A Detailed Day in the Life of 8-Month-Old Ben

• wake up (crying out) between 6-7am
• breastfeed (the best one of the day)
• play rolly-polly in Mom and Dad's bed while Mom and Dad doze
• breastfeed, again, because the last one was so good, I want more
• eat cereal with fruit (e.g., today it was rice cereal with prunes)
• play in my exersaucer and "work on a project"
• get a new diaper
• play with Mommy and my toys on the floor
• have a 1-hr nap (starting anywhere between 9:30-11)
• wake up (playing)
• breastfeed
• eat a snack (e.g., today there wasn't one)
• play
• eat lunch (e.g., today it was spinach, "vegetables and chicken" from a Heinz jar, 2 whole wheat premium plus crackers, cut-up pieces of very ripe pear, and some plain Activia yoghurt)
• play in my exersaucer and "work on a project"
• get a new diaper
• play with Mommy and/or my toys on the floor
• have a 1-hr nap (starting anywhere between 1-3pm)
• wake up (playing)
• breastfeed and snack (today it was mozzarella pieces and crackers)
• snuggle and play with Mommy and/or Daddy
• play unhappily while Mommy makes dinner
• eat dinner at the table with Mommy and Daddy (today it was spinach, "vegetables and chicken" from a Heinz jar, hard boiled egg yolk with spinach water, cheerios and banana)
• play on the floor until I get crusty
• at 7pm, go for a walk around the neighbourhood, sometimes stopping at the playground for the swings
• play and splash in the bath
• take vitamin D, brush my teeth
• protest loudly while I'm dressed
• breastfeed to sleep
• wake between 1:30 and 4:30 am for another feed

This schedule only applies when we stay home all day. Usually we're out at least once per day, either at Healthy Beginnings (Tuesdays), hike around Westwood Lake (Wednesdays), Mother Goose/Baby Time (Thursdays), childminding while Mommy is at step class (Fridays), or shopping (weekends).

Porch Photo Catch-up

Ben will soon have his 3/4ths birthday, so we'd better post the porch shots from his third quarter.

I'm 6 months old today.

I'm 7 months old today.

I'm 8 months old today.

Mobility? Not Quite

Yikes, two months since the last posting. Mom nearly gave up on the blog, thinking a) no one really reads it anymore, so why bother, and b) Ben has been having a severe case of attached-at-the-hip syndrome the past two months, whereby Mom not only can't leave the room, but she must sit with or hold him ALL the time. The only reprieves come when Ben is napping or pooping (for which he needs privacy). During those times, inevitably it is laundry or cleaning the kitchen or fixing the next meal or taking a shower that takes priority over computer time. All this complaining and we have only ONE child. Makes us in awe of people with multiples, single Moms, big families, etc. Anyhow, Mom has been wishing lately that she were writing down all of Ben's milestones and quirks so that, like the photos, she could go back and look at the memories. So, regardless of whether others are reading this or not, the blog is worth updating from time-to-time just for us.

Some of Ben's recent fun:

• an eating champion. Loves cheerios, which he's getting better at picking up with his thumb and forefinger. Also likes toast, crackers, yoghurt (which he's not supposed to have for another month or so), and most fruit if it is pureed. He'll also eat pretty much anything else that comes his way.
• a teething champion. He now has six teeth. 4 have come in since Oct 1st. It wasn't a great last couple of weeks for him.
• metamorphosis of his party trick (you gotta hear it to know what I'm talking about). He went from us helping him make the sound, to him making the sound with his hands, to him banging his head on any surface to make the sound, to now just using his entire body to get his voice to simulate the sound. It has also reinforced "ba ba ba" and, as of Thanksgiving Monday, "ma ma ma."
• mobility - not really. He has no real desire just yet to move (i.e., crawl). Perhaps that is because we hold him and move him ourselves. Or perhaps not. In the meantime, it is somewhat nice to put him down in one spot and expect to still find him closeby later. Not that I can leave him...He is *finally* rolling from his stomach to his back, both directions, and he can turn 365 degrees around the floor on his stomach.
• giggle monster. He and Daddy have giggle-fests each evening, which usually involves horsey rides, tickling, and vocal stimulation.

Out of time. More later. And photos too - must catch up on posting the all-important porch shots.

Pearly White

Ben's first swimming adventure. Loves it! July 21st.

Ben and 2nd-cousin-once-removed Chris at lunch in Victoria. July 23rd.

Mom (and Ben) killing time while in the car line-up for the ferry. These backseat mirrors come highly recommended. July 24th.

On the little Mill Bay car ferry, on our way home from Victoria. July 24th.

Out for a hike in the Morell Nature Sanctuary. July 28th.

Mom used to wear this shirt when she was that little. July 28th.

It has been a tough few nights as Ben's first tooth has errupted, and one more is imminent. Just one of many new experiences since the last entry. While he still has yet to figure out how to roll over onto his back from his stomach (a blessing in disguise), he can last about 30 seconds sitting up on his own. He is also much faster at grabbing things, making it difficult now for Dad to hold Ben at the dinner table and be sure to get an unintercepted forkfull of food. This led us to decide to start him on rather liquid solids yesterday, after 5 days of spoon-feeding prep in the form of breastmilk. Grandma Jane is here for a visit for a couple weeks, perhaps permitting a dinner out for *just* Mom and Dad.

Da Da Da

Reading with Mummy. July 16th.

But the book tastes better than it looks. July 16th.

I'm 5 months old today! July 19th.

My backyard neighbours invited me over for a playdate with their Australian grandson, Aiden, who is just 2 weeks older than I am. July 20th.

Go Jays Go!

We should be updating the blog more often now. New skills daily....few days ago it was the consonant "d." Yesterday it was figuring out how to slowly turn head to sip bath water. He is also getting very good at getting his parents to pick him up. Neatest of all to watch lately though is the beginnings of language acquisition. He understands "diaper," "bath," "milk," and "up."