Ben Explores the World

Bedtime

Ben did not want to go to sleep tonight, wide awake when I first put him down, then while I tried to sing to him.  But I was tired, so eventually I lay down on the floor with him and he smiled and cooed and crawled around and nursed a little.  Noah came in and joined us on the floor.  Ben was delighted, crawling from one of us to the other and back. 

Noah's had a hard, long few weeks at work, burning the midnight oil, and he fell asleep and started to snore softly on the floor in Ben's room.  I rocked Ben a little and put him in his crib, expecting him to protest again.  He'd been wide awake just moments earlier.  I blew him a kiss and walked out of his room into the kitchen.  He squaked at first, but as I did a few dishes I heard... nothing. 

Peeking back into the bedroom, Noah is still fast asleep on the floor.  And, Ben flopped himself over onto his tummy and fell asleep, too, lulled into dreamland by the company of his exhausted dad.

All I Wanted for Christmas

On an early Saturday morning (like, 6:30 am) a week before Christmas, my fondest holiday wish was granted. My childhood friend Leigh and her husband Seth had a layover at O'Hare following their red-eye from Portland, OR. Leigh grew up in Wauwatosa, but her parents recently moved to North Carolina -- meaning that I no longer get to see her when she visits them. Noah and I love going to Portland, but our travel itinerary is limited at the moment. I had been really saddened at the thought that Leigh and Ben might not meet for... who knows how long. So, when Leigh returned my call on Thursday night and let slip that they were flying cross-country the next day, with a layover at O'Hare, we were all over it.

Leigh and Seth, we love you guys!

It's Been a Busy Few Months...

Ben turned six months old back in December... and I was thrilled and shocked by the milestone. How could I possibly ALREADY have a six-month-old? I remember when he was six days old, and I was fondly reminiscing what he was like as a two-day-old.

In fact, I remember Ben's sixth day vividly. Noah and I went out -- first to the maternity store near us in Lincoln Square where we bought Ben some orange "baby legs" and my boss called to congratulate me on the baby. I ecstatically told her that we were actually out. Ben also ate lunch out for the first time that day, at Suvan's, a sandwich shop near another baby store. That's where we now eat after our mom and baby Zumba class on Fridays. This Friday, the waitress was totally flirting with Ben, who now sits in a high chair and drops his toys on the floor while I eat. Then, Victor came out of the kitchen and picked Ben up out of his high chair and helped him "walk" around in the restaurant. (Maybe they're a little too baby friendly at Suvan's...)

Back to six months. I was excited. We had photos taken. Twice. I was going to blog. And, then, all of a sudden, before I knew what happened, he was seven months old. And I turned 33 (which I still can't believe).

So, I owe some photos. And, some explanation of what we've been up to since Thanksgiving.

Here's a start... Some six month photos taken by Noah's colleague Yousef, who very generously spent a Saturday afternoon with us in December. Ben was a rockstar, posing and posing and posing.

That's a quick taste for now.  More to come.  I have to go run after my now-highly-mobile seven-and-a-half-month-old, who just downed two tablespoons of pureed pears (yay, Ben!) and is calling for some lovin'. 

~Anne