Ephraim is 6 months...and 7 days

 Oh man, I am even further behind on this than I was last month!  Anyway, so much has changed in just a month!!  As you can see, Ephraim can now sit up.  He was pretty wobbly at first, but now he's pretty dang sturdy...unless one of his siblings bowls him over!  He doesn't do so much rolling anymore.  He flips on to his belly and then that little bugger drags himself all across the room.  He wants so badly to keep up with those bigger kids!

Ephraim got his first taste of solid food.  His first bite was of avocado.  Although he made a face, he gobbled it up!  He has pretty much done that with every food he has tried - made a face and scarfed it down!  Come on, does this look like a kid who does like to eat?  So far, he has tried avocado, squash, apples, bananas, and sweet potatoes.  He broke out into a rash the day he tried banana, but I'm going to have to try it again before I'm prepared to rule that he's allergic to it.  This kids now thinks he's ready for steak dinners.  You have to watch him because he'll dive after any food within reach.  He also likes to hold the spoon and really tries to feed himself!

He still adores his big brother and sister.  He'll make little noises to try and get their attention and he's always flashing them his big goofy smile.  They are MUCH more likely to get him into a fit of giggles than his mommy or daddy.  Ephraim is starting to babble.  He's quite the little talker.  Big brother, Jameson, tells us that he's talking already "[Gasp], did you hear that?  He said Jay-Muh-Son!"  I don't hear what J hears just yet, but I doubt it's too long before he's chiming in with the other two!  Oh and Delilah is convinced that he should be talking because he now has teeth - Ephraim has cut 2 teeth already, BTW!

Happy half birthday, Ephraim!

Ephraim is 5 months...and 6 days... :-)

Sorry, things have been a bit hectic and I got a little behind on E's monthly posts.  Eek!  So, as usual, my Buddha buddy is a big guy.  I recently found the stats from Jameson's 9 month appointment.  At that time, J weighed 18.8 lbs.  What??  Ephraim weighs over 19 lbs at 5 months!!  Craziness!  Anyway, as I posted earlier, Ephraim is a rolling fool.  He easily rolls from back to tummy, but he gets frustrated on his belly.  He CAN roll from belly to back, but he has to get mad first.  At bedtime, I let him his fuss for a little while, and he usually goes to sleep on his own.  However, it cracks me up because I'll lay him down with his head facing East on one side of the crib.  Then later, I will go check on his and his head will be facing South West on the completely other side of the crib.  Apparently he's really on the move, but only in secret!  :-)

Ephraim looooooooves attention.  He'll make noises until you look at him and once you do, he'll flash you his big gummy smile.  He also started doing what we call his "happy dance."  He'll shake his head back and forth super fast while flashing a huge smile.  It's pretty much the funniest thing that I've ever seen.  Ephraim seem to be a lover of music.  If he's not happy, he'll often cheer right up if one of his siblings sings to him or if Daddy plays the guitar for his.  At bedtime, I can get his to settle down and relax into sleep by singing softly to him.

Poor buddy has had a rough few weeks lately.  The kids have all been battling this upper respiratory junk for a while.  A couple of weeks ago it developed into a yucky cough.  All of that, plus he's working on his first tooth.  But really other than just before bedtime, he doesn't let it slow him down too much!

Next month, Ephraim will be 6 months and starting solid foods.  Simply unbelievable!

Someone is on the move!

Keep rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin'

What?

Uhhh…oops, sorry - my inner Limp Bizkit was showing.  I guess I reverted back to the year 2000 for a minute.  Haha!

On Tuesday, Ephraim FINALLY rolled over for the first time.  He’s been sooooooo close for quite a while.  (For the record – there has been a debate going on in the house for a few weeks.  Russell seems to think that it counts when he rolled over in the bouncer seat.  I said no way because he totally could get some leverage from the side – it only counts when he’s flat on the floor!!  What is this??  His first kid?  Haha!)  Anyway, back to Tuesday.  He rolled for the first time – from flat on the floor – from his back to his belly.  Well today, I left him on the floor in the family room for a minute and when I came back he was in a completely different spot than where he started.  I asked Jameson about it and he said “Ephraim just moved himself.”  So, I watched him for a while.

He would roll from his back to his belly, play for a bit, and then roll from his belly to his back, play for a bit – rinse and repeat.  Well, apparently that little booger knows how to roll both ways!  He will now roll pretty consistently from his back to his belly, but will roll less frequently from his belly to his back.  Sometimes he’ll sit there, get frustrated and cry – even though he has done it before!  Oh well, I know that it won’t be too long before he’s completely mobile!!

I’m going places, Mama!

Ephraim is 4 months!

Let’s see what’s new…Ephraim is getting stronger and stronger every day.  He can consistently hold his head up.  When he’s agreeable to doing tummy time, he’s able to keep his head up and push his chest up.  He’s much more likely to do tummy time if his brother and/or sister join him.

Ephraim has had a few instances where he cries inconsolably and becomes very clingy.  While I love me some baby snuggles, it makes it quite difficult to get anything done around here!  We’re not sure if it’s teeth or the cold that we’re all battling.  Whatever it is, I just hope that it passes soon!  Unfortunately, he seems to know when Russell and I get a date night out because that’s when he really puts on a show!  Dearest Ephraim, I love you, but your mommy needs a night out from time to time for her own sanity!!

