The Poor Flingers...

... The Flingers did not have an easy night with little LB. But they sure know how to turn a bad night into entertainment for the masses. ;) While Tom, Benjamin and I are off getting our Christmas tree, (and thus collecting some pictures for another entry) I implore you to visit Frisbee Flingers and watch today's video. Make sure your bladder is empty.

Cruisin for a Bruisin...

I thought this deserved its own post, since I save and print some of these posts out for the baby book.

Benjamin's been cruising like a pro for awhile now. And with our new surround gate thingy, which we reconfigured so it sort of goes around the living room on one side, he's on his feet more and more. He does laps around the room with it, which is very cute. He's getting more and more confident and a couple times in the last few days has let go and had this look on his face like, "Okay, I'm gonna do it..." No official first steps yet, but last night, he did sidestep after he let go before he resorted to crawling, so I think we might be getting closer! It's exciting, but it hasn't helped with the bruising situation. He has a newly acquired black and blue beauty on his forehead from who knows where... and a scratch on his nose. (?) All this just in time for a family picture to be taken on Sunday. That's my boy! ;)

I Say Goodbye, You Say Hello...

Benjamin waves hi! He's been doing it for a week or so, but it took us awhile to figure it out what it was he was doing. We thought he was just being weird or trying to fly or something. ;) Gosh we parents can be dense. I noticed it a few days ago but Tom didn't believe me until last night when Ben waved at himself in the bathroom mirror after I said, "Say hi to the baby!"

His "wave" involves a frantic up and down motion with his entire arm and Tom was holding out to see some wrist action, I think. But after last night, even HE had to admit it was definitely a wave. Today we've said "hi" to the kitty cats, the baby, his stuffed bear and doggie and the refrigerator. (yeah, he waved to the fridge... uh... hrm...)

Bumble Ball...

If anyone here doesn't read Karen's blog, better known as Chookooloonks, on a regular basis, you really need to go see her video of little Alex playing with the bumble ball. I laughed and laughed and LAUGHED. And Benjamin is now getting a bumble ball for Christmas, if I can find one at Target tomorrow. ;)

Busy Day!

This afternoon, I had to drop something off at Tom's parents' house so Ben got to see his Nan for awhile. Then we headed over to visit my mom for an hour or so. We've been treking ALL over town. Aside from a 20 minute snooze in the car on the way to Nan's house, Ben didn't go down for any sort of nap until 3'ish. He's still sleeping though, so this has worked out nicely. I got all my Christmas cards addressed and stamped, balanced my checkbook (er... made sure the balance online was sorta right) and now I think I'm going to watch me some Oprah. Wahooey! Any ideas for dinner tonight? Because I sure don't have any. Actually, I'm more lacking in motivation than in ingredients. :: sigh :: Chinese anyone? ;)
~*~

A Duh...

The power has been out here all afternoon thanks to some freak zillion mile an hour winds. Seriously, I think I just saw a cow fly by my window.

Anyway, I had been playing with the boy in the living room and only noticed the power was out because he laid down for his nap and I tried to plug in my laptop into to two different outlets. It kept telling me the the battery was still dead and needed to be plugged in. Once I figured out what was going on, I thought to myself, "Self... this is nice! Let's just go downstairs and get the ELECTRIC heater and settle in with a book and nice cup of tea."

Um. Yeah. I got as far as putting the mug of water in the microwave.

But wait, it gets better. I realized my stupidity and then promptly thought to myself:
"Okay self, you are dumb. Let's just get the quilt and get comfy on the sofa here and watch some trashy daytime tv."

Boy oh boy. I can't believe I am allowed out in public alone.

Lego my Eggo...

I gave Ben a waffle this morning. He really really REALLY liked it. He liked grabbing it, he liked mushing it in his hands, he liked biting it, and he LOVED eating it.

This whole solid foods thing is scary. He eats Cheerios and Puffs, pieces of banana, biter biscuits and zweiback toast... all under my very watchful eye. He has never really choked (gagged on a Cheerio here and there, but nothing major) but I'm just WAITING for it to happen. How do you make the transition from mush to finger food without taking years off of your life worrying about them choking?

Anyone? Anyone?

Hallejuah! The Gate Came!

HA! Trapped! But you have to admit, it's a little sad, isn't it? Kind of like having a caged bird.



