Videos - Belly to Three Months

~ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK~

OK just like anything else, there has been a learning curve with the video camera. I tend to take a bunch of videos and I don't watch them util a few weeks have passed. AFTER I see what I have done, I realize maybe I shouldn't sing while filming or perhaps I should wear something respectable if I'm going to be in the shot.  However, the reoccurring theme seems to be crazy long videos. I physically can't stop staring at him, which is good for his safety ... and bad for viewers. I've narrowed them down to the following:

Benjamin Bryan Nisenfeld  

on tape, in chronological order

12/22 An hour before (1 & 2).  Liam & I were left alone in a prep room to wait. We were interupted a few times for various needles and tests but mostly we just got giddy with anticipation. If you listen closely, you can hear little Ben's heartbeat on the monitor in the 2nd clip.

12/22 Benjamin Bryan Nisenfeld. Ben is about one hour old. I'm already shocked at how tiny he was!
 

1/17 How to make a burrito. Ben is still pretty tiny at one month but  he knows who Mommy & Daddy are. 
 

1/20 Mobile. This is not the most thrilling video; He just lays there.  Ben had been kind of tracking objects but nothing really held his attention until this. I was super excited.

3/1 Wake up. This is a short one. It the best example of him saying "a-goo".

THREE MONTHS!!!!

Saturday night and we're back to Zayde & Bubbie's!! This time Ben meets Aunt Barbie, Will & April, Alan & Eileen and all of the kids. 


It was a packed house and should have been tons of fun... if we weren't all so VERY tired. Liam works through the weekend and Ben & I are still adjusting to the ever changing sleep schedules. Ugh.  

I didn't even have the wherewithal to take pictures. Everyone was so nice. Hopefully we'll be able to see our family from Indiana again soon. 

Ben had a really big day Sunday. He visited TWO restaurants!

First he had a little coffee with his Grandma.

Then he had a big plate of pasta with Jommy.

Ben didn't make it all the way through the meal. Pop-pop had to walk down and pick him up after about 45 minutes. 

I considered it a success. He'll have his own restaurant review blog by the time he's five.

Things are really changing this week. Ben is opening up his hands and really has full control of his arms. His new trick is running in place. 

When he is flat on his back, he looks left, looks right then motors his little legs as fast as he can. He also engages in faux conversations making the cutest little sounds I’ve ever heard lol.  I think he’s going to be a little chatter box. 

Neither of these things makes a very interesting photo... but sitting up. Now that's cute lol

Ben really likes to be part of the party. Sometimes he fusses when you snuggle him up... he thinks you are trying to put him to sleep. The boppy is his new best friend. He enjoyed his first Flyers game and family Jeopardy time.

We put him in the Bumbo seat but he didn't like it as much.  I think when he can really use those little hands to play with things, he will love it. 

At that moment, he was perfectly happy to be in daddy's arms after a long day at the hospital. 

 The weather has been sooo beautiful, we broke out the Baby Bjourn and took a little trek through the Paul VI woods... 
  

It's mostly paved now!! I have to say that I hate it. That little patch of "old woods" used to feel like the last bit of untouched nature in our congested area and now it's just another bike path. 

Goldie still loves it. 

It's Friday night and Mommy & Daddy have a DATE!! 


This time we have a picture lol 


Zayde & Bubbie came over to babysit!!!! It was just what we needed =)

  

Week Eleven

OK I know I said I was going to go for quality not quantity but I'm having a really difficult time editing!! At some point, I'll stop reporting weekly. When I have to start chasing him from room to room, surely I won't have the time. Till then.... lots of pictures.


The weather seems to have broken from a mild winter into an balmy spring (I saw my first mosquito yesterday!!).  We can’t resist getting some baseball gear on Benjamin. Check out his very first Phillie’s hoodie!

Ben’s hands are still a mystery to him but he is really using his arms with purpose now. He swats away an unwanted bottle, squeezes onto the arm that holds him, reaches for items...

