Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful day and before we ate Ben took a nice walk up and down our block (with his walker). He loves the walker, though he sometimes gets going so fast that he falls onto his knees. But he rarely complains, and just picks himself up and keeps on going! Here's some video (if you listen closely, you can hear him hiccuping):

Ben has started walk a bit... more like taking bunches of steps and then falling. I guess that's why it's called toddling! Here he is tonight after his bath. I don't think it will be long before he's running around the house.

In this first video Ben is dialing long distance on the phone before walking over!

In this one, I caught him taking a few steps before falling... then he crawled over and climbed up on my legs...

Rocking Horse Fun!

Yesterday was a big day around here. It was my 34th birthday and Ben gave me one of the best presents I could ever wish for... he WALKED to me! He was playing in the new tent I bought him (see picture below) and crawled over to try to grab my camera while I was taking pictures. He stood in front of me just out of reach, and took a step toward me. So I backed up. He took another step. I kept backing up and he kept walking!! Of course, he was completely frustrated that he couldn't grab the camera, which was what he was after... but it was still great!


We also received an early gift for Ben from my parents (Coco and Papi). They sent him a Radio Flyer rocking horse. It's really cute, and Ben seems to love it. Here are some photos and a video of him on it about 5 minutes after he first saw it. He's been on it a few times today, though he doesn't seem to have the strength to really get it rocking yet. But I'm sure it will come. Enjoy!

Chillin' at the Park

The weather today is absolutely gorgeous--mid 70s and sunny. What we used to call (in non-politically correct terms) Indian Summer. Ben and I just returned from a short but fun visit to the park. He's working on a new tooth or two, and the last few nights have been rough. And the last few mornings have been EARLY for all of us! Consequently, naps and lunches have been a bit earlier than usual. So we arrived at the park just after noon to find it almost totally deserted, which was almost eerie. But we had the run of the place, so I took advantage of it and took about 200 photos of Ben crawling around all over the playground!! Here's a sampling. (I keep a pacifier in his mouth at the park to minimize the amount of sand and bark he eats!)

Fall, Fire, and FUN!

Life is good. There's not too much to report from here. Just work, school, and play for the most part. Here are some recent pictures and a video. The photos show Ben playing in the leaves that Daddy raked in the backyard and our first fire in the great fireplace we have. You'll notice that we FINALLY installed the baby gate around the fireplace, which makes Mommy feel much better. Ben had recently started to spend a lot of time climbing around on the bricks, and I've been waiting for him to bonk his face or head and get a good scrape. The video below shows Ben eating one of his new favorite foods--raw carrot! I think it helps with teething. He's got a couple of teeth trying to break through and he's often pretty cranky. Ok, that's it... stay tuned for more!

Walking! (With a Walker)

Ben has a new toy... a walker that he absolutely loves. Jonathan and I have been thoroughly enjoying watching him march up and down the hall and through the family room pushing it! It's pretty hilarious. Here are a couple of videos that we took during the first day or so that he had it. About a week later, he's even better at it--I don't think it will be long before he's truly walking!

Speaking of which, I'm posting another cute video I took this week while Ben was playing. He didn't know I was watching him, so it's fun to see what he does while playing on his own. What's also pretty cool is seeing him stand up from sitting completely on his own--without holding onto anything!! (And yes, that's my checkbook he's tearing up... I figure it's a good way to keep from spending money. No checks, no way to spend!)

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween. A dozen or so trick or treaters showed up, which was a decent turnout since it was pretty rainy last night. Ben was asleep long before the first kids showed up--maybe next year he'll be awake to see what Halloween can really be like!

A few days ago we did a test run with his costume--a monkey suit that had been Cousin Tommy's last year. Ben HATED it, and after about a minute or so, we had to take it off! But I did manage to get a short video of him screaming in it. Enjoy: