Bennett is starting to do some very cool things. His fine motor and verbal skills are really picking up, and his gross motor is still definitely advancing....but not quite as quickly as before, which is a RELIEF! I don't believe I wrote about this on here (and if I did, I blame sleep deprivation for my non-existant memory), but we think Bennett is going to be a sleep walker.
I was a sleep walker to some extent as a child, and Bennett is showing signs of doing the same thing (according to the pediatrician, it does run in families and Bennett's "practicing" of these skills in his sleep does indicate he might sleep walk as a child.). When he learned to sit up, he did it in his sleep - which was SO strange. He would sit up and not be awake, and suddenly wake up and start screaming. And then there was the sleep crawling - he would get up on all fours and crawl into the wall, repeatedly hitting his head until he woke up! It was funny and sad and made for some very restless sleep for the Little Goo.
Anyhow, he is now cruising all over the place. He cruises up to stand on toys, he tries to pull up on the dogs, he often cruises with one hand -- and a few times has picked up both hands and stood for a few seconds!
He will also take a few steps if you hold his hands and stand behind him - but only if he REALLY wants to get somewhere. Like to Mom. And then he BEAMS at me like it's the best thing ever!
The Goo is starting to eat more solids. We give him anything he can feed himself that I'm not worried he'll choke on. This means puffed rice, toasted oats (Cheerios), grated sharp cheddar cheese, apple sauce (by the handful! He LOVES it!), mango cheeks (though I have to watch because he has been known to stuff the entire thing in his mouth), squash, carrots, potato, sweet potato, pumpkin. His pincer grasp is quite good now.
Over the last week or so Bennett has clearly started pointing. He mainly just points at us as if to say, "YOU! I see you!" Sometimes he sticks out that finger to touch it to a page of a book. We also think he *might* be saying "mama" and meaning me. It's unclear. And today he babbled a WHOLE lot of "dada." He also screaches and does this throaty gutteral thing that sounds like he's possessed. But I swear! He's not!
The other funny thing he does is feed his mother. He thinks it's hilarious to put food in my mouth. In fact, today I gave him a frozen bagel to help with his teething (that's what the pediatrician recommended) and, once he figured out it was food (because I kept putting it in my mouth trying to convince him to put it in his) he shoved it in my mouth with gusto. While he screamed. It didn't do a damned thing for his teething pain to have it in MY mouth!
He continues to be a very happy, busy, vocal, and social baby. When we go to the grocery store, he screaches until people look at him, and then he flashes them his big grin....before screaching some more.
Alright. I should go. He's found the envelope from a Netlix movie and I cannot for the life of me convince him not to eat paper....
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Hanukkah 5, 6, 7, 8!
Very quick note. Bennett is teething again and currently enjoying some Motrin-induced relief. I'm hoping he'll sleep half decently tonight because we need to clean and pack before we go to bed and some more when we get up! We're excited for our trip to Washington -- and for Bennett's first Christmas!!
Anyhow:
Night 5 brought Matt something other than soap! I made him a rather simple-looking shadow box that had his number and finisher's medal from the half marathon he ran in September of 2007. On his bib number was his finishing time.
I got the promise of two (2) 3 hour stretches without Bennett - so now I have 10 hours total! Woot!
Bennett got the promise of a blanket that is soooo close to being finished...that I started during my second trimester....oops.
Night 6 was skipped. We were tired. So Night 7 brought everyone two gifts...or at least the promise of 2 gifts. Brea got two packs of pencils, for use with her datebook! She also got "Matt, only better." Matt came home with a much-needed haircut, and Brea thought that was the gift - nope! Well, that was part of it - but really the gift is that Matt is going to figure out a way to get exercise back into his life and routine. I've been commenting that I miss his muscles - and I miss hearing how he felt after a good work out. He asked if this was a good present -- what is better than my husband's on-going health?
I got Matt a photo that he loved from that half marathon he ran - and he didn't realize it, but I had created the shadow box with the photo in mind, so it really completes the shadow box. I also got him this awesome bendy tripod thing that he's excited to use on our trip!
And then tonight - Night 8. Bennett received two Christmas-themed books. He got The Night Before Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Matt is already excited to read them to him tonight before bed!