We probably won't use it except for a few minutes a day so I can get some things done and not have to watch him like a hawk at the same time. Once the pressure gate comes, he won't be able to get up the stairs and that pretty much makes the whole first floor baby-safe!

Drat...Drat. I Lost the Hat!

Today the stuff arrived that I bought on superduper-sale on Gymboree.com last Friday. It's all so cute, especially the little caterpillar sweater hat.


I took Ben out with it on for a little while this afternoon and somewhere along the way, I lost it. We owned it for approximately an hour. :( It was so cute. :( :(

I came home and decided to order a new one. It's still on sorta-sale, so it wasn't expensive.. but still... I'm so mad at myself! It's probably on the parking lot in front of the Target, if someone hasn't already scooped it up for themselves.

Drat. Drat. Drat.

Ben's Best Friend is a Shoe...

No, I'm serious. He has two pair. He's sort of partial to the tennis shoes, but really, either will do. If you hand him a shoe, he'll play with it and carry on in-depth conversations with it for a half hour, sometimes longer. Yesterday, Tom gave the boy his shoe in the crib so he could get a shower. When I went in to go get him, he didn't even care, he just wanted to keep talking to his shoe. I picked him up and he dropped the shoe and cried. I gave it back and they continued their conversation right where they left off. Babies are SO weird.

Who Knew He Could Do That?

Benjamin has this little walker that he likes to climb like a tiny set of stairs. I propped it up against the table so he could climb it and it wouldn't fall forward when he got to the top. Hee hee... he took one look at the new configuration and seized a never before seen opportunity.

Take a look at what happened!

Wow. Amazon Really DOES Have Everything!

And he came with free Super Saver Shipping! What a deal!

Christmas Card Outtakes... (1 of 50)

This one is for Shay -- told you he can't keep a hat on. I just got lucky yesterday. ;)

Please Sir, May I Have Some More?

This extended weekend is all about photoblogging! ;)
Adorable hat courtesy of Gymboree and grandmom. More random and adorable pictures taken tonight will be on the month 9 album later tonight.



I had to post this one too... what a ham!

Hm...

I'm pretty sure this is NOT how the manufacturer intended this toy to be used...

Thanksgiving Recap and Other Stories...

Benjamin's first Thanksgiving was pretty uneventful. As per our "every other year" family holiday rotation marriage agreement, we were at Tom's parents' house this year. This worked out great since they are only 10 minutes away and since my family was going two hours away my my grandmother's house. While I would have loved to have had Thanksgiving with my family and extended family, the idea of a two-hour car ride (twice in one day) with a still somewhat sick baby who is currently very prone to unpredictable meltdowns was not all that appealing.

Thanksgiving at my inlaws' was simple and low-key -- both things I can greatly appreciate these days. Dinner was yummy, Ben tried real sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie -- both of which he devoured like he was never getting food again. (Ben thanks his Uncle Marc for the pie) ;) There was a slight meltdown at dinner, but mommy swooped in with a diaper/outfit change (he was hot in his courderoy) and things improved enough to hang out for dessert. Picture break: Benjamin enjoying his first Thanksgiving.


Last night, he only woke up once after 10pm. What a Thanksgiving treat! Maybe we should feed him pumpkin pie every night!

Despite my best efforts to not get caught up in this Black Friday madness, I am stalking the Gymboree website until 8a.m., at which time I get to enter a "special code" and save 30% on things that are already on sale! I am such a dork.

Tom is taking the crapmobile back into the dealership this morning to have the spastic blinker fixed AGAIN. For those of you following my crazy car saga, you probably know by now not to buy a Jetta. I can't speak for other VW products, but my Jetta has had more of the WEIRDEST problems in the past two years... For all its bad reviews, my cheapo Dodge Neon, other than being apparently very easy to steal, never had ANY problems. :(

Benjamin is in the cutest mood this morning. He's so happy and smiley. I need to stop blogging and go play with him. I can't resist. Besides, he's calling me. (mamamama!) ;)

A Very Important Message...

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

Yesterday...

Forgot to blog about our first "non well-baby visit" to the pediatrician! Benjamin was acting sort of weirdly fussy yesterday afternoon and wouldn't even take his pacifier. (I know!) So my mom came by and drove us to the doctor. (it was pouring down rain and he was screaming.) We thought it was the beginnings of an ear infection for sure. He screamed all the way there, into the office, through the exam and back out again. But guess what? No ear infection. Just a bad cold and major dislike for the doctor putting a cold stethoscope on his chest and jamming a thingy in his ear.

