God is Gracious and Merciful!

Here she is! Anna Faustina Moses was born September 22 at 5:07 p.m. She weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz. and was 19 3/4 inches long. She has hair (not bald like her mama) and is long and skinny. She has her daddy's long toes and her mama's coloring. So far she and Benjamin don't look very much alike but I'm sure as they get older there will be little things that give them away as brother and sister.

Labor went really well. I had been dilated for a few weeks and when I went for my check up this past Wednesday I was 5-6 cm. My doctor said "I think you're going to have a baby today. Is that alright with you?". So I was admitted to the hospital; 5 hours and one push later Anna and her lungs arrived. :) Benjamin came to visit us that evening but was more interested in running up and down the halls (which I'm sure the other patients appreciated). When they brought Anna to my room after her bath she was upset and Benjamin did not like that at all. A quick exit was required. He has adjusted fairly well, especially since he gets so much attention from other family members. We'll see how he does whenever it's just the three of us! Unfortunately he knows that he can get into things he's not supposed to if he feels he isn't getting enough attention. He has, however, been very sweet towards his sister. If I'm sitting down with her he will come over and want to touch her hands, legs, and whatever part of her that isn't wrapped up.

God has been so good to us in so many ways and I think that's why His message of Divine Mercy to St. Faustina (and to the rest of the world) is so close to our hearts. We knew that we wanted to name our little girl Anne or Anna (both mean "gracious and merciful") but it wasn't until we were at the hospital that we decided on Faustina for her middle name. Looking back everything about this little girl's existence, from the beginning of her life until now, has been a testament to God's love and mercy. He has taught us to trust Him more deeply than ever and as much as I wish, at times, that I had the power to change parts of our current situation I am so thankful to God that He is in control and not me.

Just a Quick Update

Hello! It's late so I'm not going to write much but I just wanted to update everyone since I haven't posted anything recently. Had a doctor appointment today and I was 4 cm. dilated and 75% effaced. The doctor had me go to the hospital so they could monitor me and see if I was actually having contractions (hadn't really felt any but I had been having a little bit of cramping). After two hours of being hooked up to the monitor they determined that I was having regular contractions but they weren't doing anything (no pain, no gain, I guess) so I was discharged. Still having a little cramping and fairly regular "Braxton-Hicks" but basically no changes from this afternoon. So we'll see what happens! She could be here tonight, or not. Who knows. :)

We gave Benjamin his 3rd haircut this past Sunday using Chris' clippers. Chris did a good job cutting and Benjamin didn't seem to mind at all. His hair is so short now!! We both kind of miss his longer hair but it will grow out eventually. He looks like such a little boy now, which he is, I know, but still! He's becoming more and more of a toddler.

Packers and movers are coming on Saturday to get our stuff. After that we will be in New Braunfels. Keep us in your prayers!! God bless you,
The Mosi

Benjamin's First Birthday, Baby Shower, and More!

Saturday, August 21st Benjamin turned one!! I can't believe how big he is getting! He is such a little toddler now. He had a great birthday and all of his grandparents, and a couple of uncles and great-grandparents, were able to come. He was a little overwhelmed by all the attention and cameras but he really enjoyed his cupcake! I broke it in half so he could break the pieces and eat them himself, but once that cupcake touched his mouth it literally never left. He ate the first half without ever pulling away. Chris and I were both pulling back on his arms trying to get him to take smaller bites but he didn't give in. That boy is strong! The second half of the cupcake I broke into bite size pieces before he got a hold of it. :) Benjamin received lots of wonderful gifts and although he didn't seem interested in opening them all that day, he has enjoyed playing with all of them since then. I think his top interest on his birthday day were the balloons.

Benjamin's one year check up went really well. He is 26 pounds and 30 inches tall! When I looked at the medicine bottle to see how much he should get (he wasn't feeling well after his shots) the dosage chart listed his weight as that of a 2-3 year old. haha! He is a solid one year old.

