Laugh Out Loud

Bennett finally gave us his first bonafide, all out laugh last night. He and Reeves and I were in his room. Bennett was au natural on the changing table; Reeves was playing on the floor. I kept tickling Bennett, running my hand across his belly, along his sides, and under his arms. There was a lot of smiling, but not so much noise. Finally, I went all the way up his tummy to his neck, and he let loose. (Tickle spots must be hereditary because this is right where Bryant gets ticklish. Who knew?) It was the sweetest sound in the world. He laughed for what seemed like an eternity, although, it was probably only about 2 minutes. Bryant wasn't there to hear it, and I kept hoping Bennett would keep it up, but I must have worn him out. By the time Daddy got home, a mere 10 minutes later, the laughs were gone. He was still smiling, but he'd gone silent again. Hopefully, Bryant will get to hear them tonight.
I just love these milestones!

God's Canvas

Bryant took these last Saturday night. They are looking out over a creek and then to the Stono. It makes you realize just what an amazing artist God is. To think He does something like this almost every night. How lucky we are that He chose us to be His audience.

Movin' On Up

Well, we have finally, permanently done it. Reeves is in his big boy bed. It was time. Poor Bennett could hardly move in the bassinett. It looks like we got him out just in time. He doesn't roll over yet, but he spins himself completely around. This morning, he had twisted so that he could look at the things hanging on the crib side. He was just laughing and smiling. It was precious. A happy result of Bennett's move into the crib is that his sleep schedule has improved dramatically. He now goes down around 7 or 8 and sleeps till at least 5. It seems all he needed to srop that 1 am feeding was a little more room to move. What a happy morning that was.

However, as it is with so many things in life, for every yin, there is a yang. Reeves, who is really such a fantastic sleeper, is now adjusting poorly to his new bed. Where before, bedtime was wonderful. We read, said prayers, put him in the crib, and knew that we had at least 10 hours of toddler free time. Now, bedtime is a chore and for the last three mornings, we have had said toddler toddle into our room at 4:30. Not so much fun. We are trying to be consistent and put him right back into his bed, but it is still exhausting. And of course, all the while, I am imploring him to be quiet so as not to wake Bennett. We're getting there. Sometimes he just gives up on the bed. Honestly, most times I don't even care if he's in his bed sleeping, as long as he's in his room and being quiet. Looks like, despite his every attempt to fight it, sometimes sleep wins. At least he has that curled up rug and not the hard floor!

What a Zoo!

So Caroline and I loaded up the boys on Thursday and headed up the road to visit Gwen and go to the zoo. This was Reeves and Bennett's first visit there. I must admit, it was just a little bit overwhelming. Even though there were three of us adults there, we were outnumbered 2 to 1. Of course, when you factor in the 400 field trips that were there that day, the ratio goes completely out of whack. Maybe it makes me a bad person, but there was just a bit too much humanity there on Thursday. Is it wrong that I began to loathe the school children who were running around yelling and screaming and generally enjoying themselves? Probably.
It was a nice visit, and I definitely want to go back, but honestly, I enjoyed the company much more than the actual zoo. It was almost too much to keep up with the stroller (and infant strapped therein) and Reeves. Thank heavens for Caroline and Gwen because more than once they had to take off after my older child as I got trapped behind a group of Tweens. I hope Reeves appreciates as much as I do the fact that he is still alive because of these friends.
One thing about the zoo or the aquarium or any place where the principle is to look AT things behind a fence or glass is that the pictures are pretty much all the same - the back or sides of the children.
I didn't notice it until I was just looking through all the pics I had taken. It is a rare and special photo when you can actually capture the wonderment in their eyes at a place like this. I think I need more practice.

