nursing every 30-60 minutes for the past two days and he was very very fussy! Today he seems back to normal and was even generous in giving away smiles to Great Grandma and Grandpa Stolp! He even shared a few with his momma this afternoon - I never get to see smiles!

We are approaching the magical 6 week mark and life seems to be settling down a bit. We're learning all about Ben and what his different cries mean, and he's controlling our whole household! Yes, even Remi seems to be a little more tired and weary these days. We did discover that Ben is possibly sensitive to Huggies diapers after a most unfortunate diaper rash incident last night which led to mom & Ben running into town today to pick up any diapers but Huggies!

He is getting more and more alert during the days - yesterday we read four books (during the few minutes he wasn't being fussy!) and we're doing tummy time every day - he's sooo close to rolling over! He doesn't like being on his tummy, but he is masterful at holding his head up when you are holding him. He enjoys laying on his back in the Gymini and playing with the toys or looking at himself in the mirror. It may be a fluke, but he seems to have figured out that his little hands can move the toys that hang over him. I tried to get a video of it, I'll see if I can figure out how to post it.

And what everyone comes here for, pictures from today:

A hint of a smile!

Who is that handsome devil in the mirror?

A real, live SMILE while batting at the toy! (notice speedy arm...unable to be clearly captured on film he's so quick!)

Video may be posted later - it is taking forever and a decade to upload at the moment. Check back later - and if it's not there, then I couldn't figure it out!

what a difference a month makes!

2008-08-15T21:52:00.003-05:00

Happy 1 month birthday, Ben!

When he was weighed on Tuesday, he was already up to 10lb 5oz and 22 inches long! We think he's gained most of his weight in his chins, and his tiny little legs are still pretty tiny, but we're noticing some baby fat rolls on them now. He's growing up right before our eyes...too fast!

Ben on one of his first days home!

And Ben today, on his one month birthday!

We enjoyed lunch out on the deck today since it was so nice outside. Well, I enjoyed lunch on the deck...Ben mostly slept and enjoyed the warm weather.

Happy Weekend!

a week of style!

2008-08-13T10:25:00.004-05:00

It's been a very stylish week for little Ben. He made his first trip to Pizza Ranch in Stewartville (a favorite eatery for mom & dad!) and he did great. A little fussy when he decided to get hungry, but mom thought ahead and had a bottle of milk with to appease him. He really wanted the cactus bread though. Don't worry - we didn't indulge him! Someday...little Ben.

He had his shades on for the trip because he's just too cool to be recognized out in public.

He also got all dressed up for his trip into town yesterday. He visited the WIC ladies, grandma Julie at work, and aunt Shelly at work! He was pooped out and slept most of the day away. Luckily, although it took him a long time to fall asleep last night, he blessed his momma with 4 hours of sleep in a row last night!

That's Ralph Lauren, folks. Make no mistakes, he is a high maintenance baby. Mom & Dad will have to get another job to keep up with his expensive tastes.

Finally, each night when Dad gets home, Mom passes little Ben off while she goes off for a shower and bath to relax after a long day. The other day when I did this, I came out and found Daddy doing a little business, and Ben taking a little cat nap...thought I'd share the cuteness!

Happy Wednesday! Still working on getting better with posts, at least it's been less than a week since the last one!

daddy's boy

2008-08-07T09:34:00.004-05:00

We were so excited to learn that Ben was a boy when he was born because Mom had stocked up on a whole bunch of little tiny Hawaiian shirts at garage sales...and now we can use them! As you all know, Daddy has an extensive collection of Hawaiian shirts and now little Ben is following in his father's footsteps.

And he finally (sort of) fits into one of his little Hawaiian shirts!

And a couple images from Grandma Linda from Ben's visit this past weekend:

Ben and his Uncle Ryan watching the game!

Ben imitating the ducky face...his "substitute" changing table duck!

baby feet and big threats

2008-08-03T17:32:00.005-05:00

Sorry about the lack of posts - it's tough sometimes to have a free hand to get the pictures from the camera to the computer, and then to upload them to the internet, and then log into Blogger and then type a blog...sometimes it's just not happening because let's face it...

sometimes Ben is just a big fuss bucket and he doesn't want to be put down. Thankfully, Dad is snuggling with the little man right now (and he's being a bit of a fuss bucket!), so Mom has time to update this thing!

This week Ben spent lots of time snuggling with his great grandparents! It started with his great grandma and grandpa Stolp...

They actually got to see him awake - though he was sleeping when Grandma Julie stopped over to visit, as per usual. She thinks all he does is sleep - but he's fooling her!

Then we visited Hudson this weekend for a wedding (and Ben's first time away from Mom for a few hours!), and he got to meet his great grandma Espy and his great grandma and grandpa Mayer...

