Home safe and sound

Asleep at last...little guy has a serious Naples hangover and it took him an hour to fall asleep in his crib this afternoon. After having no real naps to speak of today, he was so over tired.

Our first family trip, and a wonderful one at that. It really went remarkably smoothly given all that goes into getting Ben on the road. Man, there is so much STUFF! But the long weekend provided a much needed vacation for all and a perfect visit with the grandparents.

A little Ben loves from sunny Florida...

birds, oh the birds. we wave at them, squeal at them, smile and laugh,
walking with grandma Marsha,
eating breakfast every morning with grandpa Joe (and ice cream for the first time! - not for bfast though),
wind in our hair, even when on the beach,
fish from the safe distance of the pier,
walking, more walking and more walking,
his new tractor from dad,
the farmers market, even though he was half asleep,
Mary Ann, Jennifer and Mary Ellen,
waving, waving, waving,
SWIMMING in the pool (even though the water was freezing!),
sleeping in the closet,
and getting more attention than one kid knows what to do with.

Hubby and I were able to steal a date night at Campiello's - a fantastic, much needed evening out alone. It was glorious on a million levels. I ran every day, a treat for me. We ate fresh fish, had too many cocktails, and it was all wrapped up in a warm blanket of sunshine.

I am counting the days until we return again in March. Double the fun with BOTH sets of grandparents, Ben's b-day, my sis, I can hardly wait!

Ben Loves...

Tonight while walking Stella (hubby was on the road so it was just a little team managing daily duties), Ben spent the whole time with his back arched, looking up at the trees, leaves and canopy. He loves the greenery, and when we walk close he grabs branches and thrills in the fact that he can shake the tree (thank you Peter Gabriel).

He loves the wind, and laughs immediately upon going outside if there is a breezy and his hair stands up.

He loves tummy time - we've been practicing and today he showed his first signs of crawling with a big lunge towards one of his favorite toys. He learned to spin around on his tummy last week, and now does so with tremendous ease.

His da-da-da-da. Oh man, he loves his dad. The smile hubby gets is so big and ridiculous, I'd be offended if I had time to think of anything besides how cute it is.

Paula, thank goodness.

Goofy, the cats, Stella, walking, laughing, flowers, smiling, eating, and basically just being the cutest baby ever.

More things Ben loves

His hands. He seems to be more interested in them everytime he finds them, whether first thing in the morning or five seconds after that. He catches a glipse of them while he is flailing around and then everything slows down...he looks at his palm. Then he turns it over and looks at the top. He wiggles his fingers. His eyes widen. Flips back to the palm. Every time. Seemingly 100x a day.

Screaming, as seen in previous video. And laughing, talking to himself (and eventually me) in his crib in the morning.

Touching everything. My face. Stella. Stuffed animals. Rain.

Noises, sounds, rattles, music.

Shoulder (power) naps at 4:30.

Books and reading (finally).

People, attention, prodding, tickling, smiles.

Ben loves...

Right now, Ben loves:

- "surfing" in his crib and talking to himself early in the morning;

- putting everything in his mouth, hands are a favorite and always close by;

- standing, standing, standing;

- Stella and the kitties...

Stay tuned for more "Ben loves" coming soon :)