Spring is here!

Yes, he's wearing his favorite pj's (again!) in this picture. They're almost too small for him, so we're getting the most use out of them as possible. He's into 12-18 month clothes, and some of those are even starting to get snug. We've been doing some Spring shopping for new clothes~ for both Ben and Mumma! As Ben gains weight, I'm losing it so we're both in need of some new clothes.
Ben continues to find ways to get himself around on the floor, though he's not crawling forward quite yet, he's (almost) able to get from his belly into a seated position (definitely not gracefully yet). He's sitting very well on his own and we're finding that he can reach things that we thought were well out of his grasp! He likes most non-baby things, so we've already designated a remote control that's all his own! Benners continues to try new foods, sweet potato and banana are still his favorites.
Our biggest challenge is getting Ben to sleep, and he fights it like a champ! He's back to his 45-minute naps and getting up frequently during the night so I imagine his sleep will continue to cycle through good-and-'bad'-stages. He doesn't have any teeth yet, but he's drooling buckets and rubbing everything on his gums (the remote makes a great squeak when he rubs it back and forth on his gums) so imagine we'll see the first tooth peek out soon.
Jay is busy, busy with work and I have two months left at home before I start my Fieldwork for school (June 4th). I'll be going back 4 days/week and Jay will be working 3 (generally), so we won't see much of each other, but Ben will have his parents around for most of the time, which is our goal.
Hope everyone has a great Spring... Red Sox season starts today!!!

He's Saying "Mumma"!

Okay, so he might not understand what it means, but he's still saying it! Over and over again. :) It's the best sound!

On the Move

He's still not quite crawling yet, but he sure can get around! He gets himself in very interesting places, so we have to keep an eye on him. He gets stuck under this chair quite a bit, but it doesn't seem to bother him anymore. He just hangs out and looks around for a reaction from someone. Still rolling to get places!

We're pretty sure Benners is teething as well. He's drooling and gumming on everything (including my chin~ his favorite gumming device). He's not consistent with his naps and so that continues to be a challenge, though the past few nights he's only been waking up twice during the night. He has a 'cough' (we think he's just trying to get attention ;-p) and a bit of a raspy voice as well... We're trying to figure out what all this stuff means!

Benners is a very happy boy, as always, and is heading towards being eight months old! How is that possible???

Getting mobile!

Although Benners isn't crawling yet, he sure can get around! He gets up onto his hands and knees and does a lot of rocking. He easily pushes himself backwards (and ends up wedged underneath the furniture which makes him mad!). And he's just getting the idea that if he rolls over and over again he can end up in new places! Here's a picture of him getting more comfortable exploring what his strength and balance can do (do I have a yoga baby on my hands??? I hope!). This was taken just a couple of days ago and he has gotten much better at rolling himself belly-to-back-to-belly all over the house. Watch out Mumma and Daddy (and Chi), here comes Benners! It's really amazing to watch him get more and more comfortable with himself and his body. Soon he'll be pulling himself up on furniture. Uh, oh! :)

7 Months Old!

Benjamin Thomas is SEVEN months old today~ that's hard to believe!!! Time flies when you're having fun. And speaking of having fun, we went outside sledding again yesterday and this time Matt, Madelyn, Gracie, and Tucker joined us. We packed down the sledding trail pretty well (the snow had gotten slushy because it had warmed up quite a bit). Ben spent his time in the backpack, looking on. He was usually on someone's back, but I caught this photo of him propped in the snow in his backpack. He loves to be outdoors, but it was a bit windy yesterday so he headed inside with Daddy while I stayed and did some more sledding. Harley and Tucker had fun too, but Tucker can certainly run circles around Harley in the snow!

Sledding!

Yesterday was a nice enough day that the 3 of us got outside and did some sledding! We walked down to the rec hall (Benners in the backpack on Daddy & Mum on snowshoes) and got the toboggan. Mum and Dad took turns sledding down the hill as Ben looked on. He enjoyed the sun on his face and some mild weather (finally!). Harley got into the excitement and chased Jay down the hill once, but then decided it was better to just watch from the sidelines. It was wonderful to get some fresh air, and we did a lot of laughing. We're hoping to get out there again today as it's even warmer than yesterday!