Matt got Brea not only the promise of completing his gifts from last year (cleaning the oven and cleaning behind the fridge), but also cleaning the kitchen and making it a safe(r) place for Bennett to be. Right now we have to watch him pretty carefully in there!
And Matt got a bread book that he if VERY excited about! I think he might be bringing it to Washington so he can start trying out recipes!
Anyhow:
Night 5 brought Matt something other than soap! I made him a rather simple-looking shadow box that had his number and finisher's medal from the half marathon he ran in September of 2007. On his bib number was his finishing time.
I got the promise of two (2) 3 hour stretches without Bennett - so now I have 10 hours total! Woot!
Bennett got the promise of a blanket that is soooo close to being finished...that I started during my second trimester....oops.
Night 6 was skipped. We were tired. So Night 7 brought everyone two gifts...or at least the promise of 2 gifts. Brea got two packs of pencils, for use with her datebook! She also got "Matt, only better." Matt came home with a much-needed haircut, and Brea thought that was the gift - nope! Well, that was part of it - but really the gift is that Matt is going to figure out a way to get exercise back into his life and routine. I've been commenting that I miss his muscles - and I miss hearing how he felt after a good work out. He asked if this was a good present -- what is better than my husband's on-going health?
I got Matt a photo that he loved from that half marathon he ran - and he didn't realize it, but I had created the shadow box with the photo in mind, so it really completes the shadow box. I also got him this awesome bendy tripod thing that he's excited to use on our trip!
And then tonight - Night 8. Bennett received two Christmas-themed books. He got The Night Before Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Matt is already excited to read them to him tonight before bed!
Matt got Brea not only the promise of completing his gifts from last year (cleaning the oven and cleaning behind the fridge), but also cleaning the kitchen and making it a safe(r) place for Bennett to be. Right now we have to watch him pretty carefully in there!
And Matt got a bread book that he if VERY excited about! I think he might be bringing it to Washington so he can start trying out recipes!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Hanukkah, Night 4
Quick note. I'm exhausted. Bennett went to sleep at 8PM and has already been up and back down again. It's not even 9PM.
Bennett got a second sippy cup and a cloth photo album to put pictures of family we don't get to see often.
Matt got 12 more bars of Bee and Flower Sandal Wood Soap :-) He now has 24 bars total, plus the bar of Earth Drops soap. I'm hoping it will last the better part of a year!
Matt gave me a certificate redeemable for 4 hours without Bennett. I can't wait to redeem it!
Bennett got a second sippy cup and a cloth photo album to put pictures of family we don't get to see often.
Matt got 12 more bars of Bee and Flower Sandal Wood Soap :-) He now has 24 bars total, plus the bar of Earth Drops soap. I'm hoping it will last the better part of a year!
Matt gave me a certificate redeemable for 4 hours without Bennett. I can't wait to redeem it!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Hanukkah, Night 3
Well, we got quite a late start on Hanukkah, and Bennett couldn't participate because he was in DESPERATE need of sleep...and had actually been asleep and awake 3 times in an hour. Oy.
So, the little one will get 2 gifts tomorrow....if he's awake :-)
Matt got me JUST what I wanted - a cover for my planner! This cover has a spot for a pen, and the planner goes in and gets zipped up. The cover also has a notepad and some spots for business cards and for change....I'm kind of thinking of using it to streamline my wallet. We'll see.
Man I'm a dork!
And Matt? Matt got 8 bars of Bee and Flower Sandal Wood Soap.
As I counted out those 8 bars onto the dining room table, Matt asked "did you go in the bathroom and just get the soap you gave me last night?" Nope. He now has 12 bars of that soap and 1 bar of the soap from Earth Drops.
How many bars of soap do you think would be a year's supply?
So, the little one will get 2 gifts tomorrow....if he's awake :-)
Matt got me JUST what I wanted - a cover for my planner! This cover has a spot for a pen, and the planner goes in and gets zipped up. The cover also has a notepad and some spots for business cards and for change....I'm kind of thinking of using it to streamline my wallet. We'll see.
Man I'm a dork!
And Matt? Matt got 8 bars of Bee and Flower Sandal Wood Soap.
