Month 6

This little Nicolas is like a tiny clock. I guess the fact that he was born on his actual due date should serve as foreshadowing. Today he turned 6 months old and his first tooth broke through! He will start eating solids now, but first his 6 month check-up and shots tomorrow morning...

Nico is growing like a little weed - he is a healthy chunky monkey - but not too chunky. He is already in 6 - 9 month clothes! He loves to eat, as a matter of fact, whenever we get "in position" to eat, he starts giggling and laughing... unless he is starved, in which case he starts crying the minute he sees me. 

We finally set up the crib in his room, which means he has been taking his naps there. He rally loves rolling from back to belly to back in his crib and sticking his arm through the crib rails. He still won't take the pacifier, so we have pretty much given up on it. We still have about 18 of them around the house from when he was a newborn, but how he just plays with them when he comes across them. He much rather suck on his two middle fingers on his left hand. That's the tell tale sign that he is sleepy. Followed by he rocking himself to sleep... loudly. 

He is a little heart breaker, handing out smiles left and right everywhere he goes. He is his big brother's number one fan!

Sitting up on his own is still not his thing, but he sure does get on all fours and rocks back and forth, which tells me that he is gearing up his little engine to start crawling! He also gets a leg work out with all the bouncing he likes to do!

The Crib and The Bed

A few weeks ago we finally "made the move"... we bit the bullet and transitioned Benjamin from the crib to a bed. We were so nervous before "the move", we would read articles online and hype ourselves up to the point that we were convinced that Benjamin was going to sleep in a crib until he was at least 4 and that w were going to have to buy a crib for Nico...

Thankfully that was not the case. We carefully planned it just right so that Benji took a nap in his sleeping bag one Sunday afternoon and when he woke up he helped us wrap up his big boy bed. And he loves it!!

Here he is sleeping the first night:

For the first three nights, I was the paranoid, over protective mom that brought cushions to put at the foot of his bed in case he fell. This only lasted a few nights probably because I realized that the half a foot fall wouldn't hurt him (if he did fall) or maybe because most of the nights, after he goes to bed I still have 53 things to do that I forget to bring the cushions.

So by Benji having a big bed (which will probably fit him until he is 12, considering he is so short), meant that Nico also got a new bed - the crib!

Happy little fellow!

The Things He Says: 2

Benjamin says some many crazy things day in and day out that it is impossible to keep up with all of them... here are a few that I've been able to grasp:

As he is petting Cali: I like Cali... she is like a pony
He puts his feet on her: Pepe ride this donkey

____

Every morning he helps Norm make coffee. The other day Norm made a shake for breakfast instead of making coffee.
Benji says to Norm as Norm stops the blender: Are you going to make real coffee now?

____

Norm had cooked a roast, so as he is getting it in the fride:
Benji: Look at that party!
Norm: What did I tell you this was called?
Benji: A booty!!!
Norm: No! It's a pork butt!
Benji: (pauses) ............. (then as he reaches for his behind): this MY butt!!

Flowers for Mami

Tuesdays are tough days for me because that is the day I go into the office - in Atlanta. So I wake up super early, drive for 2.5 hours, run around like a crazy woman at the Garden meeting with people and doing Garden things, drive for 2.5 hours, out of which about 35 minutes involve sitting in traffic and get home right at dinner time. Tuesdays are tough both physically and emotionally because I miss my babies! I seldom get to see Benji in the morning and at night I am home just in time for dinner and bedtime.

Yesterday I got home to the best surprise. Benji greeted me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers! "This for you, Mami" he said. As if that wasn't enough, the story that followed left me grinning up until now.

Norm was at the store with the boys and they went past the clothes. So then it starts:
Benji: Get shirt
Norm: Do you want to get a shirt??
Benji: Get shirt, surprise Mami
Norm: you want to surprise Mami! Let's get her flowers
Benji: Yes!!

So they went over to the flower section and Benji picked out the most beautiful bouquet. I'm so in love!

A Long Month Ahead

We used to dread Halloween Night when Pellet was around. Because although we'd turn off all the lights and sit in the room furthest from the front door, it never failed that Pellet would still freak out with the noise on the street. Not to mention the rebel children that insisted on ringing the doorbell.

Last week, the neighbor across the street put up a lovely Halloween decoration:

As they were setting it up, I mentioned to Norm that it is going to scare Benji. Norm dismissed it saying that Benji will see it during the daytime and he'll be fine. 

Well..... that afternoon we came home from school and Benji got out one of his cars and was riding it down the sidewalk. Suddenly he stopped. And then it started:

Benji: What's that?

Fern: (as I noticed people walking down the street, I honestly didn't think he had noticed the decoration) They are neighbors!

Benji: What' that black thing?

Fern: oh, that's a Halloween decoration (what else was I going to say - that is a big scary monster and those people shouldn't have put it up considering there are at least 6 toddlers living on this block?)

Benji: I don't want to see it..... 

He gets on his car and starts driving it towards the house. Stops and looks at it again:

Benji: That scary mami. 

Fern: You think so? It's just a Halloween decoration Benji, it's fine!

Benji: it has mouth.......... it walks?!?

Fern: No, it doesn't walk. It just moves its hands up and down

As he stares at it from across the street:

Benji: it has little hands...... I go back to my house

He starts riding his car back home.

Benji: it Harroween?

Fern: yes, it's a Halloween decoration

Benji: I don't like that.................

We got back home and he was fine. Until it was time for dinner. As he walked towards his chair, he walked pass the front window and got a glimpse of it. He came running back to me in the kitchen:

Benji: it scary.... 

Fern: what's scary?

Benji: Harroween....... I don't like Harroween..... Harroween not my favorite

Looks like October is going to be a long month.