Life in Pictures

 The latest big adventure for the Norsworthys has been our move!  We feel very comfortable surrounded by a sea of brown cardboard boxes, as they have been our constant companions these last couple months.

Moving Day messes:

We were blessed with so much friendly help on Moving Day--thank you to all our friends!

....though some decided to sleep on the job...

I don't know what Ben was more excited about: lots of attention, tons of people in his house to play with, or a beautiful sunshiny day!

Sarah Bowman and Ben, enjoying the sun and our new front lawn...that's right--we have a yard now!!

Ben had to check out the new digs and make sure everything worked properly.  Yep, this sink passes inspection!

Ben is enamored with all electronic devices, but especially phones and computers.  Even though my phone is locked, he often manages to unlock it by hitting the right buttons and will call people.  So you may receive a surprise call from Ben!

I remember pictures of me standing on those same big Daddy feet...and now Ben gets to try them out.  They are great hands to be in and feet to follow.

The new living room....didn't we just leave all this mess?

lots of projects in the new house....this one was fixing a leaky sink....so many things to keep up busy, and keep us appreciative of things we normally take for granted!

We have had some beautiful sunny days lately...days that remind us of the glory of God's beauty in Washington.  These are the days that make all the rainy ones worth it!

 

 

Now that we are in the new house we have started unpacking, trying to find our things, playing the "now what box was that in?" game, meeting our great new neighbors, going on walks in our new neighborhood (and getting royally lost the first time we tried to go further than around the block!) and a few other things like....

Snuggling on the couch...

Visiting the tulips....

And walking a 5K through World Concern with some friends from church...

Kristina and Conlan and us at the Free Them 5K (to raise money to stop human trafficking)

the stroller lineup: Kristina and Conlan, Marie and Jack, and John (holding my place while I take pictures) and Ben

We had so much fun talking and walking together, though 3/4 of the way through the race Ben decided he no longer wanted to help Free Them, HE wanted to be free of the stroller!

And celebrating the end of a program Ben and I were a part of called Roots of Empathy.  Ben and I would go to a kindergarten classroom once a month and the kids would learn about how he was growing, how parents interact with babies, how babies learn things, and we would have great discussions about everything from safety to personality differences to development.  Ben loved the kindergarteners and they sure loved their Baby Ben.

Other things in the news....after much hard work, long nights....long, long nights, lots of drool soaked shirts and fussy evenings...we have another tooth!  Ben is now sporting the tip of a fresh new front tooth!  Hopefully it's partner next door is on its way soon and he will have what everyone wants, their 2 front teeth, in time for his birthday this summer!  We would like to thank those who helped in the acquiring of the tooth: rubber spatula, multiple baby carrots who took hard beatings by gums and bottom teeth, and of course, Infant Tylenol!!!
Ben is also on his way to joining the mobile world.  He is not officially crawling, though he manages a scooch/wiggle/twist and roll sort of action that does get him moving around a bit.  He will sit up on hands a knees for a bit and even rock  back and forth, and if we hold him up under his belly he will do the crawling motion for a short distance.  This is one of those things that you long for him to do and at the same time pray that he doesn't for awhile, because life will never be the same!  

Ben may not be quite as advanced in his crawling, but his fine motor and verbal is doing quite well.  Any speck or bit of something on the floor is fair game to his little fingers and mouth now.  He is very precise and methodical in the way he approaches an object.  He will slowly and carefully reach out his hands or fingers, inspect the item with focus and furrowed brow and then with very controlled thumb and forefinger, or for larger objects just one hand (he can palm just about anything, even if quite larger than his hand!) and then off to the mouth it goes for a thorough cleansing with saliva.  He also jabbers on all the time, his favorite sound is "da-da", but he also does a growl/whisper sound, a "he-he-he-he" sound that is much like lamaze breathing :), loves to blow raspberries and splutter with his mouth, and "sing" (holds one sound and then changes pitch up and down--sometimes he joins in singing with me if I am singing to him).  Of course he loves doing any of these even more if someone will do it with him.  Last night he made a sound that startled John and John started laughing, so then Ben kept repeating the sound to see if he could get his daddy to keep laughing.  He definitely got John's sense of humor and playfulness!