As I counted out those 8 bars onto the dining room table, Matt asked "did you go in the bathroom and just get the soap you gave me last night?" Nope. He now has 12 bars of that soap and 1 bar of the soap from Earth Drops.
How many bars of soap do you think would be a year's supply?
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Happy Hanukkah!
Hanukkah doesn't actually start until sundown of the 21st - but that's the day we leave for Washington to see Matt's family.
Soooooo. We started last night.
Night 1 brought our 3rd annual Hanukkah Dinner - but we decided neither of us is a big fan of matzoh ball soup...so we subsituted jalapeno cornbread. It went quite well with our brisket and latkes....
For the first night of Hanukkah:
Matt got this soap. It's locally-made, and smells great - even to my scent-picky husband!
Matt got me the book A Christmas Story (the one that inspired the movie). I had mentioned once that I wanted to read it, and he sweetly took note and got me a copy :-)
Bennett got a winter coat. It doesn't fit. It's too big. Oh well!
For the second night of Hanukkah:
Matt got 4 bars of a soap (Bee and Flower Sandalwood) that he used regularly when we met in college. It dries out his skin like crazy, but he loves the smell of it. It's difficult to find in stores, but the smell of the soap I gave Matt on night one made me think of it, and I found it online! When the box of soap arrived, the smell brought back memories of when we first met.
Matt got me a datebook - which, seriously? Was one of the things on my amazon wishlist that I was most hoping to get this year. I'm a dork. And, yes, I'm going back to paper after spending MAY years using my computer and/or a PDA. I don't even know how may PDAs have been handed down and gifted to me!
Bennett got mittens. They're too small, I think. Two gifts in a row that don't fit. At least he's too young to remember the crappy shopping his mom did!
Other than Hanukkah, the big news is that Bennett is finally sleeping better again (as of the past couple days)! Matt and I think we're in the eye of the teething storm. Bennett was working on 7 teeth at once. the first 3 are clearly through. The next two might be in enough to not bother him, but I'm not sure. The last two seem like they could start bothering him any day....we'll see.
I'm just glad he's no longer screaming in pain all day, waking up every couple hours, and generally being sleepless, cranky, and unhappy. He's back to being his smiley, social, deep-sleeping self. Hooray!
He was only up once last night. Tonight I think he was woken up by the dogs barking at the vacuum cleaner in the living room (Bennett is terrified of the vacuum, by the way....), but he went right back down - so we'll see!
Soooooo. We started last night.
Night 1 brought our 3rd annual Hanukkah Dinner - but we decided neither of us is a big fan of matzoh ball soup...so we subsituted jalapeno cornbread. It went quite well with our brisket and latkes....
For the first night of Hanukkah:
Matt got this soap. It's locally-made, and smells great - even to my scent-picky husband!
Matt got me the book A Christmas Story (the one that inspired the movie). I had mentioned once that I wanted to read it, and he sweetly took note and got me a copy :-)
Bennett got a winter coat. It doesn't fit. It's too big. Oh well!
For the second night of Hanukkah:
Matt got 4 bars of a soap (Bee and Flower Sandalwood) that he used regularly when we met in college. It dries out his skin like crazy, but he loves the smell of it. It's difficult to find in stores, but the smell of the soap I gave Matt on night one made me think of it, and I found it online! When the box of soap arrived, the smell brought back memories of when we first met.
Matt got me a datebook - which, seriously? Was one of the things on my amazon wishlist that I was most hoping to get this year. I'm a dork. And, yes, I'm going back to paper after spending MAY years using my computer and/or a PDA. I don't even know how may PDAs have been handed down and gifted to me!
Bennett got mittens. They're too small, I think. Two gifts in a row that don't fit. At least he's too young to remember the crappy shopping his mom did!
Other than Hanukkah, the big news is that Bennett is finally sleeping better again (as of the past couple days)! Matt and I think we're in the eye of the teething storm. Bennett was working on 7 teeth at once. the first 3 are clearly through. The next two might be in enough to not bother him, but I'm not sure. The last two seem like they could start bothering him any day....we'll see.