This past weekend Chris' mom and some other family members hosted a baby shower for us. It was so nice! Chris and Benjamin came over to join us after nap and snack. We really enjoyed seeing everyone and Benjamin seemed to enjoy walking around and inspecting all the guests. We received so many nice things. Little girl is going to be the best dressed baby around!

Today I had another doctor appointment. I will start going once a week. Although it may not be for long because it looks like little girl will be coming early! Her head is down and I am 2 cm. dilated and 50% effaced. So we'll see when she decides to come. The nice part is that Chris will most likely get to be here for it, as long as she comes before Sept. 19th. We'll see!

We're still working towards getting everything finished and ready for baby girl's arrival, Benjamin and I moving to NB, and Chris leaving. Unfortunately, there are quite a few things that we don't have control over, so in the meantime we are taking care of the things that we can. Please pray that everything will happen the way that God wants it to and that we will be granted whatever graces we need to prepare for and endure the coming months.

Big Changes for the Moses Family

We found out last week that Chris is being called up to serve in Iraq. He is not being deployed with his unit in San Antonio, but is being attached to a unit in Maryland, the 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion, for this particular mission. September 19th he leaves for Maryland to partake in preparations with the 203rd. October 4th he will be at Fort Huachuca in Arizona for a Joint Weapons Intelligence Course. He will be there until sometime in December. Early January he will go to Ft. Dix in New Jersey to finish training with the 203rd and sometime in the Spring they will go to Iraq until next October. He will be part of a 5 person Weapons Intelligence Team that will basically be like CSI: Baghdad. When an IED is used or disarmed (and most importantly after the area has been secured) they are called in to get whatever information they can. Chris' job will be to look at the electronics (or what is left of the electronics) and figure out how the bomb was made/used/set off. They will take the information they find and use it to help prevent roadside bombs, etc. from being used against us in the future. We are thankful that his job should be fairly safe and that he will be able to help save a lot of lives. We are also thankful that he is being sent to Iraq and not Afghanistan. He will also be able to come home for Thanksgiving, most likely Christmas, and the 203rd pays for me and the kids to come visit him in Maryland before they leave.

Benjamin, baby girl, and I will be living with my parents in New Braunfels. We will be able to Skype with Chris when he is away. We are hoping and praying that Chris will be able to get a few days off to come home around little one's due date. I can't imagine giving birth without him beside me. He is the best husband and father and, next to Jesus, he is my rock. Please pray that everything will work out the way that God wants it to.

Time flies when you're having babies

I can't believe it has been over a month since I last posted. The month of June flew right on by and now we are in the middle of July! Chris has been incredibly busy. He travels about once a month with work and although he usually has his schedule a few months in advance, dates and destinations change about 50% of the time. He has also been taking online classes since January and has Reserve drills once a month. Needless to say he keeps pretty busy but he always makes time for me and Benjamin. He is a wonderful husband and father!

Baby girl and I are doing really well. She is growing more every day and every day I remind myself that it's not really me who is getting wider, it's the baby. We are already in the third trimester! I'll be 29 weeks tomorrow (I think) which means only 10 or 11 weeks left!! Augh! Who gave time permission to fly by? Not me! I need to sit down and write out a list of things we are going to need for her but I have yet to do it. Hopefully it won't be much since I tried to pick things that could be boy or girl when I was pregnant with Bear. I also have a few big organizational projects that I want to get done. I'm hoping and praying that I can start and finish before her arrival. It would be so nice to come home and know that all I need to think about is taking care of her and Benjamin (and Chris). We haven't settled on any names yet. She will be named before we leave the hospital, though. :)