  

Unfortunately, he also scratches the daylights out of his face. I put him in a sleepsack and it was an absolute disaster.

As peaceful as he looks at this moment, he repeatedly woke himself after only 10 minutes rest, pawing at his face like a crazed borrowing animal! 

Needless to say, we’re still swaddling him up for every sleep. 


If it aint broke...

As much as I love bath time, I think after bath time the best. Ben is just so sweet and happy after his bath.

 

Daddy’s little rookie needed to get all spruced up for dinner at Zayde & Bubbie’s on Saturday night. 

Ben met Aunt Sue & Uncle Frank - in town for the Flower Show. Uncle Frank says Hawaii is the theme this year... but we suspect he just likes to accessorize.

 Ben spends some time with Zayde and Bubbie, too.

The thing these next few pictures have in common is that Ben is NOT smiling. He'll be grinning from ear to ear and the second I lift the camera, I get his poker face. 

He could be sitting with the aid of his boppy...

Laying in his bed or his lay-n-play (yes, smiling a fraction of a second before these pics)






Or chillin on the couch at Jommy & Pop-pop's....

But this time...  I finally got it!! It's not the best shot, but I got him cheesing it up for Jommy!!

I've always been more of a "kid" person. I look at babies, thinking how I don't know what all of the fuss is about and don't understand why people act like fools for a baby. Then this happened... Benjamin smiled lol. That happy little expression is the most precious gift anyone has ever given me. The second it's gone I do whatever I can to make it reappear. Yep, I'm a goner. He has me wrapped around his cute little pinkie.

Weeks Nine & Ten

First, my apologies to all of the folks out there patiently waiting for an update. I haven’t had too much to report, other than my son has got to be the cutest little thing I’ve ever seen!! LOL

Plus I think everyone is getting sick of my camera in their faces all of the time. SO I’m going to slow down on the number of posts and go for quality, not quantity.

Ben had his next well-baby checkup during his 9th week. He has put on a few pounds, now weighing in at 12lbs 5oz (50th percentile) but he hasn't grown much in length. The added half inch makes him 22 1/2 inches long (25th percentile... meaning 75% of babies are longer than him). I am 5'2 so I'm not really surprised or concerned; there is plenty of time to grow. 

Ben had his first scary immunization shots that day. He never got feverish, just a little cranky and clingy. Nothing we couldn't handle with a little patience and a lot of hugs.  

Mommy spent a lot of snuggle time on the couch...

… and Daddy spent a lot of time bouncing from room to room. 

Of course our good friend Adele has been there every step of the way. Her music has been a consistent calming agent for Ben. We even set up a CD player in his room so he can have her on at nap time.

Ben really likes to sit up. He is happiest in someone’s arms but second best is propped up on something so he can see what’s going on.

He really likes when you just sit him on your lap and talk to him. Daddy makes a much better chair then I do but Ben doesn't seem to mind.

He still loves his swing and I make good use of it for bathroom breaks/shower time. We’ve even taken to setting the swing on the dinning room table at dinner time so he can chill with us instead of our previous routine of eating in shifts. It’s much better this way! I will have to snap of picture of our family dinner for the next post lol.  

Ben seems to like bath time. I wanted to capture him this way because he is outgrowing the roasting pan. We’ll move into our real baby tub very soon!!

Ben is loving his lay-n-play more and more. 

He still hates tummy time but he'll hang out looking at all the fun colorful things (face up) for quite a while. I have to move Goldie's bed close by or she tries to get in there with Ben. 

Ben smiles and coos all of the time. He's saying "a-goo" now which is a new benchmark. We think he is really close to a laugh. I've been playing around with the video camera and have him saying it and some pretty cute footage. You have to watch a whole lot of nothing (and listen to me make a fool of myself) before seeing anything good so I've been debating whether or not to add them. If we can figure out how to get them from the memory card to the pc, you may see them on the next post.