Benjamin 5 months

The past month has brought us lots of joy.  Benjamin is really starting to show his personality, and he is a happy little guy.  Just saying his name brings a giant smile to his face, and he charms friends and family as well, with his big toothless open mouth smile. Benjamin still likes his sleep and takes 3-4 naps a day. He also began sleeping in his own room at the beginning of the month and has now slept "through the night" a few times (from 8pm-5:45am)

The biggest highlight of this month is that Benjamin got his hip brace off!! June 20th it was official...his hips look really good and it doesn't seem like he will have to have the brace on again! We go in for a check in August where they will take an x-ray of his hips and then they will keep an eye on it as he begins to walk...but so far it looks really good!  It took Benjamin a few days to get used to stretching his legs out.  We would lay on his back with his legs in the air. But now a few days later he is already moving around on his mat and is well on his way to rolling from his back to his stomach.  We look forward to seeing the development the next month.

Benjamin kind of has a schedule most days: here is what the last week has looked like:
Wake up at 7:30am for breakfast
Around 9 am take a little nap of about 45 minutes
Around 11am or so have lunch and down for a nap usually lasting 3-4 hours
3pm wake up and have a snack--sometimes porridge and nursing
At some point take another 45 minute nap before or during dinner
Dinner for Benjamin between 5:30-6:30pm
Fill up before bedtime and sleep between 7:30 and 8:30pm
Wake up for 1 feeding during the night (anywhere between 3 and 5:45 am)...sometimes waking up and just needing the pacifier to fall asleep again.

Other facts:
1) Is very controlled with his hands, he reaches out for toys, or food, or noses and grabs right on the first try.
2) Wears size 74 clothes  (6-9 months)...can still fit some 68, but they are getting tight.

3) Moved up a size in diapers...now wears size 4 (european sizing)

4) Began eating "solid" foods.  Has tried rice porridge, corn porridge, mashed apples and prunes.

5) Nibbles on vegtable sticks. Carrots, peppers, cucumbers...also tried grapes and watermelon

6) Can lay on his stomach for 10-15 minutes at a time

7) Still loves to put things in his mouth...now he can put 4 fingers in there at one time!

8) Laughs a lot when you repeat a funny word to him

9) Is very aware of Silas...he loves to just watch Silas play and seems so happy when they are in the same room together

10) Is following in the Madsen family footsteps...lots of farts!

11) Weighs 9.3 kg (20.5 lbs )  and is 68cm long (26.7 inches)  - head size 44 cm

New tastes

Benjamin has eaten porridge for the first time.  Until now he has been nursing every 3-4 hours during the day, from only one side, and he has put on weight VERY well.  So, he has been getting what he needs.  But soon he will need more nutrients than what I can give, so we are starting with some taste tests.  He has seemed interested in food the past few weeks while we are eating, so we have given him carrots, peppers or cucumbers to nibble on. Then yesterday he had some rice porridge and seemed to like it. He made noises like he wanted more, and ended up actually swallowing quite a bit.  I think its a big step and although I was excited about seeing his reaction, I also think its a little crazy that my baby is so big already. Such is life!

WOW!

This year our annual outing with Søren's family went to WOW park.  It is an outside nature/adventure park only 15 minutes from our house. We'd heard a lot about the park and it did not dissapoint.  The entire park is in the woods and has everything from tree houses high in the sky with slides to get down, a big net which was like a huge trampoline, multiple hammocks, a huge water bed, slides with a climbing rockwall, zipline...and more. We attempted to let Silas go without his nap, but around 1:15 he was so tired that we ended up giving him his pacifier and him and I laid down on a hammock. About 15 minutes later, Silas was snoring loudly on my chest and he slept while I rested my eyes for the next half an hour.  When he woke up, he was a bit out of it, and it took a good half an hour to return to "normal", but then he was ready to have som more fun. We didn't leave until 4:45 just before closing and went back to our house for dinner....grilling!

 

Popcorn over the bonfire

Naptime on the hammock!

Summer is here!

If we were living in the States, we, as teachers, would have been on summer vacation for a few weeks already. Although that isn't the case here in Denmark, it hasn't kept us from enjoying what the summer like weather has to offer.  Here is a glimpse of our fun in the sun the past few weeks.

The trampoline provides good shade!

(Is there) A room for Benjamin!(?)

Sorry buddy, you are the second child my dear Benjamin.  I'm sorry I haven't painted any cars or other interesting figures on your walls, I haven't bought any new sheets, or book cases or well much of anything for your own room.  For now, this will have to do...Thanks for being so cooperative about it!

Benjamin is now officially sleeping in his own room at night, and it has been a huge success. For the past week, we have all been getting more sleep and that means a lot.  A few weeks ago, Benjamin was waking up every other hour at night.  They only way to get him to go back to sleep was to nurse him...and well it worked, it wasn't optimal.  I figured the nights couldn't get much worse so we might as well try putting him into his own room.  Already the first night he slept until 3:30 am before needing to eat and has done so most of the nights since.  I have started feeding him in the guest bed that is still in his room. Sometimes he falls asleep and other times I put him over into his bed while he is wide awake and he usually talks himself to sleep within the next 45 minutes or so. When he is in his own room talking, the rest of us are able to sleep and I can easily hear him if he needs me for something, as opposed to chatting loudly in my ear in his basket next to our bed!  It's a great thing for everyone. 

