Two Months

Benjamin,

Today you are two months old!

My what a difference a month makes for you little one. You have grown so much in the last month. At about 5 weeks, you started giving us little smiles, and you have been giving us more and more smiles every day since then! This is a picture of one of your first smiles.
Most recently, you have begun to find your voice - and what a sweet voice it is. You give us lots "ahhh, oooo, guuuoooo, coooeeeeoooo". It's so funny to watch you figure it out - you sometimes get a surprised look on your face when a new sound escapes! Clearly, there are more sounds that are just waiting to get out - we get the impression words are "stuck" at the back of your throat. But man you're having fun figuring it out :)

You have really been exploring your world this month. You hold your head up like a champ, and you love to be carried facing out so you can look all around. You especially like the mirror I hung next to your changing station - you smile at the baby in the mirror, and "talk" to him too :) In fact, the changing station seems to be your favorite spot - you do the most smiling and "talking" to us too when you are laying there.The other new thing lately is your activity gym on the floor that has a bunch of bright toys and things dangling from arches above you. There is a "kickmat" attached to it that plays music and lights up when you kick it. It took you less than a day to figure out that cause and effect relationship. So now you kick at it, stay still while it plays music, and as soon as it gets quiet, you kick at it again to get it to start back up. That's probably the first example we have seen where you clearly are learning that you have control of your body in a way that is able to affect change in your environment. You have strong legs for your age, and you love to stand up and down in my lap while I hold your hands to keep you steady.
Needless to say, this is all really cool to watch, and you guessed it, Mommy and Daddy are sooo proud of you Ben!!! We can't wait to see what the next month has in store ...

This Great Grandson Is So Loved

Benjamin is so blessed to have the most amazing Great Grandma and Great Grandpa - my maternal grandparents. They have been married almost 56 years, have 5 incredible children, 7 grandchildren and now their first great grandchild.We had a really special visit when they came all the way from Florida to visit. We spent lots of time cuddling and playing with baby at home, and we also managed to visit downtown Dallas, where JFK was assassinated, Addison where we used to live, and the Stockyards in Fort Worth. The Winter Olympics were going on, so we were able to watch some of that as well - it brought back memories of when we got together with my mom's side of the family in Atlanta for the Summer Olympics in 1996.

It was so cool to have four generations of family together this weekend. We will always cherish this time we all got to spend together.

A Visit from Auntie Sarah

The night of the snowstorm, one of my very best friends in the whole world Sarah came into town. It was a miracle she got in that night, and we were so glad she got here safely on the last flight they were letting into the airport! It was SO special to spend this time with Sarah, for her to meet Ben, and for us to experience this unique time together. It's a strange time in my life - trying to figure out mommyhood and still hold onto all the ways I have previously defined myself. Sarah is a true friend who is always there for me, and spending time with her helped remind me of who I have always been and can continue to be - even after baby.

One night we had a girls night out - pizza, wine and a movie - SO fun!

We spent a lot of quality time with the baby - he was clearly smitten with his Auntie Sarah ...

Sarah even babysat for us while Jeff and I had a Valentine's date night. AND she made us lasagna and pasta sauce to freeze and make when we're in need of a great homecooked meal, but I don't have time to prepare one for us. Such an amazing friend, and a visit I will never forget! We love you Auntie Sarah!!! :)

A Record Snowfall

Yesterday, we had a record snowfall here in Dallas! It snowed about 10 inches at our house, and up to 14 inches around the Metroplex. It was was beautiful, and a huge surprise, even to the forecasters. They were saying there was a small chance of precipitation, and it definitely would NOT be frozen. About 12 hours later, this was the scene:Jeff and I had a blast throwing snowballs and building a snowman. There is something so special about the quietness that comes with a heavy snowfall, and we really enjoyed being out there together - it felt like stealing a few moments away, as the baby was sleeping, safe and warm in his bed we escaped to play in the snow :)

The next day, before all the snow had a chance to melt, we brought Benjamin outside to experience snow for the first time. It was too bright for his little eyes to open even though he was awake, but I think he enjoyed it nonetheless.

Nana & Grandpa Come to Town

This past week, Jeff had to go out of town for work, so his parents came up to stay with Mr. Benjamin and me for the week. We had a wonderful visit! It was great that Nana and Grandpa could see their grandson - I think he changed noticeably just in the week they were here! He is changing so much, and we don't want to miss a thing. It was also nice to have company here - I think I would get really lonely if it was just me here with the baby for a week. Nana even watched the baby while I got my hair done one day and my toenails done another day - I was in heaven ;)

We are so grateful for their support and love! After Jeff got back in town, they even encouraged us to get out for a date night - we gladly accepted :) So they had their first time babysitting as grandparents. Based on the pictures I saw, it looks like they thoroughly enjoyed the experience :) Thank you Nana and Grandpa, we love you!!!I will write more in another post, but I have to mention here that having Jeff's parents in town afforded me the ability to finish reading the Babywise book, and that has changed things for us so much - for the better! Prior to this 6-week mark, we were really not in a routine and were always reacting to the circumstances, instead of proactively helping to manage the circumstances. I think we are all much happier and healthier now that we have become a little more babywise!