Weekend Recap: Food, Beer, & Moos

Hopefully this post will be shorter than usual because our weekend wasn't quite as jam-packed as usual!  I hardly even took any pics.  We had fairly busy week nights with the farmer's market, music in the park, and straight up park playing, that I don't feel completely lazy.

The weather has been significantly cooler lately.  I would almost venture to say that it was COLD a few days this past week.  I, for one, am definitely ok with this beautiful fall-like weather.  Ben likes it too because we were able to play outside without melting.  He has been on the swings a lot, but now he does swings and slides.  Well, the slides that Andy can fit down, anyway. ;)

We went out to dinner on Friday night and then Uncle Joe came to visit on Saturday morning.  He had to see Ben's walking with his own two eyes.  I would call it real walking these days.  He can go from sitting to standing by himself and then squat, pick something up, and then stand right back up.  We are so proud of him!

After hanging around the house for most of the day, we decided to head downtown for Brew Fest.  It was more like Oktoberfest with the weather, but again, I'm NOT complaining!  Andy was SUPER pumped because there were over 300 beers to try.  No sooner did we get Ben situated in the Ergo were we were told no one under 21 is allowed in!  (This is outside, mind you.  I wasn't going to let my baby have a beer.  And we did see a few babes in there.)  Luckily, my dad was down there and didn't want to stay any longer, so he hung out with Ben while Andy and I went in and met up with Joe.  Ben got to try his first smoothie and we now know what we need to make for him.  He only got a few straws-worth at a time, but every time he saw the cup he squealed with excitement.  Kinda like every time Andy had a beer he like.  :)  Bottom line--a great time was had by all.

Since we were already out on the town, we decided to end our evening with more eating.  We tried a delicious new-to-us restaurant and were home by Ben's bedtime.  We love nights like this!

Sunday funday was more like Sunday lazy day this week.  So lazy that I took zero pictures.  However, there was some excitement today....we meet a Moo!  A local mom found me on Facebook through one of the groups I am in, and she is currently pregnant with an omphalocele baby!  We had been emailing this week, and she ended up coming over today to meet us, see Ben, and talk "o" talk.  It was awesome!  Cool story: we had given the fetal concerns RN a copy of the book "A Very Special Me" with a note to future "o" baby parents.  I told her she could give it to the next "o" baby family she met and she had given the book to this family!  I cannot believe it has already been over a year since I was in her shoes, completely terrified of what was to come.  I almost forgot how rough it was at times, and I am pretty sure she was happy to have someone to relate to.  I think Andy is going to get a drink with her hubby in the near future.   Last but not least, we ended our evening with a visit to Andy's parents' house and then a visit from Auntie Anna.  Another great weekend in the books.  And I finished this post in record time.  Goodnight!

Weekend Recap: Birthdays and Bikes

Yet again, I am falling behind on my weekly post.  We really do not have much down time!  If we did, I like to think I would work out more than once every other month.  We keep saying we are going to start P90x or Insanity one of these days.  On to the weekend.  It was fairly low-key, which was nice.  On Friday, Benji and I went to see great grandma.  My dad made her a DVD of Benji YouTube videos, but  nothing beats a live visit!  She loves him SO much.  She talks to his picture everyday and tells him to be a good boy.  He always listens!  His cousins and Auntie Anna were also there, so he was loving life.

When he wasn't engaged in convos with his cousins, he was quite busy playing with each and every toy.  He also had to make sure to show off all of his new tricks, especially standing, walking, and clapping!

On Saturday, it was Ben's first friend birthday party!  His buddy turned one!  Obviously neither of the little ones really knew what was going on, but Ben was loving all of the kids and the new toys.  He was smiling the whole time and he made SO many friends!  I could learn a lesson or two from him!  He loves people, but he especially loves other kids.  I had to refrain from going into mama bear mode when one of the kids took a toy from him, but thankfully he did not seem to mind.  Andy and I could have watched him play for hours.

We made last minute plans to go out on the town on Saturday night.  Our friend made some birthday plans, and we were fortunately able to find a sitter on short notice.  (Everyone wants to hang out with Ben!)  It was nice to have a grown up night!  We had a nice dinner on the river before hitting up a few more bars.  I can't remember the last time we had a night like that, but we had a blast.

