BowlingBliss

BowlingBliss

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

14 Months Old and Ear Tubes

Out by the pool...catching some rays!

Hello All!  I'll start with this...Bentley is HILARIOUS!!!  He jibber jabbers like he's having an all out conversation with us.  Every now and then, he'll throw in a word in that we can make out, but most of the time is sounds a little like this, "Laaabandnhdndanllaalaannaamdnanamama."  Usually, he's pointing at something and leaning over as if to put lots of emphasis on what he's saying.  I've tried to get a good video of him doing this, but I haven't yet succeeded.  I'll post one as soon as I do, though. :)

Bentley is still not even 19 pounds, but I think he's gotten taller.  He's able to reach things he couldn't used to reach, and he bumps his head on drawers now.  He must be taller!  He's talking up a storm with even more words.  He's still saying most of the words from the previous posts, but some of them have changed.  Here's the latest list:

  1. Mama
  2. Dada
  3. Titi - Sissy (Porsche)
  4. Ba - Ball
  5. Ba Baw - Golf ball
  6. Mmmm - Moo (When asked, "What does a cow say?"
  7. Baaa - Cup (for playing with in the bathtub)
  8. Ba ba - Paci
  9. Ma ma - Bunny (Sleepy Bunny)
  10. Mmmmm - Milk
  11. Nana - Banana
  12. Bea bea - Brown Bear
  13. Boo - Book
  14. Ba (with a short /a/) - Bath
  15. Do do - Toothbrush (with the same intonation that I use to say "toothbrush")
  16. Ri Ri - Ride Ride (wagon, car, rocking chair...anything that moves)
  17. All Done - Sounds a lot like ride ride, but only says it when he's done eating.
  18. Bye Bye - He usually waves when he says it, too.  Also stands at the door, saying "bye" when he wants to go outside.
  19. Hi - As he waves to everyone we pass in the grocery store.
  20. Lie - Light
  21. Dat - That
  22. Baba - Vaccuum
  23. No - Nose
  24. Eye - with a great country accent
  25. Bite bite - food
  26. Uh Uh - Uh Oh
  27. Bebe - Baby
  28. Wawa - water (So cute to hear him say, "Bye Bye, Wawa" in the bathtub as the water runs out.)
  29. Kitty Kitty - He doesn't actually say "kitty kitty," but he sticks his tongue in and out trying to.
  30. Bo - Bird (He says it really loud when he sees birds outside.)
  31. Dududududu - doggie (really high pitched, like he's calling it)  Just today he started panting like a dog with his tongue out to tell me he saw a picture of a dog.  TOO CUTE!
  32. Bubbo - Bubbles (This has to be the sweetest thing he says.)
  33. Bo - Blow (It sounds just like "bird," but he says it with the bubbles.) 
  34. Ewww - Trash, as he takes paper to the trash can.
  35. LaLa - Hello, as he holds a phone to his ear.
  36. Bu - Button, as he tries to press anything that even resembles a button.
  37. Brrrr - This is what he says when he holds a water bottle or touches one of Mommy or Daddy's drinks.  (We told him "Brrrr, it's cold," the first time he picked up Daniel's cold bottle of water.)
  38. u u - Open (as he hands me his bubbles or any container that needs to be opened.
  39. a (short /a/ sound) - This could be "up" or "out" depending on the situation.
That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I forgot a couple.
You may notice that some of the words he uses are the same for more than one thing.  You have to take them in context to know what he's talking about.  Mommy knows what he's saying! :)  To go along with all these words, he is making some pretty silly sounds, too.  He's a little ham and loves being around people.  When I take him to Daniel's work, he goes around to everyone's office to say "hi."  Yesterday, Daniel came home for lunch, and as he told Bentley "bye bye," Bentley hurried over to him raising his arms up.  I said, tell Daddy "bye bye."  He wouldn't say it, so we went about our routine.  I took him up to his room for his nap, and as we closed the curtains and blinds, as plain as day, Bentley said, "Dada, bye bye," as he waved his little hand toward the door.   It was sooooo precious.

Bentley is SO close to running.  He's walking really quickly, and he loves to play chase.  I'll run or crawl after him, and he laughs hysterically.  He backs himself into a corner and just waits for me to tickle him.  His laugh is so sweet, and SUPER contagious.

Here's a couple of videos that help to see just how funny he is.