At Ephraim’s 4 month appt, the only milestone that his pediatrician asked about that he hadn’t hit yet was rolling over.  He’s super close, but that’s an awful lot of body to move!  I’m sure it’s only a matter of days.  He weighed in at 17.11 lbs (91%), 25.5” long (69%), and head circumference of 17.25” (86%).  As you can see, my buddy is still a big guy – though his height percentile is dropping a bit (shocking, right?). 

Dr. Zimmerman did diagnose Ephraim with laryngomalacia or “floppy vocal chords.”  It’s generally a benign condition.  The soft, immature cartilage of the upper larynx collapses inward during inhalation – which just means that he’s noisy.  He always has a bit of a wheezy sound when he’s breathing and when he gets excited he makes this ADORABLE squeaky sound.  In fact, Dr. Zimmerman says that they call children with this “happy squeakers.”  His breathing seems fine, which is the only real concern, but we do need keep an eye on him for sleep apnea.  And, in most of the cases, the babies grow out of it by the time they are 1 or 2.

Ephraim is 3 months!

As you can see, Ephraim continues to be the linebacker in the family.  :-)  When he’s not eating or sleeping, he loves to smile at everyone.  If you’re really lucky, you’ll get an adorable little giggle out of him.  Here’s a little secret…his toes are ticklish!!  He watches his siblings in awe.  You can tell that he’s counting the days until he can run and jump and climb with them.  The kids are excited for Ephraim to be able to play with them as well.

Ephraim is able to hold his head up on a regular basis now.  He loves looking around and taking everything in.  He generally enjoys tummy time and he’s getting pretty close to rolling over!  He’s starting to sleep in longer increments – as many as 6 hours at a time!!  He’s also starting to babble a little bit.  The boy has a lot to say!

Ephraim loves bath time, snuggles, and smiling.  He gets so happy during diaper changes.  He just smiles and kicks his little feet.  If he’s starting to get fussy, the best way to calm him down is to have his siblings sing him a song!  He’s just an adorable, happy little guy!!

Weekend Recap

In typical Bennett fashion this weekend was another busy one!  We had lots of fun Halloween festivities planned!  The kids were chomping at the bit to wear their costumes and fortunately we had plans to attend a few events around town that required such attire!

Saturday afternoon, we hit up trick or treating at our Hy-Vee.  We thought it would be convenient to kill two birds with one stone – we needed some groceries and the kids could get some candy.  It was not the most organized event, but the kids didn't complain.  They got some candy and their picture taken with the Great Pumpkin.  What’s not to love?? 

Later that day, we stopped by the trunk or treat event at a friend’s church.  Each car had a different theme.  The kids had so much fun going from car to car gathering a bucketful of candy!  But toward the end, Ephraim had enough and started to get fussy.  So, we all grabbed a cup of cider and some popcorn on our way out.  Then we had ourselves a little picnic in the van while I fed the baby.

Saturday evening was Nannie Sandy’s annual Halloween party.  As you might imagine, the kids were the hit of the party.  Before going, Delilah informed me that the party couldn't start without them!  They immediately found the candy dish and began gorging themselves in M&M’s.  Then Jameson proceeded to ask everyone in attendance if they knew his name.  He then told me that he introduced himself to everyone at the party.  Such a little schmoozer already!  But, then Delilah fell while trying to get off a chair and Ephraim started to get fussy.  I decided that since 2 of the 3 kiddos were crying that it was probably time to go!

Sunday morning, we got up and headed over to Wenninghoff's Farm to meet Kellie and Maddie at the pumpkin.  It was a nice little place.  We got to see some animals and we went on a hay-rack ride.  But, I think the highlight for the kids was all of the different activities they were able to do.  There were different things to climb on, slide down, or crawl through.  We went through the corn maze.  The boys took off in one direction, while the girls (plus Ephraim) went in another.  I do want to point out that directed by our fearless leader, Delilah- the girls beat the boys out of the maze!!  Haha!

We were all pretty weary after all of our adventures, so it was time to head home for a family nap!!

Whose kid is this??

Today we took Ephraim for his 2 month appointment today.  We like to do as much as possible as a family – and now with 5, things can quickly become a circus.  And this doctor’s appointment was no exception!  But, Dr. Zimmerman took our climbing monkeys in stride.  Ephraim weighed in at 14.2 lbs (87%), was 24.25” (91%) long, and his head was 16.5” (88%).  He is waaaaaaay bigger than his siblings were at that age.  He may just turn out to be the BIG little brother.  Of course, everything was perfect.  E was already agitated at the appointment (I think he was hungry), but he was not a fan of his shots – but it was nothing a little Mommy’s milk and Tylenol couldn't cure!

These cheeks don't lie!  I'm a big boy!!

Ephraim is 2 months!

Happy 2 month birthday, Ephraim!  As you can see, our little guy is really filling out!  He loves the usual – eating and sleeping.  Haha!  Little Ephraim is such a cuddler!  He gives the best snuggles!  We are starting to get lots of smiles and a few coos.  He is still waking up every 4 hours or so, but he does have a solid bedtime routine – he’s usually ready to go down for the night between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm.  Ephraim is loved by his brother and sister.  They are always talking to him and touching him.  They ask all the time to hold them and little E doesn't seem to mind the attention!