"Picture of the Day": Day 14

Sorry it's a day late...

This was actually from a few nights ago but I just got it (Loree took it while she was here and emailed it to me tonight). He was playing with tupperware and kitchen utensils and having a grand old time. It wasn't so much fun when I had to take them away when it was bedtime though. We actually got a pretty good tantrum out of that one.

"Picture of the Day": Day 13

Ben and Mimi reading a book together tonight. Poor Loree has been keeping up with Ben which is not an easy thing to do. She is going to need lots of rest when she goes home in a couple of days. It's been a huge help having her here this week with Drew being gone though.

"Picture of the Day": Day 12

Loree and I took Ben to see his first movie today, "The Princess and the Frog." I didn't really know what to expect with how Ben would do being in a movie theater and sitting through a whole movie. It started out quite well. We had our popcorn and M&Ms and Ben even had a little booster seat to sit on (otherwise the seat would have eaten him up). Luckily, we were the only ones in the theater because after about a half an hour of sitting nicely, Ben wanted to get up. He spent the next 45 minutes moving around and dancing. He spent the last part of the movie, asleep on Loree's lap. It wasn't the best experience, but overall, he did pretty well for a 2 year old. I think we'll wait awhile before trying the movie thing again.

"Pictures of the Day": Day 11

Pictures from Ben's bath tonight. Usually dad gives him his bath but since he's gone, Mimi filled in.

"Picture of the Day": Day 10

Ben thought it was fun to swing like a monkey while holding onto the door knobs.

"Picture of the Day": Day 9

This is what I saw when I came downstairs earlier today. It was about 1pm and Ben was so worn out that as soon as he sat down to watch football with his dad, he fell asleep.

"Picture of the Day": Day 8

Today, our "Picture of the Day" is an older picture (from June, 2008 when Drew was promoted to Captain). Every other post is always about Ben and I wanted to take some time to talk about my husband. I can honestly say that he is the best person I know. The one thing I wish the most for my boys is that they grow up to be like their dad. I think everyone who has met Drew knows what a great person he is. The most admirable quality he has is that he always puts his family first. He works hard so that we can have a good life. I know he looks forward to coming home to us each evening. When he is home, he is an amazing dad. I don't think there is ever a time that he isn't proud of Ben. He could have had the worst day at work but when he is home, he doesn't let it get in the way of his time with us. I watch him play with Ben and I know how lucky I am that he is here with us, that my children get to grow up with him as their dad.

I don't think any of us will ever know what Drew has been through. We probably can't even begin to comprehend the things he has had to do in the past five years, nor do we want to. One time I asked him why he joined the military and he said so people like me didn't have to see what he has seen or do what he has had to do. Being the selfish person I am, I cannot even begin to think about sacrificing my life for that reason. For Drew, it's not even a question of if I can do it, it's how I can do it. I think the military has been pretty darn lucky to have him. He has never done anything less than his best. There might be times where he doesn't know what he is doing or how to do it but he figures it out and ends up excelling. That's pretty rare to find these days. It's pretty exceptional.

Lastly, I want to say what a good husband Drew is. He might not be the most romantic guy or know how to buy gifts or clean very well but in the end, that stuff doesn't matter. What does matter is that I know how much he loves me. He finds his own ways to show me that. Unfortunately, we don't get much time to ourselves these days. We might have to wait until our kids are off in college before that happens. We're in this crazy, chaotic life together and I think we make a pretty good team. He is the perfect match for me and I love him for so many reasons.

Sadly, Drew is going to be leaving us on Sunday. He has to go to North Little Rock, Arkansas for two weeks to go to a training class. We are not looking forward to it. He will be very much missed by all of us, including Lewey who will not be getting the twice a day walks that he is used to.

"Pictures of the Day": Day 7

When I started "Picture of the Day" last week, I really did intend to do just one picture a day. That's a problem though since there a lot of times when it is hard to pick just one picture. Therefore, some days, there will be more than one picture. I don't think the few people who look at our blog will mind too much.

This is Ben's monkey face. He is trying to imitate the monkey face

that I make at him to get him to laugh

(which doesn't look anything like what he's doing. His is cuter).

