Where did the summer go?

That is the question. I can't believe it's already coming to an end. We had so much fun with Ben...lots of weddings, baptism, Leech Lake, walks with Bauer, playing in the grass, visiting with friends. It really was a blast. We started out the summer with Laura and Noah's wedding. Josh and I were both in it, so it was a long 2 days for Ben, but he was a trooper. Thanks to G&G Solem for taking care of him so Mom and Dad could celebrate a little! Next we had 4 days at Leech Lake with all the cousins. Ben had so much fun, as did Lilah, Emma, Gavin, Kevin, Hannah and Rachel. Gavin is still struggling with the fact that Ben is a baby and can't do all the things he'd like him to do, like go fishing, tubing, watch SpongeBob, etc. Maybe next year, Gav. Ben's baptism came next, on July 6th. It was sooooo hot, but a very special day for everyone. Mama May made great food and we had a little party at 117 Donovan with the Solems and the Olsons and Fr. Jerry. We spent a weekend at Camp Olson at Kathio State Park...everyone thought we were crazy taking a 5 month old tent camping, but it was so much fun! Ben was great. Finally August came and went and now here we are 08/26/08 and wondering where the last three months went.

We are starting a new adventure in our lives right now. We moved to Maple Lake on Friday and are living in a little guest house in the middle of cornfields with mice and bugs and rusty water. Not exactly what I'd like to call home. So we are hopefully making another move this weekend to a rental house in Monticello, where we'll stay until our house in Faribault sells. Josh got a new job in the Monti school district that we are really excited about...now we just need to get our housing situation figured out. Hopefully we'll know more tomorrow...I'll keep you posted :)

Ben started daycare yesterday at Corrie Odland's. I know he's going to love it. The kids (Lauren, Sophie, Peyton and Olivia) love him already!

Some Ben milestones...rolling ALL OVER, smiling and laughing nonstop, kicking and squealing in the bath, starting solids (loves pears and sweet potatoes), pattycake, kisses and hugs, the list could go on and on.

Here are some pics to sum up our summer...I'm already looking forward to the next, when Mr. Ben is walking and talking and having a great time at home with Dad!

Back to work

So I am officially back to work now. My first day was last Wednesday, but I only worked about 6 hours. Laura came down to stay with Ben, which was really nice. Then I started full-time yesterday. Steve and Margie are here for the week to watch Ben, as Josh's last day of teaching is Thursday. Sunday night was really hard...I was so sad after putting Ben to bed! But the mornings have gone really well so far and yesterday he was "perfect" according to Grandma Margie! So that makes me feel better. I'm at work now, so can't post any pictures, but will do that tonight, I promise.

I can't believe Ben is already 3 months old. He is such a big boy! Lots lots lots of smiles and squeals and is really interactive with Josh and I. He still loves tummy time and also has developed a new love for ceiling fans! It's so fun to see him every day and watch him change and grow. This summer will be lots of fun, I think :)

2 months old!

Wow, I'm not very good at keeping up with this blog...hopefully I'll improve after I go back to work and have some downtime in my day! I can't believe Ben is already 2 months old tomorrow. Where did the time go? The past few weeks have been really fun...lots of smiling and laughing and interacting. He's much more like a real person now and we're getting something in return for all we've given him! He has his "moments" (like today) where he is just crabby for no reason, but for the most part he is so content. I couldn't ask for a happier baby! He started sleeping in his crib last week and actually slept 8 hours in a row last Wednesday! Hasn't happened since, but I know it will again soon. Other than that extraordinary night, he usually sleeps one 5 hour stretch and then a 2-3 hour stretch, so not too bad. Another big event was rolling over...he's a champ at rolling from tummy to back, now we have to work on the other way! He loves taking walks outside, especially in the Baby Bjorn, so every day I pray for nice weather.

Last weekend we were in GR for Auntie Laura's bridal shower. It was fun to see the family again. Mama May is just in LOVE with her little man! We also got to meet Claire Tobeck, who was born on 04/23. Might be a little girlfriend for Ben! It was amazing to see how much they change in 8 short weeks. Then we spent Sunday night at G&G Solems...they were haveing Ben withdrawls too!

Here are some pics...I hope it works this time!

So now six weeks have past since Ben's arrival...I have a lot of catch-up blogging to do! 6 weeks in a nutshell...eat, sleep, poop, cry, eat, poop, cry, sleep eat, eat, eat, sleep, poop, smile (yes, smile)...you get the picture. No honestly, it's been wonderful. He's changed and grown so much already, I can hardly believe it. We've had so much fun watching the changes happen right before our eyes.

Let's see...what did we do? We go to BabyStop every Thursday morning, where he gets weighed, meets lot of other babies, and I get to meet lots of moms too. It's a good excuse to get out of the house and I look forward to it every week. We've taken several trips to Target and Walmart. We've gone out to eat at Bostons. We took our first road trip to Grand Rapids for Easter - he was a trooper in the car. So good, in fact, that we took another trip the next weekend to Motley for our baby shower. So in two weeks he got to meet all three of his great-grandmas, plus cousins, aunts, uncles and lots of friends.

The past few weeks have been the best. He's smiling lots, babbling lots and is really starting to be interactive. For the most part, Ben has been a very happy baby, with the occasional crabby day or two thrown in there. And aside from a few nights last weekend, he's sleeping pretty good too. Last night we had our first "real" 5 hour stretch...8:30-1:30. It was amazing!

I'm trying to post pictures, but the site isn't working right now...will try again soon!

Looking back...

Okay, so I'm just figuring out this blogging thing. I guess it's the thing to do in 2008. I'm not on MySpace or FaceBook, so I suppose I should jump on the blogging bandwagon! And what a great time too...we have a new little boy named Benjamin Steven! Ben was born on March 1st at 10:01 am. A big boy - 8 lbs. 8 oz and 21.5 inches long! Here's a little recap of the events...

My water broke at home at 9:45pm on 02/29. I called the BabyLine and they said to take our time, but definitely go to the hospital. So Josh and I both showered and finished packing our bags and then headed up to Burnsville. We arrived at the hospital ay 11:45pm, just as contractions were starting. I had an epidural by 1:00am and was feeling great. Josh and I even got some sleep! I was fully dilated at 7:45am and started pushing. After a long 2+ hours, Benjamin was born - sunny-side up! He was making things difficult already! But what a joy...Josh and I fell in love with him instantly. And you know what they say about forgetting about the pains of labor...well, I haven't forgotten yet, but hopefully will soon!

We came home from the hospital on March 3rd, and of course Mama May and Papa Ron were here and had lots of good food ready for us! They stayed until Wednesday and then Grandma Margie and Grandpa Steve came from Friday-Sunday. So we had lots of help that first week, which was so wonderful.

Life has truly been a blur from then to now, but I'm trying to absorb everything and it's just so rewarding watching Ben grow and change every day. We feel so blessed to have such a great little man in our lives!

Here are some pictures of those first few days. Now the trick will be keeping up with this blog!