Month 12

Month 12 is here - also known as 1 year. It is still surreal to think back that Benjamin lived in my belly for 9 months... well, 40 weeks and 2 days, which is technically over 10 months, but who counts? And then he came out. And we overcame a bit of challenges as he got used to us and us to him... In the blink of an eye, 366 days of this new life have come an gone.

This little guy is too smart. He grabs the remote controls for the TV and lifts it up with his little  hand as he aims it to the TV. When you trade the real remote for his toy remote he gets mad. Throws a mini tantrum and then moves on. We don't teach him these things! He just learns from watching us... he is constantly observing EVERYTHING.

He has been taking a couple of steps on his own here and there. He is just too secure and will not let go completely, even if that means holding on by one hand to your knuckle. But he does take a couple of steps from the couch to the coffee table all on his own and his little face lights up when he makes it to his "destination".

He is a pro at his sign language. He knows milk, eat, more, all done, nap and we believe he is learning thank you. He also loves to clap. He claps when he is done doing something, like eating, or if we are at Mass, he claps when the chorus stops singing...

He loves his pacie and his monkey, but becomes quite detached when it is time to get up and say "chau chau" to pacie and monkey that stay in the crib. At night, when we go to his room to start getting ready for bed (which means I straighten up and set out clothes for the next day and he crawls around and plays with all the things and makes more mess) he sometimes crawls up to the crib and pulls monkey and pacie out. This is the #1 sign that he is ready for bed.

He is an avid reader - which makes me, a non-reader, quite proud! He points to the shelf where all his books are and makes sounds. He won't stop until you get a book down for him...

He also likes to sing! Sometimes in the morning he wakes up and starts singing as he drinks his milk... Other times he sings along with his music from school - his favorite is the wheels on the bus!

He has stopped drinking formula and drinking from the bottle! We have moved on to full time sippy cups and whole milk. Of course the transition to whole milk from formula was seamless. We are so grateful to have a good eater - unless you try to feed him cheese or bananas. Still no luck on that.

He likes to be barefoot... just like his mama. And he is ticklish as all get out, just like his Dada.

And because it's his BIRTHDAY, I can't post just one picture... here are a few pictures and a video. Enjoy!

This one is blurry, but it is quite amusing:

Yes, the lamb's name is Chop - leave it to a Chef to name the stuffed animals. And for the record, he does know how to clap, and where his foot is... he just does not cooperate for the camera.

Baby to Work

Throughout the years, I've always heard people talking about taking their child/children to work. I also remember going to work with my dad - we would hang out in his office and play with the trinkets on his desk or go visit various workers at their offices or go walk around the plastic factory or the feed mill on our own little self-guided tours.

I have always been fascinated by this. By the ability of taking your child to work and actually being able to do work and it being ok... not feeling like you are breaking the rules and are going to get in trouble. Grant it, "times were different then", work wasn't so rigid and corporate and it wasn't forced to fit inside a perfect box like it is forced now. Back then people were trying to figure out how to balance life and they weren't tied to so many restrictions as we are today.

Today, they tell you to leave home at home and work at work. But in reality that is quite impossible - at least in our fields that are so intense. When I am at work I think about home things like the grocery list and Baby's next doctor appointment and how soon he will be walking. When I am home I think about work things like event orders that are pending client signature and parking chasers I need to order.  

I recently took a job that allows for room to breathe and space for home things and work things to all thrive in the same space. It is so refreshing to work in an environment that realizes home exists and that we need to make room for it. An environment that provides flexibility to be a mom and an event manager, all at the same time.

Today, I got to bring my baby to work. I had a high profile wedding that I had planned - one of my first events that I had my hands on from the very beginning since starting this new job. Because things at Norm's work are still not settled, he wasn't able to stay with Benjamin. So I spoke with my friend/boss and asked if I could bring baby. She said of course. So I did. And it was fantastic.

There were times when I put him on my hip as I went from bar to bar making sure they had the correct margarita recipe for the event. Other times I set him to hold on to the ceremony chairs and let a co-worker watch him as I showed the load-in area to the wedding coordinator. Other times he crawled about the banquet floor. Other times he sat on a chair on the terrace as he ate his snack. And everywhere he went, he stole everyone's heart. Nobody was bothered by him. Nobody was mean about it.

Some folks out there will disagree with this, others won't understand it and others will be able to relate. Everyone's life is laid out differently... All I know is that this works for us. Having this flexibility and acceptance allows for balance between mom/wife Fern and event manager Fern. And that has a high value.

Benjamin is helping keep an eye on a group of 50 prom kids walking through the wedding reception... making sure no fights breakout between the wedding coordinator and the crazy parents:

Tired baby and tired mama heading home:

The Swing

Benjamin received a backyard swing set from his Mimi and a baby swing seat from his Nonna this past Christmas. It only took about 4 months to get the swing set up, but I guess since those were winter months, we can look past it.

Now we are in pollen season, so our time outside is a bit limited. They are calling for rain in the next couple of days, so hopefully pollen season will be over soon and we can start enjoying the swing!