He snuggled and snoozed the day away being passed around, a pasttime he is getting used to!

Other random images from this week:

Ben & Foster (his cousin) feet...a little size difference!

Proof that he isn't ALWAYS a fuss bucket...sometimes he contemplates the meaning of life.

Ben had his first bottle this week...he's growing up so fast! *sniff sniff*

Enjoying some tummy time on his Boppy, he is getting pretty strong with holding his little head up!

And I'll close this blog post with a threat brought to you by none other than our child. He just wants you to know that you need to comment on this blog or he'll punch you. Hey...he said it, not me!

another week gone by

2008-07-27T12:54:00.003-05:00

Ben trying out his new swing

Ben on his birthday
Jon (left) and Ryan (right) - unfortunately no pictures of mom at the moment to compare
Grandma Linda with a sleepy Ben and a needy Remi
A half smile while lounging on the Boppy
Staredown with the duck while being changed...a favorite pasttime!

On Tuesday, Ben will be two weeks old already! It feels like time is going sooo quickly, while at the same time hardly moving at all...mostly because we're still mixed up on our days and nights. It's better now than it was at first, but there is still a lot of sleep being lost around this house. Ben has been eating a LOT lately, he must be having a growth spurt.

We had a busy week - Ben had his first doctor's appointment on Tuesday, he had gained back what he lost at the hospital and then some! Then he got to visit his mom's coworkers at WIC, he had a great visit with them and we left all tuckered out. He got to test out his swing (he loves it!), have some staredowns on the changing table with his duck, and spend lots of quality time with Grandma Linda.

All in all, a busy first two weeks of life for Ben, but he's ready to take on new things every day!

photo smorgasbord

2008-07-21T12:58:00.003-05:00

Ben all snuggled up after his first bath at home!
Sleeping soundly in his bassinet
Extreme close-up!
Remi meeting his baby brother while Daddy mediates.
Passed out on Aunt Shelly's lap

Ben is almost one week old already! Last week at this time I just had my water broken and pitocin was being started...little did I know where that road would lead!

Ben is such a great baby - he's a little mixed up on his days and nights at the moment, but we're figuring out a system slowly but surely. He's spent more time awake today than he normally does, so we're making some progress. The first night home was a little rough, but Ben and I are learning as we go along and it's been very helpful having Daddy home to help us! He has to go back to work on Wednesday and Grandma Espy is going to come and help me out for a little while after that.

Anyway, just came to share a few pictures from the last couple of days at home!

FINALLY Home!

2008-07-17T21:39:00.003-05:00

Continuing the saga of Mayo's fine, high-quality service, it took hours to get discharged because there was only one doctor apparently who could sign off on our discharge, and they were busy.

In any case, we're home now! Here's our "going home" picture from the hospital:

And Remi meeting Ben:

Overall, Remi hasn't hardly noticed Ben. Sniffed him a little bit, but he's not bothered in the slightest by it all. We've had to be a little careful to keep Remi from juping up on mom, but he's very good around Ben.

I'm sure we'll be posting more in the next few days.

Bear With Me Here...

2008-07-17T09:14:00.003-05:00

I know you all really come here to just see pictures of Ben, but this is baby-related, so just follow along for a minute.

While both Sara and I are very happy that Ben is here, we've been pretty disappointed with Mayo's service overall.

Just in the last few days, it started with us getting here at our scheduled 7:30 time, only to find out that every doctor was in "conference" and wouldn't be available to even start anything til 9:30. Can't wait to see the bill come in charging us for two hours of sitting around waiting.

When Sara asked for an epidural, it took 30+ minutes for the crew to show up to start. (We have friends that waited 45+ minutes). This simply isn't acceptable. I realize you might be busy, but we're not talking about small amounts of pain.

After the birth, when we finally got up to the post-partum floor, there were no private rooms, which we had requested. She was promised she'd be moved to a private room. Nearly 2 days later she finally got it. Also, every single doctor has a different opinion on when she can go home. Originally, they said because he was born 39 minutes after midnight, that we couldn't leave til Friday. If he had been born at 11:59, we'd be out today. What a load of BS. So then last night, the doctor says we can leave today. Today, the new doctor says not until tomorrow. What kind of crap is that?

They give you a folder, with registration and insurance information to fill out. Sara had already pre-registered, so this shouldn't have even been an issue. But all of the paperwork has the name "Boy Espy" on it, and in bold letters it says "please make sure legal name is listed on this paperwork." Plus, they listed all of Sara's insurance information as the primary coverage. She SPECIFICALLY told them that he'd be under my insurance. So now I get to go to the Business Office and have them re-type every page.

