Busy Benjamin

So, Benjamin is growing like crazy. He isn't getting super tall or fat, that kid has yet to break the 10th percentile for weight!! He is growing in smarts. He is starting to talk, or at least he thinks he is talking. He is very specific in what he wants and it is a guessing game half the time. He loves to climb and to eat and especially to make messes. I have already posted peanut butter pictures. I wish I could say that was the last time, but oh no. I have worse pictures. You would think I would learn. The problem is, sometimes siblings leave out the peanut butter in the morning and I teach a few piano lessons in the morning.....the two don't go too well together!!
Yeah, not too happy about that one, but I still had to take a picture!!
Another day I made bread. I decided I was going to grind enough wheat and make two batches that day. I made one batch and had it sitting out to raise. I was downstairs vacuuming when I noticed it was awfully quite. That is NEVER a good thing with little ones about the house. I thought to myself, great I am going to have a ton of little finger holes in the bread. I ran upstairs and was very happy to see my bread was untouched. Then I rounded the corner of the cabinet to discover this.....
My text to Brad, after I took the first picture on my phone was, "How is your day going?" He said he started laughing and was in a meeting. He then had to show everyone. Benjamin was the hit of the meeting!! I had forgotten I had left the bowl of the wheat flour still on the counter.

And as if this wasn't enough, a few days later Becca got out the hot chocolate to fix herself a cup, without me knowing. She left it out to Benjamin's delight!!

Yes, the hot chocolate mix is hidden so Becca and Benjamin can't get to it.
So, I hope if you don't have children, or if it has been a long time since you have a toddler, that you will be slow to judge. Remember that the kids can't stay by your side 24/7. They need to explore this world. A lot of these catastrophe's happened in a blink of an eye. I can even be in the same room and it can happen, oh so quickly!! At least I can say life is never dull with this little guy. And one day, in the future, I will miss these moments.....right?!!!

At least with Benjamin we have fun times that don't involve food. This kid has the funniest personality. He has the funniest laugh, when he really gets laughing. No one can make him laugh like his siblings. He absolutely adores them. He loves to play with them and their friends. He is the favorite in the neighborhood with all the kids, even the older ones!! He smiles and laughs all day long, when he isn't crying that is!! He has been getting his molars and has had a cold and a cough, so he hasn't been feeling great. Between that and having a definite opinion as to what he wants, he does have his very unpleasant moments. I just have to remember how cute he is at those moments when I am pulling out my hair!!
I really love when this guy is sleeping. He is so adorable, and no messes can be made!!

Two-faced Toddler

How can one baby make me on the verge of a breakdown one minute and the next do the absolute cutest things ever? That would be my two-faced toddler. My own little personal Jekel and Hyde. I will post pictures tomorrow. He is into throwing fits (terrible twos start early). He has an opionion on what he wants to do and eat, but he still can't talk so we both get quite frustrated. All day he wanted this and that, and then he didn't want it. He made messes up the wazoo (just wait for the peanut butter pictures!). But, tonight, as I was putting him to bed he waved bye bye to Makayla, gave me kisses (without me prompting), and hugs. Then as I sang him "I'm a Child of God" he sang with me in his own way. Thank goodness for small moments with these little ones.

9 months old....already?

Yes, my sweet little baby is now 9 months old. How did that happen? I swear these last 9 months flew by way faster than the blasted pregnancy. Benjamin is getting so big...well, not size wise...just in what he can do. He has learned to crawl in the past 2-3 weeks. He actually has a very funny crawl. He goes on both hands, one knee, and his foot or bum. He crawls and scoots. If I can figure it out I will have to post a video of it. It is pretty hilarious. I do have to say, though, he has kind of out grown it. He does it a little bit, but is going on both knees more.

