Happy 1st Day of Pre-Preschool, Ben!

My baby boy is truly stepping into the role of being a BIG boy!  I could not possibly be prouder of him, but it makes me sad that he is growing up so fast!  He amazes me every day and I need to start writing down the things he says and does.  This morning, for example, it was thundering out and he was looking outside trying to find the thunder and he kept saying, "Ben hold the thunder!  Ben hold it!"  He did not like my answers as to why he couldn't hold it.  :)  He wants to hold and do everything these days.  A day does not go by where we don't hear, "Ben hold it!" or "Ben do it!" at least 5 times.  When he isn't demanding to hold things, he is such a sweetheart.  The other day, I had an OB appointment before work and I told him I had to go to the doctor.  In his most empathetic and concerned little voice, he said, "Momma feel better" and gave me a hug.  Heart melted!  He was watching a YouTube video of the "5 Little Monkeys" song the other day, and when the monkeys fell off the bed, they got huge red bumps on their heads.  He was nearly in tears each time and by the end of the song he had almost lost it completely.  He didn't want to see those monkeys in pain!  Love him.  He learns at least 10 new words a day, including "iridescent," which he used to describe the wings of a bug he saw today.  Yep, he "plays" with spiders, slugs, and other bugs at Nana's house!  I could go on and on about how smart, curious, funny, mischievous, and loving he is, but I don't want to stay up too, too late.  ;)

We have been talking about school a lot for the past few weeks, in hopes of getting him excited about going to school!  Even though he has the same teachers this year that he had last year, we went to the "meet the teachers" event last week.  Have you ever seen a boy more ready for school?!

Andy and I were both able to go and he seemed to fit right back in.   He didn't even seem to mind when I had to leave for work.  (Andy was still with him.)

He has definitely been talking about school and his teachers all the time, but we didn't know how he would do when it came time to leave him there.  But first things first, Daddy had to make sure that Ben went to school with a full tummy, so he made pancakes while Ben took a bath.  Thankfully and surprisingly, there were no tears when Ben got out of the bath and realized that he didn't get to help daddy pour everything in the bowl and then "stir! stir! stir! so fast!"  I didn't have a pancake, but I am absolutely certain that they tasted better because they were shaped like leaves.

Ben approved!

Both Ben and Andy were good sports for some first day of school pictures.  I hope they continue to be this cooperative for the next 15ish years.

Andy had a last minute meeting on Wednesday morning, but thankfully I was able to take Ben to his first day!  I wouldn't have missed it for the world!  My mom didn't want to miss it either.  In the past, he would cry when he saw his school, but this time, he was so brave.  He did day, "Nana carry you," as soon as we walked in the building, but no tears. 

Unfortunately we didn't get a great picture of the 2 of us outside of his school, but you get it.  :)  (I look extremely pregnant in this picture.  Or maybe that is just how I look these days???)

Ben walked us right down the hall to his classroom and found his cubby box and proceeded to hang his "nee nee" on his box.  He was quite proud of his handiwork.  He is the "dog" this year, which is the perfect animal for him.

I almost died from the cuteness when he hung up his bag on his little dog hook.  He walked right on in like he owned the place.

He then went and put his lunchbox on the shelf.

He was so excited to play that he barely had time to give me a smooch before I left.

There were ZERO tears from Ben the whole day, which is more than I can say for myself and for the mom next to me who was SOBBING as she dropped her daughter off.  My mom and I watched Ben through the 1 way window and he just went from toy to toy, checking everything out, being the busy boy that he is.  There was another boy who was crying his little head off, which I was afraid was going to cause Ben to cry, but instead he just said, "boy sad" a few times.

Andy picked Ben up from school, and he didn't get the detailed report that I like, but basically they said he had a great day!  I want to verify this with the teacher, but it seems as though he actually napped on one of the cots in the room!!  This is huge since Ben never falls asleep on his own for naps **spoiled** and last year, one of the teachers would hold him until he fell asleep and then she would put him into a stroller.

Needless to say, I was beaming with happiness and pride that Ben had such a good 1st day of school.  I hope he continues to love going to school-- forever for that matter!  He loved telling me about what he did at school and he says that he wants to go back, so fingers crossed Monday is equally successful.

Well, the Packers lost, Andy is sleeping, and my computer is about to die, so it's off to bed.  Happy Friday!

Weekend Recap: Birthdays!!!

