Must be a growth spurt

Bennett has been sleeping like a newborn this week. She goes down at 8:30 and doesn't wake up until 8:00 in the morning. Well, she wakes up when she rolls over on her stomach, but when we roll her back over she's down for the count. Unfortunately this happens 4 times a night. But anyway, after her morning feeding she plays for about an hour and then is asleep again until 11:30 am. She takes a 20 minute nap in the early afternoon and then a 2 hour hap in the late afternoon, and then goes right back down at 8:30. My friends who "know" tell me this is probably a growth spurt. If so, I am expecting a head full of hair and a new clothing size by the end of the week because this is crazy.

When she is awake she is squealing at the top of her lungs. Apparently light fixtures are the greatest invention since the wheel. She can squeal (in delight according to those same friends who "know") for an hour without stopping. I guess she's making the most of what little wake time she has.

Here she is in full on squeal mode.

Saturday morning

We love having our cousins spend the weekend with us. I want my hair to look like Emmie's. Oh, wait. I don't have any.
I love you Sutton, but I am kind of not liking my incredibly cool Bumpo seat right now. Ummm....Mom..... my diaper is the other way. By the way, please note the two books in the background that I was reading this morning. Thanks Aunt Stacy and Uncle Frank.

Welcome to the World, Bradford Elizabeth Williams

My cousin Elliot and her husband Chris had an amazingly beautiful baby girl on Thursday. Her name is Bradford and she is just perfect. Rob and I are keeping our niece for the weekend so we all went up to the hospital in Birmingham to visit them yesterday. It is so easy to forget how tiny they are. Bennett is only 5 months old (today actually!) and I have already forgotten how tiny newborns are. Bradford is so adorable and we are so happy for Chris, Elliot, and big brother Wyatt.

We took this photo for my grandmother. We thought she might want to see two of her grandaughters and three of her great grandaughters all together. We sure do like girls around here!

While we were still in Birmingham we went to visit my other cousin Erin who was in town to meet her sister's baby. She and her husband Jay loved playing with Bennett. They are practicing for their new baby due in November. Bennett loves them and would have stayed with them all day.

Emmie loved playing with her Uncle Eddie. We were all so happy to be together and know that Bradford was here and safe and we can't wait until she and Bennett are old enough to play together, just like I played with her Mom when we were little.

New Friend

I had lunch today with my friend from elementary school, Anna. Her baby girl Addie is only three weeks younger than Bennett. I loved catching up with my old friend and introducing Bennett to her new one. I think Bennett was fascinated with her. As you can tell, she loved to reach over and play with the sweet sleeping Addie.

Go to sleep, baby Addie.

Random Thought

I don't know why I was thinking about this last night, but when do we stop getting excited as adults to try new things? I feel as if now that I have Bennett, every day is so exciting. She rolled over 4 times! She is grabbing her toes! She is making an "Oooh" sound. Brilliant child.

If I blogged that about Rob you would think I was insane. Guess what? Today Rob ate his cereal. By himself! Holding his own spoon! And he rolled over too. What a good boy.

I guess I am just wondering when we stop encouraging each other as adults for trying new things, and really why should we ever stop? Having Bennett has made me want to learn even more. I may not blog about myself sleeping through the night or being to hold my head up unassisted, but I would love to blog about taking a new class, learning a new language, trying something I have never done before.

Maybe soon I can post about not only Bennett's firsts, but her parents as well. I hope we never become too routine, but that we constantly challenge and push ourselves to learn new things along with our little one. Told you that was random.

Put another dime in the jukebox, baby

We got a lot of classical music CD's for Bennett before she was born. We heard that would make her even more brilliant than we knew she would be and I read somewhere that it would make her ace her SAT's by the 6th grade. So, I bought into it and started playing anything that would make her an early smarty pants- Bach, Beethoven, Mozart... all the good stuff. I have always assumed that she liked it. She never complained (not like she could) and it kind of calmed me down as well, so there you go.

So today I am holding her in my lap and I download a song from iTunes. It was just a pretty cool song I had heard lately with a strong beat and some cool guitar riffs. I didn't realize how loud the volume was on my computer so after it downloaded it just started playing. Bennett jumped a mile high so I reached over to the speaker to turn it down, but before I got a chance to lower the volume her legs started pumping. So I stopped. Then she broke into a wide grin. Then the legs started going faster. Then she smiled more. Then her whole body started shaking like she was in some smoky nightclub tearing up the dance floor. I think I played the song 5 times for her.

Tonight we are changing CD's. We honestly did get a baby Led Zepplin CD that I never really assumed she would like as much. However I don't think I have a smarty pants on my hand, but rather a future dancin' queen. So, tonight instead of Spring Allegro she's getting D'Yer Mak'er.

