b e n j a m i n f a l k e n b e r g

Updates from September, 2008

• 

  One For Zachary

  Stacey and Alex 4:17 am on September 24, 2008 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: age (20), birthday (13), cruising (2), laughing (8), party (8), sleeping (19), standing (7), walking (5)

  Congratulations, little guy! Happy First Birthday!

  It’s been a really interesting year this past year having a second child. Mostly, it’s been challenging, trying to wrangle two boys instead of one. It’s really not even close to twice the work… it’s more like four times the work. It’s important to understand, though, that it’s been totally, totally worth all of it.

  Zachary is an amazing, expressive boy. Smiles and laughs all the time. Really easy-going and mellow. He’s not yet walking (which Benjamin had been doing for a couple months or so at this point in his life), but he’s cruising, standing a lot, and definitely wants to walk. He’s getting there, and it likely won’t be long at all.

  Not much else to say, really. Zachary’s a great kid, and we’re really happy we have him. Benjamin loves him to death, and Zachary certainly loves his big brother. We couldn’t be happier or more proud of them both.

  Party on Saturday Sunday!

  Update: The party was a great success! Thanks everyone for coming, sending cards, calling, etc. We really appreciate it!

   

  Reply Click here to cancel reply.

  Name (required)

  Email (required)

  Web Site

   
• 

  Use The Force, Kids

  Stacey and Alex 10:05 am on July 15, 2008 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: allergic (3), allergy (3), animals (3), cat (2), kitten, pet (2), Yoda (2)

  We’re pleased to both announce and welcome into our home….Yoda!

  

  He’s only 8 weeks old, fresh from the Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee (picked him up July 13th). Very playful, very cuddly, very happy kitty. Benjamin and Zachary are going nuts with him so far, really enjoying him, and Yoda’s very interested in them, too.

  The Yoda name, well… it was sort of thrown out there by Dad as a joke, but Benjamin (who knows nothing of Star Wars…yet!) latched onto it immediately and decided it was the perfect name.

  For those that remember our last cat, it was a kitten Mom received at age 6 and a faithful companion and pet for her (and later Dad as well) for over 20 years.  She’s been gone now for about four years, and it’s only been in the last year or so that Mom’s felt ready again for another cat. The only requirement was that any new feline not look like or be named after her. Fair enough.

  Soooo, Yoda makes…five, and our family continues to grow.

   
• 

  Zachary Gets First Cut

  Stacey and Alex 15:30 pm on June 21, 2008 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: hair (2), haircut (2)

  We waited until Benjamin’s first birthday for his first haircut; Zachary couldn’t wait any longer. He’s had longer hair since birth, and with the weather warming up lately, and it getting stuck in his eyes, we had to get it taken care of.

  

  Mom held him still, but he was pretty well-behaved, really, most of the time. Remember, he’s not quite 9 months old yet.;)

  Thanks to his great-aunt Diane for doing the work!

  UPDATE:  We thought you might enjoy a ‘before’ picture (from the week prior to his cut):

  

  and an ‘after’ picture from right after the cut:

  

  Awesome!

   
• 

  Benjamin Sees A Who

  Stacey and Alex 18:15 pm on June 14, 2008 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: age (20), breastfeeding (9), brother (12), cinema, eating (16), Horton Hears a Who, movies, popcorn, potty training, scared, scary, sitting (13)

  Benjamin’s never been to a feature film. Until today. The four of us–Zachary included–went to see a matinee showing of “Horton Hears a Who” at a local movie theater, and we had a really great time.

  First and most importantly, Benjamin really enjoyed himself. It’s not at all uncommon that he enjoys himself; he always manages to find something fun to do. But this was something new, and it got kind of dark, and it wasn’t anything he was familiar with as experiences go…but he adapted well and settled right in. There were moments where Vlad the Vulture spooked him into asking to go potty when he really didn’t need to. Benjamin sat in his own seat (with a theater-provided booster) and held the giant box of popcorn for the whole family, the entire movie.

  There were also moments when he asked to go potty and needed to; he was still clean and dry when the movie was over, which was great considering the kid’s not yet even 2.5 years old. Yes, his parents are proud…

  Unsurprisingly, Zachary enjoyed the movie a bit less. It wasn’t so much a matter of not enjoying the movie, because he wasn’t even really watching it; it was more a matter of having just been breastfed prior to the previews and then wanting to nap when the surroundings were unfamiliar and a bit, umm, animated… He did finally go to sleep, and everything worked out fine after that.

  All in all, a great experience, and a great afternoon at a matinee show (and at a theatre worth supporting!). Mom and Dad enjoyed the movie as well. Mom in particular was laughing out loud at the song and dance bit at the end.

  We’ll definitely be doing it again!

   
• 

  Six Months Old Today, and Zachary Eats Again

  Stacey and Alex 18:45 pm on March 24, 2008 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: age (20), cereal (9), eating (16), food (13), pediatrician (15), solids (11)

  And this time it’s peas… Zachary’s first ‘real’ solid food not counting rice cereal.

  It went really well; he really enjoyed the peas, happily smacking his lips with each spoonful. His reaction to the first taste was more like “hey, what IS that, I don’t know that!”, but he had already recovered by his very next bite.

  We’ll do peas for a few more days (4 days per food starting out, according to the pediatrician, to stay on top of any possible allergic reactions), and then switch it up a bit with some sweet potatoes or something.

  And in case you’ve forgotten or are trying to remember, Benjamin’s first real food was peas, too…

  And yes, Zachary is six months old today, too. Where does the time go?

   
• 

  Zachary Eats...

  Stacey and Alex 23:50 pm on February 28, 2008 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: breastfeeding (9), brother (12), cereal (9), eating (16), food (13), pediatrician (15), solids (11)

  …his first rice cereal!

  It wasn’t much earlier tonight, but it was enough. About a tablespoon of dry rice cereal, mixed with breastmilk, fairly thinly. For his first time, it probably seemed like a lot to him! He wasn’t quite as adept as Benjamin was at taking it in his first time, but he did a pretty good job for his first time.

  Benjamin started rice cereal right around five months, too. And yeah, our pediatrician told us at four months to start, with both kids, but we waited both times because we’ve read solids shouldn’t start until at least six months, or later. Both were (and Zachary continues to be) breastfed, so we feel fine with it all.

  Anyway, we’re pretty excited to be moving into Zachary’s next big phase of existence.