Happy official first day of fall! What better way to kick off the season than with some awesome fall scents, sights, and tastes?! This is the first weekend in a long time that we did not have much planned, and it felt a-mazing. Before we kicked it in to fall gear, we brought Ben to his first Brewer's game! We tailgated before making it in to the game for....1.5 innings. It's not that he wasn't well behaved, it's just that he was VERY busy and did not want to sit down at all. Luckily, it was an exciting 1.5 innings with a home run and all, but unfortunately Ben was more interested in the water bottle that belonged to the lady next to us. Next year, Benj!
On Saturday morning, Benji had his first music class. We didn't totally know what to expect, and I probably should have been more prepared, but oh well! It was much more structured (and strict!) than we were anticipating. If your child made too much noise, you were supposed to go into the hall so as not to distract the other kids. I was going to make it a no-nuk event until I learned that rule--you better believe I had that puppy nearby at all times! Even though Benji was so stinking cute and such a good boy the whole time, I didn't take any pics because I was afraid of being that (rebel) mom. :) All in all though, I would consider it a success. Ben loves music and he was quite focused on all the new sights and sounds. I just better make sure we do our homework and listen to the CD so we aren't the only ones who don't know the words to all of the songs next week. But on to the fall fun! I must have attempted to make up for my picture-free morning by taking a million photos at the apple orchard. Who am I kidding?! I would have done that either way. ;)
I didn't even know that Ben likes apples, but it turns out he is obsessed with at least biting on them and sucking on the juice. Of course I was freaking out that he would choke on a chunk of apple, but at the same time I'm not actually sure that he ever swallowed anything at all.
I seriously love these pictures and I had a hard time choosing which ones to post, obviously. We were a good half way into our trip when I realized that I had been so busy watching Ben and socializing that I hadn't picked any apples yet. Thanks to my friend Anne for capturing an action shot of me working so hard.
We had to put Ben to work too since he was otherwise leaving a trail of apples everywhere we went. But, I'll take a bruised apple over a baby choking on an apple any day. Whatever keeps him happy that doesn't involve double-fisting apples.
After we finished picking apples we checked out the apple orchard store, which we somehow missed on previous trips. We went fall food wild! Apple syrup, mulling spices, cinnamon sticks, apple pumpkin bread, apple pie (heavenly!), apple cider donuts (world's greatest donuts, and I don't even like donuts)---just to name a few of the treats we went home with. We didn't buy any pumpkins just yet, but Ben had a darn good time showing us what he looks for in a pumpkin--bigger and heavier than he is!
As if I didn't almost die from the cuteness overload when he tried (unsuccessfully) to pick up a watermelon the other day, I had an even better time watching him try and pick up pumpkins. He gets an A+ for effort and for the determined noises he made.
As you can see, we were all in fall bliss after this trip. We went home and Andy made a delicious dinner incorporating some of our treats. We lit our fall-scented candles, Red-boxed a scary movie (of sorts), and decorated the house with some fall decor. We meant to make a fire to add to the effect, but forgot. Luckily, we have many fall weekends ahead of us! Happy fall to all and to all a good night!
Ben's 1st birthday celebration was actually an all-day affair! I am pretty sure (really hope) he had as much fun as we did. I feel like I say this multiple times a day, but I just cannot believe Ben is a 1 year old! I feel like he was just born, yet at the same time, I can't imagine life without him! He brings us so much happiness and love on a daily basis. We started off the day with a run/walk supporting the hospital that took such great care of our little man. We had a team last year, but since Ben and I were in the hospital, we were obviously not able to participate. I am so happy that we were able to join in the fun this time around! The weather was PERFECT and we had a team of 30+ of Ben's biggest fans. We are so blessed.
Although I could have used another month to get everything ready, thankfully my awesome mom helped bring my "Baby Fish" pinterest board to life. I am happy with how everything turned out, but of course there are more things I wanted to do.
Possibly my proudest (and definitely most time consuming) DIY project was the piñata my friend Maggie and I made. It was a labor of love despite the fact that it took a bit way longer than we were anticipating. But, the end product was totally worth it. It was a hit with the kiddos and I didn't even cry when it got destroyed.
I was pleased to learn that the fish theme was actually pretty easy. There is a lot of fish stuff out there! One of my favorite finds was the little tin pails I found (for 50% off!) in the $1.00 section at Target. They even had little chalkboard squares where the kids could write in their names. I bought some of those sitcky foam pieces, underwater themed, of course, so everyone could decorate their own pail for the piñata.
My mom had just given Ben his first frito, so he was less than interested in taking a few whacks with the bat, but he enjoyed watching the other kids and when the piñata was broken, he even got right in there and pretended that he eats candy just like the big kids. Maggie and I had such good craftswomanship that the sturdy fish lasted until the oldest kid beat the ---goodies out of it. I didn't want the moms to hate me too much, so I tried to throw in some non-candy things as well, but I am pretty sure everyone left with lots of sugar.
Ben was such a champ at his party. Fortunately, he was able to sneak in a nice long nap between the walk and the party. Maybe he is just used to getting loved on all the time, but he was as happy as can be the entire afternoon, or at least until it was cake time.
I cannot say that I am surprised he didn't love the cake, but I was totally hoping he would. I know it appears that he actually likes the cake in these pictures, but do not be fooled!
My dad has the video, but these faces give you a glimpse of his ultimate reaction. That picture on the left is my absolute favorite. (Courtesy of Auntie Anna.)
While I was so happy that the weather was absolutely beautiful, I was even more excited that over 50 (!!!) of Ben's family and friends came over to celebrate with us. I love how much he is loved, and it was such a wonderful celebration not only of Ben, but also of his fan club.
All in all, the party was a huge success. I think Ben's favorite parts were the balloons and the company. Happy birthday, sweet boy! You are our world and we love you more than anything. XOXO
Ben's 1st haircut couldn't have taken more than 15 minutes, but there was so much cuteness packed into this relatively short amount of time. He was such a champ and he really only got a little upset when the electric razor thing came out. I probably broke the world record for number of pictures taken during a first haircut, but I could not help myself. No sooner had we set him in that jeep chair did he start "driving" away and checking out all of the new toys.
New toys: check.
Keys? Double check.
STOP WITH THE PICS, MOM!
He smiled so nicely for his official haircut photo and he even got a certificate commemorating the day.
STUD!
For the record, he picked out a purple watch from the prize drawer.
Happy fan
I kind of miss his little sideburns, so I probably won't let those be cut next time, but regardless, we headed home with one handsome baby.
We had to distract you with one of your old nuks from when you were a teeny tiny NICU babe.
Dear Ben,
Happy 1st birthday!! This has, without a doubt, been the fastest and most wonderful year of my life! When I think back over the past year, I am simply amazed at how far you've come. You have more than tripled your birthweight and you are nearly a foot taller--a whole FOOT! I love comparing pictures of you from when you were a baby to what you are like now. You are truly an amazing little miracle and you have blessed our lives in an infinite number of ways. Although you had a rougher road with more obstacles in your way than many, you have grown and developed right on (or ahead of) schedule. You have been an inspiration to so many people, especially moms who are pregnant with omphalocele babies. I could not be more proud to be your mom. People tell me on a daily basis how cute you are, which is true, but you're so much more than a cute baby. Your little personality and spirit are so mature for your age, and you make others smile just as soon as they meet you. There really are not enough words to describe how truly amazing you are.
Look at how big that black plastic clip used to be!!
GENERAL: You are just over 17 pounds and around 29 inches, I believe. Unfortunately, we had to switch pediatricians and we cannot get in to see your new one for a whole month! (Boo!) But, we still have a baby scale and I attempt to measure you on my own, so we're pretty close here. You just seem to get smarter and more grown up by the day. It makes me happy and sad at the same time.
I totally prefer you on the OUTside of the belly.
EATING: Feeding you has been stressing me out! I am always worried that you are not eating enough, which is the main reason I am bummed about the month wait to get in to see the pediatrician. You just do not like to eat much. Only in the past few days have you started to like to eat table food a little more. You love raspberries and grapes. You still love your yogurt for breakfast. You seem to do better when we just leave food on your tray and then you eat it on your own terms. I will still mix the higher fat/protein baby food jars with some of the other baby foods that you like, and you usually eat that pretty well. You are even liking the bottle less and less, though you are not too interested in using a sippy cup. You do like to take sips from a regular cup, but this usually ends up coming right back out. Although I worry about your eating on a daily basis, I will say you have made a lot of progress from the video below!
