Benson's Day

Benson had a rough day, poor little guy. It started out fine but progressively got worse. Poor little guy just kept getting hurt:
1. He smashed his fingers in the door on our tv stand. Benson thinks he's pretty cool because he can stand up and pound on our television stand and open the doors. However, today he decided to shut his fingers in the door. I don't think it hurt that much but just scared him.
2. He fell over while we were taking family pictures outside. We had a girl in our ward who is a professional photographer take some family photos (hopefully for a Christmas card) outside today. Benson was suppose to be standing up next to the tree for a really cute picture but decided to fall over backwards instead. Again, I don't think it really hurt I think he was more mad at me for not catching him.
3. He got a bloody lip. Benson decided to headbutt the table while we were at dinner. He likes to pound on the table while sitting in highchairs at restaurants. However, tonight he decided instead of using his hands he'd use his head. He started screaming his head off with big tears running down his face! He had blood on his face and now all over my new sweater. Poor little guy. Needless to say we boxed up our food, which had just arrived at our table and took it home to eat. (which reminds me I never want to eat at Shari's again. Michael and I have a problem eating at restaurants again and again after we tell ourselves we're never going to eat there again. That's a whole other post though.)
4. He got trampled by Georgia. After we made it home and Benson had a short cat nap (he fell asleep in the car on the ride home from dinner) we decided it was time to get ready for bed. After his medicine, pj's and a bottle I layed him down on our bed to get him to go to sleep. I decided after the day he had I wouldn't let him cry himself to sleep. Of course Georgia was in her usual spot, my side of the bed. I told her to get down and instead of jumping off the side of the bed closest to her she decided to jump onto Benson, walk over him and jump off the other side of the bed. He started crying and I think it probably hurt him a little. Poor guy!

He's finally asleep now and hopefully he'll sleep through the night. I hope he has a better day tomorrow because we have a fun filled day! If Benson cooperates and has a better day than today we are going to the homecoming parade, going to a Halloween party at Old Navy (in his Halloween costume which is adorable!) and then going to the football game with Dad. Check back tomorrow or Sunday for a few pictures.

Small, Mighty & Handsome

I bought this shirt for Benson at The Gap a few weeks ago because I thought it summed him up pretty well: Small, Mighty & Handsome! I should have bought the 12-18 month size because the 6-12 months size is almost too small and he's only worn the shirt twice and he's only 9.5 months old.

Look at those chubby thighs!

I love the pictures that capture Benson in between smiling and makes faces!

I'm trying not to laugh!

Benson In The Tub

Check out his gut! He's so dare cute! Benson loves to play in the tub. He loves his bath toys and to kick his feet really hard and splash Mom and Dad.

Trip To Coeur d'alene

We decided we better take a trip to Coeur d'alene over the weekend or wouldn't be able to do it before we left Moscow. I was excited because I thought there was going to be a lot to do and fun shopping. It was beautiful weather, warm and not rainy. However, there wasn't that much to do. It wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be like. The lake is beautiful but other than that it wasn't too great. I wish we would have gone in the spring or summer because I think there are a lot of outside activities that would have been fun to do when the weather was warmer.

How Benson Fell Asleep

Benson usually does a great job falling asleep on his own. We go through our nightime routine 1)rice cereal with fruit and his medicine 2)a bath and 3)a bottle. Sometimes we also read a few books. Then he's usually tired and we lay him down in his crib and he falls asleep. He usually jibber jabbers a little bit and rolls around his crib for about 5-10 minutes and then falls asleep. The other night Michael gave him a monkey stuffed animal to sleep with and this is how he fell asleep.

Benson Is 9 Months Old

Benson turned 9 months old over the weekend. I can't believe he is 9 months! He is getting so big and doing new things everyday. He has finally decided to crawl with his chubby belly up off the floor. I didn't think he would ever get up off his belly, he was pretty content to army crawl but over the last few days he's decided he can move just as fast with less effort with his belly off the ground. He has two bottom teeth and is about to get one or two of his top front teeth. He is still gaining weight like crazy and slowly getting taller. About two weeks ago he weighed 21.5 pounds so I'm sure he weighs around 22 pounds or more by now. He got a new carseat, that he hates! I thought he would love his new carseat because it's really comfy and soft but not, he hates it. I guess he'll just have to get use to it. He is starting to kinda walk when we hold his hands. He is also trying to hold onto a chair or the couch and walk. He is learning to put things (balls, shapes) into holes. H has two toys that allow him to do this and he's getting better at putting the balls into the hole or the shape into the right shape hole. It's so fun to watch him and know that his little mind is turning. I can he is thinking about doing things and it's exciting to see him growing. We are so lucky to have such a good baby. He brings so much joy and laughter into our lives.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch over the weekend. It was fun even though it was pretty cold.

Package From Nana

I asked Michael's mom to check at her local GAP for a Halloween shirt I wanted to get for Benson. I tried to buy it online but it it was all sold out. Michael's mom went way out of her way to find it. She drove all over town and out of town to find the shirt and in his size. She also sent Benson a cute Halloween bib, card and $5. I guess he needs a piggie bank now. Thanks Marilyn! Benson is going to look really cute on Halloween. I thought the shirt was perfect for him, it says "Short and Sweet."

How Benson Fell Asleep Last Night

I'm trying to get Benson to fall asleep on his own but it hasn't really been working lately and I haven't been very diligent in doing it. However, last night he was really tired and fussy so Michael laid him in his crib. When we do this he crawls to the end of the crib and pulls down the bumper and laughs at us. He thinks it's a game and seems to enjoy playing it. Usually after a few minutes we go in and laugh at him and take him out of his crib. However, last night we decided to leave him in his crib. We went in a few times and laid him back down on his pillow with his blanket. After a few minutes of crying, after he realized were weren't going to laugh at him and pick him up he fell asleep. It wasn't as hard as I thought, although I guess we'll see if it's that easy tonight. This is how he fell asleep:

New PJ's

Benson's Lunch

Benson is in a stage where he wants to feed himself/play with his food. These pictures show what happens when I try to feed him. He wasn't too happy I was taking pictures of him and not letting him play with his food anymore.

Happy Birthday Michael!

Benson & Dad

A Shirt To Match Dad's

I bought Benson this shirt to match the one I bought Michael for his birthday.

New Outfit

I found these warm up pants and shirt at Macy's on the clearance. Together they only cost $8.00! I decided Benson looked so cute I would take a few pictures outside in our backyard.

Benson's Teeth

This is the best picture to see his two little teeth!

Benson had his first two teeth come in the last few days. His first tooth came in last Tuesday and his second tooth came in yesterday. These are the pictures I took while trying to get a picture of his teeth. Check back in a few days and I think I'll have a better picture, once his teeth come through more. I feel like he's not a baby anymore but a toddler now that he has teeth!

Duck Pond

Michael kept saying he heard there was a great duck pond in town so we decided to check it out. I was excited to let Benson feed the ducks however, we couldn't get the ducks to come near us, even with a ton of bread. Benson did love the swing though.