Of course, Reeves had to stop and ride his current favorite animal, the dinosaur.
I just don't have the heart to tell him that they're extinct. Hopefully, movies, books, and toys will continue to suffice for him. We headed to Gwen's for lunch after the zoo. This was perfect. The children got to eat their lunches without any more distraction than that which they created for each other. Poor Clare hardly got to eat anything as she so kindly offered tastes of her waffle to the two boys, and they promptly gobbled them up. Pinky was able to crawl around and play. Bennett got to be freed from the carseat and stretch his spine a bit. And Wesley got a much needed nap in his own crib. However, as nice as it was for the children, I really think Caroline and I got the sweetest part of the deal. Gwen had made awesome enchiladas for us. They were delicious, and it was so refreshing to be able to sit around her table and chat and only occasionally remember that we all had children loose in the house. We probably should have taken her up on her offer for a beer, but then we might never have left!
After relaxing through lunch, we made our pilgrimmage to the Columbia OUAC. That store is kind of an obsession for me. I love to find great kids clothes at great prices, and OUAC never fails to deliver. I'm thinking of doing a road trip and visiting all the OUACs throughout the southeast, much like Bryant's fraternity did with the Waffle Houses back in college. I know I would have a few takers to join me. This trip did not disappoint. My best find was a pair of Kelly's Kids madras shorts that are in the same pattern as a jon-jon that Reeves already has. Now, by the time Bennett is wearing that outfit, Reeves will be able to match. (It's really pitiful how excited I was about this. I'm kind of ashamed to admit it!)
A quick (cold) trip to Finlay Park was super fun. We sipped on Starbucks and watched the chilluns play. (As an aside, I was much less disturbed by the three or four homeless people there than I was by the throngs of people at the zoo. Maybe it's time for therapy.) This was just the final push the children needed to push them right over the edge. Well, at least it was for mine. My two cried and screamed almost the whole way home. Somehow, Caroline's managed to sleep through all that. I think Caroline and Stephen must start band practice as soon as they go to bed because I was super impressed with their ability to snooze through the noise.

Thanks, Caroline and Gwen, for a great day. I'm looking forward to doing it again soon!

Bennett at Three Months

Well, Bennett Boy, we can check one more month off. I can't believe how fast it's going. I can't help but compare your infancy with your brother's, and I must admit, I am enjoying yours much more than I did his. Other than that one bout of fever early on and the occasional runny nose, you have been illness free. This is a huge change for your father and me. With Reeves, we were at the doctor's office at least once a week for his first two months. You have been three times. I love it. I don't know whether it's you or me, but I'll give you all the credit. You eat when you're supposed to; you sleep when you're supposed to; and you entertain us while you're awake. There have been maybe three times that you have cried uncontrollably, but they were so obviously a result of an upset tummy that we only felt sorry for you and not frustrated. Unfortunately for Gammy, one of those nights was this past Friday when she had you and Reeves by herself. (We'll just have to give her another opportunity soon to see just what a happy baby you usually are in the evenings!) At this moment, you are sleeping in the crib after fussing/crying yourself to sleep for a few minutes after I put you down. It is at these times that I look back and see what a disservice I did to Reeves and myself at this age for him. I rarely, if ever, let him cry himself to sleep. Luckily for us, this doesn't seem to have scarred him for life because he goes down great now, but I really missd out on some quality "me" time with him. With you, I get my time, and Reeves is still able to get good one on one time with me while you nap. It works out great for all of us.

As I mentioned in some earlier posts, you have found your fists and feet. It's nice that you can keep yourself occupied without a lot of outside stimulation. You smile now for almost anyone who looks your way. I know you will be quite the flirt as you get older. You have really taken to scratching yourself on the face recently. Since you didn't do this as a newborn, I wasn't expecting it now, but I guess it makes sense. You are older and stronger, and your nails are growing super fast, so why wouldn't I think you would occasionally get your face. I think I'll pull out the mittens again. You scared me the other day when I looked down to see your eye bleeding. Thinking your eyeball must have been injured because why else would you be bleeding from there, I checked you out only to find that you had scratched right below your lower lid. Thanks for freaking me out over that!

We took you on your first trip this month. We went to see Bopper and Becky in the mountains. You were quite the trooper and didn't mind being passed around at all. You were a little more fussy at night than you normally are, but it was probably just the change in setting. You still slept great.

We made it through your first Halloween. Unfortunately, you didn't get to go on the hayride or even have an actual costume, but you did look just precious in your orange "Little Pumpkin" jammies. I promise, next year, you'll get to experience all the sugar rush that comes with Halloween as well as the subsequent sugar coma.

You continue to adore your big brother and smile every time you see him. Fortunately, the feeling is mutual. Reeves has become very protective of you recently and doesn't like it if we don't check with him first when we let random strangers hold you. Although, he is more than happy for me to leave you in the remotest corner of the playground all by yourself so that I can go push him on the swing.

