Experiment

I was talking to a friend awhile ago and we were commenting on how we both had wonderful husbands however being typical men lack at times initiative and observation skills. My example of the topic is the stair pile. I can leave a pile of folded clothes on the stairs to go up and Jon (as well as 99% of all human beings with too much testosterone) will walk past it 10 times. Of course if I say "can you take those clothes up" he will say "of course" and proceed to do so as if I just put them there in that moment. I just find it interesting that he honestly never noticed them the first 10 times. Ah men...
Since this conversation I have been noticing more and more things...especially the wrench. Jon was using it to finish the laminate floors in the living room (he did a beautiful job!) three weeks ago and left this in the kitchen. I waited to see if it would get put away without prompting... it is still there. I will report back weekly on the wrench!

New Addition

Our new addition this week is another great purchase from my favorite classified site called KIJIJI where I buy pretty much everything! It is my fifth stroller. This is excessive I know! Each however serves a critical purpose.
1- umbrella stroller- good for airplane trips that we have yet to go on but for $5 it was worth buying to hang on to.
2- Graco Mosaic mall stroller and take to gramma's stroller- basically the name is self explanatory. It is my fold up single stroller.
3- Way over priced single to double conversion jogging stroller- This is the crowning glory of the stroller fleet. By extremely expensive I mean we could also have bought a small used car for the same price that we paid for this stroller (I didn't say a nice one...). I think of it as an investment!
4- a double graco stroller that I keep in the trunk to put two of the four kids in when we go to the Early Years Center in the mornings.
5- The bike trailer that also converts to a stroller (and has a trunk!!)- This is the newest one and is handy since we have committed to biking everywhere considering the price of gas lately. Plus... Ben really likes it:)

Almost Boy's Best Friend

Bayley is slowly coming around. After 8 months of running to his bed if Ben so much breathed in his general direction he will now lay next to him, occasionally even let him touch him and barks when he cries to alert me (assuming I can't hear him?). I hope that he will make friends with Ben and develop a lot of patience as Ben learned to crawl with Bayley as his sole source of inspiration. He has not as of yet caught him but he will soon enough...this is what I am afraid of!

Green Stuff

Ben was not sure what to think when we put him on the grass for the first time. I was happy he kept his signature expression for my mini photo shoot because this is how he looks when he is first introduced to anything new. He is extremely serious and studies, analyses and tries to make sense of it before he will engage.

I tried to imagine what this strange green stuff must seem like to him and found myself empathizing with his confusion. There really is no point of reference in his everyday life for this scratchy, pointy ground covering. I will post future pictures of his adventures in the grass as spring continues as I know he will soon learn to love being free to crawl around on it, as he is with everything once he is has sufficiently taken it all in.

Eight Facts for Eight Months

Ben is eight months today!!!

1- No one is quite sure what color his eyes are, they are blue sometimes green but not completely either of those colours.

2- Our folliclly challenged little boy is growing lots of hair now.

3- He loves to play clapping games (and he flaps his hands together...very funny!)

4- his favorite foods are squash, carrots and pears.

5- If you say no to Ben he will look away and do it anyway, I think he thinks if he isn't looking then neither are you!

6- Bayley has let Ben touch him twice now- each time met with squeals of delight... promptly scaring him away.

7- Ben weighs over 20 pounds now and wears 12 month clothes.

8- He loves to give (violent) hugs and kisses and eats my face.

9 months ... here we come!

coming in at a close second...

Ben is still glued to me but has taken an interest in Daddy again. He is saying "DADADADA" a lot and knows when my daycare kids leave that Daddy should be home soon and he looks at the door a lot. When he does come through the door Ben lights up with the biggest grin, reaches his arms up and attacks Jon with a bear hug when he picks him up, it is the cutest thing ever! ( I have a feeling it makes Jon's long days worth it). My complaint is that when I leave him somewhere and come back to get him (like his preschool room at the Early Years Center) he cries when I pick him up. I don't get this reunion, more of a "I'm mad that you left me in the first place" reaction. Humph! I will continue to watch with pangs of jealousy their daily reunion (secretly happy for Jon).

Big Week!!!

Ben is back to amazing us (still clingy but not as bad...). First and foremost last night Ben.... (drum roll...) SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 8pm to 7:20 am! I am so happy I am beyond words! Thanks Ben!
Next he says mama AND dada as of this week and can do the sign for "more". He can go from laying to sitting on his own, pulled himself to a standing position in his crib (fortunately we lowered the mattress weeks ago) and is sooooo close to crawling really well (right now he does his own version which still gets him around). This morning he also woke up with half of his first tooth poking through. Whew!!!