Benjamin is by far my smallest child. I took him into the doctor today. He weighs 16 lbs 3 oz (which is the 1%-yes 1% not 11% but 1 %). Yeah, usually my kids are that at 6 months. He is only the 15th% for height. Just a small little guy. My doctor is wondering if it is because of his growth stunt in utero, but we still don't know why. I just have to beef him up. We aren't too worried, just something more to do....I am getting tired of food and my children. I have one child I need to make sure eats certain amounts at certain times and count the carbs. Another child who is on the high side of the BMI so I need to make sure she isn't eating too much and is eating healthy food and now a baby who I need to shove calories down!! Seriously....no more food issues. Not to mention I still have a few baby pounds to lose.

Back to the darling baby. He is still as happy as can be. He is now starting to get anywhere and everywhere. We still need to get a baby gate (please remind me why we got rid of our last one?) He loves his siblings and all the neighbor kids. His favorite song is I am a Child of God. He loves to clap my hands together and has started clapping his. He sleeps well at night (most of the time) He just brings us so much joy. I am so grateful I took the huge leap of faith to have another child!!

So Fast?

How do little people grow up so fast? Last week we went to California for Thanksgiving. Before we left Benjamin could sit up a little with our help and was barely eating solids. By the time we left California he was downing jars of baby food and sitting all by himself. Also, he is doing so much better at rolling over. However, sometimes he gets stuck on one side so he starts army crawling, by default, he doesn't really mean to. It is completely insane how fast he is growing up!!

Look how big I am!!!
This was a scene I happened upon as Makayla was playing the computer.

Benjamin with his sweet cousin Easton. It will be so cute to see them play as they get older. Easton was trying to hold Benjamin. Easton is about 10 months older than Benjamin!!

6 Month Stats

Okay, so my little guy is still so little. By far my smallest of all of my kids. He either has the Bell metabolism (that I did NOT inherit once I got married....darn it!) or my milk isn't cream this time. Anyway, he weighed in at 14 lbs 6 oz which is the 4th percentile!! That is actually down from the 10th percentile the last time, but my doctor isn't worried at all, which is good because I really am not worried. He was almost 26 inches long which is the 27th percentile!! So, long and skinny (okay, not really that long but in comparison to his length he is still a cute little bean pole)!!
I started him on solids this week. He isn't loving it, but he will get it. I waited as long as I could because I really don't enjoy the baby food scene. But, he is always trying to eat my table food so it was time.

Let me tell you a little about Benjamin at this age. He is the CUTEST little guy. He is the smiliest kid there is. I am not joking. I went to the doctors the other day, to see if I need sinus surgery (a whole other story) and the nurse couldn't even concentrate on what she was saying to me and what I was saying back because he was smiling, laughing, and cooing at her. She couldn't get enough of him. That is pretty much how it goes. I really can't say how many people interrupt themselves talking to me because they just have to comment on how adorable he is. One person yesterday said "He is so darling. He smiles with his whole body!" Which he does. He really is a happy baby. He does still like attention which still makes it a bit difficult at times. But, his siblings absolutely adore him so he gets a whole lot of it!!

Benjamin has learned to roll over, finally. The great news is he still doesn't do it very often. He hates being on his stomach so he doesn't roll to that very much. If I put him on his stomach he rolls to his back pretty fast. I am liking that he isn't on the move yet. I am SOOO not ready for that. He can also sit up on his own for a short bit. It is getting longer and longer each day. I am ready for him to do that as life gets so much more fun for him. I have the bumbo, but he wiggles and arches his back to try to get out that it is no longer safe for him to be in it.
I love this little guy. There is not a day that goes by that I am not grateful for him. He is such a blessing to our family!!

Quick update

So, I am about ready to give up blogging. It is just one more thing on my to do list that doesn't get done and the guilt just eats at me...oh well. Anyway, here is just a quick update of what is happening around here.

