First Step!

Ben took his first step on Wednesday (yes, just one step forward!), but he has not taken any more since then! He is walking a lot while holding onto our hands though, so he should be more independent in no time, sniff. He still prefers crawling most of the time, as it is faster, and he's always in a hurry! Here are a few recent pictures, and some silly video clips.

Ben was tired, and the cry was pretty fake-he was fine as soon as he got out of his chair!

Ben & Emma

Our new favorite pastime during the day is riding in Ben's new wagon! Ben and Emma both love it. Ben already knows to crawl over to it when I say "Do you want to go for a ride in the wagon?" We rode all over the house 3 times today, and then went outside to ride around the driveway. So fun!

This video was taken last week-after we came back from a long walk, Maddie was so thirsty, and apparently is was quite hilarious...it was very cute! Notice how Emma looks over at Ben after she laughs-so silly!

Ben is a 1 year old!!

Here are some birthday party pictures-thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us! Benjamin had a great party with our friends and family. He was pretty quiet at first, and didn't want to eat his cupcake at all, but after trying with a fork (he seems to really not want to get messy!) he did eat a few bites.










Benjamin received a lot of wonderful gifts at his party. He played with the tissue paper, but was also very excited about his new toys. He tried them all out before the day was over. Thank you to everyone for his presents!

Ben's new toys were a hit with his friends as well! He was not so happy about sharing them, but they all did a great job and everyone seemed to have fun. Ben is lucky to have such fun and sweet little friends, and so are we.

Among his birthday gifts, Ben received a Radio Flyer wagon from Gram and Pop. He took rides in it around the house after our guests left, and he loved it. He had a big smile the whole time while riding from room to room. He eventually took a nap, and slept for over 2 hours before we decided to wake him for dinner. Needless to say, we all had a wonderful time, and want to say thank you for your love and support throughout Ben's first year. We are so proud of the little man growing up right before our eyes.

The Birthday Boy

Benjamin will be 1 tomorrow, and what a year it has been. He has changed our lives so much already just by his presence, and we couldn't be happier. He has brought so much joy to our family and we feel very blessed.

Ben is standing alone a lot more and will be walking in no time. He is also experimenting with a fork and spoon at mealtimes, and does a pretty good job feeding himself. He rarely wants us to feed him, so that has limited his meal choices a bit-he prefers finger foods!

We are amazed by how much Ben has grown this year, and look forward to what the next year will bring. Check back soon for birthday party pictures!

Standing and Clapping!

Here are some videos of Benjamin learning to stand and to clap his hands! He is getting very good at both, and can even master these skills simultaneously, though we have yet to capture that on film. Ben is feeling a lot better and hopefully will not be contracting any more nasty illnesses for at least a couple of weeks! In one week our little man will be 1, we just can't believe it!! We are so proud of him.

Sick little bean

Now that Benjamin is almost a "toddler," he had to make it official with his first real illness. This picture was taken last week, when he had a fever, right before bedtime. The cold developed into a double ear infection, so he was put on antibiotics. Then the day after that he started having diarrhea, which sometimes can be caused by the antibiotics, but the doctor said in his case, it seems to be a stomach bug (due to it's severity). Poor Ben! He was very dehydrated last night, but is doing much better today after an antibiotic shot and much TLC from Mama and Daddy. It is so sad when he is sick!! We love our little bean!