Benjamin James - 2 months old
I cannot believe my little baby is already 2 months old! Time is flying by, especially now that I am back to teaching. I must admit, the transition to going back to work was not easy. I have loved every minute of the 8 perfect weeks I had of simply enjoying being a new mother. But I am so grateful for a wonderful husband who is also an amazing daddy and gets to stay home with Benjamin while I am at work!
Our 2nd month of having Benjamin in our family was just as incredible and wonderful as our first. I have loved every minute. I do not think that most new mothers would say that their favorite part about having a newborn at home is getting to wake up with him multiple times a night, but I love those hours! Benjamin is just like all babies. He gets hungry every couple of hours. He cries. He has stomach aches. He likes to be held and loved and rocked. He doesn't like to go back to sleep very quickly. But these early morning hours are some of my very favorite moments of the whole day, and I know that I have my dear husband Ammon to thank. Even though Ammon had school and projects and tests almost every day this last month, he definitely made being a daddy and a husband his first priority. Instead of sleeping through the early morning hours when Benjamin was awake and hungry or grumpy, Ammon was right by my side! He would be the first to jump out of bed whenever he heard the baby cry and bring him straight to me so I could feed him. Then, after Benjamin was full, Ammon would change his diaper. I loved listening to him from the other room as he animatedly hosted his made-up TV show "Diapy Time with Daddy! With our Special Guest....Benjamin James!" Haha, no one in this world can make me smile like my Ammon. :) Then Ammon would bring him back to me in bed and we would talk and laugh and play with Benjamin until he got sleepy again. These nighttime hours spent with my little family while the rest of the world slept became so precious and sweet. I am so grateful for a husband that is thoughtful, kind and full of happiness, no matter what he is doing!
Speaking of Ammon, this month he has been working on building an automated robot that plays soccer. On the day of his final competition, Ammon's mom came to watch and brought Benjamin along, appropriately decked out in his robot shirt. It was fun to have Ammon's "little robot" cheer on his daddy and watch him win first place!
Another fun story from this month happened at a family picnic at the park. We dressed up Benjamin in a cute outfit that I had found earlier that week, a green shirt with a turtle and blue striped pants. When we showed up at the park, I was so surprised to see Celecta carrying Baby Daniel who was wearing the exact same outfit! These two little guys are only 15 days apart and I can already tell that they are going to be the best of friends. It seems like every time we get together they are matching, even though Celecta and I never plan it at all!
Benjamin is definitely learning every day! He is getting better at making eye contact and recognizes faces, although the big circular clock face on Grandpa's wall sometimes still tricks him. I love the feeling when I walk into the room and Benjamin looks right at me, and I can tell that he knows me and recognizes me.
His little neck seems surprisingly strong for a baby his age, and he loves to be propped up vertically so he can look around the room. He can lift his head up for almost a full minute and loves to look the room over from side to side. His control and endurance is not the best though, and when he is looking around the room he will often, without warning, slam his head back down on your chest. Ouch! Benjamin loves sitting on the couch all by himself, wedged into the corner so he can't fall over. I think he likes to feel independent and to have a view of the entire room.
Benjamin definitely has brought a feeling of love into our family! We are so grateful that he is ours forever!