Benjamin: He had his month check up....one month ago!! He weighed in at 12 lbs 11 oz (9 percentile) and was 23.5 inches (32 percentile). He pukes tons, although when I drink Kiefer milk it seems to help. He still loves to be held and entertained. He does not nap well, but sleeps awesome at night (the best was two nights ago when he slept from 7:30pm until 6:30am). But don't worry, the next night he slept from 8-12:30 and then woke up again at 5:30. So, nothing consistent but for the most part he doesn't wake up until the 5 oclock hour. That is good because naps are nonexistent around here. He is still a very cute and happy kid. He is growing way too fast.
Poor Benjamin was dragged around in this little stroller all night when we had a girls night (he was the only boy). Last one he will ever want to attend!!
Becca: She is a handful. Especially with all of her playmates at school. She loves to watch Care Bears and Veggie Tales on Netflix. I have finally gotten her some other craft activities to keep her busy while Ash is gone. She loves to throw tantrums and in the next breath say something absolutely adorable. It is a dang good thing we have those happy moments. She loves Benjamin to death and wants to hold him all of the time. Too bad sometimes she gives too much love and ruins a good thing (like him actually being happy on his own for a moment or two). The other day she decided she didn't like how long her hair was (barely to her shoulders thanks to last years hair cut from Ash) so she cut her hair. I had to go get it fixed once again from a sweet lady in my ward. She now has Dora hair which she thinks is great since that is what she is going to be for Halloween.
This is pre-hair cut photo. It is now pretty hard to pull the bangs back since they were cut short. One day they will grow out!!

Ashlyn: She is my sweet Kindergartner that really loves any minute. She is sad to be in the same class as all of her friends in our ward, but she is making new friends. This really is a talent of hers. She is starting to learn to read pretty well. It is fun to see the progress she has made in this first month of school. She loves to dress herself and it is usually pretty stylish and cute. She is also starting piano and doing pretty well, when we remember to practice. She is a HUGE help with Benjamin. She loves to change his diaper and play house with him.
My beautiful Ashlyn. She really is growing up so quickly. Do you guys like her cute headband? My sister in law has started making and selling them. I LOVE THEM!!!

Makayla: She is another smarty pants. She is the top reader in her class, which is nice to not have to worry about that. She just started Activity Days and loves it. She had her first Daddy Daughter night and Brad had to go to an over night Scout training. So, she got to go with her Papa who was in town from California. Her biggest news is she is getting baptized on Saturday. She couldn't be more excited for that.

One day I will get caught up and post all of her gorgeous baptism photos. I did her and my nephew McKay at the same time (he is exactly 2 weeks older than her). They looked like a little bride and groom. It was adorable!!!
Ryan: There is a reason he was sent to me first. He really is such a big helper, most of the time. Come on, he is only 9 and is still a kid (I have to remind myself of that sometimes). He is doing extremely well in school. He was chosen to help tutor some younger kids in school even though his class isn't doing it yet (another teacher needed a 3 kids to help his class). He is currently in a play for Lehi City Arts Council that he will do in November. He scored a solo!! Whoo hoo....except he won't sing it for me!! He is also super busy practicing the song "Follow the Prophet". He will be accompanying the entire primary for the Primary program. He knows the song really well, we are just practicing what he does if he makes a mistake and has to keep going.
Ryan earned his Bear in Cub Scouts this month. We always try to work really hard over the summer so that once schools hits and I am busy with school we don't have to worry about it too much. He and I are still enjoying scouts together as I am one of his Den leaders.

Brad and I are trying to stay sane with all life has given to us. Nothing big and exciting, just life.Brad is looking for a new job, so if you hear of anything in the Marketing realm, please let us know. (He isn't out of work, just looking to further his career). I am doing my best to balance everything, I fall short daily, but I go to bed, even after the worst of days and say to myself "Tomorrow is a new day and will be better". Most of the time it is. I do worry when at 10am I am thinking those thoughts to myself, but, don't we all have days like that? Life is good, just busy. I keep thinking it will get better, but who am I kidding? The older my kids get the busier it will be, especially in the afternoons. At least I have been blessed with the most amazing kids and the best husband in the world.