Sunday consisted of lots of running errands and shopping.  I just have to brag about the amazing deals I got at the Gap.  I bought $145.00 worth of stuff (original, full prices) for.....$1.40!!!  Everything I bought was on sale, and then there was 40% off of sale, and then I had a $20 rewards coupon that just so happened to double that day, bringing my total down to less than a cup of coffee.  I just love a good deal and this might be my best story yet.  I will have to figure out how to get the stores to pay me to shop. :)

Although I still am was pretty pumped about my steal of a purchase, the biggest excitement of the day was our bike ride.  We have been wanting to get into biking for the longest time.  I recently bought a bike on Craigslist and Andy had his bike tuned up.  My cousins gave us their old bike carrier.  Three new bike helmets later, we were ready to go, in theory anyway.  Since we couldn't get the carrier on Andy's bike, we ended up putting it on mine.  We initially had big plans to bike to get some froyo and and then to grocery shop at Trader Joe's, but after my bike essentially broke going up the first big hill, we ended up just stopping at a nearby park.  I am really hoping that it is an easy fix, but we couldn't figure it out.  I am also hoping that I did not buy a lemon!  Although it was a bummer that my bike wasn't working, if you ask Ben, the biggest tragedy was having to wear a helmet for the ride.

We ultimately gave him a break from the helmet when I looked back and realized that the helmet was completely covering his little face.  Luckily (or unfortunately) I had to walk my bike which I decided is essentially like pushing a stroller, therefore he didn't need the helmet.

Although he pitched the most dramatic fit of his life, his sadness became a thing of the past when we got to the park.  Clearly, he forgave us for torturing him.  Although this little adventure was less than perfect, we are going to try again soon.  I was loving it when my bike was actually working.  Plus biking is much needed and greatly missed exercise.

Thanks for trying to fix my new bike, babe!

I am going to continue to try and write more often, but I guess it is actually more important to DO fun things than it is to write about it.  Ben had a surgery follow-up appointment today, and I hope to write about that tomorrow.

Weekend Recap: Girls' Night, Family Nights

I'm already falling behind in my weekly weekend posts!  I wish there were more hours in the day.  At least it's that much closer to the next weekend?  I kicked off my weekend with a trip to Chicago to hangout with some of my best girlfriends.  It was long overdue and I needed it more than I even thought I did.  It took Sarah and I three hours to get there, but it was worth it.  We met up with our friend Jen and then enjoyed an amazing dinner at a quaint little restaurant.  Gotta love BYOB restaurants and sitting in a courtyard with strands of hanging lights.

Despite waking up once to worry about my babe, I had a great night's sleep.  We met up with our other friend, Sheila, for more girl talk in the morning before we head home.  Although I was initially super anxious to leave my boys home alone, it was good for everyone involved.  It was Andy's first time being alone with Ben over night and as expected, they didn't even notice I was gone. ;)  They went to the grocery store and to the farmer's market, but mostly they ate, climbed, and... spied on the neighbors.

Sarah and I both missed our babes (and hubbies), so we headed home before lunch.  Thankfully, the ride home was much shorter.  I know it was just over 24 hours since I had seen my boys, but it felt longer!  Pictures are great, but nothing beats hanging out with my little man (and hubby) in real life.  Since muggy hotness was/is in the forecast for the next several days, we decided it was time to hit the pool.  Baby Fish never misses an opportunity to practice his skills.

While he loves his floaty, he prefers being held (ALWAYS).  He was feeling pretty confident in his shark suit...probably looking for the pool thermometer.  

After all of our digits were effectively shriveled, it was time for a break.  Since Andy wasn't into sharing his Summer Shandy, Ben had to settle for the next most refreshing treat, a popsicle.  Unfortunately, it practically melted by the time he decided it wasn't toxic.

After a nap (for Ben), it was time for more fun.  One of Ben's girlfriends invited us over to grill out.  There were 3 babies there, but Ben was definitely the most mobile and busy of the bunch.  When we weren't chasing him and stopping him from eating chalk, we were trying to teach him the art of sharing.  I like to think it went well.  However, I will never understand the baby attraction to this purple phone.

Ben must have really got some solid playing in on Saturday, because he slept for 10 hours straight that night!!!!!!  While I got way ahead of myself by thinking that now that he is 10 months he will sleep for 10 hours, it was nice while it lasted.  Sunday was a fairly lazy day.  We took a trip to Costco and to the bike store.  We are attempting to start biking more, and Benji needed a helmet.

And last but not least, we had a graduation dinner for Auntie Anna's bf.  It was the perfect ending to a fairly relaxed weekend, and it definitely beat last week's Sunday evening.  For the record, the mouse was caught in the trap and the pest people patched up any possible little critter entrances.  Woohoo!

