Two Months

Hooray, today you are two months old, little Ben. Only you're not so little anymore! When Nonno weighed you at the lake house last weekend you were about 13 pounds 9 ounces. WOW! In fact Mommy has been having to spend some time exchanging clothes for bigger sizes or else you would never get to wear them.


I love how you smile at us now. Sometimes you get this big old grin, and stick your tongue out. Especially when Daddy is playing with you.


This past month has been a busy one. You got to meet Aunt Sarah, and Pete, and see lots of other relatives on Mommy's birthday. Then a few weeks later you got to meet your daddy's cousin, Shawna, and see Great-Grandma again for the first time since you were in the hospital. Then just last weekend mommy's Uncle Paul and Sherryl came down to visit, and we all hung out at Nonno and Nonni's lake house. What a nice weekend! Uncle Paul was able to make you smile, and make Daddy grimace by saying "Go Steelers!" while your picture was being taken.


You've been awfully fussy, but I'm starting to think we've got it figured out. It means that there are a lot of things that Mommy can't eat right now, but it's worth it if you're going to be a happier little boy.

Your big sister, Claire, seems pretty used to having you around. If you are crying and I'm not around she will come to find me saying "uh-oh, uh-oh". Last night when she was going up to bed she ran to Daddy to give him hugs and kisses, and then went right to the swing where you were swinging, stopped it, and gave you kisses, too. The other day while she was sitting beside us on the couch she picked up the telephone and held it to your ear so that you could talk on it. She loves riding beside you in the stroller, though sometimes Mommy is worried that she will wake you up when she keeps reaching over to make sure that you're still there. Mommy is already looking forward to next summer when you will be able to run around with her - good luck keeping up!


Daddy and I are so lucky that we have such a sweet, handsome little boy! We love you very much!

My little overachiever

Well, Ben surprised me the other night. Monday evening I was giving him his nightly massage. Usually having his back rubbed is his favorite part. Monday while I was rubbing his back he turned himself over onto his tummy not once, not twice, but four times! Last night he did it again - only three times, however this time he mixed it up. Twice he rolled to his right, and then the last time he rolled to his left. He must be a boy genius!

All about Claire

This post is to let people know what has been going on lately with Claire. As usual, she has a smile to light up the room, and loves to be silly, however she is frequently shy when she first sees new people. It does not take much to put her at ease, though. Put on one of her favorite shows (Dora the Explorer, Play with me Sesame, and Jack's Big Music Show), or give her something fun to play with, and she forgets that there are strangers around.

Claire is using a combination of words and sign language to communicate with us, and can usually let us know what she wants, but sometimes we get a lot of pointing, and exclaiming "ISS, ISS" while we try to figure out exactly what she wants. She has a knack for spotting airplanes flying high in the sky, and will exclaim every time. She loves to point out things that she knows the words or signs for, and will keep saying it over and over until we acknowledge her. She also knows a variety of animal noises including sheep, owls, chickens, roosters, cows, lions, monkeys, and elephants. And while she is showing off her animal noises if you ask her what the mommy or the daddy says she will respond with, "no, no" while shaking her head. Apparently she hears that a lot! One of the signs that she uses the most is the sign for flowers. This girl loves flowers! Anytime she sees them, whether in a picture or in person, she stops, and signs to let us know that there are flowers nearby.

Claire has been having a lot of fun playing on the new swingset in the backyard. It has three swings, a tire swing, a trapeze, a rock climbing wall, and a bumpy slide. She has no problem getting up the ladder to the slide, though sometimes she decides she doesn't want to come down. Daddy has probably been down that slide almost as many times as Claire has. Mommy and Ben even gave it a try one day.


Claire has a variety of friends that we try to get together with regularly. There are lots of kids in the neighborhood, big and little, who like to talk to and play with her. We go to music class once a week, which she seems to really enjoy, and hopefully is helping her a little with learning to follow directions. We also try to meet weekly with a playgroup that we have been seeing since Claire was about five months old.

One of Claire's funny new habits is to randomly lie down on the floor at the strangest of times, and tell everyone to "shhhhh!"

She seems to like Ben when she is acknowledging him. She will pat him on the head and say "BAY-bee", give him hugs, and lay her little head against his. She loves to "hold" the baby, and it will almost always illicit a smile and a laugh.

Although she is usually on the go, Claire also enjoys her books. She will bring them to Mommy to read, and sometimes wants to hear the same book over and over again. Her current favorites are Goosey Goose, Goodnight Moon, Lullaby Lion, and There's a Wocket in my Pocket - most of which Mommy has memorized by now.

Is it wrong that the other day while watching our TiVod episode of American Idol that Claire made kissy noises while Ace was singing? But really, who can blame her, the girl has good taste.

Let's go shopping!