SLEEP: Your sleeping has been all over the place lately. Some days, you will sleep through the night, and sometimes you will be up every few hours. I think this is because you're teething quite a bit. You had 2 little teeth for the longest time, but now there are 2+ starting to make their way through on the top plus another one on the bottom. This is probably at least part of the reason that you have not been that interested in eating lately. Back to the sleep, you are going down so nicely for both naps and at night. You only squawk a bit on a rare occasion, but usually you will just go right to sleep. We can put you to sleep awake and you'll roll on to your tummy with your little butt up in the air and fall right to sleep.
1st day as a 1 year old (looking a bit like a 5 year old :/)
FINE/GROSS MOTOR: You continue to be the busiest guy in town. When you are awake, you are constantly moving around! You walk, climb (stairs and shelves), and you run too. If you see something you want, you are quite determined to get it! You like to turn the pages in books and are getting better at listening to the books instead of wanting to rip the pages. You got one of those shape sorter things for your birthday, and you are pretty darn good at putting the appropriate blocks into the matching holes. You still love emptying things: drawers, laundry baskets, the bins under your changing table. You are constantly making a mess. We finally got wise and put the locks on the kitchen cabinets, so that makes things a little safer these days. Although, instead of going in to the cabinets, you now like to push chairs around the kitchen. You just learned that you can push both the tall chairs in the kitchen and your highchair, so you do that whenever you get the chance. You also like to hid from us and think it is the funniest thing when we find you!
COMMUNICATION/COGNITION: As I sort of mentioned before, you are quite good at getting what you want. You do a LOT of pointing and grunting. We are trying to get you to use words or signs, but you still prefer to point. You will sign "more" but it doesn't always seem like it is related to wanting more of something. You love to wave and will wave whenever you here "bye bye." You will also put your little hand to your ear and pretend you're talking on the phone whenever you hear "hi Benji!" I am not quite sure when you picked that up, as we don't talk on the phone that often, but you definitely like to do it! You will also hold up your pointer finger when we ask how old you are--so smart! You still say "mama" and "dada" the most with an occasional "nana" or "Anna" thrown in there. You love pointing to noses when asked where someone's nose is. You still have the best little laugh, though you usually bring out the fake one for us. :) I should probably add a SOCIAL category to discuss all of your social activities. You went to your first play group at the library last week. While I was very sad that I couldn't bring you, Nana sent me lots of pictures to keep me happy. It looked like you were having so much fun and Nana confirmed that this was the case. Once I get more organized, I'm going to start taking you to music class on Saturdays. You love being around other kids. You still love other adults, but you are not quite as trusting as you used to be. You still cling to momma in the morning or if there are strangers around, but you can usually be distracted pretty easily. It breaks my heart to leave you in the morning, especially if you are crying, but you always are smiling when you wave to me as I drive away, so that makes me feel better.
Big boy at play group.
Well, I could go on and on about why you are the best baby ever, but I am eager to get to the post about your birthday party! I love you soooo much, Benjiboo! Thanks for a wonderful year! Happy 1st birthday! XOXOXO
A "weekend recap" on a Wednesday means we are almost to the next weekend already. Woohoo! And since I took off on Friday, tomorrow is like my Friday--double woohoo! AND since I can wear jeans to this culture training course I have tomorrow--triple woohoo! Even more exciting yet is the fact that my sweet little baby turns ONE on Friday! I've been far more emotional about this milestone than I ever thought I would be, but I'll leave the sappy post for later. :) We started the weekend with a "goodbye to summer, hello to fall" street festival. (I made that name up, but that's kind of what it felt like.) I do love summer, but I am also one of fall's biggest fans, so I'm ready for cooler temps and fall scented everything. We didn't have a ton of time, but with corn on the cob, glowsticks, and climbing on street signs all in absolutely perfect weather, you can't go wrong.
According to Benj, what good is a street festival if you can't be in the street? He took full advantage of the roads being closed. The little man was walking around like he owned the place. He even convinced me to let him try a snow cone. The guy loves weekends as much as his mom.
Saturday was the wedding of my former coworker and running buddy but current all around awesome friend, Hannah. I would post pictures from the ceremony, but they are perhaps the worst pictures I've ever taken. (Worse than the blurry touchdown pictures posted below.) I cannot even blame it on the fact that a wicked storm took out the electricity in the church for the entire ceremony. Fortunately, there were plenty of candles and it was debatably even better without the lights. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was quite stunning as well. Think barn wedding pintrest style. I feel like I am always writing about how I am not an animal lover (maybe I am just in denial??), but I have always loved the rustic yet classy and tasteful look of an outdoors, country reception. Her parents live on a beautiful piece of land. Andy and I were in love with it! Congrats, Hannah & Matt! You 2 are a fabulous pair!
