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Happy Halloween! Wednesday, October 31, 2007 Benjamin wasn't really into the head of his spider costume, but we did play in the front yard/common area of our street for a good 90 minutes this afternoon. Have you ever seen a cuter spider??  Hope you got more treats than tricks! ~Courtney posted at 8:47:37 PM Happy 14 Months, B! Wednesday, October 31, 2007 Benjamin is 14 months old today. This month has been insanely long for us, and full of ups and downs, but it's nearly over and looking back, we're a stronger family for what we've dealt with (namely, ear infections and surgery). Benjamin is as busy as can be, running 60 MPH when he's awake, and definitely keeping Andrew and I on our toes. His personality is evolving from that of a little baby into one of a kind, sharing, and VERY loving little person. His eating is still crap, but we're figuring out what works and what doesn't. He's brave on the playground. He thinks he's a big kid, too. It's the most amazing thing to watch him chase the big kids around...they usually slow down a bit to humor him, too. I think he has 11 or 12 teeth now, including some top molars...he won't open up to let me check, but I think I've caught a glimpse during some hysterical laughter. He thinks that toots, kisses, tickles (ticca, ticca, ticca) are hilarious. He thinks that vegetables are NOT hilarious. If it's possible, I love him more and more, every single day! ~Courtney posted at 2:34:41 PM Zoo pics Tuesday, October 30, 2007 No order, or real reason for their inclusion; except the one where I realized my hair is (a bunch of) really neat colors right now.     The last one I am posting needs to be seen slightly larger, so click here to see Benjamin in the small mammal house. I wish it weren't so blurry...but it was so funny to watch him when that thing came right toward him! I hate that it's such a pain to get into DC to get here...we'd go ALL of the time (like, weekly!) if it were a bit easier. LOVE the zoo. ~Courtney posted at 10:11:43 PM Blah Monday, October 29, 2007 Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah. That was our day. A whole lot of blah. ~Courtney posted at 8:13:54 PM Benjamin and Carl Sunday, October 28, 2007 Carl is Jonathan's cat. He's a very mellow cat, and puts up with Benjamin, which is really nice, because Benjamin loooooooves him. This is a shot from the party yesterday taken by another friend...it's fantastic!  ~Courtney posted at 8:34:01 PM Nice Sunday Morning Sunday, October 28, 2007 I just got in from an 8.5 mile run. Benjamin is sweetly napping in his crib. Andrew rushed through my list of things to do in order to play Guitar Heros 3 on his Wii. Ahhhh...what a morning. I think we might be off to the National Zoo once the bean wakes up. It'll be a fun, true-autumn day. Finally! ~Courtney posted at 11:03:04 AM Feeling MUCH Better Saturday, October 27, 2007 Benjamin has been feeling pretty good the past couple of days; and we couldn't be happier about it. Andrew's boss let him work from home both Thursday and Friday, so it was nice for me to have a bit of extra help around the house. Also nice was not having to waste a couple of vacation days on not-so-fun things. Plus, lucky me, I got to go to the dentist yesterday morning. Let's just say I have 3 follow-up visits scheduled between now and February first, including removing my stupid wisdom teeth, getting a cavity (first ever, boo) filled, and the grand finale, getting my front teeth fixed. For those who don't know, I smashed my front teeth up when I was 8, and have had them fixed a couple of times in the past 2 decades since. They never could do anything permanent, because I was still growing at the time. This fixing should be the only one I need for the next 20+ years...I hops so! It's been raining cats and dogs here. Which is good, because we've desperately needed rain. It's bad, because I feel that we've been totally ripped off of all-things-autumn. Today is Jonathan's first birthday party! He turned one yesterday, but we're going to whoop-it-up toddler style later this afternoon. His parents throw a good party, so we're looking forward to it! Benjamin got a new high chair this week. It pulls right up to the table, which is great, because we're really working hard at eating meals together, and this really allows him to be a part of that. Plus, his other one gets SO disgustingly nasty that the cost of the new one greatly outweighs the effort that is involved to keep the other usable. So far, we love it! Here is Benjamin, in his new chair, (not-so) patiently awaiting his breakfast of pancakes, yesterday morning:    ~Courtney posted at 9:29:15 AM Benjamin's Ear Update Thursday, October 25, 2007 We are home from what is (likely) the world's quickest surgery. Benjamin has tubes now, and we couldn't be happier to be done taking amoxil every couple of weeks! The