Back in the USA

On Thursday, Benjamin and I flew back to the States. After a really hectic month, it is great to be have a break. I was really dreading the flight, but Ben was a star. We also got very lucky. The flight to Orlando was full, except for the seat next to me. Plus, we had a bulkhead seat. That meant I had three places to move the B-man when he got antsy. (which was about every 10 mintues!) There were several families on board, but I think I got hooked up because I was flying by myself. Thank you Virgin Atlantic!

We spent Thursday and Friday night at a resort in Orlando. That was just what I needed after such a stressful time. My mom and I spent the morning at the spa and then we all headed to the pool. Ben didn't love the pool, but he did like floating on my lap in the lazy river.

Unfortunately, it was during this time that we got some bad news. Joe's grandmother, Maxine Howell, had to be hospitalized with a punctured bowel and passed away shortly after. We are all saddened by the news. I just feel really grateful that it happened now so Benjamin and I can attend the service. Joe will not be able to come, but I am happy we can.

Now for some happy news. We took Ben to London on Wednesday on our way to the airport. No more helmet!! He had reached the goal we set of 10 mm of asymmetry. (I think 6 or less is classified as "normal.") They said we could keep it on another few weeks if we wanted, but we did not need to bring him back for another appointment. Joe and I think his head looks remarkably better. If we weren't going to be seeing all of our friends and family, I might have left it on a little longer. He is so handsome without it. It is also really nice not to deal with it anymore. Hooray!

Life with B

Well, Joe made us coffee around 8:30 pm. He and Bastian are passed out in bed. I am wide awake. So I thought I'd catch you up on what is going on in our lives.

As you know, things have been very busy around here, but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Joe is nearly done with his paper and Ben is over his virus. Hooray!

We're starting to notice that Benjamin is becoming more and more fun. He is starting to enjoy being outside more, which is nice for me. Case in point, yesterday I grabbed a coffee and cake to go and headed for the park. He ran around while I enjoyed my snack. To be fair, he enjoyed the snack also. He also enjoyed chasing the ducks the other day. Very cute.

There are so many cute, funny stories and I am feel like I am going to forget all of them. So here goes. In my effort to remember my little boy as he is right now, I am going to list as many recent memories as I can. Enjoy!

• He learned to climb the stairs and loves to do so. Everytime he is quiet, I get scared.




• He loves for me to carry him. I fear I will throw out my back one day soon.




• He LOVES cats. Gee, wonder where he gets that...




• He really likes it when Bastian's tail hits him in the face.




• He does this little half-step march in place thing when he gets excited. It's like a little jig. Today, he did it because he was upset though. I guess it is for big emotions.




• He enjoys watching me and Joe cook.




• He is always handing me clumps of dirt/fur from the floor. I guess it's his subtle way of telling me to clean up.




• The other day I started to sing "If you're happy and you know it" and he started to pat my head. (verse 2 is "pat mom's head.")




• He can High 5!




• He loves it when Joe makes silly noises.




• He laughed at a cartoon the other day. I was holding him while he was watching it and then all of a sudden, he started giggling.




• And last, but not least, my favorite recent memory. (I'm still laughing.) The other day, I undressed him in the bathroom right before I gave him a bath. Just as I took off his diaper, he ran out to the hallway and peed on the floor. While he was peeing, you could tell that he was really freaked out by it. As if to say, What is coming out of my body and why is it doing that? Then, he stepped in his pee, slipped and fell down. Obviously, he wasn't hurt, but it was pretty funny.

Autumn Update

I know I am really behind on this. Usually, if I don't write anything for a while, it is because nothing is going on. However, our family is so busy right now, I barely have time for the basics.

Ben is growing like a weed. He's officially walking now and wants to do nothing else. It is so wonderful to see him move on his own now. He is a very sweet boy and frequently comes over to me just to give me a hug. And even though he doesn't need me to walk him around anymore (Hooray!), he still takes my hand sometimes to make sure I am with him. He also likes to play peekaboo with the doors in the house. The other day he actually combined the two. He took my hand and we walked into his room. He went to hide behind his curtain even though I was still attached. I had to laugh when I said, "Where is Benjamin?" since I was still holding his hand.

However, Ben is sick right now. I suspect another ear infection, which would be his third one since January. So frustrating!

Joe is busy too. He has been working a lot on his Masters class. The point of the class is to do all the research for his thesis, a task he is not very excited about. He has also volunteered to be a tour guide for the cathedral, which is also no easy task. There is a class every week and a test at the end. I'm actually quite jealous because he's getting to learn all of the history behind it. Last week, I was able to go with him. We got to walk around the cathedral with the architect of the cathedral and her husband who is also a scholar of the building. They pointed out so many neat things. It was like having a private tour.

I'm not sure how I've managed to fill up my calendar, but it feels as though I don't get a lot of free time. Ben and I are always doing something or visiting someone. I thought the pace of life would slow down once I stopped working. I actually think I was less busy then.

