Happy 3 month birthday!

Dear Benjamin,

You are three months old!

You were not too keen on this photo shoot today... this is the best we got!

 And oh my goodness, sometimes your adorableness is too much to take :)

 

In some ways you are still so tiny and newborn-like, and in other ways I feel like you're a completely different and growing-too-fast little man.  It sounds so silly to keep saying (and you may be sick of hearing me say it to you all day long), but I love you SO much.  I kiss your chubby cheeks about ten times an hour (at least), and sometimes I want to wake you up from your adorable slumbering state just to see a sweet smile (but I do my best to resist!).  You are so curious about this great big world, and I love getting to see you explore it every day.  I'm so blessed to be your mama.

Things you love these days:

* sucking on your arm, hand, or anything nearby

* and you occasionally find simply staring at your arms/hands very enthralling

* listening to us sing (even my crazy opera voice will put a smile across your face)

* playing with your best "friend" George the elephant

I'm holding on tight, George!

* holding on to your new friend, Twinkie

* getting "milk wasted" (if you've seen the movie Grown Ups, you know the scene where the cute kid yells "I wanna get chocolate wasted!", and so we've been calling Benjamin's milk-coma face him getting milk wasted... I'm sure we'll stop when he can talk :) )

* talking to your toys (and to the people you love)

* sitting in your Bumbo

* smiling!  (but mostly when the camera is not on you...)

 

(I especially love your smiles when I come to get you in the morning or after a nap!)

* cuddling with your mom and dad

You aren't quite as interested in your pacifier anymore now that you've started looking for other things to placate your desire to suck, suck, suck.  But you do still love to have it while going to bed at night (even if it falls out one minute later).  I'm not ready to take it away completely since you don't use it often and it certainly still comes in handy if you need a little calming down while we're out and about.  :)  You are a pretty good napper and fall asleep pretty easily, but sometimes you hate missing out on whatever else is going on and insist on waking up after 30 or 40 minutes.  And if you know something else is definitely going on, you won't go to sleep at all.  You have made a 9.5 hour stretch a few times at night, but more often than not you've been waking up a couple times to remind us that you're stuck all alone in your crib.  Sometimes mom will come down around your semi-regular 4am wake-up and take you out of the crib so you can sleep with her on the couch.  I don't mind though, you'll only want to do that with me for a little while! 

You are very happy entertaining yourself in the pack and play with George or Sergio (your duck friend) hanging nearby, but you still aren't sold on tummy time just yet.  That's ok, though, mom isn't in a rush to have you rolling over!  You love being held like a big boy when we walk around and want to stare at the world wherever you are (and you still love hanging out in the Baby Bjorn!).  Sometimes your dad and I can hold a "conversation" with you, which always keeps me thoroughly entertained.  You also love playing a game with us occasionally when you're eating - it's just SO hilarious to you to start smiling at us and pushing the bottle's nipple from side to side in your mouth.  This little game adds about ten minutes to a feeding, but it still is pretty darn cute.  You love to flirt with the ladies, particularly blonde ones, and you reel them in with your adorable smiles and coos.  I wish I had more video/picture proof of your smiles, but you insist on hiding them as soon as a camera comes out.  (I think Lincoln taught you to hate mom's picture taking!!)

Baseball season is officially upon us and dad can't wait to force coax you into being a big fan.  You've already "enjoyed" a lot of football, soccer, and college basketball, so you will certainly be a well-rounded sports fan!  Unfortunately, even though dad put a cute Twins outfit and your rally cap on, the Twins lost their first game of the season.

bored of the game already...

so sad the Twins lost!!

Your Great Grandparents Jack and Bev were driving back to Minnesota from their annual stay in Arizona over the winter, and you were lucky enough to get some great time with them!  You really loved Great Grandma Bev and couldn't stop smiling with her.  How special it is that she has held your Mimi, your dad, and you as babies!

look at that beautiful smile!

It's your first Easter tomorrow!  Someday you will learn the awesomeness of Jesus rising from the dead.  Trust me, it's good stuff.

Love,
Mom & Dad