back with a bad habit

Well, we had a great time in North Carolina. Ben charmed PawPaw and Grammy (and just about everyone else he came into contact with). It was a great visit and so nice to see them. Ben had a great time and loved meeting them and their puppies.

The flight down was great - Ben was tired but more playful than anything... but the trip back? Not so much. There was much crying and yelling and scene-making. I was sufficiently mortified and sweating the whole time. My mom was a champ, though. We couldn't have made the trip without her. It's nice having two sets of hands when you're dealing with a squirmy-wormy baby. And because she's his grandmother, he can pretty much do no wrong in her eyes. So her patience level is pretty high.

Here, Ben eats his breakfast. I give him Cheerios while I eat my cereal, and he chomps away. Next up on the menu for him is a little yogurt, I think.


Sophie stares at the area below Ben's highchair, so she can be sure to get Ben's scraps.


Ben has picked up a terrible habit in the past 24 hours, as well. While we were away, he cut another tooth, so he has 4 up top and 2 down below. I brought him into our bedroom this morning to see his Dad, and we both heard a weird sound. I thought something was in Ben's mouth, but it turns out he's a fan of grinding his teeth. I think (hope) it'll pass, and for now we just try to distract him. But it's the worst sound ever.

In other news, we got a spot in the Hall-Mercer playgroup here in Philadelphia. I'm pretty excited because I've heard great things about it. Ben will be in the 'cruisers' playgroup. The group is a time for parent discussions as well as music and playtime for the babies. There's also a rooftop play area where the babies can play in the water area. Fun!