September

Well, time does seem to pass quickly. Ben is now 13 months-old and has become quite the little explorer. He still prefers to hold my hand while he walks, but he is also doing a lot of "cruising." I suspect when he gets more confident he'll finally let go. He seems to have inherited my wimpy tendenancies. I suspect teaching him to ride a bike one day will be tricky.

Otherwise, life continues and manages to remain quite busy. Here are some of the highlights:

1. We shaved Bastian. I'm pretty sure he hates us. He really does look better with hair, but it was all matted and dirty from him being carsick.

2. Joe is taking a Masters class. I haven't actually seen him study or anything, but that's what he says.

3. Ben's new trick is barking like the dog. Whenever he hears the dog, he starts saying "Wuh Wuh." It took us awhile to realize what this was. He also uses it for other animals, like horses.

4. I'm taking Ben to a new class called Tumble Tots. It's supposed to be a fun way to help with their motor skills. They have all kinds of apparatuses for them to climb on. It is nice because he can climb and walk over everything and I don't have to tell him no. It was also nice because it wore him out.

Ben's Check-Up at 12 Months

Last Monday was Ben's 12-month well-baby check-up. 12-months is a rough one. There were five different shots and a finger prick to test for anemia. The latter was especially not fun. He was very upset so he was bleeding faster than normal. A bandaid wasn't enough so they made him a little gauze mitten. He was not a fan of either one!

He has grown a lot, but he hasn't gained much weight it seems. He weighed 20 lb and 7 oz, just 3 oz more than when I brought him to the doctor at the end of March. I didn't catch his height, but the tech said that he was in the 85th percentile for height and the 30th for weight. The pediatrician wasn't worried though since his overall growth curve is normal. Besides, Ben does not look skinny. I almost wonder if their scale is right because he even has a little tummy.

Later on that evening, Ben made some more news. He took his first steps! Joe and I sat across from each other and made him walk back and forth to us. He still can't go too far but he's getting braver (and steadier) every day. He is also getting more skilled and pulling himself up and cruising around. For example, this weekend we stayed at a cabin. I was in the kitchen and Joe was playing with Benjamin in the living room. I heard a noise and turned to see Ben standing there. He had pulled himself up onto the coffee table, walked along the sofa and another table, and was holding onto the wall in the kitchen. I was very surprised! I was even more surprised when he did it a few more times.

Ben's Check-Up

Yesterday, we made another trip to London for Ben's helmet. It looks like there has been a lot of progress made. He is now down to 15 mm of asymmetry. (Originally, he was at 22. Last appointment he was at 19.) Joe and I thought it looked much more rounded, but we thought that we were just being optimistic. It looks like he'll probably stop wearing it about the same time we head to the States so that is great news.

The trip to London was long and tiring, but it was also our best one yet. Ben was very well behaved on the train to London. After his appointment, we went to Joe's friend Henry's house in a neighborhood called Fulham. Fulham is a fun area and is only about three or four tube stops from the clinic. Ben took a nap and his lovely parents got to relax. When he got up, we had dinner at Bodeen's, a tasty BBQ place. Proper BBQ. Yummy!

Our little detour also meant that we were able to get on a later train back to Ely. Usually, we are on the 5 or 6 pm train with all of the other commuters. It is amazing the number of people who commute between London, Cambridge, and even further out. But our train had only a few people so we had room to spread out. We even had room to let Ben play on the floor for a while. It was fairly late when we got back last night, but the joy of that is that Benjamin slept an hour later this morning. All around, best visit to London so far and only two more to go!

* Disclaimer: This picture is actually from our trip to Paris. It was quite hot and around his bed time so his helmet was off. He loves to hold onto the handles in the tube also. So cute!

Ben's First Birthday

Benjamin had his first birthday on Monday.  Joe was off from work so we did our best to make it a special day for him.  I decided against a birthday party, but I know he still really enjoyed everything we did.  I ordered two big balloons from the party store and put them on either side of his high chair like a cool throne.  (One was a number one.  The other was a rocket ship.)  He thoroughly enjoyed looking at them.  His friend Brooke came over and we all ate pizza.  Then came the moment we were all waiting for.  I gave him his "remote control" cake and stood back.  At first, he poked at it with his index finger.  But then he dove right in!  Ben got the cake everywhere, but he really seemed to like it.

After a few minutes, he got frustrated with the stickiness of the cake.  I cleaned him up as best as I could.  Time for presents!  Joe and I got him a Little People farm, as well as blocks, books, and a few odds and ends.  Ben and Brooke loved the farm!  It was so neat to watch him figure out his new toys.  He also throughly enjoyed the Duplo (big Lego) blocks his grandparents sent him.  Actually, I think Joe was pretty excited about them too.  He has enjoyed showing Ben how to take them apart and put them back together.