Teeth

Two teeth in, two more on the way! EVERYTHING goes straight to the mouth.

Our happy little boy...he is a long, lean fellow.

Enjoying some unseasonably cool weather with a stroller ride.

Swinging away

We have tried to explain the idea behind the pacifier, but since Ben quit using his froggy pacifier months ago he'll have nothing to do with any of them...except maybe to chew on the wrong end!

Ben loves the kitty! If she accidentally walks too close to him he immediately grabs a handful of that irresistable fur. Lucky for Abby she's still faster than him (for now).

Update

I'll just apologize first thing for not having any new pictures to post! Most of our personal belongings are on a boat somewhere between Houston and Singapore and the rest are scattered between several houses at the moment. Once we get the camera, USB cable, and high-speed internet all in the same house again, I'll get some new pictures up. Hopefully we'll be set up next week.

Ben is becoming more fun by the day! He is so interested in everything now and wants to play with any new object he finds. He's also getting really interested in food and starting to enjoy eating from a spoon. The second tooth finally came in (but I hear this teething thing doesn't stop for months?!) and his smile is just adorable. He's started rolling all over the place to get toys and probably just to work out all of that energy he's got stored up. The doctor measured him Monday at just over 29 inches, which is pretty amazing because it means he's an average 10-month old in terms of length, when in reality he'd only be 7 months old right now. Ben is still a slim guy at 16 1/2 lbs but that's not a concern because obviously he's growing each month, just in a vertical direction.

We've all moved in with my parents for the time being and he's made the adjustment very well. His favorite thing here is the cat and I think that's the first word he's learned. If we ask him to find the kitty he'll start looking around for her or grab a handful of fur. Unfortunately, I don't think she returns the same affection for him!

We'll get some new pictures posted soon!

First Flight

We took Ben on his first flight to Alabama and he was an angel! Hopefully that means he'll have a great time on the 21 hour flight to Singapore. He was much more interested in tearing pages from my magazine than anything else.

We enjoyed spending some time with Ben's great-grandfather in Alabama. Leo Kirkham is 94 and already has a great-great-grandchild but each new addition is special.

Ben is sitting up more and more on his own, yet he doesn't seem to understand the appeal. He's started rolling all the way over to grab toys but quickly goes straight on his back again. For whatever reason that's what he likes the best.

Finally breaking in the high chair! Maybe we'll actually start feeding him here one day since he's beginning to show a lot of interest in food.

Texas Bluebonnets

Playing in the bluebonnets with Grammy

We had Ben christened on Sunday and it was such a joyful time because we have so much to celebrate. It is a miracle that Ben is so healthy and normal. We see the Lord's hand in everything and are so thankful for His gifts.

The real excitement today was the discovery of Ben's first tooth! One finally broke through on the bottom right so all the drooling and crying has paid off.

Naptime

Sacked out on Grandpa Shepherd. We just can't believe how much of a lap Ben fills up now!

Our happy little boy...

...who LOVES chewing on his toes!

He'll also sit up really well when something is behind him, but still shows no interest in doing it on his own yet. I guess when he decides it's worth it he'll give it a shot.

Stuck!

It was easy to get on...not so easy to get off! It took a little help from Mom.

Ben was having a great time at the doctor's office. He thinks they line the table with paper just for his enjoyment!

Talking on the phone already...

I'm at home with Ben full-time now so hopefully I'll get pictures posted more regularly. It's only been a week so far but we're both loving all the time we get to spend together.

Healthy Boy

Ben is 9 1/2 months old now (6 months corrected) and 16 lbs! He is a healthy little boy, too. We've been to several specialists lately and all of his checkups have been perfect. We couldn't ask for anything more than all the blessings God has given him. Ben has become very vocal, lots of "baba" and "dada" and some noises that even surprise him.

We've had to move his bathtub from the kitchen to the bathroom now that Ben has discovered it's a lot of fun to kick in he water and see where it goes!