Ben is in bed (after pooping A LOT in the tub tonight), the Packers are on, there's pumpkin beer for Andy and a pumpkin candle going for me, baby has been kicking like crazy, and I finally have time to blog!  Life is so good.  A lot has happened over the past week.  Of course, we always love a 3 day weekend over here.  Weekends are going to be a little different around here with Andy in school and needing to study all the time, but you better believe we are still going try and make the best of our time together.  On Saturday morning, I went to the gym and Andy and Ben (in stroller) ran to check out the Great Clips near our house.  I met the boys there for Ben's 23rd haircut.  Ok, not quite that many, but his hair sure grows fast!  (Don't mind Andy's sweat, remember he RAN there and it was pretty muggy that day!)  Ben wasn't too sure of things at first, but any time he got upset, we would ask him what color sucker he was going to pick for being so brave and he would be happy once again.

For the first time since his first haircut, there were no tears!  He is growing up waaaay too fast.   I always get a little sad when he gets a haircut because he looks older.  I miss the mop, but he is equally handsome with his short 'do.

I kindly drove Andy home after the haircut so he could study, and Ben and I did a little shopping.  First stop: the mall.  First stop at the mall: the food court for some fries.  This was still in the 10:00 hour, mind you.  First batch of the day!

I haven't gone shopping one on one with Ben lately, but he is busier than I remembered him being.  I finally let him out of the stroller at Baby Gap, which wasn't my best move.  I would look at something for a millisecond and someone would disappear…  He thinks he is so darn funny.  (He is.)

Super Nana aka my mom magically appeared and for some reason wanted to take him on her off day, so I did get to shop in peace for awhile. ;)  After our mall trip, we went to….Hobby Lobby!!  I forgot that there is a new-ish Hobby Lobby about 25 minutes from our house.  Since I have been itching for some new fall decor, I was beyond excited to check it out.  I wish I could say the same for my shopping buddy…

Yes, those are Christmas trees and ornaments and yes, it is a wee bit early for such things, but I would be lying if I said it didn't make me a wee bit excited.  ;)  I may have gone a little overboard on the fake pumpkin decor, but I absolutely love our fall house!  The pumpkins make all of us happy so they are here to stay until it is time for Christmas festiveness.  

Sunday was my mom's birthday, so Ben and I stopped over there for a bit.  We've had so many birthdays in our family lately that Ben has really gotten in to cake.  Whenever we ask him what he wants for his birthday, he says, "CAKE!"  I'm sure you won't take much more than a bite or 2 of your cake, but you better believe you will be getting a nice big "uh-nilla" cake.

After cake, we headed to the pool!  I couldn't believe that the last time we were at this pool it was Memorial Day weekend.  I blinked and it was Labor Day weekend.  Unfortunately Fortunately for me, I didn't even pack our swimming stuff, but Nana just so happened to have a spare swimming suit, swimming diaper, sandals, and a flotation device for Ben.  He had the whole little pool to himself.

I think his favorite part was splashing Auntie Anna though!

After a fun day at the pool, it was time to go hang out with daddy!  I forgot that I had a massage scheduled on Sunday evening, so went to have the most amazing massage I've had in a long time while  the boys went to Andy's parents' house since they were having people over.  I got a massage and a solo Target trip while Ben and Andy got to eat, socialize, and play with balls outside--a perfect night for all!

Our labor day was pretty free of labor.  Well, except for Andy who studied hard for almost the whole day.  I am drawing blanks on what Ben and I did all day, but I'm sure it was fun.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all the mommy-Benji one on one time I've been getting lately.  He is such a fun boy to hang out with!  Auntie Anna's birthday is September 2, so on Monday evening, we celebrated my mom's birthday and Anna birthday as well.  I don't have many pictures from the day, but it was your typical meals of fruit for Ben, chicken for me, and steak for everyone else. :)  Love that little nugget's face!

Ben had to get up close for the singing/cake/candle action!

We had a blast celebrating some of our favorite people this past weekend!  We had so much fun that we wanted to celebrate Auntie Anna on her actual birthday as well.  We met her for Noodles and Andy RAN (6 miles) to meet us afterwards for fro-yo.  Everyone wants to celebrate Auntie Anna!

