Happy 10-Month Birthday, Benjamin!

For his 10-month birthday today Benjamin got a second tooth! Yep. One right next to the other lower front. Again, it was Daddy who found it while Mommy was at the orthodontist. *sigh* How could I not know. Again!

Yesterday Benjamin and Mommy went to vote early. All the polling volunteers commented on how wonderful it was that he came out to vote and that he was the youngest citizen to go through the line. And they gave him his very own "I voted early. Did you?" sticker and pasted it right on his little chest.




















The Bug and I spent time chatting and playing before Daddy got home from work today. He played with the camera, holding it from different angles and looking at all the buttons. This is the first time I've let him hold it. I figured he deserved to hold it for all the times it's flashed in his face since birth as he patiently looks in the other direction. I can't wait to get him his own camera!















As I write this Benjamin and his Daddy are asleep in the bed. Very sweet. Benjamin was doing a little bit of everything before he eventually fell asleep on his dad's chest. He bonked his head on his dad's head, made farting noises on Mommy's boobs, cooed at the puppies at the end of the bed, roundhouse-sat in every direction, tried to crawl through the wall, tried to swallow Daddy's entire nose, etc. He eventually exhausted himself and Henry shushed him on into sleep. Good night, Sweet Benjamin Bug. We love you.

First Tooth!

We were visiting Grandmommy and Granddaddy Kivett in Burlington on Saturday the 18th for Granddaddy's birthday and while we were there Henry discovered that Benjamin has his first tooth coming in! Okay, this is exciting for sure, but I was really thinking that I would be the first to find this out because of the constant breastfeeding and all. But I guess I am somewhat immune as Benjamin does chomp down often with his steel-trap gums so that may be why I didn't notice. But, oh my gosh! It is crazy that he has teeth! Okay, one tooth. But still! I am really going to miss his gums though. He has lovely gums.

He has been a tad fussy but nothing too terrible. He likes to bite his fingers and toys to relieve some of the pressure. And recently likes to bite every square inch around his Soothie pacifier. It is a harder silicone than regular pacifiers so it feels good to bite. And he has been restless at night, often forming the letter H with him in the middle and me and his dad as the vertical lines.

Guess we need to go ahead and register Benjamin with the Tooth Fairy because I hear there's a long wait.

Oh Avocado!

I've done a lot of reading about avocado as a first food and it is one of the most nutritious foods out there. Plus, it is melt in your mouth soft--perfect for a finger food. Here is a snippet of Benjamin's first avocado given to him on October 11th. The video clip doesn't give the whole picture. He eventually liked it. You can kind of tell at the end of the video that he is intrigued as he rolls over to me and the plate to get another look. Sadly, he had a reaction to it (skin rash that he still has a touch of), so he won't be able to have it again for a long while. Or other foods related to it like banana, cantalope, pineapple, etc. But most disturbing to me is his potential sensitivity to latex as it is also in the same family as avocado. Is it terrible that I am already worried about how he will protect himself one day and be able to have safe sex? Hopefully this won't be a full blown allergy in his adult life!

Nine Month Check Up

Benjamin had his 9-month check up on _________. His percentages in length and weight has dropped from ___________ to _______________. His head has remained on the same curve. The doctor is not concerned, saying that after 6 months or so their growth kind of redistributes itself. She did comment that his verbal skills are excellent as he babbled away while she went over things with us. And he is hitting all the expected developmental milestones. So yey! The doc does want him to increase his solid consumption. Yeah, okay lady. She said to give him human green beans, like ones cooked for our dinner, cut up into pieces. I told her that he chokes on Level 2 baby food and without teeth how would he not choke on pieces of green beans?? So she said okay, to move up to Level 3 foods and offer them 3 times a day. She is worried that he won't take it well forever if he is not encouraged to do so now. I don't believe that. I think it will fall in line with his tooth development, which, at the time of the visit, he had none. His interest will come when he is ready and I don't feel like posing a choking risk just to press him into some artificial timeline. So there.

The next visit will be the one year which will include a finger prick to check for iron deficiency. Aww, poor Bug!