Other tidbits: Ben loves holding onto long and narrow objects, such as my lipstick, highlighter, etc.  He especially loves baby carrots, because they also offer the option for gnawing.  He will often carry a baby carrot around all day, occasionally chewing on it, but mostly just holding onto it, so we have now dubbed them "security carrots" because he REALLY doesn't like it when we take them away!
His other new thing is to wipe/slap his hands together - we joke that he is "washing his hands of us".

John is teaching our son all the important things in life.....like fish faces and spitting. :)

 All in all, he is a delight, for anyone around.  Sure he has his fussy moments, and there is no denying how he feels when he is in them (much like his mother!) but when he is happy, which is most of the time, he is all sparkles and giggles and personality.  Yesterday I was at Trader Joes and Ben was giggling and smiling and playing peek-a-boo with the other customers around us.  As we were leaving this older lady thanked us for entertaining the store! 

Living Life Large

It is definitely past due for us to check in, so here is an update on how the littlest Norsworthy is doing.....

Ben is a pro at being 8 months and will soon graduate to 9 months in a week!  As he has grown, we have suspected that our son is no meek and calm child.....no, Ben Logan Norsworthy lives life large.  Some personalities are considered introverted or extroverted, sanguine or melancholy.....well, our son's personality is VERY.  He is either VERY happy, or VERY excited, or VERY frustrated....you get the point.  I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise, considering who his mother is, but even I am worn out by this little guy!  The struggle has been that when he is fussy or frustrated, he tends to shriek/scream - somewhat akin to a fighter jet taking off.  We have tried several ways to discipline this wonderful new behavior, but are coming up short to find something that works.  Oh the challenge of a strong personality!  But when he is happy, wow, what a delight he can be.  His laugh goes all the way down to his toes and back, his smile cracks his whole face open, and the faces he makes when he is playing with you or anticipating something you are about to do......absolutely irresistible.

Another thing we are discovering about Ben - he is an adrenaline junkie!  He may grow up to be one of those people who can't get enough of roller coasters and sky diving (oh this momma is going to have a hard time).  As a little infant he would get startled so easily and cry--we had to walk on eggshells around him to not be too noisy.  Now he LOVES to be startled, surprised and will giggle and laugh and wait with anticipation for more!  Yesterday I had a small paper bag that I was shaking open and he startled and then laughed so loud I of course had to do it again.  What makes anything fun is to have a build up of anticipation for him.  So we will count: 1....2....3!  I did that with the bag and on "3" I shook it really hard and it made a huge crackle sound.  He had this look of shock and almost fear but laughed this deep belly laugh like: "that totally scared me and I LOVED IT!!!!!  DO IT AGAIN!!"  What a character!

Other new things:

He is working on more teeth - I see bulging on his top gums, so hopefully those don't take as long as the last ones to show their faces....I mean enamel. :)

He is trying new foods, and for the most part liking them all.....broccoli is still getting poor reviews, even when hidden in things.

He is a master sitter, but not so interested in crawling.  When cheered on like he is running a touchdown, he can manage a bit of a scooch, but that is all the effort he is willing to put out.

His hands are ALWAYS going!  He has finally started using some of the signs back to me that I have been modeling for months!  He will sign "milk" and "all done", though they are very similar in that he uses both hands and they open and close and twist back and forth (which is a combination of the two signs), but there are slight variances that help me distinguish the two.  It is such a thrill to have him respond to me like that, expressing his desires in something other than a fussing cry!  We are working on many other signs and hopefully he will learn them quickly, which I think will help with his frustration level.  