You love for us to sing to you. You love for Reeves to make goofy faces at you. You love to watch the commotion going on all around you. This is a good thing too, because I don't know when or if it will ever stop. You've adapted amazingly well to this world into which we brought you. And you've made it so much better for all of us. We love you, Little One. We thank God everyday for you and your brother. Can't wait to see what the next three months will bring. (I just hope they don't go as quickly as these last three have!)

Congratulations, Pearl! We are so excited for you!

Daddy, The Dinnertime Superhero

So, Daddy has officially saved dinner for Reeves and as a collateral benefit, also saved my sanity. I was concerned for a while that I wasn't going to be able to actually feed him a real meal anymore because each dinnertime was such a struggle. He'll eat when he's hungry, right? He's not wasting away yet. Turns out it was just me. Reeves is uncontrollably happy when Bryant walks in the door, and after showing him all the things he has been playing with, he is almost giddy to impress him with how well he eats all his food. Thank heavens! And the good news is that Daddy's golden touch is infectious and has imbedded itself so deeply into Reeves that even on those nights when Daddy works late, his plate still gets (mostly) cleared and with little to no fussing. What a relief. I owe B big time for this one. Mission completion!

And For My Next Trick...

When the fists come, can the feet really be that far behind? Nope. Bennett officially found his feet last night. People had been asking me if he was playing with them yet, and when I answered "no", it was all I could do to keep a straight face and not look at them like they were crazy because, hello, the child is two months old. Let's not rush things, people. And besides, it's been a while since I paged through What To Expect the First Year, but isn't it like, oh, 6 months before they play with their feet? Umm, no, you Blissfully Ignorant and Distracted Mother. It's only been two years since you last had an infant, and you've already forgotten all these major milestones? You're already skimming over things your second child does that, with the first, you oooed and ahhed over for days on end? Affirmative, Ghost Rider. But, luckily for Bennett, I have the blog for his early months where I didn't for Reeves, so, in the long run, he'll be able to look back on hard evidence that I relished and revelled in each of his baby breakthroughs while Reeves will just have to take our word for them. So, yes, Bennett, as much as I would like for him to stay little, this baby bundle is defying me and going ahead and growing up right before our eyes. The nerve!

Power to the People

I'm a bit behind in posting about it, but Bennett has become truly fascinated with his fists. Everyday, he is amazed by these odd things attached to the ends of his arms. He flails them and laughs when they come in and out of his line of sight. While he's in this position is when we usually break out into a chorus of "Everybody say 'Hhhooo, hhhooo'! Everybody say 'Hey! Hey!'" or "Put your hands in the air and wave 'em like ya just don't care!" Reeves loves to jump in on this too. I can only imagine how funny the video of us would be.He balls them up and stares at them as he slowly moves them back and forth in front of him. I think this is a really good thing for a second child to learn to do early on because it takes some of the parenting pressure off of me. I don't feel it completely necessary to wave a rattle over him to make him practice his tracking abilities. He can apparently handle it himself so I get to check that off of my list of milestones for him. I'm looking forward to the day when he makes himself practice the piano or tutors himself without forcing me to make him do it. Poor Bennett. He has set his personal bar way too high. Now I will expect him to handle a lot of his training himself.And if nothing else, I can rest easy knowing that if the time ever comes for him to "put up his dukes", he'll know what to do.

Halloween 2007

Well, practice must make perfect because when we arrived at Julie and Troy's church festival, he not only let me put the chaps on him, but I had to do it all in the parking lot. Maybe he was affected by the wonder of the sounds looming just beyond the cars. Or maybe it was because he realized just how incomplete his costume looked without the chaps. But probably it was because I told him he wouldn't get any candy if he didn't put them on since everyone wanted to see his whole cowboy outfit. (Looking back on it now, that would have been fine with me because our house and my body could do without this 10 pounds of candy we now possess. Oh, wicked hindsight and weak willpower!)

Reeves loved the festival and immediately found Preston, his superhero cousin. They played games and got prizes and roasted marshmallows and actually ate a hotdog. (This impressed me with Reeves because he'd already had a lollipop, and eating, in general, hasn't been a pleasant experience around here lately.) But of course, what true cowboy could resist the lure of the open range? All he needed was a horse to take him there and he was free. Luckily for Reeves, the church came prepared.

