Ben’s First 1st Christmas!

We started the Christmas celebrating a little bit early this year.  This morning, was Ben’s First 1st Christmas celebration!  (His Second 1st Christmas celebration will be with our family & friends next week.)

Wow!!!  Santa, G-ma & G-pa, Uncle Rick & Aunt Janet, Sword family, and Napa Grandma & Grandpa were all VERY generous— THANK YOU!!!

And… Benjamin surprised mommy & daddy this morning with a little trick of his very own.  He can now roll from his back to his tummy.  Great job, Ben!  Mommy is very proud :)

It’s amazing to think that last year Ben was just a little nut in my tummy.  Now he’s here– and we’re all together sharing his 1st Christmas.  Makes my heart feel very full.  I love it very much!!!  Awesome First 1st Ben Christmas!

Here’s a little slideshow of all of the action around our tree this morning.  Enjoy!

Ben’s First Thanksgiving!

What a trip!!!  Ben’s first Thanksgiving was an adventure of a lot of ‘first time stuff’ for him.

• First plane ride to visit family in SoCal– very exciting!!!

• First time staying at G-ma & G-pa’s house– thank you very much for turning your casa into ‘Ben Camp West’.  Loved & appreciated that!!!

• First beach adventure– including dipping toes into the Pacific Ocean & taking a stroll along the Seal Beach Pier.

• First time meeting his great Aunt Mary!

• First time meeting his great Uncle Bob!

• First time meeting his Uncle Rick!

• First time cruising around the Irvine Spectrum.  Loved playing in the turtle fountains with Aunt Janet!

• First time going to the Long Beach Aquarium.  Awesome family outing!

• First SoCal 81 degree Thanksgiving Day!  Can’t believe we were running the air conditioner!

• And… on the plane ride home Ben decided it was time to start cutting two teeth!

I know Ben really won’t have any memories of his first Thanksgiving, but I’ll be sure to dig out all of the pics of all of the BIG FUN we had!  Thank you SoCal friends & fam for such an awesome visit! :)

Now, sit back and enjoy the SoCal Thanksgiving Trip ’09 slideshow…

3 New Videos! That’s right, 3!

Here’s our little star playing in his most favorite toy right now.  His Jumper! We have soooo much footage of Ben jumping in this thing, it was hard to cut it down to just one video.  So I made 3!  All of this footage is from the last 4 weeks.

A word of warning… you might want to cover your ears when our screamin’ banshee gets really excited!  He really loves this thing!!! :)

I Love My Jumper- Part 1

I Love My Jumper- Part 2

I Love My Jumper- Part 3

1st Halloween!

Our little astronaut almost missed his 1st trick-or-treating mission due to an unscheduled nap 5 minutes before we were about to Blast Off!!!  Mr. Ben the Astronaut decided to have a mini meltdown once in his costume, followed by a much needed 20 minute power nap.  Mommy & Daddy thought Mr. Ben was going to miss going door-to-door to show off his very, very, very, special rocket that daddy made him AND of course, showing off his adorable astronaut costume.

Ben woke up from his nap 20 minutes before his last feeding, I quickly put him back in his costume, and we were able to go to 2 houses before our astronaut wanted his ba-ba.   Oh, to be 7 months old! :)

I know that Benjamin will have no memory of last night– but I’ll be sure to remind him how awesome his 1st Halloween was!  Best Halloween ever :)  Can’t wait for next year.

Here’s a little slideshow of the Halloween Happenings…

October- Ben Show update!

October was Ben’s 1/2 birthday month!  Before Ben turns 7 months old (which will be tomorrow), I’d better get the 6 month old update posted!  Here’s a run down of the Ben Show this past month:

First… an adorable pic of Ben taking a bath… how cute is this?

• Ben’s most favorite activity right now is jumping in his Jumper! He LOVES this toy!  Really, really, really LOVES this toy!  Oh the giggles, squeals, and high-pitched screams of JOY while he’s in this thing; I love to see him soooo happy :)  I really do.  But I have to admit that sometimes I feel like a need to put my headphones on to cancel the noise…like when I haven’t had my coffee yet.  Is that so wrong???

