Ben: Seven Months

Wow! This month flew by! Where to start?

Ben has mastered many fruits and vegetables and is enjoying them all so far. He gets lunch and dinner food now and seems to enjoy trying new things. He is constantly trying to help with the spoon and will grab for his bowl when Mommy isn't feeding him quickly enough. Ben occasionally sprays his food all over when he tries to make new noises with his mouth during meal time. We will continue with the rest of the fruits and vegetables there are to try and add meat in the next month or so.

Ben has been to four swimming lessons so far. He kicks and moves his arms to the different songs/activities we do. He will put his face in and try to blow bubbles, but usually only one bubble will come out. Last week was the first week to actually go under. He had a shocked look, but didn't cry or fuss. He gets to swim with our friends Ben and Ella and loves his time in the water. Swim lessons have also made baths more exciting. There are some nights that Mom and Dad both get soaked when the splashing fun gets going. We are eager to go to the pool this summer and try out some of our new skills.

Ben's first Easter was unseasonably cold! We bundled him up for the egg hunt at church and watched the other kids fill their baskets. Ben got some fun new toys from the Easter bunny as well. Ben did not, however, get any teeth by Easter as we thought he might. He still has restless nights off and on and chews on anything he can get to his mouth. We are just waiting for those teeth to pop on through.

Last weekend Ben got to go to the zoo for the first time. We played at Mohawk Park first with Mom's coworkers. Ben enjoyed the attention of the older kids. Ben was sacked out for the first few animals at the zoo, but woke up in time to see lions, giraffes, elephants and a few other critters. He enjoyed our walk through the zoo. We are eager for future visits where he really understands and is excited to see the animals.

Lately Ben has gotten to where he won't hardly stay on his tummy at all. He immediately rolls over to his back. When he will stay on his tummy, we work on crawling motions. Ben is getting pretty good at scooting on his back or tummy a few inches at a time to get to a toy or something he wants. He is an old pro at sitting now and can reach really far and still keep his balance to get to what he wants.

Ben really enjoys hearing his voice and is often babbling to the other kids and teachers at school when I pick him up. He does a lot of repetitive consonants like "babababa" including ma's and da's but doesn't say either of those words with meaning yet.

Thank you for continuing to share in our joy!

Ben: Six Months

Ben is six months old now and changing every day! He is sitting so well. He is usually sitting in a circle of friends playing when I pick him up at school. He loves to reach down in the bin of toys and find just the perfect one. Ben has also had a more active tummy time lately. He uses his legs and scoots himself around to get to things. He doesn't go very far or fast, but he is definitely trying to move. He is very amused by his fingers right now. He is using them to pick things up, feel blankets, carpet, etc and just likes to watch them too. He will bring his hand in front of his face and do what we think looks like practicing waving to himself. It is pretty funny.

We went to the doctor yesterday for his checkup. Ben weighs 18 pounds 10.5 ounces (75%) and is 28.25 inches long (95%). He is doing really well and developing appropriately. The doctor said we could start on veggies and fruits. She suggested making our way through the Stage 1 foods and then moving right into the Stage 2 choices. We are also going to start trying a sippy cup to see if he is interested in trying a little water. He seems to like to find a way to get water in the bathtub, so we figure he will really like it. For Ben's first veggie we started with peas. He made a couple of funny faces at first. He was expecting oatmeal and got a little oatmeal and some peas mixed in. He gobbled it down though. So we will try peas for a few more days before we switch to something new. Another thing that the doctor noted at Ben's visit is that his teeth looked like they are ready to come through. She guessed that he might have some bottom teeth by Easter. Ben did alright with his shots. He cried a little but calmed pretty well. He slept well last night and seems to be doing well this morning.

We are looking forward to Ben's swimming class this month, his first Easter, a picnic and trip to the zoo with Mom's work and many other new things. We hope all is well with you and will do our best to keep you posted on Ben's happenings.

Sitting Pretty

Ben loves his bigger room at school. There is a lot more to see and do and more friends to play with. He gets cereal at school now around lunchtime. We will keep him on just cereal until we see the doctor at 6 months probably. Then we will add vegetables and fruits! Ben enjoys eating more and more. He comes at his spoon with a big fish face ready to take a bite. He has also started helping Mom feed him by holding the bowl or assisting with the spoon. We have noticed that he really pays close attention to us when we eat now.

Ben's sitting up is going really well. Over the weekend he was able to sit unassisted for several minutes in each stretch. When he got wobbly, we would help him regain his balance and he would go right back to sitting and playing with his toys. He does really well until he sees something to either side that he wants and just leans towards it and topples over. He is not stable enough that I move far from him while he sits, but he is definitely getting stronger and stronger. He has no fear and will lean forward as far as he can when he is in our laps or sitting in the floor to reach for a toy. He is understanding that when something drops it is down on the floor somewhere and he tries to go after it. Mom and Dad are hopeful that he will soon pick up this skill with his pacifier at night! Ben is still working at learning to roll from his back to his tummy. He gets to his side pretty well and either can't make it the rest of the way or isn't interested, so we continue to encourage that.

Ben continues to amuse himself with his shrieking. He loves to start getting louder and louder when a room gets quiet and practice all of his sounds. He will squeal loud several times and then laugh in delight at the noises he has just made. Another of his favorite laughing games is when Dad helps Ben fly up high like an airplane. His face is always expressive and his teachers say that when he takes buggy rides at school he smiles so big they don't think his mouth could open any more.

Ben will be enjoying some NCAA tournament basketball over the next couple of weeks and probably be helping Mommy fill out a bracket. In two weeks the McCulloughs are coming to visit for the weekend, and on the 28th Ben will have his 6 month check up at the doctor's office. I will be sure to update with his new weight and length around that time.