What I have learned

In 8 and a half short months I have learned so much about myself and about parenthood.  I have learned so much on this journey that is just beginning.  And, I know I will learn so much more!  So much that I have learned I could never have read in a book.  Life lessons are best when learned.

What I have learned:

1. You can do IT!  Whatever IT may be, you can do it if you really want to.

2. Being a stay at home mom isn't as easy as you would have ever suspected.  It is hard work being a Mommy.

3. My house doesn't stay clean, and I don't cook supper every night (poor Bryan right?)

4. Martin is going to smile at me and love me even if my hair isn't perfectly straightened or if I have puffs smashed on my shoulder from someone's snack.  

5. I smell like Maple Syrup from taking Fenugreek to stimulate my milk.  But hey, who doesn't like Maple Syrup??

6. Making baby food is easy (and actually fun, who knew?).  Oh, and the Beaba company doesn't want you to know how easy it is to make baby food with what you already have in your kitchen (blender).  Instead, they want you to buy their special TINY (holds a really small amount of food) baby food processor for a small fortune.  

7. Breastfeeding is such a challenge, but oh so worth it.  If you have support, it will get better!!!

8. I can be domestic when I want to (ie-making my own baby food, baking homemade bread).  But, please don't tell my husband that I actually do know how to iron men's clothing.  

9. I will NEVER be as funny as the Moose on Nick Jr or Bryan.  Martin laughs so hard when he plays with Daddy that it just melts my heart.  I am so lucky to have such a great husband--and Martin is so lucky to have such a great dad!!

10. You will eventually catch up on your sleep....although you will still look tired and run ragged occasionally. And, people will say things to you in the grocery store like, "oh darling, you just look so tired"....which translates to....you look like hell, get ahold of yourself!

11. It doesn't have to be perfect.  Whatever it is.  I am still learning this daily.  I strive for perfection in so many aspects of my life.  Especially being a Mommy.  Who doesn't want to be the perfect Mom?  But, I am getting there, slowly but surely.  I think it is the control freak in me that has the issue of letting go.  And, remember that NO ONE has it all figured it out.  Even if they seem like it....something behind that brave face is freaking out!

12. Children are an absolute JOY!!!  Martin has blessed me more than I ever knew possible.  I hope that everyone who he meets along his way in life is just as blessed by him as I have been.

Lucky readers, two posts in two days!  Wow!

Long Overdue

Yes, I am officially a bad blogger.  Hopefully my faithful (few) followers are actually still checking to see if we are still blogging.  I haven't blogged in WAY TOO LONG.  Forgive me please!  Martin is doing great, and we are gearing up for our Beach Trip!!!  We are headed to Fort Morgan, and I cannot wait to get my toes back in the sand, and get some stuffed shrimp at The Oyster House and fried cheesecake at King Neptune's!!!  Hey, don't knock it til you try it.  And, if you haven't tried it there, you are missing out.  We ordered it once with my Aunt and Cousin out of curiosity, and now when we start talking about going to the beach that is one of the first things that comes to mind.  But, so as to not sound like someone obsessed with food, I will stop talking about the food aspect now!  I need some more sun, and I can't wait to walk on the beach and pick up shells.  My mom and I joke that I really am becoming more crunchy granola everyday.  Maybe I am more like my hippies for parents than I realized!!  I am still making Martin's food, and he is still loving it.  He likes everything except PEAS.  But, he gets it honest, I hate them too....and let's face it, they are nasty looking, tasting, and smelling!  Our two latest loves are squash and zucchini.  He likes both.  He also eats puffs now, and tries to stick a bunch in his mouth at once.  That boy loves a good snack!