PS If anyone is looking to sell or just lend out an exersaucer for babies I am in the market. Sadly enough I have never had one for any of my children. I think it would be a great thing to help entertain Benjamin so I don't have to hold him so much. He is getting better, but we need lots of things to entertain him with these days.

Big boy

Benjamin is growing like a weed. He still isn't quite the chubbers my other kids have been at this stage, but he is getting bigger. Today he was wearing a romper that used to drown him and it is starting to get small. Don't worry, it is newborn, but still....it is getting small. He is such a sweetie. He is spoiled with attention, which means he always wants it. As long as he can see me or someone else he is generally happy. He loves his swing, bouncy chair, and the bumbo. None of my other kids have had a bumbo. Let me tell you, I love it. He loves it. We are all happy!!

The First Day of.......

Welcome to the first days of many things for all of my kids. On August 25th it was the first day of school for Ryan and Makayla. Makayla was lucky enough to get Mr Rindlisbacher (he calls himself Mr Rindy) for 2nd grade. Ryan LOVED him when he had him in 2nd grade and we were all thrilled that Makayla got him. In fact, I have decided to be one of the two room mothers for him this year. I thought it would be nice for me to be a room mom for each of my kids once (or at least assistant room mom). I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but I think this will be a great class for it. So, I guess I also made the list of firsts as this is my first room mom experience. Makayla also had a first....her first cavity filled. It actually was 4 cavities. Man, we now know she has teeth to really watch. We have stepped up the brushing and flossing in hopes of preventing more!! Makayla is my first child to have a cavity. Not too bad. She did really really well. Her poor lip is swollen. I think she bit it when it was numb. But bless her heart, she hasn't complained once.
Ryan with his two best friends. They had arranged to wear matching shirts...which says "Smooth like butta!!"

Ryan got Mrs Rivera. He actually had gotten a different teacher and I fought to get him changed. I usually don't like to rock the boat at all but really felt it was best in this case. This teacher will work him hard and help him learn how to really be responsible and organized. He is excited because this is his first time being in class with one of his friends (his best friend Ben...they had better behave!!)

Ryan ready for 4th grade

On August 25th Becca had her first day of dance. She was quite excited to go, but didn't want to stay. Finally with 15 minutes left she got into it. This last week didn't go too much better. They are looking to get a teachers aid, which would be great. All Becca needs is someone to literally hold her hand for a few minutes and walk her through what they are doing and then she is okay. Becca is excited to be there with Libby.

On September 1st Ashlyn had her first day of Kindergarten. Boy was she excited. She didn't understand that she goes 1 hour and 15 min after Ryan and Makayla goes to school. It was the longest hour ever!! She LOVED her first day. I can already, after two days, see her blossoming out of her timid shell.

This week was my first week teaching piano since having Benjamin. It actually went really well. I am not teaching quite as much so it is much more enjoyable. We are still getting into the swing of things, but we will get it!
The last first has to be one of the biggest ones of all. Benjamin watched his very first football game. And I am proud to say, it was a UTAH game!! He LOVED it. Of course, who wouldn't? All you BYU fans....don't answer that!!



We have had a very busy two weeks. It will be nice when life settles down more (hmmm.....that will never happen, will it.)

Benjamin Update

He is getting bigger!!! My little boy isn't so little anymore. Actually, compared to the rest of my kiddos he is quite small. But, he is growing great so my doctor was very happy. Here are the stats:
Weight: 9 lbs 13 oz (10%)
Heights: 22.5 inches (31st%)
Head: 12%
He is smiling like crazy now and has started cooing. Actually, last Saturday I think it was, he laughed at Brad. I guess Brad is pretty funny. Ryan laughed at Brad first as well. Besides needing to be held all the time (which is why my doctor thinks he smiles so much which is a very good thing) he is a great baby. I do have to say that he is getting better at being entertained in his bouncer or car seat. However, still not extremely long. His favorite place is on me!! He is sleeping well. Not through the night. My kids don't do that until 9 months (I am shooting for 6 months this time and would take anything before that!!) He will fall asleep anywhere from 8pm-11pm and then sleep until 3:30. Then he wakes up sometime in the 6am hour and will go back to sleep on and off all morning. I do wish I could nap, but who can nap with 5 kids? My favorite thing though is his smile. He has always been a smiley kid. Now, though, it is in response to you smiling, a full tummy, waking from a nap, or just being happy. His smile sure melts everyone's heart!!

