Snip Snip! Ben's First Haircut!

Ben got his first haircut today with Miss Loretta!

The Before:

Snip Snip!

Say goodbye to those dark tips!

All Gone!

And After! Look at that blond hair!

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping!

Ben now rides in the cart at the grocery store. He was so excited about it yesterday he couldn't stop squaking and talking and laughing. Several ladies in the grocery store stopped to ask Ben what he was so excited about. Apparently he just really liked the ride... (Please excuse the ridiculous outfit daddy put him in yesterday. He just does it to annoy mommy)

Crack me up!!

So Tired

This was Ben's last nap in the infant carrier, after our walk at Wildwood. He has officially been upgraded to the big boy car seat. I decided it was easier to just swap out the car seat than mess around with adjusting the shoulder straps in the infant carrier. He hasn't had a chance to ride in the big car seat yet, but probably will later today.

Playing with my Shadow

Everything is a Jungle Gym Now

Just Chillin' In The Jumper

More 7 Month Pictures

7 Months

It is very hard to believe that Ben is already 7 months. He has started out his 7th month by being able to do a full out, high speed crawl. Hard to believe that at the beginning of this 6th month he was just starting to work on the movements for crawling. He is now chasing Monster around the house all the time. He isn't fond of the pack 'n play or the jumper when he is in the mood to move, but he still plays in both for long periods of time while I work from home on Mondays and Fridays. His goals for month 7 appear to be mastering 'cruising' around the furniture, climbing onto the ottoman, climbing out of the crib/pack n play, and standing by himself. In just 2 days we have seen a lot of improvement on the cruising. And for some reason he thinks he is stable enough to let go of things while standing, which is not the case...yet. And monthly picture taking has become a 2 person job now. He won't sit still for more than 30 seconds. Good thing I have continuous shooting mode!

Flag City Balloon Fest

We went to the Findlay balloon festival on Friday after work. I wanted to take some pictures of the balloons for Ben's bedroom that I will someday decorate with hot air balloons. I don't think Ben cared much about the balloons, but it was still a nice night.

Fastest Way to Making a New Friend

Helping Mommy with the Laundry

Giggles

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Well, really it was a flash. Ben playing in his new tunnel, on loan from Miss Shari :)

How Many Things Can I Pull Up Onto?

That's Ben's favorite question these days. He tries to pull himself up onto everything, furniture, overturned baskets, his rolling walker (kind of funny), my leg, the dog - you name it.

Meeting Mud-donna

Ben got to meet Muddonna at the Mud Hens game this weekend. My company picnic was at the game. It was extremely hot so we didn't stay too long, but long enough that Ben got his picture with the 'hottest girl in the stadium' (really, she had to be dying in there).

A Breakthrough?!?!

It appeared this morning that we may have had a breakthrough with Monster and Ben. Monster was actually playing with Ben!!! I almost cried.

Falling Asleep in His Swing

Ben had a rough time this afternoon when his tooth started to hurt. So after some medicine, we went outside to swing. And slowly, the eyes got heavier, and the head started to slump to the side. And eventually he was out cold. He was so cute with his hands folded in his lap!

Today's New Trick

So today's new trick was trying to stand up in the Pack'n Play. He was getting pretty close, clawing at the sides, pulling himself up onto his knees. I've decided Ben is like the raptors in Jurassic Park - you can almost see him figuring it out in his head and making his plans on how to do or get what he wants. I just have yet to figure out what it is he is so eager to get after. I guess the dog... Do they make roofs for pack'n plays?

A Big Boy Sippy Cup

Ben has been starting to drink out of a sippy cup the past week. He needs a little help getting his hands where they need to be, but he can handle the rest once you get him started.

The Toofth!

Ugh, finally a tooth has broken through! You can just barely see it in this picture (double click on the picture to enlarge it and then look inside the red circle). It's a little sharp razor in his mouth. He had a day of rest between this one coming through and now the one next to it is coming in, so he's been pretty fussy again. Hopefully the next one will be through in the next couple of days and then we'll have a break from teeth for a little while.

Ben's Awesome New Swing!

Grandpa Stan made Ben an awesome swing for his dolphin! Ben is going to love swinging outside now. I think he can even make himself swing like pumping his legs.

No Rest for the Wicked...

Poor Monster

And the chase is on...

The Zoo With Auntie Dre

Auntie Dre and Kevin came up on Saturday for a trip to the zoo. Ben got to see lots of animals, including the polar bears and seals. But somehow, we forgot to take a picture of Ben with Auntie Dre and Kevin!

The Amazing Monster Marie!

Ben's New Home

Ben will be spending a lot of quality time in his Pack'n Play now that he's crawling.

What a Mean Mommy!

Ben had a rough day today. His teeth were bothering him and he was tired and cranky. So when it came time for a nap, I made him cry it out because he was just exhausted. So he sat in the corner of his crib and cried and cried for probably 15 minutes. And then, slowly, the crying started to taper off. And then it got quiet. When I went in to check on him, instead of lying down, he had just bent forward at the waist and laid his head on this blanket when he fell asleep. He was so tired...

The Bone

Ben is crawling now and tends to go straight for Monster's stuff. Here, he has discovered her bone.

The Basket

Vroom Vroom Around the Kitchen

Witness below my excellent use of the first and middle name. Amazingly, Ben is well aware of his name and will stop what he's doing when you yell his name, however it only lasts for a second. He will be hearing it a lot based on his current predisposition to grab anything and everything he shouldn't.

Bath Time Antics

Here is Ben playing in the bath tub. What I didn't get on video was Ben grabbing the side of the tub and pulling himself out. When he was done, he was done.