Benjamin is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds. He has 4 top teeth coming in. One has already come through, another one is breaking through today (I think), and the other two are just under the gum and will break through anytime! They sure are taking their time. We've been waiting for them to show themselves for a few weeks already. Benjamin is so close to walking, too. He stands and walks holding onto furniture, no problem. He'll even take a couple steps on his own if the furniture is close together and sometimes he'll walk holding on to just one of our hands. He really enjoys climbing on things: couch cushions, chairs, end tables. I also have the benefit of a "little helper" now. He will empty the kitchen towels out of the drawers for me (I guess I don't fold them correctly), stay right under my feet while I'm vacuuming (to make sure I don't miss a spot), and if I'm getting something out of the fridge he will make sure nothing has expired. He has also become very energy conscience. If he finds something plugged in he will try to unplug it for me. We are officially down to one nap a day. There are pros and cons. Pros: his nap is a little longer, he goes down a little easier, sleeps a little longer at night, and it's easier to run errands because we have the whole morning. Cons: Mama doesn't have a break until noon. We have been trying to teach him a few signs for awhile now and it is working half-way. He knows exactly what we are saying but has yet to do the signs himself. Oh well. :)

We haven't done a good job of keeping up with pictures and videos, but here are some of the more recent ones:






Hope everyone is staying cool and enjoying their summer. God bless you!

Crawling and Climbing and Standing, Oh My!

I can't believe that he just started crawling a few weeks ago and now he is pulling up on furniture and climbing over couch cushions. He is one active little boy! And his sister is catching up fast. I feel her moving quite a bit these days. I'm glad they will have each other to chase around. I get worn out just keeping up with Benjamin! The way he crawls is so funny. Sometimes it's the normal baby crawl. Sometimes he pushes with his right foot and drags his left (the Igor crawl). And when he's in a hurry I've noticed that he has started to pounce, pushing off with both feet! Granted, he only does one pounce at a time (not across the floor like a Cheetah or anything) but still! We will definitely be enrolling him in some sort of sport....like gymnastics!! (Chris would love that.)

I think he may have another tooth growing in. He has started gnawing on the crib railing. Thank goodness for lead-free paint! Sometimes I walk in to his room and he has tiny paint shavings mixed in with his drool, all around his mouth. So if we ever come visit you, cover up your antique furniture!

His speech has improved (oh my goodness...just looked over while typing this and he is chewing on the kitchen chair cushion!). He makes many more sounds while he's talking and playing, although he still won't say "Mama". Milk, ball, and Dada he understands, but Mama? Who's that? I had better start training my little girl early if I want to get in on the "first words list".

Taste in food has definitely been interesting. He hasn't ever refused to eat something but he will definitely make a face if he's not so sure about it. The other day he was having some little crunchy baby snacks and I had to cut him off (he would eat the whole package if I let him). He was letting me know how he felt about it so I decided to let him lick some lemon I was cutting up to take his mind off the crunchies....and he liked it!!! Even after 4 or 5 licks! So I had to find something else to distract him from the lemon. I know he absolutely loves fruit but I did not expect him to like lemon. Crazy kid.

Our little sweet pea is 5 months along now and headed into the 6th month. October is going to come way too fast! I haven't even started planning for her arrival, other than thinking about names. She will probably be dressed in blue the first year of her life. It will take me that long to catch up. haha! We haven't decided on a name yet but we do have some picked out. Since we had a nickname for Benjamin from the beginning it's weird not having one for her. Maybe we'll get a name picked out before she's born. :)

Presenting Miss Moses

It's a girl!! Yay! We are so excited!

Leaps and Bounds

Benjamin had his 9 month check-up today. I can't believe he's already 9 months old! He measured 28 inches long and weighed 23 lbs. and 10 oz. He's our big growing boy! I'm trying to remember what all we have and haven't shared. It seems like he's always doing something new! He started crawling last week and is always on the move now. I'm so glad that I finally got around to baby proofing because he is into everything! Any sort of cabinet or door, the trash can, wires, anything you leave on the floor is fair game. Today he started playing chase. If we crawl away and act like he's trying to get us he'll shriek and crawl after us.