6 month check-up

Benners had his 6-month check-up today, and all went well! He weighed in at 25 lbs and is still 'off the charts' for weight and head circumfrence. Maybe that means he has big brains!!! He had 3 vaccinations and he screamed for a couple of minutes and then it was out of his system.

Ben is still fighting his naps with all he's got, but the last couple of nights have been a bit better, so maybe he's working something out. He is rolling over in his crib and getting up on hands and knees, so I think he has a hard time shutting his brain off to take naps during the day. He'll be crawling before we know it!

Banana Benjamin

Ben opening wide for a yummy bite of freshly mashed banana. Whenever he sees the spoon coming toward him he opens wide, takes his food, and then gives a funny expression like he is trying to figure out the flavor. Today he was reaching for the bowl because he really likes fresh banana a lot. So his diet is currently banana/avocado/and most important of all..... Breast Milk.

Helping with Laundry

Benners is such a good help with laundry. He likes to eat all of his wash cloths and likes listening to Mum tell him all the colors of the clothes she's folding. One of his favorite games is to have pieces of clothing waved in front of his face so he can feel the breeze. Such a funny dude.

Mum's become obsessed with Ben's sleep (or lack thereof), as he hasn't been sleeping well during the night. We're working on it, but have committed to being 'homebodies' until something works out. Wish us luck!

Ben's crying from his (very short, 30 minute) morning nap, so I must go get him... Sigh...

New high chair

Here's Ben's new chair~ pretty soon he'll be eating at the table with us!!!! (Guess we need to start eating at the table ourselves.) He really likes to be in an upright position, or so it seems. He's liking his banana too! He goes for his 6-month check-up at the beginning of March, so it'll be interesting to see how much he weighs in a couple of weeks.

We got snowed in yesterday & today. I was hoping to get Ben out in it today, but it's too cold and windy. At least the sun is out. This is winter in Maine!

:)

Yes, he really does wear these pj's all the time! He got them for Christmas from Uncle Matty & Auntie Jessica, and they're the ones that fit him the best. Mum washes them about every day & they're already getting worn out, but so comfy...
Daddy took this picture of Benners during some of his usual tummy time. He's getting good at pushing himself backwards and around in a circle, but still frustrated that he can't go forward (Ben, not Daddy)!
Ben is SO interactive, and laughs all the time~ he likes to get thrown up into the air (which, if Mummy's doing the tossing only lasts for a few tosses- he is 24 lbs after all!) and bounced around a lot. He squeals when he's really happy and, no matter how tired Mum is, it makes her laugh too...

Brrrrrr... On the lake

Jay took his bike out for a ride on the carriage trail, and decided to come back on the lake! Harley thought it was pretty cool to run out and meet him, but he didn't stay long. He ran out to Jay then turned right around and ran back! It was cold, but beautiful out there...

Practicing sitting up

I heard that if I can sit up pretty well Mum and Daddy will give me FOOD! :) I like that, so here I am practicing...

Friends...

Here's Nana with Benners and Claire Bear. Smiley babies!

We've got Gracie and Madelyn too! Benners likes to pull hair~ watch out Gracie!

And Ben with his newest friend Silas Lehouiller. Benners rolled right over onto Silas and wanted to suck on his hands. These guys are sure to be good friends! Maybe even wrestling buddies at some point (if Dana has his way), though Ben has an unfair advantage right now. He weighed in at 23 lbs 14 oz last Monday and will be 6 months old on the 12th. Hard to believe!

Jay is busy with his schedule. He's been hired on part-time at CMMC's single stay unit (SSU) and will start working there sometime in the next several weeks. He's still per diem at Maine General, AND is taking a Pathophysiology class at UMA in his 'spare' time... We miss him when he has such a busy schedule but, as always, are grateful that Mum is able to stay at home with Benjamin for now. Ben and Mum spend a lot of time playing and, it seems, trying to get a nap in. We're working on the sleep thing but that seems to be our biggest challenge at this point. All-in-all we have a very happy little big boy!

A whole lot of tummy time!

