Bye Bye Swaddle

Time is passing so fast it's hard to keep up. I think that is why I am tired all the time. I certainly can't blame the baby because he sleeps like a hibernating bear. I have expected him to start sleeping less each day or week but he is holding steady, if not sleeping more. I might be concerned if he weren't growing like a weed and as happy and content as can be. We suppose he has just learned early that sleep is good and that he should get it while he can :-)

Speaking of sleeping, up until this past weekend, Benjamin has been swaddled at night and has happily slept that way 10+ hrs. I started looking into discussion boards and web sites the last month or so to trey and determine when I should stop swaddling him and how the heck I was supposed to make that transition!! Dr. Colyer assured us at our 4-month visit that he would "figure it out". I was more concerned about ME figuring it out! So, in the meantime I have continued to swaddle him. We were supposed to go to Asheville for the 3-day weekend but decided to cancel due to the weather. I was thankful; come late Saturday when I was attacked by some sort of stomach bug (which meant I spent a good portion of the next 12 hrs in the bathroom). I was nursing Ben Sat evening and getting him ready for bed when the first of such "attacks" occurred. I put him in his crib with his mobile playing. I could hear him internittenly fussing from the crib but he didn't really cry. By the time I got back to his room, he had fallen asleep hugging his cloth diaper, sucking his thumb. I REALLY wanted a picture but sometimes sleep is better than pictures! :-) This was the first time that he had fallen asleep on his own w/o being swaddled and the first time he truly found his thumb. I kept wondering when he would wake up and need to be swaddled, but he slept and slept and even when he awoke briefly, he found his thumb and got himself back to sleep. He slept all the way through till about 6:30 in the morning. I couldn't believe it! I was so proud of my little man. I repeated the process for his morning nap - gave him the cloth diaper to hug, put on his mobile and gave him the pacifier (he sucks on it for a minute or two and then spits it out and finds his thumb - since I can't "give" him his thumb, it's a good transition). He slept for about an hr and a half and I was convinced that we had gotten rid of the swaddle for good - I couldn't believe it! It was exactly as Dr. Colyer said - he would figure it out and I think there's an important lesson there - your baby will let you know what they need and when they need it. He has continued to sleep both at night and for his naps w/o his swaddle - bye bye swaddle. Although I am nostalgic, I am excited to see him develop and thus although this could make me sad, it really doesn't - it's a new beginning!

In other news, earlier Sat night (while I was also in the bathroom from aforementioned stomach bug), Joel was taking care of Ben. I could hear the baby fussing from upstairs and then all of a sudden, it was quiet, suspiciously quiet. :-) That morning I had bought an 18-pack of Gerber 1st foods - bananas, apples, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, and peaches. Cereal has been going well and I figured it was time to start some fruits and vegetables. I came downstairs to find Daddy feeding baby Ben bananas - that was the first time Daddy had fed Baby ben :-) Of course Ben was delighted - he LOVES food (he's gotten plenty of samples of stuff before then - ice cream, yogurt, oatmeal, pancake...I'm sure I'm forgetting something). Joel later told me that when he opened the utensil drawer and saw the little baby spoons, it made his heart melt - awww! :-)

One other big thing that happened this weekend is that Ben sat in a high chair for the first time at breakfast at Bob Evans. I wrapped a thick fleece around him to help prop him up (he sits up well when you hold him, but inevitably develops the lean and flop when you sit him up by himself). He did well, but when the food arrived started to freak out - arms flailing, legs kicking - like I mentioned above, he LOVES food. I gave him a taste of egg white, pancake, and oatmeal (which was so lumpy he had a hard time keeping it in his mouth!)

I can't believe how fast he's growing! My friend Marshall said she can't believe he's already eating some "normal" food because it feels like he was just born. It is amazing how much happens in the first year of a baby's life - it's so exciting!

Lots of Firsts

This last week has been filled with a lot of firsts. Two weeks ago, Benjamin had his first bath. We took video of it but did not get a picture, so the picture below is from bath 4 or 5 - I love his expression. He doesn't really complain much in the tub but isn't quite sure what to make of it (as seen in the picture)....and was also wondering why Dad was taking pictures of him in the tub (Mommy's request).

Last week, he went to his first mass at St. Thomas and then to his first superbowl party at the Domazos. On Tues, he visited Daddy at work and took his first trip around uptown Charlotte and to the library. That evening, he went to his first art exhibit at the Mint Museum - to see Andy Warhol. On Saturday, he went on his first trip to Red Robin and then on Sunday, he went on his first trip to Kings Mountain (pictures below)

We have his 1 month Dr. visit on Fri 1/13 - can't wait to see how much he weighs :-)