On Saturday we gave him his first hair cut. I had wanted to wait until he was one but it was starting to look like a mullet and he didn't like how it would tickle his ears. Chris held him and entertained him while I did the cutting. I took off an inch from the back of his neck and around his ears!! It certainly is not the most professional looking cut but when I was done I felt like I was looking at a toddler instead of my baby! Chris made fun of me for tying some thread around his hair and putting it in a "First Haircut" keepsake box. Maybe Benjamin will appreciate it one day...or he'll be the clone of his father that he is and ask why in the world I kept it. haha!
Benjamin has started to have some word-object association. If we tell him to get his ball he'll start looking around for it. If I ask him where dada is at breakfast he'll look towards the bedroom to see if Chris is going to walk out. He definitely knows what milk is, especially if you do the sign language for it. I'm trying to help him connect between mommy's tummy and baby. I'll point to my belly and say "baby", but most of the time he's interested in his toys. He pays more attention when I show him the sonogram pictures on the fridge and say "baby". He's probably going to end up thinking baby means black and white blob. I'm not sure what else I can do to prepare him for the inevitable.

Wednesday is our next check up for the baby. We'll find out if it is a boy or girl!! We are so excited! I'm sure I will blog again this week to spread the news. So until then think "girl"! ;)

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mamas! We hope you have a wonderful day!

Well, I had this nice long blog typed out but when I went to publish the post something went wrong and I lost all but the first 3 sentences! So I will do my best to recreate, but I'm feeling a little unmotivated now! haha!

My brother, Kevin, came up to visit us this weekend so we had some company, which was nice. He came up Friday morning and left this afternoon. Friday we took Benjamin to the pool for the first time and he loved it! He splashed, leaned over his floaty to look into the water, and kicked his feet when he wanted Kevin to push him around some more. Friday afternoon Chris had one of his wisdom teeth pulled. He was a little worn out for the rest of the day and Saturday, but today he is just about back to normal.

Benjamin is still on the verge of crawling, although he is mobile in his own way. He rolls, sits up, spins around, falls over, and pushes backwards. Sometimes he has a destination, other times he's just flopping around until he gets somewhere. Nap times have once again become a challenge. Now that he can sit himself up from laying down he will sit up and cry, holding onto the rails like a prisoner, and stare at the door until Mama or Dada come to save him. Then, a tragedy unfolds when he realizes we are just there to lay him back on his tummy.

The littlest one is doing well. I feel him/her moving just about every day. We got to hear the heartbeat again at the doctor appt. this past week and according to the old wives' tale we're having a girl! haha! We'll find out for sure via ultrasound a week from Friday. We'll be sure to let everyone know one way or another!

God bless you!

Growing Babies

Our babies are growing so fast! The littlest monkey is the size of a navel orange, according to the baby book, and Benjamin Bear is starting to push up on his hands and knees and keeps wanting to pull himself up on things. Augh! He also has some teeth coming in! I can see tooth shapes through his gums but nothing is poking out just yet. I'm sure it won't be long and he'll be crawling around chewing on the furniture.

Last week's doctor appointment went well. It was just a quick check up but we got to hear the baby's heart beat! Strong and healthy. :) We have two check ups in May, one regular and one to find out whether baby is a boy or girl! So excited! And then we'll know how much we need to save. More if it's a girl, less if it's a boy. haha!

We got to spend this past week in Caldwell! Poor Benjamin definitely got his daddy's allergies (can those be inherited?) and he loves to watch animals! He shrieks and laughs when the dogs come near or lick his feet. He did not get that from me! I was terrified of animals at his age. We also got some super cute pictures of him in the bluebonnets with his cowboy hat on (thank you, Dana!).

This is a cute video from the other day. Chris was providing Benjamin with some after dinner entertainment! Chris would juggle for a minute and then stop and start again. Every time he stops you can see Benjamin opening and closing his hand, his way of saying he wants more!

Happy Easter!

