Benjamin's first "operation"

It was an official operation.  When they called our name they said, "Benjamin to the operating room."  He was put under complete anesthesia and they used operating instruments.  Benjamin now has tubes in both ears.   

It all started at the beginning of September where we had noticed a change in Benjamin's sleeping habits the previous month.  At first we blamed it all on jet-lag, but after an entire month, we were thinking it had to be something else.  The doctor found fluid in both ears and said to come back a month later....a month later there was still fluid, and we were referred to a ear doctor. The ear doctor told us after 2 minutes, that there was a lot of fluid and that Benjamin would need tubes in both ears.  She told us a little about the procedure and then we made an appointment for the operation the following Monday. (Luckily we could get in before our trip to the US).

Monday came quickly and it was time for the operation.  It was definitely the hardest on Mom.  Benjamin took it all so well, he only whined a little bit while they had the anesthesia mask on and a bit when he woke up.  The whole thing only took about 5 minutes and the doctor said it was definitely needed.  

We drove home and Benjamin took a good nap when we got home.  When he woke up, he seemed back to normal, except that he wasn't screaming when we changed his diaper, or while we ate, or at any point in the middle of the night.  (All of this had been improving slightly before the operation, but I don't think it is only a coincidence!

We are just glad if this will help our baby to not be in pain.

Bathroom Renovation

We are now officially done with the bathroom remodel.  Wow, it took over a month of workers coming at 7am pretty much every day!  We are so thrilled with the result and also thrilled to not have strangers as part of our morning ritual anymore! And well, also thrilled to not have to pee in the driveway anymore.  (In a portable bathroom trailer)

Here are some before, after and progress pictures!

Before

After

 
A WORK IN PROGRESS...........

Benjamin 10 months

Benjamin is now double digits! 10 months old.  The biggest and newest excitement is that he can crawl!! It started off quite slowly, pulling up his knees and taking one "step" forward. Now 2 weeks later he is cruising around and picking up speed daily.  We can tell that he likes his new ability and seems even more joyful. Now he can keep up with the bigger kids at daycare, and expolore new things whenever her wants.  It's been so much fun watching his curiosity and playful eyes. He also really enjoys rough housing with Silas.  The times we think Silas is being to wild with his little brother, then Benjamin just starts laughing and loves when Silas pretends to fall on top of him.

There are, however, moments when Benjamin is not the happiest little guy. 1) When driving in the car. 2) When lay on his back on the changing table. 3) At dinner time when he doesn't think he should eat anymore or at all. 4) In the middle of the night when we desperately try to give him his pacifier so he'll fall back asleep, where as  he just wants to talk and be awake.  

So yes, there are some challenges.  Most of them we deal with well, but we are both very tired and look forward to a few more full nights of sleep,....in a row.  On the other hand there have been days where he has slept until 5:30 without waking up once...so those glimpses give us hope.

Benjamin has also begun to pull himself up.  Mostly just so he is standing on his knees, but has also pulled himself up to his feet a few times.  He loves to climb on Mommy and Daddy if they are laying on the ground and climbs right over us.

There are lots of noises around the house with 2 little boys, but one noise in particular is very funny.  That is Benjamin's funny squawking noise. He really does sound like a bird.  Therse are happy noises and make us smile. 

Benjamin has pretty much mastered eating with a spoon and now eats oatmeal for breakfast. Yay. He also gets 210ml of a bottle every night before sleeping, which has improved his urine output.  I still nurse him in the morning and evening, but the milk is dwindling, so I'm not sure how much longer it will last.  But he seems to enjoy it still. 

He knows who he belongs to, and is now more aware of strangers holding him or even just talking to him.  However, most days he will let anyone hold him and play with him.  It's just that it's just a lot easier to see that he recognizes us and is happy to see us. 

 Favorite foods right now are tortillas, pizza, prunes and clementines.  Favorite activities include: hearing animal noises...he especially loves the cat and elephant, and playing with the DVD drawers under the TV!