We were out a little later than we probably should have been since Ben had his 1st day of SCHOOL the next day, but it was worth it!  I'll save the first day fun for its own post.  :)

24 Weeks

How far along? 24 weeks
Maternity clothes? I'm definitely wearing maternity pants at all times, but I'm still trying to make some of my non-maternity tops work.  
Best moment this week: I can never complain about a 3 day weekend!  We had fun celebrating my mom and Auntie Anna this past weekend. 
Miss anything? Not really.  
Movement:  He kicks a ton!  I'm not sure if he could feel him last week, but Andy can definitely feel him kick now too.  I've tried to have Ben feel too, but he doesn't like to wait around for him.  He does like to give my belly hugs and kisses though which is just the sweetest thing.  
Sleep: I'm still sleeping like a dream!  I can hardly believe it.  
Food cravings:  No.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.   
Labor signs: No way.
Exercise: I'm still running a lot and I love it!  I've been waking up around 5, sometimes without an alarm, to go to the gym.  I usually will run either  0.25 or 0.5 miles and then walk 0.25 miles and alternate between running and walking.   I really missed working out when I was pregnant with Ben, and I feel like a rockstar that I've been able to exercise more this time around.  
Looking forward to:  I'm not looking forward to Andy being gone this weekend, but I am obviously excited for all the one-on-one time I will get with Ben!

(I wish I could say that these pictures were taken on the correct date, but I'm actually over a week late in taking them and they may or may not have been taking on the same day as my 25 week pictures, just a different time of day…)

Baby FIsh…Round 2: 12 Weeks

I am beyond excited to announce that Baby Fish #2 is due to arrive in December 2014, just in time for Christmas!!  We, Ben included, are thrilled to be welcoming another little love into the family!  Here come the weekly bump pics! ;)

How far along? 12 weeks
Maternity clothes? I've been pulling out a few things here and there, more to just add some variety to my wardrobe since I recently purged my closets.  :)  I definitely feel like I've been showing for awhile now though!  Much earlier than last time.  I'm still in my regular clothes though.  
Best moment this week: Hitting the 12 week mark without any issues was pretty darn exciting!  We are going to wait until after the first trimester screen next Wednesday before sharing our good news with more people!
Miss anything? Nope.  I was tired for awhile, but for the most part, I've felt so great these past 12 weeks.  Feeling blessed and happy that it has been an uneventful first trimester.  People with non-high-risk pregnancies don't know how good they have it!!
Movement:  Sometimes I think I feel something, but I'm sure I don't quite yet.  :)  I can't wait 'til I do though!  Baby movements are the BEST.  
Sleep: Going to bed around 9:00 or so and getting up around 5:00-6:00.  I really can't complain at all.  I'm typically sleeping through the night too.  
Food cravings:  Not really.  
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.  
Labor signs: No way.
Exercise: I am so happy to say that I have been working out a lot this pregnancy thus far!  Maybe that is why I am feeling so good.  I've been running several times per week in the morning before work.  (Thanks for the early wakeup calls, Benj!)
Looking forward to:  Wednesday, the 18th!  Can't wait to see that little babe (again!)  Hoping and praying that everything looks great!  From what he could tell, the OB said that the abdominal wall looks great thus far!

PS I am finally publishing this and the rest of my weekly baby bump posts at 23 weeks!  I'm going to try and post them weekly and on time from now on.  The boards are simple black and white writing this time because I barely have time to take these before work in the morning!  Truth be told, the dates on the pictures probably do not match the date the pictures were actually taken.  They might even be a week (or more) off.  I am hoping that now that I am posting these for all to see, I will be more prompt with my photos and postings, but we shall see!  There are not enough hours in the day!

23 Weeks

How far along? 23 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yep. I had a bunch of maternity sun dresses from my last pregnancy, so I'm trying to wear them while it is still warm enough, even though I don't fill them out quite yet.  
Best moment this week: Well, Andy is home after being gone all week!  I also had a great (read: uneventful) doctor appointment yesterday.  
Miss anything? Not really.  
Movement:  I'm definitely feeling him kick, and he seems to be kicking more and stronger every day.
Sleep: For the most part, I sleep though the night and it is wonderful!!
Food cravings:  No, and I thankfully haven't been needing to snack so much before bed either!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Just those strong scents!  
Labor signs: No way.
Exercise: I'm running at least every other day!  It is actually running for a quarter to a half mile and then walking a quarter of a mile, but it feels so good.
Looking forward to:  A 3 day weekend with my boys!  We have no set plans and I'm pretty happy about this!

Weekend Recap: Daddy's Back!!

Andy was gone at school all last week, so we were beyond excited to see him on Saturday.  Although the week wasn't as hard as I was anticipating, it is still much better with him home!  Ben asked where daddy went every day and kept asking for him to come home.  It was so cute, as is everything he says these days.  It was a really busy week, but Ben and I managed to have a lot of fun too.  Ben's favorite event was undoubtedly when we went to Maddie's on Friday night.  Her birthday was on Sunday, so Ben picked out the perfect birthday presents for her: markers, a big roll of paper, and a giant  Frozen balloon.  :)  Even though I am pretty sure he wanted to keep everything, he graciously left everything for Maddie and he was genuinely excited to give her the presents.  And he helped open them too. ;)  As always, Sarah and I had a great night of girl talk and our college friend Sheila even drove up to join us. I really wish we could all hang out more often!!