As you can see his room is not quite his own, yet.  It is still our office space and the occasional guest room. So basically we just put his bed into the office.  But hey, it works for now, so we will take it as it comes.  But yeah, that would never have flown with Silas...and that's the beauty of parenthood, you realize some things just aren't as inportant as you once believed. But you love them just the same.  :-)

Training time

Silas has always really liked riding his balance bike...(a bike with no pedals)...but for his birthday, and well mostly cause we thought it was time, he got a big boy 12" bike with training wheels.  Now we can't get him off the bike.  He picked it up rather quickly and zooms around like a mad man!!

I'm looking forward to family bike rides in our future...and maybe Silas wanting to bike to pre-school!

Benjamin 4 months

Benjamin 4 months

4 months old, where does the time go.  I could write that every month probably for the rest  of my life.  That's how life seems after having kids...it flies and we wonder where it went.

This past month has been amazing getting to know Benjamin more and more. He is so full of joy and he can show it now.  He smiles pretty much all day long, and it doesn't take much to make him giggle like crazy. He loves to get kisses on his neck and he will laugh so hard you find yourself laughing just as hard during and afterwards.

This month has also been a month of Benjamin in his hip brace.  He doesn't seem too bothered by it, however, he does try to get up on his knees which is very difficult with the brace.  He also tries to stand if you are holding him, but again the brace restricts this.  We are hopeful that the brace is helping and that he can get it off soon.

As for a routine, well it's pretty hard to say. But he does like to take one 4 hour nap each day.  Sometimes it's from 10-2 other times from 12-4....and everything in between.  Otherwise he just takes 45 minute power naps about every 1½-2 hours.  He is usually sleeping for the night by 8pm and wakes up one to five times to eat! Last week was a rough week with Benjamin waking up every hour after midnight to eat, talk or just be awake.  We are praying for more nights like last night where he slept fra 8pm-3:30am without waking up!

Otherwise some more info that is noteworthy

1) He sucks on his hands constantly...all day really. He sucks really hard and his hands turn red and drool runs all over!

2) Now enjoys laying on his stomach and can move his head all the way to both sides.  Can lay like this for up to 10 minutes now.

3) Likes peek-a-boo with a cloth or diaper

4) A lot more cooing and blubber noises

5) A new sound: like a squawking bird...we can't tell if it's a happy or a mad noise yet.

6) Has a new favorite song: "Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. golden sun...please shine down on me."

7) Likes to lay on his playmat and talk to his toys...especially the blue and purple elephants. He can also grab the toys now and put them in his mouth.

8) Enjoys looking in the mirror, both at himself and his crazy Mommy who tries to make him smile.

9) He started getting distracted while eating.  He will look up if there are loud noises and just smile at me.  He also does a crawl stroke move with his free hand and scratches me on my chest.

10) Wants to grab things constantly...especially hair and necklaces.

11) Weighs 8.5 kg with his brace one - length was impossible to measure due to the brace

 (later found out the brace weighed 175g...so he was about 8.3kg)

In general Benjamin is very alert and you can see his curiousity looking around at things. Almost everybody we meet stops and talks to him and says he is SO adorable...we can only agree!

Silas 3 years old

Here is a little taste of what Silas is like at age 3.

- Weight 16.4 kg    Height 100.5 cm  (36 lbs  -  3ft 3 inches)

-Started preschool in March.  In the red group with 14 others.  Anna, Mona + Filip are the adults and his best friends are Emilia and Marie.

-Can put on his pants, shoes, socks, underwear, and snowsuit by himself.

-Loves to go swimming.  We often go friday afternoon. He just needs some swim wings and he loves to splash, kick, jump from the side, and pour water in and out of buckets.

-Pedal his tractor. Has a lot of speed now!

-Takes his afternoon naps inside in his own bed during the weekend, and on a mattress with 14 other children at preschool

-Wears size 98/104 clothes.

-Is becoming an Ipad pro.  Some favorites right now are: Duplo (Ice cream shop and train), Machine app, Disney Junior, Puzzles

-Likes to wear hats...His fireman helmet, John Deere hat and McQueen bucket hat are a hit.

-Favorite movies: Cars and Toy Story

-Does not want to sit on the toilet....or get his diaper changed

-Has a favorite sut (pacifier): Dark blue

-Can count to 20 in Danish and well almost 20 in English, just after 13 comes...6-thirteen, 5-thirteen..etc.

-Tells us things he wants to pray for during his goodnight routine. Usually doggie, suts, and whoever we saw or talked to that day.

-Loves to sing songs and say rhymes. We are often entertained at the dinner table.

-Doesn't wear a bib anymore

-Favorite foods: Fajitas, Burgers, Noodles with meat, Eggs, Oste-haps (cheese sticks), icecream, candy, all fresh vegetables except lettuce, chicken, steak, salmon

Silas talks a lot and says the funniest things.  Here are som favorite "quotes"
Mommy: Silas do you love your little brother?
Silas: No!
M: Why not?
S: Fordi, I love Mona, I love Mona!  (Mona is an adult at his preschool)

Mommy: Who's your family? Is Mommy your family?
Silas: No! Tractor is my family!

"Oh cool"...."Oh man"...."Oh dude"....

"Okay"..In an 'I guess' types of when, usually said when we ask him to do something he doesn't really want to do.

Søren and I were teasing Silas by trading of tickling him. All of a sudden he says "Stop it you two!"

I vil gerne have....milk, etc.  (a good Danglish sentence

When we are walking home from preschool "Missed you today Mommy"..."What did you do today Mommy?"

"I'm giving a concert"...afterwards, stands up and bows "Thank you, thank you very much!"