March Madness

Sorry the pictures are all out of order. They will make more sense after reading the text below. I've decided it's not worth loosing my temper over trying to fix it today:) Sleep deprivation has effected my level of patience these days..lol.

March has come and gone very quickly but was an amazing time developmentally for our Hugh. He has grown so much over the past month and in our opinion has gotten cuter and smarter. He is pseudo-crawling backwards now. He will get on all fours, throw his butt into the air and walk his hands backwards once or twice before coming back down onto his belly. It is kind of sad to see him on his tummy wanting to move to a toy that is just out of his reach for him only to move further away from it. He is steam rolling all over the living room floor from one corner to the next in lightening speeds. He will pick up and put EVERYTHING into his mouth and his first real sound combo was NA NA. The funny thing is that Nana is what we call Blake's mom and when he gets on a NA NA rampage Blake will yell out, "yeah Hughie, I want Nana too:)"

Hughie loves to pull up on our hands so that he can stand and makes all kinds of cooing and awwing sounds. His tickle spots that get him belly laughing are his inner thighs and middle of his back. Paul loves making him laugh. He is turning into quite the boy and already likes to "rough house" a little with Paul. The coolest thing he just started doing yesterday was initiating peek a boo! I have a video I have posted recently on my facebook page of him in action.

This past weekend Paul's parents came to town and we took a day trip to Kirtland Ohio to visit a church historical site. The weather was amazing and the experience was spiritually strengthening for all of us as well. To keep up with the tradition of transforming our son into a holiday animal, Paul's mother gave Hugh his own set of bunny ears.

I thought that the last picture really shows just how big our baby has gotten. Paul's mom bought him this super cute summer romper and it is the size for an 18 month old...YIKES!!! We think he will start leaning out a little now that he has just started running around in his walker and jumping in his "Johnny Jump Up"

That's all for now:)

PS- Springtime rules!!!

We are SO happy to say adios to February! Our AZ trip was absolutely magical. The beautiful warm sun was like a drug I couldn’t get enough of, so I extended my stay to almost 2 weeks and Paul came down for the last few days to experience the happiness that comes from the warm sun. Hughie and I went for many strolls through various places including the Zoo and a few different parks. It was foreign to not have to dress in a million layers and I enjoyed sporting flip flops and short sleeves.

Hughie’s first zoo trip with his cousins was a lot of fun. He looked so cute in his floppy hat that his aunt KT got him that matched his cousin George. I think I had more fun this zoo trip but I am sure the next one Hughie will be more into all the animals.

Hughie sat in his first swing at the railroad park and road his first train with my best bud Brittany and her little guy Ty. Hughie is just growing so fast it’s CRAZY. He has become a good little eater and doesn't discriminate against any food except peas so far. He loves to play in his saucer and put everything in his mouth. He is still toothless for the time being and enjoys putting on vocal performances every morning in his crib when he wakes up. He is definitely a morning person like the rest of us. He is SO close to sitting on his own and does a funny wiggle worm move on all fours to get just out of reach toys.

School is going good for Paul, he is just so ready for the semester to end. I am trying to start some craft-like projects since I have always had a craft handicap but the spring cleaning bug has taken a hold of me and I have most recently reorganized all our food storage…exciting huh..lol! We are both looking forward to spring and getting the chance to get out of the house more.

January PA Trip

Wow. January has felt like a very long and cold month. I started to have a small seasonal depressive episode caused by a record number of days without any sign of sun. Paul prescribed a road trip to mom-mom and pop-pop's to shake me out of my funk and it worked:) PA had blue skies each day we were there which was a nice change.

It was great seeing Paul's parents again and to see how Hugh is starting to recognize their faces and voices. We played around in Harrisburg one day and stopped in at my favorite Amish run store for some out of control baked goods. It feels good to be home again and now I only have 10 days until Hugh and I fly to AZ to soak up some serious rays and get to meet cousins and aunties.

Our little Hugh has started doing some pretty fun stuff in the past few weeks. Along with laughing he has discovered his feet, enjoys turning pages during bed-time stories and sitting with the support of a pillow. He will furiously chew on his fingers as we can see his front teeth trying to make there way to the surface. He now enjoys eating rice cereal mixed with fruit. Pears are his favorite so far. He continues to become more vocal and he is wearing 12 month size clothing to accommodate his massive thighs. He grabs all his toys with both hands and puts them on a one way track to his mouth.

Here is a video of Hughie's debut of sitting up on his own. Pay attention for the bonus at the end of the video - he must of had enough pears!