Bentley is sleeping like a champ these days.  He went through a short spell last month where he started crying every time I laid him down again.  (He's developed a major attachment to Mommy, so I think that's why.)  We got through it though, and he's back to sleeping SO good.  He's usually in bed between 7:30 and 8:00, and he's been sleeping past 8:00 in the morning.  He's been taking one long nap right after lunch, but if he needs an early nap, we get another quick one in before dinner.  He still loves his bedtime routine, and he's starting to take part in it a little more.  He chooses his bedtime book now with the following choices: Love You Forever, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?, I Love My Mom, and Time For Bed.  For about the last month, he chose I Love My Mom, but just in the last week, we've been reading Brown Bear.  It's sweet to see that he has a preference.  Sometimes when reading Brown Bear, he makes the animal sounds for the bear, cat, and dog, but not consistently.  When I get to the teacher, I say, "Shhh," and Bentley sometimes makes the "s" sound.  So cute!

Bentley eats pretty good.  He's funny about trying some new foods, and of all things not to eat...he won't touch fried chicken (which is Daniel's favorite).  He LOVES pizza and the Gerber Graduates Ravioli.  His new favorite thing is fruit cocktail fruit cups, and he also really likes Jell-O.  He eats most of what we eat, but I keep the ravioli on hand for when he's not too excited about our meals.

Enjoying a yummy lunch at home!
To top off all of Bentley's updates, his 14 month birthday was a BIG day.  He got tubes in his ears...Poor baby!  We had to be at the Surgery Center at 6:00 a.m., which was early enough for him to not really miss breakfast.  He doesn't usually eat until 8:00 or later.  He was in a great mood, and didn't even cry when they took him back.  He whined a little as they took him from Daddy, but overall, he did great. 

Mommy and Bentley up bright and early....waiting

Snuggling with Daddy before the procedure.

Wow...what's this??

Such a big boy, and so cure in his hospital gown.

Hmmm...what's that I see?

What's up doc?

Look, Mommy!!

The procedure took all of about five minutes, so we were only away from him for about fifteen or twenty minutes.  They used gas to make him sleep, but intubation and IV's were NOT required...thank goodness.  When he woke up, he was GRUMPY!  They said the anesthesia makes babies that way.  He was pitiful.  He just sobbed and huffed and puffed for about 30 minutes.  he finally went to sleep on the way home and slept for 2 1/2 hours.  When he woke up, it was as if nothing happened. 

Surgery?  What surgery?

Sweet baby boy...huhum, I mean, big boy looking out the window.

We took Bentley to Mellow Mushroom since he was so good because he usually loves the pizza there.  He didn't have much of an appetite because he was still tired.

So sleepy!

He started coughing yesterday and running a fever, so I called the doctor this morning.  He said that the coughing could be from the gas/anesthesia and the fever could be his body's way of coping with all they did to his ears.  Apparently, there was a lot of "nasty gunk" on his eardrums that required a lot of cleaning.  The doc said that tubes will be the only cure for ear issues that bad.  He's been a little cranky with the fever, but nothing major, so we are just thankful it's over.  Ahhhh!

Overall, this has been a SUPER fun month.  I'm off of school for the summer, and Bentley and I are getting to spend LOTS of time together.  We play, snuggle, go outside, swim, slide, swing, dance, sing, eat, paint and just have fun!  We've been going to the public library for story time, too.  It's so much fun!  Last summer I got to stay home with him when he was tiny.  This summer he has a personality, has preferences, tries to talk to me, and shows me every day that he loves me.  I am cherishing each moment.

Story time at the public library.

Such a big boy.

Playing with fun toys at the library.

I turned my back for just a minute...hmmmm...rolling the living room.

At the Relay for Life...Roll Tide!

Stylish mohawk for the pool!
Bentley is a huge fan of swimming, and he is fearless!  He walks right into the water and doesn't mind going under, either.  He's so much fun!

Swimming with Daddy.

Hey Daddy...I'm about to jump in right there!

Happy boy!

Sleeping in the wagon at the pool...this thing has dual purposes.

Snuggled up. :)

We are going to the beach on vacation next week, so we'll have some more photos and updates then.  Can't wait!!!

Big boy in his big boy car seat...we decided to let him practice riding facing the front since that's how he will ride to the beach.

***Here's my disclaimer...many of these photos were taken with an iPhone or iPad, so the quality is not great.  Sorry! :)

Monday, June 4, 2012

Bentley's First Date

Last Friday, Daniel, Bentley, and I went down to Birmingham to go out with Scott, Mary Catherine, and Anna Scott.  We had such a wonderful time catching up, and it was so fun to see Bentley and Anna Scott together. 

As a little background, Bentley and Anna Scott are a mere one month apart.  As a matter of fact Bentley was born on April 11th, the day after Anna Scott's baby shower.  Anna Scott followed shortly after on May 10th.  It is so fun to see how similar, yet how different they are as they grow up so close in age.  They are both jibber-jabbering away, and it is so cute to see how they interact with one another.  Here's some pictures of our outing Friday night.