• We all went out to Gentry’s Farm one lovely Sunday afternoon for Ben’s 1st pumpkin picking adventure!  This place is great & very convenient to get to.  It’s maybe 10 minutes away from our house.  Great time spent hanging out at Gentry’s picking out pumpkins & taking pictures on the farm.

• Ben has started the solid food eating adventure.  And what an adventure it’s been so far trying to teach someone how to eat.  In the beginning, I felt like a needed to put on goggles, hat, & a smock to dodge all of the food coming my direction; thankfully, this week Ben is really getting the hang of this eating thing.  So much that he’s now diving towards the spoon before I put it in his mouth.  I’m really happy about this!  Oh, and, his most favorite food to eat right now is bananas.

• Ben is  s l o w l y starting to get the hang of rolling from his back to his tummy.  He’s only done it a few times on his own; I know it’s only a matter of time before he really starts moving.  I guess I’d better start thinking about the baby proofing– starting with our stairs :)  Also to mention… when he’s on his tummy, he loves to push himself backward.  This is pretty funny to watch.

• Ben’s favorite book right now to laugh & smack at is Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? He especially loves the last page when we say… Where is baby? He smacks that page the most :)

• Ben loves Bumbo time.  His favorite ‘game’ to play while in Bumbo is… I put toys on the tray and he knocks them off.  I put toys on the tray and he knocks them off.  I put toys on the tray and he knocks them off.  Get it?

• Ben has the sweetest smile, I love-love-love his laugh, and I love playing a good game of peek-a-boo with him :)  It’s so cute!

• And… the last thing I’ll mention is that Ben does this really funny thing when the TODAY show & the Nightly News starts.  He immediately stops what he’s doing & turns his head towards the t.v. to listen to the theme music.  Just the theme music.  Then, he’ll go back to whatever activity he was going.  It’s so weird & funny!  I need to get this on video to show y’all!  I guess Ben likes to watch NBC like mommy & daddy :)

• Oh, and I have to mention this… Ben had his very first babysitter experience this month.  Thank you Miss Tracy for watching Ben while mommy & daddy went to the Keith Urban & Friends concert!

Wow!  I can’t believe it was 6 months (almost 7) that Ben made his entrance into the world!  Wow.  Ben is so awesome.  Happy 1/2 birthday Ben!!!

SoCal G-Ma & G-Pa Visit!

Ben’s G-Ma & G-Pa (my parents) drove the 2000 mile trip to our house to play for a couple of weeks this month!  We sure loved all of the adventures we had during their visit!  A very special THANK YOU for bringing all of that delicious wine!  You guys are soooo Awesome!

Some of the highlights during their visit (besides the wine!)…

• Ben loved sleeping at the Loveless Cafe, Carnton Plantation, Arrington Vineyards, & Radnor Lake.
• Ben saw his first owl while hiking at Radnor– so cool!  Check out the pic below and check out those claws!  Yikes!
• Ben learned how to suck on his toes– mmmm, delicious!
• We all went out to dinner one night at Logan’s to celebrate G-Ma’s birthday– what fun (Ben’s first dinner out)!
• Ben enjoyed stroller time at the Farmer’s Market and the Factory.
• And, we spotted a few celebrities while we were out and about (ok, Ben’s dad spotted these people– meandering is clueless when it comes to this stuff! :) )… at Arrington, we spotted Kerry Collins (QB for the Titans), we saw Jack White (lead vocalist of White Stripes) at Five Guys, and at our Farmer’s Market, we spotted Kimberly Williams-Paisley with her cute little baby– adorable!

So happy to have so many family members come to the South this summer to hang with us– you got a front row seat for all of the action during Ben’s 5th month!  We’ve really enjoyed having y’all come and visit.  And, Ben has really enjoyed having all of the extra attention too!!!

Check out the pics below of SoCal G-Ma & G-Pa Visit ’09!  Remember, you can click on each pic and make it bigger.  Enjoy!

NorCal Family Visit!

Ben got to meet his Aunt Julie, Napa Grandma and Napa Grandpa last week!  We were soooo excited they made the 2000 mile trip to our house to play!  Ben really enjoyed having other people to chill with, and loved having Auntie & Grandma read stories to him.  He wanted me to pass along a BIG THANK YOU for that!