More Family Acquaintances

Bennett got to meet my cousin Erin this weekend, and see her Aunt Beverly again as well. Erin and I are only 5 months apart and we were practically raised as sisters. Don't get us started on white cars, Russians, personal memos, goobers, "All The Rivers Run," Edmund, Mayor, and so much more. She lives in SC now and so this was her first meeting with the little one. She is in town because her sister, my cousin Elliot, is having her baby next week (more pictures to come from that as soon as the wee one gets here.) Bennett loved meeting Erin and we can't wait to play with her little boy due this Fall. Now, we anxiously await our first introductions to Uncle Hazen, Madeleine, and Max in a few weeks and then Bennett will have met everyone in her family who loves her and who prayed so much for her to get here.

'Tis The Season?

So, I went to Hobby Lobby today which is a craft store here in Montgomery. I was looking for some cute ribbon for Bennett's room. I have some little things I want to hang on her walls and I was looking for some pink or green ribbon. Maybe with polka dots if I was feeling a little crazy. But, guess what? I couldn't find any. In a craft store. You know why? Because the entire store is decorated for CHRISTMAS!!!! The "ribbon aisle" that is normally filled with blue and yellow striped ribbons has been taken over by red and green plaid ribbons. Oh, and I needed some scrapbooking tape. To get to that aisle I had to walk past three aisles of wreaths, candles, sleds, fake snow, and holly. I know stores have been decorating earlier every year, but seriously- isn't July pushing it?

And so I didn't get ribbon. I guess I'll have to wait until January.

Across the Pond

I just wanted to post a short note saying good-bye to our friends, Jeremy and Melissa Scarpate. We will miss you guys while you are in England, but we can't wait to come visit you, and Julia Catherine of course. Melissa- I'll miss our Wednesday night sessions, but hopefully we can have Wednesday night phone sessions. We had fun at your going away dinner and we are looking forward to your coming home dinner in just a few short years.

Retraction

We saw it with our own eyes tonight. Apologies extended. No cold medicications were involved after all in this momentous event. Doesn't she look so proud of herself? Her parents certainly are.

Big milestone (supposedly)

My parents were watching Bennett Tuesday morning while I was at work and they swear up and down that she rolled over, twice!

Me: (almost crying) NO! Did she really?
Mom: Yes! And your Dad saw it too!
Me: But, just like on her side, right? Because I've seen her do that.
Mom: No, on her stomach- all the way over
Me: But, not really on her stomach, I mean, kind of like on her side with her head arched back
Mom: No, Lauren- all the way over! On her stomach. Period.
Me: Crap.

So, my fears have come to fruition. I have already missed one of her big firsts. Now, if she sits up or talks for the first time while I am away, I will lock myself in a room with her and won't leave until she walks. So anyway, I come home and put her on her mat and ready myself with the video camera. Nothing. I push her, tickle her, press her legs- nothing. Well, nothing but smiles and coos. Rob comes home. We wait. The video camera is charged and ready and still nothing. Yesterday, back on her mat- nothing. Today, nearly 48 hours after the big roll over, nada.

So, now I am breathing easier. I think Grandmom and Grandad had a little too much cold medication that morning if you know what I mean. I am just going to pretend that it never happened. I am not entering it in her baby book until I see it for myself and they aren't allowed to keep her anymore unless I have a webcam with me at all times.

Wii be havin' fun 'round here

So for my Dad's 62nd birthday he got a Nintendo Wii. That's really what he got. Not socks. Not ties. Not books. But a Nintendo Wii. How cool is that?
So, how did we spend our 4th of July weekend you may ask? Not grilling out, not watching the John Adams biography on A&E, not running around with sparklers terrifying the baby, but rather playing fight to the death games of bowling and tennis.
Good times, good times. So, what else happened? Well, my niece turned eight, we saw an American Girl movie, we went swimming, we hung out with our good friend Phil, his fiancee, Sarah, and their friends from Ohio, Meg swam in the pool
Bennett hung out with her cousins and her Nana
and we watched the requisite fireworks.
What a wonderful weekend!!

Bennett's first baby-sitter

We love Kelsey!!! We know that she is going to be an awesome baby-sitter for little B. I have known Kelsey for years and she has been a cast member on CR222 for a long time. I think she has been with me through 3 church productions, 25 episodes of CR222, a trip to Gatlinburg, 4 acting classes at the Armory and 2 acting camps, multiple trips to Camp Chandler, and lots and lots of car rides enduring loud boys in the backseat. So, from the second she heard I was pregnant, Kelsey volunteered to baby-sit and I gladly agreed. We have left Bennett a lot with my parents, but this was her first time with someone outside the family. The reason for us leaving her? We all went to see Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl. Yes, we ALL went. Including Rob. It was my niece's 8th birthday and that's what she wanted. I think Rob volunteered to stay with Bennett about 36 times, but we got him in the theatre. And he actually liked it, but would never tell you that. Anyway, Bennett loved Kelsey and she wants us to leave again so she can play with her favorite baby-sitter. Thanks, Kels. We love you.

Three Years Ago