Small photoshoot

This little guy must get used to me playing photographer with him. What a cute subject!!

2 Weeks and counting

Well, Benjamin is now over 2 weeks old. I don't know how it happens so fast. I hate that the pregnancy takes a lifetime and their first year flies so quickly. I am trying to gobble this little guy up and not wish away a single moment. So far so good. I spend much of my day holding and loving him. I also love watching his siblings adore him. They are so good, especially Becca and Ash, to know they have to hand sanitize before even touching him. We are going through the stuff like mad, but it is well worth it.

Benjamin is a good little baby. He really only fusses when he is fighting going into a deep sleep. He doesn't cry too much about being hungry because I am still feeding him every 3 hours and that seems to keep him quite content. He is sleeping pretty well now. On Friday he got his circumcision (they couldn't do it in the hospital because it was too much for his body to take). He had a pretty hard time Friday night and Saturday night. He was up for 2 1/2-3 hours each night which didn't make mom too happy. He really has been doing better so I hope that continues.

Benjamin had his two week appointment last Friday, even though he was only 11 days old. He weighed in at a whopping 5 lbs 15 oz!!! The funny thing is Brad and I were taking bets on how big he would be. I was guessing 7 lbs. Now, I know that is a lot in a week going from 5 lbs 10 oz to 7 lbs, but all of my other kids, except Kayla, had gained a 1 lb to 1 1/2 lbs in their first two weeks. Well, I was quite wrong. But the good thing is he had gained 5 oz in 7 days and the doctors look for 1/2 oz to 1 oz a day. So, the doctor was happy. He measured in at 20 inches long. He is only 3% for weight, 40th for height, and 10% for head. I am sure he will eventually catch up. I take him in tomorrow for another reweigh. As long as he has reached his birth weight of 6 lbs 2 oz, which he will, I can lengthen his feedings a bit in the night. That sure would be nice. There is nothing more frustrating than having to wake a sleeping baby to eat in the middle of the night.

He is much more alert which is so much fun. I think he is a darling baby. Especially sleeping he is so sweet and innocent. But, when he is awake and you can see into his little soul through his beautiful eyes, well, he could melt the biggest iceberg in the world. He is really easy going and so content. So many times this week I have been so grateful we listened to the Holy Ghost and decided to have one more child. I can't imagine my life without this little guy!!!

Coming home pictures

Look how little he is. He only weighed 5 lbs 10 oz at this moment. I still can't believe there is a 3 lb difference between my smallest and largest babies. And, there was only a 5 or 6 day difference on gestational age.

Our favorite nurse, Beate. She was incredible. She was the daytime nurse all 5 days which was a miracle!!

So, I really struggled with the fact that with my last child I didn't get my normal hospital experience. I love sitting on my bed holding my baby hours on end, showing him off, bounding with Brad baby and I. Instead I had to hold him in a not as private nursery with cords all over him. However, we bonded and had more special moments than one normally would have. When we got to take Benjamin home they had us go in the room I had "rented" over night and get him ready while the nurses did a shift change. I really felt like we had contraband having him in there. It was a weird feeling. However, as I was changing him into clothes and then nursing him in the room I suddenly had the wonderful moment of what I usually have with all my babies. Peace and quiet in our own room. It was a wonderful way to end the crazy hospital ride. Normalcy. At that moment I knew we could take care of him and all would be well.