New Trick

The good news is that Ben can hold his head up really well. The bad news...it blows his frickin mind!!!! His face looks like "are you sure I'm supposed to be doing this?"

Bennet Heffner

Hey Ladies! Check out Ben's robe. It's comfortable and fashionable. In case you're wondering what he's wearing under there, let's just say he was feeling a bit Scottish that day.

Nine Hours

Ben ate dinner at 10:00 last night then went right down for a good nights sleep. At 6:45 am Caryn and I sat up with a start because we hadn't heard a peep from him. Sleeping Beauty had slept through the night and then some! We got 7 and a half straight hours of sleep and it feels AWESOME. This one night may have been a fluke so I don't want to get my hopes up. It's a historical day anyway. Also, Ben is exactly 11 weeks old today. Caryn has to go back to work in a week :(

Ben O'Bronfenbrenner

What are you doing reading the blog? Go out and drink a pint! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Model Student

At his 2 month check up, Bennet weighed 13 pounds 2 ounces and was 24 inches long. That puts him in the 90th percentile for height and weight. He's already getting straight A's!!! He passed all his developmental tests; he follows objects with his eyes, his hips seem to be in their sockets (unlike Ryan), and everything that is supposed to descend has done so (i.e. the apples are in the basket)

4 Times The Pain

Poor little Ben received 4 shots today at his 2 month check up. He received vaccinations for mumps, polio, and of course, the extremely important, cootie shot. That one lasts forever as long as someone doesn't call "anti-cootie shots" while punching him in the arm. Most children need frequent cootie shot boosters throughout elementary school. I do feel a little guilty because I couldn't make it to his appointment. I felt like I was turning my back on him when he needed me most. "I abandoned my child! I abandoned my boy!!!" Daniel Day Lewis ain't got nothing on me.

Eye Spy

I took this picture, Dave and Tria are having happy fun Ben time, Caryn is in the background cleaning.

Bennet is getting really good at following objects with his eyes. I know, who cares, right? Well it's his only trick and dammit, it's a cute one. Perfect timing, Uncle Dave and (future) Aunt Tria came in from Berkeley to visit. They even gave Ben a play mat. Now he stares at an elephant and monkey instead of mom and dad. The smile is getting more common as well but a lot of the time is in no relation to a stimulus. For example, Ben was lying (laying?) on the couch with his face 2 inches from the cushion. He was smiling at it like it was his best friend. The couch doesn't feed you Ben, stop licking it.

Say Cheese

Do you see something funny? Am I a clown to you? What, am I here for your amusement?
Daddy, will you make me pancakes?

The Transition Into Parenthood

I've been noticing subtle clues that we're becoming parents (besides the obvious 13 pound poop machine asleep in the other room). First off, the new car. Caryn had an Acura TSX; a sporty 4 door zoom zoom car that was really nice to drive. It was not made for carseats however. We began looking for a new car and settled on the Ford Edge. It's big and roomy but doesn't scream "I've given up on my youth" quite like a minivan. It's more like a mini-Minivan.

Second, we were in New York this weekend with grandma watching the baby. Instead of going out for a nice dinner and drinks, we chose to go to bed early and get some rest. It's Saturday night and the only thing I want to do is sleep.

Third, and maybe scariest of all, when around friends, I find myself talking solely about the baby. I always hated those new parents that only talk about their kids (...and their bowel movements). The strangest part is that although I'm conscious of the fact I've become that parent, it doesn't bother me that much. The way I see it, I'm only a few weeks away from getting that T-shirt in the mall with my kids face on the front that says, "World's Greatest Dad." In case your wondering, Ben's poop is just fine...runny but not too runny...kind of smells like asparagus.