thank you. thank you. thank you.

I'll forever be indebted.



forever.



I'm not sure I could get any luckier.

Hinsdale Center for Reproduction held their Baby Picnic 2011 on September 18 and we were invited. We were finally invited. Something I couldn't wait for...to be a lucky guest to their baby picnic. If you were invited it meant one thing and one thing only -- you were successful. You had a baby.

Who knew we'd have two.


eating a cookie with Daddy

The pouring rain wasn't going to stop us from celebrating. Celebrating McKenna. Celebrating Benson.

Nothing was going to stop us from saying thank you.


we weren't alone



chatting with a couple of our nurses



Victoria!


J.J., our embryologist


talking to Dr. Hickey



thank you.

6 Months Old

Dear Benny,

Oh my goodness! You are now a 1/2 year old!

 
6 months old, September 14, 2011


We met with Dr. Kreiling for your 6 month well check. You weighed 15 lbs. 9 oz. ( 10th %tile) and you were 26 1/8 inches long ( between the 25th and 50th %tile). Dr. Kreiling was impressed with all of the great things you're doing. She loved hearing that you're already crawling all over the place. She told us that it's time to get working on drinking from a sippy cup and using that pincher grasp! McKenna was not excited to hear that she'd have to share her sippy cups. I went out and got new ones just for you! To finish out our appointment, you had a whole bunch of immunizations.  You had one oral and 4 injections.  They also gave you the flu shot.  It was so sad to watch you get the shots.  You really seemed to know what was going on...your mood changed right when the two nurses came over to you.  Oh, how it breaks my heart to hear that cry. 


You've become such a good eater! You can't wait for dinnertime every night. If I'm taking too long to get your dinner prepared you definitely let me know! Along with your rice cereal, you eat a fruit and vegetable for dinner. You love yogurt too.

You're wearing size 3 diapers and size 6 months clothes.


You have the best laugh. It is so contagious. I can't help but giggle right along with you. You usually laugh the hardest when you're getting tickled or when I sing..."boo boo booski...what are you even doing?"... :)  You also love to sing Wheels on the Bus.  Just like your sister, your favorite part is when we get to the driver and we move on back!  We laugh so hard together.

You're army crawling all over the place. You haven't quite figured out how to crawl on all fours yet, but army style is working just fine for you!


We're working on sitting up on your own.  Right now you're able to sit up when we prop you up.  You sit up great when we get you in the seated position; you're very stable and you're able to get out of it on your own. 


You're favorite person in the world is your sister. You want to be right along side her at all times.




You went on the swings at the park down the street from our for the first time this month...and you LOVED it!

You don't really enjoy your bouncy much. I think you don't like it because it makes you stay in one place. You don't like staying in one place and you definitely don't like that it keeps you in the living room when everyone else is walking around the house. You can't stand to be by yourself. You want to be with everyone.


Just like Aunt Puggie, you're a thumbsucker! We know exactly when you're tired...your thumb goes right into your mouth.



You are my cuddle bug. You love getting kisses and you love to be held.  You also love to snuggle with blankets and stuffed animals.


You're drooling all over the place!  You still only have your bottom two teeth, but with the way you're drooling there has to be some more teeth on their way.


I'm so excited to share my favorite time of year with you and your sister...there's nothing like Notre Dame Football Saturdays. Go Irish!

Just know that you are the most perfect little boy in the whole world.

I love you my sweet sweet Booski.

Love, Mommy

5 Months Old

Dear Benny,

5 months old...I can't believe it...you're 5 months old! Where has the time gone?!


5 months old, August 14, 2011


This has been a great month for you!  You've become such a big boy. 



You're wearing size 3 month clothes and size 3 diapers.  You go to bed at 7:30pm and you're usually up in the morning by 6:30am.  You love your sleep and you're still taking 3-4 naps a day.  You drink an 8 oz. bottle first thing in the morning and then you have 3 more 6 oz. bottles throughout the day.  You eat your dinner around 5:30pm. 

You're almost sitting up on your own. We sit you up on the floor and you can balance yourself for a bit before you start to tip over. You do best when you're sitting up with the "Spin Spin A Letter" toy.




You love your Daddy so much.  When you hear his voice you will turn your head and look for him until you find him.  You love to give him a big smile when he talks to you. 



You have the best cheekies in the whole world!  I could kiss them all day long.  Booski, I just love you so much.



You're such an active little monkey.  This month you started army crawling all over the place.  You don't stay in one place for very long.  As soon as you're put down on the floor, you're off and crawling.  Usually you head right towards Kenna's puppy or Trippy's toy basket!  If you're not moving towards something, then you're twisting yourself around so that you're in the right position to watch both your sister and puppy.  You just love them so much and you usually don't take your eyes off of them!




This month TWO bottom teeth popped through, which means you're drooling all over the place and putting everything in your mouth.



After lots and lots of practice this month, you are now eating your rice cereal.  In order to give your cereal more taste, we combined it with Gerber stage 1 veggies.  You've tried sweet potatoes, peas, squash, green beans and you have liked them all.  We've also given you rice cereal with mixed fruit rather than just the plain rice cereal and you like that much better too!  Right now you're eating your cereal at dinnertime and you sit in your highchair...no more Bumbo for you!



If we don't comb your hair right when you get out of the bathtub then you have crazy hair!  I think you get that from your Daddy!
I started back to school this month.  We had so much fun this summer.  You, McKenna & I did so many things together.  I already can't wait until next summer!  I miss you guys so much while I'm at school, but I know that you're having lots of fun with Grandma & Grandpa Witkowski and Aunt Lynn.  Grandma & Grandpa Witkowski come over to our house on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and then I take you to Aunt Lynn's house on Wednesdays.  You love Louie as much as your sister does!

You're loving your bouncy more and more these days. You've now figured out how to actually play with all of the toys that are on it and you've figured out how to BOUNCE! 

I just can't get over how much you've grown this past month.  Life couldn't be any better!

Just know that you are the most perfect little boy in the whole world.

I love you sweet boy.

Love, Mommy

We're Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo!

I'm a bit behind on my blogging. School started last Wednesday and I'm working hard on trying to figure out how to manage it all...blogging seems to be the last thing on the priority list...funny, it's always the stuff that you want to do that seems to give way to the things you have to do.

McKenna, Benny & I crammed in as much as possible in the last week of summer. We made sure to fit in one last trip to the Brookfield Zoo. GranMom came with us and we met Megan & Brayden, and Beth, Olivia & Thomas. We sure had a lot of fun!


McKenna, Benny & Brayden all packed up and ready to go!


5 mins in and the geese decide to tag my back...it's good luck, right??? thank goodness for baby wipes! :)


watching Kanga & Roo


Beth & Olivia, GranMom & McKenna and the Rhino in the Pachyderm House


Kenna, Olivia, Benny & I


the Polar Bear exhibit is really cool...it was GranMom and Kenna's favorite!




Benny & I loved it too


penguin exhibit



brave Brayden! Pulling himself up to get a better look at the Baboons!


the zoo makes Booski tired


lunchtime fun


the peacock likes Goldfish crackers and Pb&J sandwiches



Benny loved looking around Tropic World...


...and so did this girl!
McKenna is happiest when she is among animals :) future zookeeper???





this tired face says it all...time to go!

We sure had a great time at the Zoo with our friends! What an awesome summer we had together. Can't wait til next year!