Six months

This little man is getting too big, too fast. With Nick I was super anxious for him to do everything. He was my first and if he didn’t do everything on the early end of the spectrum (which he didn’t) I was worried about his development. Now, I’m a seasoned mom who just wants my last baby to stay a baby a little while longer. But, Ben isn’t having anything to do with that. He wants to make sure he catches up with the big boys as soon as possible and it’s making me a little sad.

At 6 months, Ben is:

• Still drinking about 6 ounces of milk every three to four hours. He is also eating a little bit of rice cereal at lunch. We will start “food” after he goes to the pediatrician later this month.
• Is sleeping like a champ unless he is sick. When his nose gets stuffed he wakes regularly and takes awhile to settle back down. However, if his nose is clear he is sleeping through the night or waking only once for a couple seconds of cuddling.
• a mover and a shaker. He can roll wherever he wants to go and has been found up on his knees and elbows trying to figure out how to move even faster. It is only a matter of time before he truly starts to crawl. *tear*
• talking all the time. He will lay on the floor and babble to himself or anyone else who will listen. He is seriously the happiest baby around. The only time he cries is when he is tired or hungry.
• growing out of 9 month clothes. I didn’t have very many 9 month winter clothes from the other boys so I tried the 12 months on him. They are only a little bit big so we are just going with it. It seems so odd to see him in jeans and real shirts instead of 1-piece outfits and onesies.
• getting very chubby. His little legs are full of rolls and I love each and every one of them. I don’t even know how many chins he has anymore.
• still drooling like crazy but has yet to cut any teeth. He chews on anything and everything, including his toes (which I love). It’s amazing that even with all of that chub he can still get his toes into his mouth.
• still as cute as can be. I just can’t get enough of him!!

Of course Zander had to join in the fun.

Work in progress

Organizing the Lego collection is a never-ending work in progress. And thanks to Pinterest I have found 401 other ways to possibly organize this overpowering collection. Unfortunately I don’t have the space, money or motivation to get most of them complete. So for now, I guess we stick with what they’ve got. Which, for the most part, is still one big mess. But, hey, at least they play with them again.

They’re making a list

But, no one is checking it twice. I asked the boys to make a picture Christmas list today using the Target toy catalog. They indiscriminately cut pictures from the catalog, glued a couple onto a piece of paper and then walked away. Yep, it’s gonna be a tough Christmas around here.

This can’t be

It is early November and we are playing outside in nothing but sweatshirts.

Nick did a little work, which will probably require me to do some work next spring. There is a nice big chip in the paint where he was coloring and using the screwdriver.

Zander was trying to blow bubbles.

And wearing his p.j. pants. Classy, I know.

Movie morning

It’s the end (beginning?) of daylight savings time. We were all supposed to get an extra hour of sleep last night. Too bad that concept is lost on small children. My clan was all up by 5 a.m. However, on this particular morning it turned out to be a good thing. Mike was on the early flight out of Waterloo and we were able to drop him off at the airport so we didn’t have to go get the truck later. However, that also meant I had a long day ahead of me. So we started out with a movie. And breakfast in the living room. And it made the boys so happy. They loved the idea of a movie morning instead of a movie night.

I may have to try this again when I need a little bit of extra time to clean or just wake up in the early morning hours.

So sleepy

The alternate title could be “Why I’m a bad mother.” I was cleaning. The older boys were all outside. Ben was playing in the jumperoo. Then the house got quiet. This could be why.

Yep, he fell asleep in the jumperoo. I’m pretty sure at least one of the other boys has done the same thing, if not both of them. Still, how tired do you have to be to fall asleep like this?

All I want for Christmas …

… is my two front teeth. Oh, wait. He’s already got them. Nick finally lost his first tooth yesterday. Too bad the adult tooth is already halfway up so I don’t get to see him with a cute little gap. I can’t complain too much though. It’s just karma coming back to bite me since I NEVER had a gap in my teeth.

The story goes he went to Robin’s house for daycare because there was no school. Robin is notorious for pulling loose teeth and he was a little scared of what she might do. This tooth though was hanging on by a thread. I truly though he might lose it and swallow it in his sleep that’s how loose it was. So, he asked to play with some toy that she had to get out and set up. She originally said yes, but then told him he had to get the tooth out first and offered to help. He nervously took her up on the offer. They went into the kitchen, she told him to stand with his hands behind his back by the refrigerator and she went to grab his tooth with a paper towel. He pulled away before she even got close. On the second try she had just closed her fingers around the tooth when he jerked away and the tooth popped out. He bled for a few seconds and when it was all over he said to Robin “This hurts a little still. I don’t like you.”

I

I think he changed his mind when he looked under his pillow this morning.

Hopefully he remembers the tooth fairy specifically said in the letter she left that he got some extra cash because it was his first tooth. Inflation is killer man.

And of course if the camera is out Zander has to get in on the action.