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!!!

Cheeks & Chins

He's all cheeks and chins! ;p Benners got a new car seat (the 'Aloha' print seat) as he's already outgrown his infant seat. This one we will NOT carry him around in, but that was getting hard with his other seat anyway! He's a very happy baby, and even happier now that Mum is in the process of moving the start date for her fieldwork from January to June. This means five more months at home with Mum! Everyone is happy about this probablility, as the thought of starting four days/week in January was overwhelming (and sad!)... We're lucky and feel very blessed that this is a possibility, and we're always thanking Daddy for making it so. He's been working really hard at the hospital and Winthrop Ambulance, which has allowed Mum and Ben to stay home together. For this we thank him!!!

Hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving. Send us an email or post a comment so we know how y'all are doing!

Happy Boy

Ben has been a very content little (? Big?) boy. He's smiling and laughing all the time now, which is the best thing in the world. Despite going to bed very early, he's been getting much better at sleeping at night. He discovered his hands a few weeks ago and loves to suck on the side of them, though won't suck his thumb or fingers (and he still wants absolutely nothing to do with a pacifier). He's truly a blessing...

Blue Eyes

Ben got a few minutes in his cousins' exer-saucer and seemed to love it! Such a strong neck~ he'll be rolling over and crawling soon. He loves to spend time on the floor sucking on his fists and kicking his legs all around. He's growing so fast!!!

Over 18 lbs!

Benners weighed in at 18 lbs, 2 oz on his 12-week birthday! Big Ben is pictured here with his older cousin Claire. We visited Claire, Gracie, and Madelyn over the weekend. There's a lot more activity at their house then ours & Ben was wide-eyed the whole time! :) We also went to Longfellow's Holiday Open House and looked at all the pretty decorated trees with Grampie over the weekend (Ben wore his red vest and outfit to fit the holiday decor...).

Jay made a trip to Connecticut and New York City over the weekend with Sue and Phil. They spent the first night in Sturbridge and then on to Joanne's. It was a whirl-wind trip, but Jay really enjoyed Bodies: The Exhibition at South Street Seaport in the city (http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/). It's nice to have him home and he doesn't have to go back to work until Thursday night!

Mumma's Boy (for now)

Ben loves to nap on Mum's chest (and it's a good excuse for me to 'have' to take a nap!). I'm enjoying it while I can because I'm sure once I go back to school in January he'll become much more attached to Daddy. In the meantime, he's growing like crazy. He has to have hit 17 lbs (and probably passed it) by now. He's hard to carry around. He doesn't fit into the front pack anymore, so we've been taking walks with him in the stroller. Benners loves to look around while he's in the stroller and really seems to enjoy our walks. Pretty soon he'll be in the back pack & we'll be snowshoeing!

Happy Halloween!

Nana dressed Benners up as a pumpkin! :)

A family gathering

This weekend Grammie & Grampa Wentzell came up from Portland and got to spend time with their great-grandchildren. The bottom photo has 4 generations: Great Grammie Wentzell, Nana Dwyer, Katie, and Benjamin!

A stroll outside

Benjamin and I went on a walk today in the cool weather. Ben rode in his stroller (it was a bumpy ride down the driveway!) and he loved it! He fell asleep and I didn't want to disturb him when we finally got home. Harley trotted along with us and all three of us felt great after some fresh, cool air!

Blue Eyes

He's all Daddy! :)

Benners & Maci

Benjamin apparently likes older women~ Maci is 2 months older than Benners, but he outweighs her by over a pound. :) We went to Scott & Shay's for dinner this week and Ben was awake and alert during the whole visit (must be trying to impress his new girlfriend). We got home and Ben finally fell asleep in his crib around 9pm and slept for 5 1/2 hours straight!!! I woke up refreshed and even a little disoriented from all the sleep. Last night the little trooper slept for 4 1/2 hours before waking up to nurse, and we're hoping he'll keep up the trend of sleeping for more than 4 hours.

Two-month Check-up!

Well, he's done it. He's over 16 lbs!!! Benners is 16 lbs 9 oz and is 'off the charts' for both weight and head circumference for his age (9 weeks). His pediatrician is very pleased with his growth (guess, we're doing something right with all the breast feeding!). He had four shots and one oral vaccination, none of which he was very happy with. We go back at the beginning of December for his four-month check-up. He's a healthy boy!

Who wouldn't love this face?

Homecoming at Sugarloaf

We went to Sugarloaf for another overnight and had BEAUTIFUL weather. Jay was able to bike both Saturday and Sunday, and Benners and I took a nice walk to look at foliage. We joined Sue and Phil up at the condo, as it was Homecoming Weekend, and Ben was able to spend some time with his Grammie and Grampa. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. Ben did great in the car again, but didn't sleep during the night so Mumma was tired on Sunday! (See how relaxed Benners gets when sleeping in Mumma's arms? This is partly because he didn't sleep the night before this picture was taken!!!)

Jay has worked his last day shift at Maine General and goes to the night shift starting this week. It should be quite a change and one I hope he can get used to quickly. It will be a great schedule once I am back doing my fieldwork, but one I don't imagine he'll want to continue for the long haul.

In the meantime, Benners turned eight weeks old on Saturday~ it's hard to believe. We go to see his pediatrician a week from today, so it will be interesting to see how much he weighs at that point... Any wagers? ;-p

Benners and Daddy

Think they look anything alike???

Seven weeks old!

Saturday was Ben's seven-week birthday! We celebrated by going to a surprise bridal shower for Auntie Monkey~ an hour each way in the car! Ben did great on the way there (he slept the entire way), but wasn't so thrilled with being in the car seat on the way home (I had to stop four times to console/nurse him). It took us 2 1/4 hours to make the one-hour journey home!!! Oh well, we're practicing. And we had a great time at Kirsten's shower. Benners met Oliver, who is over 4 months old and weighs at least two pounds less than Ben! Today Ben has his first runny nose :( and Mum isn't feeling 100% either. Guess that's what happens. Wish us a speedy recovery.

Relaxin'

Ben has been spending much more time awake and alert, as he closes in on his 7-week birthday! He tolerates being in his swing chair and alone lying down a little bit more (not requiring Mum to hold him every minute). He even offers smiles every few minutes! His neck is getting very strong, and he's gaining head control quite quickly. Benners noises are branching out, he's practicing his yells and squaks! He definitely keeps us entertained. :)

A smile?

Here's a (sideways) photo of a 14 1/2 lb Benjamin~ smiling!! (??) He's been on the verge of giving a full gummy smile, and I was able to catch this expression on camera today.

Common Ground Fair

The three of us spent Friday at the Common Ground Fair~ it was a beautiful day! In the picture I'm wearing a sling made by Amber Austin (http://www.mommyandmeforyou.com/) and Ben and I spent a good portion of the day wandering around the fair grounds (and eating!!!) with Jay. Ben loved the sling, and slept curled up in there for most of the day. It had been many, many years since we'd been to the fair & it was a great way to spend the day.

Six Weeks Old!

He's getting bigger!!! I weighed him last week and he was a whopping 14 lbs! I'm getting quite a workout carrying him around, but he certainly loves to be close. He's sleeping for longer periods at a time, though still hasn't gotten the hang of night time is for sleeping, NOT playing! :) It's amazing to see how alert he is for a lot of the time now, and content being in a swing and watching what's going on around him. He's on the verge of giving us a full-fledged smile, which is amazing!!!