surgery itself took the doctor about 4 minutes. We were away from B for about 15 minutes, total. Granted, the longest 15 minutes of my life, but it was easy, in the whole grand scheme of things. We only had to stay in recovery for about 15-20 minutes. B was hysterical the entire time, and the doctor assured us this was normal. He compared what he was feeling to going to bed drunk, and getting the spins. I personally don't know what that feels like, but have heard it's pretty brutal. I kid. I kid. He fell asleep in the car, nursed when we got home, and is now peacefully napping in his crib. The said this should probably be a good, long nap, and that he'll be better than ever when he wakes up. Thanks for all of your good thoughts and prayers as we prepared for this. Here's to hoping that this will fix the problem, and restore any hearing loss he's suffered so far. He is SUCH a trooper! ~Courtney posted at 9:32:38 AM Dear Autumn, Wednesday, October 24, 2007 We're ready for you!   ~Courtney posted at 9:21:23 AM Pumpkin Patch Fun Saturday, October 20, 2007 Today was the first weekend day that met the following criteria:
Benjamin had a blast in the pumpkins, and even helped me pick out a nice 25 pounder to bring home with us.   Here is a reminder of our 2006 trip to the pumpkin patch in Colorado. I think he enjoyed it a bit more this year...  I desperately need to chop off a few inches of my hair. In fact, I think I might be up for a much shorter 'do. It usually ends up in a pony-tail within 20 minutes of leaving the house, so there really isn't any point in dealing with it...I digress.  He took a ride in a rocket ship, although, I probably could have saved the quarter, because he just liked turning the steering wheel. In fact, he wasn't all that keen on the rocking motion.   Oh, and this was him *helping* me put the dishes (which were still dirty) away yesterday. Totally busted.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend. As usual, ours is going by FAR too quickly! ~Courtney posted at 2:26:10 PM For Kimmie Saturday, October 20, 2007 Yes...that's the sheep from the Little People Barn. He went in a LOT easier than he came out...  And yes, that's a gourd right next to it... ~Courtney posted at 2:01:07 PM Things I love right now... Friday, October 19, 2007
What do you love right now? ~Courtney posted at 1:57:48 PM Adobe Fun Wednesday, October 17, 2007 I love, love, love learning new things in Adobe CS3, and I've just figured out how to make animated gif files...I am so excited about this. Doesn't take much, huh? ~Courtney posted at 7:49:31 PM More ears... Tuesday, October 16, 2007 Surgery is scheduled for next Thursday. I can't wait until it's over. ~Courtney posted at 7:43:45 PM Nudie Patootie Tuesday, October 16, 2007 Benjamin figured out how to take off his diaper last night. Being the fantastic mom that I am, I grabbed the camera to document the fun. I would like to add that this all happened in under 30 seconds, and his hands were immediately washed following the diaper handling. He was re-diapered and in his pajamas a couple of minutes later. Sweet! I just took off my diaper.  I don't think mom noticed...act normal.  I'll just throw it in my shopping cart wth my bear and my Crocs...  Continuing to act normal...just pushing my shopping cart.  Ooooh, look. One of mom's high heels.  I can't get this dumb shoe on...  ~Courtney posted at 1:36:48 PM Ear Update Monday, October 15, 2007 We have seen 2 different doctors today; both the pediatrician who diagnosed B with his most recent ear infection, as well as his ENT doctor. I am patiently waiting for the surgery scheduler to call me back so that we can bump his hearing test up to this week, and schedule his tubes surgery for next. Our ENT told me that we'll be done with all of this our 11/1 airplane trip to visit A's family. Keep the bambino in your thoughts and prayers, please! ~Courtney posted at 3:47:13 PM Pictures Monday, October 15, 2007 Here are some random pics from the past couple of weeks. Benjamin loves his "cape," which is actually our Christmas tree skirt, which is only out because it never really found its way back to the Christmas decoration box last year, and now lives in a basket by our stairs. I COULD dig out the box, but I figure we're close to needing it again, so we'll just let it be. :)        This is more of a warning...if you come to visit our house, and are missing watches, bracelets, necklaces, iPod shuffles, etc., chances are very good that our little cleptomaniac has "borrowed" it to test it out in his ball popper. It took me 3 days to find my watch once. When the iPod went missing, I didn't take quite so long to figure out where it was:  ~Courtney posted at 10:10:43 AM A girlie weekend Monday, October 15, 2007 I got to fly up to Buffalo New York for the weekend, to hang out with some of my oldest (and best) friends, and celebrate Anna's upcoming arrival at a great baby shower. I traveled light, so I didn't lug the big camera. I did, however, take my little point-n-shoot, but didn't realize until I went to capture a moment, that the batteries were totally out of juice. Typical. Anna's mom sent this picture this afternoon.  