Ben is NOT a perfect baby...but we still REALLY REALLY LOVE him!!!!!!

It has been about a week since I last posted pictures or updates. Why you ask? Well, Elizabeth has officially gone back to work and is finishing up her dissertation. Needless to say, she is busy. What does that mean? It means Ben and I get to spend most days ALL day together.

Ben is also on a new schedule, a really good schedule. He goes to bed around 9pm, wakes up to eat sometime around midnight, and then sleeps until about 6am. It's great for Elizabeth, and I don't mind the uninterrupted sleep either.

However, it also means that Ben is awake during the day for LONG periods of time.Most of those times he's easy to hang out with, and my buddy and I have a good time. Other times, like today however, there is nothing I can do to help him relax and get comfortable. He moves from the swing to the chair to the mat to me holding him and back to the swing, but he just isn't happy. I feed him and burp him and change him, but still he's not real thrilled about the afternoon. I now know how those parents feel who always look strung out, at wits end, and ready to pull their hair out.

Luckily, he then looks up at me and smiles and all is forgiven and better. I mean, how could you stay frustrated at a face like this? You just can't do it.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for Ben's first Halloween.

Belly Time and Laughing with the Grandparent

Ben's workout routine is increasing each day. Sometime next week, we're going to move him up to squats and crunches. Bellytime pretty much wipes him out right now. You have to remember that is jaws are about 1/3 of his entire body mass and lifthing his head is like you and I lift a bag of concrete with our necks. Now, that's a strong kid.

Also, Ben's workout routine will be disrupted this week, because he is unlikely to have time to squeeze in a workout--Mamaw and Papaw are here to keep him busy (as you can see).

Sleeping Ben

With Mamaw and Papaw on the way to visit, Ben decided to spend Sunday resting up for their visit. As you can see, he slept anywhere we put him down.

The Lone Ranger

When I was little, I thought the "Lone" Ranger was the "Long" Ranger. I don't really know why, and I don't know why I can remember that, but last night Ben got to play to role of the Lone Ranger. We also discussed deodorant, boogs, and politics. I hope you enjoy.

Ben's New Seat and Daddy's New Hat

First, Ben is not yet sitting up, nor does he have complete control of his upper body. This cool seat is intended for him to use AFTER he has control, but we wanted to give it a trial run now. As you can see, he LOVED IT!!!!!!

If he never grows to love it, at least I will have a battle helmet when Ben and I play Knights of the Roundtable in the years to come.

Mommy and Ben Dance

Unfortunately, the video camera was not charged, and I missed the live action, but here are a few still photos of the dance. You'll have to take my word on this, but luckily, Benjamin got his momma's rhythm.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEN!!!!! You got STUCK!!!!!!!!

To celebrate his two month birthday, Ben got to go to the doctor today for his SHOTS!!! The mean doctor stuck him three times, and Ben now has his first bandaids to prove it. Here's to you Jon Ross, Ben's wearing Spiderman bandaids. He's not at all happy about any of this though

Also, Ben is now 13 1/2 lbs, or approximately the weight of two gallons of jet fuel (6.84 lbs per gallon), but not two gallons of milk or water (8.33 lbs per gallon). Amazing, but true. Hey, we're here to educate as well.

Ben and Daddy--Couch Time!!!!

By the time I had a chance to actually hold Ben this past weekend, we were both really worn out. And boy is Ben in for a rude awakening come Wednesday, when he and I will be on our own all day long. I'll hold him some, but I sure hope he remembers how to entertain himself.

Answer: All these ladies

Question: Which of these women held Ben an average of 5 hours a day this past weekend?

Inmate Number 081606

Pictured is Inmate #081606. This inmate is considered extremely dangerous and armed with adorable smiles and stinky pee and poop filled diapers. If you see this inmate, take extreme caution. He will take up hours of your time watching him, holding him, and avoiding other tasks.

Be sure to check out tons of other photos in Ben's Album.

Noni visits....and Aunt Jooley and Uncle Rick are on the way

Noni's in town, and Ben has not touched the grounded since she's arrived. And since Julie and Rick are on the road, he may not touch the ground, or bed, or swing until sometime next week. He doesn't seem to mind though.

Ben also has officially found, and continually finds his thumb.

Still Doubting that Ben is Smiling???

It seems that everyone had a good little chuckle at our suggestion that Ben has been smiling at us. You didn't believe us, and your comments made that clear. Well, we will be waiting for your apologies.

Ben's Favorite Colors (excluding Saturdays)

Although Ben is officially a Carolina boy, his roots come from elsewhere. Most of you know part of those roots are from TN--you know, all those Orange outfits. But Ben also has roots in the midwest and Iowa. And this outfit recognizes those ties. Kristina got this for Ben, and he's now big enough the wear it.

Although most of you know this, Ben's middle name's sake, Elizabeth's dad, Dean, worked for John Deere, so today, here is Benjamin Dean

Aunt Kareena Visits

The Swaggerty Hotel continues to accept visitors. In fact, we had a couple of cancellations this past weekend, but Kareena still made to trip to meet Ben. As you can see, Ben has yet another new friend.

We're still accepting reservations, but space is limited and going fast. Call now to check availability.

Washed and Dried

I have been warning Elizabeth about this for several weeks now. Almost everytime Ben's laundry needed to be folded, I found him in the basket with the clothes. Today, well, you'll see....

Please don't get too upset with Elizabeth. She has a lot on her plate right now, and Ben is just fine. In fact, he is really clean and quite fluffed.

Ben Smiles at Silly Parents

Cleaning up the messes!!

Twice in the last few days, Ben has found a "way" to avoid keeping "stuff" in his diapers. The new UT outfit didn't make it to kickoff on Saturday, and last night a similiar occurence occured. Why the back story? Because those occurences lead to bath tub fun time and the pictures below.

The Return of the Cheeks

As most of you who have met Ben know, he likes his hands near his face. You can clearly see that has not changed, and you can also see that his cheeks are only growing "fuller."

I don't now about you but seeing Ben like this reminded me of something, and after a few minutes google searching, I found what I was looking for. I at first thought about the Ghostbusters logo, but then Edvard Munch's Scream popped up and my search ended. Obviously, Ben is much cuter, but I bet you can see why this painting crossed my mind.