Martin now has 3 teeth, and #4 is very close.  You can see the bottom two really good in the picture, and the one on top if you look closely.  He is still sleeping great at night.  Sometimes a little too great, I get worried and have to go peek in the nursery to check on him when I don't hear him on the monitor.  He helps me all day.  I can never go far without him following me.  He is pulling up on everything!!!!  And, even walking while holding on to different things (love seat, couch, chairs).  It won't be long now, and I will be chasing him all over the house and/or neighborhood!  He loves to swing outside, and loves to help me water flowers in the front (anything that gets him outside is great with him).  He claps now.  Mainly for the TV....that Moose on Nick Jr. is just so talented -- makes Martin clap every time.  And, he claps for himself a lot too!  He talks non stop all day long!  Mainly da da da, but that is ok with me, maybe when he gets a little older and starts calling for one of us when he wakes up he will call for Daddy!

Bryan and I are still doing Couch to 5k, and we are on week 7.  It really is going well.  I am so impressed that we have stuck with it.  We are doing our first 5k together July 3--Firecracker 5k in Memphis.  Here is hoping we can finish with a decent time!  Bryan is really doing much better than I am (faster, not as out of breath when we finish)....but in my defense, I never get to run alone like he does.  Such is life with an 8 month old.  Big weekend at the Benton house!  Our 5 year anniversary was Friday.  And, then on Sunday was Bryan's birthday and first Father's Day.  What a great 5 years with a great man and now Daddy.  We had a great weekend!!  Martin stayed in the nursery during church yesterday for the first time, and sweet little Mrs. Joy said "he was so happy, and boy does he love music".  Yes, he does!  Glad he was so good in there, I was scared to death about leaving him, and watched the beeper like a hawk during the service.  But, I enjoyed actually hearing the sermon, and I know he had a great time with LOTS of attention.  Speaking of attention, I need to give baby boy some fruit and oatmeal, so I will close here.  I promise to be a better blogger!!

Beach Baby

Enjoying his shovel in his personal pool on the beach!

Daddy, Pa, and Grammy with Martin on the beach

Mama and Martin enjoying the pool

Happy 8 Months Baby Boy

Perfect beach set-up

Martin and Nanny

Benton Family

The whole group at the beach

Nanny and Pa with Martin

GREAT Uncles Doug and Stan with Martin

Pops, Martin and Grammy

Benton Family again

Just not really sure about the sand and waves

Loving that shovel

Relaxing dip in the tide pool

What a day!!!  

Destin, FL 2011

Happy Boy

Dewey Destin

Cutie Pie!

As you can tell from the pictures, we had an absolute blast at the beach!  Martin enjoyed himself so very much.  He wasn't real sure about the waves or the sand, but he LOVED swimming in the big pool, and splashing in his blow up pool on the beach.  He took a nap everyday on the beach in someone's arms and was such a good boy on the trip.  I was scared to death about driving that far in the car with an eight month old, but he did AMAZING!!!  He went to dinner with us every night, and no one missed a meal.  Actually the night we went to Back Porch we got seated in "kiddie corner" we called it.  There were two other BIG parties in there.  One was a group of 4 women with about 10 kids, and the other an even bigger group with probably 8 adults and 12 or so kids.  The second bunch was a nightmare....the adults just as bad as the kids. So, needless to say, Martin was the best kid in the room.  He did great in his high chair eating his puffs.  We had a great trip, and look forward to going back to the beach at the end of the month.  We are going to Fort Morgan, AL with my family (Gulf Shores area).  I cannot wait to get some fried cheesecake from King Neptune's and some stuffed shrimp from The Original Oyster House.  I am no longer afraid of the trip in the car....Martin does great!  Hope everyone has a great week.

