January 2004
Saturday
the 31st. Benjamin was on fire today. He talked and sang and
jumped all afternoon. He must be in a good mood because Megan spent the
day with us. We
moved his exersaucer up a notch and he was thrilled with that. He bounced
and bounced on his tippy toes.
Friday the 30th. Amy and the boys
went across town to make hot delicious smose, "that's S'mores Buzz", with the
Eads. (If you have a three year old boy you got that). Benjamin didn't
want his chicken noodle baby food, go figure. But he sure did like the
mashed potatoes I gave him.
Thursday
the 29th. We happened to be driving past Papa and Mo's house last night so
we stopped in to eat fried chicken and play for awhile. Mo gave me the
military bible that my Great-Grandfather, Albert Vipperman, had when he died of
pneumonia at the age of 23 in South Carolina.. He signed and dated it
10-16-1917. And interestingly enough he put Mayberry for his address.
I think it is interesting because that is way, way, way before the Andy Griffith
Show ever started calling Mount Airy that..
Wednesday
the 28th. Notice the two spoons and the smile. It takes two spoons to
get it there fast enough to make him happy.
Tuesday the 27th. Benjamin
Mills Heath is Eight Months Old today!
Monday
the 26th. The roads were better suited to snow sledding than driving,
so I worked from home today. Amy and Jackson went outside before lunch and
had a lot of fun. They took the snow sled all the way down Bluff Street a
couple of times and were going faster and more out of control than it looks.
They spent the rest of the time wrestling and throwing snowballs at each other.
Benjamin and I were content to watch from the window. Jackson and I went
back out after his nap and again had a lot of fun. We took a few rides
down the street, but the road is now so slick that I cannot stand on it without
sliding down hill. So we
moved
to the playground where Jackson rode the slide again. I wish I had the
camera with me. The slide was covered in ice, which made him go so fast
that he would fly at least 7 or 8 feet through the air before touching down in
the snow.
Sunday the 25th.
What an awesome day. Snow on a weekend meant I didn't have to worry about
getting to the office, we just got to relax and spend a nice family day
together. We woke up at
7am just as it started snowing. Jackson actually slept till 9 and by
9:10 we were outside making the most of what was already on the ground. The roads were
still untouched when we saw a car sliding down Bluff Street. I told
Jackson that whoever that was must be crazy. And wouldn't you know, it was
Jeff delivering some of Timmesa's fresh homemade cinnamon buns.
Wow, they were incredible. Amy said it was worth Jeff risking his life to
get them to us.
Jackson
came in at 10 for a hot b*th and to settle in for a fun day inside. We
took Benjamin on the back deck to touch snow for the first time. Of course
that meant he ate it for the first time too. The snow didn't stop for ten
straight hours. Afraid that the sleet would
mess up the great 5 1/2 inches of snow later tonight, Jackson and I headed back out after supper for
some night time sledding. He had the most fun going down the big slide at Tharrington though. The combination of the snow on the sled and his slick
ski pants really sent him flying off the bottom of the slide and into the snow.
Saturday
the 24th. What a big day for Jackson! He started it by playing
more with Matthew. Then Papa and Caleb picked him up to go to Claudville
for lunch and a hike. Next Caleb and Isabelle came over for a few more
hours of playtime. They danced and played Go Fish before the medical team of Jackson, Caleb, and Izzy decided
that Amy needed some serious operations. Luckily she pulled through them
all OK and is recovering nicely.
Friday
the 23rd. Jackson's good friend Matthew is sleeping over tonight.
It's 10:45 and they're still going strong, but somebody has got to drop soon.
They have had a great time playing Transformers, Go Fish, High Ho Cheerio,
sharks, Rescue Heroes, and Batman.
Thursday the 22nd. Jackson had a good day at school and is very, very excited that Matthew is going to sleep over tomorrow night. Benjamin is still under the weather with a bug. He took several steps tonight while holding my fingers and wants to transfer from one thing to another, so he should be cruising the furniture before long.
Wednesday
the 21st. Amy, Jackson, and Benjamin went to three year old Story Time
at the library this morning. Then Benjamin got really sick in the
afternoon. Luckily he seemed to feel better after a long nap on Mommy.
And Benjamin actually had a lot of fun drinking Pedialite out of a baby bottle.
It was only his third bottle ever. He talked to it and called it Da Da.
Tuesday
the 20th. Jackson: "Why do they call it a b*th?"
Dad: "Because that's the word for washing yourself."
Jackson: "But you don't call it a b*ath when you wash your hands."
Deana came over tonight to have a picnic with Jackson. She brought Happy Meals, pudding, doobie doos, and Cracker Jacks. They watched Snow White and played Go Fish.