I think I am going to have to keep these posts shorter, because it takes me way too long to write one post.  I just don't want to miss anything!  My goal is to write more often and less lengthy posts.  Thanks for reading!

10 Months (7/13/13)

Dear Ben,


I think each month gets better than the last!  This was a busy month with your surgery, but you never let that slow you down!  We are SO proud of you and how tough you are!  You are so loving too. :)

GENERAL: You tipped the scale at 16 pounds 2 ounces today.  I believe you're about 27.5 inches.  You are still the happiest, sweetest, and most curious little love bug.  You love swimming and you love hanging out with your Auntie Anna.  You make friends wherever you go and you are never too tired to smile!

Cheering for Auntie at her softball game & eating the fence.

EATING:  Your eating slowed down a little bit after surgery.  You had been eating about 5, 6 or 7 oz bottles a day, but you are now eating about 4, 6oz bottles a day.  You've already improved compared to right after surgery, but you're still not back to where you were before surgery.  However, this is just in regards to the bottle.  As far as food goes, you're now eating much more than you used to.  You love having yogurt for breakfast.  You will usually have 1 or more container or pouch of food at every meal.  You just started actually liking eating puffs.   You still like your mum mum crackers.  You like to play with the caps from your bottles while you eat.  (Your bottles are still half breast milk and half formula.  Momma just started pumping 2 or 3 times a day instead of 4 times a day, and she is very happy about this.)

You were extra hungry this day!

SLEEP:  Just like with your eating, your sleeping struggled a bit right after surgery.  You were waking up a little bit more often, but within a few days you were back to your old schedule of just getting up once a night.  The time that you get up varies, but lately it has been around midnight.  You usually will take a bottle and then go right back to sleep.  Thankfully, you have been sleeping in a little bit later.  You usually get up around 6 or 6:15, which is much better than the 4:45 you were stuck on for awhile. :)  Your naps have been great too!  You usually take 3 naps a day, with the last one being a bit shorter.  You still like to be rocked to sleep before we put you in your bed.  You're getting better at falling back asleep if you wake up in the night.  You slept 10 hours straight last night for the first time EVER!  It was amazing!!  We hope this continues!

You post-bath hair

FINE/ GROSS MOTOR:  You are doing more and more everyday.  You have mastered waving and clapping, and you'd getting pretty good at "so big!"  (I guess this belongs in the next category, but I'll leave it here for now.)  You can stand on your own for a good 30+ seconds, and you've even taken steps!  Daddy has seen you take 4 steps at a time!  You can climb up all of the stairs to get upstairs.  You love to stand and you can essentially get anywhere you want to go!  You are so determined.  If you want something, you will work, work, work until you get what you want.   You are starting to feed yourself and you've mastered the pincer grasp, especially when you are picking up crumbs or other things that you should not be picking up!

We've moved your baths outside because you splash so much and try to grab everything in sight!

COMMUNICATION/COGNITION: You continue to love to talk, talk, talk!  We hear a lot of "mamamamama" and "dadadadadada," and we think that you are starting to use your words to identify us.  You love to wave to momma and daddy when they leave for work in the morning.  You get SO excited when you see us.  We roll down the window in the car and as soon as you realize who it is, you start waving your arms and kicking your legs!  You also get equally excited when we come home from work.  It is the best!  No matter how bad of a day I have at work, you instantly make me the happiest momma ever!  We think you are the smartest little cookie out there.  You figure out how to use all of your toys, and you are extra interested in things that are not toys.  You love cords, drawers with knobs, and cell phones.  You spend a lot of your free time watching the neighbor kids play.  You wave at them, even though they usually don't even see you, and you stand at the window and watch them play for a long time.

"I want to play with the big kids!"

It is hard to believe that you will be ONE before we know it!  We love you more than anything!

Weekend Recap: Wedding, Shooting, & Zooing

Another fabulous weekend comes to an end.  Sigh.  It seems like the more time I have off, the harder it is to go back.  I hate leaving my little babe!  I seriously miss him so much!  I could write this every week.  It's just hard...  But, these posts are about the FUN that we have every weekend, so on to that!  Benji started off his weekend early with a last minute play date with his cousin from NYC!  Unfortunately, I was still at work, but Andy was able to bring Ben over to my mom's to see his little buddy.  I'm not sure they really understand the whole play with each other thing, but it'll come.  I wish we got to see them more often!

Don't they kinda look alike?  Little studs. 