After the festival, we loaded up for the Goshen Tick or Treat Hay Ride. Bennett's feeding needs kept me off the hay ride for the first 30 minutes or so. I'll have to remember to thank him later. Then Judy drove me to meet the gang. We had superheroes, faireys, Terminators, Scooby Doo, and a couple of country bumpkins. Reeves got so much candy that his pumpkin was overflowing. He fell asleep on the ride home and fought me, semi-comatose, when I tried to put his jammies on, so I let him sleep in the jeans and shirt. I think he's still sticky. We had so much fun, and I'm happy to report that we have faced the Sugar Rush Monster in the face, and we have won.Before we went to bed last night, I took the pumpkin with all the candy in it and hid it in the top of the closet. Bryant asked me why I was doing that. Silly Daddy! I'll be sure to pull it out before my next girls' dinner and let you figure it out!! Let's jut say that, other than the lollipop his hairdresser gave him this morning, we have consumed no other candies on this, in CFS's words, PTTD. Well, at least, Reeves hasn't.

Practice Run

Next year I'll learn to practice the costume before Halloween Eve. I don't know what ignorant part of me thought that just because I had made parts of and pieced together this costume for him that he would be as excited about it as I was. Must have been the part that has never met The Terrible Two Year Old. Luckily, we were attempting to make a run at Fish or Treat the day before Halloween. He woke up from his nap happy. He let me undress him with pleasure and smiles all around. Then I tried to dress him in his costume and all hell broke loose. What!?! It's a cowboy costume for Pete's sake. He's been dancing around for two weeks saying, "Yee Haw!" He's been picking up anything that resembles a gun and pointing it with sounds of "Ptshaw, ptshaw!" Why won't he put on the costume, which, by the way is made up mostly of normal clothes. Finally, I got the jeans and the shirt on. Next came the boots which he insisted on donning himself. Fine. As long as they get on. Then I tried to put on the chaps, the chaps which I so lovingly handmade in anticipation of the costume contest that never was. You would have thought I was asking him to wrap himself in toxic chemicals. NOT THE CHAPS!! I'M MELTING!! So I gave up on them. (If having a two year old teaches you nothing else, it at least ensures that you know when to pick your battles.) Finally came the guns. Oh, how exciting! What little boy wouldn't want to strap a couple of guns on his waist, you wonder? Mine. That's the one who wouldn't. This shocked me beyond belief because as a young tomboy myself, I loved wearing my six shooters. Somehow, I was able to put on a pretty impressive sad face, and he gave in. Whoo-hoo! So we loaded up to head to the aquarium. Someone pulled into the perfect spot right in front of me, and I was ticked. But then, I realized it must have been divine intervention because at that moment, I looked up and saw that the line reached all the way to the street and there were droves of costume clad children still coming. We just kept right on going. I'll try lots of things, but two children by myself in that melee? I don't think so. Luckily, since I'd promised him candy and we'd been practicing "Trick or Treat" the whole way down, we were able to charm some Dum Dums out of Pops as a consolation prize. Good thing Gams and Pops thought the costume was cute even without the chaps!

That Smile

That's the smile that makes me smile. That's the smile with the single dimple on the right side. That's the smile that I can get sometimes and Daddy can get sometimes, but Reeves can get all the time. Just this afternoon, he climbed into my lap and squished Bennett's feet. I was certain they were broken. But that's the smile that followed, so I knew all was well. That's the smile that Bennett gives whenever Reeves walks past or whenever Bennett hears his voice. I love that he already loves his big brother. That's the smile that he has perfected. That's the smile that I am always after. I finally got it on film.

I Will Love Him and Feed Him and Pet Him and Name Him George

So maybe it could be said that we're not animal people. Not that we don't like pets, we do and really, really want a dog. It's just that we're not really in a place right now to have them, and it is apparently affecting our son. After spending the weekend at the Aminal Kingdom, some of Toad's animal rescue instincts must have rubbed off on Reeves. He and I were outside "working" in the yard this afternoon, and the bulk of his duties consisted of picking up the huge seed pods that that plummett from the magnolia tree every day/night/minute/second. (Honestly, my hatred of them rivals my hatred of their cohabitating leaves because when these things get run over, they stain the concrete.) Most of them have already been scavenged by the squirrels, but every once in a while, one makes a break for it on its own. These suicide pods are usually young and soft, almost fuzzy, like, say, a kitten or puppy. After throwing several of the big prickly ones on the burn pile, Reeves came upon this precious little thing. He immediately started petting it. "Awwwww, how cute," I thought, expecting him to then toss it onto the pile. Nope. I turn around again to find my son sliding his seed pod down the slide, then having it climb itself up the steps to slide down again. The pictures and the story fall terribly short of truly depicting what happened. He would hold it up to his face and coo at it. He would show it to me and want me to pet it. So we brought it in and wrapped it up in its blanket. I guess we're getting to the "uses his imagination" stage.
Hmmm... Come to think of it, maybe it's not a pet he's after, but a little baby of his own. If that's the case, I am very encouraged to know that he gently played with it on the slide. Maybe there's hope for Bennett yet.

