Mmmm, Toasty!

Ben has been doing so well with cheerios (and the couple crackers from the other day) that I decided to see how he does with zwieback toast. I've been afraid to give it to him too early, but I figured if he doesn't do well, I'll just keep waiting. Well, turns out, he's a pro. He loved it! He had fun eating it and slinging it around (he and Daddy both got pretty messy). He didn't choke, or even act like he might. I'm so proud of him! Here are some funny faces from his new experience.

At first it just sat in his mouth because he wasn't sure what to do with it...

but when it started getting mushy and he realized it was to eat...

It quickly got to be a smaller...

and smaller piece.

It was fun to play with, too!

He went from a full sized piece of toast (about 3 inches long) to a little nub that he could barely hold on to in about 10 minutes. You'd have thought he was a seasoned veteran. One thing I never have to worry about (evidently) is if this boy is gonna eat enough. He's taken to everything I've given him pretty much immediately and never turned down a thing.

P.S. Notice the Vols cap is getting closer and closer to actually fitting. Right now it still covers his ears a bit and moves around on his head, but it won't be long until it's a good snug fit!

Funny

Ok, this isn't Ben, but it's darned funny. It mesmerized him and made him smile.



He does sometimes get to laughing in a similar fashion, but usually it's from kisses or tickles, we can't just say "dong!" and get a laugh.

Ben's First Cracker!

Ben was having an afternoon snack of bananas when he finished them and was still hungry. Since we need to go to the store, I was searching in the pantry for something else he could eat that wouldn't be too much, and came across an open package of Ritz crackers. I had just read this morning on Gerber's website that a cracker is a suitable snack for a baby that can sit as well as Ben, so we thought we'd give it a try. I didn't catch his very first reaction on camera, but he loved it. He grabbed it up, watched me take a bite of mine, then put his in his mouth and took a small bite. Then he gave a great big grin! He chewed and everything, just as if he'd done it before! I was so proud of him that I grabbed the closest thing, which was my phone, and took this grainy video. Then, of course, in case he was thirsty from the dry cracker, I gave him his sippy cup, and he took some water. Enjoy the videos; I know I did!

Cracker

Water

*I don't know what's up with the video looking like stop-motion. It doesn't look like that on my computer. It IS a different format than what we usually have, though. Maybe that's it.

Videos Below

I had started the post on the videos a couple days ago and then had to do some editing and saved the post for later. Today I finished it and posted it, and it went below the posts I'd already posted. So for those looking, it's there, it's just down on the list.

Ben's visit with Uncle Bob!

Uncle Bobby came in from Texas this weekend, and, of course, came over to visit Benjamin. Poor little Ben has been so excited that he couldn't even sleep! As you'll see in the pictures, he's a tired little boy. You'll also see just how much he looks like his Uncle Bob! Mamaw Debbie and Mamaw Kerr visited as well, and that made for a tired, but happy, baby.

Ben and Bob in the kitchen. He was letting Uncle Bob hold him when no one else but Mommy could.

We got a few pics of these guys. Aren't they cute?

We finally got a big smile from Ben!

Ben sneezed on his hand during dinner, right after I put a bite of mixed veggies in his mouth. The hand, of course, flew to his face, and this is the result.

And here, you can tell just how tired this little guy was. As I post this, he's already been awake a few times since bedtime, and is right now hangin' out with his daddy tryin' to let his tummy feel better. (at 11pm)

A Prayer Request

If you read Abby's blog, you'll have seen this. If not, I ask that you read this post and keep this family in your prayers.

Prayer Request

The Videos I've Been Promising

Here's video I've been promising. The first just Ben playing and being cute, but he smiles great big, and at the time, was some of the only footage (still or moving) of his 2 teeth. The second is of Ben creeping across the floor. He may not technically be crawling yet, but he goes where ever he decides to go. Enjoy!

Happy Half Birthday, Ben!

Today, Ben is 6 months old! His check-up happened to also be today. Ben had a busy day. His appointment was in the morning, so he woke up, ate breakfast, and waited around/played while Momma got us both ready to go. To add to all the morning confusion, we had to drop our kitty, Sally, off at the vet for her annual exam while Ben was at the doctor, too. Then we dropped in on Aunt Angie for a feeding pit-stop, went back to pick up Sally, and headed home to get some much needed rest. Ben was so excited from his busy morning (with no nap) that it took an hour or so to calm him down to get some sleep.

This evening, the excitement continued because we got the go ahead for pureed meats (and most any food, as long as it's mashed/pureed and we only introduce 1 at a time). Daddy (the most devout meat-eater in the family) got to feed him his chicken in chicken broth tonight. He looked funny on the first bite, but enjoyed subsequent bites. As we speak, he's playing with his hammer in his bebe pod. He's finally gotten the hang of making it make noise. (Really, he has long been able, but didn't realize that if he bangs the hammer, it'll talk back.)

On to the stats! Ben is 26.5 inches tall and weighs 19 lbs, 2 oz. He's a big ol' boy. Actually, he's right on target. He's average in height and only slightly above average in weight, but it'll even out shortly when he starts crawling. He's 3 pounds and 3.5 inches away from growing out of his baby carrier and into a regular carseat. SCARY! Anyway, here's a picture from today, his 6 month birthday.

Haircuttin' Day (for mommies)

Well, Mommy, Aunt Tonya and Aunt Angie all needed haircuts. What we decided to do was to meet up at Tonya's and do round-robin haircutting. This meant the babies would be there a while (meaning: during nap time). The picture that follows is Ben and Abby's first nap together. This bliss was short-lived, lasting only a few minutes (20, tops). Ben was the first to wake, which (in a VERY short amount of time) woke up Abby, who had a rough day today.

Angie said they looked like some sort of Siamese twins.

The Future's So Bright....

Ben's gotta wear shades. With the help of Angie, we finally found a cool pair of shades for Ben's face. They're baby sized, but are still a bit big, as one of the pictures will show. That's ok. As long as he doesn't break them, they'll fit him for a long time. And, as his daddy pointed out, when he wears a hat or hoodie with his sunglasses, he'll be "Bencognito" so that he can avoid the mommarazzi and her ever-present camera.

First he has to make sure they're sitting on his face properly...

Then he can go around givin' "The Look". As in so many pictures before this one, he seems to be thinking "Whachu talkin' bout, Willis?"

Look At Them Chompers!

I finally got a good picture of Ben's new teeth! Ok, so he wasn't the happiest in the world when this picture was taken, but it's a good view. Hopefully tonight I'll have some video off the camcorder that I can post sometime soon. Ben is up to lots of new things. I can't wait for you all to see!