It seems like as soon as we put Benners down on the floor, he immediately rolls onto his belly! Still no rolling back the other way though. He rolled for the first time in his crib, and boy was I surprised to find him on his belly and way up on his hands when I went into his room at 3am! He was smiling away at me when I arrived. He's taken to really exercising his voice and trying all sorts of beautiful new sounds. We haven't weighed him recently, but I'm guessing he's around 25 lbs at this point...
We're working on a nap routine, though Ben seems to be a big fan of the 45 minute nap! At least he's napping, we shouldn't complain, but we're working on longer naps. He does pretty well at night~ he still gets up a couple of times and asks for attention or to nurse. Hard to believe he'll be 6 months old on the 12th!!!

Happy Boy

We just love that smiling face!!!

Harley Turns 10!!!

It's hard to believe Harley-Man is 10 years old! He was born Jan 10, 1997~ my first born! ;-p I feel a little bad for the guy though, having to take a back seat to Benners. Unfortunately, Harley isn't a big fan of children, but things have been going okay at our house since Ben doesn't pose much of a threat (yet)! Harley is doing well though, likes this colder weather, and wins the award in our house for sleeping through the night!!! This dog can go to bed at 6pm and not move for 12 hours or more! Wonder if Ben will ever get close to that. Though, I have to say, Benners did sleep for 7 1/2 hours straight the other night~ it was wonderful!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARLEY!

On his tummy

Since learning to roll over, Benners spends a LOT of his time on his tummy. And even though he rolled from tummy to back before the other way around, he gets stuck here on his belly and asks for help rolling back over. He's getting really good at rolling onto his belly and he's starting to kick his legs when in this postion too. He likes to reach for toys and put them in his mouth, then he'll take a break and do a 'face-plant' on the quilt. He needs to rest from all that work!

He Rolled Over!

Just shy of 5 months old & our round little guy rolled over! He went from belly-to-back all by himself on Tuesday, then from back-to-belly on Wednesday! It's just a matter of time before he's moving all around by himself... We're not ready for that yet!!! We've had some challenges with getting Ben to bed recently, but we've been working on it and last night he had the best night of sleep ever~ from 6:30pm to 6am, with one feeding at 1:30am. And he even went back to sleep by himself (no nursing to sleep) after that middle-of-the-night nursing, which was great. Keep your fingers crossed for more nights like that. :)

Benners has enjoyed walks outside in this mild winter weather. Jay got a picture of him napping in the backpack. Benners likes to spend time on the floor quite a bit (now that we have a nice carpet in the living room!) and you can see the quilt that his Nana made him for Christmas. His Grammie and Grampie Phil left for Florida this morning, and I imagine they'll see quite a change in Ben when they arrive back in Maine in May!

Benners continues to change every day, and he's a smiley guy, which is wonderful. He seems very happy and contented and he LOVES all is people! He's been quite a flirt already (what are we in for?)

Happy New Year!

2007 is here! We wish everyone a happy, healthy, and fulfilling new year. We look forward to watching Benners grow and change and learn new things. It's hard to believe he's already almost 5 months old!

Best wishes to all. Be well!
~Katie, Jay, & Benjamin

In the sunshine

Benners loves to lie on the floor (he's almost rolling over!), and I caught a picture of him with the shadow of our plant across his face... He likes those fingers in his mouth!

Happy Holidays!

We've had a great first holiday season together as a family of 3. Ben is, of course, too young to know what's going on, but he did a lot of visiting with family and friends and had a great time! We spent Christmas Eve Day with Erin and Mike (and Erin's family) in Fayette, then had Christmas Eve dinner with Nana and Grampie and GG & GG Wentzell in Manchester. Then, Christmas morning we went to Matt & Jessica's (see photo of Ben with arm around cousin Claire), and Christmas dinner at Nana & Grampie's. Phew. The next day we went to Sugarloaf to spend time with Jay's family~ Grammie and Grampa Phil and the Bronsons. It was a whirl-wind visit, but we got to take a walk in the snow and enjoy our family. We're a lucky bunch!!!

Ben did really well with most all of the visiting, but we could tell he was tired at the end of it all. When we got home from Sugarloaf he took two sizeable naps, and then slept (with a couple of wakings to eat) from 6pm-7am! He's catching up on his sleeping, as are Mum and Dad, though Dad is back at work for a couple of shifts already.

Thanks to everyone who hosted us and fed us and gave us gifts over the past several days. We had a really wonderful time.

