A really long time

Wow! It's been almost 3 weeks since my last post. Ha, I feel a little bit like I'm in confession at church. It's been a lot longer than 3 weeks since my last confession, but this isn't the time or place to get into that.

So much has happened in the past 3 weeks. Ben has grown and changed so much it boggles the mind. To look back at pictures from when he was 2 months old and 2 days old it's incredible to see how much he's grown. He went from this tiny blob of a boy whose head and chest fit in my hand to a 17 pound 27 inch little boy who squeals in delight and rolls over.

I was upset that I haven't written in a while. I've been using the blog as a tool to remember things about Allison's pregnancy and Ben's growth. 3 weeks have gone by without a post. I know there are things that have happened that I'm just not going to remember. Sure it was great when it happened, but I know there are events that knocked that event right out of my head.

Well I needed to get back to square one. Just sit and write. I'll write more over the next few days to get caught up and hopefully keep up to date on my posts. Benjamin is completely bottle fed and is on rice cereal. Allison went to bed early tonight and I gave Ben his midnight snack. If you've never given a baby a bottle at midnight, you really should. It's so cute to watch him doze off as he's drinking it. It's a race. Will he fall asleep first or finish the bottle first?

Tonight the bottle outlasted the baby. He fell asleep with 1 ounce left. It was so cute. His lips were still puckered as if he was still drinking and he just flopped down like a stuffed animal. I wish I could have taken a picture of it, but it's just not worth the risk of waking him back up or blinding him with the flash.

That's all for now. Have a good night. Here is a recent pic to enjoy taken by www.victoriashade.com

Stay tuned for more pictures by Victoria. She may have her secrets, but her gift of photography is not one of them. She's letting the world know, she has a camera and skillz.

Almost 4 Months Old

It's been a while since I've written anything. Ben is getting so big now. I've been a little busy hanging out with Ben and Allison. Also fixing busted plumbing, running, doing a photoblog and freezing my butt off in Central Florida!

There have been a few firsts since my last post. First up, Ben has started rolling over from his tummy onto his back. Mostly he does it in the morning and mostly to his right, but he has done it at other times of the day and gone to his left too. Ben, trust me, don't be like George Costanza. You need to be able to make a move to the left and the right.

Next up, Ben has been playing with his toys more and more. He has a bouncer that he used to just sit in and look around. Now he is grabbing the toys on the bar and can even make music play. I think he knows he's doing it. After he makes the music play, he wiggles around and puts his hands in his mouth.
Another toy he's been playing with alot is his My First Bear toy. He hugs it, shakes it around and like everything else he grabs, he tries to put it in his mouth.
The last first that I'll talk about is Ben's first injury. Allison and I had him sitting up on his play mat. We let him balance himself and when he starts to go over, we grab him and sit him upright again. Well, I was watching him and I let him get a little to far past balanced and he fell away from me. I thought "no biggie. I'll grab him before his head hits the mat." And I would have, but Allison's knee was in the "drop zone" and his head hit her knee. That head hitting knee thud is a sickening sound. The crying that followed was also a little disturbing. He was happy again after a few minutes, but I felt like a scumbag. I apologized to him and told him to be perfectly honest, it probably wouldn't be the last time I accidentally hurt him. I can already picture him running inside to get an ice pack and a kiss from mommy when he is learning to play catch, hit a ball, ride a bike and many other activities that he'll somehow get hurt doing.

I'll make it a point to write more often. At least once or twice a week.

Teething?

This is my first post of 2010 and my 100th post overall. If this was a sitcom Duff or Buddy would have made me a fancy cake. As it stands now, my celebration will consist of microwave popcorn and Cran-Grape juice.

The past few days during nap time and bed time Ben has been very fussy. I think he's teething. They say it's normal for children to start teething at around 6 months, but I have friends who say their kids started teething at 4 months. Benjamin is 10 days away from 4 months. On a side note, HOLY COW did that go by quick!