He is getting bigger and bigger, and so is my backache!  I am pretty sure he is at least 23 pounds (we will find out for sure next week), which is quite a load to carry.  He spends more time in the high chair, on the floor, or on the couch now, since my worn out body can't handle holding him as much (especially when he drops his toy for the 5th time and I have to bend down and pick it up while holding him....again).  John unfortunately hurt his back and has had to only play with him while sitting or lying down, which makes things a little challenging, so we are praying for a quick recovery for Daddy so he can get back in the game soon!

He has gotten even more snuggly, if that is possible!  When he is in play mode, he just wants to play, but when he starts slowing down, he loves to be held, hold onto our necks or have full hugs and just snuggle.  Yesterday he woke from a nap with what I think was tooth pain, crying huge crocodile tears.  I picked him up and held him while sitting on the couch and he pressed his little body into mine, rested his head on my shoulder and held on tight, sniffling and sighing.  Oh my mommy heart was melting!  That moment when Mommy is the answer, and that is all he wants--my love bucket overfloweth! 

He LOVES his Daddy and his grandparents.  When we are walking around the house and I have to go into our bedroom for something (which is where John works) he starts flapping his arms and kicking his legs, because he knows who is on the other side of that door!  He leans in as we come through the door and breaks into a huge grin when he sees John.  The same thing happens when we walk up to Grandpa and Grandma's door.  He also is fascinated by computers and gadgets--anything with buttons, cords and lights.  Every morning he gets such a thrill out of watching John turn on his computer, or me making coffee with my Keurig machine.  This morning I helped him push the button and he watched as it started brewing, then he looked up at me with this wide eyed grin, like: "Did you SEE that?!  Isn't that AMAZING?!"  I love the way he responds to the world around him!

You may think by all these glowing reports that we have a perfectly wonderful child that never has a bad day.  Don't worry, we have those.....the days where Ben gets yogurt in his eye and screams bloody murder....the days when mommy is so tired she spills and drops everything and manages to splash salad dressing all over the dining room wall and floor (doesn't clean up well, in case you were wondering).....and the days when you think you have made it to the end of a fairly decent day and Ben poops in his bathtub.  Yes, we have those days and what do you do with them?  Laugh, sigh with relief that they are over, and maybe eat a little chocolate.  We are so grateful for our little boy, for he teaches us the full meaning of patience tested, and joy overflowing!

"Norsworthy Men are in the HOUSE!!!"

Ben can now eat pieces of food all by himself.  This video is of his first attempt going solo without any help from Mom.

This video shows Ben doing his most frequently used sign - the "I want/More/I like this" sign (he is working on getting it approved to the ASL committee).

And the last is just an normal bathtime--nothing over the top, but we thought Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts and Uncles might enjoy seeing normal life around our house....plus who doesn't love little squidgy baby bodies?!

Little Tidbits

Just a few little things to share.....

Ben has two teeth now!! Just the very tips, but they are finally broken through and starting to come up!  You would think the hard work of teething would be done once the teeth break through, but my son is an overachiever, apparently, and feels the need to keep suffering and fussing anyways! :(  

Yay teething! (said with much sarcasm)

Despite the teething, our little boy brings us so much joy.  He loves to PLAY now - giggling and laughing when we do silly things, and he even does things to make US laugh!  We have so much fun just spending time with him!

"Old Man Face"....he won't be able to do that much longer now that teeth are coming in!

Ben LOVES to drink out of a "big-person" glass...of course no one else wants to drink out of it after him because of all the floaties he leaves behind :)

Not sure if it looks like a goatee or a clown face....cute either way!

The biggest news lately is that my sister is the proud mommy of now 2 week old Wes Daniel Williams, an adorable little peanut who is very very far away in Alaska!  I wish so much that I could hold and snuggle the cutie, but we will have to wait awhile before we can.  In the meantime I made some artwork for his room so he has some friends to watch over him (the nursery theme is forest animals).....