We skipped swimming lessons again on Saturday morning. (I'm definitely not one to skip class like this, I'm just not impressed with the program at all.  It is essentially open swim, which can be done anytime, anywhere, more or less.)  Plus, we had bigger and better things to do like seeing Andy after a week without him!  We decided to meet him at school, so Auntie Anna, Uncle Joe, and Nana all took a road trip with us.  We stopped for a little lunch first and we met up with my Auntie Gail who lives in the area.   Ben loves spending the day with his aunties and uncle!

And of course, his Momma too!

There was so much to look at which was great, except that Ben was more interested in exploring the restaurant than eating.  We finally had to "motivate" him (the feeding clinic says "motivate" instead of "bribe") with a trip to the candy area.

All it took was a quick glance at all the goodies, and he polished off a good quarter of his grilled cheese sandwich.  I know that isn't much, but it was huge for him!  Auntie Gail let him pick out some treats. He had no problem making decisions.  :)

After the sweets, he got to go on the carousel with Auntie Anna.  I think it goes without saying that he loved it.

I'm not sure where Auntie Anna is in this picture, but he is looking like a riding pro in this picture.

The grand finale was Ben getting to eat the odd looking, over-priced sucker he picked out.

This quickly became a shirtless affair as green, yellow, and red sugar slobber dribbled everywhere.

The next stop was our beloved shoe store.  We've gone here every year for the past countless number of years and it is so fun each and every time.  Ben was really getting into it too.  I will have to take a picture of the cute shoes he got.  Size 7 already!

We all found a pair or two so I'd call that a successful trip!  Yes, we are spoiled by Auntie Gail.

We stopped by Auntie Gail's house for a bit before it was time to go meet Andy for dinner.

I can't believe we didn't take any pictures at dinner, but needless to say it was happy reunion for all!!  Ben was a little angel all day despite only taking two brief naps.  I just love spending time with that boy.  He makes everything so fun!

On Sunday morning, Daddy and Ben went to breakfast so I could go to the gym.  I ran, well, ran/walked my first 5k of this pregnancy!  I've been running a mile or two here and there, but it felt good to run 3!  I'm planning on doing a 5k run/walk in October, so I want to keep running as long as I can.  The doctor gave me the go ahead this morning and I'm feeling awesome.  Anyway, back to my boys!  We all ran some errands before Ben and I decided to give daddy some free time for homework.  (I see a lot of this in his future!)  It was about a million degrees outside plus it was raining on and off the whole day, so Ben and I decided to check out this indoor play area near our house.  I didn't know what to expect, but Ben LOVED it!

It was like all of Ben's favorite things in one location.  Digging and dumping.

Pounding!

Choo choos!

Dinosaurs

Shopping

And MORE!  We were there for a good two hours and then Andy joined us for more fun.  There were barely any people there, you can bring in your own snacks/meals, and you only have to pay for the kids, so it was $10 well spent!

This essentially wraps up our weekend!  It will be a busy two years with Andy back in school, but we've got this!  I'm so, so, so proud of him for taking this on and he is already studying like a machine!  We can't believe Ben is going to be 2!!! in a few weeks, so we know the next 2 years will fly as well!

Those bump pictures are still coming...

Weekend Recap: A Week Late!

In an effort to get up to date on my blog, I was going to skip last weekend and go straight to this weekend, but then I remembered that last weekend was way too good to neglect!  I also need to start posting my weekly bump pictures!  I've been taking the pictures and writing the weekly update, I just have yet to combine the two parts.  I'm hoping this week will be less hectic than last!  My weekend fun started with a surprise birthday party at work!  I totally ruined the surprise because they had planned a lunch surprise without knowing that I had an appointment for Ben over the lunch hour, but luckily the appointment was done earlier than expected.  Bonus: Ben and Andy got to stop by for some fun too.  Panera and sweets/treats galore…YUM!  Ben rolled up his sleeves and dove right in…to the gummy worms.  :)

We opted to skip swimming lessons on Saturday morning in exchange for a trip to the petting farm.  We met my co-worker/boss lady/friend there with her son, so Ben was loving having a buddy to hang out with.  Ben LOVES the animals and isn't afraid of them at all.  He must get that from his dad.  :)  He was a little bored waiting for our friends to arrive on the fake animals.  Bring on the real ones!

