12 Months of Bennett: Month FOUR

In the Fourth Month of Motherhood my Bennett gave to me:

four great big milestones

Wow what a month. We had a lot of firsts this month. Four, just to name a few.

We left Bennett with a babysitter other than a family member for the first time, Ms. Geraldine. It was great to go out for a night and not really have to worry about anything. For instance, with family we are always aware of how long we have been gone, that they will want to be home at a certain time, etc. With a babysitter, you are paying them, so stay out as long as you want to pay! :) We had a blast at our friend's wedding and experienced a re-energizing of sorts. We can do this. We can go out on our own and still have a wonderful time. We can still go out on our own, have a wonderful time, and Bennett will be FINE. And he will still love us and remember us in the morning. ha!

Bennett also had his first outing in a bathing suit AND sunscreen, which is HUGE. My sisters and I pretty much grew up at the beach and lived in a bathing suit from early March till late October. We went to the beach rain or shine, winter or summer, hot or cold. Year round. This boy and his future brothers and perhaps sisters will definitely be doing the same.

Another big first was Rice Cereal. Like most babies, Bennett didn't quite know what to think of it. This resulted in strange faces and wonderfully silly pictures. You would have thought we were trying to torture him (by the looks on his face). Stephen and I got a kick out of it, though, and joined Bennett in his tears - ours in a different emotion, of course.

The last first of this month really meant the most to me. Bennett finally reached for and grabbed something. On his four month birthday. He sure did wait a long time before hitting this milestone. He never batted, or reached for, or swatted at anything. Until the early morn of April 29th. And from that point on there was no looking back. He grabbed things with both hands, passed things across his body from one hand to the other, and did it all with great aim and intention. It just took him awhile to get to this point. But this is something I have learned with Bennett. There really isn't a huge learning curve for him. He hits many of his "firsts" weeks or even months later than his peers, but on the first try he is a pro. This has been the case with grabbing things, cruising, crawling, and now talking. Crazy kid.

We love you crazy boy! :)

Oh, and I must say, Bennett had another special first during this month....he met Jack Schwant! After getting to know him over his mama's blog over the past year, it was great to finally meet him in person. :) I can just SEE all the trouble you two will get in one day!

In the fourth month of Motherhood my Bennett gave to me

four great big milestones
three frazzled nights
two special treats
and a family of two becomes three.

(note: My computer isn't hooked up to my external hard drive that houses all my pictures, so just click on the links for some "aww look how little he was!" moments {or in Bennett's case: "aww look how chubby he still was!"})