Over the Mountains and Through the Woods...

Last week we took a very nice vacation to Virginia to visit my dad and stepmom for Father's Day. Our time was spent relaxing, swimming, boating, and watching as many episodes of Deadliest Catch we could fit in.



Grandpa Bob and Grandma Judi got this lifevest for Ben so he could go on the boat. The thing comes right up to his nose. I think a less easy going baby would have been less compliant!

We got to the house before everyone was home from work so we quickly made out way down to the lake so Ben could have his first swim!



Oops forgot to rotate the pic :(



The water in the lake is very warm. Probably about as warm as his bath!



A little tentative at first...



But there is the smile! He really seemed to enjoy the water.





Grandma Judi spends some much overdue time with Ben.










And so does Grandpa Bob..



And even Uncle Travelling Matt is forced to play with Ben! ;)



This is a view of the dock coming down the lonnnngggg steps..





And a view back up to the house from the dock. Getting back up to the house carrying the baby and wet towels and a diaper bag and whatever else is no easy feat!



Shhh, Ben's sleeping!

The Many Faces of Benjamin..

I have fallen behind with pictures and posts....so in an effort to just get the pics up....here are a bunch. I couldn't think of any theme or anything...its just a bunch of pictures that my mom took when they were here a week or so ago.


























How cute is this sweater my mom made? It is actually not for Ben, but for his cousin who is yet to be born! She will be about 4 months when it starts getting chilly so mom wanted to make sure it was the right size for her ;)



This sweater is SOOO adorable....I have heard word that one in the appropriate Benjamin size is in the works as we speak!



This beautiful crocheted set was made by my friend Gina. While it doesn't quite go with the Elmo t-shirt and denim shorts it is still GORGEOUS and will be a treasured gift!

Happy Father's Day!

Remember That Post About Peaceful Slumber...

Now that Ben can roll over on his own I am constantly finding him in strange positions.....and ASLEEP! He actually takes real naps now on his belly instead of the constant cat naps all day.



In an effort to get some stuff done in the morning I tried barricading Ben onto the activity mat with pillows since he likes to roll right off it. The pillows do absolutely no good because he seems to have super powers of some sort. You never see it happen, but he moves the pillows, turns around, and wriggles his way off the mat.....I am guessing.....I have never seen it happen.



He got a little farther this day before passing out in exhaustion LOL...and I swear I only leave the room for a minute. I leave him on his back happily pulling at the little hanging animals...I come back and he is like this. Looks like a crime scene!



A close up of the suspect!



Today he managed to actually make it to the crib for his nap. I just went to check on him and found him like this. Turned half way around and his rear way up in the air! Too cute! I think it is too hot up there for him to ever wake up...its been almost 3 hours!

Ben saw the pediatrician yesterday and he is 13lbs2oz and 25inches! He is strong and healthy. The doctor commented on his incredible alertness (this post aside LOL) and advanced motor skills *beaming mommy*

General Ben's Address to the Troops

So tomorrow our little boy turns 4 months and officially begins the second quarter of his first year.



And with this momentus occassion Ben has met some great milestones...



First, he now can grab and hold onto toys...as you see in the bottom of this picture one of his new rattles.




He snuggles things, puts his feet in his mouth, and has begun teething (hence the hands in the mouth)




He is now capable of locomotion. The kid can't crawl obviously, but he definitely knows how to get around. The picture above is of him the other morning, still asleep. The thing is we put him to bed facing the opposite direction on the other side of the crib. He turned around and skootched all the way down the crib. And he always moves over against the bumper. We guess he prefers to feel tucked? We try not to worry since he seem to have no problem moving!



His cuteness has increased tenfold. ANNNDDD he can now turn over. Yesterday evening he turned from back to front and today he has been turning front to back and back to front over and over....The days of unsupervised play is over!