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Happy 5 Months Benjamin! Wednesday, January 31, 2007 Today marks Benjamin's five month birthday. I am seriously in shock at how quickly the time is flying by. This month marked a ton of exciting milestones, including sitting up unassisted for a short while, rolling both directions, starting solid food, creeping across the room, visiting New York, and sleeping in his "big boy" crib. He is the biggest joy in our lives, and while it might just be the sleeplessness that we're suffering from, we don't even remember what life was like before him!  ~Courtney posted at 7:47:05 PM Welcome Baby Camden! Monday, January 29, 2007 Camden Dexter Bond was born last Thursday, January 25, 2007 at 7:17 PM. He weighed 9 lbs and 3 ounces, and was 22 inches long! He is absolutely gorgeous in his pictures, and we can't wait to meet him in person!  Big brothers Tal, Riley, and Reagan are excited to have their new brother home!  Congratulations Bond Family! We are so excited for you! ~Courtney posted at 1:22:26 PM Sunday Blues Sunday, January 28, 2007 I get the Sunday Blues. Bigtime. There is just something about Sunday evenings that make me so sad. The better the weekend, the harder I crash on Sunday night. It really doesn't help that there is no good TV on tonight, either... However, grumpiness aside, we had a really good weekend. We went to downtown Colorado Springs, which is actually kind of cute. Who knew? They have tons of cute restaurants, and we chose to visit a cute little Irish Pub. We got our own little "snug" which was a room with doors on it. Our stroller even fit in there, which was great because Benjamin doesn't really do well with the whole sitting up thing, and I couldn't delve into the spinach dip with the gusto it deserved with a kid on my lap. Anyhow. Benjamin got a Kelty backpack for Christmas from my mom and Ron, and it's great! We have only used it inside, so far, but Benjamin seems to LOVE being up high like that. Andrew says it's much more comfortable than the Baby Bjorn now that Benjamin weighs so much.  Here's a bonus picture of the boys playing with Benjamin's new blocks:   Here is our roley-poley little guy:  I hope you had a wonderful weekend as well, and that you aren't feeling too blue tonight! ~Courtney posted at 9:48:51 PM That's better! Thursday, January 25, 2007  Sweet potatoes were much better received than the peas! He would have eaten them all night, had I let him! In other news, Benjamin creeped yesterday. He scooted about 2-3 feet to get to a toy on the floor. We're in trouble now! ~Courtney posted at 8:25:26 PM He rolls, and rolls, and rolls... Tuesday, January 23, 2007 Disclaimer: If you are not a family member, a close friend, a baby enthusiast, or a new mom, I highly recommend that you refrain from watching this video. Benjamin and I need to run out to Babies R Us to pick up a gate this afternoon...I can't believe it! ~Courtney posted at 11:09:40 AM Starting Solids! Monday, January 22, 2007 Although I hadn't planned to start any solids until 6 months, Benjamin's insatiable appetite has led me to introduce a little bit of food. He loves the cereal, but was NOT a fan of peas. We're going back to cereal for a couple of days, and might try something more appetizing...like sweet potatoes!   As you can see, the peas didn't go over so well. ~Courtney posted at 2:21:47 PM Fake Christmas Fun Saturday, January 20, 2007 As promised, here are some shots of the clan during our fake Christmas visit to NY. They are not in any real order, but we hope you enjoy them all the same! Fake Christmas is exhausting!  Wait...there are MORE presents?  There comes a time at night when the Bjorn is the only thing that keeps Benjamin calm. Aunt Emily volunteered to lug around the bean!  Benjamin with his Grandpa!  Benjamin unwrapping the stuffed elephant that is bigger than he is!  No, this is not a tornado that hit...it's just Fake Christmas!  Benjamin went to bed around his normal bedtime, but heard about presents downstairs, and decided to join us, even though it was close to midnight! His grandma quickly volunteered to keep him occupied!  The Happy Family!  ~Courtney posted at 11:29:51 AM Babies on a Plane Wednesday, January 17, 2007 So, most of you know, Benjamin is a well traveled little guy. So far, he's been to Washington, Florida, and most recently, New York. If I wasn't so cheap, and I'd bought him his own seat, he'd have over 12,000 frequent flier miles before he turned 5 months old. However, he travels as a lap child because a) the aforementioned cheapness, and b) the fact that he's not a big fan of his car seat, so it'd be a bunch of money down the toilet. Anyhow, many of my new mom friends are hesitant to take their first plane trips with baby in tow. I've come up with the following tips based on my (slightly limited) experience: 1. Even if he/she didn't spit up on you during the first handful of flights, pack an extra outfit (for you). I lucked out that the Philly airport had a Gap in it, as I replaced jeans and shirts. The good news, I got jeans in my pre-pregnancy size! If your need two outfits for you, make the assumption that the 2 you have for baby are not going to cut it. 2. When booking the seats (and traveling with a partner), book the aisle and the window seat. There is a decent chance the middle seat will be empty between you. Not like the baby can sit there or anything, but you'll be glad you have the space. 3. Plan to feed the baby during take-off or landing. That does not always work as planned, since you might spend an hour on the tarmac of the Syracuse airport while the de-icer company fights with US Airways over whether or not the plane should be turned off...Anyhow, the schedule will likely fall to pieces, but at least you tried! 4. Pack light. Seriously, this is really, really, really hard to do, but at least try. Buy diapers where you go, plan to do laundry if at all possible, and pick a couple of the favorite toys, and leave the rest behind. 5. This is definitely a personal choice, but this combination seems to work the best for us so far: Buy the $20 car seat protector bag at Target and check the car seat with your luggage. We start out with Benjamin in the Bjorn, and have the lightweight stroller with us, although folded up. They have yet to make me take him out of the Bjorn at security, so that works really well. Once we get through there, we plunk him in the stroller. We gate check that when we're getting on the airplane. This is particularly good if you have a layover. I am beat, but pictures will be coming soon! ~Courtney posted at 10:30:39 PM Jet Setting Tuesday, January 09, 2007 I have been traveling regularly for the better part of the last six years. However, I’ve always worked for start up companies, and have gotten airline tickets on whichever airline is cheapest. I just got my United Mileage Plus monthly email, and holy smokes, I FINALLY have enough miles on one airline for a free ticket. We logged into Andrew’s account, and he has almost two times what I have, so the whole fam-damily can come visit…Now, who wants company? ~Courtney posted at 10:58:16 PM Digging out. Wednesday, January 03, 2007 A quick update from here: Benjamin had his 4-month well baby visit yesterday morning. He weighed 16 lbs 15 ounces, and was 25.75 inches long. I started feeling sick on New Years Eve; then better, then worse...you get the picture. I woke up with the world's worst sinus headache/migrane today, and ended up going into the doctor's office. Result: A horrid cold, no antibiotics, and I finally got that flu shot I had been postponing. It was 55 degrees here today, so much of the snow melted and disappeared into Happyville's drainage system. There has been a big tour bus driving through Happyville tonight: No clue what that's about, but traffic was backed up about 5 cars on my street. That's a lot. We're close enough to the NY trip to take advantage of the "10-Day Extended Forecast," and it looks good. Very good. That's all I've got! ~Courtney posted at 11:15:55 PM |