First, we met Scott and Mary Catherine at their house.  Bentley had painted Anna Scott a picture, and I can't believe I didn't manage to get a picture of it.  Anyways...we transferred Anna Scott's car seat to our car, and we headed out!

This is a horrible picture, but it's the best I could do to get them both in the same picture.
We went to  dinner at Cocina, a yummy Mexican restaurant.  The food was good and the kids were adorable.
Anna Scott and Bentley are getting acquainted.

Drinking from a BIG BOY cup!

So Sweet...Mister Man is feeding Anna Scott his food.
 After eating...the fountain outside made for the perfect photo op.

Sweet babies...they both LOVE the water.

Is this not one of those photos that just melts your heart?

Trying to get a picture with everyone looking and sitting still... HAHA

We tried to get Bentley to sit still by holding Anna Scott's hand.  He just wanted to play in the water.

Just like a boy...Not touching. Not touching!!

Just let me in, Daddy!  I can swim, I promise!
After the yummy dinner, we headed to get some ice cream at Edgewood Creamery.  Talk about delicious...is was amazing!  Bentley and Anna Scott agreed!

Bentley and Mommy eating chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in a waffle cone!  He loved the ice cream AND the cone!

Anna Scott shared her Daddy's ice cream...strawberry cheesecake, I believe!

She took the best part of her Mommy's cone...YUM!

Hmmm...trying to get two one-year-olds to sit on a ledge together AND smile at the camera...VERY FUNNY!
Finally, we headed back to Scott and Mary Catherine's for a little while before coming home.  Bentley and Anna Scott changed into their jammies, and they played a while before we left.  They really seemed to enjoy one another's company.

Bentley seemed to like Anna Scott's playpen for a little while.  He was cute playing with all of her pink toys.

Bentley got so excited seeing Hobie, Anna Scott's doggie.  He gets so excited when he sees any doggie these days.

This was the first time Bentley said, "out," though it sounded more like, "a."
Overall, this was a wonderful outing with old friends introducing new friends.  I can only hope that Bentley and Anna Scott become good friends, just like their parents.  Before we left, Bentley and Anna Scott gave each other a kiss...Yes, on the lips.  They were so cute together, and I can't wait to get us all together again!

Memorial Day Cookout

I have no excuse for not posting lately, except for the fact that I've been enjoying myself and my time with my Little Man!  We haven't really been busy with stuff that "matters," just stuff that's FUN!

Here's some pictures of Bentley's first trip to the pool this year.  He LOVED it.  He went straight for the pool, and he is fearless!  He walks right off the edge of the pool into the water.  Too cute!

Swimming with Daddy...doesn't get much better than this.

About to go under for the first time...

Whew...what was that all about?

Hey, Daddy!  Did you make me do that?  Do it again!

Getting a suntan...wanted his shoes on...hahaha
We had family and friends over for Memorial Day.  Daniel smoked ribs, and we had grilled corn on the cob, potato salad,baked beans, Texas caviar, cantaloupe, watermelon, AND ooey gooey butter cake (Paula Deen's recipe, so you know it's good).  Everything was SO yummy delicious!  We all had such a good time, and it was fun to see Bentley play with all the kids.  Check out some of our photos of the very hot, super fun day.

Bentley and I played outside waiting on everyone to get there.  He slept until 9:00, so he was ready to play!

Karington is waiting to play in the water.

Eating lunch...watching other kiddos play!

After eating, we got him ready to play on the Splash Pad, but he went straight for the Gator.

Ruby Cate was taking a break from playing.

Coen and Charlie were waiting patiently for the Splash Pad to get hooked up.

Check out "the boys."

Ahhh...so refreshing.

WOOOOO HOOOOOO

Coen is taking it all in...he LOVED the splash pad.

Ruby decided to get in on the action.

And so did Karington. 
Finally, all five kiddos are playing together!

Taking a break from the splash pad...time to SLIDE!

Coen was holding Bentley's hand leading him back to the water.

Charlie is having a great time!

It's time to "ride ride!"
 After playing on the Splash Pad in the back yard, we decided to take the party to the pool.  Here's the pictures I have from that fun time!

Here's Coen and Russ having a good time.  I think Russ is about to throw him in the air!

Bentley was too preoccupied for this family shot.

Chris, Kayla, and Karington are all smiles!

This was the first day that Bentley had a Capri Sun.  He thought it was YUMMY!  (If only I could get him to drink it without squeezing it.)

Too tired to even pick up goldfish...He's eating them straight out of my hand.

So cute...nearly naked is my favorite!
We had a great time everyone, and the food was so good.  I look forward to the same shindig next year. :)