mr. & mini

***eyes***

6 months old!

6 month check up - run down

the next day

Shortly after.

3 hours, one bottle and some squash & rice later

The appointment went well. He was smiling and flirting with everyone in the office. The shot was tough for a minute, but Ben was brave. Then, we went to the lab to have blood drawn.
15 mins (in lab chair), 2 different nurses, several prods, both arms and lots of crying later...they were able to get one vial. At one point the nurse said "it's going to blow" a few times, then she said "it blew" WHAT- BLOW-BLEW-HUH??? As I looked down, blood was pooling up under his skin. I was starting to get a bit jumpy watching it, then, quickly reminded myself to keep control. I almost pulled the needle out myself, but she was already in the process.

I was complimented on how well I kept my cool. They said most moms "act a fool". I told them I'd hang on for about 3 more minutes until I got to the parking lot. I feel like I just swam 10 laps under water without coming up for any air, so I can only imagine how little Benny boy feels! He was so so brave!

He's grown an inch and gained 2 lbs since his last appt one month ago. 16 lbs, 25 3/4 in

Both are just a little smidge below "average". Although, the doc says not to worry about how he stacks up against the rest of the world, but how he stacks up against himself over the last 6 months. I agree! His height is exactly proportional to his weight. He is growing perfectly when looking at his growth chart (since birth).

Basically, he's a beautiful, healthy, amazing, big blue eyed baby boy!!
Way to go Ben!

ben and q...just so cute!

ben and dad

cooling off

pureed avocado = success

boyne mountain --right before the camera died

ben in dad's hat waving???

the boys on the road

visit with great grandma kuper and buzz & marilyn

i'm not sure why these ended up as videos.

ben deciding which food will be his 1st

5 months later

august 12, 2009
march 6, 2009

ben's thoughts on camping

an overall...

i had great intentions of logging each day. i will, eventually. here are some facts and pics.

like ben loved camping! his best sleep was in the tent. hotel beds didn't fit his mood.
his days became his nights and vice versa.
he enjoyed "swimming" in the lakes, pools and hot tub (for a minute).
he had a blast playing in the sand and hopes to do it again soon.
he loved riding with dad in the baby carrier.
he liked eating sweet potatoes. he didn't understand that he couldn't just suck the spoon to get more food. still working on it.

itinerary:
day 1 indiana day 2 illinois & muskegon day 3 ludington
day 4 manistee & frankfort & boyne
day 5 traverse city & petosky & st. ignace day 6 higgins lake
day7 tawas day 8 hamtramck

pics from michigan travels

mom and ben checking out the view - st. ignace


ben stretching out after a long drive



snoozing in the tent - higgins lake



playing in the sand - lake michigan hoffmaster



just waking up in the tent


ben showing how much he digs camping



having a drink after a long car ride - boyne mountain



ben and dad hanging out

advice for parents------from ben

1. ck weather reports before camping.
2. make back up plans.
3. decide to be decisive.
4. ck anything that will be filled with air before leaving town.
5. remember to enjoy and laugh. mom and dad keep laughing hysterically and say, "at least we're together".

1st trip --- day 3

We took video of Ben at the beach. He absolutely loved slithering around nudy in the sand! However, I did not bring that cord. The video will also come later. Such a bummer!

We left Hoffmaster at 1pm and headed north to Ludington. All weather reports were predicting rain, so we started looking for a hotel.

Found one at the outskirts of town, although, you wouldn't know it hearing the cost. We spent a little time in the pool and hot tub. I forgot the camera again and it was too cold to run back and get it.
Bad mom, I know.

Ben decided to work his own schedule today. Sleeping in the car last night, I didn't have a clock, so I trusted his rooting this morning. He was an hour early.
Lets just say...he was really out of sorts tonight. Combo of being off schedule and not keeping him locked in his little seat for ridiculous amounts of time today. We probably threw him off!

1st trip --- day 2

It was a rough sleep for Ben and subsequently for mom and dad too. We woke up early, ate breakfast and took a quick dip in the pool. Ben seemed to enjoy it, although it was a tad cold. (I forgot the camera.) Now we're off to Illinois to see grandma Kuper and hopefully other family members. More later.

We spent some time with grandma and ate lunch with Buzz and Marilyn. It was great seeing all of them. Ben made grandma smile a couple of times. He was a big hit with everyone! We took some great pictures, then left the charger and connector wire at grandmas. Crap! Pics added later.

We started late again today. The 3 hour drive to Hoffmaster State Park was actually more like 6 hours. Chicago traffic and Ben needing to eat during the trip due to the delay. We actually tried to cancel reservations, but couldn't.

We finally rolled into camp at sunset. Matt set up camp and I soothed a very patient and exhausted Ben. It was perfect - a big tent, an air mattress, some food and a sleeping baby. It was perfect - until mom and dad got in the tent or should I say on the mattress. It seemed ok initially, but by 2am (I cked my phone) we were sleeping on the hard ground. The mattress had a big leak! So, Ben slept on me waking up 3 or 4 times frustrated wanting to roll. Around 4am, Ben and I finally moved ourselves to the backseat of the car. Much more comfortable!

1st trip --- day 1

We got off to a late start, finally leaving Detroit at 5pm. Ben was a great traveler, mostly. He sang, yelled (Ben's version of talking) and fussed to let us know when it was time to pull over to eat. We entered Indiana at sunset. Our plan was to set up camp at Indiana Dunes State Park. It's beautiful. Unfortunately, all campsites were full. We tried two other campgrounds in the forest. Both were full. At this point the sun had set completely, so we settled on the Days Inn.
See how happy Ben was to be free!