Ben Updizzle

Alright folks, here it is, a sweet little update on baby B. He's taking a nap right now so I have all of about 5 minutes to squeeze in some info for you guys. So, appropriately, let's first talk about his sleep schedule.. there is no schedule, it's as simple as that. He sleeps when he wants for however long he wants- be it 5 minutes or 2 hours (this, of course, is during the day). At night it's a different story. He doesn't usually fall asleep until around 9-10ish, but once he's out, he's out.. although... wait for it.. we have been letting him sleep in the bed with us (I know, I know)- which I think is part of the reason he sleeps so well at night. But, excuse me, I don't know about the rest of you people, but I need my sleep- otherwise I am officially crazy Whitney- and don't nobody want to meet her- trust me. So, Evan and I have agreed to let him crash with us on nights when he seems like he's going to be a little high maintenance. Plus, he's so little and cuddly now, how can you resist snuggling up to him? And no, I can promise you now that Evan and I are not going to be the parents that let their kid sleep with them until they get their drivers license..

Other wonderful little updates:

Ben has his first tooth! Evan calls him a can opener because it looks so funny now. It's just this lone bottom tooth, and to be honest, it doesn't really look like any more teeth are coming anytime soon. Sorry, I can't get him to let me take a picture of it, or I would share. It's really cute though too, until he chomps down on your finger.. um, yeah, that hurts really bad.

He's not quite crawling yet, at least back and forth. He is crawling in circles though, which is funny to watch. He's now officially able to prop on his knees and hands and rock back and forth. He's seriously almost there.. next week by this time I know he'll be crawling and it will be ON. We still haven't even baby proofed yet.. AH. I think I'm in denial that he will one day really be able to move around without our help.

He's been eating solids since 4 months old, honestly, I think he was ready to eat solids at 4 weeks old, but of course that's a big no no according to the baby bible..err "What to Expect..." I mean. I waited as long as we could, but after many nights of him staring at our forks while we ate, I had to give in. He started with carrots and moved to sweet potatoes, then peas, then bananas, etc. Now he'll pretty much eat anything and everything. I haven't given him any sugar or meat yet. But he is so down with his fruits and veggies. My goal is for him to grow up loving a variety of foods so he will know how to make healthy choices.. please don't laugh. I'll probably end up with the kid that only will eat steak and grated cheese or something weird like that.. but at least I'm trying to develop his cute little palate :)

Ben is also happy to stand up (with a little support from his parents, a chair, the couch, etc..) and will instantly be in a better mood if we let him stand up and show the world how strong he is! It's so cute. He's so proud of himself. My prediction is that he'll be an early walker, although I don't think I'm ready for all that :/ Only time will tell I guess!

Oh, and before I forget. Let me just mention to all of you new moms out there with an iPhone.. If you haven't downloaded the Baby Einstein app to your phone, please do! Ben literally falls into a trance if we're in the car and I play it for him. I don't let him watch it a lot, but if he's screaming and I'm in the passenger seat, and we can't do anything else to soothe him, then out comes the app- instant relief for everyone in the car. Awesome.

Did Someone Say Fabulous?

Ok. So I realize I'm probably going to get some bitchy looks from some people after writing this post.. but I've got to. So let me preface with an apology if I offend anyone. 

 We all know them- people who use the word "fabulous" WAY too much. Now of course I completely understand that there are definitely circumstances which warrant the use of the word, like, for example, when your husband surprises you with an anniversary trip to Spain... now that's fabulous. But, no, your trip to the grocery store was not fabulous. I'm sorry, it just wasn't. I don't care if they did have cinnamon roll samples in the bakery- it still wasn't fabulous. I honestly have no idea why this word drives me crazy so much. I mean, I get it, it's a cool word, it's an easy adjective to use.. but come on- you are not Samantha from Sex and the City, get over it (and if you do compare yourself to Samantha from SATC, well then that's a whole different post, because she was a mega-ho, and honey, there ain't nothing cute about that). So let's all just think about things next time someone asks you how your weekend was... because even though it was probably cool, relaxing, fun, awesome, etc.. it probably wasn't quite up to fabulous (Unless, of course, you went to Spain with your husband).

The Great Rebecca Diane Shaw

I've got to give a great big fat shout-out to my awesome little sis, Rebecca. She has been Ben's nanny since I started working again back in March. Let me tell you.. I seriously do NOT know what I would have done without her. She is great. Honestly, sometimes I think she's better with Ben than I am.. is that bad? I mean, I'm kind of joking with that, but her patience astounds me. She reads with him, and acts out each character. She takes him on 43829432 walks/day because that's the only way he will fall asleep. She patiently rocks him when he's crying. AND she doesn't freak out completely (like I think many people would) when he's squirming all over the place while she's trying to change a dirty diaper. Ben loves her so much too. It's awesome when she walks in the door and he is all smiles. I love the fact that I have someone I COMPLETELY trust to hang with him all day.. much less stress for me. It's also great because I get to spend quality time with my sister- how can you beat that? Rebecca says she doesn't ever want kids, but I think that would be a total tragedy- I can't think of a better mom! So here's to you sis! Thanks for making my life MUCH easier over the last few months. Love you!

Waterhouse Studios

I just wanted to give a heads up to anyone in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area looking for a good photographer. A friend of mine, Lauren Waterhouse, along with her husband, just launched a photography business, Waterhouse Studios . Lauren is amazing. We have done several sessions with her, and are so happy with the results each time. She's pretty darn awesome!


Here are some examples of her work: