Spring is Here

I can't believe the first day of spring has come and went. It seemed like it was just freezing cold and all of a sudden we are right in the middle of blooming trees, planting flowers and warm weather. I love spring - I really could deal with this weather all year round! I think Ben loves spring even more. He has been outside nearly every day....usually several times a day and gets very mad (yes he has learned how to throw a tantrum) when we come inside. Sharla, his babysitter, also told me how upset he got when he thought they were on the way to the park and did an extra loop of walking first....He is such a boy - he loves to play in the dirt, crawl through the bushes, play in the bird bath, and just run. He has definitely needed his nightly bath every day this week - my dirty, sweaty, stinky little boy! :-)

Some of Ben's favorite activities are playing with the dog - he tries to give her toys but then doesn't like when the dog goes and takes them - he wants them back - they are still working through this relationship (and thankfully our golden retriever is super patient w/ Ben!)

He also loves playing in the kitchen and has recently become fascinated with "stirring". He reaches up for me to pick him up so he can see what I'm making on the stove and wants the big spoon so he can stir too. I let him try play-doh for the first time last week and he seemed to have fun with it. He tasted it a couple of times but never actually ate any (though the dog tried). He pulled it apart a few times but most of all liked putting it back in the little container and putting the lid on (he really enjoys putting the lid back on anything w/ a lid). Ben also has really developed a love for books and if you are sitting on the floor in his room will bring you over a book to read and then sit cross-legged in front of you like it's story time. I think this is adorable especially since he doesn't have any exposure to going to an organized story time....

He is so adventurous and although occasionally will grab onto my leg or be a little clingy for the most part, he'll go with anyone (or at least talk to them) and absolutely loved the Easter Bunny. He is so in love w/ all animals - cats, dogs, birds, squirrels that I'm not surprised but I've seen / heard of so many kids freaking out w/ these giant characters that I'm always a little nervous. Luckily there was no line when we were at the mall last week so we stopped in and saw the bunny. Ben was so lovable and full of smiles but the photographer kept missing them. He just lounged w/ the Easter Bunny while Joel and I pondered which one to pick and was all cuddly with him - it was adorable and wish we could've captured that better. :-) The easter egg hunt at our clubhouse was rained out but I really thought Ben was a little too small this year to understand what was going on...for Easter we'll go to church and then are going to go have dinner over Andy and Nicole's. I'm excited to see them because it seems like it's been awhile.

In other Ben news, as of about a week and half ago, he is officially WEANED. Although this was a little sad, it wound up going a lot smoother than I thought it would and definitely after the first day or so, he understood no more boobs for him. I am excited because hopefully we will be successful in getting pregnant w/ #2 soon now that he is weaned :-) I'm a little worried that I will start gaining some of the weight that I have lost (back into my skinny jeans) but work has made up for the calorie burning I was doing BFing. I am up for a promotion that should be official in the next week or so - my manager left unexpectedly but both him and his manager recommended me for the position so I am very excited. I have already taken on the extra work but hopefully in the next couple of weeks, I will have the official title and added compensation. I think that's why the last month or so has gone so fast - I found out my manager was leaving the first week or March and his last day was the 19th and it's been a whirlwind most of the month. I am hoping to get some more resources on my team soon and hopefully that will alleviate some of the work load (I don't like working into the wee hrs of the morning).

Over the last few weeks, we have been toying w/ putting our house on the market but we are likely to barely break even at this point so I think we will wait at least a couple months, maybe a year. It is probably an ideal time to buy right now in Charlotte but not necessarily an ideal time for us (which sucks). We don't qualify for the purchase tax credit so at least I don't feel like we're losing out on that. We know we definitely want to move before Ben goes to school but we have some time for that. In the meantime, we have had the carpets cleaned, the roofer out to look at the roof (waiting on an insurance claim due to storm damage) and started working on updating the guest bath. I changed the light fixture in the bathroom (very proud of this accomplishment - a lot easier than I thought but definitely scary to deal w/ electricity) and now am working on spackling and hoping to get to painting this weekend (this was supposed to be a weekend project a couple of weeks ago but between work and lack of motivation to work inside in nice weather, it has lingered on). I have created a cage for my garden (to keep those pesky rabbits from eating my broccoli) and need to spray paint that and get the rest of the screening up - that will first priority tomorrow morning during Ben's naptime. I've also been working on a massive mission to de-clutter our house. This is a slow process but our babysitter is looking to move back into her house in the next couple of weeks (she's been staying w/ her parents while someone was renting her house) so will probably be able to help her out w/ some interim furniture while she's saving up for some of her own.

Joel was off today. It was not feasible for me but we did get to go out to McD's and Starbucks this morning and then Ben and Joel got to spend a little time at the park together. I wound up then being on the phone from 10:30am to 5:30pm, almost none stop (didn't eat anything or even go to the bathroom during this time). Sharla still came by (wasn't sure if Joel was going to try to get his motorcycle fixed today (it needs the battery charged). When I did finally get off work, we went out to dinner at Edamae (before the evening rush...Ben was loud but mostly cooperative). We then still had plenty of daylight left so went over to Latta Plantation - we walked down to the water and let Ben run around for a bit. He has grown mostly out of the Infantino backpack so we really need to look into getting a real backpack for me or Joel to wear to bring him for walks in the woods and other places where the stroller isn't feasible (we also need a back-up stroller to keep at home / in the car so we don't have to remember to put the stroller in the car whenever we go anywhere. It's nice that he's walking much better now but he's still difficult to direct and gets distracted easily so it's much easier to push or carry him (at least while he's still cooperative!). We are going to try to get out to Wilmington one of these weekends to bring him to the Aquarium and get to the beach - I think he is going to be absolutely thrilled to play in the water.....we are going to try and sign up for swim lessons....we joined the Y but aren't feeling much healthier (what!?!?....you mean we actually have to go and exercise.....).