On Friday night, we went to a BBQ with some of my friends from work.  I didn't take many pics, but this is only because I was mastering the art of relaxation.  Friday at work was kind of stressful, so a good glass of wine was much needed.  Ben was the youngest kid there by several years, but that didn't stop him from keeping up with the big kids!  One of the little girls in particular LOVES Ben and was all about helping with him, holding him, and playing with him.  The feelings were mutual--LOTS of flirty smiles...like usual!  With great food, drinks, and friends, you really can't go wrong.  We ended up staying there past Benji's bedtime, and we never keep him out that late.  I can't really explain it, but I just felt like I needed to be out.  I felt a little guilty about keeping him out later because he seemed tired, but he was happy the whole time and fell asleep instantly in the car.  He was back to his normal schedule the next day.

Dipping his piggies in the pool. 

We had plans of Saturday morning farmer's market, but instead we did stuff around the house.  This was a wise move; there are so many things on our "to do" list.  We had another wedding this weekend, and grandpa hung out with Ben this time around!  Ben kept grandpa (my dad) very busy!  They played, swam, went on a walk, watched golfers, napped, and snuggled.  The only thing he didn't do a lot of was eat.  (Boo!)

Andy and I were having an equally fun night out with friends.  Unfortunately, I did not learn my lesson at last week's wedding, and my photo taking skills were lacking yet again.  It was another gorgeous wedding though!  The wedding ceremony was perfect and the reception hall was beautiful.  There were so many young people there and dance floor was always packed.  These two are seriously one of the sweetest couples ever.  I just love when two wonderful and amazing people find each other.  While we do not get to see them much as it is, we are sad that they are moving to Dallas next week.  They will be missed!  The only bummer of the night is when we went back to our car only to be greeted by a parking ticket.  Although we thought we were in a legitimate (stellar) spot, we missed the teeny tiny fine print that said "taxicab stand from 10:00PM - 3:00AM."  Huh??  We did not even realize such a thing existed.  This is probably because if we are out that late, we are most definitely not at a place with a taxi stand.  A sign that we need to get out more often??

Where to begin with Sunday funday?  Andy has been obsessed with trap shooting ever since he went a few weeks  ago.  Although it was way out of my comfort zone, I decided to go with him.  (Technically, he planned this double date of sorts and then filled me in on the details later.)  I honestly have never had any desire to shoot a gun...EVER.  I wasn't even going to do it when I was there but I figured, why not?  Our friends were excellent teachers and I felt very safe the whole time.  It was definitely out of my comfort zone but fun nonetheless.  I hit one of the clays, but I think that was more luck than skill.  Here is a video of my first try:

 I am not itching to go back, but I am happy I did it.  I still can't quite believe that we brought Ben, but the babies were alway at a distance.  It probably helped that my friend is a doctor and I know that there is no way she'd ever put us in harm's way!

Since trap shooting was pretty intense, we had to counter that with a trip to the zoo.  It was hot and humid, so Ben and I were sure to walk through every water mister station there.  It was just a light mist, but enough to get Benji's mohawk going.  That mop has got to be HOT!

Ben is really getting into the animals these days.  He even got to pet the fur of a...something.  He has mastered dog petting so he really looks like a pro in the picture below.  He checked out the bats, monkeys, hippos, zebras, and giraffes.    The only thing he wasn't into (again) was the fish!  Those big aquariums freak him out and he would nuzzle his little head into our shoulders with a whimper.  He was looking cute as can be in his zoo-themed outfit, until he peed through his diaper for the first time ever and gave daddy a nice soaking.  That was our cue that it was time to go home.

As if the day was not fun enough, we ended the day with a dip in the pool.   Benji had been begging to try out his new floaty.  He was a little leery at first, but he ended up loving it.  He would kick those little legs and splash those little arms like nobody's business.  He must be a fish after all.

And since all good things must come to an end, I will leave you with the lowlight of the weekend.  Andy and I had just put Ben to bed and were sitting in the kitchen eating dinner and chatting.  While we love that boy to death, there is always a sense of relief and accomplishment when he is down for the night.  No sooner had I taken a bite of our delicious homemade pizza when a FREAKING MOUSE ran across the kitchen floor and went under the fridge.  I started screaming and scared the crap out of Andy.  UGH.  I'm getting all worked up just writing about this.  I know it is not the end of the world, but rodents do NOT belong in the house, especially my house with a baby that crawls everywhere and puts everything in his mouth.  The pest people are coming tomorrow, so that will probably be the highlight of my week.  More to come...

