Ain't no mountain high enough..

It seems lately that nothing is too daunting for Ben to climb up onto. Which of course gives me a minor heart attack as I see him attempt this acts of bravery.. but I know that he has to explore and learn. Just do it safely please?!?

My heart still skips a beat when I go to get him out of his crib/playpen and I see him casually standing, just chilling. My little baby can stand! Soon he will be walking! Blows my mind.. and I had to take a shot of his crazy old man hair. Enjoy!

Ben also just went for his first hour at daycare today and he did FAB-U-LOUS. He had a blast with all the other kids running around, laughing. They loved him, too (who doesn't!?). Rebecca is looking forward to having him in September! We will do this a few more times before then.

8.5 months..

Some recent pics of Ben... The sunglasses were a gift from his Granny :)

He did it!!!

This evening Ben officially crawled — more than a couple steps!!

What was he after you ask?!? The remote control of course!! And then Mike's Playstation cordless controller! It was so amazing to see.. Mike and I were sitting there holding our breaths watching him move more and more and more! He got a good 4-5 feet before collapsing! We have been trying to show my step-mom that he was almost crawling, but he never would (of course!) but tonight he crawled to her a bit.. so cute! And then he crawled a bit for my dad when he came home.

I knew it would just be a matter of time before he crawled further... he crawls back and forth in his crib and he even tried it in his bath tonight!

I am so proud of my little boy Benjamin... He is the light of my life.

And what a great day for it to happen on — Father's Day!! Will make it even MORE memorable! I think Mike had a good day/weekend. His parents were here visiting while on their way up north for camping. We even got to go out for a date yesterday.. a quick lunch and matinée with Kerry and Trevor. It was really nice to get out. Sometime soon we will have to get out just the two of us.. We went to MacDonald Beach today with the dogs. That was fun.. the sun was shining and the girls had a blast playing in the water :D

The low down on Benjamin...

Lots of things going on with Ben lately! He has been trying to feed himself more and more (oy, the mess!). If we don't let him, he gets quite angry and refuses to eat!! He is also sporting two new top front teeth that just broke the surface and another due to come out at any moment.

Last night Mike and Ben were playing in the front room and I went out there just in time to see Ben crawl forward three "steps", stop, and then go into a sitting position all by himself! It was AMAZING to say the least!! Brought tears to my eyes! So he is figuring out this crawling thing afterall, just taking his time. But he is sure good at rolling over and spinning around on his belly to get pointed in the right direction! I think he likes having the new area rug in there, and more room with one of the couches gone.

We have now had to resort to changing Ben's diapers in his crib because he is such a wiggle worm on the changing table! There have been a couple close calls of him flipping on his front to try and crawl that I would rather avoid it altogether! His mattress is set at the middle setting right now which is okay, but as soon as we have to lower it we will be changing him on the floor! His mobile will be coming out of his crib too as he can sit up and almost reach it.

He is jibber-jabbering all the time, making cool sounds and laughs and giggles (the best sounds in the world!!). He is also starting to show signs of affection with us.. he sometimes puts his face next to mine (I call it a kiss!) and nuzzles. Lola (one of our dogs) is now his new best friend! He tries to share his toys with her, or hand her cheerios and then laughs hysterically at her. SO cute!

And he has been sleeping through the night for quite a while now (I guess since Mother's Day).. every night!! Before it was about a 60/40 chance of him getting up. But now he goes to sleep on his own without a fuss at 7:30 and sleeps until around 6:30, then naps about an hour or so later. It is great! I love a nice happy rested baby :D

Bath time is getting to be a hoot! After he is mostly washed while sitting in the bath ring (thanks to my MIL!) I drain some of the water and let him lay down.. he loves to just lay there and kick and kick and kick!! But now he is getting the urge to flip over and be on his front... Have to get a bathing suit so we can go swimming with him soon.

Wow!! Can't believe how busy the little guy has been lately!

8 months!

Yesterday was Ben's 8 month birthday... I couldn't sleep last night. I kept thinking back to the night he came into the world. Will be strange to experience labour/birth again. Part of me is excited, but it can wait :)

Ben you are a wonderful little boy, a total joy in my life. You are so sweet and funny and SO happy! Your mommy and daddy love you very very much! Not a day goes by that you don't make me laugh.