He's still really, REALLY snotty today. How long can a baby cold last? He has had this since early Saturday morning... :(

**editor's note** Answered my own question. Interesting!

God Whipped Me Up a Little Dose of Empathy...

Okay, so empathy generally isn't a problem for me, I usually have too much of it. Ask my husband. He'll tell you how often I project feelings onto inanimate objects. Christmas is a rough time for me because I get to feeling very sorry for the Christmas trees that people don't pick that are left to die on the Christmas tree lots.

Um yeah. Where was I?

Uhh... empathy, right.

Anyway, so this little cold here has knocked me on my patookus. (any of my Polish friends know if I spelled that right?) Hence the reason I am wide awake at 1:53 a.m. when the boy is sleeping peacefully. I can't breathe and my throat is all scratchy. ::whine:: My poor BABY has had this since FRIDAY! And his nose is like a thousand times smaller than mine! I can't believe he felt this awful all those days. No WONDER the poor little guy screamed even when he was in my arms. :( I feel like pulling him out of his crib and just rocking him and telling him I wish I had felt sorrier for him when his nose was all runny and goopy. Not to downplay the care I gave him. Don't get me wrong, the kiddo got lots of cuddles and extra love... I just didn't understand quite how BAD he must have been feeling -- until. right. now.

::sniffle::

Baby IQ?

This is interesting. I don't know about its validity or its importance. An IQ test for a 6-12 month old? By Fisher Price? Hrm.

Benjamin is 8 Months Old!

The boy is 8 months old today. He's my "real" crawlin', standin', stair climbin', babblin', 5-teeth sportin', non sleepin' through the night little man.

Let me tell you, these picture sessions are getting to be near impossible. I should publish the out-takes... for every picture of him sitting in the chair, there are 10 of him trying to dive OFF the chair. :: sigh ::



He's still a little sick, so he's been sitting in his "nest" watching Baby Mozart a lot today. Look at him... isn't it pitiful?

Er... I Guess it Was a Cold After All...

... since you can't catch teething. I woke up this morning with Benjamin's cold. :( ::sniffle::

Also, my car has decided to develop a malady of its own -- a case of spastic blinker. It started last Friday and I took it in on Saturday to have a new light put in. The guy at the dealership told me it had just come unplugged. Yesterday the spastic blinker started up again. Hooray. I have to try to plan all of my trips so they don't include right turns. (because seriously, who uses arm signals? I don't even think anyone knows what they mean) Soooooo, I'm dropping it off again on Friday. While it's there, they are also going to cure its case of Limp Armrest (again). Hopefully we won't have any more episodes of Window Dropsy in the near future.

The boy is 8 months old today. Official pics coming later, of course. He's almost been out as long as he was in. And that's pretty cool. ;)

Benjamin Has Left No Time for Me to Blog Today!

The boy, while not especially fussy today, has been quite demanding of my time. Hence, no real posts so far today. He just NOW went down for his afternoon nap and I'm hoping he stays asleep long enough for me to make dinner. I also have to start two Christmas-related projects, but I KNOW that's a pipe dream for today.

Oh and one last thing. I discovered a new personal hell this afternoon. A visit to Target, WITH the boy, during Christmas shopping mayhem. OhMAHgah. It wasn't so much the boy who made my trip difficult, (though his incessant whining to be removed from the shopping cart was a bit of a hinderance)... it was more the people who were completely rude and pushy and in my way ... and a plethora of terrible drivers in the parking lot. This particular shopping center is home to Target, a grocery store, Marshalls, TJMaxx, Pet Smart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Toys R Us and Sports Authority... and in spring will add a Walmart!

Target and Walmart in the SAME shopping center!!!? There should be some kind of law against that.

Can you imagine the insanity that will descend upon this place next Christmas? I'm not going near it.

Having Trouble Blog Stalking...

I can't seem to get to one of my favorite blogs today and it's making me crazy! I must know if the Flingers got sleep? How is the littlest Flinger? Did she break her screaming record?

Curiousity is Killing Me...

Hi there reader. I've been looking at my webstats* and you stand out.

Who are you?

Yes, you -- the person logging from cox.net in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

You've read EVERY single page of my blog today! That's impressive! At last check, you have spent over two hours here at Tale of a Baby Human.