This petting farm is a bit of a drive, but definitely worth it.  I'm going to do my best to recap Ben's thoughts on some of the animals we saw.  First up were the chickens.  They were a little aggressive in their eating/pecking, so daddy did most of the work with the chickens. 

Speaking of aggressive, check out these goats!  You'd think they hadn't been fed all week!  I definitely kept my distance.  

Ben and daddy, on the other hand, were more than happy to feed them.  "Little ones…cuuute!"  Ben loves the little anything.  "Little one!" about his pancake this morning.   :)

Being on the other side of the fence from the goats was one thing, but going inside the fence was another.  And Ben was on board.  He was giggling so hard when the goats would jump up on Andy.  I was scared enough for both of us.

Ben made sure to get some pets in.

I am not sure what the difference is between the goats, but there were two separate areas.  Thankfully, the second group of goats were on a different diet so you couldn't feed them, only brush them.  They were much more tame.  Ben has grown a bit since last year's trip to the petting farm, but apparently he still rocks the same color combo.  

Next up was the kitten barn, which was a little more my speed.  Ben obviously approved as well.  He loved trying to give the kitty the ball, just like he does with Auntie Anna's kitty.  Luckily he isn't to the age where he asks for pets yet, because I'm pretty sure a kitty would be at the top of his list. 

Since he loved the baby kittens so much, we stopped by the baby chicks next.

I thought he might have liked the little chicks more than he did, but I suppose they weren't as cuddly to hold.

Somewhat surprising was his love for milking the cow.  First, he practiced on the fake cow.

Then, it was time for the real thing.  He laughed hysterically when the milk squirt out, and of course, wanted to do it again and again. 

This is the face of a happy cow milker!

Although I think it is a bit obvious that my primary role that morning was photographer, just for the record, I did pet an animal or two.

By the end of the day, either my fear of animal slobber was rubbing off on Ben, or he was just getting tired, but Ben ultimately reached his animal farm max.  Notice him putting up his feet so that the piggies wouldn't get his piggies.  That's a far cry from the boy who wanted kisses from nearly every other animal.  

All in all, it was a successful trip to the petting farm.  He was so excited about all of the animals he saw that he decided he didn't want to nap the rest of the day.  This at least lead to an earlier bedtime.  (Night #2 in his big boy bed!)  An earlier bedtime left plenty of time for Andy and me to have a nice dinner.  Andy was gone all last week, so he made me a delicious birthday dinner before he left.  I'm getting hungry just looking at all that good food again...

Sunday was a busy family day because my Aunt from Texas was in town (dad's side) and my cousins from New York were in town (mom's side), so we had a lot of people to see in one day!  Our first stop was my grandma's house to see my Auntie Laurie.  I neglected to get a picture of her with Ben, but I did manage to get one of Ben being the center of attention, as usual!

I also managed to get a picture of Ben and Great Grandma.  I think Ben is her favorite grandchild ever!

After Ben took a power nap in the car, it was time for family party number two: dinner at my mom's with my cousins on my mom's side of the family.  There were about 20 people there including 4 kids 3 years old and under, so it was a little chaotic but oh so fun.  Ben loves his cousin Simmy so much.  

Possibly too much, but for the most part he is pretty gentle.   :)

I'm missing one of the babies in this picture, but this is the best group shot that I have…

Ben had his usual for dinner that night.

In addition to a delicious dinner, we also celebrated my birthday!  I can't remember what happened to the cake, but something or someone got at it.  ;)

That didn't matter to Ben because he ate an ENTIRE PIECE of cake and was even asking for more cake the next day--happy birthday to me!

He was less interested in the candles, which I suppose is a good thing.  

It seems like most of my iPhone pics are blurry, but I did manage to take a few pictures with my real camera.   Good pictures too!  Ben loves his Uncle Joe!  Especially since he chased him as he ran into the woods in my mom's back yard.  

He was so excited to see his cousin Theo again too.  Partners in crime!

On Sunday night, Andy left for an immersion week for his grad school program.  In other words, he left to allow Ben to be the first to wish me happy birthday at 3:00AM on Monday morning.  :)  I won't complain though, because the next night, he slept so well that I was able to shower and get dressed before he woke up!  I had a decent day at work, but the highlight of my day was dinner with my family.  We missed Andy, but we still had fun!

Thanks to my wonderful family for spoiling me on my birthday and basically everyday for that matter!  32 seems old but I can't complain!  Life is so good.  Looking forward to seeing what this year will bring!

My goal is to finish this weekend's post tomorrow night and MAYBE, just maybe, get my bump pictures posted.