Tales of Steph and Josh

And he does housework too!

2009-04-20T20:48:00.001-04:00

Benjy's having a lot of fun around the house lately. He's been scaling
the kitchen stove, though we're having a bit of a hard time convincing
him not to play with the burners. He's been sitting in his baseball
glove chair and reading, and he's been sweeping up. All in a day's
work!

If you take a look at my pictures on my picassa site to the right, you
should also be able to see some very cute videos. I'll try to upload
them to you tube soon.

Vomit hair

2009-03-02T06:31:00.002-05:00

There was just a bit of vomit in the night, but Benjy's pretty happy
now. The vomit in his hair makes for a nice look and a not-so-nice
smell.

At the park

2009-02-11T11:03:00.001-05:00

The February thaw is upon us, so we went to the park. Benjy had a
blast on the swings.

At the mall

2009-01-25T13:37:00.000-05:00

B looks at the passersby below.

Something fun for the kiddies

2009-01-23T06:54:00.000-05:00

Benjy loves this video these days.

A shiner

2009-01-16T13:45:00.003-05:00

We knew the road wouldn't be smooth. Since Benjy started walking, he has learned to slide into home, fall on his rump, tumble to the ground and get up again. Well, at school yesterday he tumbled from a pint sized couch and got a little rug burn. When I walked in to pick him up, his favorite teacher Brandi came up to me and said, "We have an accident report." Always the first thing you want to hear when you walk in to daycare.

This picture does double duty--it shows an adorable Benjy in the bath
moment, as well as his little shiner. He's just fine, and this is the
first of many Benjy moments, I'm sure.

Also, we have an arctic air mass (its butt cold here) here's a pic of him bundled up tight...

Benjy's art project

2009-01-14T17:50:00.001-05:00

Today, Benjy returned home from school with an art project to show off!

Sledding

2009-01-11T13:44:00.000-05:00

Today, after an overnight snowfall, we took Benjy sledding for the
first time. He had fun until getting cold. Here he is in his winter
flannel, after returning home.

Benjy Walks

2009-01-06T20:14:00.002-05:00

Benjy's been toddling along, holding our hands for a while now, and over the last couple of days has taken maybe 2 steps independently now and again. Today, when I picked him up at school, his favorite teacher Brandi came up to me in the hall before I ever got to the classroom. She said to Benjy, "Show Mommy what you can do!" and he walked straight to me! Apparently Benjy spent the day walking. He just decided to let go this morning and got better and better as the day went on. So our lives are about to change radically. Wahoo! Buckle up, its going to be a wild ride.

I'm going to try to get this on video over the next couple of days, especially as he's looking like a frankenbaby without good balance. If I catch it, I'll post it.

Wish us luck. We're going to need it.

Benjy's one year appointment

2009-01-02T14:36:00.003-05:00

Benjy had his one year appointment. Apparently I have spawned a giant. He's 91st percentile in height and 62nd in weight. He's physically healthy and developmentally on track. Yay!

We had a great little birthday party for the little monkey with Josh's parents and my Dad and stepmom. You can see lots of photos if you click on "Steph's photos" to the right. I've included one up above....

In the last week or so, Benjy has learned how to say duck and quack, caw (apparently the sound a vulture makes, according to the animal toy he has), what's that, as well as dog, cat and cup. He has also learned the hand signals for more and milk, which make feeding him infinitely easier. Yesterday we gave him whole milk for the first time, which was a huge hit (and so much cheaper than formula!)

Stay tuned for more installments in Benjy's adventures....

Racecar driver

2009-01-02T14:27:00.001-05:00

Benjy and Steph went to the market this morning and were off to the races.

Out and about

2008-12-28T13:38:00.000-05:00

Today we went on an excursion to Concord Center. Benjy was psyched to
get out of the house. Here he is looking adorable as always.

Snowstorm, day 2

2008-12-21T16:02:00.000-05:00

Today we got several more inches of snow, on top of the white stuff we
got yesterday. The porch table tells the tale. But isn't it gorgeous?