Cutting the gluten-free pie.
Andy + Benji + Animal = Happiness
Love these boys so much.
Eating ice, showing the flower girls his sticks...just another day in the life.
Sweaty baby who doesn't seem too interested in his momma.
We had an amazing time and I wish we could have stayed longer, but we left fairly early to get Ben to bed and to rest up before the Tough Mudder on Sunday. Andy and I have both done this "challenge" before, but never together, so we decided to give it a whirl. (Another one of those ideas that seemed awesome in the winter when we signed up...) Our team of 6+ ended up being a team of 3, but we still had fun! I wasn't as competitive with myself as I was in the past, so I did skip a few, but I think I'm still tough. I'm not at tough as Andy who dominate every obstacle. However, neither of us are as tough as Benji---toughest guy I know.
It appears as though I also lost 10# during the run. Sweet!
Although we had an awesome time, despite my ridiculous sunburn, I was more than ready to get back to my Benji. He and grandpa loved their quality time together, but being away from Ben on the weekend is something I do NOT like to do. We were able to watch some of the Packers game together before bedtime. Although these pictures are not the best, he is still the cutest little fan ever. He learned "touchdown" so quickly!
As you can see in the middle picture, his hair has really grown. Thus, he got his first haircut this week! It was pretty much the cutest thing ever and it deserves its own post. So much to write about and so little time! Did I mention that I will soon have a ONE year old?!?!
I think it goes without saying that long weekends are the best weekends, and this past weekend did not disappoint. We kicked off our Saturday morning with a trip to the petting farm with some of our friends. Although I am not what one might call an animal lover, I had an absolute blast, as did the boys--obviously! I am going to let the pictures do most of the talking. You could get up close and personal with a ton of animals. You could even milk a cow! (Only Andy did that.) The first thing we did, and perhaps the highlight of the trip, was Ben's pony ride! It was SO cute. His horseback riding auntie was so proud! I, on the other hand, was in shock that my baby is turning into such a big boy! Babies do not ride horses!
As if Ben riding the horse wasn't too cute for words, the ridiculous levels of cuteness continued when he got off of the horse and found a Benji-sized pony. And then he asked for one for his birthday.
"We're going to be friends forever."
Even I got into the animal fun. I was just thankful that the goats weren't trying to sit on my lap and eat my clothes like they were doing to someone else in the group...
While Andy was spending his free time looking for quarters so he could feed the animals, I was spending my free time making sure that everyone's hands were sanitized. Yep, Benj, pointing to the animals is just as fun as feeding and petting them.
I am happy to say that the boys stayed on the outside of Patty the (700#!!) pig's pen.
More pointing.
When Ben wasn't pointing and grunting at the animals, he was staring at them so intently. "Guess what? My mom likes to eat chicken." (**I had to ask Andy for verification that the bird was indeed a chicken.**)
Ben and his bud decided they wanted to become one with the animals, and thus they ended up in the corn trough. Look at them sharing so nicely!
And since working the farm is exhausting, the boys made sure to relax on a hay ride and in the hay barn. Andy was so proud that Ben knew what to do with the straw to be more farmer-like. (Hay/straw--what's the difference?? And why do they chew on that anyway??)
Ben literally fell asleep the instant we drove away--a sure sign of a great day! We had to get home to see one of our favorite people---Maggie! She came to help get things together for Ben's party. We were up crafting and laughing past midnight (a rarity for me) and there's one project in particular that we are especially proud of. I will have to post more about our slumber party later-- I don't want to ruin any of the birthday party detail surprises. ;) Sunday was a lazy day until we decided to introduce some more friends to our beloved beer garden. They have 2 little girls who doted on Benji the entire time. Even when it started to rain, they made sure he was ok--so sweet.
"I can't hold my bottle, I have to hold my stick with one hand and relax with the other hand."
Monday, labor day, was also Auntie Anna's birthday! Auntie tried to let Benj practice for his upcoming celebration. He did not seem overly interested, so hopefully that will change in the next 10 (ahh!!!!) days!
I apparently did not take too many pictures, but that is only because Benji and I were so busy playing football (in our matching vests.)
As with all weekends, I was sad to see this one go. Back to reality, but it's a shortened week and we have plenty shenanigans in store for this coming weekend! Thanks to my wonderful family and friends for another memorable weekend.