Monday
the 19th. Amy and Jackson cut
out hearts to hang over baby's crib for Valentine's day today and Matthew came
over to play with Jackson for a while this morning. Then Amy got
to do the rarest of things tonight and spent some time away from all us boys.
She and
Timmesa went to see Mona Lisa Smile at the Downtown Cinema. Jackson
and I spent our boy time exercising or, as he calls it, practicing. He never ran out of energy and I
ended up exhausted. We did every exercise I could think of and he invented
four or five of his own. Benjamin seemed pretty amused watching us.
I almost got Benjamin to pull up on a chair, but then he bumped his head a little and gave
up.
Sunday
the 18th. While standing in his crib this morning, Benjamin waved and said bye-bye at the same time
for the first time. And as a bonus we happened to be video taping. After Papa brought Jackson home, we headed
to Greensboro to celebrate Molly Hunt's birthday. Molly turns three
tomorrow. Jackson had fun playing with friends that he met at the party,
but especially enjoyed playing with Emma and Molly. He liked the castle
puppet show stage and puppets Brian made, especially when the prince puppets
fough the dragon. And he probably spent an hour or
more playing with Molly's doll house. Benjamin enjoyed getting held by
everyone and seeing one of his oldest friends,
Landon. They go way back. The birthday party was followed by this month's
Dinner Club, hosted by Brian and Jenny.
Saturday the 17th.
Whew, very long night last night. Benjamin didn't sleep very much.
But Megan came over today to help perk things up. We turned Jackson's bed
into a hide-out and Benjamin got to try grapes in his Baby-Safe-Feeder, a
wonderful invention that Amy found. He
also got to eat Cheerios for the first time. He really liked that a lot.
Papa
picked up Jackson and took him by the grocery store to stock up on supplies
before heading to his house in Virginia for a sleep over. I think they had
a good time watching superhero cartoons and playing. Amy, the baby,
and I went shopping and ran into several friends that got to see Benjamin.
And Ben finally had a good night's sleep (and that means Mom and Dad did too,
Yeah!).
Friday the 16th. I had to pull
out the guitar to get Benjamin to go to sleep last night and luckily left it
close by because I had to use the same trick at 5am. And in between I was
up a couple of times to take Jackson to the potty. Amy
usually handles most of the night time action so who knows how often she was up
and down. We usually can't remember. A morning conversation between
Amy and I may
sound something like this "Okay, Is this right? I fell asleep upstairs and you fell
asleep downstairs getting Jackson to go to sleep. Then I woke you up on my
way to give Benjamin his pacifier and take Jackson to the potty, so you came
upstairs.
Then I remember you telling me it was my turn to give Benjamin
his pacifier, I think. And I remember pretending to be asleep once when
the baby was crying. And didn't Jackson yell for you sometime, when was
that? So I guess you were sleeping downstairs for awhile, until you had to
get up and bring the baby to bed to feed him. And that's why he was in
bed with us this morning, right?. Wait a minute, was that last night or
night before last?"
Both boys stayed home today and played a lot. I took a picture of Jackson playing each of his favorite games before bedtime. Note: This update was made at 3:30am. Between 3 and 4, the only two sleeping in our house were Zorro and Jackson.
Thursday the 15th. Benjamin is maybe starting to feel a
little better. The fever he has had for the past few days is finally going away
which meant a break from the Tylenol. The doctor had said it could last
until Friday. So now that he is feeling better, here are some pics of him
standing up. He is playing with a toy that was one of Jackson's all time
favorites.
Jackson had a good day at school and was excited about it when he got home. He didn't go on Tuesday and didn't want to go this morning, so I'm glad that he had fun. He said "Guess what Daddy? I got to be the helper today! And I put a cup and napkin in front of every seat." Now if he can just remember how fun it is next Tuesday morning when it's time to get out of bed and get dressed.
Wednesday
the 14th. Another day of Tylenol for Baby Ben. His sore throat
is still bothering him and his eyes looked very tired all day long. Very
sad. Maybe he will get a good night's sleep tonight. Jackson got to
get out of the house for a little while though and played with Samuel and
Matthew at their house. Then we ended the night with a couple of
games of Go Fish. Playing games in between b*th and bed has turned into a
regular thing for us. Jackson enjoys them very much and it gives us a fun
way to work on things like recognizing letters, counting, rhyming, and other fun
stuff.
Tuesday the 13th. Benjamin
didn't seem very comfortable last night and acted like something was hurting, so
Amy took him to Dr. Gale's this afternoon. We thought he probably had an
ear infection or maybe that his new teeth were bothering him, but it turns out
he has a sore throat caused by a virus. Hopefully baby Landon didn't get
infected on Monday and baby Ben will feel better soon.
