A New Trick

Once again trying to get up the stairs, now blocked off with bar stools, Benjamin gets himself in trouble. Up and over the rungs, all the while holding a lotion bottle. Tricky kid.

Nursing, part 2

Remember how hard and emotional it was for me to nurse Benjamin right after he was born? (If not, read here.) Remember how I cried and cried but pushed on and kept at it? Well, Benjamin and I both got the hang of it and though we continued to supplement with formula, he became a very good little nurser.

But now I have to wean him and I'm an emotional wreck all over again. It's hard letting go of something I worked so hard to achieve.

Last night I dressed Benjamin in his pajamas, turned off the light, settled down in the rocking chair, and opened up shop for the last time. I knew it was our final day but I didn't think too much about it--until Dave came in to say goodnight. "Now I don't want you to come downstairs all teary-eyed after this. Be happy!"

Well that broke the dam. I cried for the next hour as I cuddled my little boy and nursed him for the very last time. He fell asleep and I laid him in the crib with a sad feeling of finality. He's not my tiny baby any more.

But the whole reason I had to wean him is because we are going back to the doctor to go through another round of IVF. We are hopeful that it will work the first try this time around. We should know the results later in the Spring and I promise not to keep it a secret from my adoring blog fans.

In the meantime, enjoy this KSL news story featuring our wonderful fertility doctor, Dr. Russell Foulk! If you look quickly you can see Benjamin's birth announcement on the wall of announcements toward the end of Lori's story.

Icicle Creation

There is this house near my parents' that has a beautiful icicle creation in their yard. They took all the icicles off their house and arranged them in the snow to create what almost looks like a sunburst of ice (if such an oxymoron is possible).

So imagine my surprise today when I ventured outside my front door. There under my bedroom window was an icicle creation. I don't know who did it or when but what a wonderful, beautiful thing to see in the midst of all the never-ending snow.

These photos hardly do it justice. It is an amazing sight to see. You'll have to stop by before it melts away.

I am very grateful to the artisan who gave me a little piece of beauty in my own yard in the middle of all this snow. Thank you, whoever you are!

Snow!

We've really had way too much of it these last few weeks. Snow, that is. After the first big snowfall I bundled Benjamin in his snow suit and took him outside. He protested the whole way then seemed to almost enjoy sitting in the middle of the white stuff -- but not enough to want to move from where I set him down.

When the sun came out today I introduced him to icicles. He held a little one in his bare hand for almost a minute before I realized that it just might be cold and took it away from him.

My little snow baby and I have had fun -- especially because we usually get to stay warm and dry at home -- but we are certainly looking forward to Spring.

The Best Seat

I was getting ready for the day but my little guy was done playing with his toys and wanted to be close. So, he crawled over and found the best seat in the bathroom -- my feet.

Introductions

Scotty, meet Benjamin. Benjamin, meet Scotty.

More adventures sure to follow.

Stairs

Benjamin has discovered the stairs and LOVES to climb them. The baby gate is ordered and on its way but in the meantime we have to improvise. He, on the other hand, is quickly learning how to outwit our improvisations. Crazy baby!

Baby's First Christmas

We had such a fun Christmas with our little guy! Everyone told me he would be more interested in the wrapping paper and boxes than the toys but he actually preferred to play with his toys. His favorite of the day was a little dog he can push around the floor.

He got to see Santa twice this season. The first time he wasn't so sure about the strange man with a beard and let out a delayed cry about ten seconds after I put him on Santa's lap. The second time around he did much better.

Here he is with Uncle Roland as Santa.

Benjamin even gave us two gifts for Christmas. 1) As an early gift he started crawling all over the house on December 23rd. 2) Then on Christmas Day we discovered his first tooth erupting through the gums (that gift was especially for Dave).

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas too!

Just for Jill

Poor Aunt Jill lives very far away and we MISS her terribly. She thinks I've posted too many pictures lately of the back of Benjamin's head. Maybe I have. So, just for Jill, here's my baby's cute face.

 

P.S.  How do you get the pictures to rotate in blogger? I'm at a loss...

Benjamin's New Trick

He's not crawling yet but he can do this funny pose. My crazy boy.