time flies

Last night Jarrett called and asked if I would give Benjamin a BIG kiss and hug for him today and wish him a very happy birthday.

XOXO Benjamin- Happy 9 months!

We love you so much.

vomitus

Whew- last night was a rough one!

It started off pretty normal but the end result was a mess. As usual, I put Ben down around 7:00pm. Then, I made myself some dinner and relaxed on the couch before heading up to bed. Throughout the night I could hear Ben tossing and turning in his crib but thought nothing of it because he is somewhat of a restless sleeper these days. He usually falls back asleep within a few minutes and all is well. This was how the night went....until 4:00am.

At 4:00am, I woke up and could hear that Ben was having a hard time. I grabbed the monitor off the nightstand to see what was going on (yes, baby monitors come with picture screens these days- thank you Jim and Kay Kay). And this is where the night starts to get messy...

Poor Ben was sitting in his crib, with Bear in his lap, puking all over the place! I rushed into his room to find a very scared little boy covered in puke. I picked him up and held him tight to reassure him that everything was going to be ok. He put his head down and cuddled into my chest while I rocked back and forth. After a few minutes it was time to clean up because now we were both covered (and it didn't smell too good).

Off with the PJ's, quick wipedown, diaper change, new PJ's. Same for me- minus the diaper change. Now we were both clean and ready to go back to bed. I picked Ben up, gave him a hug
and that's when it happened. He puked again...all over both of us!

After the second round of cleanup, Benjamin and I were ready to try it again. We snuggled under the covers and I was hoping for a few more hours of sleep. It took awhile for both of us to unwind and Ben had an especially hard time because he didn't have Bear. We both managed to fall back asleep and I woke up with Ben in my arms at 7:20am.

So far, this morning has been great. Benjamin seems fine and well rested. Bear survived the washing machine. Once again all is well.

major breakthrough

It seems like we have been waiting forever for Benjamin's first tooth to appear. For months we have experienced all of the classic teething signs and thought for sure that the first white nubbin would appear any day. I especially had my eye on his lower gum line where a little white speck was just below the surface destined to come out. It was just a matter of time. And I am happy to announce that the time has finally come...

Benjamin has sprouted his very first tooth- a major breakthrough!

A sneaky little incisor pushed right through the top!

So young, and yet so full of surprises.

the boys

I always knew that Jarrett would be an amazing dad. He has a kind heart, sharp intellect and a witty sense of humor. These well-rounded characteristics are already being passed along to Ben as their relationship steadily grows.

Jarrett and Ben have a very special bond and I feel very fortunate to watch it develop. Ben's face just lights up when his dad walks into the room and he squeals with laughter when they play. Cuddle time is especially sweet- they are both quiet and content.

Here are just a few photos of the boys taken during the last 8 months...

Just hatched

Cuddle time

More cuddle time

Looking up to his daddy

More cuddle time

At the beach

At the park

Watching surf videos

Making waffles for mama- yum!

Clownin' around

First microbrew

Driving already?

Some big shoes to fill!

pool shark

Before Ben came along, Jarrett and I spent many evenings just hanging out at home, listening to music, drinking beer and shooting pool. Now we just spend many evenings hanging out at home and listening to music.

I miss the nights where we would linger over the pool table, trying to line up the perfect shot that would result in victory. Throughout the process there would be some major taunting between players and most often a bet in which the winner would score a foot rub from the unfortunate loser. I still enjoy playing pool and really love foot rubs, so from this moment forward I pledge to engage in more pool playing!

While Jarrett was away at work, I thought it would be fun to teach Ben all about billiards. I figure it's never to young to start and this way he will get tons of practice. Then some day he will be a pool shark and he can redeem lots of foot rubs like his mama!

Benjamin sat on the green felt and watched the balls move across the table. He focused on every ball that disappeared into each pocket and then would try to retrieve them. It was cute to watch him play.

teething biscuits

Right now Benjamin is going through some major teething. One minute he's the sweetest child on earth and in the blink of an eye he can become very unhappy. For the most part, we're dealing with all of the usual symptoms- wakefulness, irritability and the need to chomp down on anything and everything like a little piranha.

I've been doing everything I can think of to ease his discomfort. The homeopathic teething tablets seem to work pretty good. Sometimes I cave and give him some Advil. But mostly, I just give him all kinds of things to gnaw on like frozen washcloths, cold carrots and teething toys.

Today I picked up some teething biscuits from Whole Foods. After carefully studying the ingredients, they seemed like such a good snack. Organic- wheat, soy & dairy free- and with calcium for growing bones! I couldn't wait to get home to try them out...

I put Ben in his highchair, opened the box and handed him a biscuit. So far, everything the box had promised held true- the easy to hold shape, hard surface to exercise gums and jaws, and delicious taste. What the box failed to mention was the huge mess that these little things can produce. But Ben loves them- so I stripped him down, took him outside and let him go to town until he was completely covered in his own messy drool!

I enjoyed watching Ben eat his new snack. I think Tucson enjoyed it too because he got to eat the leftovers! Now it is definitely bath time and then a nice afternoon snooze. Zzzzz.

boy's best friend

Before Benjamin was born, we spent months wondering how Tucson would react to our new family addition. Throughout his entire existence, Tucson was used to being our baby- our first born- the one and only. The honest truth is that once Benjamin was born, our dog who used to be our baby just became our dog. Don't get me wrong- we love Tucson just as much as ever, it's just that the nature of the relationship has changed.

It was difficult to prepare Tuscon for the big homecoming. He could sense something was different, but couldn't understand exactly what. As far as he was concerned, we had just brought home another being that smells funny and would later get most of the toys. Needless to say, he wasn't all that thrilled at first. However, that quickly changed and we noticed Tucson becoming very interested and ultimately protective of the new baby.

Ben and Tucson have formed a special bond. Ben uses his little voice to get Tuc's attention when he wants to play. And Tuc sometimes blindsides Ben with a sneaky, slobbery kiss!

Tuscon is truly a boy's best friend.

(but he still wants his toys back!)

green thumbs

One of the things I love about living in California is having easy access to many types of fresh produce- year round. We live in a climate were lots of different fruits and veggies thrive. Up until a few years ago, I prepared most vegetable side dishes with a can opener and microwave. I've quickly come to the conclusion that fresh is best (especially when it comes to my orange juice, right Dad?)

It would just be silly not to take advantage of our garden friendly climate so every year we at least plant something. When it comes to gardening, I will be the first to admit that I'm not the best person for the job. It's so confusing trying to keep track of which plants like shade and which like sun and then some plants like lots of water and some don't.

It's best to leave all the gardening to my 2 green thumbs- Jarrett and Benjamin.

Couldn't resist!

This year our garden consists of: big tomatoes, little tomatoes, red peppers, artichokes, strawberries, basil, cilantro, mint and rosemary.

Our garden may be small, but we can make a nice tomato and mozzarella salad with roasted artichokes, some killer mojitoes and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Perfect!

another year younger

at the park

After our morning walk and a very short catnap, I thought it would be nice to spend the afternoon at the park. Ben and I lounged around on a blanket and played with some of his toys. Then we headed over to the swings for awhile. Ben just loves the swings- he smiled and laughed and had a great time!

Not only is Benjamin my son, he's also my little buddy. I just love spending time with him every day. He is becoming quite a character and is so much fun to be around. His daddy works very hard to make it possible for me to stay home with him. I feel very fortunate for this opportunity to watch Benjamin grow up and to be here for him most of the time.

Thank you, Jarrett. I love you so much. xo