Hope everyone had a great Easter! Ours was pretty good. We went to New Braunfels and got to see everyone but Carl. That's ok, though, because he was in Pittsburgh proposing to his girlfriend, Lauren!! So excited for them! What's really cool is our family was good friends with Lauren's family while we all lived in Japan. And now we're reuniting! What's really funny is Lauren has 4 sisters...Carl is marrying into a family full of girls! hahaha! He never saw that one coming.

We are 14 weeks along in the pregnancy now. Yay for being in the 2nd trimester! There is still a little nausea but most of it has subsided. Now the exhaustion is kicking in. I'm paying today because I didn't take a break or nap yesterday. Still feeling little flutters every once and awhile, which is neat. I have a doctor appt. tomorrow so I will update again if there is any big news. It should just be a regular check up without an ultrasound or anything. I'm excited because in another month or two we should be able to find out whether the baby is a boy or girl! I'm convinced it's a girl. :)

The weather has been so nice lately that Benjamin and I have been able to take lots of walks. He loves to be outside and feel the breeze blowing through his hair. There is a fountain in front of the main office in our apartment complex that he gets excited about every time we see it, so we usually stop and watch it for awhile. I've also started taking him to look at the pool because there are a couple waterfall/fountain things there and I want him to get excited about swimming this summer! We bought some little swim trunks for him this past weekend. They have Hawaiian flowers and Elmo's face on them. Hopefully they fit him for most of the summer! Next step is to buy swimmer diapers. Don't want to be the cause of the pool being closed!

Here are some pictures from the past week or so...



He's started eating Cheerios and LOVES them!


The Moses Family


Watching Daddy out the back window of the car. :)

Have a blessed Divine Mercy weekend!

Blessed Feast of the Annunciation!

Today I was putting together my Google calendar. Chris and I are trying to find a better way to keep each other informed and remember family events and his work travel dates. I didn't have a whole lot to put in once I got past the month of May but I decided to enter birthdays and anniversaries that I could remember all the way until the baby's due date. When I got to October 2nd I noticed that it is the Feast of the Guardian Angels!! How awesome! So I think we are going to start asking our Guardian Angels to watch over this baby and pray for him/her. What a blessing! And before I forget to share, we only have one week left in the first trimester! On Saturday I will be 13 weeks along. I'm beginning to think that time flies faster with each additional child.

Since all the boys have other plans this weekend, except for Benjamin, Mom and I are going to have a lazy girl weekend. Maybe watch a few Sandra Bullock movies to show our love and support. At Costco I bought a giant tub of Red Vines (not as good as Twizzlers) and mom bought a big bag of Veggie Straws for our junky-enough-to-satisfy-but-healthy-enough-to-avoid-guilt-and-stomach-ache movie snacks.

I was also posting pictures and video on Facebook today. I came across this video and had forgotten that I had it. It's from a month or two ago. I was vacuuming our apartment and Benjamin was being such a good boy. He didn't cry when the vacuum started, but he sure wasn't about to take his eyes off of it. That's all the exciting news for this week. Have a blessed Palm Sunday weekend!

Waiting

The theme for this past week has been "going with the flow". Benjamin is growing so fast (he'll be 7 months on Sunday!) and he's on the brink of so many different things. Like teething (and biting), crawling, scooting. He has become quite the wiggle worm now that he can roll over both ways. He hardly ever wants to sit still and if there is any electronic item nearby (cell phone, remote control) he would rather play with that than his brightly colored toys. If there is anything within arms' length that he really shouldn't be playing with it is, of course, the first thing he goes for. How does he know?! He's getting too smart for his own good! haha!

Chris is still in Hawaii but should be home around Monday. He's been really lucky so far. The people he was supposed to be setting up ..... whatever he sets up.... didn't have the supplies for him until Wednesday afternoon. So last Thursday until Wednesday morning he's been able to explore the island and enjoy the beaches. He's been putting up some pictures on Facebook to show where all he's been. I can't wait until he's home! Benjamin has started saying "dadadadada" as part of his babbling so it will be fun to see him say it to Chris even though he has no idea that "dada" means "daddy". I'm not really counting it as his first word until he attaches meaning. Not like that episode of Friends where Rachel says Emma's first word is "googlia" or something like that and when they look it up to see if it's real it's some sort of science term and Ross gets all excited. ;) For all the Friends fans out there....