Pretty much all the reviews said how the swing set was perfect for 1 - 4 year olds. One thing it failed to mention was that it was not suited for adults. Look how huge I look on it! I guess we should have figured it out by looking at the dimensions... but I never remember to do that when shopping online. 

 Pablo was the official swing-assembly helper!

Here are a couple of videos! Pay close attention to the second one, how he just cracks up!

Pasta Eating Fool

I don't think I have ever met anyone that loved eating pasta more than my dad did... well, and maybe his dad... and maybe Juan Ma... and maybe pretty much everyone in my family.

In Spanish we have a saying that reads: tiene a quien salir. The literal translation is: he has someone to take after. There can't be a better caption than this saying for this picture of Benjamin eating pasta.

I am afraid that the newest pasta loving fool in this family might be up for the challenge to prove who loves pasta the most.

Growing up, we would always eat pasta on Sundays. Regardless of what was going on, Sundays were pasta days. When we moved to the states, my dad started making his own pasta. I remember long spaghetti noodles hanging to dry from pvc pipe that laid horizontal from the counter to the island in the kitchen. I also remember helping to fill ravioli and to roll gnocchi.  Sometimes he'd make linguine which is my favorite pasta. Many nights we would have Pasta Fest when my dad would make different types of pasta and different sauces (usually these would be pesto, walnut sauce and meat sauce... all made from scratch) and we would each fix our own pasta with whatever sauce and have mini courses of just pasta. No protein. No salad. No bread. Just pasta.

I just know my dad must have burst at the seams with pride as he looked down on Benjamin eating his pasta today at school.. I wish I could have Skyped him as Benjamin ate his pasta again tonight at home to be able to see his face light up with that pride only a pasta-loving grandfather can experience when he sees his 1-year old grand baby loving pasta just as much.

#timedoesnotheal

Fearless

I'm not sure which of these two gets the fearless award... Is it the baby for wanting to take the tennis ball out of the 100 pound black dog that scares everyone and their grandma? Or is it the 100 pound black dog for letting the unpredictable baby so close?

I think it is a tie.

Month 11

I don't know if I should feel sad or excited or melancholic about Benjamin turning 11 months today. These months have gone by so fast, yet some days were never ending... enough of that, let's talk about what he is up to!

He has figured out how to stick his finger up his nose. And in the last week or so he has become quite independent at dinner, he wants to hold the spoon which translates to: we end up with food all over ourselves. Yes, yours truly included.

His little temperament has erupted over these last few days. If gets a hold of something he shouldn't have (like the TV remote or the saline solution bottle, which by the way he has figured out how to unscrew the cap off it) and you take it away from him (even if you give him something in return), he throws a mini temper tantrum. He turns red and yells and everything. He also gets impatient, like if you are changing his diaper and don't pull the dirty one out fast enough, he starts pulling at it and screaming at you. Same with the bib after dinner. Same if you take too long to get him out of the car seat. Oh, the car seat... he has decided that he doesn't like it again. When you try to buckle him up he arches his back and starts to crawl out of it... we have to allow about 10 additional minutes (maybe more like 3) when we head out to fight the car seat battle.

His appetite is ever growing, he has started eating waffles and french toast and salmon patties as well as freeze dried strawberries and a sprinkle of masala seasoning in his purees. We are about to start eating more whole foods...

He has mastered crawling, he gets on all fours and takes off, depending what he is after, you can hear those little hands on the floor and his voice full of excitement. He also is slowly starting to clap more consistently and said "chau chau" regularly. When we pick him up from school, he gets in his car seat, looks at his teachers and waves at them! He is learning how to blow, so maybe, just maybe, he will be able to blow his first candle!

He says "Cali" which sounds more like "adi". Everyone else pretty much is "tata"... He throws the ball for Pellet and gets such a kick out of it - even though the ball only moves 4 inches. Pellet, who is the fetch king, grabs the ball and brings it back to Benjamin to throw again. They keep each other entertained for two or three minutes.

Of course all his pants continue to be short, some of them need the cuff rolled twice! He likes to take off his shoes and socks and apparently pants too.

He loves his Vamos Bebe videos from Disney en Espanol - he dances with the baby on the screen and waves to it and laughs along with it. It is probably one of the most adorable things to watch!

In one month we will celebrate his first birthday... it is crazy to think back that one year ago I was incredibly pregnant eagerly and nervously awaiting this little guy and how he is here with us and fills our lives with so much crazies, which we love!

Bathroom Project

When we lived back at the lake, Norm and I were always working on some sort of project. Whether it was in the house or in the yard.. when we moved to rental houses, it was not as motivating to work on projects, until we lived on Fama Drive and the yards were borderline jungles, so we were out in the yard quite often cleaning it up.

Then we bought this little house knowing that it was going to need some help, mainly aesthetics. So back in November we decided to remodel the guest bathroom. Four months later we have (almost) finished. Who knew that throwing a baby into the mix of home ownership was going to be so significant!

I say "almost" finish because we still want to refinish the cabinet, which is oak. Refinishing oak cabinets is no simple task, from what we are finding out. So for now, we have finished the bathroom! Here are some before, during and afters. Apparently I totally forgot to take some good "before" pictures. Just know that the bathroom was brown and dark and nasty.