Anyway, I see what looks like bumps in his top and bottom gums. Where they were once very round, they are starting to take shape. I feel bad for the little guy. He's so happy all day, but now when it's nap time or bed time he screams bloody murder. We've given him Baby Orajel. That hasn't done much for him. Tonight we are trying one of those teething rings that you put in the freezer. I don't want to give him Children's Tylenol, but if it comes down to it, we will. It sucks to have him screaming and not being able to do anything for him.

So is this a vain or not? For a second there I thought he was not sleeping because he was having too much fun with his dad. I have been home with him on Christmas and New Year's break. I'm very entertaining. I thought maybe I had over-stimulated him or maybe he was just having that good of a time that he didn't want to stop. Or maybe he sensed something was different and he didn't feel comfortable falling asleep. I'm 95% sure it's teething. That 5% is just to stroke my ego. I know deep down that it's 100% teething.

Lastly, Allison made quite the discovery this afternoon. She turned on the Brighthouse Toddler Tunes channel and heard Neil Sedaka singing 'Lunch Will Keep Us Together.' He has a whole CD of his songs converted into Kids songs. After dinner she found a clip of the song and played it for me.

I closed the blinds and Benjamin, Allison and I had a dance party in the dining room. I closed the blinds because I can get a little crazy during our dance parties. Mark and Kristen (the neighbors behind us) are family now. They've earned the titles Uncle and Aunt, but there are some things you can't unsee. They can see right into our dining room and I don't know if they are ready for my killer dance moves.

Check out Lunch Will Keep us Together. Song starts 1:55.


Ben loved the dance party. He laughed and smiled the whole 3:35 of the song. I'm going to buy this CD tonight once I get close to my wallet. A few of the other songs we enjoyed are Dinosaur Pet (Calendar Girl), Where the Toys are (Where the boys are) and Happy Birthday Number 3 (Happy birthday Sweet 16)

Click to sample Neil Sedaka - Waking Up is Hard to Do

Goals for 2010

It's almost 2010. The past decade flew by. December 31, 1999 I was in a luxury suite at Madison Square Garden ringing in the New Year with Billy Joel and 20,000 of our closest friends. This year I'll be at home on my couch watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. What a change, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

This is the time of year where everyone decides to give themselves new year resolutions. They decide to diet, exercise, maybe give up soda or sweets and are really gung-ho about it...for about a month. I don't do resolutions anymore because I was the same way. I would stick by my resolutions for 2 or 3 weeks, then get bored with it.

So instead of making new year's resolutions, I decided to give myself a list of goals for 2010. It's very similar to having resolutions, but goals are measurable and obtainable items. What good is having a resolution to exercise or give up chocolate if you can't measure it and have nothing to show for it? It's no good. That's why they never last. Join me and make a list of goals for your 2010.

Some of my goals will sound silly, but I'm serious about them and I'm going to try to meet them all.

Goals for 2010

1. Spend less time on Facebook and Twitter and more time with Ben and Allison
2. Spend the first hour after Ben goes to sleep writing.
3. Finish writing my book
4. Make money off of my writing
5. Run a 5K under 30 minutes
6. Run a 10K in an hour
7. Run a 15K - just finish, without stopping
8. Run a half marathon - just finish without stopping
9. Learn how to juggle
10. Learn how to play Super Mario Bros theme on my keyboard
11. Learn how to play Clocks by Coldplay on my keyboard
12. Learn how to play NY State of Mind by Billy Joel on my keyboard
13. Remain a size 34 for another year
14. Create a new blog and post a picture on it everyday in 2010
    
15. Teach Ben to say "Daddy" & "Awesome"
16. Do not curse in front of Ben
    

My Favorites of 2009

I was going to do a photo year in review, but I've seen a bunch of that going around on Facebook, so I decided against it. Instead I'll do a brief review of the good stuff from my life in 2009 and a list of my favorite things. I'm sure I'll leave something & someone out...my apologies. If you see something that should have been on the list, leave a comment.

