#195 - Randomness that Never Made the Blog

Some pictures that I haven't blogged:

We've started Benjamin on solids, which up until now consists of pureed bananas and rice cereal.  He doesn't much care for the rice cereal, but the bananas are a hit.  As you'd expect, more of the bananas end up on his face versus inside his mouth!  The toughest part is that Owen insists on helping feed his little brother which just makes the entire process a mess.  But, it's pretty cute!

Banana Moustache

Benjamin has severe eczema.  It just breaks our heart to see his perfect little skin break out in ugly, itchy rashes.  It started when he was two months old with a small rash on his elbow, and it's now concentrated on both elbows, the right side of his face, and the back of his head and neck.  Eczema is basically a skin condition that affects babies and children.  Benjamin has it bad, and he's pretty sensitive to a bunch of irritants - laundry detergent, fragrances, rough surfaces, etc.  He will likely have this for years, and we'll manage the flare ups with a cocktail of creams and moisturizers.

A typical flare up

Getting better after a few days on a steroid cream

Lou and I went to the Florida/Alabama game a few weeks ago.  We had fun!

Lou, Katie, Tommy, Maria and Joe

Reading is a favorite hobby in our house.  Owen especially loves reading to Benjamin.

Mommy and Baby

Owen LOVES his Detroit Lions football jersey.  He wears it every single Sunday!

Benjamin is obsessed with his feet.  Whenever he is in his car seat, the swing, or hanging out on the floor, his toes are in his mouth!

best buddies

#194 - Fishing & Crabbing

After weeks of promises, the weather was finally good enough for Lou to take Owen fishing and crabbing.  And, I'm not sure who enjoyed it more - Owen getting to fish with his daddy, or Lou getting to share his favorite pasttime with his son.  

Owen fishing in one of the ponds in our neighborhood.  No luck with the fish that day, but it didn't matter.

The first crab that Owen caught

Lou let him hold one of the small crabs that did not have pinchers.  Owen loved it!

Waiting for the crabs

Showing off his loot

They even caught two eels.  Yuck!

Benjamin enjoying tummy time

Our sweetness

#193 - Pumpkin Patch

"Show the picture of me making pee-pee out of the cow."  That's what Owen said when I told him it was time to update the blog.  You'll see the picture below....

Yesterday, we kicked off the holiday season.  You know, the one that begins with the arrival of fall weather, pumpkins and scarecrows, and ends when we ring in the new year with a glass of champagne (or in our case, the night where we are awoken by our neighbors shooting off fireworks and we turn to each other in bed and grunt out a Happy New Year before turning back over to get a few more minutes of sleep before the baby wakes up).  Sorry, I'm digressing....

Yes, so fall is here.  In Savannah, that means that the high is about 80 each day and we enjoy beautiful, cloudless skies.  It's perfect.  And, to kick off this holiday season, we took the boys to a pumpkin patch.    All week long we promised Owen a trip here, so long as he stayed in bed each night.  That meant that once we tucked him in, he had to stay in bed, without getting up for milk, a snack, etc.  And, to our astonishment, he did it!  It was heaven.  Multiple times this week, Lou and I plopped ourselves down on our couch at 9pm with both boys asleep and looked at each other and smiled.  The house was eerily quiet.  Even Cocoa was in bed.  It was heaven.  We have struggled this entire year to get Owen down at night.  Bedtime has been just a nightmare.  But now, we find ourselves with a few minutes of alone time, and it's fabulous!  Keep your fingers crossed that this bedtime routine becomes permanent.

So, onto the pictures.... (and I figured out how to make these bigger, finally)

Holiday Farms, Ridgeland, South Carolina

A family picture!  Finally - it's not too often that we can get one of the four of us

Owen got a pumpkin painted onto his face

3 years old and just over 3 ft tall

The Saez Boys

Playing with the pigs

Mommy and her two sweet boys
Owen, 3 and Benjamin, 4 months

Owen wanted a tiny pumpkin.  He was worried it would be too heavy for him to carry.

Our pumpkin loot

Owen making pee-pee out of the cow.  He didn't believe us that it was supposed to be milk.

Riding the stick horse

#192 - Gentle, Owen, Gentle! And Benjamin's 4-month stats.

This video perfectly captures the relationship between our two boys.  As you can see, Owen is totally in Benjamin's face, being rough, yet silly and goofy at the same time.  I'm constantly telling him to be gentle, and go easy on his little brother.  Yet, despite how rough Owen is, you can clearly see how much Benjamin enjoys his big brother's attention.  Owen can make Benjamin laugh all day long.  Which then makes us laugh.  Lots of laughing going on in our house.  Followed by me screaming at Owen to be gentle.  

 This past weekend was spent in Jacksonville.  Mom and Jen kept the boys while Lou and I went to the Florida/Alabama game.  Thanks, Mom and Jen!

Here's a picture of the two kids.  It's hard to believe they are three years old now.  And if you don't think Kaylin is an exact replica of Jen, you're blind.

Here's me with my cute little niece.  She's so sweet.  I could just eat her up!

Owen was SO excited to see Mimi.  It's been a while since he's seen her, yet he knows exactly who she is.  

It was also Mimi's first time meeting Benjamin.  I'm so glad we have this picture.  It's a true gift that I have three of my grandparents here to know my children.

And, here's a picture of Paw Paw with the two boys.  What handsome men.

Finally, today was Benjamin's 4-month check-up.  Can you believe our little baby is now four months old?  Good grief!  He weighed in at 14 pounds, 7 ounces.  He's in the 30th percentile for weight and 70th percentile for height.  Benjamin clearly takes after his mommy and not his daddy.  :)  Just kidding! He'll be tall and skinny like Lou.