First haircut

2008-12-07T05:46:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, we took Benjy for his very first haircut. Before it turned cold, his long hair was still curly (imagine a tiny John Adams, with curls along the side of his head). By yesterday, it was just long, straight, and stringy. So a haircut was definitely in order. He was such a champ, and he looks so cute now!

Before

From Benjy
December 2008

During

After

From Benjy
December 2008

Here are more pictures from our adventure.

Today's adventure

2008-11-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

Today we went to Cambridge to buy fish for making sushi. Here's Herman
and Benjy in the car, about to head home.

More pictures of Benjy

2008-11-10T11:10:00.002-05:00

This weekend, I took some pictures of Benjy standing up against my legs and against the sliding doors in our dining room.

From Benjy October 2008

Will.i.am on Obama

2008-11-10T10:18:00.002-05:00

Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas has now made two songs about Obama -- the first about hope during his candidacy and the second about his election victory. Savoring the moment doesn't really get old, does it?

"Yes We Can"

"It's a New Day"

Sifu Benjy

2008-11-10T10:15:00.003-05:00

Last week, for Halloween, we dressed Benjy up as a ninja warrior. We didn't go trick or treating, but he had fun in costume at school. (In case you were curious, "Sifu" is an title that a martial arts practitioner would use when speaking to an accomplished instructor.)

From Benjy October 2008

Closing argument

2008-10-30T07:07:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since we've posted last. We've been gathering pictures of Benjy for you. But these days, I've been thinking about what his future world will be like and I've been rooting for the candidate that can best provide a world in which Benjy will be safe, happy, and comfortable. It's a bit scary to think about the responsibility that we have in this area because it's so far out of our control. So, I've done the little things -- a contribution here and there, mostly. Here's one more little thing.

Benjy at Walgreens

2008-10-04T05:10:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Steph took Benjy on an errand to Walgreen's while I was
working a swim meet at Brandeis. Benjy just loves going to stores --
especially places like farm stands and Trader Joe's. There's tons to
see and lots to touch (and grab!). Here he is at Walgreen's.

Shana Tova and G'mar Hatima Tova

2008-10-03T10:04:00.003-04:00

Benjy's really starting to look like quite a grown up. When N & J were here for RH, they took some new pics. Here's one of the best.

We want to wish you all a sweet, healthy, happy new year.

Benjy's 9 month appointment

2008-09-29T12:54:00.002-04:00

So Benjy went for his 9 month appointment this morning. He is doing very well physically and developmentally. He is 20 lbs, 12 oz, and 29 1/2 inches long, which makes him 81st percentile in height and 54th in weight. He does take after his Imma, though, in veins, and the nurse couldn't find a vein to take his blood, so we have to go back. Benjy was quite the trooper, though, after being poked in both arms. He cried, of course, but cheered up more quickly than any child should have to.

Dr. M thought his bangs were cute and said she could see the outlines of his top teeth but couldn't tell us when they'd come in. He's definitely teething, she says. Thanks for the update.

On another note, we'd all like to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and sweet new year filled with lots of love and laughter.

Benjy on his walk

2008-09-22T05:52:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Steph took Benjy out for a walk. Here he is. Isn't he cute? (Yep, this post isn't so different from the previous one. But that's ok, right?)

Benjy, walking

2008-09-18T13:37:00.000-04:00

Today, Benjy went for a walk at school. (OK, he goes for walks everyday -- but isn't he cute?)

Look how I found him this morning

2008-09-14T07:56:00.003-04:00

Steph's in DC attending a conference and some meetings, so Benjy and I are going it alone for a few days. Not too many days, really, but I was worried about how I'd do it all. The early returns are good, however. I even managed to wake up overnight when Benjy awakened and screamed. (I was worried I'd sleep through him, and I've got a track record for that.) After a 4 am feeding, Benjy went back to sleep and so did I. Around 6:45 or so, he woke up and started chatting with himself. Around 7 am, this is how I found him.