January:
1) We found out we were pregnant
2) Went to the circus
3)Panda Bear cupcakes for Jack's 2nd Birthday

February:
1) Saw Ben for the first time in the 8 week sonogram
2) Celebrated Valentine's day by taking Allison to see Confessions of a Shopaholic
3) Business trip to NJ - Told the first person that wasn't family that we were expecting
4) Got a new car

March:
1) Saw Ben during the 12 week sonogram. Saw his boy parts for the first time
2) Celebrated our 2 year Wedding Anniversary
2) Registered at BRU for baby stuff

April:
1) I started my blog
2)Purchased and assembled Ben's furniture
3)Went to NY to meet my nephew James for the first time
4) My favorite blog post: Going Green

May:
1)Celebrated Mother's Day with dinner at Cape May Cafe @ Disney's Beach Club Resort.
2) Saw Ben again during the 20 week sonogram.
3)Felt Ben kick for the first time
4)Went on a cruise with Allison's family
5) My favorite blog post: 20 Week Sonogram or Is there a DR in the house

June:
1)Celebrated my 33rd birthday
2)Finished decorating Ben's room
3)Went on vacation to the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine
4)Michael Jackson died
5)Saw Transformers 2
6)My favorite blog post: Things I'm Looking Forward to

July:
1)Had a visit from my parents and Uncle Carlo
2)Went to see Disney 4th of July fireworks.
3)Found a pediatrician for Ben
4)Saw Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince
5)Took a tour of Winnie Palmer Hospital
6)Went on vacation to Ormond Beach. Met Jen (a devoted reader) and her husband Randy
7)Started Birthing Classes
8)My favorite blog post: The Empathy Belly

August:
1)Kristin, Ellen, Stephanie and my mom threw Allison's baby shower.
2)Took a breastfeeding class
3)Work shower at Allison's job
4)Saw GI Joe and had my last night out before being a dad with Mark & Steven
5)Graduated from Birthing Class
6)Celebrated my mom's 60th birthday
7)My favorite blog post:Baby Making Music

September:
1)Saw Ben again during 36 week check up
2)8th anniversary of September 11th
3)Benjamin was born!!! (Same birthday as my father)
4)Ben had his Brit
5)Celebrated Allison's birthday
6)My favorite blog post: The Birth Story

October:
1)My parents and Uncle Carlo came to meet Ben
2)Uncle David (Allison's brother) came to meet Ben
3)I ran a 5k in 30:25
4)Ben's first Halloween
5)My favorite blog post:Bears on my PJs

November:
1)Met up with Vinny & Theresa & their kids
2)Took Ben to Downtown Disney to get his Christmas stocking and first ornament
3)Had my first evening alone with Ben
4)Celebrated our first Thanksgiving as a family
5)My favorite blog post:Super Sunday

December:
1)Game night at Victoria's. Ben met a lot of our friends
2)Ben met Santa!
3)Ben celebrated his first Hanukkah
4)Ben celebrated his first Christmas
5)Ben had his first trip to Friendly's
6)My blog won Best Dad2Be blog from www.pregnancycorner.com
7)Ran my first 10K. Finished in 1:07:38 (I think)
8)My favorite blog post:Ben's Big Day Out

That was my year at a glance. A lot of other stuff happened, but those are the highlights. Allison got laid off. I think I took a trip to Dallas for a training class, but that might have been 2008. I joined a running group.


OK. Onto my favorites of 2009
Favorite moment of 2009: Ben's birth. Seeing his heartbeat during 8 week sonogram. Seeing his boy parts during 12 week sonogram. Seeing the 4 chambers of his heart during the 20 week sonogram.
Favorite song: Jay-Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind
Favorite CD: Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3 or Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D.
Favorite movie - Drama: The Blind Side
Favorite movie - Comedy: The Hangover
Favorite move - Action: Transformers 2
Favorite TV Episode: How I Met Your Mother - The Sexless Inn Keeper
Favorite new show: Jersey Shore or Community
Favorite lunch while at work: 5 Guys Cheese Burger + fries
Favorite home cooked meal: A stew Allison made in the crock pot
Favorite homemade Dessert: Allison's home made ice cream cake for 4th of July
Favorite gadget: iphone 3GS
Favorite App: HR Battle 3D or Run Keeper
Favorite Website: Facebook or Twitter
Favorite Radio Station: XL106.7
Favorite Ice Cream: Twistee Treat or Friendly's
Favorite Pizza: Winter Garden Pizza
Favorite LOL Moment: Kristin's hand when we played Uno

Come back tomorrow for my 2010 goals.

