Wish I could stay home longer...

Darn it! Come Monday I'll be back to work which had me feeling a bit bummed. I've really enjoy this time at home for a few weeks with Benji just like I did with Danny two years ago. It's been restful and actually pretty productive. The baby has spent most of his time blissfully sleeping or nursing so we've had plenty of time to reorganized some spaces, go out shopping and still have plenty of time for cuddling.

I will say that being able to take Danny to Jenni's most days, just like he is used to, has been a blessing. God love him, but he is a bundle of energy and it works out very well for him to play his little buddies Oscar and Miles rather than bouncing off our our walls (and infant) all day. We really feel like we've been able to have a mellow and sweet time with Benjamin this first few weeks. Very nice. And, we are also really excited that my mom and brother will fly in for a short visit tomorrow.That will be a nice way to end my "vacation".

Benji is growing wonderfully and weighs around 8 1/2 lbs now. He still reminds us very much of Danny as an infant, although he is bigger. His pediatrician commented the other day that he seems very long limbed which doesn't surprise us, and even though his feet are not fat, the are so long that they are the exact same length as our friend Stacy's five month old daughter. Yikes! Danny, always been described as "long and lean" by the docs, and we suspect that Ben will be even taller as he gets bigger.

What else can I tell you about Benji? He is quite strong. He loves to have his hands up around his face and although swaddling worked quite well with his brother at this stage, Benjamin will have nothing to do with it.  Like his brother, he really prefers the over the shoulder carry as opposed to any other mode of transport and comforting. If you add some nice firm pats on the back he is in heaven.  He does however, have a bit of a "witching hour" in the evening where he just loves to cry no matter how you try to comfort him.

He is just a day shy of 3 weeks old so the only smiles we've seen have been courtesy of some gas in his belly, but we expect to see some real smiles soon. He is very engaged (when he is awake) and checks out everything with his piercing blue eyes. Danny's were also blue as an infant but they changed to brown so we would not be surprised to see the same with Benji. He has darker and wavier hair than his brother which is really cute.

Alrighty then, back to enjoying a few more days of relaxation with Su and the baby. She'll be able to stay home with him for several months for which we are very grateful. (She is so lucky!)

Anyway, I'll end with a pic of Danny singing a lullabye to his "bruder". VERY LOUDLY as you can see! (His godfather Luis gave him this guitar for Christmas and he has become a bit of a rock star 'round here.) -Monica