First food pics

Okay, now what?
Hmm...
Yummy

All done!

A bit messy, but fun. He had more today and was cleaner and got more of the broccoli in his mouth :D

5 months old

Wow, just wow.

Ben is doing great. He is enjoying his toes and toys. I think he can roll from tummy to back, but only really does it in bed. Sleeping through the night is on and off, depending on how eating goes during the day.

We've run into a string of constant eating and then refusal to eat. I was concerned Ben wasn't getting enough to eat, so he has gotten a bottle on 2 nights over the past week and then I pumped later in the evening. He has also been acting VERY ready for solid foods, watching us eat, grabbing at our plates, not quite seeming content with just breast milk. So, I broke down and let him have his first solids yesterday. We tried broccoli. He had lots of fun playing with the broccoli and got a bit in his mouth. When he got real bites we got a bit of a sour not sure face, but he went back for more, so...I think he likes it. Pics to come soon.

As far as other things, he is now 26 3/4" long. No clue on weight as we don't have a scale (no, not even one for us). Our next appointment is Sept. 2, so we will see what his weight is then.

Rear Facing car seats

On a mothering group I am on, the discussion started about when to turn a little one around to face front. As much as I would love to be able to look in the rear view mirror and see Benji's face, we will be waiting until he has reached the maximum weight his car seat will allow before he is forward facing. I encourage all other mothers, fathers, grandparents and those who love and care for babies to do the same. In the case of an accident, it could save the little one's life.

Here are a couple of you tube videos about why to keep a little one rear facing. It is said much better than I ever could. I am a bit too blunt sometimes.

Ahh, Sleep

We have reached a new milestone and I am really enjoying this one. Ben has begun to sleep through the night. Upon arriving home from MN, I was determined to help Ben sleep better and be able to fall asleep on his own, especially when he wakes in the middle of the night. I started a better bedtime routine with him which he seems to really enjoy and have tried to keep a consistent bed time (around 8 pm). Well in just a few short days, Ben only woke once and was able to get back to sleep with just a little bit of calm talking and patting his tush. On Friday night, despite my waking multiple times to check on him because I thought he should be awake, Ben slept from 10 pm to 5:30 am. Hooray, I was excited but cautious, maybe he was just VERY tired. Last night Ben slept from 8:30 pm until 5:30 am again. We'll see if it continues, but I will definitely enjoy it while I can.

The other nice thing about this is that it has allowed me to pair one of my least favorite activities with one of my favorite. In the morning when Ben wakes up, I let him eat while I pump the nearly engorged other breast. Pumping has always been a task that I did so that Jeff could feed Ben and so that I was able to go and do things without fear of Ben going hungry. It has been nice to have it be relaxing and productive (I can pump nearly twice as much when he is eating than when I am pumping alone).

Yay, sleep.....

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, our trip to MN was absolutely lovely. Ben did great on both flights, sleeping through them. We had a wonderful time at the wedding and visiting with family and friends while we were in MN. Ben began to play with his toys independently while there and begin giving kisses and cuddling more. We also had an episode of Ben being ill the night before we came home. Nothing too serious, but he did experience Pedialyte for the first time.

Once we got home we went camping on the beach with some friends. It was absolutely lovely and relaxing. Ben did great with his first camping trip and enjoyed looking at the ocean.

Now we're home and the house needs cleaning, laundry needs washing, groceries need to be bought, and I have commitments that need to be met for the Synagogue. Lots to do and a little one who is used to having lots of people around to entertain him and play with him.

On a side note for Bubbe Nee, Ben is doing great sleeping in the crib at night again and even put himself back to sleep after waking up last night. He is fighting naps. He also wants to be held a lot, but we'll get back to normal soon.

Lots of photos from the trip have been loaded by Elysha and Zayde Marc and I will upload ours as soon as I have a chance.