Waaaassssuuuuuppppp!!!! Ben's First Scare

I have a couple of funny stories for you today that have taken place over the past few weeks. First up I'll start with something that happened last night. Allison and I were eating dinner with Ben sitting in his high chair next to us playing with some of his toys. (When I say playing I mean he was trying to put his toys in his mouth. ) Anyway, he was smiling, laughing and talking. (baby talk, only he knows what he was saying) I would look at him and smile. Say "Hi Ben" or "What's up buddy" and he would laugh, smile and talk. It was a lot of fun.

Not leaving good enough alone, I decided to spice things up and try other sayings. I didn't have any luck until I tried the Budweiser commercial "Wassssuuuuppp" Here's a clip for those of you who don't remember it

I got a laugh the first time I did it. I though I can do it better. 2nd time, another laugh. Nice ! Daddy's killing it tonight. Ok...deep breath, let's get a really good one. "WWWAAAASSSSSSSUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPP"

Ben did not like that one, that's what's up. He went from smiling and laughing to fear and crying in 0.53 seconds. I stopped immediately and tried to calm him down, but he was not having it. Mommy had to swoop him up out of his high chair and hug him until he stopped. We made up about 30 seconds later...but I won't be doing wwaaasssuuuuppp anymore.

Another epic fail (I never talk like that, but this can only be described as an epic fail) is when I tried the "want to hear the most annoying sound in the word" scene from Dumb and Dumber:

I thought it would kill, but Ben went from a smiling and happy baby to a grouch. He gave me the stinkiest stink eye and I swear I heard him say "Do that again and I'll poop on you."

Allison is going to start looking for work again once the new year comes. (she's a smart cookie and a hard worker if any of you are hiring) Ben needs to be weened off of breast milk and onto formula. We're trying to give him one 4oz bottle of formula a day.
The first day: it went pretty well. He fussed for a minute or two then took 2.5 oz.
The second day: he fussed a little more. He only took 2 oz, but finished the bottle about 20 minutes later. Pretty good right? That's promising right? Bring on the third day.
The third day: we made the mistake of Allison being in the room when I tried to give him the bottle. The nurses and doctors all told us that when we started to ween him that Allison should not be around. They said Ben would be able to smell her and want her milk, not the formula. We discussed it and said, you're far enough away, this will be fine. Well, it wasn't fine. Ben didn't take any of that bottle. He got mad.

Some of you have seen me cranky because I'm hungry, if not, here's the scoop, when I am hungry, I get very cranky and basically turn into an a-hole until I get food. No joke, there was a 2 month period where Allison would carry chocolates in her pocketbook and if I was starting to get cranky, she would give me a chocolate. Well, I think Ben may have picked that up from me. I have never seen a baby so mad. His little baby nostrils were flared, his hands clenched into fists and he was screaming louder than I'd ever heard him.

We both tried to feed him the bottle, then gave up and decided to let him nurse. He was took worked up to nurse, so I tried to calm him down. I walked him around the kitchen and dining room until he calmed down. Eventually he calmed down and ate.