Baby "Dos" will be 12 weeks along tomorrow. Every once and awhile I think I feel a flutter. Sometimes it's gas but sometimes I'm pretty sure it's the baby! Nausea has been slowing way down (yay!) although some food aversions are still pretty strong. Like broccoli. Blah! And most meats. And peanut butter, which is very surprising. Ok, so pretty much everything except for a few breads, fruits, a few veggies, and some dairy. Can't wait for my appetite to come back! The second trimester is almost here. I'm ok with the first trimester flying by but hopefully the last two will take their time. I don't feel prepared! But are we ever?

I would like to ask all of you to keep my Great Grandmother Fleming in your prayers. She hasn't been doing well for the past week or two. The most recent update I know of is she's in Hospice, on oxygen, is not always aware of those around her, and isn't eating. She just had her 95th birthday and has always been a very strong and active woman. Benjamin is her first Great-great grandchild! Please pray that she doesn't suffer much and can rest peacefully. Thank you!

God bless you!

We Got to see Baby #2!

Our first doctor appointment was this past Wednesday. It went really well! Chris was able to go with me, which was really nice. Benjamin got to spend time with Dana and Katie. This appointment was really neat for us because we got to see the baby! We didn't get to see Benjamin until I was about 20 weeks. We are 10 weeks along now, almost 11. The baby was so cute and little! I will post pictures. You can see his/her little arms and legs and if you look closely hands, feet, fingers, and toes! I love ultrasounds! Seeing the baby made both Chris and I think, "Ok, it's really there. This is really happening!"

In other exciting news, Benjamin rolled over from his back to his tummy for the first time today! Well, I don't know if it was for the first time. I think he's been doing it in his crib for a little while, but never when I was watching. Today he was trying to get a toy out that was of his reach and he rolled over onto his tummy so he could get it. Before we know it he'll be rolling like a roly-poly all around the floor.

Chris left for Hawaii today. Lucky duck. He'll be back in 10 days. He tried to tease me saying he was going to come back with a tan and a pineapple. But that's only half true...he'll come back red with a pineapple, if anything. haha! He's going for work but he'll get to enjoy the beach and maybe do a little exploring in the evenings and on the weekends. I'm sure he'll post pictures on Facebook while he's there.
Hope y'all are doing well and are enjoying all this Springtime weather. We are enjoying the chance to get out of doors more often. :)

We Love Daddy!

I've been meaning to post a blog dedicated to Chris and Benjamin and all the fun they have together. So here it is!

Now that the weather is so nice outside Benjamin and I will go sit on the porch and wait for Daddy to get home. Bear loves to sit out there, especially when the breeze is blowing through his hair and making the bushes and trees move. When Chris pulls into our parking space Benjamin is at first focused on the car because objects that move are just fascinating. When Chris gets out and starts walking towards us Bear's face will light up and he'll start making all kinds of noise and flapping his arms to show his excitement. Chris will proceed to do all sorts of silly things to make him laugh, giggle, chuckle, and squeal. Silly boys. :)

And Then There Were Four...

Yes, it's true! We are unexpectedly expecting our next child. Excitement and "augh!" all wrapped up together. We found out for sure a few weeks ago but I had been suspicious even before that. When that day-long nausea doesn't go away after awhile you begin to wonder. I haven't had my first prenatal appointment yet but by my calculations it will be due some time near the beginning of October. The first trimester has been going pretty well. I'm not interested in eating a whole lot of food. Only a month or so left before my appetite returns. I haven't lost all the weight from Benjamin yet so I'm trying to make sure I do some sort of exercise each day.

