Baby Callie's 1st Official Benmily Show Update!

With thirteen weeks or so left to go, I felt the need to begin some pregnancy updates on this blog; sort of introduce Miss Callie as I know her now. I am 25 weeks along and I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. She definitely makes her presence known, however! I seem to have a pleasant mixture of symptoms from both my past pregnancies. I have the heart-burn and bad skin that I had with Ben, the pelvic discomfort, greasy hair and frequent braxton-hicks contractions I had with Emily. One thing is the same: lots of migraines, fatigue and irritability(sorry, Dan!). What's different is her activity-level. She's so much less active than Ben and Emily were in the womb. I feel her kicking and moving throughout the day, but it's really subtle. I'm hoping this means she will be a calm, serene, Buddha-like baby! Ha! She probably just likes to reserve her energy for her all-day-and-night screaming fits;) We'll find out soon enough!



Here's some info I recieved in my email about Miss C at her current gestational age:


Your baby rivals the average rutabaga in weight -- about 1 1/2 pounds. (Length: 13 1/2 inches, head to heel.)

Sunday With Mimi

We went to Mimi's today to visit with Unkie Ron while he was up from San Diego. I didn't get ANY pictures of them with their beloved uncle because I was too busy visiting with him! Next time he's here, I'll definitely remember. Ben was SO excited to see him and Emily quickly warmed up, too:) We had a nice, but far too short, visit and spent the rest of the day hanging out at Mimi's house. We played, gave Emmie her first haircut, watched Bolt, then went outside to ride bikes while Papa barbequed dinner. Ben loved playing in the back-yard so much that he threw a royal fit when it was time to go inside to eat. We ended up eating al fresco, which was very chilly, but fun! It's not quite outdoor-dinner weather, yet, but Ben and Emily didn't seem to mind!

First Haircut

Emily had her first, Mommy-styled haircut today! I've been trimming her bangs for awhile, but have yet to cut the rest of her hair at Dan's request. Her hair was getting so scraggly and tangled and the length was totally pulling all the curl out. She has beautiful, golden curls and they just needed a little work! Someday, Emily will love having a licensed cosmetologist for a mother. As for today, she didn't seem to impressed by the whole process. At least she didn't pull Ben's usual trick of crying hysterically throughout the whole time! She fussed a bit, here and there, but was a very good client. It helped to let her draw all over herself, the booster seat and the piece of paper I gave her:)



Sitting patiently while I gave her her first cut!

Adding the finishing touches(me to her, and her to her face and hands!)

The stylist and her lovely client

The finished product. Isn't she pretty!

Fun At The Museum

I was feeling brave today, so I decided to take Ben and Emily to the Children's Museum all by myself. We are members, so we can get in an hour earlier on Sundays. I thought this was a perfect chance for me to see if I could handle two rambunctious tots in a place they are used to running wild and free at. Normally, my mom or Dan goes with me, so we each take a child and sort of meet up when we meet up. I explained to them in advance that we needed to stay together and no one could run off by themselves. I was pleased and impressed by how well-behaved they were! Both stayed with me, played nicely and agreed to leave willingly when I said it was time to go home(a little ice cream definitely helped move them along, though.) Overall, we had a great time=)

A little time in the ambulance started off our day, then we moved on to the new outdoor-inspired exhibit.

Ben and Emmie had SO much fun playing in this "tree-house" exhibit.

Emily took a break to look at a book while Ben played.

Peek-a-boo!


Next, we moved on to another exhibit we've never explored: The Pizza Kitchen

Ben loved pretending to take my order at this cash register. Even Emily got in on the fun, asking me, "Can I help you?". Clearly, we eat out far too often!! She also enjoyed pretending to serve me the food. She brought me many plates of pizza, fruits and veggies and even seasoned them for me at the table. They both are quite hospitable.

The hardest part was explaining to Emmie that she mustn't put the play food in her mouth. Ick. So many toddlers were up there sampling the food, so I'm sure we're headed for another bout of illness in 5-7 days. Oh well. It was worth the fun!



After the Pizza Kitchen, I lured them home with the promise of ice-cream:
A good mother always offers nutritious snacks while on the go. She also NEVER uses food as bribes;) Ben and Emily love getting an ice-cream at the museum. If it helps them transition from playing to going home, who am I to stand in their way?

How do we know when they had a sufficiently fun time? They were beyond ready for their naps when we got home!

Happy Birthday Mimi!

Today is Mimi's birthday!! Ben helped make the cake and helped pick out her birthday present(a lovely, black and white swiss-dot blouse). He has been crazily excited to celebrate Mimi's birthday, especially since helping to make the cake last night. When telling him today was the day, he excitedly asked, "It's Mimi's birthday? We get to eat her cake?!". Ah...and the truth comes out;)

Benny The Baker

We decided to make Mimi a cake for her birthday, this year! Ben has turned into a great helper, so naturally he was my go-to guy for this project. We bought the mix and frosting a few days before, and Ben talked non-stop about making a birthday cake for Mimi.

He was super excited to help me...until he saw the giant KitchenAid mixer. Ben has a healthy fear of loud appliances. The vacuum has been his #1 nemesis since he was 6 months old. He despises the blender and won't go near the hair-dryer. One look at the mixer, and he quickly changed his mind. It took A LOT of coaxing to finally enlist his help. What did the trick was offering to let him crack the eggs. I handed him the first egg, and he cracked it with so much gusto that it ended up all over the counter. Oops! We tried again(more gently!) and he finally understood. We cracked them into a bowl first(so I could easily fish out the shells), then we poured it into the mixing bowl. He was very brave when I turned the mixer on, and surprisingly, he wasn't scared!

He helped pour the batter into the pans and set the timer on the microwave. Once the cakes were finished and cooled, he even helped frost his own cupcake. His very favorite job of the day? Helping to eat the cupcakes once they were finished=) He couldn't wait to tell Mimi all about her birthday cake, asking me to let him talk to her on the phone. He excitedly told her we made her a cake, then ran into the kitchen, held up the phone and said, "Look Mimi! There's your cake! I helped make it!!!". Mimi did a good job pretending she could see it.

Favorite pictures of the day

These are some of my favorite pictures of the day=)


Monkeying around on the monkey bars.

Looking so big for her 22 short months. I can't believe she's almost two!

My handsome guy

My pretty girl-girl

Silly Ben, enjoying life from a new perspective(P.S. I don't know why this picture is ginormous compared to the others. Oops!)