Happy Birthday to my baby.

Well, a year has come and gone. What an adventure this parenting trip has been.

Ben, I am so thankful and honored to be your mommy. You have brought such joy into my life, and your daddy and I are so lucky to have such a sweet, healthy, happy baby like you. I love the way your smiles are so contagious to me and everyone else around you. There's the simple smile that says "I'm happy". There's the "cheeseball face" smile when the camera is around. There's the "I'm laughing so hard I can't stand it" smile when we tickle your thighs, belly or neck. And then there's the "mommy had to work hard to get this one" smile that really means the most. I love the way you shake your fists and giggle when you are really excited about something. I love the way you are such an observer, pointing at anything and everything, and noticing anything new and different. I love the way you study something and furrow your brow when you're a bit confused. I love the way everything is now called "da-da" whether it's the swing at the park, a bird in the sky or actual da-da. I love how you are getting so excited to be a big boy, walking with mommy's fingers and sitting facing forward in you car seat. Your daddy and I are so proud of our little boy, and are so happy that you have become a part of our lives. I can't imagine my life without you. We love you, Ben!

We had a nice celebration with Andy's family on Sunday. It was perfect weather for BBQ chicken, and burgers and we were even able to have carrot cake dessert out on the patio. Ben got some wonderful gifts and was such a good boy the whole afternoon.

The decoration that I made the night before. I'm kinda proud of it... Ben likes to point at the bright colors and the balloons that we hung.

It's crazy what a difference a year makes.

May 25th, 3:30AM, 2008

5 days old365 days old.

I love this shirt

....it makes him look like a little BOY, not a baby anymore. But, I can still call him my baby (officially) for 4 more days.

Again, with the crossed feet. :)

I had Ben in to the doctor again on Tuesday night because the 10 days of Amoxocillin really didn't help his perpetual snot. He's now been on Augmentin for 2 days, and it looks like the green snot is starting to improve. His poor facial eczema is definitely better after a dousing of Aveno, lanolin and petroleum jelly. Here's hoping that this is the beginning of the end of the nose wiping for a while.

Splish Splash

Ben had his first time in a swimming pool. This was at our dear friends Jim and Deb (and Levi)'s house. We had a wonderful visit with them on Saturday, celebrating Jim's B-day. Ben had so much fun playing with Levi.

Oh yeah - I realized that I forgot to add this pic after I posted... Levi was showing Ben how to use the drill press and table saw.

First time eating spaghetti (well, mini-bowties and carrots with spaghetti sauce). Notice the carrots are left behind...

After a long week at work with 2 days of crazy outdoor field trips (one with pouring rain and one where I got a sunburn), I'm ready for a less-frazzled week ahead.

Mother's Day Picnic in the Park

We had a very nice time at Champoeg (pronounced like shampoo-ee) State Park on Sunday. Here are some photos from the day.

Ben keeps doing this cheese-ball face whenever he hears the "your-camera-is-focusing" ding. It started out as a reaction to the bright flash, but he keeps doing it even when we are outside and there is no flash...

Hanging with uncle Aaron

Chillin' in the new camp chair from Great-Grandpa Glenn and Claudia.

Still doing the cheese-ball face.

Here is our little ornithologist, pointing at the birds flying overhead. He was seeing Turkey Vultures soaring very high in the sky, pointing at them and following them with his pudgy little finger. He was even seeing little birds flitting in the trees. I'm amazed at his eyesight, because both Andy and I have horrible vision.
Playing with the new roll and roar dinosaur.

Wish me luck this week as I attempt to take 200 7th graders on an outdoor field trip Wednesday and Thursday. It has been completely planned by myself and a co-worker - buses, permission slips, field equipment, volunteers, staff to man the stations, etc. I knew it would be a lot of work, but I really wasn't prepared for the last minute onslaught of headaches...

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we returned to the doctor on Saturday AM because the Benedryl hadn't done much to diminish the 5 weeks of snot that we and Ben have endured. So, 10 days of Amoxocillin are on order - 2 and a half days down and we're seeing some relief from the snot. We're hoping that the antibiotics are also helping to clear up the really bad facial excema that was caused by smeared snot on the cheeks (along with some hyro-cortizone and lots of lotion). Ben also had a slight ear infection in his right ear, that this should help to clear up. It will be so nice to have a snot-less baby once again.

Happy Mother's Day to ALL!

I hope everyone has a pleasant, fun-filled day on Sunday, celebrating the moms in their life.

We will be at a nearby state park having a picnic and maybe riding some bikes...

I almost forgot his nap!

Ben and I were having so much fun playing today that I totally forgot about NAP! Ben reminded me at 5:00PM by laying his head down on the kitchen rug, with a sigh... I picked up another Craig's List find today (2 blocks from my house!): a Roll and Roar Dinosaur. Ben was playing with it for 45 minutes straight, until I put him down for his nearly forgotten afternoon nap. I'll post a pic or video of it later...

Here is a short one of Ben "reading" to himself...

And another of Ben playing with my shoes. Note the box full of toys in the foreground - Who needs toys, when putting mommy's shoes on the speaker and moving them off the speaker is so much fun.

We had a nice week. Ben is having a lot of fun at daycare lately - They keep telling me how he just plays and plays all day long - They have to completely interrupt his playing to put him down for a nap or to feed him. He has been pretty good at home, too, except for last night when the poor guy must have been in pain from his 5th tooth that is just starting to poke thru... Some Tylenol and some Orajel did the trick. Ben has really started saying da-da at the right time now. And just yesterday, he used a few n-n-n sounds - A bit closer to m's for mommy... I thought he was on track for some uh-oh's, but that has gone by the wayside. His poor nose is still running, even on Benedryl. It has improved, but still runs and runs.

Guess who's on the other side of the window? Daddy.

Shorts weather

for a few days anyway... (Thursday and Friday)
I haven't been taking very many pictures of Ben lately because he has had a perpetually runny, sore nose for 3 weeks. It's red, raw and always full of crusty, goopy boogers. But here are 2 from Friday. He likes to cross his ankles whenever he is sitting down - It's so cute.

We ended up taking him to the doctor on Thursday night after getting sick and tired of wiping his nose nearly non-stop for 1 1/2 months. We have piles of snotty Kleenex all over our house. It's gross. The doc said he has a lot of fluid in his ears, but no infection and suggested trying 5 days of Benedryl and nasal saline and if it's still not better, then we'll try some antibiotics. So far, minor improvement, but I think he's now cutting a new tooth, so we've had 2 afternoons of nap-fighting to deal with. Yuck. At least the weather is improving and hopefully an end (well, maybe break) from the cold season is in sight.

Tonight at the park...