Sit back and enjoy...it's video time!

We have taken several fun videos of late and wanted to share.....

The other night it was getting close to bedtime and he was Mr. Grumpy, so we took his clothes off and got this (which is, by the way, only a sample of what lasted a good half hour):

Here is a great sample of the fantastic "Poop Face" as we call it, and Ben's new favorite chewing toy: the rubber end of a Tylenol bottle.  Turns out Tylenol is good for more than just what is inside!

John did the honors on this next video.  He wouldn't say he is creative, but put a computer in his hands and he can do some pretty cool things.

And the best for last....we never know what it will be that will get Ben going with his giggles, but when it happens, you just keep it going and ride the wave til it dies!  I was just eating some snap peas, but he thought the crunch was hilarious, so I crunched away as he giggled and giggled.  I seriously think that is my favorite sound in the whole world!

Teething Bites

I have heard it so many times, and now I am joining my voice in with the masses....TEETHING BITES!!  It is amazing how tiny little pieces of tissue in a tiny little mouth can cause SO MUCH misery (and not just for the little person who gets them)!

Ben has been teething now for a couple months, and wow has that been some hard work.  He fusses, screeches, cries, clings, fusses, drools, cries, gnaws and....fusses.  I am sure it is painful and frustrating to be the one receiving these little chompers, but it is a little painful and frustrating having to take care of the one doing the receiving!  It comes in waves, and we have just ridden a wave that lasted a few weeks.  At night, when he just doesn't know how to deal with it anymore, and the fussing is wearing on us, sometimes we resort to the guaranteed smile-maker: get the kid naked.  So, literally we will take his clothes off and let him play in just his diaper.  It is amazing how the removal of clothes can change our son - crying turns to giggles and we just scratch our heads and laugh, grateful that there is something that works!  

Finally, all Ben's hard work finally has shown some fruit.  Last night we found the very tippy tip of a tooth on his bottom gum!  The first, of many...oh dear..., has announced its arrival and we are ALL so relieved!  Ben had such a great day today - hardly any fussing or screeching and I felt like I had my little boy back.  Hip-hip-hooray!!

Along with teething, we have begun to face some training challenges.  We kept thinking, "he is just a baby, not even crawling and getting into things yet, so training and disciplining is still in our future".  Oh no, we are IN it now!  We had a battle of the wills the other day, in regards to sleeping.  We definitely saw his little will come out as he responded to us with anger and frustration and quite the determination to stay that way until he got his way! (whoever isn't sure about original sin needs to spend a day with an infant and they will come away a believer!)  After 2 hours, John and I came out battered, but victors.  We realized that if we didn't engage now, we would be behind the curve on training.  So we are in it and we are joining as a team to be intentional as we train and guide Ben.  Wow, it has begun, and will be our life, for the next couple decades!  

So the newest challenge to our commitment to train and guide Ben is his new habit of shrieking.  Sometimes in delight, sometimes in frustration and anger, but ALWAYS very loud.  How exactly do you help a baby understand that this isn't appropriate?  We haven't figured that one out yet.  I have found myself feeling frustrated as each attempt to curb this fails and nothing seems to change.  After some wise insight from my sister I am beginning to see it a little differently.  We are realizing that Ben is a very expressive person (wonder where he got that from?) and that he needs our help to learn how to be that way, and do it well.  I am learning to see his strong willed, bold personality as a gift that we get to help mold, instead of an irritating trait.  I love my son so much, and so enjoy watching him grow and become this unique individual.  My mom has said before that raising kids is like tending a garden, with seeds of unknown species.  As they grow, you get to discover what little plants have been placed in your garden.  Each one is unique and requires special care to become the best plant that it can be.  So I wonder....is Ben going to be an oak...a palm tree....a redwood....it is my privilege to find out!

John and Ben in the Battle of the Kitchen Utensils

yes, he does have a diaper on....:)