Then I call Mayo to add him as a dependent to my plan. Last open enrollment in November, I was told that I could change my coverage at "major life changes", including births. So in November, I bumped my insurance coverage down to the cheap plan knowing that I could bump it up to the more expensive, but more comprehensive, plan at this point. I call today, and the answer is "oh, you can add him, but you can't change your plan." So that means I'll probably be handing over literally thousands of dollars more in medical bills until I can change my plan on the first of the year.

So sorry for the rant, but the lesson to be learned? Take your kid to Olmsted Medical Center to be born. That's where we'll be for our next kid.

Ben & Dad

2008-07-16T10:22:00.001-05:00

A lot of you have been asking "Where are all the pictures of dad?!" Ok, so no one has asked that. But my parents snapped a picture, so here is one of the few pictures in existence of the two of us (someone has to be behind the camera with pictures featuring mom & Ben)

it's the mom!

2008-07-15T20:40:00.002-05:00

Hey all! Thank you soooo much for all of the well wishes, the gifts for Ben, for watching Remi, and for the visits!! Ben has been a very popular little guy on his first day of life and it's not even over yet! As I am typing this, he is sleeping in the crook of my arm in our nursing position, he likes to snuggle up next to me all curled up in a ball and he's so cute there I can't bring myself to put him down in the bassinet. We've caught a few zzz's here and there, and Jon came back from resting this afternoon so I could get some more sleep. Ben likes to wake me up with his little baby whimpers each time I start to doze, so sleep has not been plentiful. But that's okay - he's worth it! It's so fun to watch him sleep and make all of his little sleepy noises - and he is nursing like a champ, though we're both still learning a lot from each other.

His first day has taught us that he has a set of lungs and he WILL use them - just not when other people are around, apparently. Lynn did get to witness his pipes in action today though, so I swear I'm not just making it up. He also does not like to have baths or really do anything that involves disturbing him while he's sleeping - particularly to take his temperature!

I am recovering nicely - my tummy is obviously a little tender, but I was able to get up and walk around today and I'm free from all of my wires and tubing save for one, which should come out tomorrow!!

We really were blessed with such a great baby! I promise I will get to action taking and posting more pictures once I can actually get up and walk around. Until then, enjoy Jon's last post containing the most up-to-date photos. I was told to sign in under my own name for this post, but I searched and couldn't find how the heck to do that...so...I didn't! Hey - I'm surviving on a teeny amount of sleep and lacking common sense. I am sure Jon will teach me how to do this for future posts.

-Sara

Birthday Bash

2008-07-15T17:18:00.004-05:00

It's been a big day for Ben already, and he's been partying all day with lots of people. Enjoy the pictures

Ben getting ready for his first bath:

Ben's first bath

Mom & Ben after the bath

Ben & Great-Aunt Lynn

The mugshot

The two grandmas:

Ready for his closeup

Crazy Aunt Shelly

Back by Popular Demand

2008-07-15T15:08:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the delays in updates everyone, but we all needed to get some sleep in at some point! No pictures, but I'll post more of those today.

After delivering last night at 12:39, it took til about 1:30 to wrap things up in the OR. From there, we moved down to a recovery area where they could monitor all of Sara's vitals from the surgery. Little Ben was even able to have his first meal. He's WAY tinier than I thought he would be that's for sure.

Finally around 4am they moved us up to post-partum. At this point, they were still checking vitals every 15-30 minutes, plus an uncomfortable chair for me to sleep in, so I got MAYBE 30 minutes of sleep in there, as did Sara. About 7am the grandparents came to visit, and then after that I headed home to try and catch a few Zs and clean up. Sara and Ben were planning to get a nap in as well.

So now I'm going to be heading in in a few minutes. Guests are welcome late afternoon early evening, but give me a call on my cell phone (507-273-2261) before heading over to make sure that mom and Ben are still up for more visitors.

Sara will have a computer with her tonight and for the next few days, so I'm sure she'll be posting a TON of updates. I'll let her post her room phone number when she's ready for calls and visitors to come meet with her directly.

Thanks again everyone for the good wishes!

Introducing Benjamin David Espy

2008-07-15T02:07:00.003-05:00

After a long hard day for everyone (mom and baby in particular), Benjamin David was introduced at 12:39 am on 7/15 (thats 0039 for you Jeannie). 7 pounds 6.5 ounces. Without further adieu:

For You Night Owls....

2008-07-14T22:57:00.001-05:00

We're second in line for the c-section, so it could be close to midnight before we're rolling in.

The Update Before Grandma Julie goes to bed

2008-07-14T21:31:00.002-05:00

Sara hasn't dialated past 4cm, and the baby is not liking the contractions. After every contraction, the baby's heart-rate drops slightly.

SO, the final decision is we're going into a c-section. Without the progress, and the stress to the baby, its not worth the risk of a natural childbirth, so I'll keep you posted!

