Above Average

Benjamin's six-month check-up occurred last week. The doctor pronounced him fit and healthy. His measurements all added up to above average - he's a little taller and a little heavier than most other children his age. And, his head is a little bigger. But it seems that little buddha has now become quite proportional. We do think he's a handsome boy!

Army Crawl and Sittin' Pretty

Benjamin is officially crawling! No more of his creeping-head-roll maneuver. He does the forearm (army) crawl. He's happier being able to get around on his own, though he will not be fully mobile until he can get up on his hands.

And...Benjamin is now sitting up on his own. He can't push himself up into position, but he can stay there if you sit him down. He does well playing with blocks as he sits. Big boy!

Canine Solidarity

Benjamin is fascinated by dogs. He stops whatever he's doing (including eating) to look at a dog that enters the room. He reaches out to touch them. He laughs hysterically at them.

And now he pants like them. Seriously.

When the panting began, my mom and I wondered if this was just his new thing of the moment or if he really was imitating the dogs intentionally. Some debate has gone back and forth about it, but today it seemed clear to me that he was panting because we started talking about the dog. I'm pretty sure he knows exactly what he's doing. Now if I can just catch it on video...

The Eagle Has Landed

Tooth number two arrived some time yesterday. We are all happy about this as the amount of racket caused by the entry of these new residents has been positively maddening. Mama is grateful that, according to the folk wisdom she's been hearing, the worst teeth to cut in are the first lower ones. Let's hope that's the truth. For now, we celebrate! And mourn how fast he's growing up.

Open Adoption and NPR

In light of this previous post and my quest to find more experienced open-adoption parents (both adoptive and birth), I ran across this series on NPR. Not all of it is relevant to our journey, but I find it all interesting. And this batch of NPR stories was particularly helpful. If you have an interest in adoption, take a look!

First Tooth

Two days ago, after making an awful racket for 20+ hours, Benjamin sprouted a lower tooth. There is still an awful lot of racket going on and a bit of swelling where the second tooth will be, so check in often as the next tooth should make an appearance soon!

At this time, Benjamin's mouth is not cooperating with attempts to produce a documentary photograph. Gentle readers, you will have to imagine a pink baby gum with the ridge of a lower tooth protruding at a barely measurable height.

Ode to Feet

Because feet, and nakedness, couldn't be any cuter. (Benjamin prefers to wear nothing, and he now spends much of his time with his toes in his mouth!)

Cleveland Rocks!

Our weekend in Cleveland allowed Benjamin time to get better acquainted with his rockin' cousins, Molly and Morgan. Check out the results!

Solidly on Solids

In three short weeks, Benjamin has gone from a bottle boy to a solid-eating master. He attempted his first bites of applesauce at Aunt Amy's house - bites that made him shudder and wrinkle his nose. Now he slurps down oatmeal, bananas, pears, applesauce, and sweet potatoes (his favorite!). He still gets the heebie-jeebies with carrots and peas. I just found PRUNES today. Heh, heh. We'll try those out when he's a bit stopped up.

Here are some photos from his first attempt.