Martin's first trip to the Memphis Zoo

Welcome to the Memphis Zoo

We took Martin to the zoo on Saturday, and had a great day!!  He slept some, but was a happy boy all day long.  I think he is working on another tooth, so I was very relieved that he was happy all day.  He watched the lions, loved the sea lion show, saw some birds, but most of all enjoyed people watching!  He rode in the stroller, but really preferred to be in the Baby Bjorn.  Who cares if you look silly as a parent, kids love them!!!  And, let's face it, when you become a parent, it doesn't matter how cool you look anymore does it?  It is all about the baby.  It was a nice day, and a perfect day to be at the zoo.  Bryan's parents went with us.  We got to see the new Teton Trek part which was pretty cool.  They have grizzly bears, elk, and some other animals too, but the grizzly bears were my favorite.  There was one playing in the water most of the time we were there.  It was neat to see just how big they are, and then to see them enjoying the pretty weather was pretty entertaining.  Martin really enjoyed himself!

Martin, Mama and the Giraffes

I conquered my first nursing in public experience.  I am sure some of you are laughing now....but it really is a bigger deal than you realize.  Martin HATES the nursing cover, and pulls it off, and waves it around like a flag "hey people, we are breastfeeding over here".  So, the fact that it went well was a small miracle.  We found a table at lunch that was kind of out of the way, and I just turned around and fed him.  Went well!  Check that off the list.  I know lots of people nurse all over the place.  But, I really feel like most people don't want to see that.  You know what I mean?  Can I get an Amen?  

Looking at the Cats

He was so curious about this particular cat.  I don't remember what it was specifically, but it looked like a large house cat that would like to claw your eyes out.  They were gorgeous, and were really close to the glass, so Martin really like watching them play.  I think it helped that they were making a lot of noise to get his attention.

The Benton Family

Enjoying the Pandas

Grizzly Bear Waterfall

Then came the sea lion show.  We were able to sit out of the way of most people, and Martin enjoyed the show.  He really liked jumping on our laps more than anything, but he watched some!  I really thought the aquarium would be great, because he could see the fish moving.  So, I guess it is very fitting that he slept through the aquarium part.  Picture a big room with lots of 50 gallon fishtanks.  Not exactly an aquarium, but I will let it slide since I was so impressed with the grizzly bear habitat!  Not everyone can have an aquarium as nice as the New Orleans Aquarium or the Atlanta Aquarium, right?

LOVING the sea lion show

More Sea Lion show with Pops

Funny Boy!

I love how Martin is cutting his eyes in this picture.  He does this a lot....but you rarely catch it on camera.  We leave for the beach in one week, and I absolutely cannot wait!!!  Ready to get my toes in the sand and see how much this little baby loves the beach!  Stay tuned, lots of pictures to post, I am sure.

Happy Birthday Mamie!

Happy Birthday To You

Happy Birthday To You

Happy Birthday Dear Mamie

Happy Birthday To You!!

Martin helping Mamie blow out her candles

Yummy cupcake icing....he wasn't really a fan

My mom came to see us for the weekend.  It was kind of a last minute thing, and we were so surprised and excited!!  Martin and Mamie got to spend lots of time together.  Mom got Martin up this morning, and Bryan and I got to sleep in a little....ahhhh......I feel so refreshed!  We celebrated with Muddy's Cupcakes Saturday after dinner for Mom's birthday which is Monday.  Happy Birthday Mama!  She taught me how to be the Mama that I am today for Martin.

Taking a nap with Mamie

I cannot believe all of the things Martin is doing.  He has started pulling up too, but is very unstable once he gets up.  My baby boy cannot be old enough for this.  He was so talkative all weekend.  Saturday we went to grab Subway for lunch, and the lady at the table behind us had to get up and take a look at Martin because "he is just so talkative and loud".  Please look closely at his face in the very last picture....this is the face he makes when he is really concentrating.  Pretty funny, right?  I certainly think so!  He is an absolute mess.

Big Boy with his sippy cup

Pardon Me....