Benjamin and Andrew stayed home, and were able to meet up with Andrew's parents and sister for awhile on Sunday. I don't think he took any pictures, either. So, sorry. Anna's baby shower was at the Roycroft Inn in East Aurora, NY. It was a lovely afternoon with mimosas, lunch, cake, and of course, lots of baby presents! A thanks to Anna's friend Beth, and her mom, for throwing such a lovely afternoon. While there, we saw a bride being photographed; I am guessing, before her wedding. It reminded me of a couple of things. One, I remember being outside in chilly, 50 degree air in nothing by my strapless gown. And two, that my wedding anniversary is in a week. Last year, Benjamin was so new that we didn't do anything (at all) to celebrate, so this year, we were hoping to whoop it up a bit better. Since we don't have a local baby sitter, we were scratching our heads trying to figure out how to go out next weekend. It then hit me like a ton of bricks...my sister in law lives oh-so-close (about an hour away) to us now!!! Andrew gave her a call, and she's coming out on Saturday afternoon/evening to stay with Benjamin while Andrew and I have a date. I am so excited; we only get to go out when we're visiting our families, so this is fantastic! We are giving Kathryn some furniture to use in her new apartment, so she was going to be visiting us soon, anyhow. YAY for a babysitter! Benjamin woke up shortly before 4 this morning, and I went in to feed him and put him back down...well, he was having none of the "being put back down," so Andrew went in to rock him and said he was clawing at his ears...grrr. It was bizarre behavior for him, as he usually goes right back to sleep, so I imagine I'll be on the phone with the ped's office in less than 25 minutes to see if we can get them checked out later today. Anyhow, another wordy, pictureless post. Sorry. Hope your Monday is great! ~Courtney posted at 8:09:13 AM Single Parenting... Friday, October 12, 2007 Sorry for the lack of posts this week (and the two prior...), but being a single parent (albeit temporary) doesn't allow for much blog-time. Andrew spent last Friday through Monday in the Bahamas on a work trip. It wasn't actually business...more of a retreat, but he was with work-people. He got home around 11 on Monday night, leaving just enough time to fill up the hamper with his dirty Caribbean clothes, and to repack with more business-sensible Omaha, Nebraska attire. He got to take a shower, and I think he might have gotten 2-3 hours of sleep before his 6 am flight on Tuesday morning. I was expecting him home earlier this afternoon, but his plane was broken, so he had to lie, cheat, & steal to get on a later flight (okay, maybe not quite that dramatic). Unfortunately, that plane made a stop in Dallas...so he won't be home until later this evening. Benjamin and I actually had a fantastic week together. I was a bit worried about 8 full days solo-parenting, but it wasn't bad at all. Of course, my mom and grandma were visiting on Saturday-Monday, so Benjamin got oodles (yes, I said oodles) of attention then. We mostly stayed pretty close to home during their visit, but on Sunday we visited the Baltimore Aquarium, and had lunch on a nearby Pier. The rest of the week was spent playing with friends, and a lot of hanging out at home. Benjamin and I were sick for the better part of the last couple of weeks, but I think we're both nearly 100% now. Tomorrow morning, I leave for Buffalo, NY to celebrate Anna's pregnancy and upcoming arrival at a lovely-sounding baby-shower thrown by one of her good college friends. Leah and Tera are both planning to be there as well, so it'll be a really nice weekend. Andrew's parents are in town this weekend, as well. His sister is starting an internship in VA, so they just drove across the country with her belongings. I don't know that they've made any plans yet, but I imagine that they'll all get together at some point this weekend. That's about all from here. Benjamin is napping. I am going to go and try on my new clothes that I bought today, and then do a bit more online shopping for the things I was hoping to find at the mall, but didn't. Happy Weekend! ~Courtney posted at 3:11:58 PM Welcome Sara and Julian! Tuesday, October 09, 2007 Our friends Melissa and Erik had their twins yesterday! Sara Katherine was 7 lbs 2 ounces, and Julian Peter was 6 lbs, 10 ounces. Erik just sent some pictures, and they are absolutely gorgeous! FINALLY, a picture! I have been website-modification-challenged the past couple of weeks: 
Congratulations to Melissa and Erik! We can't wait to meet them!