We can’t wait until X-mas when we’ll see everyone again!

Here’s a little slideshow of the fun we all had.  Enjoy!

products the Ben & Jen Show love- #11

Ben is 4 months old!  To celebrate this occasion, I was thinking about the happenings around here and thought it would be fun to sum them up with a little list of things that both Ben and I love that make things a little easier, fun, and definitely more entertaining during the everyday happenings over the last 4 months.

So, for the next 11 days, look forward to the Top 11 (because it’s one louder than 10!) products the Ben & Jen Show have really loved for the first 4 months of his life.  Also to note, this list is in no particular order; true to the blog title, it’s very meandering! :)

In the entertainment category… (a.k.a. things that keep baby entertained while mommy can:  eat breakfast, eat lunch, use the restroom, brush her teeth, talk on the phone, update her blog…etc.)

#11. Activity Mat– Ben loves this thing!  Definitely one of his favorite toys right now.  He could probably play on this it all day long if I let him!  Loves to stare at himself in the mirror; I’m convinced he thinks he is laughing, talking, and giggling with another baby.  Loves to swat & tug at the stuffed animals hanging from it.  Loves to put his feet up in the air and grab his toes (so cute!!!)  And loves tummy time.  Oh, and breaking news… today he rolled over from tummy to back on it!!!  Proud mama alert!

It’s really funny because he’s started doing this very slow break-dance turn move thing when he’s on his tummy.  I think it looks like he’s doing the inch worm and a very slow 360.  He’ll stick his little booty up in the air and begins to turn very slowly.  Very slowly. The only bummer (I guess) is that the music pad doesn’t work anymore.  I think of this as more of a blessing in disguise. I much rather put on some of my own tunes and let Ben rock out to them rather than some so-called, baby stimulating, brainy nursery rhymes.  Ugh.  A few times to listening to that is a few times too many!  I’m glad it broke!!!  No offense, but I much rather have Ben listen to music like Ray Charles, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, U2, Coldplay, Dave, Stevie, The Who, (the list goes on and on and on)… wayyyy more entertaining! :)

For more about the mat and more Ben pics… Check out Raise the Barn’s post about it.

Tune in tomorrow for product #10!

A word about this list… no, I’m not getting any compensation from any of the companies that make these wonderful products.  (Although, that would be nice!)  I’m just a new mommy that wants to spread the word about what has worked for my baby and me during these early months.  If you are preggers and reading this, think of this list as what I think are essentials you need in your house.

birthday wishes for grandpa!!!

Happy Birthday dad!!!  Here’s a little video that team meandering mind put together for you.  Ben is soooo excited it’s YOUR DAY TODAY!!!  We love you!

time for a Ben update!

Time for a Ben update!  He’s 3 months old and as you can see, he’s hardly the tiny little baby we brought home from the hospital.  Ben is growing like a champ in both length & weight.  Without an official weigh-in or height check, I’d say he’s probably about 14 lbs., and 26 inches in length.  The super big news at our house is… We’re getting a lot more sleep now!!!  On good nights, Ben can sleep from 9PM to about 5 or 6AM.  We’ve cut out those 1 AM & 4 AM feedings.  This is huge!!!  You might have heard me doing the happy dance about it :)   Other things that have happened:  Ben has visited Cheekwood, Target, my allergy doctor’s office, our local Fourth of July street fair, and Tim & Tracy’s house!  He’s quite the traveler! :)

So what kinds of things does our 3-month old love?

• Ben loves to play on his activity mat– especially with Tim the giraffe!
• Ben loves to look at books and listen to mommy and daddy read stories to him
• Ben loves his boppy
• Ben loves his swing & his bouncer
• Ben loves stroller rides around his neighborhood
• Ben loves to giggle & laugh
• Ben loves tummy time
• Ben loves to flirt with all of our light fixtures and ceiling fans.  It’s hilarious to watch!

Now… I know you still want to see more of our little guy… Sit back and enjoy the Ben Show-months 2 & 3 of his sweet little life :)