Other Jewett News

We do, believe it or not, have other things going on around the Jewett household! We finally had some of the huge pines taken down on our property and currently are having them milled for lumber. It's quite a huge project, but we'll never have to buy any lumber again! We got some really nice wide pieces for possible countertops and Jay's had perma-grin since this project started, thinking about all of the projects he could begin... Think we'll ever get any of the projects done that he's started already??? Sigh.

Dad and I also made some beer right after Thanksgiving, and here's a photo of Dad, Katie, and Jay bottling it. We get to try it around Christmas!

Still G(r)o(w)ing!!!

We saw Ben's pediatrician yesterday (because of possible side-effects from one of his vaccinations) and he weighed in at 21 lbs, 5 oz~ that's a gain of almost an ounce/day since his 4-month check-up 10 days prior! Go Benners!!! He's a good eater (obviously), and also getting into a routine of good sleeping as well. The past few nights his sleeping stretches have gotten a bit longer, which is great since Mum has been suffering from the flu. :( Fever, aches and pains, and general weakness has made it a bit hard to take care of the Little Big Man, but we've survived (and Ben obviously hasn't suffered!).

We can't believe Christmas is just 9 days away~ we're not ready!!! Luckily Ben won't know the difference. Looking forward to spending the day with family and enjoying Ben's first Christmas...

Ben with the Dwyers

Ben and I visited with Uncle Matty, Auntie Jessica, and cousins Madelyn, Gracie, and Claire this weekend. Madelyn wanted to hold Ben, but not for long~ he's too heavy!! Their house is full of happy holiday noise and Ben always looks at the goings on with wide eyes.

Aw, come on Mum!

Lots of pictures! We can't help but take lots of photos of the little guy~ he's just so darn cute. ;-p He loves to be outside, even now that we have snow and it's much cooler. When we go for walks he loves to look around and watch Harley trot along beside us. He's gonna be an outside boy, which is great!

4-month Check-up

Here's a photo of Ben after a bath (we call him the Blue-Eyed Burrito Boy when he's all wrapped up in the towel after a bath. Wrapped like a burrito, get it? I think people get weird when they become parents? ;-p).

He had his 4-month check-up with his pediatrician this week. All went well. He's still off the charts for size & weighed in at 20 lbs, 12 oz. The pediatrician said there is no need to introduce solid foods before the six month mark, since he's thriving so well on just a diet of breastmilk. He had 5 vaccinations, which were no fun at all (for any of us), and he's not been feeling great since the appointment though he manages to stay in a good mood none-the-less!

We went to Topsham yesterday afternoon to visit with some of my friends that I went to grad school with, and Ben got to meet a handful of them finally, which was cool. Benners is getting much better at riding in the car (which is great considering I got turned around in Topsham and the ride was twice as long as it should have been!). He's becoming much more interactive and responsive as well, which is just so much fun.

Such a joy...

December already!

Benners isn't rolling over quite yet, but he hikes himself almost up onto his side. He's a very smiley and happy boy, which we're greatful for! His laugh is just the best sound in the world, and he especially likes it when Daddy says really silly words. Sleep pattern is still very inconsistent, although last night was a GREAT night (he went to bed at 7pm and woke up to nurse at 1am and again at 5am)! Last week though, he was waking up every 45 minutes-1 hour through the night to nurse, so we're well aware that we're not into any kind of pattern yet. I'm just thankful for nights like last night. Yesterday I was able to go into the Maine State Library (where I'm doing some temporary work) for a few hours and Benners and Daddy had a great time alone! Ben took 2 bottles with no fussing and Jay was able to put him down for 2 naps as well! Yay! This means the beginning of more 'free' time for Mumma... :)

We can't believe it's December already. Hope everyone is getting geared up for the Holiday season... Be well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Eventually we'll get a picture of all three of us up here, but for now it's still pictures of Benners. He gets a little bit of Tummy Time each day, and he's getting very good at holding his head up. It's just a matter of time before he starts rolling over too. Hard to believe. He weighed in at 19 lbs, 11 oz on Wednesday and goes for his 4-month checkup at the beginning of December. He's already been moved into a bigger car seat, and I'm hoping he starts getting mobile on his own soon~ it's hard to carry him! (I'll probably regret wishing for that when it happens...)

We're all doing well here. Jay is still working nights at Maine General and having a hard time with the schedule. His long stretches of days off are wonderful, but go by too quickly. We're looking forward to the holidays as a family of three!!!