Happy Halloween!!

A Giraffe, A Kangaroo, A Bear, and A Tootsie Roll

We met our friends at one of the big neighborhood trick-or-treating events today. We all started at the cupcake shop, and ended at a kid-friendly pub - equal fun for the whole family I guess. Bennett was happy in his giraffe costume but actually cried at the beginning of our trek when seeing the hoards of people from what we gathered was probably fear of some of the scary costumes. As if all those unhealthy treats were not enough throughout the day, we then hosted friends for dinner with pizza, apple pie, and ice cream. We definitely took advantage of a weekend known for treats!

Pumpkin Parade and Party!

Bennett's class before the parade

Today was the annual Pumpkin Parade at school. Every year there are hundreds of costumed children from the daycare center who walk down pumpkin lane for all the staff and families to see. As you can imagine, it is quite adorable. For our first year, a very proud Andrew and Bennett Bear walked with our class and I got to stand by and wave from the packed sidelines. Once the parade is over, all of the families go through the floors of Starbucks center for goodies and halloween fun. It was quite an elaborate set-up with a hanuted house, pumpkin carving contest, lots of games, and just anything Halloween that you could think of. Although we did explore almost everything, Bennett, being too young to fully understand it all, just sort of sat back and met people with some tired smiles, then let me have fun getting all the treats. We had fun with his teachers and all of the families!

Road to Recovery

We are on the road to recovery in our home as Andrew had been sick for a good two weeks, Bennett had a fever most of last weekend, and I am currently in the middle stages of whatever they had. It makes for a pretty uneventful blog post as we have had to cancel some recent plans due to the above, but we know we will get through this bout of sickness, teething, and sleepless nights soon!! Speaking of teething, Bennett's first tooth did surface on Monday (still too tiny to capture on camera) and has proved to be a fairly slow, drawn out process for the little guy. But unless it is between the hours of 11pm-4am, he just continues to smile!

Our Favorite Little Pumpkin!

Painting Pumpkins

It was family activity time at school today, where Bennett got to paint pumpkins! He decorated his own mini pumpkin and added his personal touch to the larger class pumpkin. Andrew and I always enjoy being a part of his school day and were told that Bennett is typically the only child who will sit for a loooong period of time and be content in his painting. I wonder if he will take after his Grandpa?

My Uncle Makes Me Smile!

and we share the same haircut!!

Pumpkin Patch!

Being Bennett

Ah, Saturday

We had a great time celebrating at Brooke's first birthday party today. Bennett was the only little boy there, so loved having the attention and ability to flirt and play with all the little girls. Happy Birthday Brooke!

Later, Andrew and I were very lucky to have Grandma come down and watch B, allowing us to get out for a night on the town together - just the two of us. We very much enjoyed each other's company while heading our for a happy hour drink, taking in the spectacular Picasso exhibit at the art museum, and having a romantic dinner on the waterfront downtown. THANKS for being here Grandma! It was a treat to have you! I also must thank my hubby for a wonderful evening of laughter and fun!

Us, Today

Let's Snuggle

Our Star Patient

Bennett was a champ for his first surgery today! We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 and left exactly two hours later, with two ear tubes placed, no complications, and no fluid left behind those eardrums! Since Bennett was the youngest patient of the day, we were lucky to be the first family through the process. We encountered a caring staff and Bennett was able to enjoy the cooing nurses and two trips to the children's playroom. The procedure itself took about ten minutes and Bennett did not shed one tear the entire time we were there. It is true what they say...it's harder on the parents than the children!
Based off what the nurses and doctors told us, we were expecting and prepared to see an upset, crying or screaming child (as a result of the anesthesia) in the recovery room, but little Bennett was so quiet, mellow and shared his smile with the nurses and us just seconds after he was fully awake. We are so proud of him!

We are thankful that everything went smoothly for our little guy! We will get another hearing test in a couple of weeks, then see the doctor every 4 months to check on the tubes until they fall out sometime within the next 14 months. We feel like he is saying "Ahhhh sweet relief - that was a breeze!" and hope that his sleeping patterns will now improve without that extra pressure in his ears.

All clear to head home!

The Bennett Shuffle

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7 Months Old!

All Bundled Up for these Chilly Fall Evenings

Babies and Chili

We had a really fun time hosting a big chili dinner for our baby/parent group tonight. As you can see, it happened to be just the baby boys who were able to make it - they are always a load of fun, even when you push them well past bedtime. We adore the great group of kids and parents that we get to connect with and there is never a dull moment when we all get together!

Doctor, Doctor

Today we had two doc appointments, one for yet another ear check-up and the second to meet with an audiologist to check for any ear fluid or hearing loss. It was confirmed through both appointments that Bennett's ear infection has not yet made any response to even a fourth antibiotic, that he indeed has fluid hanging out behind both eardrums, and also is currently experiencing 'moderate' hearing loss, which we are hoping is only temporary and will return to normal once the fluid is gone. Tomorrow we will meet with an ENT doctor to learn more about what our next set of options will be to get Bennett back to normal and sleeping through the night again! 7 weeks has been too long!

He is a star patient - hanging out watching the fish tank, stretching out his sock, always with a smile and positive attitude - while we wait for the doctor!

Another Girlfriend!

Tonight we went to meet Ella, the adorable newborn daughter of our friends Matt and Meghan. Meghan and Andrew were neighbors while students at WSU and are neighbors again now, living about four blocks away from us. It was fun to see and hold such a tiny little baby and is cute to think of another little girl for Bennett to have playdates with. He sure did not hold back on the flirting as he kept touching her and squealing with delight when we put them together!