~Courtney posted at 10:19:34 AM Does anybody else do this? Friday, October 05, 2007 I somehow signed myself up for emails from Clinique (after a face-wash order, I suspect), and often get the emails saying "It's Bonus Time at Store X!" First, I get excited. Then I try to determine which mall I'll visit to find Store X. Next, I determine what I need to buy to meet the qualifying minimum purchase. Then, I look at the "free" loot that comes in the cheap plastic makeup bag. Lastly, I come to the conclusion that I don't need, use, or even WANT any of the things that come in the cheapo makeup bag. In fact, I am done using the Clinique face-wash after this last bottle is gone, anyhow. Plus, I've made a commitment to myself to use up all of the lotions, soaps, & scrubs that I HAD to have before I buy any others... We will not be running to Bonus Time at Macy's (now until Saturday, October 20). I promise. ~Courtney posted at 10:15:22 AM Hi Thursday, October 04, 2007 So, this entire week has (mostly) passed, and we've been oddly busy, but I feel like it has been days since we've done anything at the same time. Is that possible? On Saturday, we decided to visit a local farm/pumpkin patch/petting zoo/farm store/odd Enchanted Village Place. Benjamin had a blast with the animals. He was surprisingly brave. He liked touching the goats. He also chased a chicken, even though we told him that the sign said not to chase the chickens. Oh, and he shoved his finger up a minature horse's nose. The horse snorted in a fit of displeasure for that, and even nipped at him a bit. Benjamin thought it was pretty funny. Andrew took about 8 billion pictures, but you only get a couple:   Being a farmer is tiring work.  If you are reading this, you likely know me well enough to know that I am not exactly "at home" at a farm. However, fun times were had by all. SO MUCH FUN, in fact, that Stephanie, Jonathan, Benjamin and I loaded up my car and went BACK to the farm on Monday morning. The boys played, and got VERY dirty. The moms chatted, and chased after the boys, and Jonathan even wore adorable "farmer" overalls. Okay, I think they are BabyGap, which probably doesn't count as farmer overalls, but they were cute, nonetheless. Starting to ease into farm life, on Tuesday we planned to meet Holly and Elise at an apple orchard/farm that is relatively close to their house. However, after doing some research, we found out that the apple picking was only on the weekends, and usually wrapped up by the end of September. We decided to go anyway, and found a great farm-store with lots of apple products, delicious smelling desserts (which I had to resist), and some fun Halloween decor. The kids played in the "field of fun" or whatever it was called and toddled around the petting zoo, hay maze (Benjamin was NOT a fan), and the tractor-tricycle play area. They ran around like crazy-people, and we ran around trying to keep up with them. Watching Elise makes me nervous for how little time I have before Benjamin can truly run...eek, she's fast! We exited through the store and brought home some apple butter, a homemade salsa, and a big jug of apple cider. Benjamin's water-cup was nearly empty, so I bought him a little bottle of apple cider and some water...he LOVED the cider. As in, chugged about 3 ounces cider mixed with 3 ounces water in under 5 minutes. I don't blame him; it was pretty good. In other news, we're fighting colds here. Probably something we caught on a farm. The teething runny nose turned into a "cold runny nose," but thankfully, he seems to feel okay. We've just stayed pretty close to home the past couple of days, but are likely to rejoin the human race tomorrow. My mom and grandmother are headed south for a visit this weekend. It'll be a girly + Benjamin weekend, as Andrew will be in the Bahamas (lucky dog!) for a work trip. Depending on the weather, we'll likely hit up the Smithsonian Zoo in DC, or the Aquarium in Baltimore. We'll see what the crew is up for! And lastly, since this has been far too wordy, here are a couple shots of "Benjamin: Psycho Chocoholic." In case you haven't heard me whine about this; Benjamin has an insane distaste for milk. In attempts to get him to get a couple of ounces down, our pediatrician recommended putting a couple drops of chocolate syrup into it. At first, it didn't work at all...he still pushed the cup away. BUT, I decided to let him have a taste of pure Hershey's syrup, and then let him watch me put it into his cup. That worked. For one minute. Then he hijacked the container of chocolate and made these scary faces, a series I call "Give me the chocolate, and nobody gets hurt."    Hope you're well. We're glad to be back online after that far-too-long break! ~Courtney posted at 7:53:04 PM We're back... Thursday, October 04, 2007 Well, I wish I had some dramatic reason for why the site has been down for the last eight days, but I don't. In fact, it's a pretty lame-o deal; my friend hosts it for us, and he got cut off by Verizon. During that time, he found a new vendor, and had to get everything moved over to the new data center... So there you have it. We're a bit under the weather here, but we did have a great weekend, and I do have more to say...stay tuned for a true update once I figure out how to FTP pictures to the new server. ~Courtney posted at 2:33:10 PM |
