on a roll

yes, he did!

i like the look on his face afterward the best.

hmmm...

today for the first time, ben fussed not because he needed something, but because he wanted me to come get him. he was playing in his bed while i loaded the dishwasher, perfectly safe and comfortable, and i heard this little whiny sound. i knew immediately what was happening. we had crossed the threshold.

caron said her mother gave her the following advice: let the baby fuss for ten minutes. leave the room. if the fussing bugs you, put on your head phones. ten minutes. then go in. do this every day, maybe a couple of times a day, until the baby learns to be okay in their bed without you for a little while. then she said, you know, mothers in the bible had to get a lot of stuff done. they didn't spend all their time holding their babies. and people like moses and abraham grew up just fine, you know? so don't feel guilty. i suppose this is common sense advice, but it was good to be reminded. if moses' and abraham's mothers and even the virgin mary let their babies fuss a little, i guess that's good enough for me.

benny and the toys

ben digs the jungle gym!

we came home to iowa city today and got settled back into the apartment.

he was an absolute gem (a drooly gem), all chuckles and friendly grins while we unpacked our stuff. now we're watching caucus coverage, and he's sleeping, snug as a bug, in his own room. we decided to move his bed out of our room when we got back from christmas break, and it's a little hard for me, but no big deal to him. :)

finding himself

ben, being a prodigy and genius, is working on finding his fingers. this morning he's chilling in his swing, carefully examining the digits and giving them the occasional taste. you can't see it so well in the picture, but his eyes are a little bit crossed from the effort. (aren't all of us a little cross-eyed lately. andrew says, that's how we know he's our child.)

tonight's photo shoot

The Incredible Ben

Ok that title is a little facetious. I have to admit that I am amazed at how amazed I can be over Ben doing very little. This video is a prime example. Only someone who is crazy about this little guy can get excited about him- 1)kicking (a little); 2) looking around (a little); and 3) waving his arms (a little). If you are reading this and have watched the video, I know you completely understand. Enjoy.

Hac minima lux mei and Ben

As I try to write my seminar paper, I often pull this up and it makes me smile. Hopefully it will do the same for you.