Bennett at Two Months

Well, Bennett Boy, we've reached two months. I am still amazed that you have been with us that long. It seems like just yesterday I was trying to convince Daddy not to call the doctor because these evenly spaced periods of immense discomfort I was having were nothing more than gas pains. Not so. It was you, preparing to make your two week early entrance into the world. You must know that as an early bird, you are the only one to carry that torch in this family. Oh, I try to convince myself that I am one, but the sad truth is that I want to be one and am working hard to be one, and compared to the others in our little nucleus, I am one, but it is you who must be the one to drive this family to be on time. I know that's a big responsibility for such a little guy, but I have no doubt you can do it, and, much to your father's frustration, I will be there to help you every step of the way.

At two months, you are amazing your father and me. We have no guage for infants other than your older brother, and compared to him at this age, you are a monster. You have gained weight like a champ from the beginning. Other than a slight bout of a latching on problem, you have been a terrific nurser. You eat every 3 or 4 hours, except in the later afternoons, when you would be perfectly content to hang on to me non stop, although I think I can honestly say, "It's not you. It's me." Despite the fact that you eat voraciously, I don't think that you get quite as much as you do earlier in the day. To be fair, and to reveal a secret, as long as Daddy gets home early, I am perfectly content to sit there and snuggle with you for as long as it takes. Unfortunately, this doesn't always happen, but I treasure those times when it does.

You have really started to turn on the charm in the past three weeks. You are very generous with your adorable smiles. It warms our hearts every time we see that dimple appear. Daddy and I both have to make fools of ourselves to get you to smile, but Reeves just has to look at you or pat you on the head or tummy to coax a smile and a coo from you. You are beginning to fall in love with your older brother, and I am so happy to see that. Reeves, likewise, loves you, although he doesn't always show it in the most gentle ways. But you're tough and seem to be able to handle his "loving you". He has started to help me burp you which is cute, and, as you are not an easy child to burp, I actually appreciate his help because, like your smiles, you will give it up for him much faster than you will for me or Daddy. He must have some special touch.

For the most part, you are a predictable baby. You only (mostly) cry when you are wet or hungry or tired. In a mixed blessing, you are often wet. I say this because, given my family's history with kidneys, I am so thankful to see yours working so well, but a lot of times, they work so well that your diaper can't contain their productivity. I can't count the number of times I have picked you up only to realize your entire backside is soaking wet. And of course, there are the times you prefer to empty yourself without the benefit of a diaper. It is quite an impressive fountain. Just this week you made it up and over your head onto the floor. Needless to say, we have been doing a lot of laundry around here.

We are still working on your sleeping through the night. Three nights ago, you gave me a blissful 6 and a half hours. I was so happy and nervous about it that I didn't even mention it to anyone for fear that it would not repeat itself. Well, I should have screamed it from the mountaintops because these last two nights have not been so quiet. But you're getting there, and I really feel that once we can get Reeves permanently into his Big Boy Bed and you into your crib, I will again know the feeling of being well rested.

We worked on getting you to hold you rattle this week. You did pretty well, and I think even realized that it was your arm movements that made it make noise. This lasted until you whapped yourself in the face with it. You weren't so interested in it after that. Thank heavens for your short term memory because we will be working on it again today.

You are pretty good at holding your head up and can go for almost a minute. We put you in the Bumbo seat. I think you liked it until the weight of your head exhausted you and you demanded to be out of it. I don't want to rush these precious early days, but it will be nice to be able to put you in that seat soon.

There's so much more to say, but my mind's awash with gushy feelings of love for you so I'm afraid if I go on, I'll just get too sappy, even for a mommy. In the weeks before your arrival, we were having so much fun with Reeves that I wondered how it could be possible to love someone else as much as we love him. I was dreading the first few sleep deprived months, but then you came, and my heart doubled in size. You are such a blessing to us. You have even made me love these first months, despite how hard they are. We love you so much and are so lucky to have you here with us.