Bennett at Five Months

Benny, Benny Boy, what an angel you are. People ask me all the time if you are "always this happy". It hasn't been until recently that I am confident and comfortable in answering that yes, you are. This is not because you aren't. It has simply been because I have been so fearful of jinxing whatever angelic spell was cast on you when you were born. I kept thinking that all this happiness is just a phase, and I didn't want that phase to ever end. Well, it's been five months, so I'm finally pretty certain that I can say that you are "always this happy"(knock on wood).

In this last month, you have tackled and successfully made it through your first Christmas and New Year's. You were the Beau of the Ball at Christmas. Your unabashed cheerfulness makes you a delight to hold, and as such, there is never a lack of arms willing to take you. This suits Daddy and me just fine. We did Christmas Eve with the Bairs, and you were perfect - and gigantic compared to little 13 day old Caulder! You took everything in stride and loved watching your silly big brother and cousin run amuck in the house with all their new noise making toys. We went to church out there that night, and I did have to take you and Reeves out during the service. Although it was a children's service, you two were really the only little ones in there, and, despite how good you are, when everyone else is silent, you two are thunderous.

Christmas day was with the Phillipps/Anderson clan. How to describe your behavior this day? Basically, ditto. Except that you also went down without a peep for your nap and slept all through dinner - pretty much the best present you could have given Daddy and me. Oh yeah, and you and Reeves looked precious in your matching Christmas outfits. The same outfits, by the way, that Davis and Guerin sported last year. You are now the fourth child to use that one. Jodie, you got your money's worth on that! Thanks for letting us borrow them again!

Speaking of Superman and his brother, we spent NYE with them. You stayed up way past your bedtime, not that it altered your mood in the least. And you didn't even wake up when Daddy and I came and got in bed. Please keep being a heavy sleeper - at least until you're out of our house.

On the milestone front, you're kind of like 3M right now. You haven't done too much new stuff, you've just done the stuff you do do better. I might have been a bit overzealous in an earlier post when I mentioned that you had found your feet. You did, but you quickly lost interest in them. This month, they have become your favorite toys, and you like to play with both of them at once. And while it's true that you have laughed out loud before, now you cackle and giggle all the time. And you're getting louder. You are constantly reaching for everything now. Reeves has discovered this and will often dangle a toy just out of your reach. Fun for him, and fun for you for about a minute, then you want it. He sometimes gives in. You have started this new blowing bubbles and motorboating thing with your mouth. I love it because I know it means you are truly happy. There is always a grin behind that outboard. You also stick your tongue out a lot. It's the cutest little triangle of muscle I've ever seen. We are working on rolling over. Today you went from front to back, but to be honest, I think I might have happened to have positioned your arms in just the right way to make it easy for you. Milestone? Maybe.

Despite my desire to have you solely nurse for, oh, a year, it looks like we will be giving you your first bit of rice cereal this week. You're still sleeping through the night, but you reach for anything we are eating. I think you might even be licking your lips a little. Maybe we should just skip the cereal and go straight for steak. Well, maybe, if you had any teeth. I have a feeling you'll take to solids much faster and better than your brother did.

You did have your first trip to The Back to sit by a fire this month. You were mesmerized. Just like your father, you would have been content to sit and stare at those flames for hours. I see many more wonderful nights spent back there.

Bennett, you make us so happy. You brighten any day, no matter how bad it's been. Thank you for being such an angel. We love you more than you'l ever know.