11.26.2012

Eleven Months: Little Mister



Benji boy you ARE in fact turning into quite the little boy! Cannot believe we're approaching the one year mark. On one hand it feels like you've been here forever but on the other hand how are you already so big?

I'm starting to feel like Ben's really beginning to understand some of the things I'm saying - or at least recognizing the routine of our day. He starts our mornings by crying out for "Maaa maaa ma" but always has big smiles for the person who greets him. He's been taking his bottle on his own for months now and it is nice to get in a few extra minutes of 'me' time while he's feeding himself in his crib. Ben is also getting better at independent play - or as I sometimes call it - independent mischief. He is so drawn to all the things he's not 'supposed' to be drawn to; electrical cords, iPhones, remotes, heat registers a dirty shoe, the vacuum (hey - we could start something here). Unfortunately his curiosity resulted in a burn on his left hand but with lots of love and some bandaids it has since healed quite well.

Ben had his first ear infection this month. When I opened up the antibiotics I squealed in delight as it was 'the banana medicine' that I loved as a child when I too required antibiotics. Ben took to it as quickly as I did which really made things a lot easier for both of us. Apparently white grape Tylenol is pretty tasty too. Broccoli cheese casserole - not so much.

Ben is really good at clapping his hands, giving hi-fives, shaking his head 'no' and jumping up and down in his bouncer or crib. He listens to stories, has started giving hugs (ah!) and waves hi. He's delighted to see his Grandparents whether in person or via FaceTime/Skype and 'chats' with them as well. He also has this thing with pushing the garage door button that is, well, adorable. I'm so proud of all his little skills but my absolute favourite of them is when Ben squeals with delight and races to the bannister when he hears his dad come home from work. Its great to see your child love the love of your life too!

Four teeth have emerged along with the ever growing hair that I still don't know what to do with (read: keep ignoring it for a while). Ben's standing up on his own without having to pull up on something but still requires something for stabilization like the ottoman, or my legs, or the wall, or the kitchen cupboards. I have a feeling I'll be cleaning up a lot of messes in the near future as he's getting into absolutely everything... and that's okay! Better to be curious and explore the world then let it pass you by.

This past month we celebrated Halloween which was a real treat for everyone. Our little monster was such a delight. We have been exploring in the snow a little bit and visiting friends in their cozy homes. We had a couple fun baking days and a few outings around the city but didn't head out too far - it's too cold! But we're going to do something about that very soon. Another plane ride on the horizon - fingers crossed it goes well!









11.20.2012

A Cold November Morning

Brrr! It's a grey chilly day; snowflakes falling intermittently, piles of ice built up on the streets, plumes of white exhaust billowing up from the cars that are warming in their driveways. It would be so easy to just to turn inward, pull up the duvet covers and hibernate right now (something I had the luxury of doing occasionally in my pre-parenthood days) but this is no longer the case.

We have a curious little person living in our home who is excited to wake up even before the sun rises. He cries out 'Ma ma ma' and holds his arms up for me. We spend the morning in our cozy fleece pajamas (well he does anyway) and we watch our neighbour across the fence preparing breakfast for her little brood as well. It's still dark by the time I've poured my coffee and unloaded the dishwasher. Ben is usually snacking away on the small pieces of cheese or banana I have cut up for him and I strain to keep my eyes open while pouring a bowl of cereal for myself. I was never a morning person, nor do I think I'll ever be, but I see how excited my little guy is to embrace the day and I can't help but think that he's really on to something.

Yes it's dark, yes it's cold, yes I'm tired and would prefer to go back to sleep. But here lies a window of opportunity in our day when we can spend some quiet time with each other, not yet rushing to get errands done or having to answer the ringing phones. We can watch the world wake up together; watch the pale lustrous sunlight peeking just over the horizon and that is mighty exciting too!

It may be grey outside but it's going to be a good day!


11.01.2012

Boo!

We had a fantastic time celebrating the 'holiday' with our Little Monster this year. We handed out candy, made quick visits to Grandma's house and Uncle's house and did our best to stay cozy on an otherwise very chilly day.


Here's our little monster inspecting the treats for our trick-or-treaters. Now that he has teeth I had to be extra careful that he didn't tear into the candy. Fortunately there was only one casualty - Nibs.


World's best toys. If only he had an idea of what was on the inside!


Trying out the pumpkin stem now. We didn't have time to carve a jack-o-lantern but now I can make some delicious pies (because we really need some more sugar in this house right now).

Hope your Halloween was as Spooktacular as ours was!