Pardon me, but do you know where my little baby went?  I swear a had a tiny, quiet, precious newborn around here somewhere!  But, this morning when I woke up, I realized he isn't tiny, and he certainly isn't quiet!  But, I am loving every minute of this journey.  He has always been a jabber mouth (no surprise there--he gets it honest).  On Sunday he said Da Da Da all day just to make Mother's Day super funny for Dad.  But, on Tuesday he started saying Ma Ma.  Don't tell me he doesn't know that is my name.....I am fully aware of that.  But, he says it ALL.THE.TIME.  Pretty cute.  I know in 2 years I will want to change my name, and will wish he would forget my name, but right now it makes me melt to hear those sweet sounds.  He talks all the time, and loves to make motorboat noises with his mouth.  Maybe he is practicing blowing bubbles for the beach.  Who knows?

Is my child the only child on the planet obsessed with anything that hangs or dangles?  Tags, strings, and especially hair!  He loves to pull my hair while he eats, isn't that just so sweet?  NOT!  He laughs all the time and is always into something.  He is going to keep me on my toes, I can tell!!

7 Months, Already??

No, I can't believe it either.  Baby boy is growing so fast too fast.  I think I put off posting this because maybe if I don't post it to my blog, then it isn't really true??  I cannot believe Martin has already been here for 7 months!!  He is such an absolute joy for us.  And, he is currently napping, so I thought I would take advantage.  He is doing so much more at 7 months than he was doing at 6.  He is now VERY mobile.  Still army crawling most of the time, but that little thing is FAST!!  He kicks and uses his toes.  I will try to get a video sometime this week--but for some reason I have a tough time uploading videos to the blog.  Hmm....who knows?  He gets his knees up under him a lot, but still would rather army crawl.  He has figured out how to sit up on his own.  He has been staying sitting up for about 2 months, but now he knows how to go from flat on his back, to sitting up.  Talk about scary--he is NOT old enough for this.  And, it makes naps a little tricky too.  I just know before I realize it he will be (gasp) walking!  No no no, this can't be true.  Where did my little baby boy who was so quiet, and took amazing naps, and stayed where I put him go???  This age and stage is truly SO FUN, but I sometimes miss the early days just because I can hardly remember him being that small.  He is into everything, and full of himself!!  He says Da...Da....Da....Da....Da.  I will look at him and said ma ma ma ma ma, and he just smiles and says dddaaaa, dddaaaa.  Not funny--even though Bryan thinks it is!  But, for the record, he cries Ninny when he wants to eat, and has for about a month and a half....and that is totally ME!  So, there--take that Bryan!  He loves solids....big people food is great.  I am still making my own, and am loving every minute of it.  How many people can say their 7 month old likes mango and avocado??  That is what I thought, not many!!  We are on Week 3 of Couch to 5K, and I have decided I must be all couch....because my knees are killing me.  I was a runner in high school, apparently that is all gone, and I must have done some damage to my joints along the way, because these knees are screaming.  Oh well.  I will stick with it, and buy lots of Advil and Ice.  Am I getting old or something?

I had a GREAT Mother's Day.  My two boys (Martin and Bryan) brought me breakfast in bed, and we watched my new TV for my bedroom.  Martin approved, he said he enjoyed nick jr. on the new tv!  He thinks being in our bed is such a fun treat.  He does great at night, and has pretty much kicked the pacifier habit at night.  He still gets it during the day whenever he wants it, or whenever I want him to have it (MUTE)....haha!  But, he doesn't really need/want it at night.  He really is getting to be a big boy!!  We worked in the yard a little, got a little sun, and then I made some curtains for our game room, and hung some pictures up there.  Slowly but surely, our house is getting close to finished in the decor department.  That is good since we have lived here over a year and a half.  Oops!  Pictures to come soon....if you are interested.  I will post LOTS of pictures of Martin, and of the flower beds that I have been working on. 

Happy Spring!!

Flower Beds

Flower Beds

Bonsai Bend




Happy Boy playing in the garden

 

Sitting on the rocks

I LOVE playing with Dad

Sitting in the grass

Happy 7 Months

Bathtime Fun!

Martin loves to Skype with Mamie and Papa John (yes he tries to crawl into the computer)

Hi Mamie!!  I see you.

Looking out the window in his room