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day!  I am so proud and thankful to live in this country.  I am sure I take things for granted far more often than I should, but I consider myself so blessed to live in the U.S.A.  I was going to wrap our 4th of July festivities in to the weekend post, but today was so full of fun shenanigans that it deserves its own post.  Besides, I made the ginormous mistake of not taking off of work tomorrow, so my weekend hasn't technically even begun.  :(  Today started the same as any day, with a 5:00am wake up call from Ben.  Although I usually do everything in my (totally exhausted) power to get him back to sleep, I love this holiday so much that I didn't even care that the sun and birds were barely awake.  We played, ate, cleaned, and napped before it was time for the parade!  Since I totally love parades, I of course wanted to take Benji to his first one.  There was only one small problem; which parade?!  Hometown parade (best parade ever that I've gone to for the last 15ish years) or current town parade (where our friends were going)?  The friends won, as they should, but the parade itself was just so-so.   Luckily Ben didn't notice that there were no patriotic songs (how is this possible???), Irish dancers, or Special Olympics athletes. :)  We were in great company though, so all in all, the parade was a success!

                 Ben loves sunscreen....bottles.                                    "How am I supposed to catch any candy way back here?!"

It was quite hot and of course we forgot Ben's shades or a hat with a brim, so he was pretty exhausted by the time the parade was over.  He fell asleep in the car and took a great nap in preparation for the afternoon festivities.  We made some last minute plans with my bff Sarah, her hubby, and their baby girl.  Sarah and I share a love for America and patriotic songs.  We are so happy that she and her family are back in the U.S. of A. for the 4th of July for the first time in 3 years!!  Despite our lack of planning, Pinterest was able to come to the rescue.  Project #1: Andy's shirt.  (Success.)  As usual, Andy, the grill master, took care of the food, and I made sure our party was dripping with red, white, and blue fun.   Thanks for the family pics, Auntie Anna!

As you can see from these pictures, Ben had no interest in smiling for these family photos.  And if Auntie Anna can't get him to smile, no one can.  I wonder if that frown has anything to do with that outfit...  Just when we thought it was time to quit with the pics, we let Benji "play" with Rosco.  He has a new hobby of banging on Rosco's back and then squealing in delight.  Luckily, Rosco doesn't seem to mind.  Oh, and Ben decided he wanted to stand and TAKE HIS FIRST STEPS today!  Months ago, Andy predicted Ben would be walking by the 4th of July.  We aren't quite there, but it is still exciting!

Before it was time to eat, Ben and Maddie wanted to get in a quick dip in the pool.  It was pretty much the cutest thing EVER.  These pictures do not do justice to the adorableness that went down.  I picked up this little pool at Target for a mere $4.99.  Three buckets of warm water later, we were ready for some fun.  It is quite possible that the 4 parents had more fun than the babies, but there were plenty of smiles to go around.

They watched the water...and drank the water.

They read books. 

They looked at their crazy parents. 

And then Ben gave Maddie a foot massage.  

After the pool, it was obviously the perfect time for another photo shoot.  I ordered these outfits online a few months ago (I could not resist), so of course we needed to get pictures of them together.  While the dads were rolling there eyes profusely and vocalizing that they did not want anything to do with this, I think they secretly enjoyed it.  I am going to refrain from posting multiple sailor pics, but you get the point. ;)

Good thing I do not have twins...

I should have taken more pictures of the food, but I must have been too busy eating and drinking.   Andy's chicken/steak kabobs were a huge hit.  I wish I would have gotten a better picture!  Thankfully I live with the guy so they can be recreated in the future.  ;)  I seriously do not know how I survived before I met him.  While I cannot take credit for much, I did make the cake and cocktail.  I, of course, had to make a funfetti cake for Sarah, her fave.  The festive drink was actually quite good (after adding some cake vodka)...





























And since the babes still had far more energy left than the adults, they entertained their parents themselves for a bit before it was time for bed.  It is so cute to watch them play together.  We still need to keep an eye on them every single second, but I know it won't be long before they are off and playing, wanting nothing to do with their cool parents.

While I would like to say we topped the night with s'mores and fireworks, it turns out we're actually listening to the fireworks (not by choice, but we can hear them) and watching fireflies in the yard (not watching, but we can see them).  Close enough, right?  And truth be told, I am more than ok with being in bed at the moment.  Remember, we were up at 5:00 this morning.  And, since Ben crashed at 7:00 tonight, we might be looking at a 4:30am wake up call tomorrow.  Goodnight!  God bless America!

Is that a smile?