About to catch the ball

Ben's Two Year Check-up

Ben had his Dr. appointment today and he was so good through it all. It was his first time seeing his new pediatrician but he did great with Ben. He of course had a lot of questions to ask Drew and I since this was our first visit with him. He wanted to make sure that Ben is on track developmentally, especially with his rough start. He said that Ben looked great and was showing all the normal signs of a 24 month old. Ben did have to get one shot today and I thought it was only fair for Drew to have to hold Ben (since I have done it every other time in the past and it is not fun when your baby is screaming and you are trying to hold him down). Anyways, today Ben decided that shots are no big deal and not only did he not cry at all, he barely flinched when they stuck him with the needle. He is one tough little guy.

Ben's 2 year statistics:

weight: 25.8 pounds (20th percentile)

height: 32 inches (3rd percentile)

head circumference: 50.5 centimeters (89th percentile)

He is moving up on the charts with his weight. In the past year he only gained 6 pounds but he went from the bottom 5th percentile to the 20th.

His height is still on the short side but you also have to remember that he started out about 6 or 7 inches shorter than the normal newborn. I think he's still trying to catch up.

His head circumference has been a big concern for us the past year. It quickly grew and he made it up to the 98th percentile last spring. After a brain mri and a meeting with the neurologist, we were told that despite a little extra fluid on the brain, he would be ok, big head and all. It was reassuring today to see that he dropped to the 89th percentile and that his body is slowly catching up with his head. He still has a big head though, but it seems to run in the family.

Just for some comparison, at the same age, Drew was 34 inches and 25 pounds. It looks like Ben might be taking after his dad.

Overall, it was a good appointment and he doesn't have to go back for another 6 months (so the doctor can make sure he is still growing, especially his height).

"Picture of the Day": Day 6

These were taken on Drew's phone but you get the idea. We went to In and Out for dinner tonight and I think Ben enjoys it as much as I do. He has recently gotten the hang of dipping his food and the boy loves ketchup (as do I). He was dipping his fries and cheeseburger in the ketchup and surprisingly, didn't make too much of a mess.

"Picture of the Day": Day 5

This is what happens when mom leaves and dad is in charge of bathing and getting Ben dressed for bed. I ran to the store this evening after dinner since we were out of milk and down to our last 4 diapers (so unlike me to get to that point). When I came home, Ben was wearing this little number (it might look like they somewhat match, but they really don't)...

I think it's cute and I'm just grateful that I have a husband who went through all the trouble of bathing Ben and getting him dressed while I got out of the house for an hour. I did enjoy my short time out which included a walk around Target without anyone rushing me.

Tomorrow afternoon, Ben has his 2 year check-up. It's been awhile since he's had to go to the doctor and I am looking forward to seeing what his new doctor has to say about how he's doing. I think he'll finally be on the charts for weight and length and hopefully his head growth has slowed down a little. I will post updates tomorrow night.

"Pictures of the Day": Day 4

Happy to have his dad home from work...

Ben's First Car ("Pictures of the Day": Day 3)

Between Ben's Birthday and Christmas, the little guy got so many fun, new toys. Actually, he is still getting them since we saved a few of his gifts to give him once the holiday chaos was a little more settled. Drew decided that it was time to give Ben his cozy coupe. I think he would have waited a little longer if he knew it was going to take about 3 hours to put the thing together. It was all worth it though when he was done and Ben had a huge smile on his face. They've only tried it out in the house but after Ben's nap, they'll take it outside to go for a spin.

"Picture of the Day": Day 2

When Ben saw me with the camera, he came running towards me and I was able to catch a smile...

"Picture of the Day": Day 1

For the month of January, we will be doing a "Picture of the Day" every day. Check every night to see what exciting picture we have from the day. Most likely it will be of Benjamin.

Ben loves vacuums. It's a fight to get him to turn it off once he gets going. He understands that it has to be plugged in for it to work and he knows how to turn it on and off. He was helping dad today with the vacuuming (we have a little swivel type vacuum for quick jobs that is the perfect size for him).