Our Own Personal Miracle

Ben has always been a difficult sleeper. We have found temporary success through different methods along the way however nothing has lasted until... the AMBY bed, otherwise known as the answer to our prayers. It is a baby hammock used in Europe in childcare centers and hospital nurseries. It is a cozy hammock that hugs the baby and sways them back to sleep when the movements of their stirring begin to wake them so they never really reach consciousness through the night unless they are hungry. It can be manually bounced and swayed as well so he falls asleep and is soothed back to sleep in it rather then being rocked and nursed to sleep over and over each night; the bad habit we had adopted. Ben has now been sleeping through the night waking only once or twice (down from 8!) to eat and naps for three glorious hours each afternoon in it! I am recommending this little contraption as the best piece of baby equipment ever to anyone even thinking of having a baby! We will certainly have a better experience sleep wise next time around I think. The best part is that he can sleep in it until he is 2!

Down Comes the Rain

With spring comes grass, leaves and unfortunately rainy days. My daycare kids were particularly disappointed yesterday to discover that the rain meant they couldn't play outside in the morning as they had been growing quickly accustomed to. I sure got a cute picture out of it though.

At Odds Over Dinner

I am ashamed to admit that as my baby turns eight months old this month I am still wearing maternity clothes. I am proud to admit that I have finally reached rock bottom and am reaching out for help in the form of a very strict diet called Dr. Bernstein's. It is essentially a starvation diet of 600-800 calories a day where your body stays in a continual state of fat burning (or ketosis...I took notes during orientation). This is not something of course one would ever attempt on their own and I am closely monitored by a medical team. I have urine analysis every other day and blood work every two weeks as well as a meeting with the doctor. I receive vitamin injections and supplements and on day 11 have honestly never felt better or had more energy (with a current weight loss of 10 Ibs). I should loose 20 Ibs a month. My goal weight- one of which is only months away is a number I have not seen since I was about 14. I can't wait to get there! I have been getting some comments such as "that can't possibly be heathy" and "don't the shots hurt?!" My response to both is being sixty pounds overweight is more unhealthy and the shots are a lot less painful then an hour at the gym is!

Jon read the "how to be a supportive family member" section of my book and is trying to do so. I think he is happy though because his nutrition obsessed wife is on vacation while I am trying to stay on my eating plan. We generally do not have junk food in the house and we do not eat fast food. (I gained so much weight from eating too much good stuff... such as 6 apples in one sitting for example...) I have basically given J the green light to feed himself whatever he wants so long as I don't have to be tempted to cheat by preparing it. He had pizza last night and tonight was shocked that I bought him hot dogs and chips ( don't get me started on the evils of the hot dog...) at the grocery store. While we were eating dinner we couldn't help but notice the polar opposites of our meals.

Velcro baby

I have not been writing lately because not much is happening... mainly because Ben's development has stalled. This is because he cannot do anything when he is stuck on stronger then velcro to my left hip. Any place other then this spot is cause for instant hysterics. He is extremly frustrated with his struggle to be mobile and I think has adopted me as his personal escort. He will not let anyone else hold him if I am within eye sight and the only rest I get is naptime and meal time (he will happily plunk his bum in a high chair so long as food is being shoveled into his mouth).
I love that he loves to be with me as I know he will never need me this much again and the musceles in my forearms will never again be this big.

I remember the ache in my empty arms when I wanted him so badly so the ache his constant body weight causes is no cause for complaint.

Spring has Sprung!

We had a busy and beautiful spring day yesturday. We were on our way to the Elmira maple sugar festival but the LONG line of cars was not encouraging so we took a detour and went to St. Jacobs outdoor market. We got some always wonderful market food (Mennonite baked cinnamon rolls, chip wagon french fries and homemade donuts) and Ben enjoyed all the people, sun and horse and buggies.

One of the best things about our house is the location. We live in walking distance to schools, walking trails, lots of shoping, resturaunts and parks. When we moved here we imagined walking to the park after dinner and playing there with Ben, maybe stopping for an ice cream cone at the stratigically located ice cream shop across the street. Last night we were finally able to do this! Ben loved walking there in his stroller with Bayley beside him. He laughed on the swings and enjoyed the slide with Daddy's help. He was so tired on the way home that he fell asleep in his jump seat (a attatchable seat on his jogging stroller that turns it into a double, he prefers this seat, he probably feels like he's flying).

I am looking forward to many more evenings like this in the months to come.

The Sweetest Word

When I think about moments I am looking forward too in parenting a little boy a few come to mind. I really like the rubber boot fetish stage as well as the need to carry a dinky car/train/tractor everywhere I go phase. I am looking forward to walking when he can hold my hand (if I'm lucky)and to his first haircut. Most of all though I couldn't wait for him to say "Mama". Well to my complete surprise since he is just 7 months he said it on the weekend. I thought it was just a fluke since he babbles a lot but he reached out to me and said "Mama" very clearly. Since then he has continued to say it purposfully and says it in his bed in the morning when he wants me to come get him- "Mamamammama" Music to my ears, it makes me melt!! If possible he just wound me tighter around his baby finger!