You don't HAVE to tell me. But not knowing is driving me nuts!

Puhhhhleeeeeeeeease introduce yourself? Pretty please?

Ah well, even if you never tell. I'm flattered you'd spend so much time here. :)

Thanks for visiting and happy reading!

-Benjamin's Mommy

*My webstats are very VERY anonymous, folks. Don't worry that I'm going to come track you down or something. They just shows me service providers (or IP addresses) and sometimes will give me a general region. :)

Measuring Up...

I think we need a bigger worm. ;)

Almost four months... (July 22)



Almost eight months... (November 22)

Definitely Not a Cold...

Okay, yeeeeeeah, so we're pretty sure it's "just" teething now. Unfortunately, this "just" teething means I have the equivalent of a colicky 6-week-old on my hands. Yowzah. It seems that in this house, we can escape no part of the baby adventure peacefully. Earlier tonight, I was seriously rethinking the whole idea of any more offspring. Forget the trials and tribulations of pregnancy and labor. Pshhah. That was a cakewalk. It's the actual mommying that's bringing me to my knees.

I don't even think the boy screamed THIS much the first night we brought him home from the hospital and switched his formula on him. (dumb parental moment there)

I guess all the misery means there's stuff happening though because both pearly white top teeth have made significant progress just since yesterday-- major dental action going on in that little mouth.

In happy baby news, when he's not screaming his head off, he is babbling up a storm all of a sudden. I'm listening to him chat away right now on the baby monitor. He is supposed to be going to bed, but it sounds like he's having more fun listening to himself talk.

:: sigh ::

He's either Bubbly Ben or Evil Screamy Pants Ben. There is no middle ground these days. :(

Out of the Snot Comes Much Babbling...

We have new consonants! I repeat, NEW consonants! Out of nowhere, Benjamin has just started "talking" up a storm... this morning, we got "wawawa" and "babababa" and ::drumroll:: "da!"

We're throwing a parade later today. All are invited. ;)

Okay, Maybe NOT a Cold?

Now I'm starting to wonder if this IS a cold. Ben's not ACTING sick at all. He has been eating more than he eats on a regular day. Plus, I've been doing some research on teething and all I can say (well, actually what Tom said when I read off the symptoms to him) was, "Check, check and CHECK!" He has it all... down to the red, dry rash on his cheek. There are just as many websites that claim all the teething "symptoms" are a big myth, especially the runny nose and other coldy things. But it's an odd coincidence that Ben has all these symptoms while cutting eight teeth, two of which are just now working their little white sharp selves out of the gums.

Also, for those who are curious, here is some info I found on the Hyland's Teething Tablets. You can also check out Hylands.com. I just gave Ben a few of the tablets, so I'll keep you posted during my "Blog Through the Snot" marathon.

Cold Update...

Cold now includes a cough. Not one of those icky snotty coughs, just a cough. Fun.
He's been pretty happy though, and crawling around all over the place like there's nothing going on. So I'm not really sure what to think...

Also, the thermometer pacifier gets a big thumbs down from my little Nuk fan. It has to be sucked on for 8 minutes to get a reading and we can't get him to keep it in for more than 10 seconds at a time. Oh well. Back to the good ol' ear thermometer. I'm not taking any rectal temperatures and no one can make me. So there.

It's Official... Benjamin's First Cold...

Well, so it seems the yesterday's even worse than usual fussiness wasn't all that crazy after all. The boy woke up around 1:30 this morning with sneezing and with a snot-filled nose. Poor little guy. He couldn't sleep much after that, so we were all up pretty much the whole night. Things seem to be getting progressively worse as the day wears on. I'm just hoping and praying the end result isn't an ear infection for Thanksgiving Day. :(

I took a little trip to Walgreens and stocked up on $30 worth of baby pharmecuticals to be prepared for any situation that may arise this weekend -- teething-related OR cold-related.

From left to right:
* Little Teethers pain relief gel and comfy teether - to numb sore little gums
* Infant Tylenol+Cold Drops - to knock out any pain, fever and stuffiness
* Thermometer pacifier - an uninvasive method to find out if there is any fever
* Medicine dispenser pacifier - to trick the baby into swallowing the meds (thanks to R-belle for recommending this!
* Hyland's Teething Tablets
* Three-month supply of birth control pills - so we only have to deal with one cold-stricken baby at a time