Still No Baby

2008-07-14T20:55:00.001-05:00

Evening Update #2

2008-07-14T19:03:00.003-05:00

Epidural is in, and Sara is feeling much better. Pain level is down from 331.5 out of 10 to 6s and 7s. Hopefully they'll do another exam within the next hour and I'll be able to give an update regarding the dialation.

Evening Update #1

2008-07-14T18:08:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the delay, but its been a bit of a rollercoaster for Sara this late afternoon. Its gone from being not too bad to excrutiating, and everything inbetween. About 10 minutes ago she finally asked for the epidural. At this point, we don't know if she's dialated anymore, but hopefully there will be an update as we roll on into the 12th hour.

Sorry Grandma Julie

2008-07-14T15:31:00.002-05:00

3:37 doesn't appear to be the lucky time; the time has come and passed... Better luck next grandchild....

PS - Lynn, 4:17 isn't looking great either!

Slowly Improving!

2008-07-14T15:27:00.001-05:00

Contractions are coming 2-3 minutes apart now! Sara has dialated a little bit more, but things are looking good and we're moving forward slowly but surely.

Thanks to everyone for their well-wishes so far!

Mid-Afternoon Update

2008-07-14T14:51:00.001-05:00

Since more updates are being requested.... Things are going pretty smoothly now. Its starting to get more uncomfortable for Sara as they up the dosage of Pitocin every 30 minutes. She's definitely feeling the contractions more. Stay tuned loyal readers....

Pitocin Started!

2008-07-14T13:53:00.001-05:00

Things improved a little bit after they broke her water and they're not seeing the heartbeat drop as dramatically. They're going to start her on a small dose of Pitocin to start getting contractions going to see what happens.

Still No Update

2008-07-14T13:38:00.002-05:00

But Christa swears that Aaron is her baby daddy on the Maury Povich show....

Early Afternoon Update

2008-07-14T12:40:00.002-05:00

They just broke Sara's water manually so that they could put internal monitors on the baby. They still don't like how the baby's heartbeat is dropping slightly after contractions. Since the contractions are still quite early, they want to monitor the baby's reactions to them. If the heartbeat's reaction to contractions doesn't improve, they're going to want to do a c-section, so I'll keep you posted.

No progression yet

2008-07-14T12:02:00.005-05:00

Still at 2cm dialation. They'll be reevaluating at 12:30. In the meantime, here are some pictures for your pleasure:

Sara being a trooper:

Baby monitor

Another Chick Flick

Time for Fluids

2008-07-14T11:42:00.003-05:00

This is Jon again. I just got back from grabbing lunch and a crossword puzzle for Sara, and they're going to give her some IV fluids now. They said that being dehydrated causes the baby to be "stressed" a little, which might be causing the slight drop in heart rate after contractions. So we'll see what happens there.

This momma is HUNGRY!

2008-07-14T11:17:00.002-05:00

Jon has headed out to grab a bite to eat, and I am attempting to surf the internet from a laying position. Apparently, this little bugger doesn't like it when I sit up, so they want me to stay reclined. Which, of course, is more uncomfortable, but oh well.

I'm hungry and not allowed to eat - my worst nightmare! I had a popsicle earlier, needless to say it did not tide over my hunger. But I am apparently having contractions according to the monitor (I'm not feeling most of them and they are inconsistent) and I'm hoping this will mean I have made some progress when they check me next.

Stay tuned for more updates...my "chick flick" is almost over and I'll have to pick a new one soon! I have Jon on the lookout for a crossword puzzle book or something to hopefully keep me distracted as time creeps along.

We'll keep you posted on any happenings, big or small!!

-Sara

2008-07-14T10:16:00.001-05:00

Sara is enjoying the movies on demand feature and is watching the chick flick "Catch and Release." Thankfully I have the internet.

Moving Forward... Slowly

2008-07-14T09:39:00.003-05:00

Well, Sara just took the first dose of Cytotec, which is supposed to help dialate her more. Now we have to wait til 1:30 before they even check to see if she's going to be ready to take Pitocin to start the contractions.

But at least we're moving forward! It's definitely nervous and exciting!

Guesses so far on weight and sex:
Dr. Gada - Boy, 7 pounds, 10 ounces
Nurse Amanda - Girl, 7 pounds, 13 ounces
Sara - Girl, 8 pounds, 1 ounce
Jon - Boy, 8 pounds, 7 ounces

Go ahead and weigh in in the comments section about your guess!

Just Waiting.....

2008-07-14T09:06:00.000-05:00

We arrived for our scheduled induction at 7:30 this morning, only to find out that there are no doctors around because of "conferences" every Monday morning. Why the heck would they schedule anything if no one is here to do anything?

So now its 9:08, and nothing has happened besides to start Sara's IV. Its going to be a long day at this rate.