I'm just glad he's no longer screaming in pain all day, waking up every couple hours, and generally being sleepless, cranky, and unhappy. He's back to being his smiley, social, deep-sleeping self. Hooray!
He was only up once last night. Tonight I think he was woken up by the dogs barking at the vacuum cleaner in the living room (Bennett is terrified of the vacuum, by the way....), but he went right back down - so we'll see!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sickness + many teeth = no sleep = no blog entries
We're starting to get sleep again, thank goodness! Last night Bennett at one point slept for 5 hours straight. HOORAY!
When he first got sick about a week before Thanksgiving, he was waking up every 30 minutes to 2 hours. It was miserable. Matt and I were losing our minds, quite literally, to exhaustion.
Then I got the sickness - waaaaay worse than either Matt or Bennett. I still have a cough and it's been 2 weeks.
Anyhow, when Bennett was pretty much over the cold, we discovered 2 new bottom teeth and his first top one on its way through -- so no wonder the poor guy was hardly sleeping! Now he's got another top tooth that is teasing - it is SOOOOOO close to really popping through. It almost seems to come down, then go back up!
It also looks like his two top front teeth are just about ready to come through, so I think we'll be dealing with messed up sleep for awhile still. And then I hear that around the first birthday they often get their first molars?!?!? And those are supposed to REALLY hurt. Ugh. I now appreciate even more how good a sleeper Bennett was as a newborn. My hat's off to anyone gettin' the hang of this motherhood thing on zero sleep, because I so rarely had to do that when he was teensy.
Anyway, Little Ah-Goo is now napping nicely. He's on a pretty reliable nap schedule/routine now. Next I'd just like for him to sleep some nice, long, reliable stretches at night!
And for anyone who's wondering - he is sleeping pretty well in his own bed these days. We put his crib mattress on the floor in the corner of our bedroom, next to our bed. We put a night stand at the foot of it, so he's totally blocked in. He can't yet climb out, so it's basically a crib that I can get into and nurse him in pretty easily! And, if he's sleeping crappily or I just don't want t move, I reach down and pull him into bed with us when he wakes in the night.
Basically, we're still doing whatever gets everyone the most sleep. Having him in our room while he's still nursing a few times at night means that I am a little less of a zombie during our waking hours. I'm just hopeful that, once these teeth are in and he is healthy, he'll start sleeping those lovely 5-7 hour stretches of sleep again!
When he first got sick about a week before Thanksgiving, he was waking up every 30 minutes to 2 hours. It was miserable. Matt and I were losing our minds, quite literally, to exhaustion.
Then I got the sickness - waaaaay worse than either Matt or Bennett. I still have a cough and it's been 2 weeks.
Anyhow, when Bennett was pretty much over the cold, we discovered 2 new bottom teeth and his first top one on its way through -- so no wonder the poor guy was hardly sleeping! Now he's got another top tooth that is teasing - it is SOOOOOO close to really popping through. It almost seems to come down, then go back up!
It also looks like his two top front teeth are just about ready to come through, so I think we'll be dealing with messed up sleep for awhile still. And then I hear that around the first birthday they often get their first molars?!?!? And those are supposed to REALLY hurt. Ugh. I now appreciate even more how good a sleeper Bennett was as a newborn. My hat's off to anyone gettin' the hang of this motherhood thing on zero sleep, because I so rarely had to do that when he was teensy.
Anyway, Little Ah-Goo is now napping nicely. He's on a pretty reliable nap schedule/routine now. Next I'd just like for him to sleep some nice, long, reliable stretches at night!
And for anyone who's wondering - he is sleeping pretty well in his own bed these days. We put his crib mattress on the floor in the corner of our bedroom, next to our bed. We put a night stand at the foot of it, so he's totally blocked in. He can't yet climb out, so it's basically a crib that I can get into and nurse him in pretty easily! And, if he's sleeping crappily or I just don't want t move, I reach down and pull him into bed with us when he wakes in the night.
Basically, we're still doing whatever gets everyone the most sleep. Having him in our room while he's still nursing a few times at night means that I am a little less of a zombie during our waking hours. I'm just hopeful that, once these teeth are in and he is healthy, he'll start sleeping those lovely 5-7 hour stretches of sleep again!
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