My exercise on Tuesday was playing in the snow!! It snowed where I live! Can you believe it?! I think we got somewhere around 4 or 5 inches. We took a family walk around the complex, built 3 snowmen, made a snow angel, and had a snowball fight. It was the best day ever! Chris had the day off from work (due to the snow) and it was just the perfect day! Benjamin loved looking at the snow fall but he wasn't quite sure what to think when the flakes fell on his face. He had the same expression as when water splashes on his face during bath time.

Benjamin is doing well. I think he gets a little acid reflux so that has him upset part of the time, but most if the time he is happy as can be! He has discovered he can put his toes in his mouth which is cute and gross at the same time. He can sit up all by himself and play with his toys, only falling over every once and awhile. I am so excited about that! It makes it much easier to do a few chores when he can entertain himself and be happy for a little while. No crawling yet and I am totally ok with that! I am not ready for him to be mobile.

He is eating solid food like a champ now! He loves to eat. Stroller rides are also a favorite. Sometimes when he is really fussy and we can't go outside I'll just stick him in the umbrella stroller and push him around the apartment. He'll kick his feet and look around like nothing was ever wrong. Of course, if you stop the stroller all the sadness rushes back.

He has gotten too big for his infant car seat and now rides in style in his "big boy" car seat. He is growing so fast! He turned 6 months Feb. 21st. He had his 6 month check up this week and had to have shots. :( Never a fun day! He is 27 1/2 inches tall and 20 lbs. 3 oz. The doctor said he continues to be at the "top of the food chain" on the growth chart and asked if my husband was tall. I said no, but we both carry the genes for tallness. Before the doctor appt. I asked Chris if he had any questions for the doctor and the only thing he could come up with was "Ask what we can do to start muscle growth now". Haha!

Well, I think that's all the exciting news for now. I will try to blog more often and keep everyone updated, especially with baby Moses #2 on the way. Hope everyone is doing well. Please keep us in your prayers!

Pictures, Video, and Stats

Finally!! Here are some pictures from the past month or so. Hope you enjoy!

Bath time is one of his favorite times of the day!! Before bath toys he would kick and splash and giggle. But now that toys have been added to this mix it's serious business. He zeros in one those turtles trying to figure out how in the world he can grab it and eat it.

Enjoying the Christmas tree! Sometimes when the tree lights were on he would sit there and "talk" to the tree for 30 minutes at a time!

Tummy time! He doesn't push up on his arms yet but he is almost rolling over! He will roll up on his side but the arm he is laying on is back behind him keeping him from going all the way over. A good thing perhaps? I have a feeling that once he starts moving it's all over.

Watching Philomena decorate the tree at his Godparent's house. Soon Philomena will have a little sister! And Chris' cousin, Dana, is about to have another little girl, as well. We are so excited for both families! Ben is going to be surrounded by girls. haha!

Sporting the cowboy hat I couldn't resist buying for him. :) It says "Texas" across the front of the hat. It's still a little big for him but will fit perfectly once he is old enough to walk around and play. Look at those rolls!

Hiking at Guadalupe State Park. And Carl is SMILING! This is a rare photo sure to be worth millions one day.

Chris, Amy and Benjamin Bear. Can you see the little ears on his outfit? So cute!!

And this is video of Benjamin eating cereal for the first time!!! He loved it. Had a hard time keeping it in this mouth but I don't blame him because it was mostly liquid. We're going to try a little thicker consistency today. Our little boy is growing up so fast!

Benjamin had a doctor appointment this past week. His stats are 19 lbs. 1 oz., 26 in. tall, and 17 1/2 inch head circumference. Such a big boy!! He's wearing 6-9 month clothing and isn't 5 months yet! I don't know what we're going to do when he's a teenager! I think he has some teeth coming in. He is usually pretty drooly but has been extra slobbery lately, a little fussy, not sleeping quite as well at night, and I'm pretty sure I see faint white lines underneath his gums. Only time will tell!

Well, that's all for now. I will post again soon, especially with how fast he's developing. It seems like there's always something new to share. We love you all. God bless you!