Christmas 2009

We can't believe the holidays have already come and gone. We had a lot of fun at the Benson Manor in Selinsgrove, PA where we got to catch up with aunt Liz, aunt Megan, and got to meet the "some day" uncle Adrian. We took a day trip to visit extended family in Delaware and the weather was so nice during our entire stay in both places. It was really nice to have multiple sunny days in a row that we don't get a lot of in Ohio.

Trip highlights included Hughie taking his first rolls, eating his first bites of rice cereal, and getting dressed in a reindeer outfit (compliments of mom mom). Paul got to eat some scrapple, Blake did some fun thrift store shopping with her sister-in-laws and we both got stuck in stand still traffic for 3 freakin hours on our way back home. Blake, Megan, and Elizabeth started on some original 90's hip hop cheography while Pop Pop perfected his moon walk and snake. All in all it was a fantastic trip :)

Over the past few days our not so little Hugh has started doing something so great that we are so excited about....he is laughing. The best part is that he laughs as a response to being scared. Kinda messed up, but he is so cute when he does it. He also officially loves his super soft blanket (now called "smoothie") when he naps. Here's his laughing debut......

November fun

Well, another month has flown by bringing more laughter and joy in our little home. We feel so grateful to be where we are and to have a healthy little boy who is pretty cute too. Little Hugh has really come to life this month and is cooing, smiling, and discovering his hands and feet. He has finally started sleeping in his crib and solidifying more of a sleep and nap schedule which has made our lives a little easier.

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday with Paul's parents who are now just a 4 hour drive away. It is so great to be close to some family again but we are still missing the rest of our family in AZ , UT, and WA. Luckily, the Christmas holiday will bring a few more family members to PA to celebrate together.

We just bought Hugh this exersaucer and he is quite enamoured with all of the toys on it. I can't believe that he is already big enough to even sit in it...yikes!

Home Bodies

So Paul and I broke down and decided to get some good pics of our little Hugh by a real photographer. I realize that I am so lucky to have Paul at home helping out so much. He is such a great daddy and gets to spend so much quality time with us every day. I need to remember this when I think we are ready to have another one that it will not be nearly as easy b/c Paul will not be around nearly as much to change diapers, burp, and give me frequent sleeping breaks. I really do not know how single parents can do this on their own.

We have been hunkering down in the colder weather and staying indoors while getting to know our new bundle of joy. He has been such a good baby so far but will not sleep in his crib yet. After all the baby and parenting books I read during my pregnancy I was convinced I was going to take a more structured take on parenting but it is becoming quit the opposite. I CAN NOT stand to hear him cry for more than one second and give in and pick him up.

So far at nine weeks of age he is starting to crack the most beautiful smiles at us and the other night he started laughing in his sleep. We are a little worried b/c he has already started fighting his sleep and I am seeing future days of a bigger Hugh running in circles until he drops to the floor in utter exhaustation to get to sleep. He was going through a colicky phase but after making some changes in my diet he is doing a lot better.

On Sunday October 18th Paul gave little Hugh his church blessing with both sets of grandparents in attendance. It was a special day and little Hugh looked so cute in his white outfit borrowed from his cousin Reeves. We are already looking forward to the fun days that lie ahead once he reaches future milestones but we are trying to remember to enjoy him now and live in the moment.

Long Overdue

It's been 8 months since our last post and I am vowing to friends and family to post a new update with pics at least every month. A lot has happened since our last post. We have moved twice and Paul has transferred med schools. We are now living in rural northeastern Ohio just 45 minutes south of Cleveland. We found a cute little house to rent and start our family in.

We celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary in August and welcomed our first little boy Hugh Maxwell Benson on September 4th at 9pm. He weighed in at 8lbs 8ounces and 21 inches long. Labor went fast and was fairly painless (thanks to the miracle of the epidural), and like I have heard almost everyone say, it was all worth it. We feel so blessed to have a healthy and well tempered baby and can't believe how much he has grown in just 5 weeks.

Being parents is even better than we imagined and we are already so proud of him over things like his excellent ability to pass gas and belch like a grown man and the sweet little farm like animal sounds he makes when he is half asleep.

Paul is back to being a full time student and I am calling myself a trophy wife and mother (lol). I am so glad that I don't have to go back to work b/c I could not imagine leaving little Hugh for more than an hour or two:) Fall is definitly here and the leaves are changing and there is a strong chill in the air. We are so happy to be in the same home for almost 3 years before our next move.