And Jackson told Dr. Gale that he is a genius.
Monday
the 12th. Landon stopped by Benjamin's house for some buddy time this
afternoon. Landon is a strong little fellow, all muscle. He grabbed
my finger and I couldn't believe his grip. Benjamin may have a few months
and on him, but I think Landon could go toe to toe with him, that is if either
one of them could stand up.
I'm sure they'll be big buds. Jackson loves Landon too and was excited to
have him at his house. Jackson also had another quote today. Amy and
I were talking to the babies while they played in the crib. He came in and
said "Don't you guys have an off button?" When I stopped laughing I asked
him where he heard that at. He said "the grocery store."
Sunday
the 11th. Benjamin isn't pulling up yet, but he does like standing around.
He spent a long time today standing in his crib checking out the view.
And
he loves using his two little teeth to work over a Biter Biscuit.
Saturday
the 10th. Today was a fun Winter day spent inside. Amy, Megan, and the
boys finger painted in indoor snow. At some point Jackson tasted it and
exclaimed "It's WHIPPED CREAM!!". We played guitar and Go Fish, sang songs
and found lots of ways to stay busy.
And what about that double-overtime Panthers game? Go Carolina!
Friday
the 9th. We were hoping for snow and got just enough to play in.
Not really enough for sledding or snowmen, but enough to roll around in and get
good and cold. Jackson lays in the snow and rolls all the way across the
yard. Then he stands up, pretends to fall down, and rolls all the way back
across the yard.
Thursday the 8th. Tonight during dinner Jackson made Benjamin laugh. In response to the laughs, he said, through an exaggerated squinting smile, "Thank you very much. You are all too kind." Sometimes we know where his material comes from, but we have no idea where he grabbed that line from. He is quite a three year old.
Wednesday
the 7th. The boys had a good day today and got to
stay inside out of the cold. And to make the day even more fun, Samuel and
Timmesa came over to play.
Tuesday the 6th.
If Benjamin sees you eating or drinking, he starts smacking his gums.
And you can forget holding him while you eat unless you want him to clear the
table. He just loves to eat, which is amazing if you have ever tasted ham
or green bean baby food. The pictures of Batman don't really need an
explanation, I think they say it all. Jackson is
our %100 three year old boy/superhero.
This photo is actually from October, but I just downloaded it tonight from a ton of great photographs that Scott and Cherry have online. I wanted to post this one from their honeymoon on our page for those of you that know Scott and say "CONGRATULATIONS" to the happy newlyweds. I also put a few of their wedding photos on my Wedding Page.
Monday
the 5th. I got the camera out early this morning to take a picture of
Benjamin in the new Hokie gear Anita got him for Christmas.
Later
in the morning Jackson started to climb his dresser drawers. When Amy told
him he couldn't do that because his television might fall off the top, he said
"My bad". - It's like he gives us these flashes of what it is going to be
like to have a teenager.
And at lunch I took another picture of Benjamin with his shirt off. My philosophy is that if you find yourself saying "Oh, isn't that cute", you should grab the camera. Plus, I now know how fast they grow up and loose all those sweet chubby rolls, so here is just one more topless picture of Benjamin.
Sunday
the 4th. A nice day spent at home, with a lot of those hours spent trying to
organize all Jackson's toys in his room. Benjamin has started fake
coughing now, he thinks it is funny, and it is. He has also taken blowing
raspberries to another level. The family wrapped up the evening with about
ten games of Candyland and High-Ho Cherrio.
Time Capsule: "Shake it, shake it, shake it like a polaroid picture".
Saturday
the 3rd. Megan came over today and Benjamin loved it. Then Anita, Amy,
and Jordan came by for a visit too. Jordon is expecting a new baby sister
soon. And if you didn't already know, Anita is going to have a baby this
July! Mo, Papa, and Caleb came over later in the evening to play with the
boys, which gave Amy and I the opportunity to be away from the baby at the same
time for just the second time.
Friday the 2nd. Our good friend Samuel turned three years old today and celebrated the occasion at his house with family and friends. Matthew and Jackson enjoyed playing with Sam's new toys and with Fun Uncle Thomas. Benjamin and Megan enjoyed getting to see each other, and everyone else enjoyed the good food and company. At the end of the party sweet little Sam fell asleep on Mommy's shoulder. Note: It is Samuel's opinion that "Percy is a miserable engine."
Thursday
the 1st. Jackson thinks Benjamin should call him "Bubba" and he calls
Benjamin "Benji". So in our house we unexpectedly have a Benji and a
Bubba. Now, with two good names like Jackson and Benjamin, or even Jack
and Ben, and after all the time spent picking those two names out, you better
believe Mom and Dad are hoping those two nicknames don't stick.
