9 Months!

Dear Benjamin,
Today you are 9 months old. I spent some time today over some of your old blog posts and videos of when you were just a peanut. Soon, you'll no longer be a baby -- you'll be a toddler. It seems with every day, you're more aware of your world. You crawl all over the house. You "tinker" in the corner with your toys (your dad coined the phrase tinker). You giggle at the cat and the dog. You get quiet when you're tired. You sometimes sleep 9 hours straight. Two weeks ago, you weaned yourself and only take a bottle now. You're quite digging peaches but can't stand broccoli. You get impatient when we feed you because you just want to feed yourself but you end up making a mess and the dog happy.. You seem to know that you're supposed to smile at the camera now where as before you'd just stare and wonder what you're suppose to do. Gone is the blue bath tub -- you're taking baths like a big boy. Also gone is your toothless grin -- you have two bottom teeth and by all the drooling and chewing, I bet you'll have two more by your 10th month.

You're a little traveling -- my guess you get this from your father. Your dad loves carrying in his backpack. You've been carried all over Bend in this pack and even Portland. You survived a long trip in the car with the company of your monkey, bunny and bear. We stopped to visit your girlfriend Sarah and you played with all of her toys while she ate her lunch. You hung out in IKEA and ate French Fries, mash potatoes and Swedish meatballs. You took long naps and watched the gorgeous Oregon scenery pass you by.

You're becoming attached to your blue blankey and white rabbit. You cuddle up next to both when you're tired.

What a month, my little man. I can't wait for next month!

Love,
Momma

Happy 7 months, a little late

Husker baby
Originally uploaded by Shanlee

Benjamin,
You turned 7 months old the day before Christmas Eve. You celebrated this day in Omaha, Nebraska hanging out with your cousins, aunt, uncles, grandpas, grandmas, great grandma, great aunts and uncles. You have a big Bohemian Polish family who just loved you to pieces.

You were an angel of a baby on both days we spent traveling. Everyone on all six planes (yes, 3 planes each way) comments on your happy good nature. I am truly a lucky mother. You sat quietly on your dad's lap playing and napping. We did a lot of running around in Omaha and you were a trooper and did a lot of car seat sleeping. You were passed around and kissed and hugged and even thrown in the air by your Uncle Casey.

While you were in Omaha, you developed a cold but you wouldn't let that get you down.

In the past month, you have began really enjoying your solids. Your favorite food is pears and you go crazy or Mum Mums. You also started pulling yourself up and you're doing the Polish Crawl (going backwards). Any day, you'll be heading forward. You will sit up on your own for a while and then topple over but it is getting better each day.

We're still on "Tooth Watch 2008." Nothing yet but my guess is they are coming because you're drooling all over everything.

OH and on Christmas Day you looked right at me and said "mama." What a treat.

I love you, little buddy.

Momma

Happy 7 months

Grandpa Casey and Ben with their hats
Originally uploaded by Shanlee

Benjamin,
Today you have turned 7 months old. I can't write much because we're visiting all of your Polish relatives in the land of corn. I'm not surprised that you are doing so well with all the hauling around and visiting. Thank you for being a good spirited baby.

This photo is of you and your Grandpa Casey. He bought you that hat you're wearing to match his. His hat is actually seal and beaver while yours is leather and sheep wool.

Off to visit some more folks. A complete post about your 6th month is soon to come.

Love,
Momma

"What!?! You're not supposed to eat it this way?"

"What!?! You're not supposed to eat it this way?"
Originally uploaded by Shanlee

We're back from our first airplane ride with Lil B. The plane ride down to Arizona went better than expected and of course, everyone loved him. He didn't take the best naps but he did really good at sleeping at night. He isn't a big fan of being passed around and was really overstimulated on Saturday night but Sunday he was back to normal though the grandparents and us kept him up an hour late and then had to wake him up an hour early to head to the airport. The plane ride home was a different story as he was really fussy and had to be nursed to sleep during take off and landing. Photos from the trip can be seen here.

Ben just loves his feet. Every opportunity he gets, he is sticking them in his feet. We also think he's teething but I'm sure they won't pop up right away.

On a non-related baby note, our 13 year old cat Zach was put down today. He had been sick for a while and there was nothing we could do about. When we got home, he wasn't moving but breathing. He eyes were open so we laid him in the sun until Brian took him to the Central Oregon Humane Society to be put to sleep and cremated.

RIP Zackers. We will miss you sitting in the sun.