The fourth day: Seeing what happened on the third day we were a little nervous about his bottle. Allison made it while I was playing with him in the family room. I took it from her, picked up Ben and took him to his room. He fussed for 2 or 3 minutes, but then started eating. While he was eating I noticed Molly (our dog) hopping around like a frog in front of Ben's door. I thought to myself, "what the hell is she doing" then I heard something. I said "what the hell is that noise?" Then I saw something. I saw Allison doing an army crawl across the floor trying to look in to see if he was eating. I said "what the hell is wrong with you"

It was pretty funny and totally something I would do. As far as the bottle goes, he took all 4 oz.
The fifth day: He fussed for 30-40 seconds then took the bottle. He drank 2 oz and I stopped to burp him. He never took the bottle again after that, but was happy. He decided it would be more fun to smile and talk to the monkeys on his wall instead of eating.
This somehow turned into a long post, so I'll wrap it up. Is it normal to laugh when your kids cry? I don't mean if they fall and get hurt or anything like that. When Ben cried yesterday when he was scared and when he had a full-scale meltdown on day 3 of his formula project, I couldn't stop laughing. His cry is so cute. I can't help it. I know what you are thinking. "Don't laugh at him! He knows your laughing at him" Don't worry, I covered it. I said to him "I'm not laughing at you Ben, I'm laughing at something that happened earlier." But seriously, is there something wrong with me? Why am I laughing at my crying baby?

He does some other stuff aside from cry that makes me laugh. After he gets his late night snack and goes down to sleep, he hums or coos or meows. I listen to him on the baby monitor for 20-30 minutes until he stops. It's very soothing and makes me smile.

Ok, here's the last thing I have for you. I learned some tricks when putting Benjamin down for a nap. I don't want to start a bad habit, so I only do this if it's taking him too long to fall asleep. If I let Ben hold my fingers or if I rub his hands, it puts him to sleep. The other night his hands were together on his chest, like he was praying or like he was a squirrel spinning around an acorn. His eyes went from fully open to half way to closed. His grip on my fingers loosened, then suddenly as if they were spring loaded, his arms flew to his sides. I had to bite my finger on that one to keep from laughing and waking him up. It was awesome. Stay tuned for more adventures.

Ben's First Christmas

Hey everybody. I hope you all had a great Christmas, Hanukkah or anything else you celebrate. I had a wonderful Christmas. Aside from all the dishes that had to be washed, I loved everything about Christmas this year. I think a Christmas Eve pizza sounds good next year. There's a lot less dishes to do and a lot less prep work. It's getting my vote, I'll tell you that right now.
Everyone told me that Ben's first Christmas would be something special. I played it off, I honestly didn't think this Christmas would be different from any other Christmas because Ben is only 3.5 months old. He isn't able to open his gifts, he doesn't know who Santa is and it would just be any other day. I was wrong. It was an awesome day.
I'll try to describe how I felt, but I won't do it justice. I had a happy and warm feeling inside my chest and top of my stomach all morning. It was a little bit like butterflies, but different. All I know is that I'd never felt better. It was an incredible feeling. I felt great when he opened his gifts. When he smiled at Glow worm, that was awesome and it made me feel even better. Then he was able to play with some of the animals from the Zoo toy he received. That was awesome too.
Here's a question, a little off topic but anyway, why is it that everything Ben picks up he puts immediately into his mouth, but when his pacifier falls out while he is falling asleep he screams bloody murder? Pick it up and put it back in your mouth buddy. We'll work on that.
My in-laws spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us. Uncle Steven, Aunt Stephanie and cousin Jack came over for Christmas. We all had a fun time until Ben got cranky and started screaming then Jack got sick. It went downhill very fast, but it was great up until that point. It was our first holiday interrupted by poop and puke, and I'm willing to bet it wont be the last. Kids yell, kids puke, kids poop. That's our new reality. No use fighting it, just gotta accept it and move on.
I spent a lot of time with Ben this weekend. It was great but exhausting. I'm not used to entertaining a 3 month old. If this is how tired I get after 2 days with a stationary baby, what's gonna happen to me once he's mobile? I just gotta keep up my running training, take my vitamins and cross my fingers.
That's all I have for now. Stay tuned for my 2009 year in review, time capsule update and list of goals for 2010. They are not resolutions, but goals to work towards.