Weekend Pics

Here are some pics from this weekend. Ben has become more interested in his toys. First, he looks at them.



Then he tastes them.



This is Ben on his tummy watching the race. He's inappropriately dressed in Tony Stewart colors. He didn't stay on his tummy long. Although he's become much steadier, he still doesn't seem to enjoy it.



I don't post pictures of Ben and me very often, because I'm usually the one with the camera. John grabbed the camera this evening and took this pic of Ben and me reading No, No Noah, an incredibly cute book that Cara bought Ben.

Special Request

Mama said she wanted to see a clip of Ben laughing. I told her it was hard to play with him and get him to laugh and hold the camera at the same time. When I was undressing him, I discovered he was ticklish under his arms. So here I am tickling the poor baby so that Mama can hear him laugh.

New Moves

Yesterday Ben went from just noticing the toys hanging in front of him on his bouncy seat to reaching for them and playing with them. If he could get them to his mouth, I know that's where they would be headed.

Growing Boy

Yesterday I wrote that nothing had really happened this week. As I've thought more about it, we have made two changes that demonstrate how much Ben is growing. This week I put away all his 0-3 month pajamas. They were getting way too confining. Because of the inconsistency of sizing, some of his 0-3 month outfits are too small, others fit great, and a few are actually still too big.

I also removed the infant sling from his bathtub and he's reclining in the tub now. For the first couple of days, he held his feet up above the water. Today he finally decided to kick his feet and splash around some. Below is a short video of his bath this morning. This clip is rated G with the assistance of a blue wash cloth.

And another . . .

After snapping pictures all day, now I can't stop even though I've already got the tongue-out picture I wanted. In this pic, we've been practicing rolling over. Ben can't accomplish it on his own yet.

Finally!!

It took about 400 tries, but I finally got a cute picture of Ben with his tongue out. In most of the 400 pics, his tongue was back in before the camera flashed. In the few where I caught his tongue out, they were taken from odd angles and he looked like an alien. I won't embarass him by posting those. We'll save them for senior prom or his wedding rehearsal dinner.

An Update

I've been trying this morning to take a picture of Ben with his tongue stuck out. He seems to have discovered his tongue this week and likes to stick it out. However, everytime I grab the camera, he becomes interested in looking at the camera and his tongue goes back in his mouth. I haven't taken any other pictures this week. It's been a pleasant but uneventful week. Yesterday, Ben spent part of the afternoon with Mrs. Janice (she goes to our church) while I got my hair cut. In the evening, John watched Ben while I went to Me-N-Mommie, a children's clothes consignment sale that is put on twice a year in Grenada. I got Ben some really cute fall and winter clothes. I bought sizes 6-9 months and 9-12 months. John doesn't believe that Ben will actually be wearing the 9-12 month clothes in the next year. He doesn't think it's possible that he can grow that much in just nine months. I think he's going to be surprised at how much Ben grows and changes during that time.

I'll keep trying to take a picture and post it soon. Cara chastised me for not posting any new pictures lately.

The Easy Life

John and I thought Ben was funny last night with his hand behind his head just relaxing and eating.

4th of July at the Lake

John and I spent 4th of July weekend at Lake Bruin with the Barnetts. Mama and Daddy came and got Ben and kept him for the weekend. I'm sure they completely ignored the nice printed schedule I sent. And they probably let him sleep in their bed. I'm just not going to ask.

Here are some pics from the lake. John and I had a great time relaxing and hanging out with friends.

Three Months

Ben is three months old today. Yesterday I took him to the doctor. He has had a stuffy nose for a while now and it did not seem to be getting any better. Before we went out of town for the 4th of July, I just wanted to make sure he was okay. The doctor gave the same directions as What to Expect the First Year: run a humidifier at night and put saline drops in his nose before cleaning it out. I had already been doing both. I was glad, though, to hear the doctor say these things.

Ben weighs 14 lbs 2 oz and is 24 3/4 inches long.